Thursday, August 21, 2008

Frugal Friday--Removal of Stains


Its Friday, time again for Frugal Friday over at Crystal's blog--Biblical Womanhood!

Crystal is asking for some help in getting clothes stain free. So I am going to share a few ways to keep clothes--stain free(or at least almost! LOL)

Ever been in the situation where you are emptying clothes out the dryer only to find bright pink marks ALL over them?? Only to find that it was a crayon that you had missed in a pocket of your daughter's pants! I have been there and I was able to remove every spot of pink from the clothes, including hubby's good white shirt!

Crayon–washed and dried removal:

1. Take off as much wax as possible.

2. Take liquid Wisk(I have had the best success with Wisk over other brands!) and Peanut Butter and smear over the crayon spots.

3. Use NO Bleach!! including liquid Wisk with bleach.

4. Rinse clothes and then wash and dry clothes again.

**Crayola has stain tips guide on their website but I have found my way to actually work better!**


I have used this next solution on many clothes, esp. those clothes that I have gotten as hand-me-downs that have had stains set in them. It is also great for those baby formula stains (even those stains that have been set in), those crayon marks that you find on clothes before you dry them, it has even worked on tempera paint removal from clothes(doesn't get all of it but makes the clothes look good enough for play clothes where you don't have to dump them in the trash). I have used on many stains(food, grass, and set in stain) and have great to good results with it. **This is good for colored clothes as well...use with caution–some colored clothes are not color-fast and colors will fade from bleach.**


“Magic Solution”

½ cup automatic dishwasher soap to ½ cup bleach mixed into 2 gallons of water.

Put soap in with as hot of water as possible. Stop running water pour bleach into water, stir in completely. Then place clothes in solution. Let soak. (You can do this right in your top load washer! I usually do it in my big white laundry tub or in the bathtub as I have a front loader washer.)

You can see that the measurements are such where you can do a smaller amount or a bigger amount with not much thinking.

Ink or Permanent Marker Stains(in clothes or carpet!):

Good old pump(not aerosol) hairspray!!

spray the hairspray and a dry cloth rag(that you can throw away cause the ink will go into the rag!). Don't use paper towels as they will just shred. Spray the spots let sit for about 20 seconds for the hairspray to start working and then blot out the ink from the carpet or clothes. Repeat til the spots are gone.

The trick is to not let the hair spray sit too long as it can have the opposite effect and set the ink into the carpet or clothes for that matter.

If you are getting ink/marker out of the carpet--Use some carpet cleaner to get the sticky film from the hairspray out of the carpet.

For clothes, I wash them immediately in a wash load after having treated the ink/marker.


Grease spots(even washed and dried spots!)

Just use either Dawn or Palmolive handwashing dish soap right on the stain. Let it set for about 5 minutes and then wash as usual in a wash load.

Tomato/Ketchup Stains

These are a little hard to remove if you don't take cold water to the fresh spots! However, they can and will come out with soaking in cold water and then spot treating with Dawn or Palmolive handwashing dish soap. Then wash as usual in a wash load. Check the item BEFORE you put it in the dryer because it might need another round.

Deodorant Stains

Sherry asked about these in a comment below so I thought I would edit my post to include them as well! Thanks Sherry for the question! For getting out deodorant stains, I have found that soaking the stain in hydrogen peroxide for 5 minutes right before washing is best. Then rinsing out the peroxide and then rubbing Felsnaptha soap or Era laundry soap on the stains and washing as usual in a wash load. Deodorant stains are hard to get out especially if they are old and set in but I have done several of hubby's white shirts with repeating the process several times.


I have also had very good success with soaking in Oxy Clean for colors and whites with just about any kind of stain!

There is alot more frugal tips over at Biblical Womanhood!


Originally posted in February, 2008

Weekly Grocery Trip--Saved $19.71

This was a light week for groceries for me(sorry no pics kids helped me to put away!) because we are going on vacation next week so I only needed to shop for four days. Next week before we leave I'll probably shop again just to get a few things for taking with us on our trip.

My first stop was Meijer...

