Williams Sonoma Copycat Secret Simmer Pot Recipe

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Genius Rice Hacks: Does Washing It Matter?!

Do you wash your rice before you use it? If yes, how many times? And do you soak your rice? Is any of this really necessary? And is brown rice better for you than white? What’s the best way to cook it? 🤔 SO many questions, luckily, I have the answers 😉

🤩🍚 RICE HACKS: DOES WASHING IT MATTER?! 🍽️

Did you know all rice contains ARSENIC? That means rinsing is a MUST! The absolute bet way to remove arsenic from rice is to soak it. Soaking it overnight is the best way! The most effective way to cook it is like pasta because the extra water allows the arsenic to escape!

Pasta Rice Method:
To cook your rice like pasta, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, approximately 6 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. Pour rice into boiling water and cook until desired texture. Start checking at around 7 mins…may take much longer, like 20-25 mins depending on the type of rice you use. Drain, rinse with cool water and let it sit for a few minutes to let the steam escape. Eat immediately or refrigerate for later.

TIPS: Not all rice is created equal. Long grain rice tends to have more arsenic than short or medium and white rice has less than brown because white rice is basically brown rice with the husk removed. If you’re looking for the lowest arsenic in your rice, look for rice coming out of California, India or Pakistan!

Do you prefer white or brown rice? Comment and LMK! I’m a sticky white rice gal 🤍Click here to check out my favorite rice cooking essentials & other kitchen picks! 👩‍🍳

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Stanley Tumbler Dupes!

💦🥤STANLEY DUPES 👯‍♀️🥊 TUMBLER WARS 🏆

Do you own at least one of these guys? Kid 2 and her buddies are obsessed with these things! If I’m being honest, I don’t really understand the hype surrounding them. I thought I could get away with just ignoring this trend while I kept using what my teens call “an embarrassing knockoff!” But after we missed the special Valentine’s Day edition release at Target and found out they were being resold on eBay for over $200 each, I knew I had to see if this barbell of a water bottle was really worth it… What I found was SHOCKING!

In terms of price, Stanley and Hydro Flask tumblers cost over 50% more than Simply Modern! Simply Modern wins best price.

Next, I conducted a 5 second water test to see which tumbler has the least spillage. 5 seconds upside down and Stanley loses an entire cup of water! Hydro Flask lost 1/4 of a cup, and Simply Modern? Less than 2 tablespoons! Simply Modern wins again.

Now for the temperature test. I filled each tumbler with ice and let them sit for 13 hours. Stanley and Simply Modern both tied at here at 33 degrees. While the Hydro Flask didn’t have any ice left, it was almost 40 degrees.

Of course, none of this really matters unless it works in your car. I’m not gonna lie to you… none of these were home runs in the cup holder department. Plus, all of them are so heavy! We could definitely use these guys at the gym ?

Bottom line, Simply Modern is a winner for me.

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Money-Saving Beauty Dupes: Perfume Edition!

🤩👯‍♀️ PERFUME DUPES: MONEY SAVING COPYCATS 💰❤️

Have you noticed the price of perfume and cologne lately?! ? When Kid 3 casually asked for a bottle of Dior Sauvage for Christmas, I almost passed out when I looked up the price! So I sat out on a journey to find the best dupe I could! Not only did I find an incredible copycat for that one, I uncovered a treasure trove of others you’re going to love as well. Oh, and there is one copycat I suggest you skip ?

First stop is Target. Good Chemistry’s Magnolia Violet is a fantastic dupe for Marc Jacob’s Daisy perfume. While Marc Jacobs costs you $101, you can grab this guy for just $26.99.

Dossier Fruity Jasmine is a fantastic dupe for Dior J’Adore. It brings the price down from $100 to just $29! Dossier Aromatic Star Anise is the dupe for Dior Sauvage and brings the price down from $100 to just $29!

I found the Dossier perfumes at Walmart in store. While there are some Dossier perfumes online, at time of posting, the following two were not readily available on the internet, so go grab ‘em in person ?

At Bath & Body Works, grab You’re The One. It smells just like Miss Dior and only costs $19. 80% off sounds like a deal to me!

Over at CVS, they have something called “perfect scents.” It truly was a perfume treasure trove! The Patchouli Musk scent is a dupe for Creed. While Creed will cost you $265+, you can grab this guy for $20. What a steal!

