Economy Post Tomorrow But I have Frugal Tips

I will be posting tomorrow about my take on the economy and the upcoming year and what I plan to do to prepare for the future. The post is taking a little bit longer than I had planned and of course, if I wouldn't have fallen asleep on the couch last night I would have had it done. Let's just say that the drought, the slowing economy, what is going on in Europe and on Wall Street, along with the debt ceiling discussion will be affecting all of us. But - that will be for tomorrow. As for today, I have a few tips.

I have been working on laundry tips for a while. Laundry is one of those areas of the household where you can drop a lot of money if you aren't careful. I have made my own laundry soap with the Fels Naptha recipe, trying both the liquid and powdered version. This recipe is okay and I use it when I don't have anything else on hand. Over the last few months I have leaned towards mixing high quality detergent (found on sale with a coupon) with cheap generic laundry detergent. I started doing this when a local grocery store had their generic detergent on sale for 80 cents for a 32 load size jug. I bought 25 jugs and I mixed 1/3 good quality detergent (Era, Oxydol, Purex) with 2/3 generic detergent. I have been very happy with the outcome.

Today I decided to experiment with a concoction used to get the yellow underarm stains out of white clothes. I mixed 2 parts hydrogen peroxide with 1 part of original blue Dawn dish detergent. Then I poured this on the stains and scrubbed it with a tooth brush, let it set for 5 minutes and tossed the white tops into the washer to which I added bleach and detergent. The result: the majority of the yellowing was gone. There was a tad bit remaining, but not much. I should add that these were tops that I have had for a few years.

I now have 6 "revitalized" white tops that look great again and I am very, very happy with the outcome. Dawn dish detergent is a staple in my cleaning cupboard.

I have 3 white tank tops that I wear under all sorts of clothing. One of them had 2 little stains at the top that appeared to be coffee stains that I missed pre-treating so they remained after the top was washed and dried.

Today I took that tank top and washed it with a load of whites. I didn't dry it. I took some leftover coffee and poured it into a bowl and soaked the damp tank top in it. I let it soak for about 30 minutes and hung it on the clothesline to dry. After it was dry I washed it with a load of tan pants. When it came out of the dryer I was very, very happy with my new light tan tank top.  It is a perfect color to go with many outfits. I was stoked, if you can get stoked about soaking clothes in coffee.

Now on to makeup. You can spend a ton of money on makeup if you're not careful. I purchase good quality foundation, tinted moisturizer and mineral powder. I can skimp on cheaper blush and eye shadow but I make sure that I have good quality eye liner, mascara and concealer. Here is what my makeup routine is like.

On the days that I am home, I tend to wear little or no makeup. I usually wear tinted moisturizer as a foundation, a little blush and a little mascara. This is enough for those days when I don't need a lot of makeup but I still want to look nice. By going light on these days I make my makeup last longer.

On the days that I wear "full" makeup, I wear my foundation, concealer and some mineral powder along with eye shadow, liner, mascara and blush. I also apply a little lipstick.

I have found that cheap blush and eye shadow work fine for me and can be purchased at the Dollar store. For me having a few shades of shadow and two shades of blush gives me the look that I need. I don't need boxes and boxes of makeup with 100 shades of shadows, 10 blushes and more.  At my age (53) I don't need to be experimenting with blue or green eye shadow!!

In the end my makeup can last me for a year (except for the mascara) which is a bargain for me. I would say that I don't spend more than $50 annually on makeup. Also I am very careful that I do not use makeup that has "seen better days." Anything that goes on my face should not be questionable. If in doubt, I throw it out.

These are my tips for the day.  Tomorrow I could be a little "Debbie Downer" when it comes to my post on the economy.

Shopping at Goodwill and Dealing with Paxil

I have been to our Goodwill store here in town twice.  The first time I didn't find anything I needed.  The second time I found a perfect woven table cloth for my dining room table. 

While I was attending a church leadership seminar in Kansas City last week, I noticed some of the clothes that the presenters were wearing.  Later in the hotel I would write down what I saw and what I liked and I was determined to find some of the same "looks." 

I have never had a jean jacket that I truly loved and after seeing the jean jackets being worn by women with various outfits I decided that I wanted a jean jacket.  Now, the one thing I am determined to do is that when I buy an article of clothing, I must get rid of something in my closet. 

