Funky Frugal Mommy

I recently posted about my cell phone being soaked in the toilet by my son, and I was able to save my ever so amazing phone here: http://www.funkyfrugalmommy.com/2014/08/wet-cell-phone-fix.html   As you can see I do not have a smartphone and am quite happy with that, it takes great pictures and that's what I use for photos on my blog.  I recently got informed by Bell mobility that I am being forced to upgrade to a smartphone! Apparently if you do not have a smartphone you can no longer send or receive picture messages and could soon see a disruption in other services!?! I just called them the other day to find out why my messages weren't going through and got informed of this terrible news. I was told to go buy myself a nice new smartphone. As you can imagine I was not impressed, I like my cheap little phone it is sturdy and only cost me $15 a month for unlimited text and picture messaging. Now I need to go out and spend over $100 on a new phone and an expensive plan t

Everyone needs to know that there are two different kinds of rats. Domestic rats that are raised as pets and wild dirty rats that are nothing more then disease carriers. Domestic rats are loving, gentle, and affectionate where as dirty wild rats want nothing more then to feed on anything and take over the world. The most common mistake that people make when writing about rats is that they really do need to try and separate the two just as they would when they write about dogs and wolves or cougars and cats.  Lets start with wild rats! Wild rats are disgusting, they carry diseases like typhus, trichinosis, salmonellosis and rat-bite fever and eat pretty much anything. They urinate everywhere they go because they mark their territory constantly, everywhere a rat steps it's peeing. Rats eat their babies if they feel the need, they feed on other rats that are sick or dying as well as any other animal. Did you know that rodents destroy around one-fifth of global food s

Taking your taste buds on a foreign culinary adventure is something everyone deserves a chance to do. I have always wondered what kind of snacks people in Japan have eaten but will never be traveling in that direction to see first hand, with Freedom Japanese Market subscription box I have the ability to taste and share with my family the amazing snacks from Japan.  This is what I saw as I opened my box, an adorable hand made origami crane with a personalized letter and photo of the family behind the business. The letter was also they key to every item in the box. Each item is described perfectly so you know what to expect when digging into your treats.  This is what my box contained:  Chibi Maruko-Chan Marshmallow which is little marshmallows filled with grape jelly Corn Soup Crisps which are chips that taste like delicious corn soup Super Cola candies that taste like cola with a fizzy centre Pocket Juice Stick that can be drank as is or frozen like a freezie Stra

My son turned 6 last week and we had his party yesterday. We had a whopping 13 kids come over and have some crazy fun. I went and decked out my house the best I could on a budget and I was able to do his entire party for $150 including food! Here is what everything looked like along with descriptions on how I did it. For my chandelier I took strips of cheap plastic table cloth and tied all the ninja turtle colors around it. Turned out really neat. I created sillouettes of NYC using chalk and black construction paper, I had them placed all around the house to give the feel of being in New York. I used cardboard, black construction paper, and duct tape to create a huge Leonardo sword that my son is actually able to play with. It stands about 3 feet tall. I also made Donnie's staff which is made from rolled up paper and duct tape. It is just about 3 feet long as well and very sturdy. For Mikey's nun chucks I used rolled up paper and toilet paper tubes c

Lovable Labels keeps knocking my socks off with their amazing new products. This month I have gotten a set of Daycare Labels which come in the most adorable designs. These labels are perfect for my daughter this year when she is in preschool. They will go nicely on her back pack, lunch box, clothes, and shoes! I have so many labels in this pack she will have everything she owns labeled. The daycare pack comes with: 15 sticker labels 16 match it shoe labels 10 fun stickies 60 mini DOTS 8 Snack labels Each label has its own unique features, the match it labels are made specifically for your child's shoes.  One sticker goes in each shoe and your child will be able to match the stickers to find their shoes, and they will learn to complete the picture properly to get the shoes on the right feet, very cool. The snack labels can be rewritten on using dry erase, sharpies, etc. I am very excited to begin labeling all my daughters stuff and we want you to label some stu

We make it a tradition every summer to visit Paynter's Fruit Market as often as we can. They are Westbank's best fruit stand and a tourist attraction for many reasons. They have fresh fruit grown right here in the Okanagan most of it grown right on the Paynter farm. This place has everything from  jams to hot sauce, chips, and honey, and so much more and all of it is 100% local. The views and decor is something you would see in a book, it is stunning to just look out at the orchards and see the beautiful fruit trees and beautiful mountains in the backdrop.  The ice cream they sell is out of this world and they have a ton of options. They have stuff even for those who are lactose intolerant and they make fresh waffle cones right in front of you. The smell is so amazing. There is nothing better then watching your happy little kids slurping back their ice cream on a hot summer day.  They have flower baskets hanging everywhere and the option to go on a u-pick adventu

My cell phone is about 3 or 4 years old and is nothing special. Just a Samsung slider with pretty much no special features, but my cell phone is tough as nails! It has been dropped, thrown, stepped on, kicked, and yes dropped in water. Yesterday my smallest ran into the bathroom behind me and tossed my phone directly into the toilet. As it sank to the bottom and bubbles rose to the top my heart sank, could this be the end of my precious indestructible phone? I quickly scooped my phone out of the toilet and removed the battery, everything was drenched. I was sad, but then I remembered this trick I heard that if you put your wet cell phone in a bag of rice it will dry out and fix. It was worth a shot. I took a Ziploc bag and filled it with minute rice. I took the phone, keeping the battery and backing off and placed it in the rice completely covered.  I left it in there for a good 4 hours before checking on it, my phone lit up in a bright white screen and then instantly di