CraftyMamaMia's Frugal Living Tips

Hello and welcome to the 6th edition of CraftyMamaMia's Frugal Living Tips.

Tip #1 Grow your own fruits and veggies
Even if you live in an apartment you can grow your favorite veggies in your kitchen, even in the middle of winter. In fact I have 2 tomato plants in my kitchen that have been growing all winter, and my first tomato is growing. (Pic on Right)

There tons of information online about vegetable gardening, to help you develop the green thumb you've always wanted.


Tip #2 Save money watering your new veggie Garden
Collecting rain water is a great way to water your garden and save money on your water bill (if you don't have a well) Also if you wash dishes by hand, you can reserve the water to water your garden. Put a bucket in the shower with you to catch excess water from your shower. After you boil pasta you can reuse the water (after it cools of course) If you think of other ways you can reuse water, please leave me a comment below.

CraftyMamaMia's Tips for selling on Etsy

Welcome to the 3rd edition of "CraftyMamaMia's Tips for selling on Etsy"

Tip # 1 Descriptions
Many people would like to know the size of the item plus other details such as weight, materials, and anything else you can add to describe the item. Short descriptions may leave the customer wondering, and they will most likely pass up the item without asking the shop owner for more information.

Tip #2 Shipping
If you offer international shipping don't forget to add those to your shipping profiles. If you only stick it in your announcement an international customer may never see it and skip past your item. Don't rely on the customer to convo for international shipping prices. Here is fantastic blog with help on shipping internationally from home.
HOW TO SHIP INTERNATIONAL PACKAGES FROM HOME
and
International Rate Chart

CraftyMamaMia's Tips for selling on Etsy

Hello and Welcome to the first edition of "CraftyMamaMia's Tips for selling on Etsy" I will be blogging each week to help my readers with their Etsy Shop, or maybe you don't have an Etsy Shop, but are interested in opening one?

First I want to say selling on Etsy is not easy, you can't just list a few items and expect them to sell within a few days. It can take a month or longer to snag your first real sale.

This guide is for those who would like to make a business out of their Etsy Shop, not just a hobby.
Tip#1 Don't, no matter what even think about listing an item that is not Handmade, or it will be flagged and your shop could be closed. Of course there are 2 exceptions to this rule. You can sell crafting supplies but the first tag must be supplies. And Vintage, it must be at least 20 years old and in good condition of course, and you MUST tag it vintage as the first tag. Do not list any other mass produced items, this ruins Etsy for all of us.

Tip# 2 Photos
Every experienced seller will tell you that if your photos aren't fantastic than than you may not sell anything. When people are shopping online, they can't pick up the item and check it out. Your photos need to make them feel like they are right there with the item. They need to be clear and full of light. Take photos from more than one angle, if you make clothing use a model for pictures or even a manikin, don't just lay them out and snap a photo, buyers want to know how it looks.
If you were unlucky enough to see my shop when it first opened you know that my photos sucked big time. They were blurry and out of focus. I knew that if I wanted to advance I would need a new camera. So I spent $100 on the latest version of Kodak Easyshare. My pictures improved a lot, but I still had to work on them, for months...
Another tip for photos is consistency, either always taking the first picture at a certain angle or using the same background or both. Make them recognizable as one of your listings.

CraftyMamaMia's Frugal Living Tips

Welcome to this week's edition of CraftyMamaMia's Frugal Living Tips! Has anyone out there started saving money yet? Feel free to leave me a comment.

Tip#1 Buy Used Items
If you need something, check out several thrift stores, there are several sites online (such as Craigslist) where you can find used items and sometimes free items! There is another wonderful site called Freecycle, yep everything is FREE! They have sites for every area, and if there is no site for your area, you can apply to start one of your own. When Freecycle members want to get rid of things, instead of chucking it in the garbage, they put an ad on Freecycle. If someone comes along and needs that item they work out a time and place to go pick it up.
Yard sales are another good one, the earlier you start, the better deals you will find.

Tip #2 Saving water
If you have a monthly water bill you can save money by filling a 1/2 gallon recycled milk jug and putting it the tank in your toilet. Make sure it does not block anything, it may be a tight fit. Every time you or a family member flushes you will save 1/2 gallon of water. It adds up trust me! And don't worry your toilet will flush just fine. You may have to adjust the jug every once in a while though.

Tip#3 Eating out less
I know my family still struggles with this one when we are running late. Did you know the average person spends over $2000 a year eating out? Restaurants are very expensive, you can save a bunch by cooking your own food. If you don't have time to cook every day, you can spend one day a week doing food preparation, then your meals will be simple to fix during the week.

Do you have the willpower to stay away from fast food? I know you can do it!

If you do decide to eat out for a special occasion, I found some money saving tips for restaurants
I hope you have enjoyed my tips this week, check back next week for more tips on Frugal living.

CraftyMamaMia's Frugal Living Tips

Welcome to this weeks edition of Frugal Living Tips.
Tip #1
Energy Saving Bulbs will help you save money on your electric bill, plus they last 5 years instead of a few months. You can read more about them here.
Tip #2
Making your own Laundry detergent is much cheaper than store bought, I want to share some recipes.

Laundry Detergent
Not suitable for Cloth Diapers
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda (NOT Baking Soda)
1/2 Bar Fels Natha Laundry Bar (grated with a cheese grater)

Mix the 3 ingredients, and use 1/8 cup per load

Laundry Detergent for Cloth Diapers
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda)

Mix the 2 ingredients, Use 1/8 cup AND a squirt of Dawn (plain original Dawn dish Detergent) per load of Diapers.
Instead of Fabric softener use White vinegar, you do not want to use fabric softener on cloth diapers, residue will build up causing the diapers to stink and leak. (If this happens to you, don't despair, you can strip your diapers by washing them once with detergent and then 2-3 times in hot water with no detergent)

Not sure how to wash Cloth Diapers?
I put wet and soiled diapers in a "dry pail" (a dry pail is a trash can with lid and a waterproof liner, no water. also make sure to dump solid poop in the toilet) every 2-3 days I dump them all into the washer (liner too, after it is empty) and I do a cold rinse, then 1 hot wash with detergent, and 1 more cold rinse with vinegar.
If you have stains, hang them outside in the sun or in front of a sunny window to dry, the sun will bleach out the stains.
To save yourself more money hang them to dry, either inside or outside. I have a line inside and outside, plus a drying rack. I don't particularly like the smell of clothes after drying outside, so I only use the outside line for sunning my diapers to remove stains. I have my clothes line going through my bed room. I try to hang every load of laundry unless dry clothes are urgent.