One Cheap Mama

Why a Timer is my Favorite Cleaning Device

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:18:00 +0000

A couple of months ago I discovered a home cleaning website that has been a tremendous help to me in helping me keep my house clean and organized. The job of cleaning the house without a housekeeper, thereby ensuring my house doesn't land on an episode of Hoarders, falls completely on my shoulders. Yes, my kids and husband help a little but let's be honest; this is the mom's job whether we like it or not. I do not like it, for the record.

One of the key things that I learned from this amazing website, which I will write about in more detail next week, is that keeping the house clean can be done in quick, short bursts. All of us would love to have the time to clean a room or the whole house from top to bottom in one fell swoop but with little people all up in my grill all day, in the words of Georgia Boy, that ain't happenin' Cap'n. I usually react to this dilemma one of two ways; either I feel so completely paralyzed at the overwhelming task before me that I shut down and want to take a nap or I gripe and complain while trying to force my family to join me in the cleaning fun.

If you're looking for how to clean a bedroom, how to clean the house or how to de-clutter the house quickly and easily allow me to introduce you to the power of the timer.

The timer tells me that I have 5 or 10 minutes to do as much as I can and then I'm done. I put in my 5-10 minutes of cleaning and then I can go read my book or whatever else I want to be doing instead of cleaning. Which is pretty much anything.

My timer that I bought on my trip to HomeGoods.

In fact, prior to writing this post my downstairs was a complete and utter mess. As I looked around I was wondering how in the world I could clean it up. I got out the timer and set it for 5 minutes while I picked up the toys. I set it for another 5 minutes and de-cluttered the kitchen countertops and island. I even had time to wipe down the countertops with a counter cleaner. It only took 10 minutes to make a huge difference instead of the 30 plus minutes I would have probably spent trying to clean it all.

I use this method all of the time for picking up the kids' rooms, cleaning the playroom, de-cluttering my mommy desk, dusting my bedroom nightstands and dresser, etc.

The house is cleaned a little bit at a time preventing an area from getting completely out of control and is done in a manageable amount of time.

Now, the reason I use an actual timer and not my smart phone is that on my smart phone are my apps. And no matter how many times I tell myself I am only going to use the timer on my phone I eventually end up checking Facebook, Twitter, email, etc and then I've lost 30 minutes in the blink of an eye, the kitchen island is still a mess and now I'm mad at myself for getting side-tracked.

That doesn't happen with my little timer. I set it for 5 minutes and it rings to tell me I'm free. Not unlike the school bell that signaled our work for the day was done. Of course, back then I got to run out of the school with nothing on my mind but playing with my friends or watching the Flintstones. Now the timer just means I need to go check and see if the baby is trying on my makeup again and to find out why the 5 year old has been so quiet for so long.

Happy Cleaning, Cheap Mamas.

Blogoversary

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:16:00 +0000

This month marks my one year blogoversary. I realize that is probably not a real word but let's just go with it. Some bloggers know the exact date on which they began putting their thoughts out into the blogosphere but I've never been very detail-oriented so I just know that it was sometime in January 2011 when I began this little blog.

Sidekick and I at Superman's Montessori Christmas program about the time I was contemplating actually doing that blogging thing. Also, I had cut bangs for the hundredth time and discovered for the hundredth time that I don't like them.

My younger brother was the one who encouraged me to put my frugal ideas out there for all to see. He knows a lot more than I do about technology and blogging but since I didn't have him to help me every step of the way I headed to my local library. I came home with stacks of books containing foreign words and concepts and tried to wrap my tiny brain around all of it.

After a year of doing this blogging thing I still don't have it all figured out but I have learned a few valuable lessons that I will share here.

First, don't blog for money. Whether they admit it out loud or not, every blogger has the tiniest dream of becoming well-known and paid handsomely for his or her writing. We all dream of exchanging witty banter with Matt Lauer or laughing at our good fortune over coffee with The Pioneer Woman. The truth is, though, that most of us will give more than we receive in the blogging business. Maybe someday I'll be able to monetize this little blog but for now I'm content to try to produce good content because I am so thankful for the great content that I consume from other blogs.

Second, I can be a good mom and an okay blogger or a good blogger and an okay mom. Am I saying that the good mom bloggers out there are terrible moms? No. I'm saying that they have figured out how to do both but I'm not there yet. At this stage in my life, with the ages of my children, our homeschooling schedule and extracurricular activities I have nowhere near enough time to blog as much as I should. One day I hope to have it all figured out on how to be a great mom and a great blogger but for now I'm doing the best I can.

Third, I am not a photographer but I do hope to become one when I grow up. I had no idea when I started this whole blog thing how important photography would be for the subjects about which I wanted to blog but I learned quickly how important a good photo or photos can be to take a post from good to great. I also learned that I'm not a good photographer. Being a photographer does not come simply from owning a camera but from knowing how to use that camera (and, perhaps, a good editing program!) to get the best photos. I own a point-and-shoot camera and I'm working on learning how to use it to its fullest capacity but this is an ongoing process.

Fourth, there will always be someone out there doing it bigger and better. At first this made me want to just pack it all up and shut it down, but I continue for one reason. If what I put out there helps at least one person be a little more frugal and a little more content, then I'm proud to have helped. I myself have gained so much great information from all different blogs and because of this I keep plugging along.

Fifth, it will always be weird to see someone in real life who tells me, "I read your blog!" Part of the safety of blogging in my mind is that, although it is extremely public, I always imagine that my readers are people "out there" in the blogosphere whom I will never really meet in person. To see someone in real life who read my very honest thoughts on this blog feels a little weird. I always have a mini moment of panic wondering if I've shared too much information on my latest post. No matter how weird it is, though, it is always amazing to know that someone took a few precious minutes out of their day to read what I wrote.

And, finally, it is impossible for me to do all of my holiday projects from Pinterest and publish a single post between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Evidently.

Thanks for reading, Cheap Mamas.

My Trip to Shopper's Heaven Otherwise Known As HomeGoods

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:42:00 +0000

I heart discount shopping. I mean, really love it. I love places like TJMaxx and Marshall's but with two kids dragging behind me, one asking how much longer and the other trying to grab all of the breakables off the shelf, it's usually not worth it for me to ever spend more than 5 minutes in these places. I have visions in my head of older children who will follow me around silently texting on their phones while giving each other eye-rolls behind my back but that dream is a long way from now.

