TWO CANDLES FROM ONE

You know when your candle gets down toward the bottom, and it’s looking less than what you would like to display?

Well…There is a frugal AND fun way to save on candles…

I always save my wax and then when I’m ready, I will melt a couple of candles and make one whole new one…

Put your mostly-used candle jars in a pot of water and turn on medium or medium-low…Do not let it boil…

You may want to use old pots, as wax invariably gets in them...

It may take a couple of hours depending on how much wax you have to melt…



You will probably have to add a new wick to the new candle…Wicks and wick holders can be purchased inexpensively at a craft store such as Michaels…

Once the wax is melted in both jars, pour one into the other…Making a complete candle…

Or…

You may use a clean third jar, adding both jars of melted wax to it…

The fun of combinging candles is not only the good feeling it gives you in saving rather than throwing but also the new scent that you have created!

Most recently, I combined a mango and peach for a lovely aroma. You can also do layers, but wait for each one to set before pouring the next layer.



When I was finished, I ended up with a brand new large-sized candle (not pictured) and had enough wax left over to make a small one to set in the kitchen…

It is a light peach color and smells yummy!

One note to watch for is that they tend to settle and funnel…Sometimes I am able to overcome this by pouring in layers and allowing to fully cool before adding the next layer. I haven’t gotten it fool-proof yet, however, so if anyone has any tips, I would be glad to hear them.

I love Salt City candles…This where the wax and jars were from…

As they can be rather spendy, the money savings is wonderful!

As you can see, this candle still needs a bit of cleaning up and the wick trimmed...



The full-sized candle that I made would sell for about $21.95, and the small one would go for around $12.00…So, that is a savings of $34…

Creativity melded with thrift makes for a few hours of satisfaction and fun!

DRESSING FOR LESS

DRESSING FOR LESS…

I really must find a better system for taking pictures, as putting my arms up to hold the camera does not allow for the correct fit of the outfit to be shown…

At any rate…Here are a couple of pictures of Thursday’s inexpensive outfit…

As mentioned before, I really don’t recall where I procured many of my clothes or what I paid, so these are guesstimates…

BLAZER…

I don't recall where I purchased this, but it would have been around $20.



BLOUSE…

Given to me by my mom...



PIN…

I THINK that Mom also gave this to me at one point...



SKIRT…

Purchased at a thrift shop for around $7...



BLACK POINTED-TOE BOOTS…

I got these at a classy second-time clothier and purchased them for $30 just over a year ago...This shop takes in only the very nicest of items and offers consignments by appointment only...

Excuse the poor photo quality...The maid forgot to clean the mirror...:/

ROUGH BREAK-DOWN…

BLAZER…

Number of times worn: 25…?
Price: $20
Today’s cost to wear: .80

BLOUSE…

Number of times worn: 30
Price: $0 (Gift)
Today’s cost to wear: $0

PIN…

Number of times worn: 30
Price: $0
Today’s cost to wear: $0

SKIRT…

Number of times worn: 20
Price: $7
Today’s cost to wear: .35

BLACK POINTED-TOE BOOTS…

Number of times worn: 20
Price $30
Today’s cost to wear: $1.50

TOTAL COST OF TODAY’S OUTFIT…

$2.65

Not bad!

The whole idea is to...

USE WHAT YOU HAVE!...

If you were given a gift, use it!

If you find something at a garage or estate sale, use it!

MIX AND MATCH...

So many outfits can be made by altering the way you wear a piece of jewelry or an item of clothing.

MAKE DO...

At one point in my life, I found myself with just the clothes on my back…literally…

For two weeks, I had one outfit to wear…It was a sundress, and a spaghetti-strap under tee…

I wore it that way or without the under tee for a bit of variation, or I would fashion the dress into a skirt by tying it a certain way, and wear the tank for a top…That gave me a total of three outfits.

There certainly was not a lot of variation each day, but it was all I had, so I made do.

Most importantly...

HAVE FUN!

ST. PATTY'S AND A BEAUTIFUL SATURDAY

What a marvelous day it was!



The luck of the Irish came early this year…After all, Wednesday isn’t a real plausible day to celebrate on, so the town held the parade today...



