Birthday Freebies

It was my husband's birthday a few weeks ago and I was trying to plan our day...while keeping our budget in mind. I forget how I came across it, but I found a website that listed restaurants that give away free things on your birthday. There wasn't much on the list that we would be interested in, until I found Cold Stone. I quickly signed him up and in a few days he had a buy one creation, get one creation free.

Needless to say, we went to Cold Stone on his birthday and enjoyed way too much ice cream than we needed (he got a love it size, so of course I got a love it size...). Here's the link if you're interested: My Cold Stone Club

So if you want to load your inbox with emails from tons of different places that you don't really care about except when it's your birthday, check out these sites (and you can google "free stuff on birthday" and find dozens of more sites):

http://www.heyitsfree.net/birthday-freebies/

http://www.frugalliving.tv/free-stuff/birthday-freebies.html

*Helpful hint: When signing up for Cold Stone, I used an old email address that I never check anymore, so the emails don't clog my inbox and I can always unsubscribe if I want.

Vinegar. Yes, Vinegar.

I had never heard of the wonders of vinegar.  Apparently my husband's grandpa uses vinegar as his answer for everything, almost like the dad in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" uses Windex.  But here's the thing, vinegar can replace windex!  I use it mixed with water as my mirror/window cleaner.  Perfectly streak free.  Amazing, and SO much cheaper.  But it doesn't stop there... I also use a mix of water and vinegar to clean my bathroom countertops.  It shines the faucet just as well if not better than scrubbing bubbles.  Now, I will admit that if you have something really tough stuck on the countertop, something a little more potent might be your best idea.  But for your regular cleaning, it works like a charm.

I also use it in my laundry (my great aunt claims it keeps your colors brighter) and to mop the kitchen floors.  There is an amazing website at www.vinegartips.com that has literally 1001 uses for vinegar.  GOOD reading!  My husband had to laugh at me a couple weeks ago when I told him about how many things you can use it for and how excited I was that it was going to save us money on cleaning products.  So far, I'm happy with the switch.

So you might have a few questions...

Does it really work? 

YES... I've been using it for my weekly cleaning for 3 weeks and am still excited. 

Does it smell?

Well, it's still vinegar.  I use a 50-50 vinegar/water solution in a spray bottle and it smells a a little bit while I'm cleaning, but to be quite honest, it doesn't last long.  I used it in my kitchen and bathrooms yesterday and by the time my husband got home, he couldn't tell at all.  I couldn't tell while I was cleaning, but wasn't sure if that's just because I got used to it.  So no worries about your house having a funky odor.

Is it sanitary? 

Yes.  Due to its acidity it kills most bacterial, mold, and germs.

Is it green?

Yes! It's a natural biproduct so no worries there.

I especially like that I don't need to worry about getting it on my skin or wearing gloves while I am cleaning and if I spray it somewhere and my 10-month old is right behind me (as always) I don't have to worry about keeping her away until it is dry.

All in all, awesome find.  Look up all the different ways to use it.. Hopefully you will be as excited as me :)