A friend of mine from Oklahoma recently had her third baby in the great state of Alabama and I decided it was time to go visit Katie Scarlett and her newest little nugget and get in some much needed girlfriend time. When she asked me if I'd like to make the drive to HomeGoods a little over an hour away I just about wet myself with excitement. So we loaded our combined 5 kids into her humongous SUV, threw some Chick fil A at them and blazed a trail for a day of discount shopping.

As soon as the doors opened I could have sworn I heard angels singing. It's funny, because I thought those angels only lived in Hobby Lobby but it turns out they're in HomeGoods too. The aisles looked so...shiny. The wares so...discounted. It didn't matter that I didn't need a thing or that the kids were not in the mood for shopping - we were at HomeGoods!

We each grabbed a cart and wandered off in different directions without saying a word. Good shopping friends are like that. They don't feel the need to shop every aisle together and there's an understanding that each gal will go her own way and you'll eventually meet back up when your cart is too full to hold another thing.

I meandered slowly down each aisle carefully contemplating each shiny new purchase. I tried to think of others and what gifts I might need in the near future instead of only shopping for my own house but, um, well, never mind.

Eventually we found ourselves together in the toy section with 5 kids who were D-O-N-E with shopping for the day. A storm rolled in, the lights went off, our kids were pulling toys off of shelves and playing with them in the middle of the aisle and still we kept on shopping. (FYI, in case you ever need to know you can still see price tags by the glow of emergency flourescent lights.) By the time it was all said and done Katie Scarlett and I were having to tag-team. One of us would finish shopping while the other one sat out in the car with the kids listening to Tangled on the DVD player and throwing Goldfish their way. Then, SWITCH! I entertained myself during my car shift by eating more than a single "portion size" of a box of Ghirardelli chocolates.

Never mind that my kids were almost past the breaking point. Never mind that I bought things for my house that I didn't need.

I got to shop at HomeGoods and eat chocolate.

It was a great day.

I Am That Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:55:00 +0000

Driving my children to the grocery store the other day I discovered that I am that mom. That mom I swore I would never be. That mom that I secretly judged from my lofty throne of I-haven't-had-children-yet. There are so many things I do as I mom that I swore I would never do. Like letting my son watch 72 episodes of Phineas & Ferb. In a row. Nursing my infant to sleep, co-sleeping, letting them eat grocery store food as I shop thereby forcing the cashier to ring up a nasty, used cracker wrapper, calling the pretzel from Target "lunch." The list could go on and on.

As I was watching another riveting episode of Toddlers & Tiaras the other night I saw a mom give her 6 year old daughter a can of Red Bull to put a little pep in her step. At first I thought, "What a horrible mother! That child doesn't need that much caffeine!" But really, who am I to judge? Glitz pageants are probably really stressful. I mean, if little Nee Nee wants to pull for a higher crown she's got to flash that million dollar flipper smile and work it for the judges. That $200 prize and rhinestone tiara isn't going to win itself.

As I drove Superman and Sidekick to Wal-Mart for our weekly trip, I realized that I could probably feed and clothe my children with what was in my car for at least a day or two. Lying on seats and floorboards were snack cups, a backpack full of who-knows-what, half full sippy cups (not yet cheese - I think they lacked another 24 hours), a pair of kid Crocs, papers from church, a full size bag of animal crackers, a pair of socks and at least a half dozen toys.

This kind of thing really does bother me because I'm a pretty neat person. I like order and cleanliness but looking at my car one would think otherwise. The accumulation of junk in my car happens slowly, which is my weak attempt to explain the nastiness. A toy for entertainment here, a snack for the ride there and all of a sudden my car is its own science experiment. I've decided that I have two choices: I can either fight it or let it ride. I have chosen the latter. As long as I don't land on an episode of Hoarders: The Car Edition I figure I'm doing alright.

Gotta go. It's time for Toddlers & Tiaras.

Are you that mom?

$3 Christmas Stocking

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:47:00 +0000

This year I decided I wanted a different look with our Christmas stockings but I didn't want to spend a lot of money. Buying 5 really cute stockings can get expensive and I would rather spend that money on something important like a new purse from TJ Maxx. In all honesty, our family had decided to donate as much as possible this Christmas season so every time I saw the dollar signs associated with new stockings I saw all of the dollar signs that needed to be going to our Giving Fund.

I had seen a lot of really cute ideas on Pinterest but by the time I began to think about stockings I had run out of energy and motivation to start yet another Christmas project! I kicked it into Cheap Mama gear and decided to do it cheap and ready made.

The stockings this year cost a little less than $3 a piece which means I saved a tremendous amount of money and if I feel like changing them again next year I won't feel guilty about my constantly changing tastes.

Stocking: $1 from Dollar Tree
Wooden glitter letter: $1 from Michael's
Giraffe ribbon: $3 for about 5 feet

Happy 2012 Cheap Mamas!

The $8 Organizational Tool

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:15:00 +0000

Just recently I saw an incredible idea on Pinterest to use a pocket shoe organizer for school & art supplies. I just about broke the speed limit zooming away to Wal-Mart as fast as I could to utilize this great idea for my homeschool room/playroom. I had been gathering pails and buckets for all of my organizational needs in our homeschool room but I was slowly running out of shelf space. All of those markers, glue sticks and pipe cleaners can sure take up a lot of space! I didn't know how much a pocket shore organizer cost but it looked like a great idea for my homeschool room.

I found them on the laundry and closet organization aisle at Wal-Mart for $7.47. Awesome!

I then raced back home to install my new organization tool. That is, after a quick stop at Sonic for a diet coke of course. I hung the pocket organizer (the hooks are included) on the inside of the playroom closet door and now instead of being overcome with buckets and baskets and pails oh my, all of our supplies are located in one place. I even have room for more!

Once I implemented this idea in the playroom I knew that there would be other great uses for these pocket shoe organizers. One place I have found them to be of use is in my husband's closet.

Although we each have our own closet, neither one is very spacious and as a result I have to be extremely efficient in my attempts to organize our closets. Georgia Boy wears a tie every day to work so he needed to be able to get to his ties easily. I used a pocket shoe organizer on his closet door to organize both his ties and belts. Now, instead of hanging randomly all over his closet they are conveniently located in the pocket shoe organizer.

