Home & Garden

Here are directions for 3 quick and easy, and inexpensive, backyard ponds. They range from really simple-using a kiddy pool, to more involved, but all are inexpensive and definately do-able for the do it yourselfer

Here are some practical, frugal ideas for home security. Unless you live in a crime-ridden area, you probably do not need to spend money on an expensive alarm system.  This article explains how to look at your

Envirosax is a great company to buy your grocery sacks from, but did you know that they make great ones for kids, too?  My kids HAVE to bring their lunch to school and everything must be recycled (i.e. all

This site has all kinds of hints for easy cleaning, pest and pet problems, stain removal and other common household frustrations that come up.  If the site doesn't address your situation, you

Want to get your kids into gardening?  Here's a quick and easy way to get the ball rolling.  A friend of mine introduced me to this Roll and Grow system.  It sounds really cheesy and it's

Want to avoid using harsh chemicals in your house?  Start using microfiber towels.  Cleaning with a microfiber towel and water alone will pick up 92 - 97% of bacteria!  You can use them on everything! 

It's amazing how many things you can do with cooking spray that go beyond it's basic purpose.  This site will tell you many handy uses that range from cheese graters to car wheels.

Summer is here.  We are at home more.  And  I am sick of the clutter...so I've been craigs listing anything I can get my hands on that we haven't used in 3 months.  Amazing

Did you know that Disney makes now playground sets for the back yard? Now you can bring a Little Disney Magic to your back yard. The playsets are available at your local Home Depot store. They are

I have found over the past 14 years of being a Mom that dishsoap when left to sit on stubborn stains like tomato sauce, chocolate or cola which usually leaves something behind for the most part won't. If you

When I was in a pinch recently, I grabbed a bottle of Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer and applied it to a milk spill that was a few days old.  To my surprise, it cleaned it and got rid of the milky smell. 

Rain-X is a great product that we've been using on our car windshields.  It totally improves visibility when you are driving during wet weather.  I'm guessing it is oil-based, because you just apply

This is a great article. Even though I'm an educated person and usually level-headed, when I have had minor car accidents I have never been sure exactly what to do. This is a list of 10 must-dos. The article

From my money saving ezine: A great way to clean a ceiling fan and avoid the lint and dust from going everywhere is to use a pillowcase. Take the pillowcase and stick the blade inside. Then pull off the lint so

From my money-saving ezine: Every year we experience distress when we find ants building mounds and entering our house in the spring time. We are against the chemicals and traps, as we have a mischievous toddler

I just stumbled on this great idea to network and recycle your stuff for things you need! From their site: Zwaggle is a national network of parents who have come together to share. It's simple: You receive

Family Handyman is a great magazine for folks who like to build and fix things themselves.  Their website has a great section of free, printable project plans.  They have tons of projects available including:

Are you leading a busy life and feel like you don't have time to be "green"? Think again! Idealbite.com is convenient and has free and fun advice for real people like you delivered to your mailbox

This online grocery list creator could be a real time saver.  When you visit the site, just scroll down about halfway through the page and you'll see the formatted list.  The service is free, but

Dogster.com is like MySpace.com for dog lovers and their owners. You can create a pet profile, participate in photo contests, find dog-friendly businesses and parks, create dog blogs, and meet other dog lovers and

I read this tip in FamiyFun magazine and I thought it was worthy of sharing.  To make birthday parties go more smoothly, the writer suggests  scooping ice cream into cupcake bake cups on a cookie

Whether you're single or married with kids, one of the greatest mysteries in household chores is how to fold fitted sheets into neat piles.  Thanks to Queen of Crafts and Homemaker, Martha Stewart, here

To avoid clutter and misplacing important information in the kitchen, I created a Family Binder that organizes everything from Emergency Contact Numbers, Class lists and Takeout menus to School Directories

Did you try to blow a candle out, but blew much more? Did the kids get a hold of and get it all over the carpet? Well have no fear... you can get it out! Follow the link and you will be on your way to restored belongings

I have used SurveyMonkey.com at work, but my husband had the great idea that it could be used personally as well. SurveyMonkey lets you design surveys with many different types of questions and then either email

Want to clean out some old toys and clothes, but hate to just throw them away?  Make sure those items go to someone who can really use them.  Why not consider donating them to your local Domestic Violence

Did you know that your local Extension Service typically offers a low cost soil testing service?  In Massachusetts, you can send a soil sample to UMASS Extension and get a comprehensive soil test for $13! 

