Monday, December 26, 2011

A Frugal Fix for Oily Skin

This image shows a whole and a cut lemon.Image via WikipediaDo you have oily skin? Have you tried expensive, store-bought products that didn't really help, or caused irritation? Well, here is a gentle, natural facial cleanser, made with ingredients you already have in your kitchen that really works!

The magic ingredients are  lemon, yogurt and cornmeal. Lemon with its astringent properties controls oil production. Yogurt soothes and hydrates the skin. Cornmeal buffs away dry skin cells that can cause blemishes.

All you need to do is combine 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/4 cup of yogurt and 1/4 cup of cornmeal. Gently massage it into freshly washed skin and leave it on for 5-10 minutes. Rinse it off with warm water and pat your skin dry with a clean, soft towel.

If you have any left over, you can keep it in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed jar for 2-4 days.


Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making. Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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Frugal Uses for Bubble Wrap

Bubble WrapImage via WikipediaI save my bubble wrap from packages I receive and products I buy. In a pinch, I will buy a roll or two at the dollar store. It is great to use for many things. Here are just a few ideas:

Do you love camping but hate the discomfort of a sleeping bag? Make it cozier with bubble wrap! Take a 12 foot piece, fold it in half and duct tape around all the edges. Slip it inside or place it under your sleeping bag for a better night's rest. 

Use it as a cool and unusual wrapping paper. Not only does it add a different look to your gift, it is great for protecting fragile presents.

Are you packing for a trip, or storing closes for the winter? Adding bubble wrap can keep them wrinkle free.

Hate it when delicate fruits and vegetables bruise and rot before you can use them? Prevent produce waste by using bubble wrap in your fruit and vegetable bins in your refrigerator.

Reduce winter heating bills and keep cold, drafty air out of your home by using bubble wrap to insulate your windows.

Finally, slip bubble wrap between plates to prevent your fine china from cracking and chipping.

Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making. Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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Bathtime Bliss

English: A bowl of cocoa powder.Image via WikipediaA warm bath at the end of the day can be a wonderful stress buster! Add a couple of natural ingredients from your kitchen cabinet, and you can have scintillating fragrance and improve your skin as well.

Do you love chocolate? Good, because it can improve blood flow to your skin! Try this simple bath salt recipe:

Combine 6 cups of Epsom salts, 2 tablespoons of  cocoa powder and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Air dry on a paper towel lined cookie sheet.

Add 3-4 tablespoons to your bath water next time you want a great smelling, skin invigorating soak.

Do you suffer from insomnia? After a long, relaxing bath rub this lavender and vanilla body oil into your skin.

To two ounces of oil (grapeseed, jojoba or almond oil are nice choices) add 4-8 drops of lavender essential oil and 1/4-1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.

If you don't use all the oil, place the remainder in the refrigerator is a sealed jar. It will keep for another 3-5 days.

Sweet dreams!


Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making. Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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Saving Money on Fresh Produce

Fresh vegetables are important components of a...Image via Wikipedia Fresh fruits and vegetables are key to a healthy diet, and boosting your immune system. Experts in nutrition and disease prevention recommend eating plenty of them on a daily basis.

However, they can be fragile and spoil easily, unless you take a couple of simple steps to improve their shelf life. Here are a couple of easy and frugal ideas for you to try at home.

Reduce moisture build up to prevent wilting and molding. You can easily do this by adding newspaper to your fruit and vegetable bins. It is a great moisture absorber and deodorizer as well.

To prevent bruising and rotting of soft fruits and vegetables, add a piece of bubble wrap to your crisper. It acts like a shock absorber, preventing rolling and bumping when drawers are opened and closed.

Keep mushrooms fresh much longer by patting them dry before refrigeration and storing them in a brown paper bag, never plastic. It prevents them from getting slimy.

Don't store potatoes and onions next to each other. The potatoes will grow eyes and rot easily if you do.


Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making. Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Frugal Fixes for Frizzy, Frazzled, Funky Looking Hair!