I have used these shoe organizers in places where I don't mind seeing the hooks on the other side of the door. However, if you don't like seeing the loops hanging over the door you could always use nails in the door provided that the door is strong enough and the nail is the appropriate size needed for the amount of weight that the organizer will be holding.

Other organizational uses for these shoe organizers would be for cleaning products inside a closet or laundry room door or in the bathroom under the sink. To put it under a kitchen or bathroom sink you simply cut it to fit and either hang it on the door using the hooks provided or tack a few nails to hold it inside the cabinet.

I'm sure I'll find some other uses for these pocket shoe organizers soon and when I do, I'll update it with any more ideas I have. In the meantime, please share any uses for these organizers that you've found in your own home!

Happy Organizing Cheap Mamas!

Decisions, Decisions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

This is what I see when I look into my living room.

And I think I want to change it.

Let me explain.

When we built this house 5 years ago I had been saving pictures from magazines for months and months as inspiration for each room in the house. You know, old school Pinterest. At that time it was all about color, color, color and I was determined not to shy away from color by painting every room in the house off-white. I painstakingly chose coordinating color palettes for each room making sure that each room would flow into the next.

Downstairs I favored warm colors with a definite french influence. However, after 5 years of choosing items to fill my home according to this color palette I now feel like it's too heavy. I feel the need to lighten and brighten. But how to do it on a budget?

Some things will have to remain like furniture and window treatments which leaves me with one choice. Paint. As my old guru Christopher Lowell will tell you, the cheapest way to make the most dramatic difference is through paint. So why am I hesitating? Because it's a big job. A really big job. And it's one that I will undertake all by my little lonesome. You see, when Georgia Boy and I got married he knew how much I liked to paint rooms and he promised to be their for moral support only.

I know that if I end up hating my lighten and brighten project I can always re-paint it but thinking about painting these rooms twice makes me want to lie down on the floor until the feeling passes.

See, the problem is that not only will I have to paint the living room but I'll also need to paint the kitchen.

I thought about staging this picture but then I just decided to keep it real.

I'm also planning on painting my kitchen island and the armoire in the living room. Trying to figure out which paint colors to use and how to make it all work together without changing any furniture or fabrics is enough to make a girl go straight to bed with a diet coke and dark chocolate.

I've got my collection of paint chips ready to go and I'm almost ready to pull the trigger. Almost.

First let me go sit down with a diet coke and think it over again.

How To Treat Lice Cheaply & Chemical-Free

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:38:00 +0000

In honor of Halloween I decided to post about the scariest thing I could think of, head lice. I think the only thing scarier than head lice are bed bugs since, as I hear it, there is no getting rid of those little boogers. Fortunately, there are ways to treat head lice all of which can be done cheaply and without using chemicals if that is important to you. Happy Halloween!

Suffice it to say that it has taken me a few weeks to get over the utter shame and humiliation of being a victim of a lice infestation to be able to actually write about my experiences.

It all began on a Monday morning in September when I received a text from Georgia Boy that said, "[Bonus Son] has been sent home from school for lice. Check Superman." At that exact moment I was at a MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) meeting in the home of a friend where Superman and Sidekick were happily playing {in close proximity} with about 5 other unsuspecting children. I let the full shame of the moment sink in before I grudgingly turned to my friends and told them about the text urging them to check their children when they got home.

When we got home I checked Superman and discovered that he had head lice too.

We were on full Head Lice Def Con 5 at our house.

I sent Georgia Boy to the store to pick up everything necessary for treating head lice and immediately called the pediatrician's office for information and help. After talking to the pediatrician's office, reading information online, and the wisdom born of experience here is what I learned on how to treat head lice.

Hair - You will need 1) A head lice killer and 2) A nit comb.
RID and other chemical treatments are the most commonly used items to kill head lice. However, you don't need to use these pesticides on your kids to effectively kill the head lice. Head lice simply need to be smothered in order to be killed and then you can pick out the dead lie and any nits with a nit comb. To smother head lice you can use Cetaphil face wash or olive oil. I discovered from my peditrician's office that these remedies are as effective as any prescription remedy when used correctly.

To use these remedies completely slather the child's head in Cetaphil face wash, let dry and wear for 8 hours and then wash out. Do this one time a week for 3 weeks and the treatment is 96% effective. I did this in the evening and allowed them to sleep all night with it in their hair. Once the Cetaphil dries it isn't greasy so it didn't stain their pillowcases or bed sheets. Another option is to use olive oil in the same manner and either wear it all day or sleep in a shower cap. My kids were too young for this one so I used the Cetaphil on both of them and did the olive oil on me. That's right, I rocked a greasy, shower-capped head. Nothing like insult to injury.

Each day pick through your child's hair with a nit comb thoroughly and in good lighting. The Cetaphil or olive oil will smother them but they key is continuing to be vigilant about checking for any new ones and removing the dead ones. You will need to do this for a couple of weeks. A regular nit comb will work well but when I sent Georgia Boy to the store I had forgotten what a complete bug-o-phobe he is and how he doesn't always stick to my *frugal* ways. He came home with a $30 electronic nit comb called a ROBI comb. It makes a humming sound when turned on and will beep when it detects any lie or nits. It worked great but the directions say to use one per person and at $30 a pop is a bit steep for my taste. If you're a huge bug-o-phobe like Georgia Boy it may be worth it to you to fork over the cash for a ROBI comb. If not, a regular nit comb will do the trick.

Linens - Know that you will be doing a lot of laundry during these 2-3 weeks but stick with it and you'll be glad you did. Begin treating your linens by washing and drying everything that you can. This includes bed sheets (down to the mattress pads), pillowcases, slipcovers, blankets, stuffed animals, etc. Anything that can't be washed and that you think may have come in contact with any head lice can be put into plastic bags and placed in a hot attic or garage for 3-4 weeks. This will ensure that there is enough time for any live lie to die. After the 3-4 weeks you can either wash everything or run them through the dryer to freshen them. The good news is that head lice cannot live without a host so any that may have fallen on the floor or furniture are actually considered nonviable, dying or dead. Without a host, the head lice will be dead within 48 hours. This is good news because it means you don't have to go crazy trying to chemically treat your house or figure out a way to fit your sofa into your washing machine.

