Showing posts with label works for me wednesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label works for me wednesday. Show all posts
Works For Me Wednesday
It's no surprise to anyone who knows me that I do not enjoy doing the laundry. My friend Karla believes that there is a sermon in laundry somewhere. She says if Adam and Eve had never fallen we would never have had to wash a single article of clothing. I think perhaps she has wishful thinking. She too has 4 children so she knows my plight of never ending piles of dirty clothes. I was reading Lifeasamom blog the other day and enjoyed her guest blog about laundry. You can see it here. Many good tips on getting together a laundry system. Here at our house I implement the system of "everyone helps with the laundry". My children know that by the time they turn 9 they are forever responsible for washing and drying their own clothes. I occasionally help them out, but for the most part my 2 oldest boys do their own laundry. I guess you could say that my #1 tip for doing the laundry is teaching your children how to wash, dry and put away their own clothing. My 2 year old is now able to help as well. He helps match his socks and he also takes up small stacks of his clothing to his room, where I put it away. If you have a large family it is imperative that everyone help out. Otherwise you would never get a break and the laundry would be piled to the ceiling.
Works for me Wednesday
It's a themed week at WFMW. Cleaning is the topic so make sure to head over to We Are That Family to see everyone's cleaning tips!
My #1 cleaning tip is clean as you go. Often when I am making dinner I tidy up the kitchen or go through the junk mail. Sometimes when I'm watching tv I clip coupons or clean out my purse. Make all tasks mini multi-tasks.
My #2 cleaning tip is Pick up before you go to bed. I love waking up to a tidy home so before bed I try to clean up the house by doing small things. I put away remotes, clean up the coffee table, fluff pillows, etc..
My #3 cleaning tip is to make sure and load the dishwasher to full. Many times I only have a small load to wash so to fill up the dishwasher I throw in other things that can be cleaned like small toys or odds and ends. This helps not only with germs but makes the dishwasher more efficient.
My #1 cleaning tip is clean as you go. Often when I am making dinner I tidy up the kitchen or go through the junk mail. Sometimes when I'm watching tv I clip coupons or clean out my purse. Make all tasks mini multi-tasks.
My #2 cleaning tip is Pick up before you go to bed. I love waking up to a tidy home so before bed I try to clean up the house by doing small things. I put away remotes, clean up the coffee table, fluff pillows, etc..
My #3 cleaning tip is to make sure and load the dishwasher to full. Many times I only have a small load to wash so to fill up the dishwasher I throw in other things that can be cleaned like small toys or odds and ends. This helps not only with germs but makes the dishwasher more efficient.
Works for Me Wednesday
If you are a regular to my blog then you know that one way I save my family money is through our prescriptions at the pharmacy. Go here to learn more. On to my great money saving news. I became aware of internet prescription coupons not too long ago and I decided yesterday to take advantage of a coupon I found at this site. I took my prescription to the pharmacy, presented my coupon and I saved our family $20! How exciting is that? So from now on I will be checking online to see if I can find a coupon for any prescription that we need filled before going to the pharmacy.
Works for me Wednesday (dishwasher manuals)
Dishwashers. Almost everyone has one. But do you know that there is a specific way to load your dishwasher? Yes that's right. Each manufacturer has tested and perfected the best way to load the dishwasher. Make sure to check your manual on the correct way for your dishwasher. This will ensure that the dishes are cleaned as well as can be. Also, use the normal cycle. This is the cycle that is tested again and again and is most always the best cycle to use. When I pulled out my manual I was surprised to find that I needed to leave the dishes a little dirty before putting them in the dishwasher. No more scrubbing away all that dirt and food for me. Woo Hoo! According to my dishwasher manual, the dirt and food attracts the soap and water during the wash cycle. This helps to eliminate that cloudy look on my glasses. So needless to say, reading my dishwasher manual has worked for me!
Works for Me Wednesday
I have posted before about schedules. Go here to read more about how I make schedules. I think that as a mom it is so important to have a daily schedule. Some readers were wondering about my chore schedule. Well, I have to admit that I do not like doing chores. I would much rather take the kids to the library than mop the kitchen floor, but as we all know the house does not clean itself. So here is my chore schedule that works for me. Enjoy!
Sunday: Day of rest. Truly. The only thing I do on Sundays is prepare for the week ahead. I look at my week and plan it accordingly.
Monday: I mostly just tidy up from the weekend. I don't know why but over the weekend we make lots of messes. I launder the towels and put things away from room to room. No deep cleaning.
Tuesday: I launder the whites. Dusting and vacuuming are the main chores for Tuesdays.
Wednesdays: My older boys launder their clothes. I clean the bathrooms.
Thursdays: I launder my daughter and my youngest son's clothes. I vacuum again. I mop the kitchen floor thoroughly and mop our hardwoods as well.
Fridays: I launder my husbands clothes as well as iron his work shirts if needed. I prepare for the weekend. Anything that hasn't been attended to gets done on Fridays. If laundry was not put away it gets put away. If any clutter has accumulated somewhere this is the day that it gets tidied.
