IKEA is one of the better places to find unique furniture for less money than expensive department or specialty furniture shops, and now if you buy a bookcase there, you’ll also be supporting the Save the Children’s Early Steps to School Success program.
Here’s the lowdown: Starting today, Monday, July 13th through Thursday, August 31st, 2009 for every EXPEDIT bookcase sold at all IKEA stores nationwide, a $5 donation will be made to Save the Children’s Early Steps to School Success program. This IKEA program in partnership with Save the Children, provides early childhood development services for families living in poor, …read more

In my opinion renter’s insurance IS worth the cost, mainly because it’s super cheap, but protects you if your rental say burns down, is broken into, or you have some other emergency situation happen.Your rental landlord most likely has insurance but landlord insurance tends to cover stuff like structural damage to the building but for sure won’t cover your personal property.
If you’re thinking you don’t need renter’s insurance because you have few valuables you’re most likely wrong. You don’t need gold …read more

Ok so recently my dishwasher has been flooding all over the damn kitchen. Did I just curse? Sorry, but well, it’s super annoying. I’m talking soap and water ALL over my kitchen. I was thinking I’d need a new one, but read up on it first, and found out…
If you have a disposal, you need to run it for about 30 seconds before you run your dishwasher or debris left in the disposal can be pulled into the dishwasher drain line and clog it – which of course can lead to my issues. Do I always run the disposal 30 …read more

Just as promised, we are letting you know of some great products this month for Earth Day.  This time, I had the opportunity to review some of the Bright Green™ cleaning products. Bright Green is a new line of home care products featuring cleaning and laundry soaps made with biodegradable and naturally derived ingredients, energy-efficient light bulbs and paper products made from 100% recycled content.  The Bright Green products are sold exclusively at Safeway stores.

I was able to review the Bright Green dishwashing liquid and all purpose cleaner.  The question that I have often asked myself is, “Is it possible to use green …read more

Coffee (good coffee; people) can be expensive. You can buy cheaper coffee to save money OR to make your coffee purchases work harder use the grounds up – all the way.

After brewing a pot, set aside the grounds and try one of the following applications…
Place them in your compost bin where they will enrich your compost content. Coffee grounds naturally release nitrogen which plants adore all to pieces. Flowers like azaleas and rhododendrons are especially huge fans of the acid content in coffee. In fact, even if you don’t have a compost bin, you can still use coffee grounds in …read more

The following is a guest post. 
What could be better than saving money, reducing landfill waste and at the same time making your home safer for you family?  Making your own simple cleaning products will accomplish all three of these and give you a sense of self sufficiency that is very powerful.  Who knows, it may start you down the same path that I took ten years ago to simplify my life by teaching myself to do things that I had previously relied on others to do for me. 
Maybe you have started on this journey already but haven’t had the confidence …read more

Here’s another use for vinegar that we can add to the list.
How To Clean Your Dishwasher With Vinegar

It always seems like I find someone every day who is talking about saving the environment.  Granted, I want to be a good steward of hte things I am gifted, but I also want to use disposable diapers and I enjoy a good Styrofoam cup that doesn’t sweat all over my car or coffee table.  So today I thought I would give you the top 10 green household cleaners.  See how you stack up to the list and let us know how you are doing.  Some will even save you money.  That’s my favorite part.

Vinegar, we have talked about vinegar …read more

So I promised a closer look at baking soda. It seems to be a huge resource for a lot of things. And you don’t get much cheaper than $1 for a powerful cleaning agent. So here is my list of the top uses for baking soda. Some will seem familiar as we have talked about them before.
In the Kitchen:

Make a paste with water to clean up your sink that isn’t very abrasive.
Stick a box in your fridge to keep the smell gone.
Mix 3 tsp with hot water to soak and remove tea and coffee stains from thermos’ and tea cups.
Use …read more

A few weeks ago, Cuddlebug snuck a red crayon into the living room and colored on the beige carpets.  What to do?  I called my frugal friend Revka and thought she might have some tips.  Indeed she did and I was inspired to share some stain removal tips with you.
1.  Crayon on carpet - Spray with WD-40 and scrub.  Follow immediately with dish soap and water or steam clean carpet.  The soap removes the WD-40.
2.  Ballpoint ink -  Place a paper towel or rag under the stain and then saturate the stain with an alcohol-based hair spray or rubbing alcohol, which will help …read more