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Frugal Living

10 Other Uses for Coconut Oil

by Dana Zeliff on September 8, 20142014-09-08
in Frugal Living, Other Uses

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

other uses for coconut oil
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Personally, I LOVE to cook with coconut oil.  It’s tastes so much better than butter or makes a great substitute for Crisco when greasing pans.  Since I tend to purchase coconut oil in large quantities when I find a great price, it became essential to find other uses for coconut oil.  I mean, there is only so much cooking one person can do!  If you want to learn new tricks to put an healthy product to work, keep reading….

Other Uses for Coconut Oil:

1 – Oil For Wood Bowls and Boards: If you don’t maintain woodware properly, the consequences can be rather irritating. Some pretty serious stains can settle in, and smells can linger.  Coconut oil can serve as a great way to get these tough stains and smells out of your favorite wood bowl and off your cutting board. Just use it as you would any other wood treating oil; a fine, thorough rub into the wood and your woodware is fresh again.

2- Lubricant: Forget the WD-40,  coconut oil serves an extremely effective lubricant.

3 –Neosporin: Accidents happen a lot around my house with 2 kids and an accident prone hubby.  Thankfully, coconut oil can keep those minor scrapes from developing into worse things, like infections.  Just dab a little of it over any cut, scrape, or scratch and put a Band-Aid on top of that injury. An added bonus is that it smells a lot better than anything you could pick up at the drugstore on the corner.

4 – Shaving Cream:  Coconut oil can serve as a pretty fine substitute for shaving cream when you’re getting ready to go to work in the morning.  Also, if you rubbed the electric razor a little too hard on your skin, coconut oil can also serve as an after shave lotion.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Frugal Living, Other Uses

10 Ways to Find the Best Thrift Shop Bargains

by Dana Zeliff on September 1, 20142014-09-01
in Frugal Living

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

10 Ways to Find the Best Thrift Shop Bargains
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Everyone loves a good bargain, so there’s nothing more satisfying then picking up a killer vintage piece from your local thrift shop. However, if you are new to buying second hand then finding hidden thrift shop gems can be a total nightmare! So without further ado, here are our top 10 tips to help you be crowned the next second hand shopping queen.

10 Ways to Find the Best Thrift Shop Bargains:

1. Choose your area

Thrift shops reflect their surrounding area, so choose your location wisely! Head to upmarket boutique areas for second hand designer clothes, and hipster hangouts for trendier vintage pieces.

2. Time it right

One hot tip is to go shopping in thrift shops at lunchtime on a Monday; most people will donate over the weekend, so by the time Monday comes around you can cherry pick the best bargains before anyone else gets their hands on them.

3. Go out of season

Looking for a summer dress in January or some rain boots in June? Thrift shops are the place to go! Out of season stuff might not be on display, but you can guarantee they will have some in storage as people clear out their wardrobe for the next season.

4. Shop unisex

Thrift shop rails might be organized by gender, but you can guarantee that people won’t always put things back in the right place. Check the men and women’s section to scout out hidden treasures.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Frugal Living

10 Other Uses for Lotion

by Dana Zeliff on July 7, 20142014-07-07
in Frugal Living, Other Uses

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Other Uses for Lotion
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I’ll admit that I don’t usually think of lotion as having other uses than preventing and treating dry skin.   However, there are many other uses for lotion from reducing static cling to polishing your shoes!

If you have a bunch of extra lotion bottles cluttering up your cabinets, try these alternative lotion uses so you don’t end up throwing those bottles away!  This is especially great if you purchased a product and didn’t like it on your skin – now it has a new purpose!

10 Other Uses for Lotion:

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Frugal Living, Other Uses

Make Your Own Frugal Green Cleaners from Your Kitchen

by Dana Zeliff on June 30, 20142014-06-30
in Frugal Living

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Frugal Green Cleaners
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For some reason people tend to associate going green with going expensive. If anything, frugal green cleaners can help you live a less expensive lifestyle. Yet you don’t have to forgo quality because nature truly does provide everything you need to live a healthy and clean lifestyle. Nowhere is this more apparent than in your kitchen. Most of your cleaners are already there and you just don’t know it.

Frugal Green Cleaners from Your Kitchen:

Microwave Cleaner

Is your microwave filthy and in need of a good cleaning? Put the chemicals away because you don’t need them. Cleaning your microwave just turned into your easiest cleaning job for the day. Fill a coffee cup with water. Place it in the microwave. Press start and heat it up. Wipe clean. Yes, it really is that easy. As frugal green cleaners go, it doesn’t get any better than this. Be careful not to overheat the liquid or it can explode. To avoid this, you should microwave it in one minute intervals.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Frugal Living

5 Frugal Uses for Salt – It’s Way More Than Just a Seasoning!

by Dana Zeliff on June 17, 20142014-06-17
in Frugal Living, Other Uses

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Uses for Salt

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You may think of salt as just that white food seasoning that sits on your dining room table. But just like many things in your home, salt has many different uses beyond its main purpose. Right up there with baking soda and vinegar, salt can be used in dozens of situations around your home from cleaning, to helping to heal a sore throat. Below you will find some great uses for salt that will really get your creative mind working!

