Upcycled Recycled Projects (pt. 2/Crayons)

 Do your kids break crayons like crazy? Don't toss them; Upcycle them!!
Items needed:
Broken crayons (paper removed)
Mold, cupcake pan, silicone muffin pan, etc.
Wax paper to line pan if not using silicone pan
Oven

Before: (below)

 

I broke crayons into small enough pieces to fill up the little 'Ginger Bread Boy' silicone pan I had lying around. I picked it up at a garage sale years ago and never used it before now!

Preheated oven to 250 degrees. Set silicone pan on cookie sheet for stability.

 

Checked on the boys every 5-10 minutes, took about 25 total to completely melt. 

Then this is what I noticed...

They were half full :(
So, I filled 'em up again!

 Much better!

Aren't they the cutest!!
I am going to give them to my preschool kids with little notes that say,
"For our favorite little people"
Awe :)

See my upcycled candle project here.

Pastel Spring

OK, so just the other day my favorite online store, Ruche, posted on Facebook a lovely picture of sleeves and said "We're ready for a Pastel Spring". I was like, Oh Pastels are 'in', I thought brights/neons were 'in'... Which is fine!
I like both, but can they both be 'in'? Absolutely!
OK, now I am losing my focus... Oh yeah, pastels.
So, of course, I am a frequent patron of Goodwill. (As I think any bargain shopper should be!) Yesterday I swung in, because it's right next door to Aldi. Who was the genius there!?! Dirt cheap groceries next to dirt cheap clothing & household goods?! I'm losing focus again!!!
Here is my super bargain find for the day! Oh, I'm so excited to show you :)

It's a lovely robin's egg blue trench from NAUTICA! For $8.99!!
I found similar ones on Nautica's website for $129! I know, StEaL :)
I even took a quick pic of the price tag for haters...

So, it's not a bargain if it doesn't fit. Does it fit, you ask? Like. A. Glove!
The only con?? It's a tad too late to wear it for Easter...
Well, there is always next year.

Upcycled Recycled Projects (pt. 1/Candles)

Upcycled candles! I had SO much fun making these, and aren't they cute?!?
Do you have hoarder tendencies like me? Do you hate throwing perfectly good containers away? But, do you actually ever get around to cleaning them out?
I know I didn't... Until now!!
Step 1: Do you have any of these taking up space in your cupboards?
I did... 8 of them. Yep, I said it out loud. EIGHT!
Good thing they were up high & my hubby didn't know they were there or he would've thrown them out ages ago!
Step 2: Get new candle jars ready to go.
(Sorry, didn't take a photo of this step, oops!)
But here's what I did. Took a couple canning jars (1 pint size) and 1 old jelly jar that I kept for some reason (again, can you say hoarder?) and stuck some pre-tabbed candle wicks in the bottom. I stuck them to the bottom w/ glue dots so they wouldn't move around. The wicks were my ONLY cost since I had everything else on hand! I live in a small town and candle making supplies aren't readily available to me so I ordered them from Candle Supplies Now on eBay. 25 cotton eco pre-tabbed wicks for only $4.75 shipped!
That's like $0.19 a piece (yes, I used my calculator. No division for me today)
Step 3: Boil old candles until melted inside.
I chose a pan I wasn't attached to & I am glad I did. It did end up with wax residue in it, so I'll just keep it with my supplies & use it every time. I also used a pair of tongs (again, ones I didn't have a love affair with) to pick out the old wicks so they didn't end up in my new candles!
Step 4: Pour wax into prepared jars
Yep, this ONE got messy... I had just told myself, "Self, just in case you make a mess, put a paper towel down." Then I said to myself, "Self, good call."
Notice the spoon on top? It's holding the wick in place while the wax dries. I prefer my wicks in the middle of my candles, you may not roll that way, it's OK.
Step 5: Let DRY! Each Layer! One at a time! I know, boring... But that is why I did 3 at a time! One dried while I worked on another! It did take me a whole day of drying & melting & pouring, but I ended up with three new candles! YAY! (Insert applause...) Another bonus? Your house smells super yummy with all those scents melting :)
Don't forget to trim your wicks down, they really smoke if they're too long.
If ya'll have any questions or if I missed a step, let me know!

Coupon/Savings Websites & Blogs I Follow

Let's face it, I just don't have the time to price compare. Especially when it comes to grocery shopping! So, here is a great list of websites & blogs I regularly follow to help me choose which store to go to, make my list, figure out which coupons I need & ultimately, save $$$!




Favorite local (Twin Cites area) gal; Carrie at Pocket Your Dollars.
Carrie has been featured on ABC, NBC, FOX, Woman's Day magazine, Glamour magazine, Yahoo Finance & Wall Street Radio Network (among others!) She has got store by store weekly printable shopping lists, complete w/ links to coupons. Read more about Carrie here. Be sure to like her on Facebook too for up to the minute deals & freebies!

The Coupon Divas are also super amazing! Their website if chock full of great printable coupons, weekly match-ups, restaurant coupons and more! Follow them on Facebook too.

Another great one; Rebecca at The Coupon Trainer.
She posts Daily Dose of Deals w/ her best finds of the day. Read more about Rebecca & be sure to like her on Facebook too!

Another gal I follow on Facebook is Passion For Savings. She also has a website & you can read more about her here!

Penny Pinchin' Mom is a very similar site and she also has a facebook page.

While most of the time they post the same deals, sometimes they post different/new things as well. Maybe just choose one to start, maybe follow all & get lots of freebies, samples, etc!

Whatever you choose, make sure you take advantage of their hard work! Seriously, that is why they do it, so we can save some cash & live w/in our means :)

SA Rewards anyone?

First off, let me say, I am not advocating going to a certain gas station over any other...
But, if a store has a Free reward card, why would I not go to their store over others? Unless, of course, you had to waste gas to get there... Duh. But, since I drive right past a SA everyday on my way to work, it is a no-brainer for me.

The point? I saved $7.50 on my tank of gas yesterday for my minivan. $7.50! That's not just a dollar or two (which is the usual for me), but a huge savings! Here is how I did it:
First: I have a SA Rewards card.
Second: I use it! Every time I am there. (BTW, it is cheaper to buy milk at 2/$6.50 than $3.49+ a gallon at my local grocery store)
Third: I fill up on Double Coupon Tuesdays.
So, check my points this past Tuesday & had enough to get a $0.25 off/gallon coupon which of course they doubled to, (I hope you can do that math in your head...) yeah, baby, $0.50 a gallon! 15 gallons & Voila! OK, it was $7.46, but I like to round up ;)

Get all the info you need here & start saving money on gas today!