Your Questions Answered

Before I get to your questions, I just want to say that it's freezing here today. It already feels like Christmas. The kids have been watching "Elf" in the van, and it's starting to put me in a Christmas-y mood. I love that movie! I especially like when the store manager says to Buddy, "Why are you smiling like that?" and he replies, "I just like smiling. Smiling's my favorite." Cute!

Anyway, on to your questions:

Jenny asked:
"I have two questions-

Do you make your own household cleaners or just buy generic or sale stuff? Share the recipes if you make your own please.

What's your Christmas gift list look like? How do you budget for gifts? Are you cutting the budget or anything this year?"

I use a combination of homemade cleansers and store-bought. I'm asthmatic, and most store-bought cleansers are too strong and make me cough. However, I do buy Soft Scrub for our shower, because we have very hard water, and soap scum and mineral deposits are a problem. I also use Pledge on our wood furniture. For all-purpose cleaning, I make my own cleanser in a spray bottle, using this recipe:

1 T clear, non-sudsing ammonia
1 T clear laundry detergent (I use All Free and Clear)
2 cups water

I also make glass cleaner:
1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon clear, non-sudsing ammonia
A few drops of blue food coloring (optional, but I use it so I can easily recognize it as glass cleaner)

I always buy laundry detergent that is free of dyes and perfumes, because Bee and I both have very sensitive skin. Right now, I'm using up detergent that I bought on a really great sale, but I've made my own laundry detergent successfully in the past, using this recipe:

Water
2 bars of Ivory soap, grated
1 cup washing soda (I've found this in the laundry aisles of both grocery stores that I shop at, but I've never seen it at Wal-Mart)
1 cup borax
4 1/2 gallons hot water
5 gallon bucket

Place grated soap in a small saucepan and cover with water. Heat on low until dissolved. Fill bucket with hot water, and add soap. Stir to combine. Add 1 cup washing soda and Borax and mix well. As it cools it will thicken. May be used immediately. Use 1 cup per load.

In regard to Christmas, yes, we are definitely cutting back. Nearly all of the adults in our family have agreed to not exchange gifts this year. None of us really need anything anyway, so we don't care. I don't believe in going overboard with gifts at Christmas, and I already have most of my girls' presents, because I buy things that they will like, as I see them on clearance sales throughout the year. This year I was able to get them a lot of great stuff on a budget of $75 per kid (down from my usual budget of $100 per kid). I'm also putting together two creative "kit" gifts for Bee, and I wanted to share those ideas with you.

"Kit" gifts require creativity and planning ahead, but they really have a lot of "WOW factor" for kids. This year, I'm making a school kit for Bee, who loves to play school with her dolls. We have a giant chalkboard on our basement wall, which my Dad got for free because the school he worked at was throwing it out. As part of the school kit, I bought Bee a new package of chalk and a chalkboard eraser. I also bought these items:


I found the student incentive charts, schoolhouse & school bus sticky notes, and hall pass in the 25-cent bins at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. I got the workbooks for free using my rebate gift card at Walgreens. The pages in these are perforated, so I'm going to tear them out and put them in sheet protectors to create a "master binder" for Bee. Whenever she wants copies of a particular worksheet, I'll make copies for her on my all-in-one printer. The reward stickers can be purchased at Wal-Mart. I also plan to purchase a secondhand globe (which Bee requested for Christmas) on eBay. I'm going to make report cards and an attendance chart for her on my computer, and give her some 2-pocket folders from my school supply stash, so that her dolls can have "Friday Folders" like she does at kindergarten.

I'm also putting together a cooking kit for Bee, with a kids' cookbook, apron, Christmas-patterned oven mitts, a cake mix, measuring spoons, and a Christmas tree cake pan that I got for a quarter at a garage sale. Rather than buying her a cheap Easy Bake Oven with all of its expensive mixes (that taste like crap) I'm going to give her a real cooking experience, which she'll love!

Other ideas for "kit" gifts are arts & crafts, doctor's office, veterinarian, and librarian.

Anonymous asked:
"How do you find time for God in your busy schedule? I have 4 children of my own and one that doesn't sleep all night yet, I don't feel like getting up at 5am to have a quiet time. I also keep other children in my home so by the end of the day I am so tired I don't want to stay up late either....any suggestions?"

Well Anonymous, my situation is a bit different than yours, because I have only two children, and one is in school during the day. What works best for me is to have time with God during my youngest daughter's nap. I'm not a morning person at all, and like you, I'm usually exhausted at night. When Bee was still at home, and had outgrown her naps, we still required quiet time in the afternoons. She didn't have to sleep, but she had to go in her room and read or play quietly for at least an hour. That way she got some down time, and so did I. Perhaps you could implement quiet time in your home with any non-nappers that you care for?

The biggest challenge for me is ignoring the housework and everything else that needs to be done, and just focusing on God. However, I'm finding that when I put Him first, he takes care of the rest.

momstheword asked:
"I suppose most of my questions will be answered as I read my way thru some of your old posts. Do you do meal planning or once a month cooking? I am interested in how you keep your food budget low. What would a week's menu at your home look like?"

Mom, have you been following "A Week in My Kitchen," at "Happy to Be at Home?" That series will give you a very good idea of our typical menu. I plan our menu every morning, based on what needs to be used up, so that no leftovers go to waste. This helps keep our food costs low. You can read more about how I shop and plan meals in my "Frugal Pantry" post. You may also be interested in my articles about buying in bulk, and keeping a price book.

Janel asked:
"Do you make your own liquid fabric softener? I found a few recipes searching online, but I am not crazy about how the clothes came out. Also, I am looking to buy a coffee maker for my husband (we have a percolator that has stopped working). I noticed from your pictures that you have a coffee maker on your counter. Are you happy with it and would you mind sharing which brand it is? Does it keep your coffee hot enough?"

Janel, I don't actually use liquid fabric softener, because it irritates my skin, and I think it gives our clothes a sticky feeling. Instead, I use Bounce Free dryer sheets, with no perfumes and dyes. I buy them on sale, with coupons, and then cut them in half. I find that half a sheet works just as well as a whole one, and a box of them lasts forever!

Our coffee maker is a Mr. Coffee Elite. It was given to us as a wedding gift, and we like it because you can set a timer the night before so that your coffee is automatically brewed at a certain time the next morning. This is good for me, because I'm barely conscious in the mornings, and a simple thing like measuring coffee into the filter basket takes Herculean effort. I think it keeps the coffee very hot, but that could be just a matter of personal preference. We've had it for 7 years, and it's always worked great!