DIY Nose Strips, Scrub, and Toner

Have you googled DIY Face Cleaner lately? There is a wide and I mean wide variety of cleaners out there. I stumbled on the Face Scrub and Toner last year and have been using them for awhile now which I still love.  However, I was still buying those Nose Strips which cost a small fortune so I stumbled across this and voila, I have a great DIY Nose Strips.

Nose Strips:

1 packet of Gelatin
1 tbsp of Milk

Mix together and microwave for 30 seconds then stir again and put all over your face.  Remember, too thin and it will crumble, too thick and it doesn't work.  I found it I could get the best layer if I dipped my fingers in the mixture and wiped it over my face. That seemed to be the perfect layer.  Let it dry for 15 minutes and peel it off

Note: It stinks. No really, it does but it works.  Also, don't put it over any hair because it will pull hair off.

Face Scrub:

½ cup Oatmeal

¼ cup Baking Powder

¼ cup Cornstarch

To make it: Process oats then add in baking powder and cornstarch.  Store in an airtight container.

To use: Scoop a small amount in your hand and then add water to the mixture until it is a paste.  Scrub your face. Rinse.

Face Toner:

 1/2 Cup Lemon Juice

2/3 cup Witch Hazel

2 tbsp. Rubbing Alcohol (only add if oily skin)

1 cup water

Mix everything together and use on your face twice a day.   

Total Cost: 60 cents for a little over 18 ounces.

Note: I added a couple drops of lavender essential oil as I saw that someone had stated it helps with inflammation.

I got the face toner recipe from the below website:

http://shwinandshwin.blogspot.com/2010/10/skin-brightening-toner.html

 this was an area that could use some improvement

Quick & Efficient Cleaning

Define Clean.  When do you consider that your house is clean?  Do you have to scrub everything?  Does your house have to have a certain smell in order to be “clean”? Do you have to go through a certain process of cleaning ?  I have been trying, testing, and searching for over 7 years for a quick and efficient way to clean my house and found that I had to redefine what clean meant for me.  Clean no longer has a smell.  Clean no longer means scrubbing.  Clean means that the surface no longer has germ, dirt, etc on it.  For an OCD person that has 2 kids, redefining clean meant trying a lot of different cleaners and ways to clean.  I happy to say that I have finally found the quickest and most efficient way that truly gets the job done with the least amount of effort.

To begin with, I am a huge Norwex fan and half the products I use are Norwex.  I hosted a party and got everything I am mentioning in here for free with hostess rewards.  I was always uncertain of their products ; however, after using them, I happily have bought more Norwex products.  How I look at it is that this is an investment in cleaning supplies much like when someone purchases a steam mop.  You are investing in a product that will last.  Their products truly work and save time when it comes to cleaning which makes them even more worth it plus you are only using water so no chemicals.  To those of you that can’t quite budget in Norwex,  I am going to include what I used beforehand.

Bathroom
 

Sink:  Norwex Enviro Cloth:  Wet the cloth and I wipe my countertops down with it.  That’s it. This puts an awesome shine on my sink and it is a simple as wiping it down.  Since there are no chemicals, it doesn’t leave a residue so my sinks are extremely shiny and clean.  My husband even stated that my faucet hadn’t looked that good since I had bought it new.  This was an awesome compliment as he never compliments my cleaning.  ---- Before Norwex, Mr. Clean. 

Shower/Tub:  Magic Eraser.  I leave a magic eraser in my shower and, once a week; wipe the shower down while I am showering.  This is awesome on soap scum.  My husband is a mechanic and there is always a black ring around the bottom of our shower and this easily takes care of it.  There is no scrubbing at all, plus, no chemicals to smell either.  (Note: I use the name brand Magic Eraser as I have found that it works better than offbrand.)  

Mirrors: Norwex Polishing Cloth.  This is the quickest I have ever been able to clean my windows.  I spray on water and wipe.  No streaks…….at all. I literally called my sister after using this I was so amazed at how easily it cleaned and how good it worked. Her response was, “See, I told you!”---- Before Norwex, I used newspapers and vinegar/water in a spray bottle.  

Toilets:  The Works Toilet Bowl Tablet.  This is placed in the tank.  Every time that you flush, it is putting cleaner in the toilet.  So, once a week, I flush the toilet and use my scrub brush to scrub the toilet.  No messing with putting a cleaner in the toilet.  (Note: This is the only tablet I like.  I have tried others and don’t feel they work.)   Now, in my toilet that I clean diapers out with, I can’t use the tablet since I don’t want the chemicals on my diaper so I use a little baking soda and vinegar and scrub it around.

Kitchen
 

Microwave:  SprayWay Glass Cleaner.  I know this is a glass cleaner but it works awesome in my microwave.  I spray it in my microwave, close the door, wait a few minutes, then I open the door and wipe down my microwave.  It is super simple and works doesn’t leave a residue.  Note:  Cleaner has ammonia. 

Stove:  Sprayway Glass Cleaner.  Spray on stove top, let sit a few minutes and wipe down.  Just like the microwave, it’s super easy and doesn’t leave a residue.  It picks up any food that is left on it.  Note: Cleaner has ammonia. 