 How green conscious or smart are you? Test your level of green knowlege and efforts at this National Geographic site. Who's the Green champion in your family? Involve the entire family and lead the way

A great way to show your love of animals and get rid of old linens, without trashing them, is to donate them to your local animal shelter. Linens are needed for bedding, grooming, etc. And hey while you are

I'm a school teacher by profession and I must admit I'm ashamed that I didn't answer all these questions correctly!  I learned a lot.  This is a noggin stretcher for sure...and you'll be

Whenever possible I try to be aware of the companies I buy from - making sure they are trying to preserve the environment.  I'm not uber crazy about it, I just try to make less of an impact to show my kids

I love entertaining outside and found this great product from Recycline called Preserve - this all recycled product is just what I've been looking for.  They even have personal products and kitchen ware

I have a wonderful tip for anyone that has a pet and needs to get that smell out of the carpet or rug. You mix half and of water and rubbing Alcohol together and spray on the spot and when the rubbing alcohol

This site features some great tips on personal organization including such topics as travel organizing, de-cluttering and springtime cleaning. Although this is the site of a personal organizer that you can actually

Greenfeet.com offers a variety of green products. You can find here for example organic baby body care,  recycled bath glass accesories, cute reusable bags, and more. Be sure to visit the website to check out

This is a fantastic artist who specializes in children's oil portraits.  She works from photographs, and can paint one or more child in one painting.  She really listens to what you want and has an

This morning on Today Show Katie Brown gave hints on laundering items all over the house. Click the link above for the full article.  She talks about cleaning sneakers, pillows, bras, oven mitts and ironing

This is a great activity for kids to try or for anybody that is starting a garden. We took an empty egg carton. We made eggs for breakfast. Saved the egg shells. We rinsed out the egg shells drew faces on them

I used to make a whole pot of coffee at least once a day and throw away most of it. What a waste! And my husband likes one kind of coffee and I like another. Then my parents got a single cup coffeemaker from

Your pet will love these natural treats and you can rest assured they are eating safe. Cloud Star is dedicated to providing your pet with the most wholesome treats possible. They use only the finest ingredients

If you are planning an upcoming family vacation and look forward to bringing along Fido - check out this resource.  This Dog Friendly site provides information such as pet friendly hotel chains, outdoor dining

The Mother's Day holiday is celebrated in many countries around the world, but in the United States it is honored on the second Sunday in May. Why not explore your family's maternal ancestry for something

If you are a public radio fan you already know about Living on Earth - but did you know that they have Podcasts now?  I find as a busy mom, I often miss really helpful segments on environmental solutions and

Blueberries are a great tasting and very nutritious fruit produced on a plant beautiful enough to be an ornamental. They are pretty easy to grow and mostly pest-free as long as a few simple growing rules

I was recently surprised by my son's beautiful artwork....red & purple crayon all over my white walls in the living room!  I was upset and worried that I wouldn't be able to get it off and I am

We just got these Bed Tents for the kids because they've been really into the concept of "camping" and building forts.  I found them online at Target and they are made by Pacific Playtents. 

Here's a great idea for an outdoor salad bar this summer, from my money saving ezine: A few years ago, we had a rather large party for my son-in- law's college graduation. Since we wanted an outside party

Here is link to sign a petition to stop random mailings and hopefully save some trees.  This is like the Do Not Call List....is now a Do Not MAIL List. I signed it - will you!?

Did you know that something that you are trying to get rid off could be someone else's treasure? Freecycle Network is made up of groups across the globes. The groups are moderated by a local volunteer and are

A friend gave me this really great tip for getting that stubborn pet hair out of area rugs. This is really great! She taught me to use your regular household rubber gloves to clean those rugs! All you do is slightly