Homemade Tile & Grout cleaner

For starters, posting from my phone so I'm sorry if this post is a little weird.

I was on Pinterest the other day and saw a grout and tile cleaner, we are moving out of a rental so I thought it'd be a great time to try it since I need to scrub this place on move out anyways. The picture that accompanied the pin really caught my eye.

I will link to the pin and destination when I am near a computer again.

The recipe:
7 cups water
1/2 cup baking soda
1/3 cup ammonia
1/4 cup vinegar

Directions:
Mix in spray bottle, shake well. Spray on grout/tile, wipe with wet sponge.

My added directions:
Scrub grout with a good cleaning scrubber before wiping with wet sponge.

NOTE: Do NOT mix with bleach!!!!!

Now I'm usually one for all natural cleaners so I was skeptical to use ammonia, but I don't have any little crawlers in my house and since we are moving I gave it a shot.

Wow! Wow! Wow!

After I got done scrubbing, I wiped up the floor with a towel... Check out the picture! ALL that dirt came up!
Now, make sure you wipe with a wet sponge afterwards or else it will leave white residue on the floor from the baking soda. Since I have dark floors it was really noticeable an I had to go back over the floor with water.

What other homemade cleaners out there should I try?

What have you tried that worked? Didn't work?

Update!

Over the next couple weeks I will be working on an update!

A blog face lift!

Some stuff might be wacky for a while, but the end result should be GREAT!

It's been a few years since I've messed with design and coding..

So hang tight!

-Jesse

And the winner is....!

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway!

We have a winner!

Congratulations To....

We will be hosting more giveaways in the future!

Be sure to check back often!

-Jesse

GIVEAWAY ALERT!! Personalized, Handstamped, Necklace with Freshwater Pearl

Haven't done one of these in a while! 

Glad to be offering this again!

YAY FOR GIVEAWAYS!

Everyone LOVES free stuff, right!?

This giveaway is for a silver plated necklace, lobster clasp, sterling silver charm (with YOUR CHOICE of letter) and a freshwater pearl (choose: pink, white, or black)!

WINNER DRAWN: Monday, February 4th, 2013

BUY IT: Red Dirt Arts ETSY Page ($26)

WIN IT: Check out how to enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!!

-Jesse Mac :)

SUPER Cheap Meat & Produce!

Just found out about this AMAZING deal!

No idea why I hadn't heard about this before :)

Glad I can share it now!

Right now there is a deal on FRESH, NEVER frozen, NO hormones or additives, Boneless & Skinless chicken!

We normally find frozen low-quality chicken at supermarkets for $2.30/lb

This chicken is $1.69/lb!

Only catch, you order in cases of 40lbs.

Split it with a friend (or 3 if you don't have a deep freeze!).

This company also offers salmon, beef, strawberries, bacon, & cod.

The event they are currently running is for chicken.

They have events ALL OVER the country!

Simple put your order in online & pick it up on the event day at the specified location.

CLICK HERE to sign up & order! (or just check out the web site)

The company is called Zaycon Foods -- I am placing my order for chicken this weekend!

(Thank goodness for my deep freeze!)

$37.52 of Items For Just $12.86!!

FINALLY! Another post :) 

I've been busy! What can I say!?

Good news, my coupon binder is FINALLY getting worked on!

Organized coupons make me happy :)

Today I ran to a few places while the man was sleeping (him working nights is no fun for me!).

I went to Homeland, CVS, & Walmart Neighborhood market.

At CVS I picked up the Venus razor, it was $10.99..$4/1 coupon..plus $5 CVS bucks back = $1.99 razor! Yipee! I needed a new one!

Yesterday, the man and I stopped by the neighborhood market... I saw a big clearance rack and took a mental picture...too bad my memory is HORRID (little man's current favorite word! ha!).

I did remember that I saw the UP2U gum on the rack, found three $1/2 coupons in newspaper inserts so I bought 6 packs. They were marked down from $1.28 to $1 (I was hoping they were .50! No such luck.)

So I got 6 packs = $6 & used three $1/2 pack coupons = $3 for 6 packs of gum.

50% off makes me happy!

Next was Homeland. 

I love Homeland. 

They double coupons and have SO many bargains available. 

I'll only tell ya'll about the best ones.

Carefree panty liners marked down to $1 -- used .50/1 carefree (doubled) = FREE!

Chicken Helper(x3) marked down to $1.25 -- used .75/3 (doubled) = .75/each!

Pompeian Olive Oil $2.69 used $1/1 coupon HERE (doubled) = .69 for olive oil! Yay!

Yakisoba noodles marked down to $1 -- Used .50/1 yakisoba (doubled) = FREE!

Dawn Dish Soap $1.39 -- Used .75/1 dawn product (doubled) = FREE!

