You will need 1 teaspoon of dry nettle leaves, 1 teaspoon of dry horsetail, 1 teaspoon of dry coltsfoot, 1 cup of spring water, 1 ounce of liquid castile soap, 1 teaspoon of almond oil, and 2 drops of lavender essential oil to begin. Crumble the nettle leaves, horsetail and coltsfoot and place aside in a glass or ceramic container with a tight lid. Bring the spring water to a boil in a small pot. Pour the boiling water over the herbs, then cover with the lid, and proceed in steeping for a total of twenty minutes. Be sure to strain the herbs from the water once steeping is complete. To the herbal water add the castile soap and almond oil and mix it thoroughly for a minute or so. Continue by adding the lavender essential oil and re-mix thoroughly (one minute). Allow to cool completely.

Store the finished product in a glass bottle. Use the product only after it has cooled to room temperature. Be sure to use a small amount, quarter sized amount, to begin with and then add a little more until you find the right amount of lather that you prefer. Using too much can be a great waste, and too little may not clean thoroughly enough, so adjust the amount to your liking. This product will leave a clean, soft scent in your locks so both men, and women, can use this homemade shampoo. Feel free to add three-five drops of your favorite essential oil in place of the lavender oil to add a unique scent that will be to your liking. Everyone you know will complement you on the scent and look of your hair. Be sure to buy these ingredients in bulk if you plan to produce the shampoo in regular intervals. This shampoo can store safely for up to six months so be sure to discard after that time.

You’ve always heard local food-drives and their requests for non-perishables; this is for reasons other than just spoiling food. Food drives know that non-perishable foods are cheaper and longer lasting than almost every non-perishable item out there. Of course fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood go back rather quickly but they are also far more expensive than boxed and canned foods. The trick is simply that. Charitable organizations know that volunteers will be more likely to donate items to a drive when the prices of requested donations are inexpensive. This rule-of-thumb can work for you and your family at home as well. Non-perishable items can store for years at a time depending on the item. Canned goods are an excellent way to stock up your pantry with a wide array of inexpensive items for tough times. Boxed foods such as crackers, cereals, and pastas can all be stored for several months with no problems. These types of foods, even dried foods such as beans, seasonings, and dehydrated items can last for over a year if properly stored.

So when you find yourself with an extra ten dollars on grocery day, use that extra cash to promote a “pantry stash” collection. Buy items that are dry, canned, boxed and able to stay fresh for longer periods of time. Use these items when times get tough. You can even purchase canned meats, fruits, vegetables, and a whole assortment of dried pastas and bread mixes to use as money gets tight. You can eat healthy meals from non-perishable groceries and this is good to know, and remember, for times like these. I like to set aside fifteen dollars every week to purchase canned, boxed, and dry ingredients for my “pantry stash”. It’s good to know that you’ll be taken care of for up to three months in the event of any emergency.

It is stated that 3 out of 5 people are more than 7,000+ dollars in debt or more to credit card companies all over the world; One in 5 owe more than 15,000. What happened? Who said that it was ok to go out and spend someone else’s money? Who taught us that it was ok to get a card to swipe whenever we saw something cute, what happened to our self-restraint and self-control? Maybe it has something to do with the over appointing of credit to people who are obviously not good with it.

None-the-less the money is spent, it is now owed, and it has quadrupled from interest. It is sad that we are the number one in-debt country in the world. Isn’t it time to take those scissors and but those cards into little shreds? Yes. If we want to save money, any money, then we first have to start by not spending money that we do not have in our physical possession.

How can anyone expect to get ahead of debt when they are using interest-stacked credit cards to pay for bills, groceries, and other daily needs? Would you go to the bank and take out a 25k loan to buy clothes, groceries, and pay your bills for 8 months? No, probably not. And why? Because of the interest. Most people would say that this is a dumb idea because there is so much interest attached to it. So how then can credit cards be explained in any sense of debt normality.

In order to save money you first have to stop in your tracks, take a look at the everyday items that you are paying and extra 15-25% for. Why shop at Wal-Mart when you plan to use a payment method that will charge you specialty store prices on the items you buy? No one can get ahead by using credit cards. You can only succeed in dealing with debt when you cut up the cards, figure out an automatic debt repayment system, and then focus you mind on paying more principle than interest. No one wants to may twice as much for any item, then why do so many people shop with plastic?

These type of freezers can cost a pretty penny if purchased brand new; visit your local salvage shops, read the local IWANNA or trader magazines, swing into several weekend yard/garage sales on the weekend, or just ask friends and family to help you locate one at a reasonable price. You may be surprised at how quickly you can find one with ten people on the look-out.

