I’ve had a pile of sweet treasures from my kids collecting on a shelf in our living room for a few years. Everything from Mother’s Day cards to a certificate they were awarded. I regularly had to dust it because we live in the high desert and dust is ever present.  Have you ever finished a project and looked back to think, now WHY IN THE WORLD did it take me so long to do something about that.  Easy. Cheap. Quick.  This is one of those projects.

Like many of you I’ve been inspired by Marie Kondo’s Netflix Special to get organized and to declutter in 2019 – this topped my list of areas I needed to tackle. Now she doesn’t necessarily promote frugalness at $89 for a set of small boxes  that get this are SOLD OUT! However her tip to store things in pretty boxes resonated with me.  Immediately I knew I needed a box for these keepsakes.  I planned to look around next time I was in town at various stores, likely Hobby Lobby.

A day or so passed and I was putting something away in our closet when I realized I already had the perfect box – a large box sitting empty that once held my Sorel snow boots.  It was perfect!  I grabbed an old falling apart music book that I picked up at a garage sale with the intention of using the sheets of music for a craft project and I knew this was just.that.project.  I then grabbed a bottle of Elmers Glue from the days when the kids were making slime and a paint brush.  I painted glue on the box and began to trim and piece together the music sheets.  I suggest painted the glue on to keep it pretty thin, big globs of glue would just make the paper bubble up.  This was one of those projects that gives instant gratification, within minutes it was done and my treasures were placed inside with PLENTY of room for new memories to be added.

I get that this was overly simple and really didn’t need a whole blog post dedicated to it, except that maybe you’re like me – putting off a project that will in the end be easy peasy and leave you feeling that spark of joy!   If you’re not the crafty type I spotted some storage boxes here and you don’t have to leave the house!

There’s a GREAT 30% off Seventh Generation coupon available right now on Amazon, the deals are endless especially when you combine the coupon with Subscribe & Save!  Note that the 30% off coupon applies to your first order only, which means you need to be choosy on which deal you plan to use it on.

Seventh Generation Paper Towels, 100% Recycled Paper, 2-ply, 6-Count (Pack of 4) as low as $18.50 shipped 

Seventh Generation Toilet Paper, Bath Tissue, 100% Recycled Paper, 24 Count (Pack of 2) as low as $14.95 shipped

Seventh Generation Baby Concentrated Laundry Detergent, Fresh Scent, 40 oz, 2 Pack (106 Loads) as low as $15.39 shipped

Seventh Generation Free & Clear Baby Wipes, Thick & Strong with Flip Top Dispenser, 768 Count as low as $16.48 shipped

Seventh Generation Organic Super Absorbency Cotton Tampons with Comfort Applicator, 18 Count (Pack Of 2) as low as $9,44 shipped

This isn’t going to be a popular post amongst many people, that includes many of my friends however I just can’t keep this to myself.  I’ve been buying (and on the rare occasion selling) Young Living Oils for over 4 years now – without fail I’ve spent a minimum of $50/month.  That’s a minimum of $2,400 spent on YL essential oils since I signed up in Nov. 2014 but it’s closer to $4,000 I believe.  Cost aside – there’s no arguing what these oils have done for my family and for our health however I’ve never been on the island that says this brand is THE ONLY brand that works.

I wanted to share that I’ve also been researching a new brand that isn’t a direct sales company. I don’t necessarily have anything against an MLM however we are on a serious budget and I recently discovered Plant Therapy brand of essential oils. I finally had time to sit down tonight and compare prices. WOW. It’s a world of difference. When I read through the reviews on the Plant Therapy website it’s hard to ignore the results many customers are having and I’m sorry but let’s get back to cost – in many cases I’m seeing a savings of AT LEAST 50% plus there are a number of other perks including but not limited to…

FREE shipping (on ALL orders) and FREE returns!
Earn 10 points for every $1 spent
Earn points for a variety of other actions (connecting on Facebook, Instagram, etc)
Refer your friends – give $10, get $10 – sign up through this link and you’ll get $10 off your purchase of $25 or more.

I even spotted this handy dandy page that compares Plant Therapy oils to Young Living and Doterra so you know which ones they suggest as a comparable replacement.

I have never known enough about YL oils to sell it wholeheartedly I’m just not that smart but I know the big push behind the brand is their seed to seal guarantee.  All I can say is I recommend you take some time to read through and watch the videos on the LEARN page of Plant Therapy website.  I’ll be honest, it’s a little scary stepping outside of what I’ve known to be “truth” but who’s with me?  There quite simply can’t be only ONE (or two) companies with the holy grail. To my friends and family that I’ve recommended YL oils to – please understand I still 100% stand behind their oils but I just cannot say with certainty that there’s only one way to go.  Even with the highest level of Essential Rewards discount (25% rewards earned when you spend $50 a month) the prices can’t be compared.  Plus throw in free shipping and Plant Therapy quite simply has a leg up and it’s a company that I just couldn’t keep from sharing about.  I’ll update you all with my first impressions as soon as my first order arrives. Then I plan to use them for a good 30 days at least in place of the YL oils that I currently use daily to get a good idea for whether or not they’ll be an effective replacement or not.

