AFFORDABLE Eating Away From Home While Traveling or Just Out & About - YES, Even With ALLERGIES!!

How many of us have traveled, will travel, or will be away from home during a meal and have to eat around food allergies??  For our family food allergies have changed much of how we eat, what we eat, when we eat, & where we eat.

Before we leave our house we need to know where we are going, how long we will be gone, if food will be involved (if we are going to someone else's home, a picnic, social gathering, a random outing, etc.) or if a meal will be missed driving to and/or from, etc.  It really can be quite challenging & daunting some days depending upon the logistics of it all.

Remember, we can't just hit a drive-thru & order a burger, taco, etc.  Even if someone says they will have "safe" food for us, it really isn't anything we can usually count on because of the dreaded cross contamination (as in someone using a utensil or even their hands in a food item that contains an allergen & then putting their unwashed hands or utensil into our "safe" food, which then renders it unsafe for us), improper preparation that has allowed cross contamination (i.e. using the same prep place for preparing a gluten free food as a gluten full food without properly sanitizing the area between preparation), a hidden allergen (MSG is a gluten source as are various types of yeasts, etc.), etc.

I know, you are thinking would a few crumbs or a tiny bit of gluten in our food make a difference?!  I ask you, would you feel same way about PEANUTS if someone said they had a nut allergy?!  Everybody seems to really fear, pity, & respect NUT allergies, but people fail to realize that ANY food can have just as severe of a reaction for some people... just like bees & nuts can.  YES, one can have an anaphylactic reaction to gluten... & yes, even a few crumbs or a bit of gluten food CAN cause a reaction... and a very serious one at that! 

Think of it like this... you come to our house for a meal.  As we are eating I tell everyone how I cleaned up dog poop in the yard before I prepared the meal... and that I did NOT wash my hands before preparing the food; but no worries I was careful not to get any poop on my hands.

I know, your first reaction is EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW, gross!!!!!!!!!  Am I right?!  You would be completely grossed out & maybe even ANGRY... you may push your plate to the center of the table in disgust even though I said I was careful not to get poop on my hands so the chances of there being any poop in the food was very minimal.

So now YOU tell ME how that is any different than gluten?!  NO, dog poop isn't clean, but remember I was very careful & if there is any poop in the food, it is very minimal; no worries at all, right?!  Do I make my point?!

One time we went to a party during a regular meal time, so we were hungry as we had not just eaten like we tend to do when going somewhere when we don't know if we will be able to eat there safely.  We were were told there would be tons of safe food we could eat... Mr. Lee didn't ask specifics, but trusted in what was said... mistake #1!

Anyway, we got there visited for a while & then it was dinner time.  Out of all of the food there, all we could eat was potato chips & potato salad.  YES, you read correctly... potato chips & potato salad... for dinner....

Mind you, the party goers were eating Italian beef on rolls, pasta w/bread & butter, pasta salads, oodles of finger foods, all different kinds of flavored chips, cake, cookies, etc.  The house smelled like, well, delicious catered food.  The Lee kids & I ate our potato salad & potato chips and we had a little lemonade...we ate mostly potato salad because we were starving & of the two choices, it was the healthiest & most filling.  We were even hungrier because of seeing everybody else's plates heaped w/food.... all of our former favorite foods, no less.  I felt absolutely terrible for my kids.  They didn't complain one bit, but I learned a BIG lesson from that experience.

First, Mr. Lee is not a detail kind of guy... I will find out the details MYSELF from now on.  Second, what other people think you can or should be able to eat, is often completely different from the reality of what you actually can eat.  Third, ALWAYS have a back up plan so you don't go hungry.

I will be quite honest... after that experience we didn't eat anywhere else for quite a while.  I didn't care to repeat it... not the sadness, disappointment, or hurt feelings (read on for those details). 

The WORST part of  it wasn't that we had eaten potato chips & potato salad as a meal, but the comments made TO my children & ABOUT my children, as if I couldn't hear... how deprived they were because they couldn't eat cake, how awful it was that they couldn't eat the name brand tortilla chips chock full of flavorings & chemicals, how they couldn't drink the soda, & the list went on & on & on...  it was REALLY ridiculous!! 

I bit my tongue for quite a while & I finally had to speak up... not because of pride, not because of anger, but because I knew that those same comments could actually possibly make my kids believe that stuff.

The world is full of far too many people who feel ENTITLED because they are or were deprived, or so they claim.  I am certainly not about to foster that characteristic & attitude in my children as well!!

I firmly told the hecklers that gluten is a POISON to OUR bodies... that it makes us feel terrible & even makes us sick.  I said that I would NEVER feel bad about not offering something POISONOUS to THEIR child (or children), so don't feel bad for mine.  WOW, where did I come up with that?!  I have no idea... definitely a God thing!  There was that deer in the headlights look for a few moments from everyone & the comments stopped.  WONDERFUL, or so I THOUGHT...  

Behind our backs, they started to give the kids lots more lemonade & hard, sticky, chewy candies... the kinds that are HORRIBLE for dental health... which is nothing to mess with. I am not a stick in the mud & do allow some candy here & there, but our kids get sick easily from sweets... that night was no exception either.  

I tell my children frequently that while we may have food allergies, it has to be THEIR conviction to eat properly to avoid the allergens because they have to make their own decisions one day, when I am not there to help them, like when they get jobs, go to college, get married, etc.

