10 Things We Don't Buy or Pay For - We Save Money Instead!

Living frugally and saving money now can make things easier in the future. In a recent video I shared 10 things we don't buy or pay for, and an alternative way that we either get the item or service or fulfill the need.

Read on for some helpful money saving suggestions in these 10 categories:

Summer Sports Essentials

This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label.

Summer is a great time to join a sports league (for adults or for kids) but it's something I haven't done in years! We do get out for the occasional family game though, and we have a family reunion coming up this summer, so who knows what kind of activities we might find ourselves participating in!

Sports are a great way to have fun and escape the stress of everyday life. Whether you went ahead and signed yourself or your kids up for a team or you're just participating in the occasional sporting endeavor, there are a few essential items you’ll want to bring along. Check out this handy list for tips on packing for a day on the field:

How To Clean Burned Milk from a Pot

Today I'll show you how to remove burnt milk from a pan or pot!  

The Story:
If you've read my new "About Page", then you know that I eat cereal for breakfast pretty much every day of my life. I do, however, also enjoy oatmeal occasionally, and pancakes or crepes on special occasions. I went through a recent phase of eating quinoa for breakfast. I would make it with milk and add cinnamon, and it would be like super healthy oatmeal! (I know oatmeal is pretty healthy- but when I make it, it's usually from a nice little packet that you add water to and toss in the microwave for 60 seconds... and it comes pre-loaded with sugar).

Anyway, so I went through this Quinoa phase. The problem with cooking milk on the stove, for me, is that I am not good at staying still. I am not good at staying still and watching a pot to make sure the milk won't boil over. I have this need to keep my mind and hands busy, so I will inevitably find myself busy with something else and just as I'm peeking in on the milk, it will be overflowing. One day I left it too long and I ended up with a very black pot. And I was left to try to figure out how on earth to clean this hardened on, burnt milk from my nice new pot.

I found it. After a lot of searching, I found it. So today, I'm here to share it with you:

The Tip:




Because maybe one day you'll burn some milk too. ;)


Here's What You Need:

- Burnt Pot (check)
- Baking Soda
- Wooden Spoon
- Water

Here's what you do:

1. Observe burnt milk in pot in photo #1 (complete with little bits of quinoa)
2. Sprinkle bottom of pot with baking soda (I covered the black bottom so it looked white)
3. Add water (enough to cover the burnt area). Stir it up. (see photo #2)
4. Place on stove and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 min.
5. Empty pot (see photo #3- that's without any scrubbing- I just dumped the water out)
6. Give it a gentle scrape with a wooden spoon & most of the burnt stuff will come right off!
7. Use a sponge or cloth to clean the rest of the burnt stuff out as you would normally wash a pot, and you shouldn't have much trouble getting it back to sparkling clean! (photo #4)



HUGE BONUS: No scrubbing or hand/finger/wrist pain involved!!!! :)

This would be a good tip to pin for later. You know you'll need it one day! ;)


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How to Remove a Sticker from Plastic

Earlier this year I posted about how to remove washed-on sticker residue from clothing.
Today I wanted to share something very similar that also worked!

I have a plastic container that came with a sticker label on the lid. I thought it would just come off with washing, so I didn't bother to take it off. I have since washed it many times (by hand and in the dishwasher) and that darn sticker will NOT wash off!

So, I tried the peanut butter method & it's now good as new!




It's so easy! Here's what you do:

1. Start with hard-to-remove sticker on plastic container.

2. Spread peanut butter over the sticker.

3. Let it sit for a little while (as long as you want- a minute, or a long time if you want to just leave it and come back to it later)

4. Start scrubbing with a scrub brush. (the one I used cost $1 at the dollar store ;)
Your brush will probably get all gunked up with peanut butter- just rinse it out and continue, if it gets difficult to keep going with all of that gunk in the bristles ;)

It'll come off really easily! Follow up by washing regularly to get the peanut butter off, and perhaps a few small pieces of leftover sticker, and you're done! :)

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Got sticker residue on clothing? Wash & dry the clothing & now you really can't get the residue off?
Try this easy method for removing washed-on sticker residue from clothing!

How to Get Sticker Residue Off Clothes (After Washing & Drying)

Here’s how to get sticker residue off clothes, even if the clothing has already been washed and dried with the sticker still stuck on!

You can remove sticker residue from clothes using things you probably already have at home!

If you're wondering how to get sticker residue off clothes after washing or how to remove sticker residue from fabric, there's an easy method that works surprisingly well using household items.

Have you ever washed clothing with a sticker on it?
...and put it through the dryer?

I just found out how to get sticker residue off a shirt after washing it, and I never would've guessed that this would work, even when the sticker has been heat-set in the dryer and feels impossible to remove.

How To Get Pen Off of Wall Decals

In my last post I showed you the cute wall decals that my mom & I put up in the girls' playroom. Today I'm going to show you how much Katrina loved the little animals. Unfortunately, her mom was not very proud of her artistic interpretation of the playroom wall masterpiece.

Well, the Internet came to the rescue. I googled & I asked you on my facebook page, and eventually I discovered how to get ink out of wall decals.



Based on my experience, here's what I can tell you:

1. Do not use magic eraser (I tried- it didn't work, so I pressed harder, then I saw the colour coming out of the sticker. However, the magic eraser always works wonders on our ikea mammut kid sized table- and you better believe I've had to use it many a time ;)

2. Do not use Vim. (I find that Vim works for a lot of things, but not wall stickers- it'll take the colour out)

3. Do not use a cloth with soap. (well you could try it- it didn't take the colour out. But it won't take the pen out either)

4. DO use Rubbing Alcohol! (It really works & it doesn't mess with the colour of the vinyl.)

5. Depending on how hard your little artist pressed with her pen, you may be left with some colour & an indent on your stickers, but they'll look a lot better than they did right after she finished her work.

6. I am told that Goo Be Gone spray gel will also do the trick. And I even heard someone suggest milk on a cloth... has anyone ever tried that? Sounds strange to me.

Now, please tell me.... does anyone know how to get pen off of a painted wall, without taking the paint off? Cuz that little bit you see in the picture isn't all I'm working with ;)