If you’re a fan of Tom Ford’s Black Orchid, try the Perfect Scent in Wood Vanilla. It’s $150 less and a fantastic copycat. And if you are into Baccarat Rouge 540, grab perfect scent’s Cassis Amberwood. You are going to save over $300 with this guy!

Perfect Scent’s dupe for Chanel 5 is one you want to skip. To keep things simple, it smells nothing like my mother-in-law.

What’s your favorite perfume? Do you have a signature scent? Or maybe you’re looking for one. Comment and LMK ?

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Uncovering Costco Secrets

🛒🤫 COSTCO SECRETS REVEALED🕵️‍♀️

Did you if you go to Costco every week you’re more likely to spend less per trip than folks who go less frequently? But no matter often you go there ways to SAVE ON EVERY TRIP TO COSTCO! Here are the secrets Costco has had under wraps until now 🤯

Why is the food such a deal here? Costco’s food court is actually a loss leader and gets you to stay longer. Everything is done to keep you in the store!

On average, people spend $2.70 a minute at Costco! Costco has a higher in-store “dwell” time than Walmart or Target… especially you bring your kids!

I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed this but there are no signs here to direct you at Costco! Just that alone makes you run into stuff you didn’t know you needed. There’s also no curbside pickup at Costco! By not offering curbside service, that means you have to walk in the door for everything. This means you run into stuff on the way to find the things you need. Items are also constantly moving around.

Costco actually has fewer choices, which means increasing the chances you’ll buy something. The decrease in selection is Costco’s way of avoiding “choice paralysis!” Costco offers only 4,000 items a day, compared to Walmart which has over 120,000 options on the floor on any given day.

Did you know you are 65% more likely to buy something if you sample it? If you can, skip the Costco samples!

When you hit one of the big club stores do you go with a list or do you like the hunt? Comment and LMK!

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Amazon Luxury Bag Dupes!

??DUPE ALERT: AMAZON COPYCATS ?‍♀️ HERMES ?
Did you try grabbing one of the Walmart Birkins last month? Me, too! But no luck! I’ve been looking for a good dupe ever since! Not only did I find an affordable copycat for the Birkin, I found one for the Kelly as well ?

Let’s start with the famous Birkin bag! This dupe from Amazon was way cuter than I expected. What?! If you’ve been wanting one of these, but don’t want to sell a kidney to get one, shop HERE! Less than $100, this guy’s a pretty good copycat. Bag acccessories are included!

If you love the look (but not the price tag) of the infamous Kelly bag, take a look at her! She is a great Amazon dupe, and the twilly scarf is included. At under $50, this Kelly dupe is a winner. Shop HERE for this great find!

I cannot get over the price of the real versions- these dupes are the real winners in my book! Which one do you like the best? Comment and LMK! They are both so cute, but the green is really something ?

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Walmart Dupes: Secret Brands That Will Save You Money

?? DUPE ALERT: WALMART EDITION – THE SECRET BRANDS??

Have you ever wondered if the low food prices on Walmarts Great Value items were somehow inferior? I’ll be the first to admit, I would shy away from them thinking the prices were too good to be true. But I recently ran across an article by @bonappetitmag testing popular yellow cake mix brands…long story short: they liked the Great Value brand the best! That started me thinking (and researching) what other Walmart food items are masquerading behind fancier name brands? Here’s what I found!

Let’s start with their Great Value cake mix. These guys are made by my favorite box mix, Duncan Hines! Their Great Value ice cream is made from the same plant as Blue Bunny ice cream, and it’s a fantastic dupe for Bryers.

Their butter is a pretty easy guess as to what dupe it is…looks almost identical to Land O’Lakes! Their peanut butter has a connection to a very familiar face- Peter Pan Peanut Butter. And when it comes to their ketchup, it’s Heinz!

Walmart’s incredibly affordable spices are McCormick, and wait til you see you makes their salsa… it’s Rosarita!

You can trace their baggies back to Ziploc, and their paper towels back to Bounty!

Walmart has GREAT deals for all of your food essentials. Get this, their Great Value Bread is made by Nature’s own. Their mayo has a strong connection to Kraft, and their yogurt is almost identical to Dannon. And when it comes to cereal, they are all made by the name brand!

DUPE ALERT: If you love A&W root beer, the Great Value root beer is a great dupe AND a great deal!

Do you have a favorite Walmart food item? Comment and LMK! Mine is hands down the cake mix ??

