20 Things You Should Stop Buying and Make Yourself!

Before you read on I want to explain that I did not come up with all of these ideas. Most of them I found on Pinterest! In fact, after creating several money-savvy boards on Pinterest, I realized that I would love to write about this stuff because, honestly, it makes me super happy to save money! I know I inherited this from my Mom - there must be some money-saving gene scientists have not discovered yet. 

Growing up, we hardly EVER ate fast food! If we did, we thought that we all died and went to heaven! Being the mom of seven kids, I am sure that it would have been a lot easier for her to just buy everyone dollar hamburgers at McDonalds and get lunch/dinner overwith - but she would not do that! This is not only because my mom was a nurse and very health conscious, but because she took every opportunity to save money (even if it was inconvenient for her). I have learned this life hack from watching my Mom: "Why buy it if you can make it?"

So, if I can find something to DIY instead of buy - I'm going for it! - as long as it is cost-effective. There are some DIY things on Pinterest that are more expensive to make than to just buy at the store because some people are simply trying to "live green," use less plastic, not use any harsh chemicals, or eat completely preservative and additive free food - I don't care about any of that! I only care about saving money! So all of the things on this list, while they may not be completely "natural," will save you hundreds of dollars a year if you make them instead of buying them!

To coin the words of my dear pal Ben Franklin: "A penny saved is a penny earned." Live by this philosophy and you will find yourself a lot richer. We were completely oblivious to how much money we wasted on frivolous things until we stopped buying them! Some of these items are easy to make while some of them require more time invested, but I have found all of these to be totally worth it for the peace of mind and satisfaction they offer in exchange for a little bit of effort!

Now, if you are an extreme couponer, you probably know how to get most of the things on this list for free. But for me and all of the other people who are not all that into couponing - here are twenty things you probably didn't know you could make yourself instead of buy. 

With each "Recipe" that I have found on Pinterest I will include the link as well as any modifications I have personally made:



1. Laundry Detergent
Pros: This literally comes down to 2 cents per load! TWO PENNIES! $0.02!! And it makes 5 gallons at a time so you don't have to make it again for a looooooooooooong time - which is nice :) This one is totally worth it!

Cons: You need to have a 5 gallon bucket to mix the ingredients in (or something that holds 5 gallons of liquid - I used a cooler that I washed out). It also doesn't smell as good as store bought laundry detergent so I always add Gain Fireworks (and I usually use two $1.00 off coupons with iBotta and Checkout 51 - making it only $1.00 per bottle - which lasts me at least 2 months) This makes it smell so fresh and so clean CLEAN! (Even though the detergent is what actually CLEANS the clothes) But again, I am weird, so if it doesn't smell like manufactured perfumes - then it's not clean! 



2. Dishwasher Detergent
Pros: You don't have to make these into "tabs" like the recipe says. I just mix it up and after it dries I pour it into a container and just use as powdered detergent.

Cons: This is a small batch so I usually have to remake it every three months or so. Also, if you have hard water, you might have to add something to it so it will it will not leave mineral deposits on your glasses. Thankfully, we do not have this problem and it works great for us!



3. Apple Cider Vinegar
Pros: I haven't made this one yet but it looks super easy! All you need is apple peels, sugar, and water! It is also unpasteurized and will grow a scoby which you can use to make homemade kombucha : )

Cons: It takes 2 weeks for the vinegar to ferment and you have to save the peels from at least 6 apples - but I like to eat the peels : (



4. Toothpaste 
Pros: Other than the peppermint oil, all this toothpaste uses are things that I already had on hand! Baking Soda, Coconut Oil, Sea Salt, and water! Since it is summer and our house is hotter I found out I didn't even need to add the water - but I definitely will during the winter or it will be too thick from the coconut oil solidifying.

Cons: It tastes gross to me (probably because I used peppermint extract instead of the essential oil so it tastes very much like baking soda mixed with alcohol) Some homemade toothpaste recipes add stevia to make it taste better but I feel weird about putting sweetener on my teeth when I am supposed to be cleaning them! 