On Saturday I went shopping at our local Goodwill store and I found just what I was looking for.  In fact I found a couple of really nice sweaters that I bought also.

Here is the jean jacket that I bought for $4.00. 

The following items I have had in my closet for over 5 years and I wear them off and on.

The skirt is lacey.  Here is the jewelry that I already had. 

Look what happens when I open the faux pearl necklace and wear it long.  The silver chains will be hidden by the collar on my jacket.  Then I add the rest of the articles of clothing and I get this. 

Here's the jacket close up.

Here is a crocheted skirt that I have had for at least 6 years.

Here it is with the jacket for a slightly Bohemian look.  I like both looks.

Now I am on the hunt for a knee length coat to wear with jeans and pants.  I made a major mistake when I went to Goodwill on Saturday.  As I came in the door I saw a coat that was a good possibility but I bypassed it and went looking for jean jackets.  I should have put the coat in my cart to try on after I found the jean jacket as someone else bought it before I could.  Oh well, lesson learned. 

Tuesday is a good day to shop at Goodwill so tomorrow I will take a break from my work to go and see what has come in on the latest shipment.  I'm hooked. 

While at Goodwill I didn't only purchase clothing.  I have been wanting old style canning jars for years and look what I found at Goodwill. 

And now on to Paxil.

Last week was week three of being weaned off Paxil.  Well, I hit a brick wall while I was in Kansas City in that I suddenly started suffering the side effects from going off this drug.  I could handle it for the most part but after I got home it got worse.  Migraine type headaches along with nausea, vertigo and "brain sparks."  These are like zaps or jolts in the brain.  Why I was doing so well only to be sidelined on the 21st day is beyond me. 

I couldn't cope with the side effects so I chose to go back on Paxil and leave weaning off of it for another season.  After talking to my doctor about what I experienced it sounds like when I am ready to try weaning off Paxil again I will need to decrease my dosage very, very slowly instead of what normally works for everyone else. 

While in Kansas City I went to bed a lot earlier and I am continuing to do so.  As long as I get at least 8 hours of sleep at night, I am good during the day.  I'll leave going off Paxil for another time. 

I would love to hear from any of you about your shopping experiences at thrift or Goodwill stores.  My rule remains the same of buying only what I need and at a good value.  The fun thing is that with the prices of thrift stores I can come up with a look that is all my own -- I guess the best way to describe it is I like to dress a little "funky" sometimes with a Bohemian edge and I love doing it for a small fee.

T Shirt Quilts

Around 18 years ago my husband sent 20 of his running T-shirts along with a twin sheet off to be made into a quilt.  This was some what of a new idea and he saw an advertisement in the back of one of his running magazines.  My thought was finally something we could do with his running shirts.

My husband has been a runner for around 40 years.  In the course of those 40 years he has run hundreds of races and received hundreds of T-shirts.  Last weekend we were cleaning out closets and he made a stack of T-shirts that he no longer wears and was going to donate them to Goodwill.  This is only 1/4th of those T-shirts.

I decided that instead of donating those T-shirts, I could make T-shirt quilts to give away to charities.  The only supplies I will need are twin sheets and lightweight batting.  I have plenty of thread and yarn on hand.

My plan is to take the front of the T-shirts and use those to make quilts for United Way or some other similar organization.  Not wanting to waste the backs of the T-shirts, I will take the plain backs and sew those into quilts to send to nursing homes or I am going to check to see if a Veteran's Hospital would like some quilts for the veterans who are hospitalized.  The reason that I would send the quilts with the plain T-shirt back on them to a V.A. Hospital is that I doubt if a veteran that has had a leg amputated would want a quilt that has running shirts on it. 

This is an easy project.  The quilt squares are 12 inches.  There are 4 squares in width and 5 squares in length.  It is simply a matter of sewing the squares together, pinning and basting the batting into place.  Then sew the sheet, (right sides together of course) to the batting and the front, turn the quilt inside out, baste the opening shut and then tie the quilt with yarn. 

The T-shirt quilt that my husband had made is lightweight and very soft and warm.  We have a more elaborate T-shirt quilt that his cross country runners gave him a few years ago.  It is beautiful.  The mom that put this quilt together did quite a professional job.  She even included some quilt squares with notes from the runners. 

I know my limitations so I am sticking to the simple version. 

If you have a lot of T-shirts and were like my husband - he wanted to save some of those T-shirts from his favorite races (one was the Chicago marathon) - this is quite a memory keeper and it is also very practical. 