Lunchable w/smoothie $3.39 -- Used $1/1 lunchable w/smoothie(doubled) = $1.39 (Little dude will love it!)

Hormel Compleats $2.79 -- Used 1/1 hormel compleats (doubled) = My lunch today cost .79! 

Looking at my receipt now I'm noticing something got messed up with the hormel chili so I payed more than I planned to. I can't complain though... The bottom of my Homeland receipt says I saved 71%! Yipee!

Tomorrow starts a new week of deals!

I will attempt to head out to the stores tomorrow so I can post again this week!

SWAGBUCKS! My Favorite Way To Earn $$ :)

I LOVE earning swagbucks!

Especially when I log in and realize I have enough to get a giftcard to Amazon!

My favorite!

SUPER easy to earn & tons of ways to earn!

Just click here to go to SwagBucks

Sign Up

&

Start Earning so you can cash in for prizes!!

Walgreens Coupon Deal Money Maker 9/6/12 ($35.11 in groceries for $4.23!)

And we're back!

I decided it was time again to save as much money as possible, best way to do that... COUPONS!

Since we are trying to buy a home in the very near future, this is one way we will be pinching those pennies for the down payment!

Since I just started couponing again, I don't have any of the older coupons from the paper, BUT I do have a printer! This Walgreens deal is with printable coupons from Coupons.com!

Yipee!!

Cocoa & Fruity Pebbles ($4.79/box)

Chex Mix ($3.19/bag)

TRANSACTION 1:

Buy (4) Four boxes fruity or cocoa pebbles cereal (11oz) - On Sale 2/$5

Use (2) $1.00 off 2 Post Kids cereals

use $1.00/2 Post Cereal 11-24oz Walgreens Mobile Coupon (deducts $2)

Final Price: Pay $6+tax - get $3.00 RR = 4boxes/$3 (.75each!)

TRANSACTION 2:

Buy (5) Five Chex Mix 5.5 or 8.75 oz snacks - On Sale 3/$3

**I have two computers and was able to print 4 of the following coupons. The more coupons you are able to print, the bigger your savings will be!**

Use (4) $.50 off Salty Snacks (coupon has Bugles for the picture)

Use $3 RR from previous transaction

Final Price: $.41(the tax) - get $3.00 RR = 5 bags & $2.59 MONEY MAKER!

Head on out and get some super cheap (&free!) groceries!

Would love to hear what deals you found this week & where!

-Jesse Mac

Little Man's Ramblings & A Healthy Smoothie Recipe

Little Man's Morning Outfit

Hope every one's week has been wonderful!

Little Man has been quite the little comedian this week, and he doesn't even know it!

For starters, I told him to go play in the backyard this morning and my little cowboy just whipped on his boots with some awesomely tall socks!

Most days when I drop Little Man off at Pre-K, while we are waiting he looks around at the other cars and says, "I hope I don't have to sit by Ava today!"

Yesterday, I decided to ask him why he doesn't like to sit by Ava.

His response....

"Well, she talks a lot and its OBNOXIOUS Mom! She talks more than me even.... And I talk A LOT!"

I wonder how he knows that he talks a lot :)

Healthy Raspberry Banana Smoothie!

Such a little sweetheart!

Hard to believe that we enrolled him for Kindergarten yesterday and he turns FIVE this year!

Wow!

Time flies!

He's so smart too!

(Just like any parent will say about their child! ;))

This morning he crawled in my bed & we were being silly, tickling each other, and laughing and talking. 

I said to him, "I created you my little bubby!"

Then he stopped.

He got rather serious.

Looked me straight in the eye and said,

In my bed w/the smoothie while I write this post!

"No mom, God created me."

HAHA!!

I LOVE HIM!!!

He never ceases to amaze and surprise me!

BTW, that smoothie recipe...

Little Man gives it double thumbs up!

1c-1.5cVanilla Yogurt (I didn't measure it today)

2 Frozen Bananas

1 cup Frozen Raspberries

A splash of fruit juice (to help my blender blend the mix!)

He drank that entire giant cup!

Well, looks like it's time to play golf with the little one!

                               Hello Sunshine! Goodbye Blogger!

See y'all soon!

Dave Ramsey Cash Envelope System - FREE PRINTABLES

Printable Cash Envelopes!

Finally Decided To Take Mr. Ramsey's Advice!

Well, starting slowly at least. 

I found an amazing printable envelope that is easy to use!

Debated using regular envelopes, but I love that these come with lines to keep track of where I spend and how much!

Starting off by printing only five but only have two filled out.

Gas & Groceries so far. 

Will add more this week when I can think of some!

