More Tiny Houses!

I'm pretty sure it's no secret that I love tiny houses!   These Arched Cabins are just amazing!
From the outside it doesn't look very big.  It doesn't look very spacious and inviting.  Of course the decorations help make it look "homier." I do love the pink elephant!

Once you step inside you see how amazing these Arched Cabins really are. These cabins can be as high as 19' tall and widths of 14'-24'.  The average cost is $200-$320 per linear foot.




What a beautiful kitchen!


It can have an amazing bathroom as well.


These cabins come in an assortment of sizes and options.  I've even posted a cool video of a Arched Cabin being assembled.


Sources:

• http://www.jumblejoy.com/behind-these-doors?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=facebook&sr_source=lift_facebook&utm_campaign=774323689317829
• http://archedcabins.com/videos.html
• 
  

Coupon Mom - Organize and Print Coupons.

I love coupons!  Why pay full price when you can get it for less?  I easily become bored and discouraged with things but CouponMom.com makes it really easy for me to see what stores around me are offering good sales and if there are any printable coupons as well as what ones match from the newspaper.
When you get to the website you will want to create an account and sign in to have full access.  It's free!  After you sign in click on Grocery Deals near the top.  Then you can choose a store or look at Grocery deals by state.  I'm going to choose Target to walk you through.
Click on Target Deals List.  If you scroll down you will see the Description of the deal.  This page shows the sales price, if there's a manufacturer's coupon, store coupon, gift card, final price, and what you saved.  There may also be links below the item for electronic coupons, printable coupons, and cash back offers (Ibotta). 
For the purpose of this article I'm looking at Target Deals 4/12-4/18.  During this time the first item on the list is "Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar (1.55 oz. only)--FREE with coupon link."  There's a link below that says Electronic Coupons.  The link takes me to the SavingStar website. After I log in it takes me to another page where it shows the coupon and I click "I Want This!"
Let's go back to CouponMom.com.  There are small boxes next to each item in the list for sale.  You can click the items you want and have the list sent to you as well.  You will also notice next to the boxes there may be a code like 03-29 R2 or 03-08 S.  These codes tell you where to look for the paper manufacturer's coupons you've collected from the newspaper.  The first part is the date the coupons was published in the newspaper the second part shows which set like SmartSource.
If you already use coupons or are looking into getting started using coupons this site is a great resource.  I don't do a lot of shopping so I only use it when I'm purchasing something specific or going to a specific store, especially Target.