Way back when we first went gluten free, we would try to eat some gluten here & there, to see how our bodies responded.  We would get flu-like symptoms... achy, belly aches, headaches, etc.  If it was during my monthly cycle, it would severely INCREASE... so much so I would have to stay home during that time.  One child got their FIRST ever ear infection at age 10 after eating gluten at a party.  We went to a party & about two hours later the child woke up from her ears being in tremendous pain, she had the shakes, she started to vomit, etc.   

She has NEVER wanted it again, & can you blame her?!  Oddly enough, there have been a few people who have commented to her that she isn't "allergic" to it, so to just go ahead & eat it.  Uhm, REALLY?!  She puked, got her 1st ever ear infection (a DOUBLE ear infection too!), etc. yet it didn't affect her?!  I beg to differ & I resent someone telling her that she should eat it.

If someone told YOU to eat something you knew could be harmful to YOUR body, would you?!  I guess that is a moot point since people dump so many chemicals into their bodies every day, all day long, in the name of food.  But how about a little arsenic?!  Believe it or not, but SOME arsenic is actually okay for us, depending upon the source, but we can only have a little of it or else THAT is when the harmful affect can happen.  Yet if I told someone to go eat some arsenic, they'd think I was NUTS & tell me so, no?!

In the beginning saying no to gluten was challenging because it just felt like we had given up pretty much everything we had eaten our whole lives... and we pretty much had.

During a weak moment, before we fully realized the severity of the reactions (& actually put two & tow together to realize how violent the reactions were & the correlation), I would allow them the choice if they wanted to eat gluten.  Do you know what they would say?!  Uhm, LAST time I had it I felt H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E!!  NO, thank you... I don't want to feel that way ever again!!

So, anyway, after we left that party  & our kids got sick, it was ME holding their hair back as they puked, ME cradling them telling them they would feel better once it was all out of their tummies, ME comforting them ALL. NIGHT. LONG!!  I asked my kids WHY they ate the candy & drank the lemonade and they thought WE said it was okay.  Yep, ADULTS stooped to the level of telling the kids it was okay with us... some heroes, eh?!  YES, I was L.I.V.I.D!!   

After that whole, er uhm, fiasco, our choice for eating was to either eat at home, from home (meaning to bring food from home, prepared at home), or to eat ONLY where we KNEW it was safe by verifying ALL of the ingredients, etc.  We went on a road trip a while ago & I was very concerned about what we were going to eat, how we were going to eat, & where we were going to eat.  Enter in Mr. Lee, my hero!!

As we all know eating out can be very expensive... factor in eating out for allergies & the cost can be exorbitant.  Imagine ordering a burger w/no bun & not being able to eat fries, salad, soup, bread, etc.  So you are pretty much left w/a beef patty to eat & some water to drink.  Mind you, you are paying FULL price, yet only eating PART of the meal... AND you will most likely still probably be HUNGRY after that, longing for the days when they used to serve the parsley sprigs on the plates too.  Yep, makes perfect sense... let's eat out so we can spend all kinds of money, only to STILL be HUNGRY after?!  Oooooooooooo, race you there!!  Uhm, NOT!!

Doesn't that look DELICIOUS!?

Oh yeah, so Mr. Lee said that even if we bought our food from grocery stores, paying retail prices (retail price is like a curse word to most of us, but hear me out!!), we'd still save a lot of money, PLUS we'd KNOW it was safe to eat because we'd know the ingredients & it would be prepared by yours truly.   We brought a cooler with us so we could safely store the leftovers for a snack or meal later on.

One thing we ate during that road trip was sandwiches, either on gluten free bread (yeouch, retail price) or unflavored rice cakes.... yum... pickles, meat, cheese, mayo, etc!!  Those were some of the BEST tasting sandwiches & we remember them fondly.  My lap was covered in crumbs from making the sandwiches, but our bellies were happy & full!

Since that road trip we will frequently bring a cooler with us with food and/or snacks from home... sometimes we run into a grocery store to buy the fixings to make sandwiches if we will be gone during a meal and/or have a long drive time, etc.  We know we can't expect our kids to leave a place during a meal time & wait another hour or more to eat because we don't have the luxury of being able to eat via a drive-thru.  Not that a drive-thru meal is healthy, but it sure beats going hungry if it won't make one sick.

Adjusting to a new way of eating can be a challenge.  Changing old habits is also a challenge.  For us so far, the biggest obstacle & stress has been the way OTHER people treat us, handle things, etc.  We NEVER expect anybody to bend over backwards or change their own way of doing things for us.  We don't expect any certain food.  We don't expect nor want people to feel sorry for us (there is no reason to).  HOWEVER, we do feel quite disappointed & awkward when someone says they are going to do something (like have a certain food, etc.) and they don't follow through.  We have been INTENTIONALLY excluded from invites to certain events because of our food issue.  How about leaving the situation in OUR hands & letting us decide if we want to participate or how we could make it work for our family?!  Talk about hurtful! 

Just recently someone said they would make a snack for a kids' group activity & that they would make sure it was gluten & peanut free due to issues with peanuts for one child & gluten for our kids.  Well, we went there & snack time started.  Guess what?!  They made sure there were no PEANUTS but what they served was entirely gluten (store bought cookies) & my kids couldn't eat it.

I have to admit, it was VERY hurtful to me as a mother to see my kids KNOWINGLY excluded from something by someone who VOLUNTEERED to make sure the treat was safe for ALL of the kids, not just the ONE child with the peanut allergy.  See what I mean?!  All hail the mighty peanut allergy (please don't think I am minimizing it or saying it is less important, because I am not... I think ALL allergies/sensitivities should be equally regarded, respected, & considered).

