Life Is A Ditty: Saving Money, Living Healthfully

Part 1- Our Saving Money, Living Healthfully Story *Fast-forward to Part 2 for cost-effective, healthy ways to make your own personal products with coconut oil and baking soda (and to avoid a long story).
I am a self-proclaimed Tight Wad. I (try to) keep track of every penny we spend as a family, organizing our expenses by categories in a color-coded spreadsheet, totaling, averaging, and usually stressing about how much we spend each month (I'm also Type A if you haven't gathered that yet). I hate, hate, hate waste. However, I'm more than willing to pay more for something if it's worth it. So maybe "frugal" is a better word.
I've recently made it my quest to rid our home of chemicals and toxins in order to strive for the best health possible; physically, mentally, and emotionally. Not because it might make us live longer, but because it makes us healthier and feel better while we're here.
I didn't always have this goal. Honestly, I rebelled against the "trends" of buying/eating organic, making your own cleaning products, making your own personal hygiene products and beauty products, and being Suzy Homemaker. I naturally go against the flow just because I want to; I don't like following the crowd just because everyone else is, and I guess that's what I thought I'd be doing if I joined in.
And I've also been incredibly busy the past few years working and raising my babies on no sleep with no extra time or energy or motivation to research and become informed... phew! Staying alive and sane has been much more of a priority. So if you're reading this right now and don't give a rat's hindquarters about the topics I'm going to discuss, I salute you and 100% understand. But maybe you will someday, and if you do, I hope this post will help you get started on your quest.
First a little background on our journey so far:
In March, I had a spurt of dedication to get our family healthy (I believe it was God telling me to get it in gear. I also believe He was showing me that there is a definite link between what we put in/on our bodies and how we feel. We were sick in many ways, and needed to get healthy physically and mentally). At the time, my goals included making smoothies every morning and working out. I'm happy to say that I've been pretty consistent with these goals, especially the smoothies!
In May came researching about cleaning products that didn't include harmful chemicals. I use vinegar, tea tree oil and baking soda now for most things (if you want those recipes, I'd be more than happy to get them to you).
Closely following that discovery, I began researching organic foods (finally). I didn't know that dairy products and meats were two of the most harmful food groups to buy conventionally because of the hormones, pesticides, GMOs, etc... I just didn't know. Being a tight wad (or frugal, whichever way you look at it), I was nervous about how much it was going to cost to buy all organic food. Thankfully I discovered Azure Standard (buy organic products in bulk online, they're delivered to a location in our city with free shipping ($50 minimum charge), prices are great when you buy in bulk!) and Fred Meyer's organic section. Hallelujah! Buying organic is more expensive than buying non-organic, but we've stopped buying a lot of unhealthy foods and waste is very minimal now, so it probably evens out. But even if it doesn't, we feel so much better (and our food lasts so much longer and tastes so much better), that it's worth the extra expense for our family.
In November, I discovered Young Living Essential Oils. I am so thankful for these miracle "drugs." I could go on and on about how they've helped us the last few weeks. Yes, only weeks. It only took me a couple of days to realize that these oils are worth investing in. They have helped cure our family of sickness including colds and bronchitis (after two rounds of antibiotics that did NOTHING), healed burns, reduced the effects of eczema, gotten rid of headaches and stomachaches, purified our house of dog smells, made pimples evaporate, etc. It's so nice to know that we don't have to take over the counter meds on a regular basis anymore. I am a distributor of Young Living oils, so if you're interested in purchasing products or want more information, please let me know.
While reading my Essential Oils pocket reference, I discovered a list of harmful chemicals and toxins that most personal hygiene and beauty products contain. I'd been avoiding the subject of personal products because I knew I would get obsessed, and I wasn't sure if I cared yet. So I did what any semi-crazy person would do: I got out all of our lotions, make-up, shampoo, conditioner, soap, shaving cream, face wash, moisturizers, anti-frizz creams, hairsprays, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. And I checked those labels, and sure enough... harmful chemicals and toxins. I researched some of the ingredients a little bit more, found more lists of harmful chemicals online, stressed a little bit about the time it would take me to research the effects of all of these chemicals I couldn't pronounce, and then decided that I didn't have time for that. Instead, I was going to buy products that contained ingredients that I recognized. This research led me to believe I might have to sell my right arm or drain our savings to afford them (and a lot of those products still contain ingredients that I don't recognize, and don't have time to research!), and then I discovered a few blogs discussing how to make your own stuff. I definitely wasn't interested until I saw how easy it looked, and how inexpensive the ingredients are, especially when you consider how far they go, how versatile they are, and the cost of the products you'll be replacing!
Our story leads me to the ACTUAL point of this blog, which is the pure excitement I've felt the past few days while researching the cost-effective, healthful changes we are in the process of making, and how they actually WORK (so far my experience pretty much includes organic coconut oil and pure baking soda)! My husband told me I was glowing this morning... not from the coconut oil I used on my face as moisturizer, but because I feel like I've discovered gold and can help others who are ready to make the changes themselves (and honestly, who doesn't want to save $$$?).
Part 2- Cost-effective, healthy ways to make your own personal products with coconut oil and baking soda.
For now, I will discuss only the products I've used so far (in the last couple of days), even though I have plans to try many others. I only want to share what I know has worked for us. I understand that the chemistry of each person's body is different, so what has worked for us may not work for you. But if you ask me, it's worth a try!

