Okay, so I already cloth diaper and make my 8 month old daughter's baby food. My husband has been away training in the army so we have not had grocery expenses that include him for about four months. We will be relocating (from Iowa to Washington)in December so we are trying to save as much money as possible. Any menu/meal ideas that are inexpensive but still healthy and won't load you up on a bunch of bad carbs(sugars, white flour, etc.)? I love to cook and everything so it won't be a problem to spend more time in the kitchen than I already have to cooking my daughter's food!
Any other frugal household tips such as cleaning solutions, laundry solutions, etc... would be great also. Thanks in advance!!
2006-10-10 16:43:23 · 6 answers · asked by .*AnNa*. 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
I make my own laundry dedergent. It is very cheap to make, last forever and works great. It is about $5 to make and last our family of 3 for 8-9 months. My husband does construction and it gets all the grease and grime out of his clothes. Not to mention all the baby clothes... Anyway,
It is just 1 box Borax
1 box Washing Soap (Arm&Hammer makes a good one)
1 bar Ivory Soap.
Freeze the soap to get it good and hard, use a cheese grater to grate the soap. Add all ingredients and mix together. Use just two teaspoons per large load of laundry. The washing soap can sometimes be tricky to find. Wal-Mart does not carry it but most grocery stores do. I get mine at Kroger.
You can also try these: I use them all and love them!
Homemade Oxi-Clean
List of Ingredients
1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide
1/2 cup baking soda
1 cup hot water
Dishwasher soap
In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:
1 cup borax (20-Mule-Team Borax, available in any supermarket)
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid (available in brewing stores among other places--if you haven't tracked it down yet but must try this formula, use two packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon, or you'll dye your dishwasher! and ONLY unsweetened Kool-Aid!)
30 drops citrus essential oil--lemon, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, or a mixture
Put all of it in the container, shake it up.
To use, put a tablespoon or so into each cup of your dishwasher. I've found I no longer have to use the scrubbing cycle but can get by fine with the short cycle, thus saving even more money. On average, it looks like this is about 8 cents a load compared with Cascade at 22 cents a load. Compare it with EcoVer or Seventh Generation and it's a steal. I have also started putting some of this in a shaker canister--the one I have we got at a
restaurant supply, it's aluminum and was made for popcorn salt. I use it to clean my sink and anything else that I'd normally use Bon Ami on. Works great, and the essential oil makes it smell fantastic.
Walnut Oil & Lemon Furniture Polish Recipe
1 cup walnut oil
1 cup lemon juice
Combine walnut oil and lemon juice in a small jar.
Use a soft cotton cloth to rub and buff furniture.
As for meals you can search on the web for different ideas. Try websites like Kraft, Betty Crocker, etc...
2006-10-11 06:20:46 · answer #1 · answered by Rachel A 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Any dish that you can make in a casserole should last for a while if you don't mind eating left overs for a couple of days:
Try: Tuna casserole, meatloaf, lasagna etc.
As for cleaning, baking soda cleans almost anything! Use the powder right out of the box when you are changing the one in your fridge. You can moisten it and use it as a paste too. Great for cleaning tubs, sinks, silverware, pots and pans, showers, toilets etc. Tip** When using it in bathrooms, you can sprinkle the powder and squirt a little lemon juice on it to make it a little stronger.
Good Luck!
2006-10-10 16:55:55 · answer #2 · answered by alo 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
considered one of my widespread costs is, "in case you are able to not have the excellent of each and every thing, make the excellent of each and every thing which you have." With that mentioned, you do not ought to shrink out issues with a view to shop money yet you are able to and could shrink decrease back. Your library could have somewhat some unfastened books and mag decrease back subjects that furnish large articles on frugal residing... Womans Day, relatives Circle and the others provide you articles on eco-friendly residing, saving on procuring, information superhighway sites for coupons, and lots extra. start up a pc of copies and suggestions you hear and learn. talk with pals. check out web content. A penny stored is a penny earned.
2016-10-19 04:36:01 · answer #3 · answered by connely 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
aww you sound like a very caring mommy!
How about Shepards Pie? In a baking dish layer hamburger, then corn or another veggie, then mashed potatos...bake it until the top is golden. My son loves this and I freeze leftover portions for another meal.
Whole wheat pancakes
http://www.mealsmatter.org/Recipes-meals/recipe/14115
Hash brown casserole
http://www.mealsmatter.org/Recipes-meals/recipe/11108
Homemade chicken soup
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-chicken-soup/detail.aspx
You can make chicken and dumplings
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-and-dumplings-iv/detail.aspx
Meatloaf and steamed veggies
http://www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/9155
American Chop Suey
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/american-chop-suey/detail.aspx
Veggie and chicken stirfry
http://www.learnwhatsup.com/prc/recipes/vegetables/owens_veggie_stir_fry.html
Pot roast in a crockpot
http://southernfood.about.com/od/potroastrecipes/r/bl00914f.htm
I included some links with recipies.
For cleaning surfaces and disinfecting...a cheap solution is to put bleach and water in a spray bottle(like preschool's do)Bleach is cheap and water is free. Here is the mixture:
1/4 cup of bleach to a gallon of water.
2006-10-10 16:48:37 · answer #4 · answered by **KELLEY** 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
buy in bulk. Soups are a great way to use older veggies. Sprouting seeds is a good way to increase their nutritional value.
2006-10-10 16:55:12 · answer #5 · answered by Delphine F 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Peroxide is safe to use diluted in a spray bottle to disinfect.-Everything.Vinegar is a good cleaner.Seems like your doing everything else you can.
2006-10-10 16:52:12 · answer #6 · answered by daddysgirl92280 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