Young Family Fun Pages

Club soda believe it or not works great!  That blue windex stuff is mostly water and ammonia and if you ever accidentally mix ammonia with any type of bleach, the toxic fumes can be fatal.  Scary!

1/2 Borax and 1/2 baking soda.  Put in sealed container.  Use 2 Tablespoons per load or more if you have hard water.

For rinse aid, just use 1/2 distilled white vinegar and 1/2 water.  Works great!

Natural Living Recipes

Natural Living Ideas & Money Saving Ideas

So I’ve been searching online to find ways to save $ on cleaning supplies and do things more natural and safe for the environment and I thought they were so fun that I just had to share them on my website.  The stuff is cheap and works pretty well.  Borax is slightly toxic if ingested so keep that up high along with any essential oils you may use to scent your cleaners.  *Also at the bottom are ways I like to save money, some might work for you and your family.  Hopefully you’ll think about them and try out a few for fun and see how much you can save!

Dishwasher Detergent Recipe

Favorite Laundry Detergent Recipe

Window Cleaner 

Contact Information:

Email:  karenmareeyoung@msn.com

Tub and Sink Cleaner

Get an old Grated Parmesan Cheese container, the kind with holes at the top.  Wash it out clean of course and then put in good old baking soda.  Sprinkle on whatever surface and then scrub with wet scrub brush or rag and then rinse clean.

All Purpose Cleaner

Disinfectant Cleaner

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Flush toilet to wet rim.  Sprinkle your toilet cleaning brush with borax or baking soda (can use your tub and sink cleanser container) and then scrub the rim.  Let sit for a few minutes and then flush.  If really bad, wipe rim with treated brush, add a bit of vinegar and let it bubble while you clean the rest of the bathroom, then scrub again and flush.

Fill a 16 oz. spray bottle almost all the way with purified water.  Add a few drops of Palmolive and 30 drops of tea tree essential oil.

*Compared to Lysol disinfectant spray which is legally considered an insecticide, this is so much cheaper and safer!

2 Tablespoons white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon Borax

 

Mix vinegar and borax together in a small bowl.  Add 1 cup hot water and stir until dissolved.  Let cool and then put into a 16 oz. spray bottle.  Add 1/8 cup Palmolive or Ivory liquid dishwashing soap and then fill almost to the top with water.  To add a slightly more antibacterial effect and great smell, add 15 drops of tea tree essential oil.

Furniture Polish

1/4 cup olive oil

4 Tablespoons white distilled vinegar

25 drops lemon essential oil

 

Pour into a small spray bottle and shake before using.  Spray onto cloth and then wipe furniture.  Same lemon scent without the ozone-killing aerosol can.

Money Saving Ideas to try out!

1. Make a budget and stick to it!

2. Do you really NEED to upgrade to a new car?  Do you really need a second car?  Learn how to do your own car maintenance to save labor costs.  Bike or walk when you can.  You’ll save gas $ and enjoy the free endorphins that come with exercising regularly.

3. Buy generic items and save the difference.  So many people don’t even look to see how much they are paying for their food items.  Also, take advantage of food sale items but also know when it really is a true sale.

4. When shopping, ask yourself, “Do I really need this or just want this?  How many shoes does one person need?  Think of the starving children in Africa who if they’re lucky have one complete outfit and one pair of shoes.

5. Have a “Change Jar” where you store extra change from the day to save up for big items.

6. Learn to cut your children’s hair, do you own nails, and have you spouse give you those priceless massages instead of paying $xx (and tip!) at the salon.

7. Forego the expensive vacation this year and visit local area attractions instead (no flight, rental car, or hotel fees).  Go to your Visitor’s Center because sometimes they have coupons or locals-only deals

8. Don’t buy books or rent videos; go borrow them for free at the library.  Our library lets us reserve items online so I just walk in, pick up my items in the hold area and I’m out in a minute.  Sure, sometimes I have to wait a few weeks for a new book but patience pays.

9. Bake your own bread and eat healthy foods from the cannery and fresh fruits and veggies from your local farmers market instead of junk food and sodas.  I wonder if some great-grandmas in heaven are shocked most women don’t even know how to bake bread today.

10. Eat out less.  Bag your lunch.  Drinking water is free and good for you too.  If you really need soda then buy it in 2 liter bottles when they’re on sale and then recycle them by washing them and filling them with water for your reserved water supply. 

11. Coupons!  Use only if you plan on buying that item anyway.  Usually it’s still cheaper to try the generic brand.

12. Breastfeed your babies.  You’ll save yourself hundreds of dollars, bond with your baby on a regular basis, never have to wash and prepare bottles - those diapers won’t smell so bad and the spit up stains will wash out easier.

13. Generic diapers, again I could’ve save a few hundred dollars with my first kid if I had only tried them out.  My favorite is the Walmart brand Parent’s Choice.  If you can, cloth diaper you’re children.  It took me several times and different diapers but we love g diapers and use washable inserts and wipes with them.  I wish I had started with my first child and not my fourth.

14. Get your clothes on sale or buy consignment.  Most of the fun comes from finding that great bargain!  Even better you can swap clothes around with your extended family.   My daughter loves to wear clothes that came from her cousins.

 

Thanks to a hard-working husband and these ideas,

I have been able to be able to stay at home and watch my children grow up. 

That’s worth more to me than all the money in the world.