Dollar Tree Favorites

The following is a list of my 15 favorite things to buy at the Dollar Tree. If you have never been you need to stop in and check it out. And always keep in mind that while some things like I am listing below pretty much stay the same, there are a lot of items that change and while you may see it there today it may not be there the next time you visit.

 
Foil pans - disposible (good for baking to bless others or freezing baking)
Containers and baskets for organizing your home and/or storing food
Balloons - helium for parties or gifts
Gift bags
Tissue paper
Wrapping paper
Photo paper - I use this all of the time and it really is good quality
Shower gel/body wash
Hand soap
Hand sanitizer
Tooth brushes
Candy - Going to the movies?  Stop in here and get your goodies much cheaper. 
Brims butter popcorn - tastes like movie popcorn but BETTER and the EVEN BETTER PART is that it is made by a Christian company.  The Utz brand also tastes good but the bag is smaller. 
Goo gone
Picture frames

Not to mention an amazing selection of seasonal decorations, treats and prizes for use at home, school or in your Sunday school class, pool/water toys for summer and trinkets to set around.

They also sell food and have a growing number of name brand items.  And now they take coupons for those name brand items.
 
Are you a Dollar Tree Shopper? 

Clean Hairspray Residue From Bathroom Surfaces

I know I am probably not the only person in the world that this happens to.  Hairspray build up on the flat surfaces in my bathroom.  On my sink and floor mostly.  Even with regular cleaning and daily wiping of the sink over time the hairspray, because it dries quickly builds up.  Lately I was noticing that my sink top was a little rough feeling and didn't have the shine to it that it once did.  Regular cleaners were not removing it. 

 

So, how did I fix it?  Rubbing Alcohol. 

I took a cotton ball and saturated it with rubbing alcohol and then rubbed it all over my sink top.  It took away all the hairspray residue and left it smooth and shiny again. 

 

It worked like a charm and was quick and cheap.

 

 

Do you ever have to clean hairspray residue from your bathroom surfaces or am I the only one?

Dollar Tree Drawer Organizing

A desperate need to clean out and organize my drawers and cabinets combined with a quick trip to the local Dollar Tree resulted in some great looking drawers.  I am still in the process of getting them all organized but wanted to quickly show you a few so that you can see what you can accomplish by only spending a few dollars and a small amount of time cleaning. 

Here is a look at some of my Dollar Tree baskets and containers.

The possibilities are endless as to what you could use these small containers and baskets for.  I especially like them because they are the perfect height to fit in both our kitchen and bathroom drawers. 

First up - one of my kitchen utensil gadget drawers.  Previously everything was just thrown in there and you could barely even get it shut but now everything has a home. 

Now on to the bathroom.  My husbands drawer.

And then my makeup drawer.  I added 4 small containers to my drawer.  The red one holds foundation, compact powder, blush and bronzers.  The blue one houses all of my eyeliners, mascara, tweezers, tweezing mirror and lash curler.  The green one in the back holds eye shadows.  The long skinny green basket is the perfect size to hold all of my makeup brushes.  I have lipsticks, lip gloss and lip liners in the little black zipper pouch in the front (no more room for a container) and my loose powder and bronzers just sitting there in the front.

I am so excited (yes I am that big of a nerd) to be getting everything decluttered and organized in my home.  When all of your stuff has a home to live in it makes life much more enjoyable and peaceful!

Do you ever shop at Dollar Tree for containers to organize with?  If so, please share. 

Homemade Glass Cleaner

I have tried most name brand and store brand glass cleaners out there and have also made several different recipes of homemade ones that have just never made me happy until now. 

Here is the recipe I use for my Homemade Glass Cleaner

2 cups water
2 cups rubbing alcohol
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. blue dawn dish liquid

Simply Mix it all together and you are ready to go.  In my opinion this works great. 

Try it out and let me know what you think.

Note:  Anytime you are making your own cleaners it is a good idea to write on the bottle what it is and the ingredients used if possible. 

Vinegar and How I Use It

Vinegar is a great all natural cleaner, mild disinfectant and deodorizer that is not harsh or abrasive and can be pretty much used on anything anywhere.

Here are the main places I use Vinegar in my home on a regular basis for the purpose of Cleaning.

1)  Toilet Bowls - I add about 1 cup of vinegar to my toilets and allow it to sit while I clean the rest of the bathroom then scrub your toilet just like you would using any other cleaner and flush.

