Since I have had site problems over the past week, I feel out of sync with the blog. Usually I have an idea of topics I want to cover for the week, but with all the site issues my mind has been elsewhere.
Grocery Shopping
Tonight I went to the grocery store and saved $26 in coupons. My coupon use had dropped significantly over the past few months because most of items I buy are things that don’t have coupons, whole foods, fresh fruit and veggies, milk, etc. Tonight at the commissary the shelves were loaded with coupons for things that were already on my list. I was able to get free razors, body wash, shampoo, and fruit. It was a good night.
Dishwasher Detergent
A few weeks ago Cascade sent me a sample of their dishwasher detergent to try along with their competitor Electrosol. I happened to be using Palmolive so I was able to compare all three products. I am not a brand name shopper and always purchase the cheapest brand. I thought I was saving money, but I could be wrong.
I have to admit that although I was skeptical at first Cascade blew the other two out of the water. Electrosol came in second, with Palmolive dead last. Now, I didn’t really conduct a scientific experiment, so you might have to do your own research. Basically, when I used Cascade I could put more dishes in the dishwasher and I had less dishes that needed to be rewashed. I also had to remove less food from the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher. Since Cascade is usually the most expensive brand, I have to consider several factors to see if it is a better deal.
If I use less water to rinse my dishes before I put them into the dishwasher, can load my dishwasher with more dishes, and have less dishes to rewash after the cycle is done, then I think Cascade is a better buy. But you can bet I will be looking for a coupon!
Dish Soap
I also conducted my own test with Ajax and Palmolive dish soap. I had been buying Ajax because it is so cheap. After a few months of using Ajax I realized that I was using more soap to get things clean. Even though Palmolive costs more, I use less to wash dishes, so they end up costing about the same.
Diapers
Last month I bought a package of Target brand diapers. They were significantly cheaper than any other brand. The problem started when I couldn’t open the tab without ripping it. Then almost every diaper leaked. The ones that didn’t leak fell off because the tabs didn’t stick. I ended up doing laundry after every single night my toddler wore a Target diaper because it leaked onto the sheets. I will definitely not purchase Target brand diapers again.
Web Hosting
I am sure that you have noticed the considerable site problems I have had over the past few weeks. My current hosting provider is Web Hosting Pad. I can’t even remember how much we paid for the hosting but it was about the same as many of their competitors. While they are very nice on the phone, they offer little to no help, can’t deliver the guaranteed 99% uptime, and do a poor job of responding to problems.
Shampoo
Suave Shampoo is current $0.45 a bottle at my commissary. There was coupon a few weeks back for $1/2. I was hesitant at first, because $0.45 is really cheap, but my family loves it! They even use it for a body wash. Check your local commissary to see if it is on sale.
Swim Shirts
UVSkinz, my absolute favorite swim shirt company, is running a July sale, one free swim shirt with every purchase. Their goal is to give away 3000 swim shirts this summer. I am going to order myself a shirt tomorrow. In case you are wondering, I do not make any money from them, I am just passionate about protecting our most valuable treasures from the harmful rays of the sun.
Raw Diet
My husband, who is well on the road to recovery (that is a topic for another post) has decided it is time to jump on the health train. I am excited because for years he has tried to jump in front the health train and derail it! As he attempts to rid his body of all the nastiness he has put in it over the years, his intake of fresh fruits and veggies has skyrocketed. The cool thing is that he has put me in charge of his diet. I would like to get him to about 75% raw foods but that is going to take some work. He is giving up soda, which is a big deal, and is decreasing his caffeine intake significantly. I would love to hear from any of you who eat super healthy, advice is appreciated and welcomed!
I made my kids a smoothie today. It consisted of carrots, bananas, whole orange, whole apple, whole nectarine, whole pear, frozen strawberries, and vanilla yogurt. They loved it. Even my pickiest of picky eaters downed his portion and asked for seconds. Tomorrow I think I will throw in some flax, spinach, and wheat germ. I think they had their entire requirement for fruits and veggies in one meal!
Homeschooling
Calling all homeschoolers, it is time to start planning for the next school year! I know there are some really motivated moms who have already started school, but for the rest of us… take some time each day to plan for the upcoming year. What character traits do you plan on working on this year? What does your schedule look like, daily, weekly, monthly? When are you going to clean and get the housework done? How many days off will you take at Christmas? The time to start thinking about these things is now! Start the school year off right and with a plan!