The story does have a happy ending though... remember the potato salad & potato chip party?!  Well, knowing I can't usually count on anybody else (aside from few really amazing people in our lives)  my when it comes to feeding my family safe food, we made cookies for our family to bring with so my kids didn't have to feel as awkward if the snack was unsafe for them.  Good thing I know I can't  depend upon others.

I admit, it is kind of sad when I think about... someone saying they will do something for a child(ren) & only doing it for a select child.  That said I won't let them steal my joy & will just add them to the list of people I can't count on.  I DO like knowing whom I can & can't trust.  In that respect it is a worthwhile lesson & another teachable, trainable moment for my children in life, trust, respect, courtesy, & how important it is to keep our word.  For that I am grateful!

Do YOU have to consider food allergies too??  Do you ever run into a grocery store to make sandwiches or to grab something to eat while away from home??  What is YOUR go to on the road meal??  Do you bring a cooler w/snacks when out & about??  If you have food allergies to deal with, what do YOU do??

<3 Mama Lee <3

Reduce, Reuse, FREEcycle

By now most people have heard the phrase, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle."  I have tweaked the phrase to be, "Reduce, Reuse, FREEcycle."  For anybody unaware of what "Freecycle" is or how it works, read on...

Freecycle is a worldwide, (truly) non-profit, movement of people giving & getting items for FREE... yes, F-R-E-E!!  Imagine wanting to clear something out because you no longer have a use for it, but you don't want to just put it to the curb for the garbage collectors to take up valuable space in a landfill... something that you know could be of use to someone, you just don't know exactly who or you know you don't want it sitting in a donation heap in a Goodwill Store back room, Salvation Army Store (we have seen MANY items get ruined at a particular Salvation Army store because they would just leave the donations OUTSIDE in their parking lot with no protection at all), etc...  I'd rather give an item away for free with no tax write off & have someone actually USE it, than have it get needlessly ruined & thrown in the garbage... enter FREECYCLE!! 

With Freecycle, you find a group near you via Freecycle.org by entering the name of your city/town & state in the search box.  Then the screen with search results will list any possible groups based upon the search parameters of the city/town & state information you entered.  You then click on the link for the group nearest you & find out what their process is.

Some groups run their posting of items via a Yahoo group, that is only open to members for that specific Freecycle group.  The moderators are generally very protective to prevent spammers & scammers, and they take their role as moderator volunteers very seriously.  You do NOT have to log directly into Yahoo to post or receive the posts... you can do both right from your email inbox, so no extra effort necessary, unless you WANT to do it directly via Yahoo! 

Some towns/cities are too small to have their own group, so people may look to join a group for a neighboring town(s).  Some groups may even be for an entire county if one lives in a rural area.  In general, if you live in or near a town/city that is more densely populated, there will most likely be a local group or at least one in your area. 

Once you are approved to join a group you will be allowed to post a "wanted" or "offer" post (or some of each).  In general, you are allowed to post a "wanted" post 1 x a month for a specific item, so say August 10th you request a backpack, then September 10th (or after) you can post another request for a backpack.  You can post requests for other items, just not more than 1x a month for that one item/ item type.

Also, you can place as many "offers" as you want & you can do the items individually in separate emails.

Here is an example of a post I may write if I had a keyboard to offer:


Email subject line: 

OFFER: 1 keyboard in My Town  

Body of email:

I have 1 keyboard to offer.  Works well.

Please respond with pick up day & 2 hour time frame.

Near 5th & Main St (name an intersection near you to give people an idea if you would be too far away from them... it sure helps to avoid no-shows from people discovering you are 45 minutes away from them once they do an address search for distance).

Sorry, no deliveries, phone calls, or texts (I put this, you don't have to, of course).

Easy porch pick up (or driveway, etc.)!

Thank you!



You can also offer everything in one email (OFFER: keyboard, mouse, & note pads) & can say that people have to take one item, some, or all of them, etc.  You can even offer them as a combined group (OFFER: Office supplies/computer supplies).  There is really not a right or wrong way to post... people WILL see the posts & they WILL respond.

I do make a notation in my posts that I need a day & 2 hours time frame for pick up, that I don't make phone calls, deliveries, or texts.  Yeah, REALLY... you would be amazed how many people will ask you to call them... not to be mean, but uhm, I do not KNOW you, nor do I have time to play phone tag.

I have also had to request a POLITE response before if I have gotten a bunch of rude responses.  Sad to say, but people can be so rude... "I want it" or "I'll take it"...  No "please", no "thank you", no MANNERS at all!!

In general I have had very good experiences over the years or else I wouldn't still be participating some 10 + years later, but there are some people that will blow you away, so I feel the need to forewarn you.  I want to don't get any emails later from my readers asking why I didn't warn you! LOL  If someone is really rude, I just delete their response & may even mark their email address as spam so as not to have to deal with them again.  I have had to do that 2 times when I have had 2 people who would repeatedly request items & then not show up.  Me, being the nice mama I am, I would give them multiple chances because everybody makes mistakes, life happens, etc. but after someone does that repeatedly, it is really a nuisance.  If someone gets out of hand & threatens you (which I have actually heard of once recently), etc. then you need to contact a moderator for your local group & they may ban them, send you to the authorities, etc.

The general Freecycle rules are that you can give away anything that is NOT garbage & has life left in it.  You CAN give away something broken (you'd be surprised how many people will take something for parts, to try & fix, etc.), but you should always disclose that.  You may have something that has been stored & it worked when put in storage, but you aren't 100% sure now as you have no way to test it (or no time to test it, etc.), so just say that...
  