My plan is to go ALL cash, except for regular bills and rent. Any $1 bills left in the envelopes at the end of the day will go into a special in-home savings account (a make-shift, duct taped shut, shoe box, that I keep in my closet, with a hole to small to fit my hand in!). The money in that will then be pulled out before Christmas to use for gifts! I like to sneak a $5 dollar bill in there occasionaly, or even a $20! This worked REALLY well when I was bartending and came home with a bunch of cash! Hopefully it works the same once I switch over to a cash system completely! 

What will you're envelopes be labeled with?

CLICK HERE TO PRINT YOUR FREE CASH ENVELOPES!

Excited to start this new adventure and see how well I can budget for my small family!

-Jesse Mac

Elf On The Shelf

I caved! Little Man and I picked up an Elf On The Shelf today...

His name is either "Bob" or "Pat" (after Spongebob characters). I'm trying to talk Little Man out of naming him "BobPat" (ha!) and he is sleeping on his decision.

The elf is watching tv :) 

I honestly don't think I can ever bring myself to make him mess things up... I don't have enough time to clean as is!

He will most likely just hop around the house nightly :) :) 

PS- It really works... The minute little man started whining I said "ELF!" and it was all big boy voice for the rest of the evening! I already love this!

(Hint: If you plan on getting one make sure you check the side of the box. I had no idea they had different skin tones, hair color, and eye colors! I got lucky though and ended up with the one I would have chosen anyway!)

A Work In Progress...

HELLO! We are BACK! Finally AND officially!
The design is a slow work in progress, I update and create when I have time so bear with me!


Do I have any readers out in bloggy world still? Feel free to comment(I love comments!). I've missed this aspect of my life and will be slowly working it into my busy schedule :)


What's new with me you ask?
Well.... I'll keep it short and sweet.

1. Living back in my home town in a nice little rent house while I save up and prepare to buy!
2. Little Man is starting public school in January! Yay! Excited for this new adventure!
3. I'm in school pursuing a degree in Kinesiology! (which is tough being a single mom!)
4. I've deleted quite a few old posts because I legally had to... long story that WILL be told, most likely on a day that I am in a mood ;)
5. Ups & Downs, Ins & Outs... I simply COULD NOT be happier with where my life is and the direction it is going! I don't regret a thing! I learn from my mistakes and I am one happy camper!

Stay Tuned For Much More From This Blondie! ;)

MIA !!

Remember me!? No...?
www.ArmyWifeJesseMac.com is changing domain names! You can now find us at cardiotocookies.blogspot.com (until we remove the "blogspot")!

We are coming back, and in a BIG way! Get ready for recipes, coupons, giveaways, and SO much more!

Why the change? Stories to come!

ebeanstalk.com Review -- Check it!!

Ever heard of ebeanstalk.com??

This is one of my favorite websites for online shopping for my sons toys.

They allow you to search for toys by age group which is one of my favorite features on the site.

I always had trouble finding toys that were specific to *Lil Man*'s age group.

Not only can you search by age, but they allow you to search by gender!

ebeanstalk.com has by far one of the easiest and most specific ways to search.

Another feature that I enjoy is their "Wish List" feature.

You know how you get emails, phone calls, text messages, smoke signals...etc. etc. from relatives around the holidays? They want to know what your little one's want for Christmas... WELL, create a wish list and send a mass email to all of your relatives letting them know where to find EXACTLY what your child(ren) want/s!!

ebeanstalk.com offers toys in many categories, following are a few that I enjoyed searching through:

Baby Toys

**Tons of my friends had little ones this year!**

Toys for 2 year olds

**Check out the best sellers in this category!**

Toys for 3 year olds

**One of the categories I shop for *Lil Man* in!**

Toys for 4 year olds

**Another category for my *Lil Man*!**

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!! HEAD ON OVER AND CHECK 'EM OUT!!

Ebeanstalk wants to make sure they sell only the best toys out there, but they need your help.  Head on over to their website and tell them what you think are the best baby toys, the safest toys for 2 year olds, the most popular toys for 3 year olds, or the most fun toys for 4 year olds!  Tell them about toys you donÕt like too!  There is no way for them to know what our babies and kids like and donÕt like unless we tell them!

Photobucket">

Win It Wednesday :) Link Up Your Giveaways!!

50%-90% off in your area! ((and online too!))

I'm a Groupon lover for sure!

I have found amazing deals on that site!

And OH.EM.GEE... A massage at 90% off the original price!

I'm in heaven.

Well today I was introduced to another TWO sites just like Groupon!

Seize The Deal

AND

Living Social

Look At these Great Savings in the OKC area!!

$5 for $10 worth of savory sandwiches at Hobby's Hoagies - On Groupon

$9.95 for $19.95 worth of Racing at Pole Position - On Seize The Deal

$15 for $30 worth of eats and drinks at Dot Wo Chinese Seafood Restaurant - On LivingSocial

Being a coupon lover, I can't get enough of these deals!