Lip balm- organic coconut oil (very light, very shiny, doesn't stay on very long, has healed my cracked/dry lips)
Facial moisturizer- organic coconut oil (my face is SO soft, and my make-up goes on very easily after applying. With my previous product, my face was still dry after I put it on, leaving dry spots even through my make-up).
Make-up remover- organic coconut oil (noticing a trend? I had some mascara under my eyes after my shower, and it was gone immediately. I still haven't tried removing a full face of make-up, but I can't wait to try since it worked so great already).
Anti-frizz cream- organic coconut oil (by far my favorite discovery up to this point. I have extremely dry/frizzy hair, and I've spent my whole life looking for products that help. I've recently found some creams, but again... chemicals. I rubbed coconut oil in my hair while it was still damp, again probably 30 minutes later, and again another 30 minutes after that. It had the "wet" look, but it wasn't crunchy. It got a little frizzy later in the day, so I considered putting some more oil in. Instead I brushed my fingers through my hair to see what would happen... totally breaking the cardinal rule for frizzy hair! But guess what? My frizzies went right back down. So next time I'll try using a little less oil and just brushing my fingers through it. I did finish off with a little bit of hairspray earlier in the day, but I might not need it next time, and I plan to make my own hairspray soon using sugar and alcohol! And honestly, I'm okay with having a little bit crazier hair if it means my body is better off because of it).
Deodorant- organic coconut oil (just rub some in your hands and apply! I don't have a huge problem with sweat, but I plan to add a little bit of pure baking soda if needed).
Toothpaste- organic coconut oil and pure baking soda (I wet my toothbrush, sprinkled some pure baking soda on it, added a dab of coconut oil, and brushed... and almost gagged. It tasted like salty blood, so be careful. But I'm used to it now after only three times of brushing. I kid you not, I noticed a difference right away. I have some staining on my teeth that I've had since I was a kid, and it was visibly reduced. My teeth feel so much cleaner. Our plan is to use the rest of our fluoride toothpaste once a day for cavity protection, and use this new concoction once a day until the fluoride stuff is gone. Then we'll do some more research on fluoride and go from there).
Gum sensitivity- organic coconut oil (Matt brushed with a new toothbrush, probably a little bit too hard. He applied some coconut oil straight to his gums afterwards and it helped alleviate the pain. Awesomness!)
Shaving cream- organic coconut oil (this was probably my second-favorite discovery. The oil is thicker than shaving cream, so it's a little bit harder to clean out of my razor, but totally worth it. Can you say "soft and moisturizing"? Can you say "so soft and moisturizing that Shaun didn't have to put lotion on after her shower, even though she planned to use coconut oil as lotion"? Seriously... try it!).
Lotion- see shaving cream above.

Azure Standard has the least expensive extra virgin organic coconut oil and pure baking soda I can find online, especially when you buy in bulk (plus I trust them!). Check it out.

I have a few recipes for shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, and make-up, which I'm excited to try.

I also make many of my own cleaning products, although I haven't covered every area of my home yet (ask for recipes if you want them, and share yours if you have them!). I'm curious to learn more about simple, cost-effective, healthy ways to make dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, body soap, and hand soap. I'm also interested in looking into making my own make-up (or buying fruit-tinted natural stuff), buying "healthier" vitamins, paper products, and feminine hygiene products (I'm not shy).

Maybe you couldn't care less about this stuff, maybe you're just getting started (like me), or maybe you're much more experienced than I am. I'd love to hear your thoughts and stories so I can learn more. Please share and ask questions, and thanks for reading!

Saving Money, Living Healthfully

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