5. Mouthwash
Pros: It is super cheap to make and actually whitens your teeth at the same time!

Cons: It is not anticavity or enamel building - in fact, I read that you have to be careful how much hydrogen peroxide you expose your teeth to! It also tastes like alcohol to me because I used the peppermint extract again instead of peppermint oil. I'm sorry I am just too cheap to buy essential oils! I also did not add the stevia because, again, I think that is counterintuitive to cleaning my teeth.



6. Granola
Pros: This recipe is endlessly customizable! I actually add ground flax and hemp seed for extra protein! You can add whatever you want, there are no preservatives or additives, and it is soooooo much cheaper than buying granola at the store!

Cons: You have to make it before you can eat it : (



7. Windex
Pros: This is unbelievably cheap and it works BETTER than windex in my humble opinion. It only uses 1 tablespoon of Dawn and 1/4 cup vinegar per EVERY 2 QUARTS! I also use it for cleaning the shower, counter, and pretty much everything! 

Cons: You have to have a large container to store the leftover solution in and you have to have an empty spray bottle.

8. Toilet Bowl Cleaner - just use BLEACH
Pros: It is super cheap! You only have to use 1-2 Tablespoons per toilet bowl.

Cons: It smells like bleach. I usually burn a candle or spray some other yummy smelling cleaner in order to counteract this.



9. Multi-Purpose Cleaner
Pros: The orange peels give it antibacterial properties and make it smell yummy! It is also very cheap - you can even dilute this solution with water because it is so concentrated (and that makes it even cheaper!!) I also want to try this with lemon peels and grapefruit peels.

Cons: You have to wait two weeks until it is ready : (



10. Carpet Freshener
Pros: The Borax in this is known to fight against dust mites and fleas! It also makes the room smell fresh and clean.

Cons: I actually never made this but I pinned it because we used to have carpet (we have tile and hardwood now)



11. Febreeze
Pros: This is so brilliant!

Cons: It doesn't have any anti-allergen properties.



12. Shampoo
Pros: This is so much cheaper than expensive "healthy" hair care products and so much better for your hair!

Cons: I haven't tried this yet - I am nervous because I have oily hair. But I want to try it!!



13. Liquid Hand Soap
Pros: This is only 2.5 cents per cup to make and you can make it smell however you like!

Cons: It is not antibacterial if you just use Ivory like me, but you could add lavender essential oil or just use an antibacterial bar soap as the base to solve that problem.

14. Deodorant
Pros: This is so much healthier and cheaper than store bought deodorant! And you can make it smell however you want! This is a great way to put your leftover candle wax to good use : )

Cons: You HAVE to melt the wax and then wipe of all utensils/dishes before the wax dries or you will have to scrape it off which is not fun!



15. Ant-killer
Pros: This really works! Believe me - dead ants everywhere outside and then more ants bring the dead ants back to the nest to eat them and they get poisoned from eating the dead ants! Muhahaha the power!

Cons: THIS COULD BE HARMFUL TO PETS (especially small dogs) because of the Borax - it can do kidney damage if ingested. Also, you have to pick up cotton balls from outside about 1 week later.  



16. Insect Repellent
Pros: No harmful or harsh chemicals!

Cons: I haven't made this yet but I definitely want to do this once we have kids!



17. Junk Food
Pros: This will save sooooo much money on groceries by cutting out "impulse buys." And while most homemade "junk food" is still not very nutritious - you at least don't have to worry about preservatives or unknown ingredients. There are so many yummy and healthy snacks on Pinterest that are cheaper to make at home than buy at the store!

Cons: You have to make them - this is why they are not "impulse buys!"



18. Greeting Cards
Pros: You can personalize the card for the recipient far better than any store bought card! You know them best! (Or at least better than the person who is writing the generic greeting cards)

Cons: Card stock or some other thick paper is a must and this can be expensive to buy a large pack. I am so blessed to always have people from my work and church constantly giving me craft supplies!! It also takes more time to make a card than to buy one. 



