oil free hair method

I have a friend (I'm not going to mention her name because I don't know if she wants to be known on the web) who asked me if I had come up with a homemade shampoo yet. Well, that one is tricky. Some things are just cheaper to purchase at the store. I don't buy the cheapest shampoo because I am particular with my hair type, but I don't buy salon shampoo. I start from the cheapest work my way up until I find one that works for me. I'm sure there are natural/organic (without added chemicals) shampoos available, but I'm not familiar with them.

My friend went on to tell me that she has very oily hair to the point that she doesn't even use conditioner. I have read in the past that you can do a quick dry wash shampoo with baking soda if you are pressed for time. You sprinkle baking soda on your hair, leave it in a minutes or two and comb it out. I gave it a try recently. It made my naturally dry hair feel even dryer. Not to mention, that it was also very difficult to run a comb through my curly hair. So in my theory this method would work very well for my friend and anyone else who has very oily hair. If you try this, please leave a comment and let me and others know how it works for you.

frugal weight watcher's

After discovering that I have gained 10 lbs. instead of losing it, I have decided to start counting Weight Watcher's points again. It's such a great program and it works as long as one has "will power". Oh, those dreaded phrases.."will power" and "self control"...the opposite of giving into temptation. Why does it have to be so hard? It's just food, right? Tim has agreed to support me by eating the food I make as long as it's not labeled "fat free". I am at the end of my second day and I feel great! I am so afraid of eating too much that I have points left over at the end of the day. Now I have the challenge of figuring out how to eat healthier and being frugal about it. Dieting or eating healthier can be more expensive.
I also get support from Dottie's Weight Loss Zone. There I can get points for restaurants, recipes, chat with other's and more. I heard about 3 Fat Chicks in a WW meeting a long time ago, but just now visited the web site so I don't know a lot about it. I notice that it provides recipes using mostly natural ingredients instead of fat free or substitute sugars. It also provides calorie charts for food, nutrition charts for fast food and metric conversions. Also, there is a section that explains different diet fads and how they work, and fitness articles and programs (including a walking calculator). Wow, I should have look this site up a couple of years ago instead of while typing this post. Uh, I think I will be going now. I have a new web site to check out ;)

one's trash is another's treasure

Last week I sent out an email looking for used games to used in Makayla's home school curriculum. A friend sent me back the web site: freecycle.org. This site is used for people to offer things they don't want sitting around their house any longer or ask for wanted things that other people may have laying around their house. The purpose is to keep down on waste and help others in need.
First you will need to sign up for a yahoo email address if you don't have one already. When you get to the site, you will need to find the area you are in and register with the web master. It's takes some time to get approved. Once you are in, you can have emails of offers/wants sent directly to your email.
I just replied to an offer for a weed whacker. I hope we get it. I was too slow on the last offer Sunday.

natural foods...for me?

I grew up on the shelve peanut butter with sugar and preservatives in it and I like it just fine. I bought a jar of Smucker's peanut butter because of the unspoken pressure of Lori (sister-by-law) and Helen (mother-by-law). Helen had bought Kroger's natural peanut butter before, but if I had to go on that I would have stuck with my old ways. Now that I've eaten 3/4 of the jar I think I can live with it. The crunchy version tastes a lot like peanuts so all I have to do is convince my mind that the sugar is not necessary.
While I was grocery shopping yesterday, I looked up flax seed that's mentioned to make healthier recipes. I couldn't find the wheat germ, but I found wheat gluten which is not suppose to be quite the same. I guess I will check out other stores for wheat germ.
I can't believe I am even looking for these foreign cooking items. I never would have thought I would go this far. Either frugal life secretly changes ones habits or Lori and Elizabeth have some kind of unspoken influence on me. I'm not converted yet, but this could be the beginning.

baking soda is a friend of mine

I have been reading about all the uses of baking soda. In fact my mom loaned me a book with over 500 uses for baking soda called Baking Soda by Vicki Lansky. I am amazed what this product can do. I have tried a few things with baking soda. I sprinkle it on wet cloth diapers to absorb the odor until I wash them. Friday I cleaned the bath room with baking soda and water. If you create a paste by adding a small amount of water it easily rubs off soap scum and doesn't leave a scratchy residue like Commet. In the past I have scrubbed and scrubbed the bath tub with harsh chemicals wondering how anyone ever gets that sparkling bath tub. Tim used to give me a hard time about using the harsh chemical cleaners, but all I knew to tell him was "I have to clean the bathroom." I still use my disinfecting wipes to clean the toilet. This product is a very cheap life saver, but I would not recommend using it to brush your teeth on a daily basis because it made my gums very sore.