Kitchen Cabinet Project

So I decided today that after 2 months of living here and really disliking my kitchen cabinets I was going to do something about it.  I have started off by using Murphy's Oil Soap to clean the cabinets.  They were pretty nasty!!  This is a project that I would have loved to do before moving in but we had such a limited time frame it didn't work out.

Here are 2 of my before pictures.  You can see in the first one all the dirt & grime that had built up.

In this one you can see how faded the cabinets had become and it shows the brass knobs too.

Now check out the side by side of the drawers that I took.  The first one is before I cleaned with Murphy's.  The second is after cleaning and then finishing off with some Old English.  The difference is amazing!

Here is another one I took of a door that I had only 1/2 way finished with the Old English. You can really see the difference here.  I had not finished the left side yet.

And this is of the doors under the sink.  

The one on the left is finished. I had not touched the one on the right yet.

I am quite proud of myself!  I can actually live with the cabinets a while longer now.  I may even get really ambitious and decide to paint them. . still mulling that one over.  And I still need to paint the drawer pulls as I really do not like the brass.  Nothing else in the house is brass so it really doesn't match anything.

I think my next big kitchen project is going to be those counter tops.  Ugh!!  The previous owners used 12 x 12 tiles that are uneven and not level.  And then they finished it off with baseboards which also are not attached properly and are too big.  Ahhhh the joys of owning your house!  :-)  

I will be sure to update as I get the drawer knobs done.

The 23 Day Frugal Living Challenge - Day 8

Daily Goal: Determine your strategy for controlling impulse spending.

The 23 Day Frugal Living Challenge - Day 7

Daily Goal: Create a plan for de-cluttering.


For now we are just going to say that clutter is my arch-nemesis and while I hate clutter I seem to have a lot of it!  Clutter is a never ending battle for me around my house.  When I finally do find a nifty way to get a handle one it I will post it here first.

The 23 Day Frugal Living Challenge - Day 5

Daily Goal: Pick a few things from the list that you think will have the greatest impact on your monthly grocery budget.

The 23 Day Frugal Living Challenge - Day 3

Daily Goal: Given your own unique situation and based off of what you have read today…determine your own goal. How would downsizing your home assist you in living frugally?

The 23 Day Frugal Living Challenge - Day 4

Some of the ways that we are reducing household bills are:

1. Haircuts for the kids are only done "professionally" about once a year.  The other times I trim them up myself. And I must say that after 8 or so years of giving the boys a trim I think I have gotten decent at it.  LOL!  J & I on the other hand still go about once a month or so to see our hair people.  

2. Cooking from scratch is another way we try to save.  I not only believe that it saves us money but it is also healthier for us too.  

3. We cancelled our home phone service.  I think it has been about 3 years since we had home phone service.  With both of us having a cell phone and having a 3rd as a back up for the kids or a sitter we just weren't using the land line enough to make it worth the cost. 

4. We also cancelled our DirecTV service about 1 year ago.  I personally don't miss it.  With programs like Hulu Plus, Netflix & Vudu being built into our Blu-ray player i don't really see a need for cable.  And if we wanted to get real ambitious we could get an antenna for the TV and pick up local stations.

Homemade Finger Paints

Just saw this on Easie Peasie and am excited to make it tonight for the kids to try out tomorrow.  We have just had another front come through and it is supposed to snow tonight and tomorrow so this will be a great craft project for the kids to do tomorrow.  I can't remember the last time I allowed finger paints in my house. . . LOL!!  

Homemade Yogurt

I tried making yogurt for the first time yesterday in the crock pot.  So far the results are pretty good.  It is a little runnier than I would like so I am going to set it in the fridge for a while & see if it firms up at all.  Otherwise it tastes good and would make a great yogurt drink.   With as quickly as my family goes through yogurt this will definitely not last long.  

Here is the recipe I used from Stephanie @ Crock Pot 365

Crock Pot Yogurt

Recipe notes: This recipe uses a 2 quart crock. In using a 4 or 4 1/2 quart crock I found the yogurt to have a bit of a "springy" texture. I was able to alleviate this by heating the milk an additional 15 minutes for a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes.

• Turn your crock pot to low and pour in 1/2 gallon of milk.
• Heat on low for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
• Once 2 hours and 30 minutes have elapsed turn your crock pot off and unplug it. Let the milk cool in the crock with the lid on for 3 hours.
• After 3 hours remove 1-2 cups of the warmed milk and place in a bowl. To that add1/2 cup of yogurt with live active cultures and mix very well.
• Pour the yogurt-milk mixture back into the milk and whisk thoroughly.
• Place the cover back on the crock and wrap the entire crock pot in a thick bath towel or two.
• Let it culture overnight, 8-12 hours.
• In the morning stir yogurt (if desired) and store in glass quart jars or a container of your choice.
• For optimum texture, refrigerate for at least 8 hours before using.

The 23 Day Frugal Living Challenge - Day 2

Daily Goal: Examine your own unique situation and challenge yourself to the minimum level. How will seeking the minimum level effect the way you live now? What will you reduce today? What can you work on reducing in the future?

Read the post here: http://frugallysustainable.com/2012/01/day-2-how-to-develop-the-frugal-living-habit/

The 23 Day Frugal Living Challenge - Day 1

Daily Goal: Reflect upon your thoughts surrounding frugality. What are some misconceptions that you will need to overcome? How has materialism and useless spending held you in bondage?

You can read the post here: http://frugallysustainable.com/2012/01/day-1-redefining-frugality/

The 23 Day Living Frugal Challenge

I came upon this website the other day and on it they were advertising taking the 23 day frugal living challenge and I was intrigued.  We try to live frugally but I also know that there are areas where I fail miserably!  I am going to partake in this challenge and hopefully in the end find that I have learned a few things and have changed the way my family lives for the better.

If you are up to the challenge feel free to join me!!  You can find the information here:  The Challenge Plan