19. Protein Bars
Pros: These are very healthy as well as customizeable! The store bought ones can also take a huge chunk out of your grocery bill - but these do not!

Cons: You have to make them ahead of time. It is also hard to figure out the nutrition facts per bar if not already listed on the web page. It is just nice to know : )

20. Milk - just buy powdered milk
Pros: This saves a lot of money!! We only use milk for baking and cooking - not drinking and we do not eat cereal for breakfast. Therefore, we never tell a difference in taste between powdered milk and fresh milk anyway - so why pay more?

Cons: I wouldn't drink it plain but when cooked or baked into things I can't taste a difference!

I hope that these suggestions were helpful! Let me know in the comments below something that you or your mom DIY instead of buy!

Happy Mom Monday! A big thank you to Jane Ellis (my wonderful mother) who taught me not to be afraid to make things instead of buying them! I love you!

Mom mondays - How to fight in your marriage

Now before any of you get too disappointed, this is not a blog about how to physically fight in your marriage. This is how to fight spiritually in your marriage. This is what I have learned from my Mom's example - I am very blessed to have a godly example of a wife and mother in her!

If you have not seen the movie, War Room, you should! It is a very powerful picture of what can happen when we allow God to fight our battles for us. My favorite character of the movie is Mrs. Clara - a very spunky, elderly lady who loves the Lord and seems to talk with Him as if He is standing right next to her. This is what she says to a woman who is in a struggling marriage:  

"Just because you argue a lot doesn't mean you fight well."

What are ways that we can fight well?

1. Pray that God would bind the devil. 

The number one way that the devil combats the church is through destroying marriages. If we are too busy fighting each other - we definitely do not have time to do what God requires of us. This is how the devil cripples the church so that she cannot proclaim the gospel. One of the most powerful scenes from "War Room" is when she goes through her home like a crazy woman telling the devil that he is not welcome there. Watch the scene on youtube here. Can you tell I love this movie? If you haven't seen it, you should! 

2. Pray that God would fight for you.
If there is abuse going on - God has established authorities to protect you - contact them. But for any other disagreements, let God do your fighting for you. If he is a Christian, pray that your husband would be the man God has called him to be. Here is a list of verses you can pray for your husband. 
If he is not a Christian, pray that he would see his need for a Savior and be won over by your actions "WITHOUT A WORD." (I Peter 3:1) That is pretty powerful if you think about it! Which brings me to my next point:

3. Pray that God would change your attitude.
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4) Sometimes taking a step of action comes first, and then the change in attitude follows. Find ways to encourage your husband and thank him for things that he has done and does daily. Put things in perspective - what would it be like if you did not have a husband at all? Write him a note or leave a small gift somewhere that he will find it : )

4. Keep it between you, him, and God (as a general rule)

Do not talk badly of him behind or in front of his back. "She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life." (Proverbs 31:12) This can be difficult if you are experiencing recurring issues. The last thing that you want to do is go to your parents or a close friend when you are having problems. Even though they may give great advice, they are biased towards your side of the story. Before Stephen and I got married, we agreed on a couple that we would take our problems to if things got "hairy." We chose a couple who knows us equally as well and and who we knew would point us to the truth of God's word instead of just what we wanted to hear.

4. Submit to your husband 
Unless he is asking you to sin (do something immoral or illegal) then let him call the shots - even if it is inconvenient for you.

A lot of what I learned when we first got married was about time management. I was so used to living the break-neck speed single life that I forgot I was sharing my life now with someone else. My husband has taught me a lot about not always having to say "yes" and how I do not have to be involved in something just because it is a good thing. Just because it is something good does not mean it is necessarily what God wants me to do. But I do know that God clearly says:

"Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church, his body, of which he is also the Savior. Now, as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in EVERYTHING." (Ephesians 5:22-24)

Chances are, the more you listen to his advice, the more he will value what you think because he knows you value what he thinks. My husband asks my opinion on a lot of things before he makes a decision, but he doesn't have to. Ultimately, he carries the weight of his decision, but he consults my opinion most of the time. "The heart of her husband trusts in her." Proverbs 31:11 

