Thanks for visiting Ultimate Money Blog! If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. photo credit: Tim Patterson I’m going to start highlighting some foods that are fairly inexpensive and are very good for your health. Today’s focus is on the green smoothie.  Every day I start my morning off with a delightful green smoothie. At first I was repulsed by the idea (and the look!) but after I got down the art of making them, I was addicted. There’s nothing to help detoxify your cells and brighten your day than a green smoothie! Green smoothies are fairly inexpensive to make, and pack a huge nutritional punch.  They may look funny, but they don’t contain any unpronounceable ingredients. Green smoothie recipes are simple to me: pick any leafy green you want, throw some fruit in (normally not more than two-three like fruits), add some water and ice, and blend.  I like to keep my fruits in the same “family”, like mango, pineapple, strawberry, or orange, banana, and kiwi.  I think it makes the smoothie taste [...]

photo credit: neil conway Have you ever wondered how to make deodorant? I have, and decided that I would come up with a recipe that would work better than just putting baking soda on my underarms. I wanted something that felt more like real deodorant. Store bought deodorant contains many ingredients and fragrances. After using my homemade deodorant for so long, I can’t stand the smell of perfumey deodorants. Also, there’s a bunch of controversy about aluminum in deodorant being linked to breast cancer. I like to err on the side of caution. I figure it can’t hurt to use homemade deodorant. Also, your body is meant to sweat to release toxins, so anti-perspirants really aren’t that great.  Just use a little deodorant and you’ll be smelling like roses all day! Ingredients -6 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil -1/4 cup Baking Soda -1/3 cup Cornstarch -1/4 teaspoon shea butter or cocoa butter -10 drops of your favorite essential oil Directions Heat the coconut oil until you can stir in the shea butter or cocoa butter. Once these are incorporated, add in [...]

Picture this: Mr. Money sits down, ready to get a haircut from his talented frugal wife (me), and out comes the camera. “…what are you doing with that?!” He asks. “I want to take a picture of you, honey.” I reply. “Why?! You aren’t going to bl… you’re going to blog about this, aren’t you?” “Do you really think that I would- ok, yeah.  I am going to blog about it and I need a before and after picture.” [blank stare from Mr. Money] Without further ado, I present to you, my husband, victim recipient of a $0 haircut, done by me! Here’s what he looked like before, rocking the skater/punk/too long hair: And here’s what he looked like after: I’ve been cutting his hair for a few years now, and I’m pretty proud at how good I’ve gotten.  I can only imagine how much money we’ve saved on haircuts over the years! What’s your preferred method of haircut: at home or by a professional?