2)  Fabric Softener - I add between 1/3 - 1/2 cup vinegar as my liquid fabric softener and it works great.  No, your clothes do not smell like vinegar when they come out of the wash - they just smell fresh.

3)  Dishwasher -  I used to use 1 cup of vinegar about once a month as cleaner but now I use it instead of Jet-Dry or other "spot removers".  Works great, super cheap and your dishwasher is getting cleaned in the process.

4)  Floors - 1 cup of white vinegar to 1 gallon of water.

5)  All Purpose Cleaner - Vinegar diluted with water (equal parts) and put in a spray bottle works great as an all purpose kitchen or bathroom cleaner.

You can google "Uses for Vinegar" and honestly there are so many they are countless.  Here is a link to a great website that lists many of its uses from cleaning and laundry to health and cooking and gardening.

Do you use Vinegar to Clean with??

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 Proverbs 31:17 (Good News Translation) 
She is a hard worker, strong and industrious.

Easy Homemade Instant Oatmeal

I apologize for being MIA this week.  My boys are off on their Spring break from school and my husband is taking a week of vacation with us.  We are just spending the week working around the house inside and out and trying to squeeze in a couple fun things but mostly we are just eating too much and spending time together.  I did want to share something with you that I made the other day though.  I thought maybe some of you may like the idea and want to make your own. 

I have made this Easy Homemade Instant Oatmeal for 3 reasons. 

#1  It's Cheaper.
#2  It makes our mornings much easier.
#3  Once put in the packets - any member of my family can prepare it (not just me).

My husband loves the Quaker Instant Oatmeal in the Cinnamon Raisin Flavor.  I have bought it for him off and on since we have been married - that is until the past few years when finding it has proven to be a challenge for me.  I am not sure if they have stopped making it or the grocery stores around me just don't carry it but either way I have not found it.

Then one day I met a dear friend of mine at McDonald's for breakfast and I ordered for the first time ever their oatmeal.  I don't remember what it's name was exactly but it had raisins and chunks of apples cut up in it.  It was very good and the next morning for breakfast I decided to recreate it at home.  I mixed together some sugar, quick oats, cinnamon, raisins and chopped up apple - added a little water to it and popped it in the microwave and it was great.

So the next day I decided to make it minus the apple for my husband which would be like the flavor he likes so much and he loves it!

In my effort to make life easier and be more organized I made up some of this oatmeal and put it in snack size zip lock bags. 

Ingredients are simple:  quick oats, raisins, sugar and cinnamon.  As you can see from my picture I use store or generic brands.  Any brand will do.  Also I used white sugar but you could use what ever type of sugar or sweetener you prefer.

Each bag has 1/2 cup oats, 3 tsp. sugar (you could use less), 1/4 - 1/2 cinnamon (depending on how much you like), and 2 Tbls. raisins.

And there you have it - one bad of instant Raisin & Cinnamon Oatmeal ready to go.  All you have to do is add in your hot water and it will be ready to eat.  I still like to add in some chunks of apples with mine.  :)

I made up several bags worth and put them in a little basket to store in my pantry.

AWESOME Tub and Shower Cleaner

My mother always said that blue dawn dish liquid was good for just about everything and she was right.  Between it and white vinegar I have an arsenol of money saving homemade cleaners.  Today I am sharing one of my new favorite mixtures. 

Equal Parts of Regular Dawn Dish Liquid and White Vinegar mixed together makes an awesome tub and shower cleaner.  It cuts the soap scum and dirt so easily that you hardly have to put any "elbow grease" into it.  I like to spray it on, leave it set just a couple minutes then use a wet Mr. Clean magic eraser to clean with.   

I mixed mine in a spray bottle and Margo from Joyful Homemaking mixes hers in a dish scrubber wand.  I have been known to just mix mine in a small bowl as well.  This can also be used on appliances, sinks, etc...

 

 

 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I recently had someone ask about a good recipe for homemade laundry detergent so here is what I use when I make it. 

4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax
- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

This is the basic recipe from the Duggar family website, however I usually use at least 1 1/2 bars of the Fels-Naptha soap (sometimes 2) and I also add more in my wash than they say. I usually use 1 cup per load but this is still a huge money saver! It costs around $2.00 per batch to make and it lasts my family of 4 around 1 month and we do ALOT of laundry. The other great thing about this recipe is that it is super easy and my kids help me make it.

I still buy gain detergent to keep on hand to use when needed and I still use either gain or downy fabric softener to make everything smell nice. 

UPDATE:  Click here to see what I use as a cheap fabric softener.