Dusting 

Dusting:  Norwex Dust Mitt.  Wipe off surface.  That’s it.  This works like a Swiffer Duster.  It picks up the dirt and doesn’t just spread around dust.  Best part with the mitt is that it does not need refills.  Just brush off and every so often throw in wash machine.  For areas like my end tables that get glass and bottle rings on them, I spray the table with water and then wipe down with the cloth. --- Before Norwex, any polishing spray and Swiffer duster.

Mopping

This section gets a lot of blog space since this is what takes the longest when it comes to cleaning!  I have used Swiffer vac and sweep, Swiffer wet mop, dry mop, libman wet mop.  I have tried a lot of different mops and settled on the Norwex mop.  This was the reason I even had a Norwex party.  I had broken my libman mop and my Swiffer vac and sweep kept going dead.  So I hosted a party since the mop was the hostess special.  Wasn’t for sure if I was even going to like this but I am super pleased with this!  It cut my cleaning time in half!  It is one mop handle and base and 2 different pads.  One is a dry superior mop pad that I use in place of my sweep n vac.  The other is my wet mop pad that I use in place of my Libman.  I sweep my floors and run over it with the dry mop and then clean with the wet mop. I honestly have no clue how this works but it does work. Plus, it is a huge space saver since it is only one mop that does both dry mop and wet mop.

Dry Mop: This mop picks up hair, small pieces of food, and dust and dirt.  You simply use a rubber brush to brush it off or use your vacuum to clean it.  I wash this in the wash machine every other week.

Wet Mop:  I personally like to fill up a spray bottle and spray my floor and then wipe over it with the mop.  I have heard of people just wetting the mop pad and ringing it out and then using it.  Either way, it cleans better then any mop I have ever used and I barely scrub.  I wash this is the wash machine every other week.

Feel free to add any quick ways you have found to clean your house!

Michelle

Goodwill

For me, Goodwill is one of the primary examples of America refueling itself.  They are a company that works off of people’s donations to create jobs.  Unlike other stores or even other resale shops, Goodwill doesn’t pay for the product they are selling.  They are simply using what Americans don’t want anymore and reselling which creates jobs for us.  Every time that I purchase an item, I know that my money is going to create a job for someone.  Someone that without another person’s donation and someone willing to buy the product, wouldn’t have a job.

So, where do the savings come in?  Goodwill is one of the cheapest resale shops I have shopped at.   I couldn’t make the items as cheap as I can buy them at Goodwill.  Plus, if you are lucky like I am in, the store where I live is large and holds a lot of items.

What can you buy at Goodwill?

 

Obviously, this can change dependent upon the store, season, etc.; however, I can always find clothing and shoes for everyone in the family, books, dishware, cookware, picture frames, lamps, crafts, vases, seasonal items, and a wide variety of many other things.  Please note: The prices can change dependent upon what they have, quality of item, location, inflation, etc.

Kid’s Clothes – There is usually a pretty wide selection of kid’s clothes.   On average, I pay around $1.95 per article of clothing and I just paid $1 for a pair of Dora Sandals.  Here are a couple images of clothes I have bought. 

 

 

Kids’s Book – I recently bought around 15 books at .35 cents a piece!  This is an awesome deal because as most parents know, kids end up ruining books! 

Kid’s Toys –  I am always surprised at how cheap the toys are.  Truly think about what you as a parent pay per year for toys that your kids only play with for a few months.   I bought a Little Tikes kitchen set for $9.  I found a Fisher Price Little People Dollhouse that originally cost $40 for $2.50.  Also, I bought a pair of Dora sunglasses for 56 cents! 

Adult Dresses –  I purchased 2 dresses there that I wore while I was pregnant.  I paid $3 for one and $5 for the other.  They have a wide variety of clothing.  Jeans run around $5 and shirts run around $3 and up. 

Crafts – This is actually a fairly big part of Goodwill.  People are constantly changing the crafts in their houses so I always see a lot of craft items.  So before you go to a craft store and pay a ton of money for something, I would take a peek at Goodwill to see what they have to offer.   

Seasonal – Another thing I love about Goodwill is that as the seasons change, so do they.  Around Christmas time, there was an entire aisle with Christmas crafts (nativity sets, platters, etc).  I just went into Goodwill and with Spring approaching, there were plastic pitchers and glasses.  Some were still in their original boxes.  I purchased a new strainer for $1.96. 

I could go on and on about everything that they offer.  I found 4 picture frames ranging between $1 - $2 per each frame.  I also found a new lamp base for $5. 

A New Way of Thinking

Goodwill has definitely changed my perspective of shopping. For Christmas last year, I bought my daughter a dollhouse at Goodwill and I purchased a brand new Radio Flyer wagon.  Guess what she liked more?  The dollhouse that I had paid $2.50 for.  It dawned on me then, if she doesn't care if something is used, why do I care if it is used?  Who says that something used cannot be as great as something new?  Yes, I know I am buying someone else’s used item; however, with a little cleaning, I think something used can be as good as new.  

What do I do with my purchases once I am done with them?  I donate it back to Goodwill to pay it forward and help create another job for someone.  Remember:  As you can read on Goodwill’s website, “ Every 38 seconds of every business day, someone gets a job — and moves toward economic stability — with help from you and Goodwill®.”

Stingily Yours,

Michelle