5. Do not hold past mistakes over his head.

A lot of husbands become passive and cease leading because they are afraid of doing the wrong thing and upsetting their wives. What is your attitude like when things do not go your way? I know that I am quick to overreact when I misjudge my husband's intentions are instead of simply talking with him about it. So, one Sunday morning, God pierced my soul with this verse from 1 Corinthians 13. Now, this is one of the most well known passages in the entire Bible, so my tendency was to tune out and say "oh, I know this one." But God got a hold of my heart and said:

"Love does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps NO RECORD OF WRONGS." 1 Corinthians 13:5

Now, your husband is human, he is not Jesus, so he is going to make mistakes. When this happens, let him know that he hurt you and then LET IT GO. He may apologize or he may not, do not continue to keep that sin "on record" and keep bringing it up. 

If Stephen tells me his reasoning for doing something - I should believe him (unless it is obvious he is not telling me the truth - but my husband has never given me a reason not to trust him, so I should believe the best about him). Think of it as "innocent until proven guilty." And be sure you are not the lawyer taking him to trial TRYING to prove him guilty. Do not try to bring him to repentance - that is the job of the Holy Spirit - not yours. 

One piece of advice from our Pastor I will end with is to "stop reading each other's mail" - essentially, stop thinking about how your husband is failing to obey God and focus on what God has asked you to do:

"to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to [your] own husbands, THAT THE WORD OF GOD BE NOT REVILED." Titus 2:5

You will probably start to enjoy married life a lot more if you follow this advice - I honestly never thought that marriage would be this fun! Stephen and I both got many lectures before we got married about how horrible and difficult marriage is - but that has not been our experience. Doing things God's way may seem difficult from the outside, but it is actually the easy way! Trying to control other people's responses and actions can be very exhausting - trust me - I know from experience! And you will find yourself a lot more thankful for your husband when you are not focused on all the things he is NOT doing. Don't forget to thank him for the things that he DOES do!

Thank you, Momma, for being a godly example of how to fight well - I love you!

Mom Mondays - Five ways to give great gifts (even when you're broke)

I know that SAVING money when BUYING a gift sounds a bit counter-intuitive, but we all have loved ones that we buy gifts for several times a year regardless of our financial situation. But you don't have to dread buying gifts when you are trying to get out of debt or just trying to make ends meet! "God loves a cheerful giver" and He does not want us to be stingy when giving to others by any means. But God also wants us to be good stewards of our resources and make the most of what He has given us. It is very important to spend money wisely, even when it comes to buying gifts. 

My Mom has been a great example to me of how to buy thoughtful and meaningful gifts without breaking the bank. Being a mother of seven kids, she had to be pretty creative about how she bought gifts when we were growing up - but because of her generous spirit and love for others, she never let that get in the way of how much she constantly gave to others - and I have learned a lot from her! These are five ways that my Mom stretched her dollar when it came to buying gifts:

1. Know who you are buying for:

Have you read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman? If not, you should! It is written for married couples, but it can also be applied to children and friendships. I use it in my preschool class all the time! 

An extremely concise overview of the book is that there are five emotional "languages" by which we express and RECEIVE love. This is important to consider when buying a gift for someone because you don't want to waste money on a gift that they may or may not appreciate. This is why Gift Cards have become an extremely popular form of gift - because you don't have to really know the personality or love language of someone to know whether they will appreciate a $50.00 VISA gift card. But when living on a budget, gift cards are not always an option. 