One year, it was almost called off because of insurance…Or lack of attendance…Or some such thing…



This year, however, proved to be three times longer than last year…And the crowds were great…



At first, I didn’t think that the littles would end up getting any candy…

As the fire truck drove by, the fireman said, “We can’t; it’s against the rules.” Against the rules to give out candy at a parade?...

Now THAT would just not have been right!

The real deal...And the new rule (I just hate rules sometimes...Well, a lot of times)...Is that they can no longer THROW the candy…But, they can still come and individually hand it out...

The little people ended up making out alright...



It was, indeed, a green kind of a day…







There were green beads…



Green shoes…



And green-colored clowns…



After we said goodbye to our beautiful daughter, mama, papa, and family…





We ran home, got Dog, and took him to get some exercise…


I enjoyed the exercise as well! It was such a beautiful day…



Then, it was time to ride!

How lovely it is when the weather warms up…

And the scenery is good…



I mean…And the scenery is good…



We rode all over town...Here and there…

DS was at work, and we stopped and saw him...I shopped Glocks and a .38 Special...

Diamonds and guns are my favorites to look at when I go in…

DH looked for a leather jacket, but they had just had a sale, and the selection was slim…

While there we met the CUTEST little dude! He was “fwee” years old…His daddy had a bike “just like” ours (because it was black ;)…And his daddy had a helmet “just like” mine…

That little lad was absolutely adorable! I could’ve taken him home!

Babies and Puppies...There is nothing like 'em!



Can you tell the generational difference here?



Like father like son…Well, not so much…;)

I think this is El’s fourth bike, and he has always gotten these rocket-types…He has ridden ours but prefers his style.



DD, on the other hand, has wanted our exact bike (even before we got it) for a long time, which is unusual for her age.

We went helmet shopping at Cabella’s…





Just kidding...

We did go helmet shopping at Cabella's, but we didn't look for Spiderman...

I love the way there store is decorated…







It was getting pretty chilly by the time we headed home, so we stopped at a wonderful little coffee shop along the way...



And got two specials…

Irish Crème Steamers…Mmmmmm

The air was crisp, and the mugs of hot sweet goodness went down so smoothly…



We sat outside…

And just relaxed…



The fire was so mesmerizing…

It just calms the spirit…

I remarked to DH that I could do this every day…He said twice a day…



Once home again, Hubby fixed the oven…

It had been going out for awhile, and I was just limping along with it...But rather than buying a new one, we thought that we would save money and just purchase an element…

One element…



For $150! Is that crazy or what?!

There was an adorable vintage-looking stove/oven combo (ours are separate) that I would have loved!

It didn’t have any frills…No self-cleaning oven…No digital time clock or buttons (read "less to go wrong")…And it was gas to boot, which I prefer…For only $300!

So, by the time the other element goes out...And I think that it may be already...We could have purchased a whole new unit for the same price…

Oh well…One week and $150 later…I at least have a working oven again, and for that I am thankful…



While he worked, I whipped up a quick little meal…

I had some thawed chicken breasts that needed to be cooked…

I had been planning on making enchiladas (kind of like last week when I just happened to ask DH to bring in the frozen turkey from the garage freezer so that I could cook it up and the oven decided to go on the fritz…;)…

So, without an oven, I par-boiled the chicken breasts, seasoned them with salt, pepper, onion powder, and chicken bouillon granules, and cut them into chunks…Being that I was on a short time-frame, this made the juices infuse the meat nicely and more expediently...



They cooked in the seasoned broth, which I then served over some quick-cook brown rice...



I buttered and peppered the beans, and it made for a fast and tasty little meal.



I’ll most likely make my enchiladas tomorrow, then, with the left-over turkey I’ve been keeping…

We had to run out one more time for necessities…Milk, bread, and the like, so loaded up Bob Dog, and off we went…

Had to stop for a tasty treat milk shake…Don’t know why I’ve been craving them so much lately, as I’m not generally a big ice cream eater…



While we sat in the car and ate our treats…Dog ran (or rather meandered around the car wondering why we weren’t coming out…

Then home again…Home again…Sweet sweet home…

And so that was the end to our perfect day!

