Amrita Singh loves to share frugal living ideas and has tried and tested all her tips until they are true! Saving dollars and cents doesn't mean you have to sacrifice too much. Give these tips a try and see how saved cents can add up to big dollars.

DIY SPORTS DRINKS



You can make 2 litres worth of sports drinks for a fraction of the cost of buying bottles at the store. The key to an effective sports drink is the carbohydrate concentration. The drink should be made to replenish electrolytes and absorb into your body quickly. This recipe seems to work well.

Recipe:


Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher and store in fridge.

WOOD STOVE PELLETS AS KITTY LITTER



Yes, it's true! You can buy wood stove pellets from hardware stores (usually a seasonal item) and use it as kitty litter. These pellets are compressed from saw dust, often pine or cedar natural scent. Upon contact with liquid the pellets dissolve into saw dust. The poop stays on the surface.  

The pellets are excellent for absorbing odours and you only need a small amount in the litter tray. You can buy a forty pound bag of pellets for less than $5 and it will last a one-cat household about three months. A hardware store salesperson recently told me that 60% of wood pellets sold are for actual wood stoves...the other 40% are purchased by cat owners!

PROS


CONS



HOMEMADE BABY WIPES (also for makeup removal)



You can make your own baby wipes and save lots of money during your child's diaper wearing phase. All you need is a roll of good quality 2-ply paper towel and some simple ingredients from your kitchen. You can put everything into a wipes container - or, you can keep the solution in a bottle and use washcloths. These are great to keep in the car as well and can work to remove makeup at the end of the day too!  

Recipe:

2 TBSP Baby Shampoo
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 Drops Tea Tree Oil (this add anti-bacterial properties, if you don't have this you can use vinegar instead)
2 Drop Orange Essential Oil (any oil scent that you like)
2 Cups Water

Method:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Cut roll of paper towel in half with clean edge Chef's knife. Pour ¼ of the liquid in the container bottom then put the cut side of the paper towel roll into the container. Pour the remaining solution over top of the paper towel roll. Let stand for ten minutes and then remove the cardboard centre from the roll of wipes. Pull wipes from the centre to start using.

You can find out more about Amrita and her frugal tips at www.frugalistafiles.ca.