DEEP CLEAN YOUR GRILL
This lazy person solution is frugal and effective with the key ingredient being store-bought ammonia. Pour one cup of ammonia into a garbage bag. Place the gunky BBQ grill into the bag and seal tightly. Place the bag in the sun on your driveway and leave it overnight. Open carefully (downwind) the next morning and remove the grill. Rinse the grill well on your driveway with water. Dispose of ammonia down a sink drain in a well ventilated area. The ammonia fumes work wonders to loosen and remove built-up grime on the grill.
ANT AWAY SPRAY
If you want to keep the ants at bay you can make a spray that works like a charm. It costs very little to assemble and will help keep your food (and guests!) ant free. Combine 1/2 cup water with 1/4 vinegar and 10 drops of peppermint essential oil. Put this solution into a spray bottle and spritz your picnic table before placing food down. The combination of vinegar and essential oil will mask any scent trail left behind by an ant and keep others from trying to join your party.
FRUGAL TABLE DÉCOR
If you're lucky enough to have access to fresh flowers try putting like with like in small vessels and grouping them together in the centre of the table. This same technique works well with grocery store bouquets. Coordinating like colour with like colours will make a nicer presentation. And for lighting try this quick tip. Scatter metallic napkin rings all over the table and then add battery operated tea lights inside each holder. This is an easy and frugal way to dress up dollar store tea lights and keep things safe without flames.
DIY SUNBURN SOOTHER
The sun is so intense these days and more and more people suffer from sunburn after fun in the sun. This sunburn soother is all-natural, easy and costs pennies to assemble. It's a good thing to keep on hand in your fridge all summer long. Simply pour one litre of boiled water into a mixing bowl. Add 4-5 bags of black tea and 10-12 fresh mint leaves. Let this steep for at least 30 minutes and give it a stir a couple of times. Strain the tea into a spray bottle and store in the fridge. Spritz this on to your sunburned skin when you need instant relief. The mint provides a cooling sensation and the tanic acid in the tea helps balance your skin's PH level. This recipe/solution is based on a David Suzuki Queen of Green recipe. Check out the video here.
COOL DOWN BEER... FAST
This cheap solution has been tested by the likes of MythBusters and men everywhere. Make a salt water ice bath. Mix water, ice and salt in a cooler or bin. Still to dissolve and then place bottles and cans into the water bath. Within 10 minutes cans will be nice and cold, within 15 minutes the bottles will be cool too. The salt melts the ice quickly to create a super cold version of water, and if the surface are of your bottle/can is covered by the water, it will cool much quicker than putting beer into the fridge or freezer.
Visit Amrita's website Pretty Frugal Living for more great ideas!