Aguacate / AvocadoImage via Wikipedia
We all love beautiful hair, and feel great about how we look when it is healthy.
Who doesn’t love strong, shiny, bouncy hair with great color!
However, salon perfect hair is just not affordable for most of us working girls, right?
Wrong! For just pennies per treatment, you can fix almost any hair problem with common ingredients you keep in your kitchen.
Is your hair, dry, damaged and brittle? Use avocado to restore your hair and make it smooth and silky. Simply remove the pit from an avocado, scoop out the flesh and mash it.  Before you shampoo, mist you hair to
make it damp, and work the avocado through. Wrap your hair in plastic and wait half an hour for the essential fatty acids and vitamin E to work their magic. Remove the plastic, rinse out the avocado and shampoo as usual.
Do you want to revitalize your hair color and make it last longer before your next dye job? Try tea! Simply take two or three teabags and steep them for ten minutes in boiling water. Allow the tea to cool and pour it over dry hair, so it will absorb most of the pigment in the tea. Comb it through evenly and wait about 20 minutes, before shampooing as usual. If you are a brunette, use black tea, a redhead use hibiscus, and chamomile tea if you are a blond.
Is your hair dry and frizzy? Tame and moisturize it with yogurt. Lactic acid found in milk will coat and nourish each strand. If you also want to add shine, stir in some olive oil, or add an egg for extra protein to strengthen your hair.
Here is an easy recipe you can try at home:
Whisk one egg until frothy. Add ½ cup of plain yogurt and two tablespoons of olive oil. Apply to damp hair and scalp in small sections and work it in completely. Leave the mixture on your hair for at least 15 minutes, then wash and condition as usual.
Are you plagued by dandruff? Banish it with apple cider vinegar and mint. The vinegar will clean the scalp thoroughly and add shine to your hair, and the mint will invigorate the scalp, leaving it feeling fresh and tingly.
Simply add ½ cup apple cider vinegar, 2 cups of water and 3-4 sprigs of fresh mint to a saucepan, and warm it up. Allow the mixture to cool. After you wash and condition your hair as usual, simply pour the vinegar rinse through and allow it to sit for about ten minutes. Rinse thoroughly with cool water. Don’t worry, if you do a good job of rinsing, there will be no vinegar smell left on your hair.
 


Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making. Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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Sunday, April 10, 2011

Super Saver Seasoning Salts

A salt mill for sea salt.Image via WikipediaSeasoning can make or break a recipe. It can dazzle the taste buds and delight the palate, or fall flat and be dull and boring.

Stores sell gourmet blends of herbs and spices to make cooking easier. But boy can they be pricey--up to $12 a bottle!

How would you like to make the same thing for about $1.25 a bottle? Here are some suggestions:

Citrus salt (for fish, chicken or vegetables)-Stir in to 1/2 cup of kosher or sea salt 1 tsp gated lemon zest, 1 tsp grated lime zest, and 1/2 tsp grated orange zest.

Hot and spicy salt (good on grilled meats, potatoes and corn on the cob)-Add 1 tsp of chipotle chili powder and 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes to 1/2 cup of kosher or sea salt.

Asian salt (for pork, chicken or vegetables)-Add1/2 tsp ground coriander, 1/8 tsp ginger powder and 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds to 1/2 cup kosher or sea salt.

Italian salt-(for pasta, roasted vegetables, lamb or fish)-Add 1tsp of onion powder, 1 tsp of garlic powder and 1 tbsp of finely chopped sun dried tomato (not in oil) to 1/2 cup of kosher or sea salt.

These salts, placed in beautiful decorative jars with nicely lettered, handmade labels would make an inexpensive but delightful gift for a friend. You could also give a cookbook, or recipe cards that would complement the spice blends.


Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making. Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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Saturday, April 2, 2011

Six Uses for Left Over Hair Conditioner

Nivea Hair CareImage via WikipediaDo you have a little conditioner left in the bottom of the bottle? Don't throw it out!

Fill the rest of the bottle with warm water and shake. Then transfer the mixture to a spray bottle. Spritz it on your hair for a leave-in conditioner!

You can also use a little dab of conditioner to shave your legs when you run out of shaving cream. Just a dime sized dollop will help the razor glide over you skin.