"No Poo" Journey Hair Diary

DATE	WHAT I DID	RESULTS
1/5/2015	Regular Wash/Condition+leave in conditioner.	Hair felt normal but scalp was dry.
1/6/2015	Nothing	Itcy and dry scalp, minimal oil.
1/7/2015	Dry shampoo scalp using baby poder in my hair overnight	Not oily but scalp was still dry.
1/8/2015	Nothing	A little oily and itchy but front of scalp still dry.
1/9/2015	Baking Soda/Regular Conditioner	Worked great for removing excess oil from scalp but the conditioner left my scalp oily.
1/10/2015	Nothing	Hair is oily and scalp itchy, dry in front.
1/11/2015	Baking Soda/White Vinigar	Removed excess oil from scalp, a little oil in length of hair but looks good. Scalp dry in front.
1/12/2015	Nothing	A little oily around scalp but not itchy.
1/13/2015	Nothing	Oily and Itchy.
-------------	Lost Data	Lost Data
1/26/2015	BS/ACV and Plopping	Great results, beautiful wavy curls.
1/27/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
1/28/2015	Nothing	A little oily
1/29/2015	Nothing	Very oily and itchy.
1/20/2015	BS/ACV and Plopping	Again, amazing results!
1/31/2015	Clarifying conditioner only	Made hair a little oily.
2/1/2015	Nothing	Oily and Itchy.
2/2/2015	BS/ACV and Plopping	Great results! Good curls and waves.
2/3/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
2/4/2015	Nothing	More oil.
2/5/2015	Baby powder near roots to soak up oil.	Improved oily appearance of hair. Scalp still itchy.
2/6/2015	Nothing	Very itchy
2/7/2015	ACV and Plopping	Looks king of oily but really curly.
2/8/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
2/9/2015	Nothing	More oil and itch.
2/10/2015	BS/ACV and Plopping	Great results.
2/11/2015	Braid at night, BBB, light misting.	Good results, minimal oil.
2/12/2015	Braid at night, BBB, light misting.	Good results, minimal oil.
2/13/2015	Nothing	minimal oil
2/14/2015	Nothing	A little more oil.
2/15/2015	Nothing	Pretty oily and itchy scalp.
2/16/2015	Nothing	Very oily and not so great smelling. :(
2/17/2015	BS and Shea Butter Co-wash + plopping	Looks good but king of oily.
2/18/2015	Nothing	Still a little oily.
2/19/2015	Nothing	Same amount of oil
2/20/2015	Shea Butter Co-wash	Just made my scalp produce more oil.
2/21/2015	Nothing	Pretty oily and itchy scalp.
2/22/2015	BS/ACV+Tea+Plopping.	The tea is hibiscus, elderberry, and black currant and it made me smell like a red pixie stick in a good way.
2/23/2015	Nothing	Oily
2/24/2015	Cocoa Powder	Soaked up excess oil, scalp felt pretty good and it smelled amazing!
2/25/2015	Scritch and Preen and Aloe on dry areas.	I just discovered these maneuvers. This is something I will be continuing.
2/26/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
2/27/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
2/28/2015	Nothing	Pretty oily and itchy scalp.
3/1/2015	BS/ACV/Tea Rinse	Red pixie sticks again!
3/2/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/3/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/4/2015	Nothing	More oil.
3/5/2015	Nothing	Pretty oily and itchy scalp.
3/6/2015	BS/ACV+Plopping	Great results! Good curls and waves.
3/7/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/8/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/9/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/10/2015	Nothing	Pretty oily and itchy scalp.
3/11/2015	BS/Mask (Banana, aloe, coconut milk, and egg)+ACV+ Plopping.	Great results, hair feels really good and smells pretty good.  The mixture smells like banana bread, lol.
3/12/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/13/2015	Nothing + Braided hair at night	Minimal oil
3/14/2015	Added oil to ends.	Ends were dry.
3/15/2015	Mask/ACV	Another great result!
3/16/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/17/2015	Added oil to ends.	Ends were dry again.
3/18/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/19/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/20/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/21/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/22/2015	Water Only Wash+Preen & Scritch.	I did a very thourough job scritching and preening prior to my water only washing. During the wash and preeened and detangled.  I was amazed at the results because I'm pretty sure I have hard water and sulfur in the water.  My hair was a little oily but by the end of the night it had soaked it all up.  It looked amazing.  Scalp wasn't as itchy.
3/23/2015	Nothing - Preened and detangled	Minimal oil
3/24/2015	Nothing - Preened and detangled	Minimal oil
3/25/2015	Nothing - Preened and detangled	Minimal oil
3/26/2015	Nothing - Brushed	Oily and Itchy.
3/27/2015	Nothing - Brushed	Pretty oily and itchy scalp.
3/28/2015	Braided and added Tea Tree Oil Blend	Hair is a little oily but the length and ends feel fabulous.  I purchased some tea tree oil from the store.  It's a blend of oils.  So far the itching has subsided from anywhere I applied it.
3/29/2015	Preen & Scritch+Water only watch+Tea Tree Oil.	dry scalp better with tea tree oil - felt nice and sort of dry afterwards.
3/30/2015	Tea Tree Oil at hairline	dry scalp.
3/31/2015	Water Only Wash+Preen & Scritch.	Still slightly oily but refreshed.
4/1/2015	Tea Tree Oil at hairline	A little oily.
4/2/2015	Cornstarch+Cocoa powder near my scalp and tea tree oil blend on my ends. Tied in a bun over night.	Was greasy at the scalp and weighed down.  Ends were dry and tangled. Brushed then treated.
4/3/2015	Braided it and added tea tree oil to ends and front of scalp.	A little greasy but mostly soft.
4/4/2015	Pony-tail and tea tree oil to ends and scalp	A little dry in length
4/5/2015	Braided and added Tea Tree Oil Blend	A little greasy.
4/6/2015	Water Only Wash+Preen & Scritch.	a little oily.
4/7/2015	Cornstarch+Cocoa powder near my scalp and tea tree oil blend on my ends. Braided overnight	pretty good hair day
4/8/2015	Nothing, Braided at night	a little oily
4/9/2015	Detangled and pulled back all day	pretty good hair day
4/10/2015	Nothing - braided	pretty greasy/waxy
4/11/2015	Preen & Scritch + AO with ACV	feels soft but maybe a bit waxy.
4/12/2015	Nothing
4/12/2015	Nothing	a little greasy
4/14/2015	Nothing	more greasy
4/15/2015	Wash w/ Dr. Bronners + ACV rinse and peppermint oil.
4/16/2015	Nothing
4/17/2015	Nothing
4/18/2015	Nothing
4/19/2015	Wash w/Cocoa and Cornstarch + Shea Co Wash and Vinegar Rinse w/cold water and plopping.	Great results! Good curls and waves.
4/20/2015	Nothing
4/21/2015	Nothing
4/22/2015	Nothing	Greasy in the back and top a little
4/23/2015	Wash w/Cocoa and Cornstarch and Vinegar Rinse w/cold water and plopping.	greasy on the ends and back
4/24/2015	Nothing	kind of greasy
4/25/2015	Nothing	Really greasy all over
4/26/2015	Egg and Honey mask/wash	Felt like "real hair."
4/27/2015	Nothing	Great
4/28/2015	Nothing	Great
4/29/2015	Nothing	Starting to get oily.
4/30/2015	Nothing	A little oily
5/1/2015	Cocoa Powder and Cornstarch - Shea live in conditioner. Plopping	Super curly and not oily but very shiny.
5/2/2015		curly and shiny
5/3/2015	Went Swimming in chlorinated pool
5/4/2015	Egg and Honey mask/wash	Felt great a little dry on ends
5/5/2015	No wash
5/6/2015	No wash
5/7/2015	No wash
5/8/2015	Cocoa powder and Cornstarch dry
5/9/2015	No wash	Itchy
5/10/2015	no wash	Really itchy
5/11/2015	Egg and Orange Blossom Honey Mask/Wash + Plopping	Great results! Good curls and waves.
5/12/2015	No wash
5/13/2015	No wash
5/14/2015	No wash
5/15/2015	Cocoa powder and Cornstarch Wash and Shea Butter CoWash Rinse + plopping.	Great, super curly results!
5/16/2015	No wash
5/17/2015	No wash
5/18/2015	Honey and Shea butter co-wash+plopping
5/19/2015	No wash
5/20/2015	No wash
5/21/2015	Shea Butter Co-wash + plopping
5/22/2015	Nothing
5/23/2015	Nothing
5/24/2015	shea moisture shampoo and leave in conditioner.	Just like regular shampoo/conditioner
5/25/2015	Nothing

