Tag: lifestyle

Brand Loyalty

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn product reviewsLeave a comment

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it pretty much describes why I just love certain brands and products. If they work for me I just keep using them. This dawned on me when I went to get more of our body wash. Jackson and I went to Drug Emporium to pick up another bottle of Dr. Teal’s Lemon body wash. We have been using Dr. Teal’s for years but the lemon scent was new and we just loved it. I had gotten our last two there and was sorely disappointed when the body wash shelf was extremely empty. We went to Walmart to see if they had it there. No luck, so we just picked up the magnesium one. A week later I was a Drug Emporium and just decided to see if it was back in stock and it was.

Another brand that I have used for years and will continue to use is Mad Hippie. It’s such a good skincare line and very reasonably priced.

I have been using Zum products for over a decade. I love the laundry soap and am so happy several places here carry it.

This is my go to scent although I have tried the patchouli and I really like that one also. The body mist/room sprays are amazing.

I mainly use these in the hotter months because they act as an allover frangrance.

The only “perfume” that I use is this. I’m over the moon that Sprouts carries it and I don’t have to order it anymore.

I don’t like flowery scents. I really like more of the earthy spicy scents. This oil goes with the hair mist/body spray that I found at Dollar Tree. I’m always hesitant to buy beauty products there, but I scanned it through Yuka and it got a very good rating.

This leave in conditioner, also from Dollar Tree is so good. It’s not heavy and I normally just spray it on my ends after a shower.

I love lotion and actually go through it pretty quickly. These are my favorites that I use.

The Patchouli Buritti and the Raw Shea Butter are both so thick that they have to be stored upside down. Of course, I will always have the Zum on hand. Eos lip balm is the only lip balm I use and I love it. With the heater being run now my lips can dry out at night if I don’t apply it before bed.

I find it funny that I worked for Lancome for several years yet this is my go to makeup that I will continue to always buy.

I’ve used the same color eyeshadow for years and years. Maybelline fit (dewy) is wonderful and I love the fit powder. I have used the wet ‘n wild eyeliner and Big Poppa mascara also for years. Same with the covergirl blush. It just makes it easy to know what I like and I can just run into the store and not have to think or guess if it will work.

As far as hair products go, I love this heat protector spray. I rarely actually put heat on my hair, but when I do, this one is great. It’s not heavy and doesn’t make your hair feel heavy or greasy.

After I dropped the kids off I had about an hour and a half to kill in Kilgore. I decided to drop by Goodwill just to look around. I found two cute tshirts that were red tags (half off color) and a olive green cardigan.

I love oversized cardigans. I thought the one I already had was olive green but it turns out it is brown with a green tint so I’m really happy I found this one.

I also picked up 3 gluten free cookbooks. I know I can probably find all the recipes online, but I just would rather work out of a cookbook.

For 99 cents each, I couldn’t beat it.

Also, I don’t just buy myself things. I just never post what I get everyone else because I feel like it’s an invasion of their privacy in some weird way.

Halloween 2025

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home lifeLeave a comment

I am so late posting this, but things have been a bit crazy around here. Hannah decided that we were going to have a Halloween party because in our town there is little for late teen to 21 year olds to do on this holiday. She and Jackson were just going to invite a few of their friends to keep it small. We decorated the backyard so they could hang out around the fire pit, play corn hole and roast hotdogs and make s’mores.

I found this vintage door cover at an estate sale.

Hannah and I carved pumpkins the night before.

Since the party started at 5:30 there was plenty of light to play Cornhole.

They loved the fire pit so much that we had to go get more wood.

They decided to load up in the back of Gavin’s pickup and go trick or treating around the neighborhood. I know some people think they may be too old, but I had seen a post on All Things Longview that was asking if any adults could go trick or treating. The yes response was overwhelming. This is mainly because most kids go to the really big neighborhoods where they block off the streets and are known for their trick or treating. Our little neighborhood has homes that decorate but no one comes.

Hannah was Gumball and her Olivia was Darwin (a fish. she had a fin but you can’t see it from the front) from the Adventures of Gumball.