OFFER: computer keyboard in Your Town/City

I have a computer keyboard to offer.  It worked when put in storage 3 years ago, but I have no way to test it again now. 


You'd be amazed @ how many people may respond for something.  There are times when nobody will respond, which can just be due to the time it was posted at (that depends upon the time the moderators are able to approve & pass your post through to the group members) or it can be an item with no interest, which is pretty rare.  I've both seen & offered appliances, clothing, furniture, food, mattresses, electronics, boxes for moving/shipping, toys, empty jars &/or bottles, etc.  The possibilities are pretty endless with the exception of weapons, medicine, herbs, & a few other prohibited item categories.

Freecycle is explained as kind of like giving a gift to someone.  There is no right way to choose someone to give the item(s) to.  You can pick based upon who can pick up soonest, who replies the nicest, or based upon whatever you want to.  Some posts will say they prefer a pick up that day, a specific day and/or a specific time, or they ask for YOU to say when you can pick up.  When responding to a post be sure to provide all of the requested information from the person offering. 

Some Freecycle groups will allow you to add some fluff to a post, whether an "offer" or "wanted" & some will only allow very short posts.

Example with fluff:  

WANTED: kitchen items

I am looking for kitchen items for a friend who just lost her home (or job, etc.).  She can use pretty much anything for a kitchen.  

Without fluff:

WANTED: kitchen items

I am looking for kitchen items.


I admit that sometimes it is extra helpful to me to know what someone is looking for/ needs.  In a group I was in before moving to where we live now, they allowed posts with fluff, & I saw some requests for people who lost their place of living to fire, death, etc.  If someone lost everything due to a fire, they can obviously use tons of things & will probably not care much about style, color, etc. of something, or at least not while they are trying to gather things from the ground up.  Whereas someone looking to spruce things up a bit will probably have something more specific in mind as far as color, style, etc.  I gave several boxes of items to a fire victim & her family... things that may not have been super stylish (sheets, towels, etc.) but the recipients were so grateful to receive them and they didn't care about the colors, etc.   They just wanted some of the basics so they could put their lives back together ASAP.

Oh, something else to keep in mind is that if something is dusty, rusty, etc. it can still be offered, just disclose that said item needs a washing, has some rust, etc. so people know what to expect.  You are also able to upload item pictures, so if you have the ability to upload pictures that will also usually help you to get a lot of responses.

For ME to add pictures I have to take them with my camera, copy them to my computer from my camera card, & then upload them to my local Freecycle group site.  It is a painstaking process since I don't have a cell phone I can easily take & upload pictures with, so I usually don't post them unless I think someone really needs a picture. Oh, & no posting links to something, not even to show what the item is.  Instead you can mention in your post...  if you search for "whatever said item is" on Google, Amazon, etc. you can see what it does, what it looks like, etc. but no including any links.

When I post an item or items, I will usually let someone take 1, some, or all.  Even if someone wants to sell said them/s, I feel that, while some feel it may not be right to take it to sell it when someone else may want it to actually USE it, I am not going to worry about it.  I see it as a gift is a gift, no matter what they do with it... & a part of me feels like if they need the money that bad to sell whatever it is, then so be it.

When I place an "offer" post I do not give out the pickup location (which is usually my home) until I feel pretty certain someone is actually going to show up.  If they respond & say they want an item, I will then respond & say whether it is available or not.  If it is available & they say they want it, I will ask the day & time for pickup, if they didn't already provide that.  If they did, I will respond that they can have said item & can come at the day/time they requested.  AFTER they respond & say they will be coming, THEN I give out the address.   

If you post a "wanted" post & have received what you are looking for, you should then post a "RECEIVED" post that can be something simple like:

RECEIVED: soccer ball

I received a soccer ball.  

Thank you!


That way people who are going through emails/posts will know that you received what you needed.  I have actually had someone contact me about a post 2 weeks later to see if I was still in need for an item, which I was, & it was such a blessing to receive that item! 

If you offered something & it is promised or has been picked up, then post something like:

TAKEN: Computer Keyboard

The keyboard has been taken.  

Thank you!


It is is taken pending a future pick up you can say something like the following, or you can just wait to post until AFTER it has been picked up:



TAKEN: Computer Keyboard

The keyboard has been taken PPU.  

Thank you!


If they happen to not show up, then you can do a re-offer:

RE-OFFER: Computer Keyboard

I have a keyboard to offer due to a no show.  

Thank you! 

The idea of posting the item is gone is that it will hopefully stop people from emailing you wanting whatever said item is.  The sooner you post, the sooner it will stop the subsequent emails.  I usually keep a few email responses until said item is picked up, because if the original requester does happen to not show up, then I can email the next in line.

Again, there is no perfect way to do things.  Each group varies with what they will allow or not (like the further details as to why you want something, who it is for, etc.), so you just need to follow what your own group allows or doesn't  Overall, the basic protocol for each group is very similar to what I have described though.

I have actually met a few people whom I have become friends with over the years after multiple exchanges, so Freecycle can also do more than find a new home for tangible goods, it can also help facilitate friendships.  We have a Freecycle buddy, as we call her, whom has blessed our family with yarn, craft supplies, books, etc. over the past couple of years.  So recently one of my children made a craft for her & I made a sugar scrub for her hands & face to go along with it.  We wanted to say "thank you" & to hopefully bless her, as she has us.

We LOVE Freecycle & we hope YOU do too!!


Are YOU a member of a local Freecycle group??  Have YOU ever posted things on Freecycle??  have YOU ever received an item from Freecycle??  If not, are you going to give it a try??  Go ahead, you know you want to!! 

