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Homemade Products To Help Save Money

By: Mindy Johnson

 

I don’t know about you, but I really enjoyed the weather last weekend. I spent the majority of my time Saturday being outdoors and I didn’t even let this horrible cough from allergies stop me. You know, after all these years, I am still amazed at how welcoming those first few days of warm weather like Saturday seem to be. It rejuvenates the soul much like the first few drops of rain after a long summer’s drought. I don’t know if it’s the providing of vitamin D through the sun or hearing my children’s laughter being carried across the blue, open sky or just being able to witness the beauty the good Lord gave us. Either way, it’s just what I needed.

Luckily, this week, even though the weather has been less than pleasant for this baseball loving mom, I’ve been able to keep my good spirits up seeing two rabbits nibbling on the green, lush clover in my side yard and being in the right place at the right time to view one prestine, white dove playing among a flock of gray pigeons. What a magnificent sight! Those are what I call “I saw God today” moments.

I mention all this for several reasons. There’s a theme here, which will eventually lead to the Homemade Product To Help Save Money recipe once I round this mountain several times only to get to the same point.

First of all, it sets the tone to my delivery….I enjoyed the outdoors over the weekend, (insert happy face) however, was hit with a drizzly, cool forecast before I was able to “experiment” with the recipe I planned to use this week.

Secondly, I mentioned the warm, fuzzy feeling I receive once I take time out to enjoy God’s creatures.

I also mentioned that I have allergies. This played a huge role in my decision to chose the recipe I did.

Now that the time has come, and most of us will be outside as long as we’re allowed, let’s talk about the pesky insects that cause us to run in fear more so than placing us in a great emotional state. I do know they serve a purpose, but for me, who is highly allergic to them, I can’t find the appreciation just yet, for bees and wasps.

After much research and jotting down, here is what I found to help assist in making being outside a little more enjoyable, with these high speed chasing, stinger giving, body swelling insects. I can’t wait to try them out.

Homemade Non-Toxic Wasp Spray

Combine together in a squirt bottle 2 cups water, 1 tsp. peppermint, 1 tsp. dish soap. Mix together and spray their nests early in the morning or late at night when they’re less active. Kills instantly, but may need to be reapplied.

Also, leave a lemon studded with cloves near the area in which you plan to relax. Wasps and bees don’t like the smell and will stay far away.

In reading, I learned that leaving a fresh cucumber sliced thin and arranged in a single layer on an aluminum pie plate will keep these two wandering irritants away. I was told that the cucumber reacts with the aluminum and gives off a chemical reaction/scent that is undetectable to humans.

The only trouble I’ll have with the last two are that my daughter, Zoey, loves both lemons and cucumbers!

This might be my best bet. Cut a 2 liter bottle into two pieces, the incision should be made so that the top piece will be seperated from the bottom part of the bottle, a fourth of the way down. Invert the top piece inside the bottom part of bottle causing a funnel like structure. Fill bottle with a red, sweetened water. Bees and wasps love the sweet smell and seem to migrate towards things red in color. Viola! They can fly in, but can’t fly back out, eliminating the problem.

I will have to give these tips a try and hope this helps someone else as well. If so, let me know, I would love to hear from you. Just send an email to mindy@douglascountyherald.com.