Tag Archives: save money

Reducing Waste and Saving Money: Bath and Body Works

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Who doesn’t like discount Bath and Body Works soap?? I do miss shopping there on the regular though! Here is how you can extend the life of those soaps and shower gels for months!

Some of my favorite scents: Method Minnie Mouse (Target), Honolulu Sun (BBW) and Italian Citrus Sun (BBW)

DIY Foaming Soap Recipe

Ingredients & Shopping List

  1. Fill your soap dispenser with water about 3/4 full
  2. Add 2 Tbs castile soap
  3. Add a pump or two of your favorite smelling soap
  4. Cover and shake to combine ingredients
  5. Add more water to fill if needed

Bath and Body Works Savings Tip: Subscribe online for coupons. When shopping in-stores, take the survey from the receipt to receive $$ off. Shop during the buy 3 get 3 free sales, use the $$ off coupons and shop through ebates online to get the best bang for your buck!

Bath and Body Works Candle DIY

UUgh and the candles… I have a Bath and Body Works candle problem. I’m actually in the process of trying to use all of my candles and almost at the point where I need more (it’s been a year and a half and I burn them every night). But what if they stop selling my favorite scent!?? That’s why I stock up!

Anyway… I like to have candles around the tub for relaxing soaks and stumbled upon a fun hack on accident. My 3 wick candle had burnt out but precious wax still resided on the bottom. I kept it on the bath ledge for a few days not really needing to move it and it collected some water.

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I dumped the water and the wax just fell right out! The jar was clean to re-use and the wax pattie was ready for dissection! That accident took a few days so you could also heat in a foil lined pan on the stovetop on low until melted enough to pop out.

From here you can break the wax up and use in a tart burner or melt down and create mini candles for gifts!

DIY Mini Candles

Choose a receptacle of your choice. From a condiment cup to an almost empty mini jar or an empty tealight tin, you probably have something you can use to use as a candle. Here is what I scrounged up:

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BUT, I also went to Hobby Lobby to get some more inspiration. So many ideas! Just make sure they are safe to house a candle. I also picked up some pre-waxed wicks for an easier craft.

After you’ve melted the wax down, remove as many little soot crumbs as you can as well as the burnt wicks. Pour into the jar of your choice and, place the wick in and prop the wick up until it sets.

And voila! Two new small candles ready for spring!

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*FTC Disclosure: All links to Amazon products are affiliate links and I receive commission based on purchases.

Reducing Waste & Save Money! Paper Towel Purge

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Buy N Large from Wall-E! Photo credit: http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/BnL_Jingle

After recently becoming a one income family, we had to change some things up. We used to buy paper towels by the bulk often. Too often. Below are two simple paper product changes that have made a positive impact on our budget and living green.

Paper Towels

We used more paper towels than a four person family (it’s just my husband and I). No joke. It wasn’t uncommon for us to use two rolls or more a week. A WEEK! I decided to break our habit cold turkey and switched to cloth. When I ordered the washcloths, or bar mops as they were categorized, I was surprised that they were really a decent quality cloth.

I keep them in a little basket next to the sink. One cloth goes a lot farther when drying your hands and wiping down a wet sink. They’ve retained their fluffiness since purchasing a few months ago and I’ve been very pleased! To clean, I use Oxy Clean and detergent and I haven’t noticed an increase in laundry since the switch.

I bought a lot… These are the extras. Purchasing the larger quantity was cheaper per cloth than the smaller bundle. AmazonBasics Cotton Washcloths, 60 – Pack $29.99

Wal-Mart has rag bundles of 18 for around $4 but they don’t compare in quality. The photo above is one next to the other, both have been used and washed. Left is the Wal-Mart rag and right is the AmazonBasics. The Wal-Mart rag bundles are still a great buy for rag use! They are available for in-store purchase only.

Napkins

We used paper towels for napkins too. Cloth napkins to the rescue!

These are a little more appealing than face cloths and a little more linen-y.  I can toss them in with regular laundry and haven’t noticed an increase in laundering. They don’t take up much washer real estate.

These are a lot larger than I thought they were going to be measuring in at 16×24. These would be good place mats too since they are about the same size. If you sew, making them yourself is also a really good option! NewTrend 100% Cotton Gingham Checked Dinner Napkins 12pcs $12.99 on Amazon.

After switching to cloth, we put the current paper towels in the pantry and the half roll that was left lasted us over a month. This isn’t a huge money saving hack but it has drastically reduced waste along with saving just a little more on our grocery bills.

 Additional Savings

When I do need to purchase paper towels, I use ibotta to receive cash back after shopping in stores or ebates when purchasing online.

Check back next week for more money saving tips!

 

 

*FTC Disclosure: All links to Amazon products are affiliate links and I receive commission based on purchases.

 

Draft Snakes

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Maybe it’s the below freezing rut the northeast is stuck in, but I’m having a lot of trouble finding these draft snakes! I found some online through amazon and Etsy but I’m not really looking to spend $20 per snake when I need 6.  I told myself to check Walmart and if they don’t have it, I will have to make my own.

So our little Vermont Walmart didn’t end up having them but they do have a pretty good craft section. $15 will get you 2 yards of duck fabric and 2 bags of fiber fill. They have a lot of fabrics to choose from, some less expensive, some more, but they are all folded 2 yard bundles.

10 inch sections will get you 7 tubes (folded in half and sewn). 2 bags of fiber fill will fill about 6 depending on how much stuffing you put in.

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