So that’s that.  I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts…who knows maybe I’ll discover you REALLY do get what you pay for!

UPDATE WITH A FEW THOUGHTS now that a few of the oils I use regularly have arrived…

SMELL. First off I did a blind smell test with my kids – in almost every case they said that the Plant Therapy oils weren’t as strong smelling.  It didn’t offend their noses but with each of the YL oils they pulled back and wrinkled up their noses. I didn’t expect that, I expected the Plant Therapy oils to smell just as potent and in the end I am not sure that means anything really but it was something that I wanted to mention.

I then decided to diffuse Bergamot & Sweet Orange and let me tell you that any lack of “potency” was not noticed in the diffuser.  My house smelled amazing!!  We diffuse regularly, it’s not a rare occasion by any means.  However the first words out of our 17 year old’s mouth who came home from a day of babysitting was “wow, what is that smell – it smells so good in here!”

VISCOSITY. I did noticed when dropping the oils into the diffuser that they seemed to come out a little faster, so I realized quickly that I had to pay a little more attention so as to not overuse the oils.  YL oils seem to take forever to drop which has it’s ups and downs, when I am in a hurry it feels like an eternity but it also prevents me from wasting the oils. Now I was thinking it could simply be the design of the bottle – the opening may be larger since the bottles themselves hold twice as much as the YL oils.  In fact I don’t doubt that’s the case because in the situation I mentioned here I was dropping from a 100ml bottle of sweet orange – that’s massively larger than your typical 15ml bottle.

COST. Lastly we have to talk about the cost, there is a WORLD of difference in the cost.  We simply can’t ignore it. I posted an image above comparing the cost of 2 of the oils I use regularly and it’s mind boggling.  Of course in YL defence if you do sign up as a distributor you get a discount AND if you commit to spending $50 a month you can earn credit to spend on a future order.  However on top of their already high prices you also have to pay a minimum of $6.99 for each shipment.  I love, love, love that Plant Therapy offers FREE shipping on all orders with no minimum purchase required.

All in all we are committing to switch out our YL oils for Plant Therapy as we go along and as we run out.  If I find that one doesn’t work better or smell as good as a YL oil I will continue to order what works, but I’ll admit I’ll be surprised if I end up in the YL camp because quite simply I can’t afford to. 

Everything pictured here was ONLY $29.86 shipped! 

If I avoid the stores, even and sometimes especially the grocery stores I save money. So I’ve been ordering some basics on Amazon, keeping a list as we run out of things and taking advantage of Prime Pantry’s low $35 free shipping threshold. It’s proven very effective! If and when I begin ordering more often I will likely consider signing up for the Prime Pantry Membership, for $4.99 a month you get free shipping on ALL Prime Pantry orders of $10 or more.  That’s a crazy good deal but I am not there yet.

For now though, all Amazon Prime Members can take advantage of some really awesome Prime Pantry savings  at no extra cost. First you get FREE shipping with orders of $35 or more (before coupons). Pair the coupons with the buy 5, save $6 promo, and save even more on clearance items!!

I spotted this Prime Wardrobe thing a while back and filed it away in my brain to look into after the holidays.

Try BEFORE you buy! Literally order, try it on (you have 7 days to make sure you like it) then pay for what you want to keep and send the rest back for FREE! They even give you a box! Shopping online for clothes for myself usually entails finding exactly the same item I already have just in another color – playing it SAFE basically.  This opens a whole new world of opportunities!

Anyways here’s how it works...

It quite literally seems like PERFECTION for those of us who either don’t have time or just hate to shop, in my case especially for clothes.  I’ll be giving it a try next time I need a new piece or two for sure!

Amazon Prime members get free shipping, otherwise you can get free shipping with an order of $25 or more, or if you haven’t signed up for Amazon Prime yet you can get a FREE 30 day trial membership. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. 

Apples, apples, and more apples! We recently had an apple truck lose it’s load in our town, this has actually happened 3 times in the 3 years we’ve lived here twice with apples and once with potatoes.  As a result the company decided to write off the load as an insurance claim and then they distributed TRUCK LOADS of apples to local churches, food banks, etc.  After all was said and done our church still had about 2,000 lbs of apples left so my daughter brought home two 40lbs boxes plus a few extra bags.  They were begging the congregation to take them!

At first we used the traditional method of making apple sauce (chop, boil, then use the food mill).  Well that’s the traditional method that I know of.  However we quickly learned that it took a whole bunch of apples to make a single quart of applesauce.  Also my food mill was a piece of junk and it took way too long to process the cooked apples.  What we ended up doing was genius, if I do say so myself.  Basically we used the apple/peeler/corer and canned the apples in small slices with plain water. We were able to get 3 to 4 apples in a jar this way.  Before we did this to the whole bunch of apples I wanted to test my theory. I waited for a jar to cool and then strained out the water and dumped the rest of the apples into my food processor, added 1 tsp of sugar and a little cinnamon.  Turned that puppy on and in just a couple of minutes we had DELICIOUS apple sauce! Everyone was thrilled.  I don’t think it necessarily takes less apples but the amount of work and mess was much more tolerable and we don’t have to commit to applesauce for the rest of our lives.  We can use the apple in a variety of ways when we choose to.

