Not sure when or how it happened but about two months ago I all of sudden gained this interest in making things at home to reduce cost, reduce unneeded waste and honestly it was partly for the instagram flex 😉 With most of us staying at home these days, these may also be some ways to keep yourself entertained.
So I started small, then got my husband involved and now we make all these super cool things ourselves. Not only is it cheaper but most things actually taste better and are more enjoyable overall. Here are just a few things we’ve made ourselves at home and we think you’ll enjoy them too.
Nut Milk
You can buy these super cheap milk bags and other than your preferred nuts, honey, glass container and a blender that’s all you need. You can also do this without the bags, but just know you’ll have to dig out the pulp from your blender and your milk may have some pulp in it. Here is a recipe that we’ve used but Nick has come up with his own recipe just by playing around with it. Let me just tell you, you’re going to become OBSESSED with how much fun it is and how delicious the milk is. There’s just something that feels so great in making something of your own.
Nut Pulp Cookies
Again, the recipe I followed is attached but I subsiuted the agave with honey and used a real egg. After you make the milk, you’re going to have pulp leftover. Instead of throwing it out, make some yummy cookies and drink a glass of your homemade milk and enjoy. You can also look up other things to use the pulp for, but cookies is my preferred.
Granola
Typically granola at the store is about 10 or 12 dollars. Yes it typically lasts a good amount of time, but when you look at how much actually comes in a bag, it’s not worth the cost overall. I attached my personal favorite recipe but again, this is something you can make your own by trying different flavors. This is another one of those things that feels amazing to say you made yourself and tastes like success every time you taste it. Personally I use granola with oatmeal, overnight oats, on top of desserts, mixed in my yogurt and a few other ways. This is something I promise you’ll enjoy, especially for how easy it is.
Tie- Dyed Anything
This one is super fun. With tie-dye making it’s way back into popularity why spend $30 or more buying something that someone else made instead of making a super cute version yourself? I’ve made shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants and a few other small things. I’ve bought one tie-dye kit from my local craft store to make colorful things and I’ve purchased a bottle of bleach and some rubber bands. Just google designs and you can purchase the kits from amazon or a craft store but the best part is just HAVE FUN! No matter how your items come out, it’s going to look super cool and be something that you can enjoy that you made yourself!!
Compost
Okay this one might be a little far fetched for people and in all honesty, this is actually something Nick has been doing for about a year, but turns out it’s super great for the environment and it’s another one of those things that makes you feel good about yourself while you’re cooking. Pretty much, get some type of bin that you can keep compostable items inside. We got this one from our wedding registry. Empty it about once a week or more depending on how full it gets into a bin like this one outside, and you’re well on your way to saving the world! You can read this article about how and what to compost but overall you can use it for a multitude of things outdoors and if you’re anything like us, you might enjoy the benefits of saving money on fertilizer in the long run 😉
Re-Purpose Old Clothing
Part of being stuck inside for so long has resulted in me “spring cleaning” our entire house. In my defense we also had a ton of gifts to open from the wedding and had to find places to put things. I uploaded a ton of old clothes and shoes to PoshMark, but in light of so many people not working, I got no hits. So I decided to take another look at a lot of the items I already have and turn them into something new. So far I’ve only got a couple new skirts, tank tops and t-shirts but luckily none of these take very many skills and it’s super fun! My best advise is to look on YouTube for exactly what you’re trying to make and follow them as much as you can. I haven’t purchased anything that I didn’t already have so I haven’t followed any tutorials exactly and so far things have turned out pretty great 😉
Detox Tea
This one is quite easy. Boil some water. Steep a mixture of 1 bag peppermint tea, 1 bag ginger tea, 1 bag cinnamon tea. Drink up! I make enough to last about a week and a half, pour it into a large mason jar and put it in the fridge. Anytime I wake up feeling bloated, or simply eat too much and don’t feel so great, I drink about 5ounces of this tea and I INSTANTLY feel the benefits. If you’re not much of a tea drinker and don’t like the bitter taste of herbal tea, feel free to add your favorite type of sweetener and you’ll still feel all the benefits.
These are just a few ideas to get you started and hopefully inspire you to find even more things you can create on your own. Let’s do our part in getting back into the habit of creating! I absolutely love the feeling of creating something myself instead of just buying it and I promise you will too. Let me know what you get into and most of all, have some fun!
XOXO,
Camille
Camille Edwards 