Frugal Friday Link Up 8/31/12

Thank goodness it's Friday---or so they say.  This has been another incredibly busy week for me and it's not over until Saturday is done.
I apologize for not doing this post last week.  It was hubby's week vacation.  He let me sleep in a bit Friday morning then we took off shopping---for 3 hours!  Nothing too frugal about that except the coupons that I used.  We had to replace the kitchen faucet that wouldn't stop dripping.  Replacing it was a good idea, but buying one for over half the amount of what we could have bought was an extravagance.  

I just got home from Walmart.  There I found a cart full of cute school supply type items.  They were normally up to $2.28 each and now just .50.  Yes, I'm thinking Christmas.  The kids love this kind of stuff.   I could have bought a lot more than I did!

For this week's share from the 99 Cent Solutions book I am sharing uses for cotton balls.
1.  Light my fire.  I think we've all heard of using dryer lint as a fire starter.  You can also use cotton balls.  Rub the cotton balls with petroleum jelly and store them in a zipper bag.  Take it along on your camping trip along with water proof matches and a lighter.  When making your fire just pull a few strands of the cotton ball and place it into your pile of tinder or wood.  Instant fire starter. (and a lot less expensive than buying lighter fluid.)

2.  Calm your flight.  Dribble lavender oil or clary sage onto a few cotton balls and place them into a zipper bag.  Take them out of the bag during the flight for instant tension relief.

3.  Freshen your car.  Take that stale stink out of your car with cotton balls.  Soak a few in eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, or vanilla extract and transport them to your car in a zipper bag.  Take a few out of the bag and place them some place out of the way, such as the cup holder, and refresh your ride.

4.  Squash bugs.  Soak cotton balls in bug repellent and place them in a zipper bag to carry along with you.  Dab your skin with the cotton balls whenever you sense trouble.  Less trouble than carrying a can with you, and less likely to spill in your purse or suitcase.

5.  Tackle mildew in crevices.  No need for elbow grease in those hard to reach areas to clean your bathroom.  Just place cotton balls soaked in bleach in those corners, behind the faucets etc.  Let the cotton ball sit until you are done with your other cleaning.  Once done, remove the cotton balls and rinse with warm water.

Your turn!  What frugal posts have you shared this past week?