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap How-To

I have been making my own liquid laundry soap now for about 4-5 years & I LOVE it!!  Not only is it super cheap, but doesn't contain anything scented.  So while our laundry may smell boring, it is perfect for us not to have a mama with a giant headache from the chemicals, fragrances, etc.  It is also very low sudsing, which is perfect for an HE washer, whether top or front loading. 

Everyone in our house, minus Mr. Lee, has sensitive skin.  Right before I made my very first batch of homemade detergent all of those years ago I had purchased a bottle (a very EXPENSIVE bottle too!) of a big name "natural" detergent that was supposedly free of this & free of that.  Well, wouldn't you know that everybody but Mr. had rashes; those who wore cloth diapers & those who didn't as well, so it wasn't "diaper rash."  It was HORRIBLE!!  For 3 days I walked funny so I wouldn't be in agony if my skin rubbed together... & for 3 days I had to apply salves, breastmilk, etc. to my own skin & to the Lee children's skin as well.

After that whole fiasco was over, I was left w/a tiny $14 bottle of HE detergent that I wanted to chuck out of a window or something.  I was at a loss because I had no idea what to do... that detergent was supposed to be the best I could get locally being fragrance & yada-yada free, and that was kind of affordable.  I can't say it was even in our budget because I felt like throwing up spending $14 on a tiny bottle of detergent that was going to last for MAYBE a month... YIKES!!  So after the rashes broke out, I surely felt ripped off, frustrated, & quite angry!

I got on the net & found many homemade laundry soap recipes.  I read site after site, recipe after recipe.  While they all may vary a bit with how much water to use, or how much Borax or washing soda, if they do contain both of them, the recipes are all generally the same.  I did experiment once by adding lavender essential oil, but it only scented the soap in the bucket for a few days & then the fragrance was gone. I never could detect any scent to our laundry, so I omitted that part because it was pointless & wasted money.

There are varying brands of soap bars called from from castile, to Ivory, to Fels Naptha, & so on.  I find Ivory to work best for my family because the fragrance is very subtle, it doesn't irritate our skin, & it is FRUGAL!!  Need I say more?!  Oh, another BIG plus is that it rates decently on EWG Skin Deep's database for safety.  While it does score a three, & 1-2 is a better range, I am very happy with a 3.  The score of a 3 comes from the unknowns associated with the fragrance used in Ivory original.  Since my family is very sensitive to chemicals & we don't react to Ivory, I am at peace with my decision to use it in our laundry soap.

Even though this laundry soap is VERY frugal, I can't see spending $4 on ONE bar of a name-brand castile soap if I don't need to.  If the need ever came for me to switch brands, I would get a bar of castile soap though.  I also keep reminding myself just how chock full of chemicals laundry detergent is & I have no problem using Ivory... especially when I think of that horrible rash we all endured after using detergent & that we have only had one rash since when on vacation & I hand washed our clothing in a tiny hotel sink with a bar of hotel soap (loads of fun being on.vacation & having a rash on your legs, thighs, stomach, etc.... not!!).

After just writing about the castile soap I decided to check EWG Skin Deep for the score on a bar of more frugal castile soap, Kirk's.  The score is either zero (if unscented) or a two (if scented).  I wasn't aware that there is a scented & an unscented version, so I am actually going to check into that as the bars are a about $1.15-1.25 per bar at Wal-Mart when I saw them there a while ago.  If I can get the bar with a zero score, I am willing to pay more for a bar of castile soap versus a bar of Ivory, if it is a reasonable price.  Every bit I can affordably cut down on toxins on our skin, in our home environment, etc., I do so; this is one area I may be able to do so even further.

This recipe is SO easy peasy.  Some people complain that the soap grating is a big pain, & some people don't mind it.  Now don't leave any hate posts if you don't like grating (LOL), but I honestly don't mind it.  It goes pretty quickly & is far easier than shredding cheese with a hand grater (we always shred our own cheese to avoid the chemicals, like cellulose, in shredded cheese, so I am familiar with shredding by hand).  I imagine you could use a food processor with a shredding blade, but I just assume not to have to wash it all out, which in my opinion, would take just as long, if not longer, than shredding the bar soap by hand.  I have read of some people using liquid soap instead of bar soap shreds, but I can't tell you how much to use, etc.

The washing soda is popping up at more & more stores these days.  It is sold at several Wal-Marts, grocery stores, mom & pop stores, etc.  It is made by Arm & Hammer, like baking soda, so be sure not to confuse the two.  If you absolutely cannot find WASHING soda, you can make it by simply baking some baking soda.  However, running the oven to make your own washing soda is not as frugal as buying the box of ready made stuff for just under $4.  But again, if push comes to shove, you will still save money making your own laundry soap, even if you make your own washing soda & have to run your oven to do so.

For me to buy the ingredients it costs about $15 w/tax.  I spend about $4 per box of washing soda, $4 for a box of Borax, & $4.50 for an 8 pack of Ivory soap bars.  If I save the ingredients for the laundry soap only, they will last about 18 months, possibly 24 months and even then I may have bars of soap left over.  I find we typically go through a 5 gallon bucket of the laundry soap every 5-6 MONTHS, so it lasts quite a long time... FRUGALITY for sure!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 bar of soap, your choice (Ivory, castile soap, Fels Naptha, etc.
1 C washing soda (NOT baking soda)
1/2 C borax
water
5 gallon bucket

Soap shreds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Shred the bar of soap
2. Add the soap shreds to a small amount of hot water in a sauce pan
3. Simmer until all of the soap shreds are dissolved
4. Add the dissolved soap to the 5 gallon bucket
5. Add a gallon or so of water
6. Stir in the washing soda & borax until dissolved
7. Fill almost to the top of bucket with water, leaving room to stir it without spilling (trust me on this one!)
8. Stir it all up & put the lid on tight so no littles get into harm's way
9. Let sit overnight or longer (10-12 hours is probably enough... possibly even 8 or so hours would be enough)
10. Open the bucket & stir it up good (there will be a big mass of what is like a very thick gelatin in the bucket once it sets along with some water around the edges of the mass so you want to combine the two as best as you can)



The mixture after filling the bucket to the top the rest of the way with water.