Gavin and Hannah

The kids ended up with a lot of candy. One house had hotdogs and hot chocolate. After the trick or treating they decided to play some board games.

The festivities ended around midnight and everyone had a great time. I think we’ll have to do this again. I hope everyone else had a happy Halloween.

Swap Out

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn OrganizingLeave a comment

Today I swapped out my warm weather clothes for the colder ones. I hadn’t meant to do this task so early in the season, but Hannah needed a brown turtleneck which I thought I had (I donated it last season it turns out) and the weather has started cooling off quite a bit. It’s a chore I am not fond of doing because I share a very small closet with Donny. If you ever see a video of small NYC apartment closets you get the idea.

I decided to pare down my wardrobe quite a bit. I tried every single item on to make sure it fit well and I still liked it. I ended up with a trash bag full to donate. I’m always nosy about how people fit everything into a small space and what all goes into that said space. So here is my take on it.

These are my sweaters. I pared them down quite a bit.

I love jeans. I added some brown cords and my olive velvet pants. I think these will definitely get me through the winter months.

I love this denim jacket. I’m keeping my down coat in the storage bag until it gets a lot colder. There’s no need for it to take up precious space.

These are my cardigans and skirts. I love cardigans because they are the perfect layering item for our weird weather.

Purses and backpacks get hung on hooks I have installed around the closet.

These hang behind the clothes.

Keeping everything organized by color helps me find items quicker.

It took 3 hours, but I feel like I got a lot accomplished. I was sick of trying on clothes by the end but I really think that it helped me get rid of so much. I’m so happy that this is DONE.

Mr. Whiskers was not happy about having to move as I was backing up tonight. He has a wound on his hip that he has been coming to me so I can spray it with antimicrobial spray. I have tried to bring him into the house, but he will have nothing to do with that. He does love back scratches and head rubs though.

Day #92 – Check It Off

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn 100 DaysLeave a comment

It seems like I have to make lists to keep on track. Not the everyday stuff, but things that I need to get done that I somehow get busy and completely forget about. The lists can be long or short, but I tend to like them shorter so I can get it all done in one day and it’s not hanging over my head. I do have goal lists that aren’t time sensitive, but those are for bigger projects.

Today’s was pretty short which was good because it was deep clean bathroom day. The patio wasn’t too bad, but it tends to get dusty so everything needed a good wipe down and the plants needed to be tended to.

I love sitting out here in the mornings and having my coffee and also in the evenings watching the night critters come have their dinner. I almost caught the possum tonight.

I don’t know why the pots and pans cabinet gets so much in disarray, but it does.

So much better. I hate not being able to just reach in and know where everything is.

The under sink storage area was SO bad. I knew that was going to take me a while.

That’s embarrassing, but it’s real life and it was driving me crazy. I scoop the litter boxes everyday, but I still don’t think we need that many bags especially when we have a full bag holder. I use different cleaning products for different jobs. I don’t think I need that many. Time to put it back the way it should be.

I try to stay with all natural products, but I found the best smelling cleaner and had to buy a few bottles of it. It will last me through winter. I just love the way everything smells after I’ve cleaned with it.

If you like spicy cinnamon like scents, grab this if you see it because it’s a limited edition and it’s flying off the shelves here.

I’ve also been looking for a good natural dish soap. I don’t like Mrs. Meyers very much. The smell becomes overwhelming to me. I tried a unscented brand that I just added some lemon essential oil to. It worked okay, but then when it had about 1/3 left I added my Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap to it. So far I’m really liking it. My problem with using only Dr. Bronner’s is that it does not suds up. Now that I’ve mixed them it’s much better and my dishes get clean.

It only takes a small squirt because the Castile soap is so concentrated. I’ll keep using it and see how much I like it after using it a while.