My Mom always buys gifts that the other person loves because she spends time getting to know exactly what they like, dislike, and need. So here are five frugal gift ideas based on the five different love languages:

1. Words of Affirmation - buy a journal from the dollar store and redecorate the cover with a quote or verse that you know the recipient loves. Then (this is the important part) write a funny memory or encouraging note about that person on random pages throughout the journal!
2. Quality Time - this person will appreciate handmade gifts because they know how much time you spent making it, but you will also want to spend some time with them when you can actually talk face to face together. Hiking, fishing, camping, drinking a cup of tea, and walking in the park together are all very inexpensive gifts that this person would love! Giving a card with a "coupon" inside with one of these options works great too!
3. Gifts - this one can be very tricky because if you buy a very cheap gift, they may not feel very loved. But it does not have to be expensive, you just have to know specifically what they LIKE and would USE. For example, they may really love brand new golf clubs but maybe you could find a deal on Groupon for a fun day at the course instead. Or another frugal idea is to combine forces with several other friends/family members to buy a big ticket item you know they would love instead of each of you buying smaller individual gifts!
4. Acts of Service - this is probably the easiest one to give gifts for that do not cost any money - just your time! This can be done in a cute way in the form of coupons in a card (just like for quality time) but instead of hiking or fishing you could make a coupon for "car detailing," "doing the laundry," "room makeover," or anything that they usually do but you will do it for them instead!
5. Physical Touch - while this person would really love a massage, that is not always an option : ) they also love sensory gifts like scented lotion, candles, soap, and FOOD. You could make their favorite sweet treat or make some handmade scented soap! And great hugs are always appreciated! If it is your spouse you can plan a special night at your house - no money needed! 

2. Always have a "Gift Stash:"

I have always remembered my Mom having a special Gift Stash in her closet of things that she got for next to nothing but were high quality items. This was great for when we learned about a birthday party last minute! It is also a way to be able to surprise someone and lift their spirits even if you do not have a lot of money on hand : )

3. Buy things gradually:

My Mom never went out on a certain day to get the majority of her Christmas shopping done because (usually before Thanksgiving) she already had the majority of everyone's presents. Something that has helped me with this is to have a specific spot designated in the closet for the gifts and to also have a list on my smart phone of who we already bought gifts for, and who we still need to buy for. Buying gifts gradually helps you to not overspend by not having to buy expensive gifts or gift cards last minute.

4. Why buy it when you can make it?

Now this one I totally got from my mom because she always encouraged us when we were kids to MAKE gifts for our family since we didn't have any money : ) I started a tradition a long time ago of buying a calendar from the dollar store for my grandparents and making super cute and intricately designed pages to cover up the generic pictures. Usually, they end up being Dachshund related (because that is what they love) and they have saved all of the calendars that I have made for them each year!

5. If you can't make it - get it on clearance!

Usually everything in the "Gift Stash" was on clearance. Or in the Dollar Section. Or on clearance in the Dollar Section! The point is - you don't have to pay full price for a gift that you know they will love - just know who you are buying for and give joyfully!

Let me know in the comments below of any inexpensive gift ideas you have - or what your love language is and what gifts you would appreciate!

If you would like to take a Quiz to find out your love language click here!

Save Money by Making Your Own Liquid Hand Soap!

I used to always buy our hand soap in bulk or on sale to save money but this DIY hand soap is far superior to any money saving efforts I have made in the past - as far as liquid soap is concerned, anyway. It uses bar soap as the base, creating endless possibilities for customization. I used Ivory Soap making it only 40 cents per GALLON of hand soap (that is approximately 2.5 cents per soap dispenser container!!) Not only is this cheap, but SUPER easy to make! I am no soap maker - believe me! - but as long as you can boil water you can make this soap, too!

Step 1: Boil a little over 1 gallon of water (You want it to be 1 gallon AFTER it is done boiling).

Step 2: Grate 1 bar of soap (any kind) using a cheese grater.

Step 3: Stir grated soap into boiling water using a large whisk.

Step 4: Allow 1-2 hours to cool and then pour into soap dispensers! You will also want a large gallon container for the leftovers (unless you just have A LOT of empty soap dispensers handy!)

If you would like to have more antibacterial properties than just Ivory Soap, you can add a few drops of Lavender or Lemon essential oil. This would also make it smell great! I am personally too cheap to use essential oils but in the future I am hoping to grow my own herbs and manufacture my own!

Let me know in the comments below if you have your own recipe for liquid hand soap or if you have any suggestions for mine!