Frugal Friday: Recycling Water

Now that we have houseplants and vegetable plants that need watered regularly, I have been using water from our dehumidifier and cooking water (I collected in this empty juice container) to water the plants. It makes more sense than dumping it down the drain. It got me thinking about other ways I could "find" water for my plants in between the rain waterings...

I found some ideas here

Anyone else have any other ideas?

...Pictures of our completed deck and 1st harvest coming soon...

Frugal Friday: Cloth Napkins

We are buying less and less disposable paper products. Recently (with inspiration from Julie) we made the switch to cloth napkins. Julie had made hers inexpensively, but I picked up some at Walmart and a few on clearance at Target. I'm still trying to figure out how to keep them from getting wrinkled in the wash, but I do like using them better than paper napkins. Not that we used a lot of paper napkins before, but now we won't have to buy any at all. And, it feels more "special" using the cloth napkins.

Frugal Friday: Recent Deals & Recycled Ink Cartridges

I'm working on a few posts...it's seems like there is always something else to do lately...so here's a Frugal Friday post covering the last 3 weeks...

-

How did I get all of this for free at CVS - including the Noxema that was $4.99 (not on sale and no coupon)?

I started with $11 ECB...

#1

U by Kotex $4.99 - $1 manufacturer printable coupon - $1 CVS printable coupon

(2) Crest Pro $3.50 - (2) $.75 manufacturer coupons from newspaper

- $4 ECB

- $4 ECB

= $.49 paid and $7 and $4.99 in ECB from this purchase = $3.50 profit in ECB

-

#2

Schick Razor $8.99 - $5 manufacturer coupon from newspaper

(2) Right Guard Deodorant $2.49 - $3 off 2 printable coupon

Noxema $4.99

- $7 ECB

- $1 ECB

- $2 ECB

= $1.02 paid and $4 and $4 in ECB from this purchase

-

Final Total = I gained $1.99 in ECB and spent $1.51 in cash, so that's a $.48 profit and I came home with free Noxema (& other stuff)!!

-

Links to the printable coupons can be found here

Then, I got some Huggies diapers for $3.49 at CVS, these Rayovac 9V batteries made especially for smoke detectors for $.97 at Walmart, and free Bic pens at Walmart with this coupon.

-

Staples has been running deals on printer paper for around $1-$1.49 and one week had a 20-pack of AA batteries free after rebate again.

-

Last week at Aldi's I got a 12 pack of double roll recycled toilet paper marked down to $2.99.

-

This week the deals were slow...except for the CVS moneymaker Gillette Body Wash (which is advertised as Free after ECB but there is a BOGO coupon so it is a $4 moneymaker). Of course they were out, but no problem because I have a raincheck for it. By the way, I was told CVS rainchecks never expire.

-

Finally, on the topic of the "reduce, reuse, recycle," I am collecting our used ink cartridges for Staples rebates. Staples normally offers $3 for each recycled ink cartridge you bring in but I am waiting on the $6 rebate which they occassionally offer.

Frugal Friday: Deals of the Week

Here are the deals for the week:

Scotch Brite sponge $.86 - $1 printable coupon = Free (Walmart)

Marcal paper Towels $1.09 - $1 coupon from newspaper = $.15 (Shop-n-Save)

Grapes $.99/lb (Shop-n-Save)

Aveeno hand lotion $3.69 - $1 printable coupon - $2 in-ad Rite Aid coupon = $.74

CopyPlus printer paper $5.99 - $5.49 = $.50 after easy rebate (limit 2) (Staples)

Duracell 20 pack AA batteries $9.99 - $9.99 Staples Rewards = Free (Staples)

---

And, for this week's "reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle" I'm going to be conscientious of how much I am using when it comes to hand soap, shampoo, dish soap etc making sure I'm not using more than necessary...'cause Mom always said "a little dab will do ya"...and as an additional note, I've taught Mike to fill the bottle with water and shake it up to get the last use or two from a liquid bottle that would not be used otherwise.

Frugal Friday: Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle and DQ Blizzard 25th Anniversary

Here are the deals I found this week:

U by Kotex $3.49 - $1 coupon - $3.49 rebate = $1 profit (Rite Aid)

CVS Cocoa Butter Moisturing Lotion $1.49 - $1 coupon off CVS skin care from machine = $.49 (CVS)

Stride Shift gum $.99 - $1 ECB raincheck = Free (CVS)

CVS Green Bag Tag $.99 - $.99 ECB = Free (CVS) - see below

TGIF Potato Skins Snacks $.99 - $1 coupon no longer available = Free (Rite Aid)

Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta $1 - $.75 coupon doubled = Free (Martins)

7 Up 2 Liter $1.25 - $1 printable coupon no longer available = $.25 (Martins)

---

April 22nd was Earth Day. I'm not a political advocate for Earth Day but I do feel responsible to be a conscientious steward of the beautiful creation and blessings that God has given us. The motto "reduce, reuse, recycle" is called the waste hierarchy. The aim of the waste hierarchy is to extract the maximum practical benefits from products and to generate the minimum amount of waste. The best option is to reduce consumption, then if that is not possible reuse the item, then if that is not possible repurpose the item. And the least favorable if nothing else is reasonable, rather than sending it to a land fill, recycle. It makes sense to me.

---

It's so easy so not think about it and just flow with the norm and put everything in the trash to go to "get rid of it" somewhere. Mike and I could always do a little better in this area too. So, I thought I would focus on ways to reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle over the next few weeks.

---

The CVS Green Bag Tag is a great way to encourage reusable bags when shopping which reduces waste by reducing usage of plastic bags. You can put the tag on any reusable bag. Each time you shop at CVS and use your reusable shopping bag (scan the tag) it goes toward earning ECB. After 4 scans, you earn $1 ECB. I love it...I wish other stores did the same thing.

And as a treat...who could pass up on a "buy one DQ Blizzard, get another for $.25" Anniversary Special April 19-25?