I instituted a "no sitting on furniture" policy for 3 days and had the kids sit only on the floor. I vacuumed once each day and continued to wash all linens, towels and clothes daily. A friend of mine gave me a tip on the bed linens. Instead of washing, making, and stripping the beds each day, I gave Superman a sleeping bag and pillow and had him sleep on his bare mattress. This way I only had to wash the sleeping bag and pillow case each day. After washing those items I would add the pillow to the drying cycle on high heat since our pillows weren't able to go in the washing machine.

The key to treating head lice is consistency. You don't need to spend a lot of money treating head lice and you don't need to buy any special kits or products. Use the smother method to kill them initially and then stay vigilant through the entire life cycle of the nits to ensure that they are gone for good never to return!

Treat your children, wash all linens, bag anything made of fabric that you can't wash and comb through your child's hair with a nit comb several times a day. Do all of this and you'll soon be rid of the little boogers and will wear your badge of honor proudly. I survived Head Lice. You will also have a new appreciation of the term "nit picker."

Happy bug killing, Cheap Mamas.

A Little Bench and Chalk Paint

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:10:00 +0000

For some time I had been wanting a little bench to go in front of my fireplace. A little seat that beckoned me to come sit and warm myself by the fire. I had seen a few in some of my favorite catalogs but of course, being the Cheap Mama that I am, knew that I would never pay full retail price.

So I just kept my eye out when I would go consignment shopping knowing that one day I would find one that fit my budget.

And one day, I did.

Hello, the 1980's called and they would like their fabric back.

I am only kidding. I'm sure one day my children will look at pictures from their childhood and ask me why I painted everything white and made it look old.

I wanted to make this bench look really worn, not perfect at all. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White and then did a coat of clear wax and dark wax which I rubbed into the wood in a circular motion with an old undershirt. I recovered the seat in some scrap fabric that I had leftover from a previous project.

Every time I do another project with Annie Sloan's products I learn something new. What I learned this time is that working on a piece with round legs can be tricky. Because the legs weren't a flat surface I had to go slowly to make sure that the worn look didn't look too uniform and that it didn't get too heavy in places and not heavy enough in other places. I also learned that to get this look it worked better to apply the dark wax in a side-to-side motion and then rub the wax into the paint in a circular motion instead of in the same direction in which I had applied the wax. If I did that, then I ended up essentially wiping off the wax and erasing the effect I was going for. By waxing in one direction and rubbing in a different direction, I got the old patina look that I wanted.

Did anyone else think of Karate Kid with all that talk about wax on, wax off? No, just me?

Tell me what you think of my little bench project and leave any tips you've learned with Annie Sloan products.

Happy Waxing, Cheap Mamas! (Not brow or bikini waxing. That's another post for another time.)

Quick Bathroom Cleaning Tip

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Several weeks ago I wrote about how I clean my house without a cleaning lady. I basically break down my cleaning list into several daily manageable tasks that take about 20 minutes on average to complete. I do this because 20 minutes is about all I can spare before one of the kids starts whining, crying, pooping or needs a snack.

I perform the same tasks each day of the week and the days that I dread most are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Why, you ask? Because Tuesdays are dusting and Thursdays are bathrooms. I finally figured out that the reason I loathe these days isn't the actual cleaning job itself but it's moving all of the STUFF out of my way so that I can actually clean.

Then I came up with a solution.

Here is my STUFF BASKET.

I simply took a tired plastic toy basket that wasn't being used and put it with all of my cleaning supplies. I now use it as basket to hold all of the STUFF on the bathroom sink while I clean. I love it because I can chuck everything into it FAST and then quickly unload it when I'm finished cleaning.

Does everything get put back in its proper place immediately? Usually, no. I unload it as quickly as I can and save the rearranging for the evening when I'm bathing the kids and washing my face/brushing my teeth. The perfectionist in me would love for everything to be in its proper place immediately but the realist in me knows I'm on a clock before the baby starts whining so it's git 'r done and git on out.

I also use the STUFF BASKET when I dust and as a "take it upstairs" or "take it downstairs" basket for all of those things that seem to accumulate in the wrong place. It's not rocket science but it really has helped make these jobs easier to complete in a short amount of time.

Here's to a clean bathroom, Cheap Mamas! Or, at least until the kids spit out their toothpaste globs.

Fall Scents For Less

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:50:00 +0000

One of my favorite things about fall is all of the wonderful scented candles that come with the season. I love all of the warm and cozy scents like gingerbread, pumpkin, vanilla and others but I don't like paying a lot to enjoy those scents.

In my pre-Cheap Mama days I used to plop down a lot of money for candles and scented oils to make my home smell great but when you're on a budget those expensive candles just aren't on the priority list.

This is why I was pleasantly surprised to find that the line of Better Homes & Gardens fall candles at Wal-Mart not only has a line of great scents but the quality is also there as well. These candles and accessories fill my house with warm fall scents just as good as the expensive ones did.

The candles are priced just under $5 and there are also bricks of scented wax cubes that can be used in a tea-candle diffuser priced at $2 each.

$2 gets you 6 cubes that you break off and use one at a time. The great part is that they aren't a one-time use. I have used the missing cube for several uses. The wax will re-melt with each use and I keep using it until I think that the scent is waning.

Below is a candle and a cube in a diffuser which I purchased eons ago from Bath & Body Works. I added some small pumpkins and pine cones from my yard for a fall arrangement.

All of these can be found in the seasonal aisles at Wal-Mart so they probably won't be around forever. So if fall candles are in your budget, get them while the gettin's good as they say!

Here's to enjoying the scents of fall, Cheap Mamas!

Antique Tool Caddy Turned Desk Accessory

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:50:00 +0000

This week Donna of Funky Junk Interiors presented her readers with a challenge. The challenge was to choose an object in our home and to think outside the box. To find a different way to use that item instead of the original purpose for which it was intended.

When she issued this challenge I had just finished claiming our back-door-desk-junk-holder into my own official desk and was having fun adding items to make the space mine all mine.

I also had an antique tool caddy that I had snatched up at the Habitat store which I had intended to use for floral arrangements.

Isn't it so cute? When I bought it I had imagined all sorts of floral arrangements for each season. However, every time I tried to find a place for it in my kitchen or living room I could never find the right spot. It was either too small or too big for every space I tried. Thus, it was left sad and lonely in the laundry room while I tried to find another use for it.

