Syncing your Grocery List

So, if you're like me, you have good intentions with your grocery list..... 

Really, you do. 

But then, you make your list, hey you may even write down coupons you have. You stop by the grocery store after work, find your coupon file in your purse....then you realize it's happened. 

You've left the list on the refrigerator...again. 

So then you call your spouse, who is, unfortunately, still at work, to try to desperately remember as much as you can from the list since you're already at the store and don't want to waste this opportunity.

How's that working out for you?

So I remember looking for an app awhile back that could serve as a grocery list; I even tried a notepad app on my phone. But it didn't organize well, and I still found myself texting my husband asking him if there was anything else we needed from the store. He doesn't always respond immediately. 

So then a few months ago I found the "Out of Milk" app. Here are the major reasons why I'll find it hard to go back to a normal grocery list:

• It's organized: And you can make your own headings (like frozen, fresh, health) and order them the way you want to go through the store. You can also reorder the items within each section if you'd like as well. I also have a home improvement section and leave it on there for when I go to store other than the grocery store.

• Coupon use: I don't extreme coupon, but I do have some coupons that I use. This app has a way that you can attach a note to the item you're purchasing with the coupon amount and it puts a green tag next to the item so you don't forget to pull the coupon at the checkout line. It'll even calculate the total of your purchases and coupon amounts if you type in what you need.
  
• Bar code scanner: You can scan a barcode and add it to your grocery list. So before throwing out your favorite cereal, you can scan the barcode and add it back to your list.
  
• Pantry List: It gives you the opportunity to add in what you already have in your pantry so you don't overbuy (its example is for spices). Honestly, I don't use this function of the app yet, but I understand how it can be useful.
  
  
• FAVORITE FUNCTION: SYNC! The app is able to sync to other app users....implications? My husband has the app on his phone, so no matter who is able to stop at the store, they have the list. Or, either one of you can add things to the list. If you remember something in the middle of the day, you can add it and you don't have to have conversations every time you go to the store to make sure you're picking everything up. Parent of a teen? Think of the possibilities...

Anyways, try it out. It's free, easy to use, and able to share with others in your family to use as well. 

No more barking!!!!

So many of you saw my photo upload of a product I purchased about a week ago called the PetSafe Outdoor Ultrasonic Bark Deterrent. This purchase came after about 6 weeks of non-stop barking every time we walked into our backyard. Lucky for us the wonderful home we purchased in early May is surrounded by five dogs by the bordering three backyards.

Now, Dog #1's not so bad. He doesn't bark too much, only when David is weed eating, which I assume is normal. Other than eating straight through the boards on our bordering fence (seriously), he's a pretty chill dog. 

Dog #2 is the loudest barker. He makes the fence shake when he rams up against it, and reminds me of the dog in Sandlot. Pretty terrifying, never felt safer behind a fence. 

Dogs #3-5 are all in the last backyard. There are two pit bulls and what looks like a Jack Russell terrier. They make for a fun barking adventure because once one barks, they all bark, growl, and fight each other.  Definitely the biggest obstacle to peace in the backyard. 

So I tried to talk nicely and peek through the cracks to try to build a good relationship with the dogs. Hah, you can imagine how that worked (it didn't). Then a friend suggested to throw dog treats over the fence when they start barking to ward off aggression. Knowing my luck they'd be on some special diet and the dog treat I'd give them would have gluten in it or something and our new neighbors (who we are simultaneously trying to build a good relationship with) would sue us and we'd have to sell the beautiful home we just purchased.

That was not gonna work.

So what did I do next? Check the internet. 

I know that there were "clicking devices" on the market for training dogs, but that didn't seem like it was going to work, so I hoped that there were other homeowners out there who had been through the same thing. 

That's when I stumbled upon this birdhouse looking thing that I ended up purchasing. 

I read as many reviews as I could tolerate about the product, and I felt like it was 50/50. Either people love the product and it worked amazingly, or said it didn't work and ended up returning the product. 

Well, if I have five dogs in my backyard, I figured that if it calmed down two or three, it would be worth the money. 

Here's the review: I purchased the bark deterrent for about $60 bucks at a pet store. I know I could have bought it cheaper online, but I wanted the opportunity to return it if necessary. I hung it up on a tree facing two of the fence lines (dogs #2-5) on Saturday afternoon. 

The first two days were silent. I heard no dog barking...but I didn't see any dogs either. I'm thinking that it was just too hot and they weren't around anyways. 

But over the last week, the results have been dramatic. DRAMATIC. The first few times I went outside and the bogs started barking, they barked a few times and then their barks tapered off, (almost questioning sounding?) and then stopped altogether. And I can see them standing near the fence, so I know they haven't run away. Dog #2 still barks, but if I turn the birdhouse to face him, he backs off. Dogs #3-5 growling at each other has stopped as well. 