Other Uses for Salt

Use salt to make your own body scrubs.

Need to exfoliate but don’t want to spend a lot of money at the bath and body shops? Mix salt with an oil and add in a few drops of your favorite essential oil and you have yourself a body scrub! This kind of scrub works particularly well on dry feet.

Keep your produce fresher, longer.

If you just purchased some produce and you want to make sure it lasts until you are ready to use it, simply place your apple, pears, or other fruits in a sink full of salt water. Let them dry without rinsing and it will help create a barrier of protection around your fruit to help it last longer.

Make your own toothpaste.

Mix 2 parts salt with 1 part baking soda and use as a dry toothpaste on your teeth. (Add water to brush of course)

Clean your mouth.

Not only can rinsing or gargling with salt water help to remove bacteria around a sore throat, it can also help reduce the pain from a canker sore.

Use as a cleaning scrub around the home.

Skip the store bought cleaning scrubs and make your own instead. Simply sprinkle salt on any wet surface you would like to clean and use a cleaning scrub brush to help remove grime. Add in a vinegar based cleaning spray to really get things shining.

No matter what you use it for, salt has many uses around your home and in your daily routine, besides adding to your food!

What other items around your home do you think could be used for multiple purposes like salt? You may want to check out our article on Uses for Rubbing Alcohol as well!

What are some of your favorite uses for salt?

Check out more articles to find other uses for your favorite products:

  • 16 Other Uses for Listerine
  • Incredibly Frugal Baking Soda Cleaning Uses
  • 15 Other Uses for Cat Litter
  • 5 Unique Uses for Rubbing Alcohol
  • 10 Other Uses for Rice {Not Just in the Kitchen}
  • 11 Other Uses for Cascade
  • 8 Fun Uses for Spider Rings
  • 10 Other Uses for Coconut Oil
  • 10 Surprising Toothpaste Uses
  • 10 Other Uses for Lotion
  • 5 Frugal Uses for Salt – It’s Way More Than Just a Seasoning!
  • 15 Other Uses for Shaving Cream
  • 35 Other Uses for Coffee Filters
  • 20 Other Uses for Dryer Sheets – Not Just for Laundry!

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Filed Under: Frugal Living, Other Uses

June Seasonal Fruits & Vegetables

by Dana Zeliff on June 2, 20142014-06-02
in Frugal Living, Other Deals

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Seasonal Fruits & Vegetables

June Seasonal Fruits & Vegetables

One of the best ways to save money on Fruits & Vegetables is to buy what’s in season.  Also, you’ll want to stock-up and freeze or can some for later use when you come across a good sale so that you can have a variety to choose from through-out the year.

One of my favorite things to do when apples are in season and cheap is to make homemade sugar-free cinnamon applesauce!  I also freeze all types of berries and pineapples for my protein smoothies.

Here’s what to look for on sale this month at your local Grocery Store and Farmers Markets:

FRUITS VEGETABLES
Apricots
Blackberries
Blueberries
Boysenberries
Cherries
Grapes
Honeydew
Nectarines
Peaches
Raspberries
Strawberries
Watermelon
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant
Potatoes
Red Onions
Summer Squash
Vidalia Onions
Tomatoes

 

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Filed Under: Frugal Living, Other Deals Tagged With: Seasonal Fruits & Vegetables

Saving Money on Baby Care is Easier than You Think

by Dana Zeliff on May 26, 20142014-05-26
in Baby and child Deals, Frugal Living

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Saving Money on Baby Care
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Saving Money on Baby Care is Easier than You Think!

Being frugal is one skill that parents have to learn quickly if they hope to survive when baby arrives.  Babies are extremely expensive even in the best of circumstances. If you learn about saving money on baby care before you even have a baby, you will be way ahead of the game.   Many new parents don’t realize how expensive a baby can be and they end up spending more than they have to. Here are some tips that can help you weather the coming diaper storm:

Don’t Fall for Fancy Products

Yes, you do want your baby to smell good. However, many products are sold that you don’t even need. Parents sometimes buy these products just because they are scented. Babies actually have a wonderful smell naturally as long as they are properly changed and cared for. The reality is that these scented products, like baby powder, can cause more problems than they resolve. You probably already have what you need in your own cabinets.

Here are some tips to consider:

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Baby and child Deals, Frugal Living


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About The Coupon Challenge

Hi! I'm Dana, the writer behind the scenes of The Coupon Challenge, a Hampton Roads, VA based coupon blog. I'm a wife and mother of 2. After getting out of debt we started using our savings to travel together as a family and create memories.

Are you looking for ways to save your family money? I strive to help you save on the products you need, so you can spend more on the things you want. Read More about Dana & Family

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