Today’s thrifty tip is to use vinegar as a disinfectant for cleaning counters, the sink, and even your bathroom. I also use vinegar to mop my vinyl floors. It’s safer to use and much cheaper than chemical based cleaners. There are also no toxic fumes. I find the odor usually dissipates in an hour or two.
Today’s thrifty tip is use an old toothbrush to clean your sink faucet. I do this weekly and it really does get all the grime out that is hard to reach with a bigger brush. I also use it to clean the lip on the inside as well as around the drain opening. You can even buy a cheap 50 cent one to use just for cleaning. Just make sure to keep it with your cleaning supplies.
Today’s thrifty tip is clean your jewelry with toothpaste. This works wonderful and a huge tube of Ultra-Brite is 88 cents at my Wal-Mart. Even a tube at a dollar is cheap and will last for months. The expensive cleaners are at least $4.00 a box. I just use an old toothbrush or a cheap 50 cent one from the store. My rings come out sparkling, but just be sure to close the sink drain before cleaning.
Today’s thrifty tip is to use baking soda, vinegar, and boiling hot water to clear a clogged drain. What you do is pour a cup of baking soda down the drain first. Then pour a cup of vinegar behind it which will fizz. Then put the stopper in and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Then take out the stopper and pour a pot of boiling water down the drain. This works for me pretty much every time, especially, in the kitchen sink. The bathrooms don’t always work since it’s usually a hair clog so then I usually use a bent wire hanger to get to the clog. I do use the baking soda and hot water mixture to keep them clear and smelling clean. It’s cheaper than using expensive drain cleaners plus safer.
Today’s frugal tip is use hot boiling water or vinegar to get rid of weeds. Just be careful not to use around plants. This is great for use in walkways or your driveway. This is much cheaper than chemicals and safer to use.
Today’s thrify living tip is to use instant grits on ant hills. This really does work.
I only use this method on black ant hills. I am not sure about fire ants as we only get black ants in our yard!
It’s safe for pets and kids plus it’s non-toxic! So NO spraying poison around your yard!
Trust me in South Louisiana, we get a lot of black ant hills especially after lots of rain.
What happens is the worker ants will bring in the grits (thinking it’s food) and feed it to the queen which then explodes in their systems.
The best way to use this method is to wait for a dry day, and when you are expecting rain sprinkle the instant grits around the ant hills. I do not sprinkle directly on top but just around the perimeter.
I say go for the cheap dollar store brand. I seriously doubt the name brand makes any difference except for in your pocket book!
Let me know if this method works for you!
I went shopping at a local store that were clearancing clothes plus take an extra 20% off the already reduced prices. I bought $210 worth of clothes for my son and paid $52 with tax for all of it. I bought winter clothes for this year but did snag a couple of summer shirts. Here is a list of what I bought all size 7. The Levis were on sale plus I 2 20% discounts (the extra one and I had a coupon good on any item including clearance). I used the other coupon on the other pair of jeans.
Set of 2 Cars PJS ($5.32 for both pairs since it was a special set deal)
Spider Flannel PJS
Levis Jeans
South Pole Jeans
Lee Khaki Carpenter Pants
Nike S/S Shirt
2 Different Adidas L/S Shirts
Nike Wind Pants
Then I had bought 4 tops at Dillards for $17.23 with tax.
Ralph Lauren S/S Top
Shrek L/S Shirt
Charter Club L/S Shirt
Silver Surfer S/S Top
Lastly I stopped at Wal-Mart yesterday and picked up 4 pairs of shorts on sale for $3 each. I am well stocked for next summer and this winter. I paid a total of $82.xx for all these clothes. It never hurts to check out the clearance racks of your stores since you never know. Sometimes I found unmarked sales like yesterday at Wal-Mart. I spend around $100 a year on his clothes and shoes. I do have several pairs that I got on clearance from last year waiting in my closet. I only stock a size ahead of what he wears. I will buy size 8 clothes when the winter goes on sale in January next year. I used to buy more of his clothes used but it’s hard to find his size, and I still feel I’m doing really well with the clearance racks. I never pay more than $4-5 unless it’s a nicer dress shirt but usually under $8 for one or two of those. We need more summer clothes than winter so his winter clothes can usually last for 2 years in a row.