The ThanksGiving Series, part 2:

(This is the savings jar after the first day with the 39 cents I saved by popping my popcorn in a pot instead of using bag microwave popcorn. I know. It looks kinda bleak! The popcorn was really good, though)

In case you missed the beginning of this thanksGiving series, we are focusing on the giving part of thanksGiving this year.  I've been writing about stewardship, our extravagant lifestyles, and the better uses to which we could put our financial resources recently, and it seems a little more frugality is in order. The premise is that we can cut back, save some money to splurge on giving, and still live well. I'm planning to write about some little frugal thing every day and add the money I save to the saving jar. 

For the last week or so, I've had very slow drains in my shower and in the bathroom sink. As much hair as I have, it is usually due to a hair clog or that greasy scum mess that certainly was never on my body for one second. I don't know where that gross mess comes from, but it's not me! Anyway, the drains were clogged and needed work. 

What I usually use, with good success, is  Instant Power Hair Clog Remover. It is guaranteed to work on the toughest clogs, and costs $6.47 for a bottle that has four treatments. Since I had two clogs, I would have used 1/2 the bottle for the two clogs, at a cost of $3.23.

My mama was a big believer in using baking soda and vinegar, followed by boiling water, for clogged drains. Realistically, I know that baking soda and vinegar will not eat through a hair clog, but, in the interest of the story, I decided to give it a try. I paid 95 cents for a box of name brand baking soda (only because they didn't have a generic) and $1.15 for vinegar. My total outlay was $2.10 for four treatments or 1/2 that for two clogs. At $1.05 for treating both my clogs, I saved $2.18. But how did it work, you may well ask. Hold on a minute, and I'll tell you. 

Here's what I did. I put 1/4 box of baking soda down the drain. As you can imagine, it mostly made a little soda mountain. With the memory of grammar school volcanos to guide me, I stuck my finger in the center to make a pathway for the lava and poured in 1/4 bottle of vinegar. Such marvelous bubbling and spewing ensued that it was worth the $2.10 just to watch it! Once all that had settled down in both drains, I went downstairs, boiled up a kettle of water, and carried it back upstairs to pour 1/2 a kettle of boiling water in each drain. It ran right through. 

Here's what's really crazy. My mama's baking soda/vinegar/boiling water volcano method had my drain open and flowing freely in just a few minutes. My instant power stuff requires an overnight soak. It turns out mama did know best after all! 

I saved another $2.10 today, it worked better than what I usually use, and it was quicker. You can't beat that combo! 

The good news is that there is now $2.49 in the savings jar! I can't wait to see how much I have by thanksGiving! I'm praying already about how to invest that money in the Kingdom of God. You didn't think this was about saving for me, did you? It's not to late to get a jar of your own and join in the fun. I can't wait to hear about how your efforts at frugality for the giving splurge works out! 

Don't forget, there's a lot more blessings in giving than in getting. There's a lot more fun, too!