Frugal Things

**Since I have missed a few Frugal Things updates, this is the highlight reel from the past few weeks.

1. Tincture

I have been having anxiety issues for a few months now and have been trying a lot of homeopathic ways to cope with it. Besides a multitude of supplements and aromatherapy options (which knock it down quite a bit), I stumbled upon herbal tinctures as a viable option for me. Funny enough, one of the herbs that were strongly recommended for these tinctures was growing outside my back door: Lemon Balm (which happens to grow prolifically around my house thanks to its invasive nature)

To make this tincture all I had to do was pick a few pint jars full of lemon balm leaves and then fill the jars full of vodka (you will not get intoxicated with this tincture as you only take 1/2 teaspoon once to twice a day) After filling the jars, you screw on the lid tightly and store in a dark place for 4 weeks and try to remember to shake the jar at least once a week. After 4 weeks, you then strain the mixture and bottle up the tincture.

I consider this as frugal because it is way cheaper and healthier (at least in my opinion, I am not a medical professional!!) than medicine.

**I have been taking the tincture for the past few weeks on an as needed basis and will say that it looks promising as a homeopathic treatment for myself. I do not know if it is only a placebo effect, but as my mom says, “You only have to fool yourself.” After taking the tincture, I do get a calm sensation within 15-20 minutes and sometimes it will cause me to get slightly drowsy if I take it in the late afternoon, but besides that there have not been any weird side effects so far.

2. Library

My children have enjoyed the library so much this summer. Our local library always puts on the most amazing programs each summer. My kids favorite ones have been the local ghost stories event, rock and gemstone dig, animal show, and the Harry Potter Birthday Extravaganza.

3. Broken dishwasher

My dishwasher has been broken for the past six months. At first it was a pain to wash dishes, but then I adjusted to it and actually started to enjoy washing dishes by hand. (I know I am weird) The main reason that we will not be replacing it anytime soon, is that I noticed a $30-40 reduction in our power bill in the months that I have been hand washing dishes. **Another reason is that the dishwashers (and other appliances) seem to be breaking every 4-5 years nowadays. I am not joking about this! My washer and dryer were bought about the same time as the dishwasher and they are now starting to act up as well. There must be a grand conspiracy in the appliance world! (I know I sound crazy)

4. Niña and the Pinta

The Nina and the Pinta replicas come through our area every couple of years. Since Ben is actually at a good age for field trips now, we decided to go this year with a local homeschool group. By going on the group tour, we saved $3 a ticket and got to have a personal tour guide to take us through the ships as well. We really enjoyed this field trip and learned a lot of information that we never knew about Columbus’ journey.

5. At home date night

This past week, we had an at home date night while our kids went to visit their grandparents. I made chicken wings and stuffed mushrooms for dinner and then we watched Marcella on Netflix (there are so many creepy people on that show!)