Don't throw em away! Uses for Used tea bags

Yeah, You got me... I don't like to just throw things away...

At least I'm not a hoarder...

And at least I have the decency to let YOU know what you can do to be more frugal in your life too.

And here is where I would normally explain to you why going green and being a frugal mommy dont really stray far from each other - but I would be digressing, and neither of us would really be benefiting, right?

I'll just get right down to it. DON'T JUST THROW EM AWAY.... but don't hang on to them for too long either... eww. Mold and mildew would love for you to, but you're smarter than that - and after this post you're gonna have way too many fun uses for those bags. You''ll be making and drinking more tea just to feel prettier and smarter! Leave a comment later, thanking me - if you ever have time!

Uses for uses (black) tea bags.
(remember that the tea has to be caffeinated unless otherwise specified- this tea contains "tannins" which will be mentioned quite a bit!)

HEALTH AND BEAUTY

1. Plantar Warts! Just press a wet, warmed tea bag directly on the area for ten to fifteen minutes and let the skin dry naturally. Repeat this daily in one to two weeks that bad boy should be gone! (Let me know if this works, I've never actually had a wart but I've read in a lot of different places that this is a GREAT remedy)
2. Any kind of tea can soften your skin (the antioxidants in green tea are particularly effective) so throw some tea bags in the bath and soak in that delicious goodness - PLUS, I think you'll smell great after!
3. The tannins in the tealeaves will stimulate blood circulation and diminish the bags and dark circles under your eyes. Rest either warm or cold bags on your eyes for a few minutes and check out the results! When I get around to it Ill ad a before and after to this post. (Im a great tester since I just had a baby and rarely sleep)
4. A facial toner!? VOILA! The astringency absorbs greas, so quickly wipe a tea bag over your trouble zones and then blot with a clean towel.
5. Soothe razor burn and relieve nicks and cuts by pressing a wet tea bag to your skin. Not only will the tea take some of the sting out, it will also stop the bleeding.
6. Warm up a brewed tea bag, take the leaves out of it, roll them in a scrap of fabric, and use as a compress for a painful toothache, canker sore, or fat lip
7. Drain a blister or abscess without pain by covering the affected area with a wet tea bag overnight; you'll see results by the time you wake up the next morning.
8. Tea bags will bring comforting relief if you have a bruise, sunburn, bee sting, mosquito bite, run in with Poison Ivy, or cold sore, reduce inflammation, and promote healing. Put a cool, damp tea bag on the affected area and use like a compress.
9. The antioxidants and tannins in the tea will tighten your pores, reduce puffiness, and leave your face glowing! Put the used tea bag in a bowl steaming water, place a towel over your head and let your face soak up that tea-steam!
10. Alleviate sore or bleeding gums by putting a cooled, used tea bag over the problem spot. Tannins constrict blood vessels, which will stop the bleeding, and they reduce the swollen tissues that cause soreness.
11. Give your feet a daily tea bath that calms and restore. Toss 3 or 4 bags in some hot water and let it steep for about 15 minute (or long enough for the water to cool to a good temp for your footsies.) Then soak for 20-30 minutes. This also gets rid of stinky feet!
12. Rinse your hands with water and a brewed tea bag to remove food odors like onions and fish!

IN THE KITCHEN

1. Cook an incredibly moist turkey by adding a brewed tea bag and a cup of water to the pan. The tannin in the tea is a natural meat tenderizer and adds a unique, delicious flavor.
2. Soak grungy dishes overnight with hot water and a few brewed teabags and the tannins from the tea with break down the grease by morning.
3. A brewed tea bag will do the same thing as baking soda in your fridge and sucks up odors!

AROUND THE HOUSE

1. Deodorize stuffy rooms by pouring one quart twice-brewed tea and four tablespoons lemon juice or your favorite essential oil in a spray bottle.
2. Clean dark leather shoes by wiping a damp tea bag in a circular motion.
3. Put a wet tea bag or the leaves from a wet tea bag into your ashtray. When someone ashes into the tray the wet leaves will hold the ash and absorb some of the smell from the smoke!
4. Just sprinkle the dried out contents of a brewed tea bag into kitty litter and the tea will help neutralize the smell!
5. If you sprinkle the damp tea leaves from a brewed tea bag over the ashes in your fireplace before cleaning it out, the tea will keep the ashes from rising and making a mess when you lift them out.
6. Wipe cast-iron pots and pans with a brewed tea bag to remove and prevent rust.
7. Empty the dry contents from several brewed tea bags onto smelly carpets or pet bedding, allow to settle for ten or fifteen minutes, then deodorize the area when you vacuum and leave the refreshing scent of tea behind. This will also deodorize the vacuum cleaner bag at the same time.
8. Your grandma probably taught you THIS one! Make your mirrors sparkle and shine by using cooled, twice-brewed tea as a cleaner. Just dip a soft cloth in the tea and use it to wipe away dirt and grime, and then buff dry.
9. Use the teabags to rub furniture and floor scratches to make them disappear.
10. Carefully spray diluted black tea on the carpet to kill dust mites. Color-test the tea first in an inconspicuous spot.

OUTDOORS

1. Acid-loving plants like citrus, ferns and roses LOVE Tea! Especially in Arizona, since the ground is dutifully lacking in acid. The tannic acid and other nutrients will be released when you water the plants, spurring their growth.
2. And for healthier potted plants, place a few brewed tea bags over the drainage hole at the bottom of the planter before potting. The tea bags will retain water and leach nutrients to the soil.
3. Speed the decomposition process and enrich your compost pile by pouring a few cups of strong, twice-brewed tea into the heap. The liquid tea will hasten decomposition and draw acid-producing bacteria that will create acid-rich compost. If you remove the staples first you can just toss those buggers in your compost pile whole!

If you know of any more leave a comment! Thanks! I hope This info helps!

Teaching kids colors

Heres a fun little game that doesnt take very long or very much effort that teaches your kids how to make colors! My 3 year old loved it!

What you'll need:

*Either food coloring or paint (in red, blue, and, yellow)
*6-9 shot glasses or small cups/glasses/liquid receptacles (clear prefered for maximum visuals!) (9 required for brown which is optional if you dont have enough glasses)
*2-3 larger glasses (3rd is for brown)
*a towel to put it all on
*something to mix with, I used a paintbrush

Lay out the towel, and line up 3 rows of 3 shot glasses (3 rows of 2 if youve opted out of making brown)
I then put the bigger glasses between the colors like in the picture. The third is farther out just because it needs all of the colors.

In this picture I have the 3rd glass for brown, but only 6 shot glasses, because when I used paint there was a fair amount of residue at the bottom. I used that residue to make the 3rd batch for the brown

So basically what I did is very simple:
I went with red first. "Oliver, what color will the water be if I pour this into the big cup?" To which he answers, "RED!" And I have him pour it in the bigger glass on his own.

Then I went with the yellow shot glass; "What happens to the water when I add this one?" To which he replies, "I DONT KNOW!" and giggles. 
**Try to get them to name each color- even if they know all of their colors and are very smart children-  make them come up with the colors as much as possible so they remember how to make the new colors!**
He then excitedly pours the second color in and voila! "OMIGOSH OLIVER! What color is it now!?" And he exclaims with joy, "ITS ORANGE MOMMY!"

Go through this process with each combo:
Blue and yellow = green
Blue and red= purple
Red and yellow = orange
Blue yellow and red = brown

Wow! 3 colors make every color in the world! How cool!!

The aftermath