Enter the Funky Junk challenge.

As I carried the tool caddy around my house I had an epiphany. (Or I may have had the epiphany while I was lying in bed at night thinking about my house projects instead of sleeping, which I tend to often do.) What if I used it for my desk to store pens, sticky note pads, and other Cheap Mama desk items?

And a desk organizer was born! I love it here. (I'm actually sitting at the desk right now typing this post). It brings my style in a small way to my desk and actually serves a useful purpose instead of merely a decorative one.

If you, like me, are interested in turning trash to treasure, blogging, home decorating and spending time with a great lady please visit Donna at Funky Junk Interiors.

Seven Years of Good Luck

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:07:00 +0000

This past weekend Georgia Boy and I celebrated 7 years of marriage. The success of our marriage has actually had nothing to do with luck and everything to do with the grace and guidance of God. When Georgia Boy and I married we created a blended family with the two of us and my Bonus Son Cole who was 4 years old at the time. As anyone who is in a blended family can attest, the road is difficult and full of struggles. But we knew that God had put us together for a reason and we were determined to create something beautiful with our new family.

Two years into our marriage we were blessed with the birth of Superman and four years after that we were again blessed when we added our precious Sidekick to our family. After seven years of living, loving and creating shared memories we have built a family that is as wonderful and flawed as any family. I am blown away with what we've been given and look forward with anticipation to the memories that are still to be created.

In a perfect world Georgia Boy and I would have celebrated by dropping the kiddies off with a set of grandparents and heading to New Orleans for a couple of kid-free days to enjoy everything that our city has to offer. However, since we're approximately a 12 hour drive from any set of grandparents and BOTH babysitters were busy, we went out to eat with the kids and gave each other a high-five at seven years of hard work...and God's grace.

At a 2010 LSU/UGA baseball game in Baton Rouge. You can't see it but I'm 7 months pregnant with Sidekick.

At the happiest place on Earth. As you can see, I'm wearing my Cheap Mama uniform. Oh how I love the zip-up hoodie.

The night of Bonus Son's guitar recital. Yes, that is a boa poof bow on Sidekick's head.

Here's to 7 more years of God's grace and provision. And 7 more after that. And 7 more after that. Well, you get the picture.

How to Potty Train Without Pull-Ups

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:26:00 +0000

I have nothing against Pull-Ups or anyone who uses them. I use the brand name here as a general term for all training diapers because it is the one with which we are all most familiar.

When it came time for me to potty train Superman he was 3 years old and not showing the slightest interest in the subject. I had been waiting for him to show interest - like the books tell you to do - but he was as content as a pig in mud to keep pooping in a diaper. However, this Cheap Mama was sick and tired of changing those diapers and so I determined that the month he turned 3 years old we would begin potty training.

See, completely adorable with his bubble beard but absolutely no interest in the potty.

I also knew that after changing about a zillion diapers over three years I didn't want to spend the next year changing poopy Pull-Ups. I decided to go old school and potty train cold turkey. No diapers. No Pull-Ups. Just a boy and a toilet. I wanted to do it to save both money and time in the potty training process.

I began by scouring the internet to see what tips I could find on the subject and came across a website that I used with complete success. It's called the 3 Day Potty Training method and it's the brainchild of a woman named Lora Jensen. I have absolutely no affiliations with Ms. Jensen other than the fact that I used her method and would highly recommend it to anyone beginning to potty train. It is very positive for the children, encouraging for the mothers and offers online help. I realize that there are probably other methods out there that work well also. The bottom line (get it - bottom line?) is you don't have to spend a year using Pull-Ups while trying to potty train your child.

Now as a disclaimer, we did have the normal setbacks associated with potty training such as little accidents here and there and an occasional poopy pair of underwear, but I can tell you that we never once had to use a training diaper. I may have had to replace some of those poopy pairs of underwear but the savings of never having to buy a single pack of Pull-Ups greatly outweighed any extra money I had to spend on underwear. One word on buying underwear - don't get sucked into buying your kids the expensive character underwear unless you're using them as a prize in the potty training process!

Hopefully this will help you become a potty training Cheap Mama and save on your bottom line too. Sorry, had to get that pun in there just one more time!

Good luck Cheap Mamas!

Hot/Cold Faucet Trick for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:59:00 +0000

When my son got tall enough to reach the faucet in the sink I was thrilled because this meant he was gaining some independence and could wash his own hands without me hoisting him up to the sink. Woohoo! It also meant that I was worried about him scalding himself with the hot water. Because he couldn't read yet, I knew it would have to be a simple way for him to remember which side was hot and which was cold.

I decided to use rubber bands on the faucet handles; red for hot and blue for cold. After that he never had a problem remembering which one to use!

Hopefully that will be a little trick you can use for your own kiddos! Thanks for reading, Cheap Mamas!

Great OPI Nail Polish Knock-Off

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:49:00 +0000

Warning: I am not a hand model. Or a manicurist. You'll see why below!

As fall rolls around I begin to pull out some of my favorite dark nail polish colors. One of those favorites is the OPI color You Don't Know Jacques. It is a wonderful matte greige and I wear it practically throughout both the fall and winter seasons. I didn't know what 'greige' was until I read a fashion magazine and discovered that this was the new moniker given to this gray/beige color. I love it because it goes with almost any dark color throughout the season but it doesn't make me look like I'm trying to look like a teenager.

OPI nail polishes have been one of those little happy items that I would occasionally treat myself with as a little reward for all that I do to scrimp and save. However, even just occasionally purchasing these items was still difficult. It just seemed a little steep to pay $8-$9 for a bottle of nail polish.

As luck would have it, though, this week I stumbled upon an exact replica of You Don't Know Jacques completely by accident with a price tag of only $2! I was passing the time in Walgreen's while my son was in his karate class when I found the color Nirvana by Sinful Colors Professional. I brought it home to compare and here are the results. I painted one hand with each and you can see for yourself below - you can't tell the difference!

Now, I love my OPI colors as much as the next girl but if you're in need of a great 'greige' for fall and winter I think you'll like Nirvana.

In the bottle...

On the hand...

I told you I'm not a hand model. Where's George Costanza when you need him?

Happy nail painting, Cheap Mamas!

