Fire Ants Remedy
Pour raw grits down the ant hill hole. The grits kill off the ants and are safe for children and pets.
Grits is a Native American corn-based food common in the Southern United States, consisting of coarsely ground corn. It is similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world such as polenta. You can find it in the cereal section at your local grocery store.
Make Your Own Origins Salt Rub
1/2 cup sea salt
1/2 cup sweet almond oil (you can also use extra virgin olive oil but almond oil is nicer & rinses off more easily)
4 natural vitamin E capsules - Censored with a sterilized pin and squeeze contents into mixture
6 - 10 drops each of the following essential oils - peppermint, pennyroyal, orange, spearmint and rosemary (this combination is important if you really want to recreate the wonderful aromatherapy of Origins Salt Rub)
Mix all ingredients well and allow to sit for at least one hour before first use. Massage lightly into the skin with a light touch until you are used to it. Rinse skin thoroughly. No need to apply lotion after using this!
Store in a well sealed jar. Origins uses a heavy glass jar with a hinged and rubber gasket sealed lid that works well and can be found in most craft stores. Obviously, always use caution with glass in the bath area.
Does HUD Owe You a Refund?
| Beware of "tracers" who offer to help you collect your refund for a fee. Although this practice is not illegal, you can get your refund directly from HUD for free. |
If you had an FHA-insured mortgage, you may be eligible for a refund from HUD/FHA.
For more information about refunds from HUD/FHA, read their fact sheet.
Search the HUD database to find out if you are due a refund
- Enter your last name or
- enter your FHA case number (first 3 digits, a dash and the next 6 digits, example, 051-456789).
Yes, it's that simple! So don't pay for something you can do yourself in just a few seconds!
Home Made Oxiclean
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide.
Mix together & soak clothing for at least 30 minutes up to overnight. Then wash as usual.
This works great. If in doubt test fabric in an inconspicuous spot.
Make Your Own Gatorade
1 pkg any flavor unsweetened beverage mix (Koolaid)
8 tbsp sugar (or 10 packets of sweetener for sugar-free drink)
3/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp salt substitute (potassium chloride)
2 quarts water
In a 2 quart pitcher, mix together above ingredients.
Sodium is 110 mg and potassium is 38 mg per 8 oz serving.
Cost is about 40ยข per 2 quarts, compared to $2.75 per 2 quarts of Gatorade.
14 Tips on Saving Money on Your Heating and Air Conditioning Bill
1. Weather-strip doors and windows and be sure that the door sweeps on
the bottom of your doors are in good condition. This is the easiest &
most inexpensive thing you can do for big changes in your home's
ability to hold the cool air inside.
2. Replace your regular window screens with solar screening. It cuts
glare and drastically reduces the transfer of heat through windows.
3. Hang thermal draperies to insulate your windows in both summer &
winter or hang mini-blinds or window shades to block direct sunlight
from heating your rooms. (TIP: Close the draperies or shades on sunny
windows and change as the sun moves around the house during the day.
You will be amazed how much cooler your house will be.)
4. Wrap cooling & heating ductwork with insulating wrap and secure
with duct tape wherever possible. This will eliminate cool/hot air
from escaping through the ductwork before it gets to your rooms.
5. Change your air filters every 30-60 days. A clean filter allows
more air flow and cleaner air for you and your family. This is
especially important for those with allergies or indoor pets.
6. Use room or ceiling fans to move the air for added comfort. It's
estimated that using ceiling fans will lower the apparent temperature
to your skin by up to 4 degrees. By doing this, you can delay turning
on the A/C until later in the day and save money.
7. Do cooking & baking as early as possible in the day. Use exhaust
fans over cooking areas to reduce heat build-up and pull steam out of
your kitchen as well.
8. Keep all exterior doors shut while your A/C is running. Even
today's multi-pane glass doors allow for heat transfer to some degree.
9. When taking a bath or shower use the exhaust fan to reduce heat and
humidity.
10. When replacing appliances, always purchase Energy Star appliances.
These appliances must reduce energy consumption by a minimum of 10% to
earn the Energy Star rating. Furthermore, there may be tax credits
available to you for installing these rated systems, some up to $300!
Your electric company may also provide additional rebates.
11. You can save us to 10% on your energy bills by dropping the
setting on your hot water temperature setting. A temperature of 120
degrees is very adequate for home uses and will save money. Setting
the temperature above 120 degrees puts your children at risk of
accidentally scalding themselves, so lower it for safety reasons too!
12. Did you know that your landscaping can also have a dramatic effect
on your energy bills? By planting deciduous trees and tall shrubs near
your home, you can reduce both heating and cooling bills. The leaves
shade in summer while the empty branches allow the sun to warm your
home in the winter.