Completely Random Thoughts to Finish the Post
We had a great time on our trip this weekend. My neighbor had twins on Monday and is already home from the hospital. I saw one of the babies tonight, so tiny and precious. Have you ever been so behind on something that you don’t want to even begin to start up again? I have a few of those areas in my life. I have stopped reading my chronological bible and started reading Isaiah, Proverbs and Luke. I am reading Isaiah because my friend in WV is reading Isaiah, so I like to be prepared when she calls me with a verse. My kids are getting old. I can’t believe I have a child that will be able to drive in less than a year! Today I realized that my four year old can swim, and not just dog paddle. For a child that lives with endless irrational fears, I am shocked that she swims like a fish, has never had a swim lesson in her life and only has access to pools three months out of the year. I need to start exercising again. My energy level has been down and I think it is because I am not exercising.
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26 dollars in coupons?? Thats AWESOME!
I always use shampoo as body wash, and it’s usually Suave brand. Good stuff.
Instead of rinsing my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, I scrape them clean pver the trash can using a silicone (or rubber) scraper. Saves the water I might have used to rinse them, and any brand of dishwasher soap works fine (I use the generic from Sam’ Club).
I usually get behind on housework and then it takes me forever to get it together again.
I agree with you on Cascade. I can’t use anything else, especially with the hard water here. I like the Dawn foam dish soap. It lasts me forever, and it works for when The Girl washes dishes, one squirt. I’ll have to try the Suave. We’ve been using Dove. With coupons, at Wal-Mart it’s not too bad. I’ve been really considering going no-poo (shampoo free) but haven’t the guts to try it yet!
We make smoothies everyday with lunch! It’s a great way to get all the nutrients they need in one shot. Because my boys have speech/dev delays, I also add in a few “extras” like flax and a few supplements! Keep it up! Being on a raw diet will reap so many benefits for all!
I buy Dawn DirectFoam for handwashing dishes. It’s one of the few brands I’m loyal to. (I use whatever’s on sale for handsoap, etc.) I also only buy Glad brand trashbags – I want my boys to (successfully) take out the trash, which is difficult for them if the trashbags tear and rip!
Raw Foods – my husband is a meat and potatoes guy, but I make lentils and rice as a ground beef substitute (1 c. lentils + 1 cup brown rice +4 c. water, cook like rice). We make enchiladas and shepherd’s pie with it and he likes it. My BIL “accidentally” ate it without knowing what it was, and went back for seconds! (not really raw, but vegetarian and healthy)
My other tip is to flavor the foods. Now I use an onion – caramelized – for almost every recipe, it makes everything taste good!
Love your random thoughts…..
My oldest just turned 16-Driver’s Ed has been MY least favorite subject (makes me a nervous wreck!). Pun intended.
We don’t eat exactly ‘super’ healthy but I try to get our fruits and veggies in daily. And my DH is a little, well, …he has set tatstebuds that are a little stubborn.:-)
We are trying to get back into our school work. I usually don’t take the whole summer off. We have extra time off for ‘fun in the sun’ but we still do school work. But I’ve been trying to get all the paper work caught up and prepared for next year, whew!
Sounds like you’re shopping went pretty good!:-)
And we love smoothies, must have been invented by moms, just as a trick for kids!
Hi
That’s fantastic about your husband and eating healthier (including lots of raw vegan foods) – WHOO HOO
And, terrific for the kids drinking smoothies. I make mine all vegan, but it’s great seeing them get more fruits and veggies into their diets.
Homeschooling – very cool. We don’t have kids yet, but when we do, we’ll be homeschooling, too.
Cheers,
Kristen
Here’s my random responses….
I used to use Electrasol but have been a faithful Cascade user now for about 5 years. I’ve decided that it was a waste of time/money for me to re-wash dishes when I took them out of the dishwasher. Cascade REALLY DOES make a difference!
Hats off to your hubby for being ready to change. I think it’s great that he’s got you in charge of the diet. I know I’d probably eat better if someone were in charge of what I was eating and prearing it for me.
Our oldest now has her learner’s permit. She improves every time she gets behind the wheel but I’m a white-knuckled passenger. This too shall pass, right?
I have done some homeschool planning but I have so much more to do. I cannot believe that we are already in the second half of July!
Ok, I like and use Dawn if it can clean up an oil spill it can clean anything in my sink; I use Cascade because I just do; I have used Suave; Dove makes me break out; I sunburned my body when I was young, now I just tan; I’ll eat raw food if someone cuts it up for me; I don’t use diapers, yet; my husband does most of the grocery shopping without coupons; my kids aren’t getting old… THEY ARE OLD!!! (I don’t know how that happened ’cause I’m so young???).