Condo Blues: March 2018

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Friday Favorites Linky Party 418

Let's get this party started!

Time to link up and share your fantastic craft and DIY projects, recipes, tutorials, and ideas! I can't wait to see what you have in store for us this week. 



Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
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Sheree at Stage Presents - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL


If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing! 



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Wednesday, March 28, 2018

8 Zero Waste Lies

If you are trying to be a Zero Waste or Trash Fee home you try to reduce the need to use the landfill by refusing, reducing, reusing, repairing, recycling, and donating your household waste to get your output to as close to zero as you can.

There are some in Internet Land who show you how they do it with Pinterest perfect photos of bamboo toothbrushes like these, stylishly minimalist rooms (you can learn about the minimalism movement here), and  haughtily looking down their nose at people who  – gasp! – follow low waste practices because their primary goal is to pay off bills, live within their means, or save money, with environmental concerns coming in a close second or even lower down the list.

Disclosure: I am including some affiliate links in this post for your convenience.

8 Truths of Trash Free and Zero Waste Living

In my over 10 years of blogging about green living and doing it in one form or another for even longer, I know there are some truths to Zero Waste Living and I also know that the reality is not always what you see in those Pinterest perfect Zero Waste Kitchens either.


8 Truths of Trash Free and Zero Waste Living
Pin this post and share it with your friends!

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Friday Favorites Linky Party 417

How did you celebrate Saint Patrick's Day? I got up waaaaay too early in the morning to help my favorite pub break in their eye popping grill and serve up green eggs and ham!

Well, the event was advertised as green eggs and ham because it was St. Patrick's Day and all but the look weirded out Head Chef C and Sous Chef Lisa. We stuck to food au naturale.


A post shared by Lisa (@condoblues) on


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Sunday, March 18, 2018

The Easiest DIY Laundry Stain Remover You Will Ever Make!

After my allergy test revealed a lovely grid of red dots indicating I’m allergic to even more annoying things than I realized, I got a ton of information from the doctor about things I can change around the house to help me deal with the unpleasantness.

That’s how I ended up with a giant jug of unscented high efficiency laundry detergent that makes my front loading washing machine stink.

Reek, actually.

I can’t return it. I don’t want to use it as laundry detergent but I CAN use it to make a quick, cheap, and effective laundry stain remover spray. Which is fortunate because I’ve been crying in my oatmeal ever since they discontinued the plant based version of my all time favorite stain fighting spot remover Shout.

How to Make Two Ingredient Laundry Stain Remover Spray


best DIY 2 ingredient laundry stain remover spray
Pin this post and share my nontoxic homemade cleaning magic with your friends!

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Friday Favorites Linky Party 416

It's two days until Saint Patrick's Day! Are you ready to get your ShamROCK on?

Let's get this party started! 

Time to link up and share your fantastic craft and DIY projects, recipes, tutorials, and ideas! I can't wait to see what you have in store for us this week. 



Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Maisy at Becoming Alice - FB | G+ | Pin
Sheree at Stage Presents - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL





If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing! 

And if you love all of this week's favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week's linky party!

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Quick and Easy Reuse for a Crown Royal Bag

I recently bought an woodwind floor stand for my flute (learn more about it here)  to keep it from rolling off my chair when I set it down during band rehearsal and concert intermission. (Disclosure: I like the price and depend upon it so much I am confident in recommending it to you and using my big bold affiliate links to do it!)

Unlike this table top music stand my husband gave me for Christmas, the flute stand didn’t come with a carrying pouch. Which is odd, because I need to take my instrument stand to concert band practice while my music stand stays home and does duty as an iPad stand in my craft room. (I like to stream movies and shows on Amazon Channels (get the deets here while I work.)

I mentally put Sew Instrument Stand Carrying Bag on my growing To Do List while I was working on another To Do List task: Wipe Down the Pantry Shelves. What can I say? I’m a multitasker.

Sunday, March 11, 2018

How to Research and Buy the Best Size Garbage Disposal for Your Kitchen

For us, Compost Season stops when the bin freezes shut during the winter. That’s when we reluctantly switch to using the garbage disposal to dispose of vegetable scraps. 

