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Money-Saving Grocery Store Hacks: Costco Shopping Secrets: Part 1

Costco

Do you love Costco as much as I do? It seriously has everything you need! Today I am sharing some of my favorite Costco shopping secrets you need to know to save money while shopping.

 

Costco shopping secrets

First things first, walk past the front of the store. This is where the pricey stuff is! The best deals are actually hiding in the middle and back of Costco.

Make sure to skip those tempting samples, as you are 40% more likely to buy the product if you sample it.

 

Did you know some of their best-selling products are made by popular brands? Their shampoo is said to be made by Pureology, and their diapers are made by Huggies. My favorite nugget is that the Kirkland coffee is actually made by Starbucks. Who knew?!

 

Price Tag Tips:

A tag ending in .97 means the product is on sale

.00 – manage your mark down!

A price tag with * means the product is on clearance

 

These Costco shopping secrets are sure to save you some money on your next shopping trip!

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The Best Drugstore Mascara Dupe

mascara

Do you have a favorite beauty product? For a decade, mine has been my Benefit mascara, which honestly is pretty pricey. When I heard about this drugstore dupe for my favorite item, I ran to the store and had to try it for you guys.

Best Drugstore Mascara 

Before I compared the two, I had to put on the lash primer I cannot live without.

Shop my primer

 

First up, I put on my go-to mascara. This guy is $28, so I was excited to see if the $6 drugstore dupe was worth it.

Shop the Benefit mascara 

 

Next up was the drugstore dupe. If there was ever a mascara twin, this guy is it! I seriously cannot tell a difference. There is a microscopic difference in the brushes, and they perform the exact same!

Shop the drugstore mascara

 

The Elf mascara is a winner in my books. The price difference was the kicker for me! Stick around for more beauty hacks.

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Ice Cream French Toast Hack

French toast

Ice cream for breakfast? Sign me up! This is seriously the best ice cream french toast I’ve ever had, and you only need 2 ingredients. It’s SO good, even Scooter couldn’t get over it!

 

LORAfied Ice Cream French Toast
Ice Cream: 1 pint – quart of melted, any flavor (I used French Vanilla from @traderjoes)
Bread: use your favorite, I used brioche, again from TJ’s

Add your melted ice cream to a dish and dip the bread in the melted ice cream. Fry in a greased skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown.
You can make an entire loaf and freeze the leftovers, or just make an individual serving 😍

 

It’s so easy, you don’t even have to write it down! Let me know what toppings you choose.

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Barbie Shoe Cupcake Hack

barbie cupcake

These Barbie shoe cupcakes are SO cute and the best part? They are made with a 2 ingredient batter! That’s right sister! Here’s how you make ’em.

 

2 Ingredient Cupcake Hack:
1 box strawberry cake mix
1 regular size can of Sprite, you can also use diet

 

It’s kind of hard to believe this works, but just these two ingredients are going to give you a nice and spongy cupcake.

Preheat oven to 350F
Using a mixer, combine cake mix and enter can of sprite.
Scoop into cupcake liners and bake approx 18 mins.

NOTE: these have the texture of a sponge cake, if you’d like them more dense, make according to the box mix 🤗

 

Barbie’s shoes:
Pepperidge Farms Milano cookies (any flavor)
Pepperidge Farms wafer cookies (I used vanilla)
Frosting of choice

Once your cupcakes are cool, it’s time to make Barbie’s shoes. Cut a slit in the back of the cupcake. Just slide that Milano in at an angle and start decorating. I added two layers of frosting to the cupcake and even added a little icing detail to the sole of her shoe.

Finally, for the heel! Just cut your wafer cookie in half, add a little frosting to act as glue, and stick it on there.

 

These turned out so cute. I hope you love this Barbie-themed cupcake hack!

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My Favorite Affordable Kitchen Gadgets

kitchen gadgets

How many unused kitchen gadgets do you have collecting dust? Was I ever really going to make muffins in clay pots more than once?! 😂 Here are four affordable kitchen gadgets on heavy rotation in my house!

