Prepped Living Blog

Are you not sure what to do with the small piece of soap left near the end of your soap bar's life? We don't like to be wasteful and toss the soap "ends," so we came up with a couple of ways to use them. We also looked into a few more ideas to use soap ends that we could share with you. Grafting to the Next Bar For the most part, we incorporate the small piece into the next bar by getting them both wet and smashing them together. Sometimes it takes a few washings before they stick well. Using a Soap Saver We recently received a soap saver bag as a gift. These are bags made of natural fibers. The idea is to put your bar of soap in it, use it as a washcloth or scrubby, and then hang it to dry. This is supposed to lengthen the longevity of your soap bar by using less soap to lather and by letting it dry well in between uses. Adding your pieces to your soap saver is another way to use up your soap slivers. Turning it into Shave Soap We have also saved a few pieces with t...

In the spirit of making the most of what you have, here are some ideas for getting more use out of your used coffee grounds. Garden Used coffee grounds are particularly good for plants that love acidic soil. They can improve soil texture and drainage and contain nitrogen as well as trace amounts of various other elements. Used coffee grounds are better than unused coffee grounds for your garden as unused grounds are more acidic and contain much of the caffeine. ·         Soil Booster – Mix used coffee grounds in with your top soil or sprinkle directly on top of the soil around the plants. This is especially good for acid-loving plants, such as blueberries and hydrangeas. Be cautious with plants that do not love acidic soil. ·         Compost Pile – Coffee grounds can be added to your compost pile. ·         Pest Deterrent – Coffee grounds are said to help deter certain pest...

We live in a very old house with doors that have gaps underneath. While this is not a problem for the bedrooms, it is an issue for the basement door, under which the cold tends to creep in the winter-time. We have a cold spot at the front door as well. While we have been keeping out drafts with rolled up towels, no matter how you fold or roll them, they do not fit well. There is always a spot where there is either too much or not enough towel. Invariably, the towel gets kicked, it unravels, and then it is in the way. Since these older towels are also used for setting our canned good on when we take them out of the canner, we decided it was time to make something that fits better under the doors. Style 1 - Single "Baffle" I first experimented with a single draft stopper for the front door. It only required measuring the door and sewing a rectangle in the right length. I used the leg of a pair of pants that was stained and worn through near the seat. I made the rectangle five i...

We no longer use seed oils for cooking, but we had nearly half a gallon of canola oil in storage from our last purchase a few years ago. We hated to give it away since it is no doubt rancid, but we also hated to throw it out and be wasteful.  We knew there had to be something we could do with it. A while back we did a bit of searching and found a DIY project for a homemade emergency lamp that could use lamp oil or cooking oil. We decided to try it out and use the lamps as our centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner. We read that with cooking oils, it is best for the wick to be as close to the oil as possible in order for the oil to better travel up the wick since cooking oils are not specifically designed for this purpose. With this in mind, we started with the smallest jar. Since we like to experiment, we made two larger sizes to see how they compare over time. Materials : Glass jars with metal lids Cotton wick (or cotton strings for wicks) Cooking oil Paper clips or metal bottle caps...

Homemade gifts blend your time, talent, and treasure to create a unique gift made with love. Whether you are on a budget and need to use what you have or if you simply want to create something unique, making your own Christmas gifts can be a great option. Here are a few homemade gift ideas our family has enjoyed: CRAFTS Christmas Tree Ornaments The girls and I made angel ornaments by upcycling old pant pockets. We found a photo on the web for inspiration. We used the legs of the pants to make quilts some time ago and cut out the pockets thinking we would eventually find a use for them, and we did! Angel ornaments made from pant pockets There are many other great ideas for DIY Christmas ornaments out there. Here are some other ideas you can check into: Ribbon Ornaments We made something similar to this several years ago. They turn out beautifully and are so easy! Clothespin Ornaments  Here is a site that lists 5 ways to make ornaments from clothespins. More Ornament Ideas The Pion...

 A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to use our candle wax remnants and repurpose them into new candles. I had been saving wax remnants and glass candle holders for a while, so I felt like I finally had enough to melt down for new candles. My mom had graciously given me some money to spend for my birthday this past summer and I used it to purchase a candle mold and wicks. I already had a pot in which to melt the candles, so I was set for supplies. Here is the mix of candle wax with which I started: Since some of the wax had bits of char, I thought I would use the last of the wax with any of the charred bits that sank to the bottom to make fire starters. For this, I used dryer lint stuffed into the egg depressions of a cardboard egg carton. Wax will be poured over the top of the lint to make the fire starters and then I will cut each egg section apart to give us 12 individual fire starters. These burn well and fairly long, thanks to the wax, and are thus a good option for startin...