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The Best Drawer Organizing Hack

EASY ORGANIZING HACK: Save Time & Money

Save time and money with this easy drawer organizing hack! Who has a drawer you’re scared to open? Mine was in Kid 3’s bathroom! Always an adventure when I dared to peak inside to see what he had jammed in there…although it was nice to discover where our new pack of 500 Q-tips ended up! This is my favorite way to organize my drawers. Hope you love this hack as much as I do

Step one is simple! Take everything out of the drawer. This will make it a lot easier to rearrange it.

This next part is a game changer. Grab your parchment paper because we are going to be making a template out of the drawer. Mark the front, wrap it up, and head to the store!

Here is the beauty of this hack…instead of guessing what will fit in your drawer, you can use your template to perfectly size and match dividers / bins that will work!

When you get back home, simply place your organizers in the drawer for an exact fit. How simple is that?! This works for any drawer in the house. Stick around for more game-changing hacks!

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2024: Year of the Hare… or HAIR!

??‍♂️2024: Year of the Hare ?…I mean HAIR ? specifically Alpaca ? hair!

Kid 3 did A LOT to his hair in ‘24 ✂️ As we say Bye, Bye, Bye to another year, I thought we’d take a look back at the journey AND the origins of Alpaca Boy Band, Kid 3’s best buds who share his love of fluffy hair and texturizing spray ? For most of us, a dramatic change ends up being a Hair Raising experience…sorry, couldn’t help it, you know I love a good pun ? Here’s a recap of all of the crazy hair changes!

1.) Feb. 2024: @Chiefs game, when the hair was still “normal”

2.) The growing out begins!

3.) 8th Graduation: Nailed it…almost ?

4.) Members of The Alpaca Boy Band

5.) First perm to help with the fluff (never thought I’d write that, LOL!)

6.) One of the only people I know brave enough to make a dramatic change on a cruise ship ?️

7.) The school pic I’ve already saved for his Rehearsal Dinner ?

8.) Decides the fluff is too much work, so naturally he decides to buzz AND bleach it ?

9.) Homecoming, the look is finally growing on me…or maybe it’s just having his shirt tucked in ?

10.) Already over the buzz & bleach, he’s growing it out ?‍♀️

Can’t wait to see what the new year brings…I think ? HAPPY NEW YEAR ?

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Holiday Storage Hacks: Episode 2

?? HOLIDAY STORAGE HACKS: EP 2 ? FREE + FAST + EASY ✅

Welcome to part 2 of my holiday storage hacks! Do you have any old pantyhose hanging out in the bottom of your sock drawer? Go grab ’em sister! They are the answer to storing candles without marking them up! And that’s just one of my easy tips to packing up the holidays! Scroll for my favorite frugal ways to store ornaments, lights & more! ?

Do you have a bunch of old drink holder laying around? Go grab ‘em because they are perfect for storing glass balls.

If party cups are more your thing, those work just as great. You can keep your smaller ornaments safe in an egg carton, and plastic balls can be separated by color into plastics baggies.

Now, to the dreaded lights. Hangers are a fantastic way to keep them organized.

You can also make a DIY cardboard cutout to hang your lights on!

Plastic wrap is one of my organizing secrets. I wrap pretty much anything I can in this, as it keeps dust and bugs away!

Time for a true confession…. I still have pantyhose in my dresser! The good news is, you can reuse them as perfect protection for your candles.

When do you start breaking down your holiday decorations? Before or after New Year’s Day? Comment and LMK! I’m an after Jan. 1st gal, but I have to admit, this year I’m just ready to pack it all up early ?

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Holiday Storage Hacks: Episode 1

? ❤️ HOLIDAY STORAGE HACKS: EP 1 FREE + EASY ?✅

Are you ready to wrap up the wrapping mess? Me, too! I love the holidays, but I also love getting my house back in order. Here are some simple holiday storage hacks to store all of it until next year ?

Welcome to holiday storage part 1, which oddly enough starts in your bathroom! Cut open those empty toilet paper rolls and wrap it arond your paper. It’s a fantastic way of holding it in place without damaging it.

Pipe cleaners works great here, too!

Next, grab a garmin bag! This is my absolute favorite way to store wrapping paper, keeping it neat and protected until next year. The best part? You can hang it up to save space.

Now, onto the ribbon! Pant hangers are PERFECT for storing your unused ribbon. It keeps ‘em neat and organized, plus you can hang it up right next to your wrapping paper!

Did you use more wrapping paper or gift bags this year? Comment and LMK! We used more wrapping paper over here which I’ll need to tackle today ?

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