 

kitchen gadgets

Oil Dispenser Link

This glass olive oil dispenser does the measuring for you. A teaspoon, a tablespoon, whatever you need.

 

kitchen gadgets

Strainer Link

I cannot say enough about this strainer. You won’t want to strain things any other way once you use it.

 

kitchen gadgets

Baggy Holder Link

If you haven’t seen these baggy holders, you are in for a treat! You can even raise the arms up and down to fit the size of the bag you are using.

 

kitchen gadgets

Air Fryer Cheat Sheet Link

If you’ve ever wondered how long to cook something in the air fryer for, grab these air fryer cheat sheets. They are super handy and magnetic!

 

These kitchen gadgets are so helpful! Let me know which one is your favorite.

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Clothing Cocktail Laundry Hack

laundry hack

It’s cocktail time for your laundry! Raise your hand if you’re tired of battling sweaty summer clothes 🙋‍♀️ With a teenage boy in the house, I need all the help I can get this summer! Here’s an EASY, AFFORDABLE & QUICK laundry hack to disinfect your clothes without any lingering smells and no harsh chemicals 🤗

Add a cup of vodka to your stinky clothes and wash like normal. Vodka is great at disinfecting things and unlike vinegar, it isn’t going to leave any lingering odors.

 

NOTE: make sure to use plain vodka, not the flavored kind. I buy the cheapest I can find at Costco and it works great!

 

This laundry hack may be simple but it’s a game changer in our house!

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The Dolly Parton No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

peanut butter pie

In honor of the queen herself 🙌 🥧💕 This no bake peanut butter pie is SO easy – just five ingredients and the best part? NO baking needed! If you are a peanut butter love like me, you are going to love this pie that is quick, simple, and delicious.

 

Dolly Parton’s Peanut Butter Pie
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup peanut butter
2 tubs of Cool whip or 1 large 16 oz. carton
2 graham cracker crusts or 16 mini crusts

Start by mixing your powdered sugar, cream cheese, and peanut butter together. Here’s a link to my favorite mixing bowls. Next, fold in your two tubs of cool whip. It’s kind of like you’re making a peanut butter cloud of love 🤗 Pour into crusts and freeze or refrigerate until firm.

NOTE: This recipe makes 2 peanut butter pies or about 16 mini pies. I went with the mini version to make sure I don’t eat the entire pie at once🤣

Peanut Butter Pie

Dolly… I love ya sister! Stay tuned for more easy (and dangerously delicious) dessert recipes.

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My Dreamy Barbie Cake Hack

Barbie cake

Here’s a fun and easy Barbie cake hack! Do you remember seeing the Barbie dress cakes in the grocery store bakery as a child? This is my homemade version. Although it looks daunting, this dreamy Barbie cake is SO SIMPLE and it’s STUNNING! The hardest part is being willing to cut a piece 🤗

 

LORAfied Barbie Cake Hack 🎂
1-2 box cake mixes of choice
1 metal or glass 5 quart bowl
1 Barbie
Frosting

My secret is this metal bowl. This is going to be Barbie’s dress! Treat this bowl like a cake pan- oil it, flour it, then grab some cake mix. Simply follow the instructions on the box and pour it into your prepared bowl. I used 2 boxes, but you can use one for a smaller cake if using a smaller bowl. Finally, adjust your oven racks and bake. Let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan.

 

Bake times:

1 cake mix: bake 50-60 minutes
2 cake mixes: bake 1 hour & 20 minutes or so (start checking at the 1 hour mark, as ovens vary greatly)

Now, time for the Barbie hack. Remove Barbie’s legs and insert in the middle of the cake. Starting at the top of the cake, I am going to pipe my little rosettes. They are just circles I fill in, but they end up looking like fancy roses! I even added pearls in the center of the rosettes for a little extra glam.