2 boxes Eggo Waffles $1.30 or 65 cents each

2-6pk Musselmans applesauce $2.73 or $1.37 each

2 jars Musselmans applesauce $2.74 or $1.37 each

2 gallons milk $5.00

1 family pack bag breaded chicken tenders $4.00

I used my $3.00 shopping order that I got last week with getting Capri Sun....

Total: $12.77
Savings Total: $12.24 (non coupon savings: $7.04; coupon savings $5.20)


Next stop Family Fare...

18 containers Yoplait Yogurt $7.50 or 42 cents each

16 lbs potatoes $5.00

2 dozen eggs $2.50

2.24lbs bananas $1.32

1 bottle French's Mustard 50 cents

Total after coupons and sales: $16.82
Savings Total: $7.47

GRAND Total before sales & coupons: $49.30
GRAND Total after sales & coupons: $29.59
GRAND Total Savings: $19.71

See I told you a light week and I still saved a decent amount!

To check out other's weekly deals, head over to Super Savings Saturday at MoneySavingMom and Centsable Shopper Show N Tell at BeCentsable!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Kitchen Tip Tuesday---BLT Pasta Salad


I know that summer is almost over, so the pasta salads, no-oven meals are starting to become a thing of the past until next year when the heat is upon us again. However, I wanted to share this recipe with you that I made up by combining parts of other similar recipes.
I had this type of salad at a wedding about year ago and have been wanting to try it but just didn't have the nerve to with my picky eaters. So I decided to make it for a picnic that I was hosting a few weeks ago when I knew that I would have others around to help me enjoy it! However, my hubby and one son ate some as well! Yeah! So since I didn't ask the caterer at the wedding for the recipe, I took to looking online to find something that resembled the salad. Here is what I came up with....


1 lb rotini pasta cooked, drained and cooled


1/4 cup Real Bacon bits


1/4 cup Miracle Whip Light


1/4 cup Ranch Salad Dressing


1 pint grape tomatoes, chopped


2-3 leaves of iceberg lettuce, chopped



I cooked, drained and cooled the rotini the night before along with adding in some of the bacon bits and some of the Miracle Whip and Ranch Dressing. Then the following day before I was going to serve it, I chopped the tomatoes, and lettuce. I added more Miracle Whip and Ranch Dressing and Bacon Bits and it was ready to serve!

You might have to play with the measurements for the salad because the only measurements that I know for sure is the rotini pasta and the grape tomatoes. The rest of the ingredients I just put in with the rotini and when it looked good I stopped adding them. I don't like pasta salads dripping with dressing so I made it where the dressing part of the salad was light---just enough to stick the ingredients together. Also, I used grape tomatoes instead of the "sandwich" size tomatoes so that I ended up with more tomato "meat" than tomato seeds.

One of these times that I make it, I will probably get some romaine lettuce or fresh spinach to use in place of the iceberg lettuce! So far the few times that I have made it, I have change things up with different shaped pasta including using tri-color rotini. Also I have used roma tomatoes as well, if you use any other tomatoes besides the grape ones you will want to de-seed the tomatoes! I didn't one of the times I have made it since that picnic and regretted not doing so!
With this pasta salad you will want to make sure that it is eaten within a day or two after making it because the tomatoes really get mushy after the first 24 hours!

After the picnic that day, I sent some home with my parents and told them that they could do up some grilled chicken and have this salad for a nice simple summer meal!

For other kitchen tips, recipes or ideas, head over to Tammy's Recipes!

OR

Looking for more breads, pasta, or potato recipes, head over to Jen-Frugal Upstate's Frugal Food Series--breads, pastas, or potatoes.

Orginally posted July, 2008

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Singing Sunday

**I was going to do my favorite Avalon song today because I am going to an Avalon concert tonight where my church's praise team is the "opening act". However, after being in church this morning and this being a new song that we sang...I just had to share this one because it really touched me!! I hope the words of this song hit you like they did me!!

