Making the Most Out of Everything

Having kids is expensive. As a Stay at Home Mom, there were a lot of times where I wished I could make my own monetary contribution. It pays out to be a bit creative. In these series of posts, I’d like to share some of my ideas on how to stretch your budget and maximize the use of what you already got.

Fact is, we do not always have to opt to use all the fancy tools available in the market. If you read on, you’ll be amazed with the the things you can do with your everyday items.

What are the advantages?

You’d reduce the use of harsh chemicals in your home and the items cost much less. Besides, recycling can never be bad for the environment.

Here are a few examples:

Baby Powder

Eliminate oil stains from clothing (Using a powder puff, dabb the stain with baby powder, rub it then remove the excess powder. Then repeat if necessary.)

Removal of molds from books (Let the books air-dry, sprinkle some baby powder and let them stand upright for at least 24 hours then brush off any excess powder.)

Bed sheets cooler (Try sprinkling baby powder on your sheets before hopping in bed.)

Playing cards cleaner (Put the cards inside a plastic bag, sprinkle them with baby powder, then shake the bag. This will give the cards a fresh and smooth feel.)

Damage control for sand-covered kids (Sprinkle them with baby powder then brush off the sand from their bodies)

Baby Wipes

All-around cleaner (Wipes are the perfect travel companion. Never go on a road trip without an extra pack.)

Bathroom quickie (Use them to wipe the bathroom surfaces then add some shine by using a dry cleaning cloth.)

Skin soother (Because they are made for baby’s sensitive skin, they are perfect for temporarily soothing sunburnt skin.)

Makeup remover (They come in handy especially for removing stubborn makeup like eyeliner. Definitely a better alternative than the chemicals in the usual removers.)

Baby Wipes Containers

Storage container (We use our doubles for crayons, receipts and bills. Remove the label and decorate them with your kids to make cleanup more interesting for them.)

Guest boxes (Place small wallet-size maps, guides, train schedules, pocket size toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, hand sanitizer – or anything that they might need – inside the container. Again, you can either let your kids paint on them or you can wrap the lower part with a strip of nice gift wrap. You may also print out something funny like a clipart then paste it on the cover.)

Ribbon dispenser (Remove the label, place a yarn or a gift packaging ribbon, thread it through the lid then let your kids paint on the container for a personalized look.)

Shopping bag dispenser (A baby wipes container can hold up to 50 bags, if tightly squeezed. Place one container in the car and another in your kitchen as a reminder to reuse your shopping bags as often as possible.)

Photo 1 by Kennysarmy (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kennysarmy/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)