 

I have to admit… it was hard cutting into this one! Stick around for more cake hacks.

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Sharing My Favorite Cooking Hacks From Italy

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Have you ever made fresh pasta? Growing up in Kansas, we made a lot of egg noodles for chicken and dumplings, but never made real Italian pasta. This cooking class in Rome was a treat! Pasta is easier to make than I thought, but surprisingly, that wasn’t the highlight of the class. Those Italians have some tricks up their sleeves and today I’m sharing my favorite cooking hacks so you can use them in your kitchen.

The first one was my favorite: they use a ladle to measure out the perfect portion of pasta. So simple and it looks beautiful!

Italian cooking hacks

When a recipe calls for a “pinch,” use three fingers. Measuring with the heart is kind of how they do it here!

Italian cooking hacks

Spices and seasonings get cooked first before anything else is added to a sauce.

The only way to know if your pasta dough has been worked enough? If it bounces back when you poke it.

Italian cooking hacks

This last one was a shocker to me… they don’t strain their pasta before added it to their sauces. I learned it helps keep the moisture.

One last bonus tip I loved: you must use raw eggs (which the Italians are not afraid of like we are) to make an authentic Italian tiramisu.

The ladle trick is by far my fav! Comment and LMK which one you was yours 🤗

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The Best Way to Clean Dirty Fruit

dirty fruit

Did you know even organic fruit can be covered in chemicals?! 😳 I was surprised to learn that! Whether you’re buying organic or conventionally grown fruit, here’s how to clean dirty fruit!

Fruits like berries, apples, cherries, and grapes are all going to get the same treatment: soaking.

Soak in water, baking soda & vinegar, let sit up to 15 minutes, rinse and dry
I don’t measure these, but for a guide, here’s my ratio:

Large Bowl of Fruit:
1 Tbsp baking soda
4 cups water
1 cup vinegar

Spray your softer foods like peaches and pears.

In a spray bottle:
1 cup vinegar
4 cups water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Spray right before you eat it, let is sit a few minutes, rinse and pat dry.
Store this solution in the refrigerator to reuse!

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Easy Home Organizing Hack

organizing hack

Whose family has a paper napkin problem? 🙋‍♀️ I’m a little embarrassed to admit how addicted we’ve been to those Vanity Fair napkins I buy in bulk at Costco… but no longer! Here’s my easy hack for organizing and reusing your napkins.

Here’s how I did it: I picked up cloth napkins, nothing fancy…most from Target and all are wash & dry (no dry cleaning) more importantly, no ironing! I cleared out a little cabinet space and added these shoe organizers from the container store. They look great, are visible and accessible for everyone to grab.

Napkin Link

Shoe Organizer Link

My Mom, Norma Jean, has always used cloth napkins and real plates, no paper ones in her house! No matter what you’re eating, it does feel more special than it does when you’re using paper. Mom, I get it now ☺️

Stick around for more helpful organizing hacks!

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Easy Air Fryer Roasted Garlic Hack

roasted garlic hack

Are you a fan of creamy roasted garlic? If you haven’t tried it, add this one to your list immediately! This comes from my Fancy, Yet Frugal recipe vault 🥰. It looks super fancy, but is so low lift and fast you won’t believe it!

Air Fryer Roasted Garlic 🧄 
1 garlic bulb (I can fit up to 4 in my air fryer)
1 teaspoon or more avocado oil (you can use olive oil if you like)
Big pinch of flaky salt, or whatever salt you have

Directions:

Remove outer paper layer, leaving enough to hold garlic together
Cut off tips of garlic
Sprinkle with salt
Drizzle with oil
Wrap with foil
Place in air fryer, cut side up
Air Fry at 400F for 25 minutes. Let cool before opening.

NOTE: To make in this in a regular oven: Bake at 400F for approx. 50-70 minutes.

I spread this on whatever we’re eating that night, everything from chicken to veggies. Follow along for more cooking hacks!

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