Bulletin Board Bow Organizer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:17:00 +0000

Having a little girl is like having an accessories explosion inside your house. My first child was a boy and to clothe a boy you need 4 things: shirt, pants, shoes, socks. Sometimes you don't even need the socks.

When clothing a girl the number of necessary items grows exponentially. One of those necessary items is, of course, the BOW. What little girl would be complete without donning a bow approximately the same size as her head?

As Sidekick grew, so did our bow collection and I knew I needed some way to keep them organized. I had seen bow organizers in our local boutique stores but the Cheap Mama in me just couldn't quite bring myself to fork over the money for one of them. The one day: LIGHTBULB! I decided to use a criss-cross ribbon bulletin board that I already had as her bow organizer.

This is all about using what you have so I would never say you need to run out and buy one but if you have one lying around the house, use it! Ours is hung inside her closet so if the one you have doesn't match the room's decor, it won't matter because no one will see it but you!

Have a blessed week Cheap Mamas!

Decorating With Odd Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 02:05:00 +0000

In college I loved to come home from class and watch Christopher Lowell's home decorating TV show. I should have known I needed to change my major when all I wanted to do was watch decorating shows and read home interior magazines instead of wasting away in Organic Chemistry lab. Oh well, I probably wouldn't have made a very good pediatrician anyway what with my internet addiction and homeschooling ways. While watching Christopher's show I learned many tricks from him. Namely that you can make just about anything with guns of the both the staple and hot glue variety, a tip that I use to this very day.

His show was almost like a how to decorate show or Home Decorating for Dummies and I loved it. One of the tricks of the trade that he shared was the power of decorating in odd numbers. Be it a single picture or a grouping of 3, 5, or 9, using odd numbers often works well when creating vignettes for a mantel, side table or table scape.

To show the power of decorating in odd numbers I have pulled some photos from Pinterest to show how it can work in different settings.

However, don't think that even numbers are left out in home decorating! In my next post I'm going to show how symmetry and even numbers can be used as well.

Here are some of the absolutely lovely photos I pulled from Pinterest.

Three throw pillows on a sofa.

Three candles on a table.

Three pumpkins for fall.

Five stems in a vase.

I love how the 7 candlesticks are broken up into groups of 4 and 3.

Three topiaries on a Christmas mantel.

Three canisters in the kitchen.

A simple but beautiful vignette of three single items.

Three pieces of artwork in a child's room.

And, of course, the power of one beautiful floral arrangement.

I can't wait to share all of the great ideas I found in decorating with even numbers. It'll be great for all of you quasi-OCD people like me!

Happy decorating Cheap Mamas!

Williams Sonoma Inspired Pumpkin Wreath for Cheap

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:57:00 +0000

I would love to take credit for this idea all on my own. I would love to tell you that I was scouring the web trying to find great fall inspiration to do on a dime. I would love for you to think all of that and more.

But it just wouldn't be true.

This idea was sent to me from my friend Magnolia via a Facebook message. She sent me a picture of this pumpkin wreath that she found on the Williams Sonoma website that she was planning to redo for cheap.

This wreath was listed for $99.95 which means that would have cost me one whole benjamin plus shipping so I decided that I, too, would try my hand at reinterpreting this pumpkin wreath for cheap.

One of my least favorite things is trying to glue moss to anything so I decided to use a grapevine wreath instead of a moss covered one for my wreath. Using this method meant I only needed 3 items to make this wreath: grapevine wreath, pumpkins and brown ribbon.

The WS wreath is listed at 16 inches. I used a 24 inch grapevine wreath.

The supplies.

I used 10 pumpkins on a stick to make my wreath. I spaced them out evenly around the wreath, poked the sticks through the grapevine and wrapped them around the back until they were snug. There's no perfect way to do this! Just keeping working with it until the pumpkin feels secure.

I tied a strip of ribbon around the wreath itself and then tied my bow to that string.

Finished product.

Here is my friend Magnolia's finished product on her interpretation of the pumpkin wreath. Doesn't it look fabulous?! Magnolia spent just under $30 on her wreath by utilizing sales and coupons.

I purchased all of my products at Hobby Lobby. Here is the cost breakdown for this cheap pumpkin wreath.

Grapevine wreath: $5.99

Pumpkins: $2.99 each

Ribbon: Varies. (Ribbon can be as cheap as you want or as fancy as you want. I already had some brown ribbon so I honestly don't know how much the few inches I used would have cost.)

Most expensive this wreath could be: $36 plus ribbon

Cheapest price this wreath could be: $18 plus ribbon

That's a savings of $82 at most and $64 at the very least! I could buy a lot of hoodie sweatshirts for that much money. A lot.

Happy wreathing Cheap Mamas!

Finding the Courage to Say It Out Loud

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:50:00 +0000

Earlier this year the idea of homeschooling my children came barreling toward me straight out of left field. I had never ever considered educating my children in that way. As the child of a public school teacher and a product of the public school system from kindergarten to college degree, I had always planned on sending my children to the excellent public schools in my area.

However as we know the best laid plans can be blown to smithereens (yes, it's a word) when God intervenes. There is no other way to explain the course we are now on than to say that God spoke to me in a big way and for once in my life I followed without questioning.

Once I made the decision to homeschool I was blessed to find other cool moms in my area who were embarking on the same journey - and there wasn't a denim jumper to be found in the whole group. We began talking about the how to's of homeschooling: how to choose curriculum, how to organize your day, how to fit in field trips, how to socialize your children so they don't end up nerds.

I'm only kidding; that's just a little homeschool humor.

And then we began discussing the inevitable small-talk question every person encounters in suburbia, "So, where do your kids go to school?" It's an innocent enough question. It's usually just a conversation starter and I had never given it a second thought. That is, until we were homeschoolers. I then discovered that this is the question every homeschool parent dreads in the beginning.

A friend of mine who would now be considered a veteran homeschooler recounted the story of the time her then 5 year old daughter was at the dentist. The mom was in the waiting room flipping through a magazine but she could hear the conversation from where she sat. The dentist asked her daughter what grade she was in. "Kindergarten!" she exclaimed with the enthusiasm only a kindergartener can muster. "Where do you go to school?", the dentist asked. My friend stopped flipping the pages of the magazine and time stood still for one long second. "I'm homeschooled!" the daughter replied. And then my friend began searching the waiting room for a hole in which to climb.

