May 2018 - Frugal Thumb

Save Your Sensitive Skin – and Wallet – with Homemade Deodorant

May 25, 2018

Here’s my little secret that I don’t often share with people- I’ve been making my own deodorant for years. I’m not sure why that doesn’t come up in everyday conversations. LOL, homemade deodorant discussions are exciting! But the truth is, I have very sensitive skin and I’m allergic to many store-bought deodorants. They make my armpits itchy! Yeah, that’s not a fun feeling when you’re going about your day in public places around people. In my adolescent years, I didn’t…

Just Add Curtains for DIY Patio Oasis

May 22, 2018

Joni Smith

Outdoor DIY

I love the look of gazebos and pergolas. In all those home and garden magazines, they always make the outdoor space something special. And I wanted that for my backyard! For me, it turns out that patio curtains are a viable and waaay more affordable alternative. I’d stare out the window at our patio and daydream about how it would look with some kind of wall or roof. Our patio overlooks the backyards of about 5 of our neighbors’ backyards,…

Make your own tall planters and save over $100 on each

May 15, 2018

Joni Smith

Gardening & Growing, Outdoor DIY, Saving on Shopping

Since moving into our home nearly four years ago, I had a plan to put some nice tall planters on our front stoop. But I just never got around to it. Whenever I saw them for sale in the store or online, the tall planters (nearly 3 feet high) would go for more than $150 EACH! So I resolved to figure out how to make my own. Luckily, Pinterest came to my rescue and I found this wonderful tutorial on…

Easy and Cheap (and Delicious!) Chocolate Rice Krispy Treats

May 10, 2018

Joni Smith

Family, Food

I forgot that it was my week to bring the snack to the girl scout troop meeting until the day before. Has that ever happened to you? You’re supposed to bring food to an event and it somehow doesn’t make it to your to-do list or the grocery list. Whoops. I was scrambling trying to come up with something that I could bring that wouldn’t break our food budget, that most kids would like, and was gluten -free (so my…