Do you have a squeaky hinge? Rub a little conditioner on it with a soft cloth.

Do you want to make your bathroom fixtures shine? Polish them with conditioner, buff off the excess and see them sparkle!

Finally, don't wast money on pricey laundry soaps for delicate fabrics. Use a little conditioner in warm water instead.

Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making. Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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Frugal Uses for Stale Bread

Slices of French BreadImage via WikipediaDon't throw out your stale bread, put it to good use!

Did your little ones leave fingerprints on your wallpaper? Erase them with stale bread. Just ball up the bread and rub the marks away.

Has your brown sugar become hard as a rock? Add a piece of stale bread to the package, and wait a couple of days. The next time you open it, the sugar will be nice and soft!

Need to thicken your soup? Add some chunks of stale bread to the broth. It will soak up the excess liquid if you leave the bread in the simmering pot until it becomes soft.

Want a handy spoon rest while cooking? Try stale bread. Your counter top will stay clean. When you are done cooking give the gravy soaked bread to your puppy for a treat.

Tired of crying when you cut onions? Wrap stale bread around the handle of your knife. It will absorb the odor before it will sting your eyes.


Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making. Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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Monday, March 28, 2011

Couchsurfing:A Fun and Frugal Way to Travel

World-travelImage via WikipediaDo you dream of travel but think the cost is beyond you means? Hotel rooms can sometimes be hard to book and high priced. Several nights away from home can be a real strain on a vacation budget. Why not couchsurf instead and save your vacation dollars for fun stuff!

Couchsurfing is a social network and website that has participants in over 250 countries. Travelers can find a willing host who will cheerfully offer you a place to bunk in their home, or folks willing to take you around to see the sights and enjoy the local culture.

You can also sign up to sponsor a traveler to return the favor!

Curious to learn more? Try these links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CouchSurfing
http://www.couchsurfing.org/help.html

Want to participate? Look here:
http://www.couchsurfing.org/

Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making. Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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Healthy Budget Stretching Foods

Ipomoea batatas, Convolvulaceae, Sweet Potato,...Image via WikipediaFood prices seem to be skyrocketing lately! It is getting harder to eat well without blowing the family budget. So I have compiled a list of nutritionally sound but inexpensive foods you can rely on as dietary staples.

Brown rice is a good source of fiber, It is low in calories and can be stored up to two years, so it is a great item to buy in bulk. Often rice can be purchased for about 50 cents a pound!

Oatmeal is filling, warming in cold winter months, and lowers cholesterol levels. Buy it plain and add your own dried fruits or spices for a different taste each morning. Slow cooked is generally cheaper than instant oatmeal in individual packets, and can also be used for baking.

Potatoes and sweet potatoes are high in fiber, delicious and can be bought for 40-60 cents a pound. They can be cooked in so many ways, your family won't get tired of eating them.

Eggs are high in protein and inexpensive to buy. Two eggs for breakfast will cost you about 40 cents! They can be kept refrigerated for several months, so it is an item you can stock up on when you find  a good sale.

Apples are loaded with dietary fiber and anti-oxidants. They keep well and cost roughly 70-90 cents per pound. They are an easy addition to packed lunches and a great after-school snack.

Lentils are high in fiber and protein, keep well, are fast cooking and inexpensive. The cost is generally under a dollar a pound.

Beans of any variety are always a great deal and a wonderful source of protein. They can be stored for a long time, are simple to fix. Just cover them with water and let them simmer in the crock pot overnight. They can be used in soups, stews, burritos, and as a healthy side dish. Buy them dry for less than a dollar a pound.


Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making. Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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About Me

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I am a freelance writer, Reiki master, and educator, with diplomas in teacher's aide and child psychology, and numerous writing courses. I home schooled my son, who was born 10 weeks early and was expected to have developmental and learning lags. In 6th grade, he took an 8th grade standardized achievement test, and scored as a college sophomore in math and English. It inspired me to write a book, which I have given away for free! It is called Make your Kid a Genius, and can be downloaded at my website http://www.irenehelenzundel.com I am passionate about alternative healing methods; especially Reiki, aromatherapy, acupressure, therapeutic massage and music and sound therapy.