Once you have managed to acquire the perfect freezer for your home, or basement, it is time to organize and then begin the hunt for bargain meats, vegetables, and pre-made meals. There is a simple way to stack and fill your freezer easily and almost effortlessly. Gather boxes of all sizes and shapes and stack them inside of the freezer in a way that fills the freezer, leaving at least 8 inches in one corner as movable space. You will also want to leave several inches at the top of the freezer for Ziploc’s and other spontaneously purchased items. Once the boxes are suited in the freezer, remove them one by one, labeling three sides with its position information. Stack the boxes above the freezer on shelving, if possible, and use them as you acquire material to fill the freezer. This is a perfect solution for organizing your freezer.

Now, time to move onto filling the freezer. The best and cheapest bulk items to buy are vegetables. This being true, it can be amazingly simple to buy the frozen ingredients for homemade stews and soups to store in your freezer. Keep a close eye on the weekly circulars or spend the few dollars it takes to join the local warehouse store (Sam’s Club). This can be your ticket to filling your freezer with inexpensive meats and frozen meals. It may take several months to fill the freezer to your liking, and you still need to leave room for items that you will be using soon. Don’t over-pack your freezer only to realize you needed more space for this month’s meals. If this happens you may just decide to eat out of the freezer for a week to lighten the load.

It is time to become aware of our habits in spending and to become mentally responsible for them. If we become aware of our spending then we’ll get a grip on the realities of our habits. The little things add up and somehow we forget that. With inflation being as real today as ever we must realize that those few dollars here and there add up to big spending yearly.

If you purchase a soy mocha latte at the local Starbucks every morning for $5.46 by the end of the week you have spent $38.22. That is a full tank of gas for some drivers. The small purchases that we make on our daily route to work, or that daily pack of cigarettes, or the extra money spent buying a new pair of shoes each week all add up, and they add up quickly.

Making small changes can affect, and sometimes offset, those minimal charges. Imagine changing your routine to save you more money (such as buying a coffee maker for your home) and the positive affect it can have. Purchasing items with cash, such as gas, can give you a small savings in comparison with using a credit card. Also when you purchase with cash you notice that spending becomes more physical and more apparent. It can also prevent the dreaded overdrafts at the bank.

Begin to make changes at home. By doing more activities at home you can save a great deal. Cooking at home is a major deterrent for spending. Tipping becomes obsolete. Meals are healthier and save you money. Also, exercising can be a very expensive pass time if you pay a gym to accommodate you. Save a ton by practicing your moves at home, purchase DVD, stretch bands, and a pilates mat and you’ll be amazed at the similar effects you will receive. Remember that staying healthy in general can save you costly medical bills later. Remember the simple adjustments do make a difference and if you keep your eyes peeled and pay attention you’ll notice the impact that little spending habits have on your overall situation.

Let’s take a look at some of the simplest decisions in our daily lives that equal to yearly disaster.

Do you own magazine subscriptions? More than one? More than three? American families average three subscriptions per household. I wonder how many of these magazines go untouched, unread, and trashed after a few weeks. Begin canceling these useless monthly magazines.

Try this little trick when you feel a compulsion to spend frivolously; make a list with a section for the date and another section for the item you wish to purchase. This will be your “Wait a Month” list. Begin purchasing only the things that you need and when you have the urge to purchase something unnecessary write it on the wait a month list, with the date, and then wait a full thirty days and then purchase it. This amount of time is ample enough to allow you to reconsider and think on the purchase before diving into it.

Have you ever used a system of organization to separate your spendable cash? It is a very helpful way to be more aware of the amount of spendable cash that you have for each area. Use envelopes to create sectioned spending. Depending on your lifestyle habits create an envelope for the most important areas. Examples are gasoline, food, bills, and miscellaneous. When the envelopes are empty then you have depleted your reserved funds.

One major household expense is cable and/or satellite hook up’s. Some families can pay up to two hundred dollars for special television viewing. When it comes down to it is it really worth the expense? If you find yourself saying that ‘nothing is ever on TV’ then you may want to consider throwing out the cable bill and begin enjoying more DVD’s and local channel programming. The bill is a drastic spending cut and that way you can enjoy other things with the family instead of sitting around the TV.

Try a one month trial budget. You can do that can’t you? Just one month! Use your spreadsheet program, or find a printable budgeting sheet online, to track your expenses. This is the easiest part. The hard part is accepting that you actually spend THAT much on the other silly stuff. There are hundreds of free printable budget worksheets online, so just type it into a search engine and start clicking. You’ll be amazed at the information you will find. As long as you stick to the budget you will be convinced to change your habits by month’s end.

It would be a good idea for you to also check over the household bill summaries to make sure you are doing what you can to preserve your wallet. Pull out your latest utility, phone, and insurance bills. Check to see if you are paying too much for promotions or coverage that you may not truly need. Review the insurance policies to make sure you are getting what you are paying for. You may want to take ten minutes to gather a quote from another company. Closely examine your water or electric bills for mistakes or overages. The phone company wants you to pay for what you do not need, but you are smarter than that, right? Some representatives are less than honorable and can stick you with charges you did not ask for.