13. Be sure to check with your electric company, fuel oil and propane
and natural gas companies to see if they have programs designed to
reduce your costs as well. Many electric companies have "time of day"
rates. Gas and oil companies have price-lock or contracted pricing
programs available. Some even have budget plans in which your total
costs for the year are calculated and then divided into twelve monthly
payments. This can be very helpful in areas where weather extremes
make heating and cooling bills change drastically.
14. Finally, when you are not going to be at home, raise the
temperature in the house by 5-8 degrees so the A/C runs fewer times
while you're gone. By turning it completely off on during the day, it
will make it harder to bring the temperature back down when you get
home. Conversely, if you leave it running to maintain a low
temperature, you'll be wasting energy, money & putting undue stress on
your air conditioner.
Written by: Connie Gardner, owner www.nurturedhome.com Traditional
Homes with Traditional Values. Resource of tips on homemaking,
cooking, home organization, gentle mothering, Attachment parenting,
breastfeeding and all issues important to women, check us out!
Article Source: http://greatarticlesformoms.com
5 Ways to Prevent House Cleaning Slavery
If you hate "cleaning day" put an end to it by marking it off your
calendar. There's an easier way to maintain a clean house than slaving
away over dust and dirt. Follow these 5 quick tips to ease your house
cleaning burden:
1. Change your expectations. Many of us fantasize about having the
perfect, spotless house. With that illusion, we often expect ourselves
to maintain a perfect home inside and out by working ourselves
frantically. It's almost as if we feel our home is a mere reflection
of ourselves as to how successful we are as a homemaker. While it's a
worthy goal to keep a clean house, our desire to portray ourselves as
"superwoman" will soon bring us to exhaustion. You have to examine
your priorities and determine where housecleaning will fit on that
list. We know that it's definitely not going to be toward the top if
we have a husband, children, a job and other required activities. Get
a good focus on what should be a reasonably "clean enough" house, and
schedule accordingly and let go the "little" things that are not
really necessary.
2. Buy colors that hide dirt and materials that resist wear. If you're
like me you're always on the lookout to save another buck or two.
However, when you're talking about a lifetime of work involved with
upkeep, opt for better quality that will last much longer. When
furniture, carpet and appliances are well-used and worn, no matter how
much you clean, everything appears more dingy giving the sense that
it's not so clean. It's impossible to wash away scrapes, scratches and
set in stains. Choose your colors carefully as well. White carpet and
white furniture may be alot of upkeep for those with children. Try
darker, mixed colors and blends that appear to keep the eye busy
looking at the designs and shades rather than looking for dust and
dirt.
3. Buy some cleaning supplies and tools to make your job easier.
There's nothing like trying to dig a well without a shovel. Invest in
some cleaning supplies and tools that will make your job of cleaning
easier and save you tons of time. I'm not one to go to the extreme on
buying every new cleaning gadget on the market. Some work and some are
just for looks. You need to decide what tasks need to be done at your
home and find the best tools and supplies to accomplish that. My two
favorite gadgets are the Swiffer duster and Mr. Clean's Magic eraser.
The Swiffer duster has extendable handles to reach up or down to dust
without stretching and bending. The duster slides between grooves and
objects saving myself lots of time and work. The magic eraser cleans
my walls, refrigerator door and other hard-to-clean surfaces making
them look almost new again.
4. Clean messes and spills while they're still fresh. This seems so
simple, yet, many of us think we'll just clean up that mess later when
we have more time...and then it takes twice as long to clean up a mess
that's dried or settled in. So, take this common sense advice
seriously and you'll save yourself lots of cleanup time later. While
we're on this topic, don't be afraid to call out for help from your
children. It's good to teach your children to help work together as a
family to accomplish tasks that need to be done. Little ones that make
messes can be taught to help clean up their own messes. Invest a
little time in teaching simple tasks like these and you'll save lots
of time and effort in house cleaning.
5. Create a daily schedule to maintain cleanliness. I hate wasting a
whole day away on cleaning. I would rather schedule 30 minutes each
day to clean the bathroom up, pick up some stray items laying around
and clean a few dirty spots along the way. You can also schedule one
day to focus on floors, one for dusting and polishing the furniture
and one for laundry and ironing, etc. There's no need to get it done
all in one day if you can schedule a little bit each day. Get most of
your cleaning done throughout the week and make your Saturdays a real
day off!
Rhonda White Mom's Work-at-Home Network wahm-announce.com
mommyaffiliates.com
Article Source: http://greatarticlesformoms.com
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