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Simple Journey Ministries Presents

Simply Frugal

Get Rid of that Kitty Litter Smell

If you have a cat, you probably experience that awful box odor. This can even occur with those expensive kitty litters that promise no odor. If you have more than one cat, this really multiplies the odor and the cost of those expensive litters. You CAN take care of this in a simple and frugal way!

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I Can’t Live Simply Until…

Where to Begin

There are so many things in our life that create chaos. For those who are desiring to live a more simple life, looking at making the transition can be daunting. There are so many ideas and so many areas of life to consider. But there is one simple fact that cannot be overlooked, because it is so crucial…

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Simply Frugal

A Simple & Frugal Gym Membership

Many people would like to belong to a gym, but the cost doesn’t fit in with a frugal lifestyle. Gyms are costly! Even the YMCA is not a great value, especially when you factor in gas. Gym memberships also aren’t a good fit for those pursuing a simple lifestyle. Having to make time 3-5 times per week to leave the house to exercise isn’t very simple. But we all need to keep moving and we can’t afford to have a gym’s worth of equipment to use all the different muscle groups. But you CAN get a good workout several times per week at home, for NO MONEY.

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I Can’t Live Simply Until…

Living Green Can Be Simple

Does it ever confuse you why green living can be so complicated? Some practices are almost a deterrent from incorporating this into our lifestyles. I have found that I desire to use green practices, but not at the cost of sacrificing my simple life practices. But there is one good thing that keeps me from feeling guilty, simple living often incorporates green living by its essence. Having less, means less garbage, less waste, less cleaning products to care for stuff, less time to care for stuff, less stuff to replace, etc. But how can you do more when you are already struggling to incorporate my simple living practices into your life?

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Simply Frugal

Supper Thyme

In the last year a store opened up in our area called “Supper Thyme.” The window had the words, Make It Take It Bake It. Curious what this was all about; I thought I would look into what this was all about. BUT it not being a priority I ever seemed to get around to, I figured out what the general concept was and didn’t research any further. Not long ago, I realized that the store went out of business. This surprised me that it was so short lived and spurred me to look into the specifics of the store.

It is a franchise chain that carries the slogan, Bringing Dinner Back to the Table™. This had me further intrigued. As I read about the specifics of the services they offered it caused me to ponder this business. The idea is that you come into their store where they have a variety of meal options available. You decide what you want to have your family’s menu. Then you get the ingredients (pre-chopped and prepared), assemble them in bake ware, and take them home for your freezer. The website reads that you can assemble a month’s worth of meals in two hours. Now, that is pretty quick, even by my standards.

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I Can’t Live Simply Until…

Drop Your Drawers!

One thing I have noticed is that most homes have catch-all drawers. These drawers fill up and are rarely cleaned out. I am not talking utensil, clothing, or linen drawers, I am talking drawers for tools, pencils, glue, magazines, bed side tables, accessories, make-up, office supplies, etc.

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Simply Frugal

Simple Odor Removal

We are the Febreeze & scented candle generation. We cover up odors as fast as they occur. We like things to smell fresh! Me too! But I am also frugal. I have purchased used items that sometimes give off a musty odor, even after being washed. I have even purchased used books that have a strong smoke odor. I have aired them out in every way possible, and yet they still carry that odor.

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I Can’t Live Simply Until…

Using Cash for Simplicity

Many of us who are choosing to transition to a life of simplicity are learning to be content with what we have. Some of us who are more frugal minded are looking at a life of simplicity for the sheer financial benefit. Others are looking to conquer debt. Debt; so much complexity for such a little word.

Debt is a part of many lives. Often times, people believe that they can’t live a simple life until they are debt free. So they focus on the frugal side of life so they can pay down their debt. This is a FANTASTICO plan! Using visuals of the simple life they will have once they are debt free is often an ongoing inspiration.

However, you don’t need to be debt free to begin living simply.

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Car Care Products

I am not a fan of car cleaning. I DO LIKE a clean vehicle, but it is one of those things that I let go in lieu of other more important tasks. However, it has been awfully rainy here lately. Unfortunately, our town has not kept the residential roads up as well as needed, so there are a lot of potholes etc. Pair that with a large amount of cleared land and nothing to handle the water that was once absorbed by plant and tree roots and you have a recipe for a lot of muck on your vehicle.

When I went to wash the vehicle, I realized we were out of almost everything, including tire cleaner! UGH! There was a bit of wax, but that wouldn’t do me any good if I couldn’t wash the van. SO, I came inside and headed to the internet to see what I could find about homemade car care products. I really didn’t want to spend any money (I don’t know why I never looked for these categories of homemade products before…) and I wanted something simple. However, it would be terrible if I tried one of my homemade household cleaners on the vehicle, only to do damage to the paint, tires, or interior.

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I Can’t Live Simply Until…

Candles Provide a Simple Light

I have offered many posts recently regarding saving money on electricity. While Wednesday’s posts are typically reserved for ideas and tips on obtaining a simple life, today they cross paths. One thing that I have always enjoyed is candles. Many women use scented candles in their homes, most typically in jars. However a really nice touch to a home is to use pillar candles for a light source.

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Simply Frugal

Frugal Tea

Tea lovers abound everywhere. People love their java and coffee houses are all the rage! I myself like to treat myself to a mocha java, decaf, skinny, no whip from time to time. Not that I cannot make it from scratch in the same amount of time, but just for a fun treat. However, I have noticed that tea I enjoy more at home. There is something so calming about a simple cup of herbal tea.

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Simplicity for Your Community

 Schedules are a major issue for those seeking a more simple life. How to balance what is needed and what is wanted. We are all looking for the perfect balance for our lives. One thing we often overlook when we are finding that balance is others.