Believe
by Hillsong United

I say on Sunday how much I want revival
But then on Monday, I can’t even find my Bible
Where’s the power
The power of the cross in my life

I’m sick of playing the game of religion
I’m tired of losing my reason for living
Where’s the power
The power of the cross in my life

I’m not content just to walk through my life, giving in
To the lies, Walking in compromises now
We cry out as a generation that was lost
But now is found in the power of the cross

Chorus:
We believe in You
We believe in the power of Your Word that is true
We believe in You
So we lay down our cause
That our cross might be found in You

I’m not satisfied doing it my own way
I’m not satisfied to do church and walk away
I’m not satisfied there’s no love in my life but You
I’m not satisfied living in yesterday’s hour
I’m not satisfied to have the form but not the power
I’m not satisfied, Lord I am crucified in You
(Chorus)

So we lay down our cause
That our cross might be found in You

Menu Plan Monday 8/17-8/23


**Another week is upon us so that means it is time for another menu plan! This is just a plan and it could change on the cook’s whim!

Last week’s menus went off without too much trouble! The “star” of the week goes to the Pioneer Woman’s crashed potatoes again!!! I used 2 1/2 lbs of red potatoes and then for seasonings just used parsley (on some) along with salt and pepper and this time I added real bacon bits to them before I cooked them in the oven. Then fresh out of the oven from cooking, I sprinkled them with shredded cheddar cheese! Oh what bliss!!

This week’s grocery shopping was getting the basics and a few stockpile items (1# boxes of pastas were 77 cents this week)!! Hubby and I (along with the munchkins) are planning on a little vacation over the Labor Day weekend so I don’t like leaving packed full freezers. I started last week working at reducing my freezer stock because of ds #3 going out to the freezer for some breakfast items and NOT closing the door back tight. So this past week and through this week I will be using up my partially thawed/refrozen items and working towards a fresh batch of things after our vacation.

This week is turning out to be a fun-filled week!!! All week long you can see this menu in action over at Happy to be at Home as I will be guest blogging over there for their “kitchen of the week” series!! Yesterday (Sunday), we had the opportunity to see Avalon in concert at one of the local fairgrounds! My church’s praise and worship team was the opening act for Avalon!! It was a great evening! This weekend, I am teaming up with a neighbor to do a two day garage sale!! This should prove to be interesting as I haven’t talked to her due to schedules since we set the date over two weeks ago!! Also this weekend is the Metro Car Cruise in our town, which I know hubby will want to go see---lots of muscle cars, lots of oldies, and lots of custom cars.

Lunches listed are for the kids and me. Usually with our lunches I served carrot sticks, and some kind of fruit along with juice or water to drink. Hubby usually takes dinner leftovers each day along with several items for snacks.

A special thanks to Laura-Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday! Need help with your menus; go check other delicious meal plans that have been linked at Laura-Organizing Junkie's site! **

Sunday (8-17) Avalon Concert @ Fairgrounds
Breakfast: eggs, hash browns, sausage or Canadian bacon, and jiffy muffins
Lunch: “potluck” meaning leftovers
Dinner: Creamy Chicken (#1), egg noodles, and peas
Snack: snack basket

Monday (8-18)
Breakfast: cereal and toaster strudel or leftover cinnamon rolls
Lunch: leftovers OR sandwich and chips
Dinner: cubed steak, potato pockets, corn and homemade honey oatmeal rolls
Snack: snack basket

Tuesday (8-19)
Breakfast: waffles & sausage
Lunch: leftover spaghetti & meatballs, garlic toast and salad
Dinner: Chicken Veggie Casserole/Potpie (#8), biscuits and fruit
Snack: brownies & milk

Wednesday (8-20)
Breakfast: bagels, and cereal
Lunch: sandwich and chips
Dinner: grilled chicken, rice, and green beans
Snack: snack basket

Thursday (8-21)
Breakfast: buttermilk pancakes and sausage
Lunch: chicken nuggets and tater tots
Dinner: roasted pork loin, mashed taters & gravy, salad or peas
Snack: snack basket

Friday (8-22) Garage Sale Day!
Breakfast: cereal and toast
Lunch: sandwich and chips
Dinner: Taco Bar along with chips and salsa
Snack: homemade chocolate shakes

Saturday (8-23) Garage Sale Day!
Breakfast: “Cook’s Choice”
Lunch:????
Dinner:???? Not sure as not only is it Garage sale day but there is a metro car cruise that hubby will want to do see!!
Snack: popcorn or snack basket