It wasn't the daughter who was hesitant to answer the question, it was the mother. I have since experienced the same thing with my son. We have been asked by friends, family and complete strangers in the grocery store about where he will be attending kindergarten this year and Superman answers with the same enthusiasm, "I do homeschool!" I smile a sheepish grin at the inquirer and give a slight nod to confirm that it is indeed true - we are homeschoolers. It's not that I'm embarrassed of the fact that we homeschool; indeed the opposite is true. I am excited that we homeschool! It's the recipient I am concerned with. Will they think we're weird? Will they make a snap judgement of me and my family when they hear we homeschool? Will they think my choice to homeschool is a condemnation of their decision to send their children to public or private school? All of these thoughts and a million more are swimming around in my head as I am smiling and nodding.

I am finding, though, that every time I have to say it out loud I gain a little more confidence. I stand up a little straighter. I find my voice a little stronger as I confirm that yes, we homeschool I have found courage in the form of a brown-haired 5 year old little boy.

And a little child shall lead them.

Antique Distressed Dresser using Chalk Paint

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:50:00 +0000

If I know one thing about marriage, it's about compromise.

When we moved into the house we live in now it was the first house that my husband and I owned together. In fact, we built the house ourselves creating a space that fit our family perfectly. However with more space came lots of...space. We didn't quite have enough furniture to fill our new home. Fortunately my gracious in-laws decided to send us a truck of furniture culled from both of my husband's grandmothers' previous homes.

Some pieces were lovely, some pieces were not so lovely and others just needed a little TLC.

Once we got all of the pieces arranged around the house we were left with a dresser that was a bit of an odd man out. It just didn't work in any of the rooms but Georgia Boy refused to get rid of it because of its sentimental value.

As an anti-hoarder I am usually inclined to immediately part with something if it doesn't work or we don't need it. I don't like keeping things around "just because." But Georgia Boy wasn't going to budge on this one.

One evening while contemplating the ugly dresser dilemma it finally dawned on me that I might be able to make the dresser work as a kind of sideboard in our sitting room. I asked Georgia boy if I could paint it and he agreed!

In most of the living areas of my house I tend to favor warmer colors but my bedroom is very cool and calm. I decided this would be the perfect place and piece to try to create the pale blue French antique look instead of my traditional warmer/off-white tones. I also decided this would be the perfect piece on which to try Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

Here is the dresser before. Great lines, no real problems but it was the traditional 1960's brown with black flecked finish.

I first painted the whole piece in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Old White.

I then lightly glazed it with a mixture of 3 parts clear glaze and 1 part Sherwin Williams Silvermist latex paint and then distressed it with a rough grit sandpaper along the edges.

Next I applied one coat of Annie Sloan clear wax with a stiff brush. I then applied a coat of Annie Sloan dark wax. I was tempted to skip the step using the clear wax but I had heard stories of people who went straight to the dark wax and ended up regretting it because it turned their piece way too dark instead of giving it the lightly distressed and antique look that I wanted.

The trick for this piece was to use the clear wax first and then use a very light hand to apply the dark wax. I barely tapped the end of my bristles into the dark wax and very lightly, with an almost dry brush technique, applied the wax. I then rubbed the dark wax into the piece with the brush that I had used with the clear wax to soften the appearance of the dark wax.

I left the hardware in its original state. I really felt like I couldn't improve on the color and the contrast with the painted wood kept it from feeling too girly. I am really pleased with the result and the good part is that Georgia Boy gave his approval too!

No rest for the weary, though, because I've got more pieces waiting in the wings!

Happy painting Cheap Mamas!

$1 Painted Wall Sconces

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 01:09:00 +0000

Does anyone else out there have that one item that when you see it on sale (or not!) you just can't seem to pass it up? For my mother, it's lamps. For me, it's candlesticks. I don't know if it's the straight lines or the promised candlelit ambience that they represent but I love candlesticks, candelabras and wall sconces.

You can imagine how excited I was when I found these wall sconces for $1 a piece! Never mind that they were made of some sort of resin and had that awful brown/black-flecked look, I couldn't pass them up. Visions of painted sconces were already dancing in my head.

The sad brown and gray wall sconces.

I painted them with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. Mostly because this meant that I wouldn't have to prime them and also I was painting a dresser at the same time in the same color so it was just too easy to slap some paint on these sconces while I had all of the supplies available.

After the coat of Old White I lightly hit the edges with some gold leaf paint I had on hand, distressed them with sandpaper and then hit them with a light touch of Annie Sloan dark wax.

Basically it was a complete experiment for me but I figured there was no way I could go wrong on trying different things on my $1 sconces!

I'd say that is quite an improvement, wouldn't you? And all for $2! That makes this Cheap Mama a very happy Cheap Mama indeed.

Basket Lady

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 01:47:00 +0000

There are cat ladies, bird ladies, bag ladies and then there's me, the basket lady. I love utilizing baskets in any room and for any purpose. I love the organization that baskets provide while at the same time being beautiful enough to leave in plain view. To me, bins say "put me in the closet" but baskets say "leave me out to be admired."

When I started photographing all of the baskets in my house I don't think I realized just how much I love baskets! These are only about half of the baskets that I have throughout my house.

I used to shop for baskets at my favorite discount stores or when Hobby Lobby had them on sale but recently I discovered just how cheaply baskets can be found at consignment stores.

The Habitat Restore, Goodwill, garage sales and other consignment places are wonderful places to find cheap baskets for organization. Some of the baskets below cost me as little as $1 or $2, some even less!

I love baskets for holding...

Magazines

Toilet tissue

Bathroom toiletries

Books for the baby

Changing table items

Homeschool Supplies

Remote controls

Games, DVDs, Wii games and controllers and toys, oh my!

For books, magazines or snacks on the playroom ottoman

More books! I love wire baskets too!

Throw blankets in the living room

Books in the living room

Dog toys

and shoes by the back door.

Now I'm off to spend some much needed time with Georgia Boy watching a movie. Did I mention the movie stars Matthew McConaughey? Not a bad way to spend a Friday night.

Happy weekend, Cheap Mamas.

The Gyro Bowl and Other Evil Things

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:03:00 +0000

I am pretty strict when it comes to what my kids watch on television. My stepson who is almost 11 years old, bless his heart, is always having to choose between watching Bubble Guppies or Little Einsteins with Superman instead of his beloved shows with pre-pubescent children who make more in one episode than most adults do all year.