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Become MORE than a Lister

So many of you find the time to email me (poke fun) about my listing obsession. I love each and every giggle along the way!!! I get the most laughter from those who predict a list I WILL be making! It shows that you really have taken time to get to know me and we have developed a relationship that is at a comfort level that we can email each other across the miles and bring smiles to each other.

I was talking to a new homeschooling mom a couple of weeks ago who was in the frantic…it’s time to get busy…stage. You know the one when you have to pull it all together, but you have never done it before, and ALL of the thoughts of what you simply MUST accomplish to succeed are spinning around your head. Oh this is a terrifying place to be in mentally. However, this need not be the case.

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I Can’t Live Simply Until…

A Simple Mindset Change

As I was taking time on the net last week, I came across two sentences that so simply state what I have been rambling on about for years in trying to define the difference between a frugal life and a simple life. I found this answer (and a LOT more) over at Thoughts on Voluntary Simplicity. There is much wisdom to be gleaned here, but I will leave you to search that on your own. What they wrote that was so profound to me was this:

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Simply Frugal

More Energy Saving

I have been working on getting you as much information about saving money on gas and electric as possible, since both of these energy sources have sky rocketed. This week my husband and I chuckled at the fact that we have been so excited to pay only $3.78 per gallon for gas. We will take the savings even if it is only temporary. But today I want to share another way you can reduce your electric costs during the hot months.

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Visual Simplicity

Most women have some type of planner or calendar system that they use to keep track of their lives. It is a common and fairly simple way of keeping track of life. Some women use a multiple calendar system, while others use a one calendar system. Whatever system you use, you can use this visual tool to determine how you can bring the most simplicity in the easiest way.

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Which Teapot is the Most Cost Efficient?

Some time ago I posted about the fact that our kitchen is need of a serious facelift. One of our issues is that our appliances are on their last legs or, as in the case of our microwave, it is dead. Since I don’t know the first thing about microwave cooking, other than melting butter, it has always been a bread box. One thing I hadn’t realized was that I used the microwave daily to heat water for tea. After burning myself several times pouring water from my small saucepan into my cup, I resolved myself that I would need to get a teapot.

I was discussing this with one of my most wonderful friend’s and she let me in on a VERY frugal secret…an electric teapot. The savings she spoke of was that it heats water very quickly and is only 110 volts, instead of the 120 I would use heating a pot on my stovetop. That was enough to sell me on getting an electric teapot. However, upon further though, I realized that I could use this little gadget to save money on more than water for tea.

Here is a small list of the ideas I thought would make an EXCELLENT frugal electric savings with an electric teapot.

·         Jello

·         Stuffing

·         Hot cereal

·         Individual portions of pasta

·         Hot cocoa

·         Instant coffee

·         Ramen noodles

·         Instant Rice

Who would have thought that a little gadget designed for making water for tea could be so versatile AND save money!

These are my thoughts.

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I Can’t Live Simply Until…

The Small Time Approach

There is a well known fact that we will put off a large project that may be much needed to help provide some simplicity in our lives. We may put these projects off because they are ones we dislike, we can’t imagine actually doing the task, we want to hire someone else to handle to the task, the task is just too time consuming, and the list goes on. However, you can achieve your goals by a simple method that WILL fit into your life.

Schedule small bits of time to accomplish the task over an entire week. Cleaning out your cluttered bathroom cupboards won’t seem quite so daunting when you complete the task over a five day period using 10, 15, 20, or 30 minute increments. That overgrown garden can be weeded and looking well maintained by using the small time approach. Make the job simple and a simple life will be in the making.

These are my thoughts.

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Waste Not Want Not

If you have been reading here for any length of time or have read any of my books regarding household groceries, then you know that I try to reinforce the fact that if you throw food away due to spoilage, you may as well have thrown the money you originally spent on the food away. Since, its summer time, a lot of us are using fresh fruit as a snack and meal choice. This is frugal in and of itself because fresh seasonal fruit is quite low AND it’s a healthful choice! But how do you keep from wasting fruit? What if your kids don’t eat an entire serving? Here are a few tips to make your fruit dollars count!

·         Serve fruit that is already in small portion sizes, such as berries. Small apples or tangerines are also an excellent portion sized choice. Usually you can find smaller apples if you purchase by the bag.

·         For those fruits which are not eaten in their entirety, place in a fold over sandwich bag and place in fridge. If your children won’t eat a half eaten apple, because it looks brown, cut the left over apple into chunks and brown with a little butter to serve with toast, pancakes, or by themselves. Sprinkle on a little cinnamon for an extra kick!

·         Vary what you buy. Purchase blueberries and apples one week, bananas and oranges the next, strawberries and watermelon the next, etc. In this way your children will not tire of the same fruits and be less likely to leave it behind.

·         Use leftover fruit to toss into salads. Cut up apples, oranges, tangerines, & berries into a garden salad and you will have a truly delicious addition to your dinner.

These are my thoughts.

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I Can’t Live Simply Until

Simple Living Resources

Normally, I post about ways you can begin to live simply or build on what you have already begun. But this week, the wisdom comes from another source. I have been reading a website called Choosing Voluntary Simplicity. I have found lots of great articles. I highly recommend that you take some time to check it out. Here are the articles I have been chewing on over the past week. They have inspired me, and they will you too!

How Can I Stay Motivated

A Sense of Balance

Getting Organized

Getting Out of Debt

Multitasking & Finding Quality Time

Are Buyer’s Clubs a Frugal Choice?

There is so much more I can’t wait to dig in to! Enjoy these resources and check out the rest of the site!

These are my thoughts.

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