With Christmas just around the corner, holiday festivities are already in full swing and so is my seasonal cheer! While there are a lot of things I love about the Christmas season, seasonal treats like hot cocoa and eggnog are pretty high on the list. Growing up, we always just bought our eggnog from the store. It was coincidental that I even stumbled upon homemade eggnog, but the first time I tried it I knew I would never buy it from the store again! So, today I'd like to share with you a ... [ Read More ]
8 Ways to Reuse Your Coffee Grounds
I am a huge coffee addict, but it's good for a lot more than my morning jolt! The average American actually drinks 2 cups of coffee a day, which can add up pretty quick... that's a lot of old coffee grounds, right? Here at Old Fashioned Families we prefer not to waste things, which makes me love coffee even more! Rather than throwing away your old coffee grounds, you can use them in your garden, your home, and even your hair! Here are 8 different ways that you can re-use old coffee ... [ Read More ]
8 Natural Ways to Keep Your Home Smelling Great
Unfortunately, a lot of store bought candles and air fresheners are made with artificial scents that contain damaging chemicals, which can aggravate your skin and lungs. Not to mention they are expensive! Not to worry, though, there are plenty of all natural ways to keep your house smelling amazing all of the time! Here are 8 of my favorites: 1) Homemade Air Freshener Making your own homemade air freshener is super simple and only requires a few ingredients that you probably already have! ... [ Read More ]
A Winter Guide for Essential Oil Blends
I still can't believe it's December, but regardless, winter is creeping in! 'Tis the season for giving and joy, but lets not forget wonderful Christmas smells! Rather than overspending on candles and scentsy's like I have in years past, now my essential oil diffusers is responsible for keeping my house smelling great! So, as a follow up to the fall guide for essential oil blends, I thought I would share with you guys my favorite essential oil mixtures for winter and Christmas. Not only will ... [ Read More ]
11 Tips for Getting out of Debt
Debt is something that a lot of Americans struggle with, so there is definitely no reason to be ashamed. In fact, as of 2015, eight out of every ten Americans were in some sort of debt— and at least 38% of us have credit card debt. Getting out of debt is a lot easier said than done, and people often struggle for years with payments and interest rates! This is something you'll want to take care of before starting a homestead, as its a very frugal lifestyle that doesn't leave you with a lot of ... [ Read More ]
Non-Food Items You Should Always Have Handy
Prepping is all about being, well, prepared. It isn't necessarily about the end of the world barreling towards us, as many people probably think, but about being prepared for all types of emergencies— bad weather, losing your job, or even an economic depression. Most often, preppers start with food and water— which is great, because obviously you can't live long without those, but other items are often overlooked. So, I compiled a list of some non-food items you should try to have handy in ... [ Read More ]
How to Make Your Own Bath Salts
Who doesn't love a nice spa experience? Getting one at home is probably easier than you expected— at least with a relaxing, aroma-therapeutic, candlelit bath. Bath salts are a great way to take your bath to the next level and can help you unwind, exfoliate your skin, and relieve sore muscles. Bath salts are easily purchased, but a lot of the store bought products are highly processed rather than all natural. The all natural salts are full of nutrients like magnesium, calcium, and potassium ... [ Read More ]
25 Days of Christmas on a Budget
December is almost here! If it's anything like the rest of the year, this month will fly by and Christmas will be here before you know it. I know that Christmas expenses can add up pretty fast, with gift giving, the meal, and decorating. So, today I want to talk about 25 Christmas activities that you can do on a budget. Obviously, you don't need to do all of these activities to have a memorable Christmas, but with 25 options there should be something that fits the needs of both your family ... [ Read More ]
10 Natural Benefits of Using Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is often called a "super food" and is considered one of the healthiest foods on the planet with over 1,500 studies to back it up. Coconut oil is made up of healthy fats called medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) which include caprylic acid, lauric acid, and capric acid. More than 60% of of coconut oil is composed of those three healthy fatty acids, and more than 90% of coconut oil is healthy saturated fat. The issue with consuming a lot of fatty foods is most fats go through a 26 ... [ Read More ]
5 Natural Ways to Kill Weeds
There is a reason for the phrase "grows like weeds", and it can get quite annoying when those weeds start invading our planting zones! Rather than spraying a poison, something that can harm you and your family not to mention the Earth, you should try natural weed control. There are quite a few methods to get rid of weeds without having to resort to poison, and some should actually save you money! 1) Smother Them You can use newspaper or cardboard to kill weeds simply by covering the area ... [ Read More ]