Stubborn Stains: Part Deux

Ok, I'll admit it...I am guilty of bleaching a shirt (or two) by accident. The shirt must have gotten put on a surface that had bleach on it and the bright green shirt (and bright blue shirt...) now have some pure white spots....sigh...

There is good that has come out of this though! I created some new duds for my youngest! Here are a few before pictures (sorry they are not great since I forgot to take before shots before I "created" the new shirts...)

This is the green shirt with a gorilla on the front.

This is the bright blue shirt.

I decided the best way to "fix" what I did was to bleach tie dye the shirts. I took a paper towel soaked with bleach and blotted the shirts all over front and back. No rhyme or reason to it. Just what I thought looked good as the color started to fade. The blue shirt has a more subtle tie dye to it. The blue shirt had a huge stain on the front that I was trying to get out (hence how I accidentally got bleach on it in the first place...) The green shirt has a much bolder brighter white and green tie dye on it. I just used more bleach and occasionally dripped some bleach from the container on the shirt in places to get more defined white spots.

Here are the after pictures.


This is the green one. I think I like this one least...it was the second one I did and I think I used too much bleach in places after I did the final rinse and then washed it. It looks a lot better than it did with just one section of bleach on it though...


This is the blue one. It came out great in my opinion. I like this one the best out of the two. You can't see the stain or where I dropped a little bit of bleach on it in the first place at all.

Why do this? I really wanted to salvage these shirts so they could be worn. I think they can be now. Cheap way to change a shirt into a new one too!

Our Frugal Friday Favorite

For at least the last two months, our Friday dinner has been the same. We make homemade pizza. I've never cared much for homemade pizza in the past but I think that's because we haven't found the right crust recipe. Well, we've found a winner! This is my favorite pizza crust recipe. I have made the garlic cheese sticks too and they are awesome!

I use this dinner as an opportunity to clean out my fridge. Leftover meat, leftover veggies, stuff that needs to be used up soon--all of it goes on a pie! I'm creating less food waste and we never have the same pizza twice!

I also get creative with the sauce. We've used BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce and my favorite by far is using homemade ranch dressing. I like this recipe.

Fridays are by far my family's favorite day of the week because they love pizza!

My New Favorite Side Dish

I have a new love and its name is Pan Bread. While trolling Pinterest one day, a friend of mine posted a blogpost that included a recipe for Pan Bread. It sounded interesting so I checked it out. It's wicked easy to make and only takes about 5 minutes or so. I use it as a quick side for dinner. I make a few for peanut butter and banana sushi for my son. They make great little "tortillas" for sandwich stuffings.

I also love their versatility. I have been experimenting and adding different ingredients to compliment our dinners. One night I add italian spices for spaghetti. Parmesan cheese to go with salads. Whole wheat instead of regular flour for a more healthful recipe. Cinnamon and sugar for a more dessert-y bread. The possibilities are endless! And its made with staples you usually have in your fridge and pantry anyway so its really, really cheap! Check out this great recipe here.

I Won't Ever Buy Bread at the Grocery Store Again!

We've lived in SE Michigan for about 6 months now and I pass by an Aunt Millie's Bakery Outlet all the time. I kept meaning to stop and check it out but I kept forgetting/the children were not cooperating etc. Well I finally made a trip the other day. All I can say is awesome! I got 2 loaves of bread (brand name wheat and a five grain) and a ream of 5 bagels for $2.87! Way cheaper than even the sale price on bread at the grocery store! The bread was $.89 a loaf! What! Crazy! They had a ton of different stuff in there from sweet treats to rolls, etc.

Check and see if there is a bakery outlet or thrift store near you. The prices can't be beat on bakery items and its the same quality stuff you'd buy at the grocery store. I throw most of the bread I buy in the freezer anyway so I don't worry about sell by dates anyway. Happy Shopping!

Quality vs. Quantity

I've come to the realization (especially lately as my sons' birthdays approach) that there is a lot of, for lack of a better word, "crap" for sale these days. I don't need something that makes a ton or noise or lights up or whatever because my children could care less if it did any of those things. In my search for a tow truck for my son for his birthday, I have come upon so many cheap, plastic toys that won't last more than a week or so in a household with two very imaginative and active little boys.

Why even bother making such a product? The answer is simple, "To create a product as cheaply as possible to turn a higher profit." You can find these products everywhere. They are made overseas with cheap labor and then "marked up" in price for the consumer to purchase. We've received some of these cheaply-made plastic toys for our boys and they inevitably break or fall apart within a week's to a month's time. Then I find myself trying to super glue them back together (usually to no avail) and having to explain to my 2 year old that "It broke," and has to now be thrown away since its no longer usable. More money is then spent to find a replacement.

Is there a cost-effective solution to this problem? I would argue, "yes." Melissa and Doug offer some great wooden toys and puzzles that have lasted the longest in our house. The boys can beat them up and wood just "takes a licking and keeps on ticking." Now the paint inevitably gets scratched up a little bit but the functionality of the toy remains and my kids love them. They are a little more expensive than some of the "cheaper" plastic stuff but you can still get a great deal by using 40 and 50% off coupons to use in-store at Michaels and A.C. Moore.

Plan Toys also offers wooden and eco-friendly toys. We have a set of blocks from them and they have also withstood the test of time (and little boys' rough play). Their website offers a list of retailers. I know I got our blocks from diapers.com when they were having a 15% off sale. I also know that Amazon carries their stuff as well. And if you do Swagbucks, you can earn gift cards for Amazon just by watching videos, doing surveys, and answering polls. I've gotten many a gift card this way without having to "sign up" for anything.

Another great way to find quality toys is to scour thrift shops, garage sales, craigslist and consignment shops in your area. Not only could you find a great, quality toy but you often save even more money and help the environment by buying used.

I'm sure there are a number of other companies out there that makes some great quality toys. Do some research and read reviews to find what you are looking for. Don't be afraid to wait a bit to see if you can catch a sale. Holiday weekends are prime for sales...

The ultimate point that I'm trying to make is I'd rather buy quality than quantity. If I have to keep buying replacements for the cheaper toys, I end up spending more in the long run. I get the most "bang for my buck," if you will, by buying the boys a little bit more expensive toy they can enjoy for a long time rather than a lot of cheap ones that will break and be unusable in a short period of time.

Save Money, Reduce Waste

Great post on ways to prevent food waste at home here. Save money and waste less!

Reducing your Impact and Your Grocery Bill

I recently paid attention to the number of paper towels my family uses in a given day. It was A LOT! I used paper towels to wipe down counters, use as napkins, and wipe down my kids, etc. My husband was using them as tissues. It was getting out of control. We could go through a roll of paper towels in two days! That's a lot of wasted trees and money...

So, I remedied the situation. I make sure we use our dish cloths much more frequently for tasks like wiping down the counter. Increased cloth napkin usage (since I'm clearly doing laundry anyway...) and the introduction of terry washcloths to wipe down the kids have helped reduce our paper towel usage. I'm proud to say we have been on the same roll of paper towels for 3 days or more now. I also found a good tutorial for making your own "Unpaper towels." As soon as I get a sewing machine, I'll be making my own with the hope that I can eliminate paper towels from my grocery list for good.

I encourage you to take a look at what you are consuming in your house regularly. How can you reduce your usage? Will it save you money? I'd be willing to bet that it could.