I've almost felt that it's worked too well. But so far, so good.

I would say (for the bottom line people) that there has been an 80% reduction of barking from the dogs. How's it work? It emits an ultrasonic sound when it hears a repetitive bark is up to a 50 foot radius. It takes a 9V battery that it says needs to be replaced about every two months. 

Minor caveats: It warns that it won't work on dogs with hearing loss (umm...duh?) and users say it doesn't work as well for floppy-eared dogs. And you can't use it inside, you'll have to stick to the Thundershirt. Sorry.

Altogether, I would rate this product 5 of 5 stars. It is safe for the dogs (which I wanted) and can be used for your own dogs or on neighbor's dogs. It also looks like a birdhouse, so it's inconspicuous in case a neighbor freaks out and doesn't know why their dogs aren't barking.

I think it's ingenious an has been totally worth the money. 

So if you've been dealing with dogs barking too much, I'd say it's worth a try. Go for it. See the link at the top (product name) for more information. Hope you're just as happy with it as I am!

Post any questions or responses here, I'd love to answer your questions!

Duggar Detergent

So I decided to finally make my own laundry detergent, which I will endearingly call "Duggar Detergent" for my favorite mega family who makes this as well. You can call it penny detergent, or cheap detergent. Whatever you call it, it was very inexpensive to make, with very little effort, which I enjoyed as part of my first summer vacation project.

I decided to make a small batch just in case I didn't like how it went (or if I messed it up). So here's how it went.

Note: Plan for about 30 minutes and an overnight wait for the detergent to be ready. I was super eager to do this Saturday morning and do laundry all morning...but alas, I had to wait.

 

Supplies needed:  

To purchase--

• 1/3 bar Fels-Naptha bar soap (you can use Zote or Ivory as well)
• 1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (NOT BAKING SODA)
• 1/2 cup Borax Detergent Booster
• a big bucket (I suggest a 5 gallon bucket with a lid..picked up from Home Depot)  
• essential oils of your choice (use if you want your detergent to be scented...I passed on this, not sure where to find) 

To have on hand--

• Big pot to "cook" the detergent in (8 quart?)
• cheese grater (any type is fine)
• old detergent bottles, Simply Orange Juice bottles (something with a screw on top that won't leak) to put the finished detergent in.

I found the detergent, soap, and washing soda all at Wal-mart and H-E-B. Look for all three in the detergent aisle. 

Here we go in a few easy steps!

Step 1: Cut bar of soap into thirds (save the extra 2/3 for a later batch). 

Step 2: Shred bar of soap with a cheese grater. Avoid grating your fingers.

 

Step 3: Put grated soap in 6 cups of water and put over medium heat on stovetop. Cook until soap is dissolved.

This is not cheese.

Step 4: Add 1/2 cup Borax and 1/2 cup of Washing Soda. Stir until dissolved, then remove from heat.

Step 5: Pour mixture into large bucket with 4 cups of hot water. Add essential oils if desired. Stir well. Add another 22 cups (1 gallon and 6 cups) and continue to stir.

Step 6: Cover and let sit overnight. You're done!

When you open the container the next day, it will probably have jelled on top. This is normal (depending on humidity, temp, etc) but honestly grossed me out a bit. It was like....oysters...yuck. But it smells so clean, so I got over it. :)

I stirred it as best as I could, and then ladled it out into an clean, old detergent bottle. I left the rest of the detergent in the bucket and closed it again. 

Goodbye $8 for 32 loads!

After 5 loads or so: I use 1/2 cup for each load. I have shaken the bottle up every time before using, and it actually feels a little watery, not jelled up at all. But it seems to be cleaning the clothes the same way as my expensive detergent, still smells clean, and the clothes feel soft. 

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So....should we do the math?

Bucket : $4.50 (A start up cost)
Borax: $3.38
Fels Naptha: $0.97
Washing Soda: $2.99

I used about 1/10 of the Borax and 1/10 of the Washing Soda at the very most. These boxes are huge and have plenty of of more helpings, but since it gave me the weight and not the volume, it was hard to calculate. I used about 1/3 of the bar of soap. Not counting the bucket, it was under $1 for about 312 loads. 1/3 of a penny a load! Even including the bucket in this load, it would still be 2 pennies a load!


I don't know if I can ever go back to the expensive stuff! Could you? The minimal work feels worth it to me!

Let me know if you try it, and any variations you try. So far, I'm loving it!


Need more direction? Feel free to visit the blog that I got most of my info from!