These quilts would make great Christmas presents especially if you have a family member that has a lot of sports t- shirts such as volleyball, softball, baseball, football and so on.

The Search for a Denim Skirt

For two years I have been trying to find a decent knee length denim skirt.  Either they were too tight in the hips and too big in the waist or there was a slit cut up the side, back or front that was way too high.  I gave up. 

Then, last week I was going through my closet pulling out clothes that I needed to give away when I came across this skirt. 

Excuse the photo - I would have put it on but there was no one home to take a picture of me wearing it.

At one time this was my favorite denim skirt.  I bought it 9 years ago and as you can tell it is quite faded.  The reason it was my favorite was that it had a side zipper, was A lined and there was no waist band.  No matter what I wore with it, it was comfortable and looked good on me.  I had not worn it in a year but instead of putting it in the give away pile, I decided to shorten it. 

So I cut off a good amount of fabric.

Then I hemmed it on the sewing machine and here it is. 

My son took these pictures of me and I asked him to get a little more of the bottom of the skirt so here is the result.  (Be careful what you ask for.)

I probably should have changed the shirt as that is what I was wearing at the time,  but I think the skirt looks great.  The best part was when I went to machine hem it, the correct thread color was on the machine already to go.

Tired of Stuff

I'm surrounded by stuff.  My clothes closet is jammed packed with clothes.  Many of the items I don't wear anymore.  I need to be bold and go in there and get rid of the stuff.  Then there is the old craft stuff.  Unfinished crafts from 20 years ago.  They need to go.  I have files of papers and saved magazine articles. Then there are the kitchen cupboards. I have too much furniture, too many games and puzzles and more stuff than a family needs to have.  It's time to get rid of all that stuff.  Do you sense a theme here?

The problem with getting rid of stuff is that you can start to purge a closet and then you become overwhelmed and give up.  I am not going to sit on the floor of my bedroom and spend time becoming emotionally attached to clothes that either don't fit me anymore or are out of style.

What is the point of owning things that you can't get to, that you have even forgotten that you own or that have no use or purpose? 

I am going to devote 2 hours each week to going through my stuff and getting rid of things.  One local charity makes it very easy to donate items.  You pull up along the back of their building, push a button and then their doors slide open and there is someone there to help you unload the items you are going to donate.  How easy is that? 

I would rather open closets that have a moderate amount of items in them than open doors to closets that are stuffed full of things. In the end I will be bringing more peace into my daily life.  Who doesn't crave peace?

Clothes to fit "real" women

Does any manufacturer make clothes for real women?  We women do have hips and we do have curves but sometimes I feel that manufacturers think we are a straight line from our necks to our ankles.  And if we do happen to find something that fits, it is probably way to short in length or the neckline is way too low, it is loose in one area and too tight in another, the fabric is too thin or the garment is not made very well. 

I have been on the hunt for a jean skirt for a long time and I have just about given up. Either the skirt is far too big in the waist or it is too tight in the hips. Then there is the problem with the slit – it is either slit up the back too high or in the front – way too high. This is ridiculous.

In the summer I prefer to wear knee length or just above the knee skirts during the day as they are much cooler than shorts or even capris. Now, I don’t want to dress like a teenager and I am not ready to dress like an old lady. I like to wear pretty feminine clothes such as cami’s with a lightweight sweater; just above the knee skirts; a top that doesn’t have a neckline too high and not way too low either; I love a little lace on a cotton camisole. I have collected some vintage clothing patterns and I love a pattern that flatters a woman’s figure but does not show a lot.

Problem is until now, I haven’t had the time to do a lot of sewing.

My denim skirt hunt continued in stores and I have gone to Goodwill. The next step was to shop online, but I hate to shop online for a hard to fit item because of the price of return shipping. I went online today and I noticed something. Wrap skirts are becoming popular again.

Several sites had cute wrap skirts in all sorts of fabrics and styles. That was my answer. Forget the denim skirt, I can make wrap skirts in a few different colors or prints and that will take care of the mainstay of my wardrobe.

I purchased three wrap skirt patterns (on clearance) and I can hardly wait to make these skirts. The only drawback to a wrap skirt is that when the wind blows the wrap can fly open. I will either sew the wrap shut or I will sew a snap or figure some way to keep the wrap closed.