However as Superman neared his fifth birthday I decided he was a big enough boy to watch a couple of shows on Disney XD. Little did I know what I had just unleashed upon all of us.

I failed to taken into consideration that this move to big boy shows also came with commercials. Lots and lots of commercials. The evil geniuses who write these commercials have taken a page from Dora the Explorer. You know how when Dora is on an adventure they say the same thing a million times like

BRIDGE ---- LAKE ---- LIBRARY!!!

Say it again!

BRIDGE ---- LAKE ---- LIBRARY!!!

Where are they going?

BRIDGE ---- LAKE ---- LIBRARY!!!

until you want to stab yourself in the eyeball with a pencil?

Well, these commercials are just like that only worse. Instead of simply repeating the same thing over and over they are also creating tiny kid robots who can repeat the same thing ad nauseum to their parent
until the parent completely caves and buys the dang thing just to shut the kid up.

Or maybe that's just me.

I actually held out for several months before folding like a cheap suit and buying this from Wal-Mart in the "As Seen On TV" aisle. That counts for something, right? During those months I had to endure multiple sales pitches from Superman where he recounted each of the fantastic features of the Gyro Bowl.

It's dishwasher safe Mom!

It comes with a Stayin' Fresh Lid Mom!

You can take food in the car and it never spills Mom!

After hearing this multiple times a day I'm actually proud I lasted as long as I did. He knew he couldn't order one himself because, as he told me, "you have to be 18 or older to order."

After Superman had his Precious in hand I continued with my usual shopping list. As I was trying to decide which dishwashing liquid to buy he shrieked from behind me, "But wait! We can get a second one FOR FREE!"

Later as we were driving home he couldn't contain his joy and decided to open the package immediately. After checking out his purchase he exclaimed with delight, "I can't believe it came with the Stayin' Fresh Lid!"

I want my kid back, Disney XD people. But I'll settle for some Pajama Jeans to review.

Cheap Mama Coffee Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:20:00 +0000

I like coffee. A lot. And when I became One Cheap Mama I mourned the loss of my fancy, expensive coffee. I had been used to drinking flavors of coffee with names like Buttered Pecan, French Vanilla Hazelnut and Bananas Foster and all of a sudden I was drinking...REGULAR COFFEE! I whined and wept and tried to find ways to make my cheap coffee taste like the good stuff but I never found any great ideas until NOW! I am so excited to share these secrets for all you fellow coffee lovers.

Just so you know that these tricks truly work within your Cheap Mama budget, I use these tricks with my Wal-Mart Great Value coffee. A side note: The coffee cans from the GV coffee brand can be repurposed into great containers. Cheap and chic!

Cheap Mama Coffee Trick #1 - Replace the aspartame with something better.
Just recently I went to see a Naturopathic Doctor for an undisclosed reason. If you're thinking, "Oh, she's plum crazy" don't worry - my husband agrees with you.

Once there I discussed the fact that I have suffered from headaches for the past 15+ years and pretty much have them on a daily, continuous basis. They asked me if I drank diet Coke. Uh, does a bear...? Never mind. I answered yes, lots. The Sonic carhops practically know me by name. It's not like I didn't know of the bad press around aspartame. It was just that I never realized how truly awful it was. Or maybe I just really didn't want to have to give up my diet coke. Either way, not until I was faced with the choice of A) Keep drinking diet coke and putting the pink stuff in my coffee and have headaches or B) Give up the crack cocaine diet coke and rid my body of the aspartame did I finally agree to stop drinking anything with aspartame.

Instead of the pink or blue or yellow packets, I now use xylitol which can be found at most health food stores or the green packets if I can't make it to the health food store that week.

Cheap Mama Coffee Trick #2 - Add cinnamon to your coffee grounds before brewing
This AMAZING idea originally comes from Vivienne Wagner whom I met on Twitter. You can check out her post complete with pictures here. I have been searching for an idea to make my cheap GV coffee taste like coffee-house coffee and this idea is genius! All you do is sprinkle some cinnamon (enough for your liking) on top of the coffee grounds prior to brewing. As it brews the cinnamon flavors the coffee and the bonus is that it turns out cinnamon has awesome health benefits to boot. The taste created when I add cinnamon to the coffee grounds before brewing is absolutely delicious. I now use cinnamon every time I brew a pot of coffee and I actually feel a teeny bit like my old fancy-coffee-drinking self again.

Cheap Mama Coffee Tricks #3 - Perfect iced coffee from The Pioneer Woman
Just like The Pioneer Woman I had been on the quest to make the perfect iced coffee. I had tried brewing coffee in my coffee maker and transfering that to the refrigerator but the taste was always too weak. Thus, I was left to either forego the iced coffee that I love so much or load up the kids to make a coffee run at three o'clock in the afternoon. Neither option was sustainable. Then I found PW's recipe for The Perfect Iced Coffee and now my life is complete. I now keep a pitcher of this divine concoction in the refrigerator so that I can enjoy a delicous iced coffee any time! Heaven.

Cheap Mama Coffee Trick #4 - Bring the used coffee grinds into the shower
After you have brewed your coffee in the coffee pot or have the extra pound of grinds from the iced coffee recipe, bring those grinds into the shower with you. Don't worry, it's not anything kinky. This is another great idea from Vivienne. I think she loves coffee as much as I do. Maybe even more. Caffeine is the active ingredient in all of those cellulite-reducing creams and Vivienne has discovered a way to cut out the middle-man, so to speak. She uses the grinds as a kind of coffee scrub focusing on her legs and feet. Who knew coffee was so versatile!

However if you have small children and barely have enough time to shave your armpits in the shower, let alone exfoliate your thighs with coffee grinds, you can try

Cheap Mama Coffee Trick #5 - Use the used coffee grinds as fertilizer
Coffee grinds are a great fertilizer for acid-loving plants such as roses, hydrangeas and blueberries but it can also be used as a fertilizer on other plants because the acidity level is not so high that it can't be used on other plants in your garden. When you're done with your pot of coffee instead of dumping the grinds in the trash, be a good little recycler and use them on your plants.

If anyone else has any great Cheap Mama coffee tricks, please leave a comment!

Happy drinking, you coffee-addicted Cheap Mamas!