Green Cleaning Ideas

Once again in my attempt to save money I've found some ideas I plan to use shortly.

A lot of the time "green" living can cross with "frugal" living if you know how to do it.

I cloth diaper so this whole thing came from me searching for a cloth diaper detergent I could make at home. On one of the message boards I frequent I found this blog (The Eco-Friendly Family) that has more than just diaper detergent! It includes detergent for regular clothes, an all purpose cleaner, and a glass cleaner.

I can't wait to try these out.

The Grocery Cart Challenge

I stay at home as I'm sure you've figure out. With everything the way it is it's hard to get by on two salaries sometimes, let a lone one.

 I'm always looking for new ideas and ways to help save money. Of course I try to be frugal but when it's a challenge it makes it more fun.

I found this blog called the Grocery Cart Challenge, written by a blogger named Gayle, who devised the "challenge" out of necessity. Her challenge? Feed a family of 6 on $60 a week.

If you're too lazy to go check it out yourself, though I highly recommend you do, I'll give you the basic run down.

1. Set a budget for food, she said in the beginning this budget involved other groceries as well (toothpaste, paper towels, shampoo, etc.) but now she has more of a budget to move those off of her food budget. 
2. Take stock of everything you already have.
3. Make a menu. This might include searching recipe sites like food.com or allrecipes.com 
4. Look and see what you already have for the recipe, make a list of everything you don't have

Next you go shopping (DUH). Some shopping suggestions.

• Try to go shopping alone - aka leave the kids at home, distractions tend to add to more crap in the cart
• Eat a nice sized meal before you go- remember shopping on an empty stomach encourages craving buys
• Learn your stores- Don't be afraid of the discount stores (for people in my area this would be Amelia's, Aldi, Dollar General, and Dollar Tree) these will help you keep to your budget. Go shopping at these places first and then whatever is left go to your large grocery store.
• If you're a two car family (which I'm not) take the smaller of the two for less gas consumption and even more $$$ saved.
• oh yeah STICK TO THE LIST straying from the list will definitely put you over budget. Just because something is a "great deal" doesn't mean you need it, if its not on the list don't add it. If, AFTER you check out, you have money left at the end of your budget go back and grab a few if you must. 

Don't feel bad if you go over budget, if you look at her site a lot of times her first week of the month shopping is over budget (like $80) but then following weeks are only like $40. It all evens out.

I've decided to aim for a $50 a week budget, we do have one on formula so his food cost wont be included until we start solids. Because out money day falls every other Thursday I'll be doing my planning on Wednesday and shopping on Thursday.

We get paid this Thursday so I'll be starting then! I'll make sure to update!

It has been almost 2 months

On Thursday Sam turned 8 weeks old. It seems crazy how fast this time has gone.

I'm still alive with my two beautiful children who are both doing just fine.

Sophia is almost 14 months old, wow. I can't imagine where that time went and now with two everything is just zipping by.

Some pictures because I love pictures:

Sam 8.8.11 (just shy of 2 weeks)

Sophia 8.8.11- silly girl!

Poor Sam 8.8.11

My babies 8.18.11 (Sam 3 weeks)

8.25.11 (Sam 4 weeks)

Sam 8.28.11 (1 month old!)

Sophia 9.1.11 (13 months old!)

Sam SMILES! 9.12.11 (6.5 weeks)

Sophia 9.12.11

Babies 9.14.11 (Sam almost 7 weeks)

Outfits for Daddy 9.18.11 (Sam 7 weeks)

9.24.11 (Sam 8 weeks)

Sam 9.24.11 (8weeks)

Sophia 9.24.11

I'm alive still

Sam is 6 weeks old and Sophia is 13.5 months old. My babies just keep growing.
I keep forgetting to blog... oops.

There really is not much new. Carl works 3pm-11pm so I'm alone with them in the evenings which I think I do pretty kick ass with even though I'm ALONE. Now when people interrupt the routine that is a totally different story.

I'm even brave enough to babysit my friends daughter who's three months younger than Sophia. That was actually really fun. The girls kept each other busy and it was fun to see Sophia playing with someone close to her age.

Carl and I are on the Atkins diet. I need to lose weight just because I actually NEED to. Carl is trying to get down to 175 or below so he can join the Army, yes that's what I said. I'm stalling out right now (god damn being female) but Carl is down to 191 (from 205) since August 15th.

We're thinking of doing another god forsaken move. Conditions here are awful (see people interrupting my night time routine) and I'm losing my mind. One day we'll live somewhere for more than a year... one day.