Especially with the holidays approaching!

These would make great gifts!

How much would your mother-in-law love you if you got her a massage!?!

Or even better,

Buy a picture package from a local photo studio and save a bundle on your Christmas pictures!

Check it out.

Sign up!

Start Saving!

**While you are saving, sign up with RueLaLa... up to 90% off designer clothing, housewares, shoes, and they even have wine AND exotic vacation packages!!**

A few more things for the day :)

As many of you know I just moved into my new house.

Luckily I didn't have to search through tons of dining sets after I moved.

My bff is letting me use hers!

It's a win/win :) She doesn't have to pay for a storage unit and I don't have to buy a set...yet!

Check out her blog HERE!

Also, before I forget!

I know a lot of my readers are married, and I know many men like to hunt!

I wanted to let you ladies know about a company that is giving away broadheads.

All you pay is shipping.

I grabbed a couple for the hunters in my life.

Check it out here!

And let me know if you pick any up!

Giveaway & Review: Executive Gifts (Item of your choice up to $50!)

It's been a quick minute since I've hosted a giveaway!

We are back!

Officially! :)

...I promise!

With the holidays quickly approaching it is time to start thinking about gifts! I have my dad, my step dad, and three brothers to shop for and I always have trouble shopping for the men in my life. I have no clue what to get them, ever. They usually end up with clothing or giftcards...no fun! Luckily I was just introduced to Executive Gift Shoppe :) My holiday lifesaver!

Executive Gift Shoppe is a retailer of personalized gifts for young professionals. They have many unique gift ideas for men including business card holders and flasks. They have been in business since 1999 and online since 2000 (why have I not heard of them before!?) With a goal of 100% customer satisfaction (which they achieve above and beyond!) it is easy to see why I have loved working with them.

We were sent the Brushed Stainless Steel Traveler Swiss Army Knife by Wenger

When I opened the box I was surprised to see it in its own case!

Features:

• Stainless Steel Traveler Swiss Army Knife
• Stainless steel handles
• 2.5" Large blade
• 2.4" Springless scissors with serrated, self-sharpening design
• Patented locking screwdriver, cap lifter, wire stripper
• Can opener
• Nail file, nail cleaner
• Corkscrew
• Reamer, awl
• Key ring
• Actual Size: 3.25"
• Weight: 3.3 oz
• Limited lifetime warranty
• Made in Switzerland

Also, most items from Executive Gift Shoppe can be personalized for your loved ones.

They offer free engraving on many items. (Up to 3 letters)

BUY IT!

You can purchase the Brushed Stainless Steel Traveler Swiss Army Knife for $60.35, personalization is FREE!

WIN IT!

Executive Gift Shoppe is offering one of my readers $50 for an item of their choice! (Free Shipping too!)

How To Enter:

**Include your email address on each comment/entry posted**

Mandatory Entries (post one comment per entry):

1. Visit Executive Gift Shoppe and tell me which item you will choose if you win (up to $50).
2. Follow Jesse Mac via Google Friend Connect (right hand side of blog:))

Extra Entries (remember to post one separate comment per entry):

1. "Like" Executive Gift Shoppe on Facebook
2. Follow Executive Gift Shoppe on Twitter
3. "Like" Jesse Mac on Facebook
4. Follow Jesse Mac on Twitter
5. (FIVE EXTRA ENTRIES) Blog about this giveaway & link back to Army Wife Jesse Mac AND Executive Gift Shoppe
6. (ONE EXTRA ENTRY PER DAY) Tweet about this giveaway! Just copy and paste the following: Win a personalized gift of your choice, up to $50 from @ArmyWifeJesse @giftshoppe! Head on over to http://bit.ly/aLZfhc #giveaway
7. (THREE ENTRIES) Snag my button from the sidebar!
8. Post one RELEVANT comment on a non giveaway post.
9. Enter another giveaway that I am hosting.

GOOD LUCK!!! This Giveaway Ends Monday, November 15th 2010 @ 11:59pm CST

Disclaimer: No compensation was received for hosting this giveaway. All opinions are those of Jesse Mac and were not influenced by anyone in anyway. Free Sweepstakes and Contest

What's that I smell?

Can you smell it?

I sure can!

No, it's not the smell of fall.

Not cool weather either.

It's not the smell of pumpkins or fires burning in the fire place...

It's the smell of hunting season!!

I can already taste the wonderful deer jerky that I will be eating soon! (I hope!)

YUM!

Thanksgiving, Halloween, and all that other stuff I mentioned are great too ;) !!

Win It Wednesday: "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!!**

Can It Be?? Internet/Blogger/Myself all cooperating at the same time!?!? Look for an awesome giveaway from lil ol' MEEEEE **this evening**!!! ((And we're back!!))