McCalls 2192

McCall's 3145

McCalls M5430

All of the patterns do not require a great deal of skill and best of all do not require a great deal of fabric. I’m pumped and can hardly wait to find some fabric and start sewing. Years ago, when I was in my teens I sewed a majority of my clothes. I haven’t sewn in years because I didn’t have the time. I always enjoyed sewing.

So, I didn’t find a denim skirt. I don’t think I will want one after I get my skirts made.

Ironing

When I wrote the post regarding aprons, I wrote about my memories of learning to iron when I was a little girl.  I was surprised at how much more I remembered about ironing day.  First of all and most importantly my mom had the necessary equipment to get the job done.  This was typical of my mom.  After all being a homemaker was her vocation so she would have made sure that she had everything she needed to accomplish a task. 

The ironing board had a thick pad and cover.  The iron itself rested on a metal plate on the ironing board and the iron cord was looped up a rod that was clamped to the side of the ironing board.  This kept the cord up and out of the way while someone was ironing.  To the right of the ironing board was a plastic folding bin that held the items to be ironed.  All of these items had been sprinkled with water and rolled up to stay moist.  Next to the iron was a glass bottle filled with water.  There was a sprinkler top on the bottle so that you could sprinkle a little water on the item you were ironing and this helped get out the wrinkles.  Last but not least there was a can of starch to use on shirts. 

Okay, I know, right now you are thinking - hey I just take the shirts out of the dryer and hang them up and we are good to go.  Well, not in the 1960's.  I think my mom ironed anything that wasn't moving.  We ironed handkerchiefs, boxer shorts, white undershirts, tea towels, sheets, pillowcases, shirts, pants, dresses, and more.  It was a way of life until permanent press fabric was made.

Isn't it something how much a smell can take you back in time?  Some smells such as spray starch do that for me.  I love the smell of it as it reminds me of those days when my mother was teaching me to iron.  Perhaps that is why one of my favorite candle scents is "Fresh Linen."  I have always loved all things domestic so it should not be a surprise to anyone that I had a toy ironing board and iron to play with along with an entire play kitchen.  Let's not forget the ever popular Easy Bake Oven.   Okay, now I'm getting off track.

Being home all day means I have the time to do things the way I was trained by my mother.   On Monday I do the clothing laundry and on Tuesday I launder bedding, towels and any throw rugs.  So today I decided that I was going to take some of my son's 100% cotton shirts that he wears to work and I was going to iron them all at once.  Usually I grab one and iron it quickly before he needs it.  Here is the result of my work: 

Four crisply pressed work shirts all ready to be worn. 

I will admit to you that while I was ironing I watched a movie from Netflix on my little kitchen t.v.  (During my mom's day she watched the ever popular General Hospital and Jeopardy when she was ironing.)  After I was done with these four shirts I started looking around and I saw the basket of just dried sheets and pillowcases.  My mom always ironed the sheets as they did soften even more when they were ironed.  But I think the real reason she ironed them was the way they looked all nice and neatly pressed and folded in her linen closet. 

I ironed the sheets and I went one step further by lightly spraying them with a little linen scented fabric spray.  Here are the sheets and pillowcases nicely folded and ready to be put away. 

Later in the day I decided to put them on our bed immediately.  As I unfolded the sheets and I lifted them in the air to fluff them and let them fall on the bed I remembered how much easier it is to make a bed with sheets that have been neatly pressed and folded.  They just seem to fall into place. 

No, it is not necessary to iron the sheets.  The reason I will continue to do it is because I enjoy ironing and best of all I enjoy the feel of ironed sheets on my bed.  It is a little bit of work for a big luxury.  I have no children at home during the day and if I did I doubt I would take the time to do an afternoon of ironing.  It is a little dangerous to try to iron when there are little ones running around the ironing board.  I know that my mom would agree with me that she is thankful for permanent press fabrics and that it is not necessary to spend an afternoon or day each week doing the ironing.  She would also agree with me that somehow a shirt that has been pressed with a little starch always looks sharp and that yes, those sheets are nice when they are ironed.

Being a full time homemaker at the age of 50, without any children home during the day, means that I can take the time to do some extra special things for my family that I did not have the time to do when I was employed outside of the home. 

I would challenge you to find something special to do for your family this week.  It may not be ironing but it could be taking the time to bake a homemade special treat that they enjoy.