Day #54 – Fall Prep + Thrift Haul

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn 100 DaysLeave a comment

Because the heat index was supposed to hit 105 today I decided to get an early start on prepping for our fall garden. Technically, this is Donny’s garden. Mine is at the end of the front flower beds, but I guess we are now sharing the big enclosed one. It was a mess! We had neglected it once we realized that our huge tomato plants were only going to give us the two tomatoes we had already picked.

I just knew I was going to find a snake, I didn’t though. It took a lot of elbow grease and sweat but I finally got it cleaned out.

I did keep two of the most promising looking tomato plants. They have some blooms on them but if they don’t look like they will be growing any tomatoes, they’re out.

I had a HUGE weed pile and luckily was able to fit it all in one of those big yard waste paper bags.

After a much needed shower we had a unexpected, yet wonderful, rain shower. It cooled things off considerably. I decided I needed to get out of the house so I drove around the corner to Big, our favorite thrift store. I actually took my time today because the kids were busy doing something or other and wanted to stay home.

I have no idea why this is so blurry, but it’s a gray tank top type shirt. It’s the kind I just love to wear on hot days.

Another wonderful blurry pic, but it’s a lacy tank top that will go perfect with this gauzy peasant skirt I have.

They were just putting this out and I grabbed it because it will be perfect for fall and winter. It’s by Steve Madden, in excellent condition and I just love it. Especially because it was only 4 bucks.

Cute little candle holder.

I needed a small lamp because I love the ambient lighting I’ve been seeing in kitchens lately. Of course it was too big to go on top of my cabinets so I just switched places with a smaller one I already had that did fit.

I finally found a butter bell! I have been wanting one for a while now but I just didn’t want to pay full price. The color didn’t come out right, it’s actually mustard yellow which fits perfectly in our kitchen. It was on $2

I love background instrumental music. I found this flute album for 50 cents and it’s beautiful music. (I already tried it out) The kids get restless when I’m looking at book so today I got to peruse the bookshelves to my heart’s desire. I found some good ones, I think. I have already started reading Big Woods. When I was ready the synopsis I saw that it’s set in Longview. I’m 42 pages in and don’t want to stop reading it. I googled the author and she wrote Hunting Wives. I haven’t watched the series on Netflix yet. The funniest part is that it’s about Longview. I found it in a Longview thrift store, but it’s from Eastlake Public Library in Eastlake Ohio. So bizarre.

Now I’m going to clean up the kitchen and get back to reading.

Day #49 – College + Thrift

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn 100 DaysLeave a comment

Today was “orientation” for incoming freshman. It was basically following signs to make sure everyone had their ducks in a row and could start their classes later this month. Jackson really didn’t have to be there (we didn’t know this) because he had completed everything. Hannah was in the system but we could never pull her up. They took car of that and we just need one more thing for her to get completed. Such a weight taken off. They are both excited about starting and everyone at registration were so nice.

Kilgore is such a good junior college. I’m glad they are both going.

We were all having so much fun we decided to go thrifting. Both the kids love to do this. Actual retail stores overwhelm us all, plus we love the thrill of the hunt. We first went to Big (gifts of grace).

I found these two wonderful smelling, never used candles and this table runner. The candles were $2 and the runner was $3. I always like to know what people pay for things. I’m nosy like that.

Next we went to Goodwill. They are right by each other and right around the corner from our house.

I found this cute shirt that I’m sure I’ll be wearing quite a bit. It was only $4.99

Jackson was finished shopping for the day so we dropped him at the house and Hannah and I went to relish (born again thrift). We have nicknames for the different shops. This one has always smelled like relish to us. They must have changed the Scentsy scent because this time it smelled like caramel.

I found this taped up case with some cool charms and beads. I needed some beads for a project and this was only $2.

I’m always needing this sized frame. The two of them were 50 cents each. I loved this vera Bradley pattern and needed a new wallet. It’s in excellent condition and was only $3.

We found this cute backpack for Hannah. It was only $10 and it”s in like new condition. She did get a few more things at the other shops, but I really only post what I get because they like to keep their stuff private. I just need to wipe this down before I give it back to her.

All in all it was a good day. It even rained and stayed cool-ish. I will take any break from the heat in August.