Have a wonderful Sunday, and I pray that we will all make it a blessed Sabbath…

ORGANIZATIONAL REPORT AND A FRUGAL OUTFIT

BE MORE ORGANIZED…

Last week didn’t go super well; in fact, I think that I only got one of my rooms cleaned for my night chores.

Every morning with the exception of one, however, found a neat and tidy bedroom.

I am ending my week with Saturdays from here on out. I actually started on a Wednesday, but traditional weeks are easier to keep track of.

So…This is week three, and it has gone quite well so far. Yesterday, I got my wash all done, and although I didn’t get it folded last night, I did so tonight and also did my ironing, which is Tuesday’s chore. So, we have 100% so far! What a great feeling!

Tomorrow is the weekly cleaning of my bedroom. I have noticed that it will be quite a bit easier to keep up doing things this way. For instance, laundry this week was a fraction of what it was last week, and I know that my bedroom will be easier tomorrow than before, which only makes sense.

MINI-GOAL FOR THE WEEK…

I will be organizing my jewelry. This can be the last frustrating item in the morning when I am all ready to leave, go to grab my earrings and possibly a necklace, only to find that they are all tangled up! This is not only a great frustration but a time waster as well.



CONTINUE TO IMPROVE MY HEALTH WITH...BODILY
NOURISHMENT…

I have done pretty well in this area. There are always the muffins or licorice (or both ;), and there are the fast-food lunches here and there, which I need to cut back on.

On the healthy side, I have eaten my 14-grain a couple of days over the last few and a really yummy cod and veggie dinner as well. Hmmm, that was SO tasty! I seasoned it with real butter, Celtic sea salt, and dill…Divine



CONTINUE TO IMPROVE MY HEALTH WITH EXERCISE…

Exercise hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been horrible either. Pup and I have walked a couple of times…I always walk in the deep snow where possible to get that extra cardio and lower-body work out.



QUIT WHINING AND JUST DO!

Hmmmmmm…I guess that I have done alright in the non-whining category. I do still have a lot of room for improvement. What helps me is to actually take action on things that may not even seem possible. That way, I am doing something constructive and putting positive wheels in motion whether that particular thing comes to fruition or not.

FRUGALITY…

I dislike shopping. I blame my mom (in an endearing way, of course). She drug us kids around ALL the time to clothing stores, furniture stores, grocery stores, and any other kind of store that existed. This isn’t all bad, however. Because I detest shopping, I hardly every do it (clothes that is).

I NEVER go to the mall, and when I do clothes shop it is at second-hand stores generally. I love a good deal.

In the past, I was fortunate to inherit garments from Mom. She retired and no longer needed her dress clothes and so passed many on to me.

I also keep my clothes for a very long time. So, all in all, my clothing expenses are extremely low.

Here is an outfit that I wore one day last week…

My new camera doesn’t sit on its end, so I had to hold the camera, which didn’t allow for very good views, but you’ll get the basic idea.

The jacket was a mom hand-me-down…



I purchased this black skirt at a thrift shop for probably about $7.00…



The black under tee was purchased recently for $10. I got them to wear under my work tops. The store had a special going, wherein I was able to buy four and receive one free!



This gold star is such a treasure to me. It is the mother’s pin that I received when my son became an Eagle Scout…That was a great honor.



To continue the gold theme, I wore my one pair of gold earrings (I am usually a silver person)…These were given to me as a birthday present several years back by my mom and dad.



The last item of jewelry is the necklace. Hubby and I went on the Christmas Stroll, which is held every year down town at Christmas time. We stopped into a fun antique shop, and I spied this vintage necklace for $3.00.



Not shown are my boots. They are a full-length black leather boot, which I purchased at…gasp…the mall! Don’t ask me why I was there other than Penny’s has some pretty good sales and I probably needed some for work. I paid $30 and have had them probably since the winter of 2004 or so. So, they have only cost me about $5.00a year to wear.



TOTAL COST OF OUTFIT…

Jacket Free
Skirt $7.00
Under tee $10.00
Gold pin Free
Gold earrings Free
Necklace $3.00
Boots $5.00 (price for this year’s wear)

Total $25.00

Now, that is rather high. However, each year that I have the skirt and under tee will decrease their price points. Since these are both items that I have purchased within the last year, they are still at full value.

I have so much fun realizing that a woman can look put together for a little of nothing, and why not?!