We were also blessed to get screamin’ hot deal on this food dehydrator several years back (just $75 off a Facebook group!) So we also dehydrated a good portion of the apples, delicious I tell you! I’m inspired to get this dehydrator out more often, I’ll admit it’s too often that fruit, especially bananas spoil in our house and I could have prevented some of the loss by dehydrating the fruit before it’s tossed out to the chickens. Not that it’s a total waste but I’d prefer the kids eat the bananas first.

Do you have any favorite apple recipes?  Have you canned apples before?  Other than applesauce this was a first for me as far as apples go.  I’m always so intimidated by canning but every time I am reminded how simple it really is, I will absolutely be doing this more when our garden starts producing again!

6 carbs TOTAL for the whole crust – grain free, sugar free, and they passed the picky teenager test!  The BEST cauliflower pizza crust around! I keep a deep freezer full of it when these big sales come around! – Denise

Have you made resolutions or goals this year?  Maybe one of them includes getting healthy in the new year.  Have you considered eating less carbs or maybe going #keto? Let me tell you the story of how we cut carbs and helped save Mr. Frugal’s life!

One hundred percent no joke, 6 months ago Mr. Frugal lost over 40lbs over the course of 6-8 weeks, we were very scared. He was very weak, extremely exhausted, and spent more hours laying down than he did up and about. He was only 185 and 6′ tall to start so this was very alarming. Thankfully we had a diagnosis quickly after seeing the doctor and it wasn’t our biggest fear (cancer) but it turned out to be a LIFE CHANGING one nonetheless.

Type 1 Diabetes – adult onset  which is becoming more and more understood today but still associated with children and as a result many adults are misdiagnosed. It’s an autoimmune disease where your pancreas stops producing insulin altogether and you’re forced to take insulin injections multiple times a day for the rest of your life. We have chosen to adopt a #lowcarb lifestyle to aid in his journey to regain his health and avoid the blood sugar rollercoaster. It’s not been easy, but finding a tool like these pizza crusts that give him a sense of normalcy in his life again had us thrilled! I’m a Trim Healthy Mama and these crusts are on plan for me too! Healthy fats, low carb, lots of non-starchy vegetables, and no sugar is the name of our game.

Having these cauliflower pizza crusts in the freezer has made such a difference! It’s so much easier to eat healthier with the right tools. #keto friendly and #lowcarb #nosugar #glutenfree

SO normally we don’t share a whole lot of recipes here at TFF however we DO share deals and this is a great one!!  Right now you can get FREE shipping on all orders at Cali’flour Foods with prices as low as $5.50 per crust shipped! Use the code “5for55” to get a 5 pack bundle (10 crusts total) for $55 shipped!

Here’s what a few of our readers had to say on Facebook…

The BEST cauliflower pizza crust around! I keep a deep freezer full of it when these big sales come around! – Denise

These are super good and easy to just grab to make a quick dinner/lunch! – Teresa

They are the best thing ever! <3 them – Jeni

GREAT DEAL! Tell the world and share with friends, family, and clients – Jennifer

Obviously this is just a tool, it doesn’t replace any medical advice or treat any conditions.  It’s just a pizza crust that tastes DELICIOUS and will help you on your journey to a healthier lifestyle.

Need a gift quickly?  First off if it’s 12/22 or 12/23 you may be able to shop Amazon’s Last Minute Gifts section and still have your gift arrive before Christmas.

Here are our top 10 last minute gift ideas…

#1 Send the gift of Prime, $33 for 3 months or $99 for a year! This is the gift that keeps on giving,

There is a HUGE Hasbro Game sale! Choose from games like Yahtzee, Operation, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Trouble, and more! Prices as low as $4.99 shipped but they are selling out fast!

Connect 4 Game Amazon Exclusive – $5.99 (reg. $11.99)

Candy Land Disney Princess Edition Game Board Game  – $12.99 (reg. $19.99)

Hasbro Gaming Monopoly Speed Die Edition – $8.99 (reg. $19.99)

Trivial Pursuit Game: Classic Edition – $12.19 (reg. $24.99)

Jenga Pass Challenge – $12.99 (reg. $19.99)

Cars 3 Trouble Board Game – $7.86 (reg. $16.99)

Cars 3 Monopoly Junior Board Game – $8.28 (reg. $16.99)

DreamWorks Trolls in Trouble Game – $8.44 (reg. $14.99)

Yahtzee Game – $4.89 (reg. $12)

Hasbro Scrabble Crossword Game – $9.29 (reg. $16.99)

Amazon Prime members get free shipping, otherwise you can get free shipping with an order of $25 or more, or if you haven’t signed up for Amazon Prime yet you can get a FREE 30 day trial membership. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change.