11. Pour some of your laundry soap into a smaller jug, container, etc.

VOILA!!  That's it!! 


To use it, shake the smaller container before use to combine the laundry soap gel with the water again, & then use 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup per load in an HE machine (I use 1/2 cup unless something is REALLY gross... like pukey towels or clothing... then I use a full cup, just because I like to be extra sure, not that I actually NEED a full cup, but I feel better using a full cup.. you know, because MORE is better!! LOL).  Be sure to shake the smaller container before each use. 


Do YOU make your own laundry soap??  If so, do you make power or liquid??  Do you used shredded bar soap or liquid??  If liquid, what kind & how much??  If you haven't made it, will you give it a try after reading how easy peasy it is??  Be sure to come back & tell me if you make it!!

EXPIRED: FREE 8x10 Collage Portrait at Walgreens (Expires May 11, 2013 @ 11:59 pm CST)!!

Here is a FABULOUS freebie I had to share!!  ** NOTE ** this expires May 11th @ 11:59p.m. Central Time, so HURRY UP....ahem, please hurry up :0)!!

Create an 8×10 Photo Collage @ Walgreens.com and use coupon code COLLAGE4YOU at checkout to make it FREE when you select in store pick-up. 

You can also have it delivered to your home for $.99, if you like to select a "matte" finish, which is only available when shipped to home.  Even if you pay the shipping charge, it is still a great deal in my book!


Thank you, Money Saving Mom (the affiliate link above is for Money Saving Mom, not All Things Mine & Yours as I don't yet have an account set up with them, but still wanted to pass along this sweet deal)!

Have you seen any other great photo deals??  If so, please post them here for others to be able to use them too :0)!

Enjoy,

<3 Mama Lee <3

Couponing or Not?!?

So, do I have any die hard couponers out there?!  I know I used to be one myself (not the clear the shelf couponer who left nothing for anybody else, but rather the couponer who used a coupon for EVERYTHING), but I have since scaled back.  I know, I know you may be wondering why on earth someone who tries to be as frugal as possible would actually scale back on coupon usage?!  Well there are many reasons & our season of life has changed again...

One of the biggest reasons I have strayed from couponing is that we have had to eat gluten free, which has actually been a mixed blessing in many ways (more on that in a future post), so the items most coupons are meant for are not things we can eat any longer.  They do have limited coupons for gluten free items, but w/a growing family they are still pretty unrealistic as we'd need to use at least an entire package of something if not 2 or to 3 packages so we could all have some, which would then blow our budget.  Gluten free bread is absolutely exorbitant in price, especially those that are yummy & don't just fall apart, so we either don't eat bread or make it at home.  GF bread ranges from $4-7 PER loaf, which by the way, is FAR smaller than traditional bread... buns & rolls run $1- $2 PER bun or roll, which is just not realistic for my family. 


With that said, I have actually had to start making pretty much everything from scratch.  I do buy some packaged GF items, but I usually save those items for time when I may make a treat to bring to a potluck, etc.  Gluten free baking & cooking can be hit or miss at times (especially for someone still learning the ropes) so when baking/cooking for others I like to stick to things that usually have consistent results or that I feel hopeful will turn out, like rice cereal treats (which I use to make traditional krispy treats or even a "cake" out of them & then I decorate it like a cake) or peanut butter bars, both of which I use some packaged products for (i.e. peanut butter, krispy cereal, marshmallows, etc.).  I have made some fabulous tasting GF desserts, that LOOKED horrible... even when I made them for us at home & they were near perfect in looks & taste previously, it just doesn't seem to fail that when baking for others said dessert, etc. will be a flop... so THOSE are the times I pull out my trusty coupons for packaged GF ingredients.... I sure don't want to bring something saying it is GF & have it taste (or even look) bad... people already cringe enough when we mention something is GF... then they almost always TASTE it, smile, & say they can't believe it is GF.

Another reason I have scaled back on couponing is that we now garden & it requires all hands on deck... I would rather spend my time doing what I can to ensure maximum yield of food that we simply can't afford to buy in the store (grown organic) than lugging my crew to a store.  The fresh air, sunshine (& natural D3 from it), our hands & feet in the dirt, the giggles, & family time outside are priceless... and they make the gardening mean even more.

We do buy some organics, but it isn't in our budget to buy all organic produce.  I honestly try to avoid anything on the "Dirty Dozen List" for being the highest in pesticides.  One of the 12 is strawberries (which we love), so we are able to enjoy backyard strawberries for a bit & then we typically don't eat them the rest of the year, unless we are at a party, potluck, etc. where they have strawberries.  Organic strawberries typically run $5 for a tiny container of them, & I'd rather take that money to buy an entire BAG of something else organic instead.

Last but not least, the time required for die hard couponing is just not something I have right now... I try to clip some coupons & even stack them w/store coupons when I am able to plan ahead of time, but I typically wing my shopping trips now so it isn't always possible. 