I say reluctantly because the garbage disposal that came with our condo jams easily and often, sometimes smells bad, and often shakes so violently that it comes loose from the plumbing pipes and sprays gunk inside the kitchen cabinet. Good times!

The “experts” say you shouldn’t put any of these items down a garbage disposal.
  • Vegetable peels
  • Eggshells
  • Pasta, rice, potatoes/potato peels, beans, and other starchy foods
  • Coffee grounds
So what exactly are you supposed to put on a garbage disposal? This list is pretty much everything we cook with and eat.

Although it explains exactly why even though “experts” claim a 1/3 horsepower mini garbage disposal like mine is the “correct” size for a two person apartment or condo household and why I celebrated the day when it finally became unfixable so I could replace it.


How to buy a garbage disposal
It really isn't the old garbage disposal's fault. At the very beginning it was a bad match. 
Keep reading to learn why and how to avoid the same situation when buying a garbage disposal.


When the garbage disposal started leaking from the side and needed to be replaced I practically did a happy dance. Finally a chance to buy a garbage disposal that doesn’t stink!

What Size Garage Disposal Should I Buy?

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Friday Favorites Linky Party 415

Let's get this party started! Time to link up and share your fantastic craft and DIY projects, recipes, tutorials, and ideas! I can't wait to see what you have in store for us this week. 



Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Maisy at Becoming Alice - FB | G+ | Pin
Sheree at Stage Presents - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL





If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing! 

And if you love all of this week's favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week's linky party!

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

6 Ways to Use Less Plastic without Going Crazy

Many folks in the United Kingdom are looking for ways to live plastic free or with less single use plastic for the 40 days of Lent. This is as part of a national Plastic Free (Less) Lent Challenge influenced by the BBC TV program Blue Planet 2: Seas of Life (this show has such gorgeous nature photography and information that I have no problem recommending it to you and using my affiliate links to do it!)

So far, the folks I’m working with are excited when they find a plastic free bamboo toothbrush (read more about it here) or their grocery store allows them to use reusable cloth produce bags and that's fantastic! 

But as they have been living awhile with the low plastic challenge, there are many people who are becoming overwhelmed, or are too time poor to DIY plastic free everything, or worse, being shamed when they admit that they can’t afford the perfect plastic free option. That’s not cool.


6 Ways to Go Plastic Free without Going Broke or Crazy
Pin this list of ideas for later and share it with your friends!


I feel for ya, because I think I am the only person in the world who lives in an area where my farmer’s market, bulk food bins, and fresh vegetable summer CSA subscriptions are typically more expensive than a conventional grocery store. I want to do my bit but I don’t always have the time to regularly grocery shop at three or more markets every other week when one conventional grocery store has everything I need.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Friday Favorites Linky Party 414

Let's get this party started! Time to link up and share your fantastic craft and DIY projects, recipes, tutorials, and ideas! I can't wait to see what you have in store for us this week. 



Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Maisy at Becoming Alice - FB | G+ | Pin
Sheree at Stage Presents - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL





If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing! 

Lisa from Condo Blues chose
Floating Bathroom Shelves from Turtles and Tails


Jerri at Simply Sweet Home chose
German Potato Pancakes from All That's Jas


F18A882B-4638-47AE-8100-48CA9F850CAF
Amy at A Day of Small Things chose
Matcha Cheesecake from Kiku Corner

Maisy at Becoming Alice chose Cold Kicking Shower Melts from Busy Being Jennifer


This authentic barbacoa recipe is a simple slow cooker meal that makes the most tender, flavorful, delicious barbacoa beef.
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky chose
Barbacoa Recipe from To Simply Inspire


Do you want to relax in a tub of homemade lavender bath salts? Learn how to make the best DIY lavender bath salts recipe.  
Penny at Penny's Passion chose How to Make Relaxing Lavender Bath Salts from Happy Mothering

Friday Favorites Button

Thanks so much for partying with us this week! Please add your links below.

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