Taking your Kids Toys Away.

I'm not a parent however I think one day I would like to be.  I enjoy educating myself on homeschooling and ways to raise children.   I read a really interesting article about what happened when a mother took her 2 daughter's toys away.

I admire parents who are able to teach their children true values in this over commercialized world that drives us to constantly buy stuff.  In an effort to be more frugal I've tried to cut many things from my life.  I don't have TV and really I feel better for it.  I do have Netflix and on occasion I may also have Hulu Plus for a month or two.  Both services together cost lest than basic cable and on Netflix I don't have to deal with commercials.  It's bliss!  

Right now I have too much stuff.  I found this mother's story inspirational despite not having children currently.  I've wanted to and need to go through my house and just get rid of as much as I can.  I don't need all of this stuff. 

The mother in the story decided to basically strip her daughter's bedroom.  She removed every toy and even their plush pottery barn comforter. She started and after a few minutes without prompting her daughters joined her in the removal process. The room was just basic, clean, and uncluttered.

Now instead of constantly cleaning their room they can read or color or play games involving their imagination together.  The girls actually say they enjoy not having so many toys because now they can just play and not really have to clean.

She didn't throw their toys away, in fact she kept some in a tub and would allow them to occasionally play with one toy at a time.  The mother noticed that instead of fighting over things her children fought rarely.

Before the removal they had went on a family trip to Orlando, Florida and the girls often asked for things. One of the girls was fixated on Build-your-own-dinosaur and they basically had to divert her attention to make her realize all of the great things they did.  On their most recent outing after the purge her daughters looked but didn't ask for things.  The girls were just content in being in the moment and could fully take in what they were experiencing.  

Maybe less is more?  I do think it's better to raise children without materialistic expectations.  I can tell you without a doubt in my mind I remember more times I had fun playing outside in the grass or in the creek than playing with any single toy. 

Here's the original article if you would like to check it out:
http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2012/09/14/why-i-took-all-my-kids-toys-away-why-they-wont-get-them-back/

Savings Catcher from Wal-Mart

I wish I could say I could completely stop shopping at Wal-Mart but alas they are cheap and my budget is tight and so there are some things I must buy there.  The two things I buy there most often are cat food and litter. 

I have a cat who has food allergies and they are the only store that carries Evolve which seams to ease her allergies.  Yes, I know I can buy it on Amazon but the 3 lb. bag that I get at Wal-Mart for $4.88 costs $9.99 + shipping on Amazon.  This 3 lb. bag lasts my 2 cats about 2 weeks so for me it's a great buy because it's food that is better for them and better for my budget.  I also switched to this silica litter which I seem to use less of as well.

Anyhow, this article isn't about cats it's about Wal-Mart's Savings Catcher. 
If you have a smartphone just download the Wal-Mart app and Savings Catcher is built in.
Create an account if you don't already have one and Savings Catcher will be ready to use.
**This app is also useful if you get your prescriptions filled at Wal-Mart of if you like shopping online.  You can also use the app to check the inventory of your local store to see if they may have what you need before you leave the house.
Every time you purchase items at Wal-Mart you will see a QR code at the bottom of your receipt.

The QR code will look something like the image above.
All you do is log into your app, go to Savings Catcher and Scan the code.
Then the app will scan several competing stores to see if anyone is offering a lower price.  If they are then you get your money back!
Money is added to your Savings Catcher account and you can redeem your award in the form of an eGift card or you can transfer it to your Bluebird Account.  You can then use this money to buy more things at Wal-Mart.
I know....it's a vicious cycle but hey, what can you do.  If you're going to shop there you might as well save some money.

https://savingscatcher.walmart.com/