HELPFUL HINTS ~ OTHER FUN AND INTERESTING IDEAS

First I want to say this will probably update often.  You might just want to bookmark it so you can check it out for changes.

As I have said multiple times I am very frugal.  I hate waste.  AND I love neat ideas of any kind that helps me out by making things easier.

Since blogging the last 6 months or so I have realized how many helpful things I have known, figured out or in some way come by that I want to share with all of you.

As my journey beginnings, you will learn a few things you can do with something you may have otherwise thrown out.  Or you might just find out an easier way of doing something.  Either way, I hope this trip will be full of fun and rewarding to all of us.

MESH TEA BALL STRAINER:  Yeah you know they are good for a cup of tea but did you know you can use it for anything you wish to infuse a flavor with?  I use mine all the time for when I cook or can and the recipe calls for spices put into cheesecloth.  It is re-usable and saves money.  

COCKTAIL WHISK:  I have never have used mine for making a drink but I sure use it all the time for something small I need to whisk but the best thing is when I make a rub.  Yep, you can use it for dry ingredients too.  

ANTISEPTIC MOUTHWASH: This is one of my favorite ones.  I was actually running errands and thought of this today and wondered why I have yet to post it under helpful hints because I use it for so many.  People do not think about mouthwash as anything other than rinsing your mouth with but oh my goodness you are wrong.  Let me name some of the ways I have used it.  Gets rid of nail fungus, thickening of the nail or discoloring.  Really any fungus such as athlete's feet or foot odor due to a fungus.  You can use it for poison ivy or bruise treatments.  It is great for cuts and scrapes too.  Fun fact, most people do not realize that mouthwash was first used as a surgical antiseptic.  You can use it for dandruff and even lice.  It is also good around the house, it sanitizes so it is good for laundry, it helps freshen flowers, you can use it as a glass cleaner or computer screen cleaner.  You can clean your toilets with it or even your toothbrush.  You do not have to buy an expensive mouthwash, all you need is one that is an antiseptic mouthwash.  Mine came from the Dollar Store.  

BAKING SODA:  I keep several boxes in my house.  I tend to get an allergy rash quite often and baking soda is excellent for drying up and calming down the pesky bumps.  Look here 20 for surprising ways to use baking soda.

ONION PEELS:  NEVER throw them out because you can make meat or vegetable broths with these scraps.  You can freeze them until you have enough scrap peels to make broth.  Another excellent idea is onion skin tea.  Did you know that the skin of an onion is full of vitamin A, C, E, and antioxidants?  Check this out for more onion benefits.  

APPLE PEELS:  You can make apple cider vinegar with them.  Have you ever looked at how much a small bottle of organic AVC with the mother in it costs?  Another good idea is apple scrap jelly.  You can boil down the scraps and make a juice for jelly.  Or you can even dry the peels and use in homemade potpourri.

VANILLA BEANS: Vanilla beans left over from homemade vanilla extracts.  You can make all kinds of things with the leftover beans.  You can make potpourri, vanilla sugar, vanilla sugar scrub or even toss one somewhere for aromatics in your house. 

LEMON JUICE:  When using lemon juice on fruit to keep it from turning brown you can add some in a bottle and spritz your fruit.  This saves on how much lemon juice you will use.  Waste not, want not.  

LEMON PEELS:  Lemon peels are so useful.  You can zest them and you can use them down a garbage disposal Here is another link on how to use lemon peel.  Here is a great recipe for Candied Lemon Peels.

RABBIT POOP:  If you raise rabbits you can use their poop as a fertilizer.  I know that sounds gross but it is a great fertilizer.  You can use it at any point and it will not burn your plants.  It helps your garden grow strong and produce more.  

LEFTOVER WINE:  Don't toss the wine!!  Yes, I love my wine but there are some great usages for leftover wine.  You can make jelly, vinegar, and even wine syrup.  I have been known to freeze what was leftover in a glass from the night before.  You can cook with it later.  

COFFEE GROUNDS: For years we have used coffee grounds in the garden to keep pest away or as a fertilizer but there are so many more ways to use them. You can also mix old grounds with carrot seeds which gives them a boost to growth.  I am really excited about making coffee scrubs (coming soon) because coffee is a great way to exfoliate and rejuvenate your skin and it is awesome for your hair.  Yes your hair, it helps to bring back the natural shine. 

EGGSHELLS:  As I have mentioned you can use egg shells in the garden but again like so many other things their usage are plenty.  You can even use them to start your seeds or as a tea to give your plants a boost.  They are great for your skin, YES your skin!!  You can make a mask that nourishes your skin and they help with skin irritations.  Just mix them with a little bit of ACV and let it sit for a while and it is a great natural way to heal your irritated skin.   You can even use them as a calcium supplement by baking them for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 and grinding them into a powder.  All you have to do is mix the powder into a smoothie or something you will be eating and you have a natural way of providing calcium into your diet.  They are even good for cleaning.  Again grind them down and use them as a pot scrub.  They are non-abrasive so it should not mess up anything you want to scrub.  Did you know they are good for whitening laundry?  Just toss some into a mesh bag and throw it into your laundry.  They will take out the gray.  

CHRISTMAS CARDS: This is one that I learned from my mom.  She use to save our Christmas cards every year.  The next Christmas she would cut the front cover off of the card and use it as a gift tag.  

BOTTLES OR JARS:  If you have noticed in a lot of my pictures I have used jars, bottles, jugs etc that were originally bought with something else in it.  Above under rabbit pooh you see an Arizona Tea Jug.  I use them for watering the flowers and animals.  I keep all kinds of jars to re-use.  I currently have a jar of eggshells and homemade apple cider vinegar tonic in it, which I is a natural remedy for iritated itchy skin.  You can also see re-used liquor bottles if you look at the limoncello recipe. 

If you have any ideas you would like to share please comment.

Enjoy!