Since I have quit super couponing I have not given up on finding the best deals, I am just not usually clipping coupons to do so.  I have also changed our shopping routine up a lot, & we only buy a few items at a handful of box stores (usually only a few times a month between all of them), now shop @ two club stores, & we buy online.  I have been able to stretch our budget to meet the demands of a growing family, as well as the need to eat with food sensitivities. 

Back in my super couponing days I was mainly buying cosmetics when I found a deal on the brands we used that I found to be the safest we could afford, packaged mixes (cakes, desserts, etc.), a handful of snack-size frozen pizzas each month, ice cream (the relatively "healthy" brand w/out all of the other additives), etc... for the most part I used couponing as a means to be able to afford some of the better brands of things that were as healthy as we could buy in our budget, for being packaged items. 

Don't get me wrong, I still seek out deals when I can & try to use coupons as well, but I have found that just by stocking up on certain items when they are on super sale (I watch the ads for the specific stores), we save so much money even on items there are no coupons for (like store brand items), and usually the food quality we can buy is now better than what we could get with coupons previously.

If couponing is working for you, awesome!!  If it isn't don't lose hope... you can find other ways to get what you need for less too!!

Do YOU coupon??  Do you SUPER coupon??  What do you do w/the items you get from your adventure??  I used to use some for us, donate, & even swap items with others... do YOU swap or donate things you don't need?? 

I actually know of someone making a living by couponing & selling the items purchased via couponing for a bit higher than what they are paying for the items.  It not only helps them to pay their bills, but it helps those who buy the items at reduced prices to save not only money, but time they themselves don't have to spend couponing (and, no, they aren't clearing store shelves to sell the items ;0).

Saving Money... (On Batteries)

As I have said before, I am very well known for being frugal (sometimes extremely so)... which came to be out of necessity, but is also a very fun way of life if you ask me (most days, anyway)!  I mean why throw something out that can be used again?!  Why buy new when you can buy used & save oodles of money?!  Why buy at all if you can make what you need from something else you already have but may no longer be using??

The day before our 1st child was born Mr. Lee came home w/a digital camera.  It threw me for a loop, as I do NOT like change & I certainly do not like it to be thrown at me without time to process it.  Knowing our very 1st blessing was going to arrive the next day, I had so much else going on & could have cared less about that camera.  In fact, I was so far removed from the point of a digital camera that I would take pictures with the digital camera & then tell my photo subject to hold their pose while I tried to duplicate the picture with my 35mm (yep, seriously!!).  I did that for a couple of years, I think... I was poked fun of about that recently too.  Mr. Lee would jokingly call me a Japanese tourist because I would constantly have a 35mm camera, a digital camera, and a video camera at my ready hanging around my neck (what can I say, I have LOVED to take pix for a long time :0)!). 

One area of change I was willing to accept pretty easily was that when Mr. Lee bought the digital camera he also bought a 3 in 1 battery charger (for AA's, C's, & D's) & some rechargeable batteries (the same man who would run out of the house so I couldn't give him a **gasp** coupon to use because he was too cool to use a coupon... I should have known after seeing that charger he would eventually come over into my world of coupon using, but he held out on me as long as he could! LOL). 

When I finally was able to grasp the concept of a digital camera, embrace the idea of it, & I learned how to use it better, that camera and I were inseparable...and those rechargeable batteries?!  Well, they were the key to taking tons of pix of our first born... I'd take 300 pictures (or more), then the batteries ran out & instead of having to pay for the expensive brand name batteries that worked best for high drain devices, I always had batteries on the ready fully charged and I didn't have to keep buying more batteries.  I was hooked!! 

Our 3 in 1 Charger

It wasn't long before I was buying rechargeable batteries for other things... in fact, more than a decade later I am STILL using THAT charger ($20 at the time) & those same rechargeable batteries ($8 at the time), and while those exact batteries are no longer powerful enough to use for high drain devices they work very well for kid's toys, etc.  I'd say we more than got our money's worth out of our original investment, wouldn't you?!  To think, I was skeptical of them at first! LOL 

Now they make rechargeable batteries to perform even better, so they last even longer before we downgrade them to "batteries for toys."  A few years ago I also bought a rapid charger that does AA's & AAA's which came about because it was the same price to buy the charger with 4 batteries ($10) than it was to buy the batteries alone (also $10), which made no sense because the batteries were the exact same batteries.  Needless to say I opted for the charger and batteries combo instead.  I have since read that the rapid chargers aren't always the best option & I don't remember the technical details, but the gist was that the rapid chargers are harder on the batteries which makes them not last as long.  It hasn't been an issue for us though as I have found that our universal charger will typically charge batteries overnight or in about 10-12 hours, whereas the "rapid" charger can take 2-3 days until the light indicates they are done... go figure!  Hmmm, so THAT'S why the charger with batteries was the same price as just the batteries?!

Anyway, I LOVE the charger & was actually considering getting one that does 9V batteries because I find that 9V batteries run out super fast, even when not in use, as in they are brand new...we have an extra one in our junk drawer & I go to use it 6 months later, it is almost always dead or near dead... (& we are talking the expensive name brand batteries because I have found with 9V batteries name brand ones are best...especially when we use them in our smoke detectors...) I don't get how they always go dead just sitting in the drawer... I mean they last & last in the smoke detectors, but not in the drawer... & the other non-rechargeables don't do that?!  So, I am probably going to add a 9V charger to my shopping list & see if I can find an affordable one... last time I checked I think EACH 9V batter was $10 though, so we'll see how far I get with that. 

The downside to rechargeable batteries for me is always the initial up front cost of $10 for 4 AA or AAA batteries... YIKES!!  Even knowing how much we are saving by using them, it is still hard to swallow sometimes to have to have such a big cash outlay up front.  Recently we actually had to spend $20 on 4 rechargeable C batteries for an infant swing... we spent $20 on the swing itself buying it from someone via Craig's List, so $20 just for the batteries seemed crazy to me, but I was able to convince myself to do it because I knew we'd spend way more than that using regular batteries... and once we are done with the swing, we will still have the batteries to use for other things... like flashlights, which almost always seem to have dead batteries because the littles like to play with them... not sure how, but they could track down a flashlight in a sandstorm.. it is a gift children have, no?!

Do YOU use rechargeable batteries??  If so, what brand do you like best??  If not, do you think you may give them a try now too??  What are ways YOU save money?? 

Homemade Sports Drink / Electrolyte Replacement / Labor-Ade

Sigh, unfortunately we've had the opportunity to use this recipe as an electrolyte replacement a few times lately.  Since it tastes so yummy, we go through it rapidly every time I make it, & even those who are not sick enjoy it too!!

I also bottle it up in re-purposed glass bottles or small jars (I use plastic bottles if we will be inside though, just in case... I don't want to be the mama who brought glass & their kid broke the bottle all over the floor... that everybody is shaking their heads at wondering why on earth they brought glass... uhm, hello... BPA?!) for the youngster Lees during sports, practices, etc.

All ready to drink

Why homemade?!  Well, first of all, it is very frugal AND sports drinks, such as Gatorade & Powerade, & electrolyte replacement beverages are all chock full of chemicals, dyes, high fructose corn syrup (which contains mercury & lead!), artificial sweeteners, fluoride, etc... all things that tax the immune system, especially when it is most fragile... not that they are "healthy" at any time, but they should be especially avoided when we are sick, dehydrated, etc.  While using store bought lemon juice and/or line juice does usually contain sulfites, as preservatives, I still tell myself that (say it with me!) "Whatever I make at home is almost always STILL going to be healthier that store bought"... especially on a limited budget.

This drink has many purposes... in fact, during a homebirth my midwife & nurse made some of this and tried to get me to drink it...they called it Labor-Ade & I was convinced they were trying to make me feel even MORE miserable than I already felt with their voodoo potion (when I am laboring I am not always super trusting of people, even when they are truly trying to help me! LOL) ... of course, I knew that wasn't true & that it wasn't really voodoo potion... but being as sick as I was, I was just not feeling the love...now mind you, I was in the throes of hard, hard posterior L.A.B.O.R. (my 2nd straight day of it too w/no rest!) & could not even hold down water, & this did NOT go over so well with me either... but when not in labor I have grown to REALLY like it!!

I assume when the midwife made it, it was made with sugar if she used what we had in our pantry, and I have since made it with local honey instead of cane sugar as I am trying to replace sugar with honey, as much as possible.  We often have crystallized honey around the house, & I like to keep the raw properties of it intact when using it as an ingredient in something like a beverage that won't be cooked or baked,  so I prefer not to heat it to get it to turn into a liquid again (even though you can heat it to 110 degrees & still keep it raw).

The issue w/using crystallized honey in a beverage recipe though is that it tends to stay clumped in a glob, unless you stir, stir, & stir some more.  So I actually put a bit of the water & the rest of the ingredients (the salt, the baking soda, lemon, & lime) in my Vitamix with the honey and it gets all mixed up together.  You could certainly use a regular blender or you could just stir it by hand... or you could just heat your honey up if you aren't as type A as me so it would stir in easier & be done with it! LOL

Rest assured, this is not overly sweet & doesn't make you feel like you are slugging down a glass of straight sugar (even if you use sugar instead of honey) because the amount of sugar, honey, etc. is so minimal compared to the ratio of water, that the sweetness is very subtle & refreshing.  For comparison, an 8 ounce cup of juice contains 8 TABLESPOONS of SUGAR (if juice contains that much sugar, imagine what soda contains), so the sugar ratio in this beverage is very low.

Have fun with it... feel free to make it both ways (sugar or honey) & see what your preference is... you can also use xylitol, stevia, etc.


Ingredients

1 gallon of water (minus 1 cup to account for the lemon juice)
1 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons lime juice (optional, but I really think it adds a nice taste)
1/2 cup sugar, honey, or other sweetener
1 tsp salt (I usually use kosher, unrefined, or pink Himalayan but you can use what you have)
1/2 tsp baking soda



Instructions using a blender

1.  If using crystallized honey (or to speed up the process of dissolving the sugar), add a couple cups of water & the rest of the ingredients to a Vitamix or blender.  Blend until everything is dissolved, which is usually 30 seconds or less.

2.  If using the blender pour the blended ingredients into a pitcher, canning jars, jug, etc. & add the remaining water.  Stir gently, chill, & enjoy!  



Instructions for stirring by hand 

1.  If stirring by hand, add 2 cups or so of water & the other ingredients to your container.  Stir until dissolved.  

2.  Add the remaining water.  Stir gently, chill, & enjoy! 


I find it neater & easier to stir to only add in some of the water at 1st until all of the ingredients are dissolved... doing it this way has saved me a lot of clean-ups especially w/all of my little helpers... trust me on this one!! 


You can drink it right away, but it does taste better if it has time to chill & for the flavors to mesh together.   



What do you usually drink when sick, when the weather is scorching hot, and/or when participating in sports or something else that is taxing to your body??  Do you think you will make this??  The ingredients are sure simple & most of us should have them on hand.  Please check back in with me & let me know how you like it if you make it!