Saturday: Family day. We enjoy each other and spend time together as a family as much as we can. However, if there is a large house project that needs to be done this is the day that it gets done.
Now you are probably wondering when do I wash dishes or when does the lawn get mowed. Well, dishes and cooking are daily chores. I don't put them on my list because they need to be done everyday. Just like sweeping the kitchen floor. I do that every single day and sometimes after every meal. Mowing the lawn is a kid chore done by one of my older children. Other chores that I delegate are folding laundry, washing windows, wiping out the sinks, and any others that I can think of. I do have a monthly chore chart and a quarterly chore chart as well. I will share those at a later time.
Sunday: Day of rest. Truly. The only thing I do on Sundays is prepare for the week ahead. I look at my week and plan it accordingly.
Monday: I mostly just tidy up from the weekend. I don't know why but over the weekend we make lots of messes. I launder the towels and put things away from room to room. No deep cleaning.
Tuesday: I launder the whites. Dusting and vacuuming are the main chores for Tuesdays.
Wednesdays: My older boys launder their clothes. I clean the bathrooms.
Thursdays: I launder my daughter and my youngest son's clothes. I vacuum again. I mop the kitchen floor thoroughly and mop our hardwoods as well.
Fridays: I launder my husbands clothes as well as iron his work shirts if needed. I prepare for the weekend. Anything that hasn't been attended to gets done on Fridays. If laundry was not put away it gets put away. If any clutter has accumulated somewhere this is the day that it gets tidied.
Saturday: Family day. We enjoy each other and spend time together as a family as much as we can. However, if there is a large house project that needs to be done this is the day that it gets done.
Now you are probably wondering when do I wash dishes or when does the lawn get mowed. Well, dishes and cooking are daily chores. I don't put them on my list because they need to be done everyday. Just like sweeping the kitchen floor. I do that every single day and sometimes after every meal. Mowing the lawn is a kid chore done by one of my older children. Other chores that I delegate are folding laundry, washing windows, wiping out the sinks, and any others that I can think of. I do have a monthly chore chart and a quarterly chore chart as well. I will share those at a later time.
Works for me Wednesday
I love organization. For me it is the only way to keep my sanity. Part of organization for me is making a daily schedule. With four children, a husband, a dog and a turtle my life can get pretty hectic. In the summer we are definetly more relaxed, but during the school year we live by our schedules. Here's my tips for getting your home to run more smoothly.
motivatedmoms
- Look at your week. Make note of when you do things. Write down when you and your family eat, sleep and what you do when you are at home. You will start to see a pattern.
- Write in activities that you do on a consistent basis. Like piano lessons or a playdate that takes place every week. Perhaps you like to keep a tight rein on the t.v. If so jot in the t.v. time too.
- Make sure to put in your daily/weekly chores. For example, I grocery shop on Wednesdays, do laundry every day, mop kitchen on Fridays, etc..
- Write in what day you plan your menu. Make sure to follow through with this! We all eat three times a day. Knowing ahead of time what you will make is essential for a household to run smoothly.
- Make lists for your children. Jot down what needs to be done everyday before they can leave the house. Do this for the school year as well. Write down what needs to be down every morning before school and afternoon when they return home. Children love routine and studies show that it gives them a more sense of security.
- Lastly, know that this schedule will be tweaked and changed all the time. It is meant to help you organize your day not rule your day.
motivatedmoms
Baby Wipes
To me it's a no brainer to make things from scratch. Most everything homemade is of better quality and I'm not just talking about food. For years I have been buying baby wipes for our children. I admit, I thought it was just easier than making my own. But recently I just figured out how much money all those baby wipes are costing our family. I love the idea of not spending lots of $$ to buy wipes for our family. Here's the recipe:
- 1 tbsp baby oil
- 1 tbsp baby shampoo/body wash
- 1 tbsp baby lotion
Works for Me Wednesday
I've discovered that many women, including myself, have trouble with laundry. Here are my rememdies for homemade stain removers. These all work for me!
- Use Fels Napth soap, found in the grocery store in laundry aisle, simply wet the stain and the bar of soap and rub into stain. I like to place a bar of soap in a mesh bag for easier application. If you can't find Fels Naptha, Ivory Soap is a great alternative.
- Use Oxy Clean mix. 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide. I like to soak it overnight in this solution.
- For oil stains, I use amonia. This is also found in the grocery store laundry aisle. I just add 1 cup to the wash.
- Grass stains I use warm water and vinegar. Simply scrub it into the stained area and launder as usual.
- For blood stains use table salt. Dampen stain with water and sprinkle on table salt. Rub it in and then wash garment. If stain is persistent add a drizzle amonia to solution.
- Fruit stains, swab with cold water and rub in some vinegar. Wash as normal.
- To whiten yellowed whites. Just add 1 cup of vinegar to wash.
- Coke. I haven't tried this but a friend told me that it gets out everything. We normally don't have this around so I haven't had a chance to try it.
Works for Me Wednesday
We love to go to the movies here at our house. But going out to the movies with 4 children and 2 adults can be really expensive. So the last couple of summers my wonderful husband has taken us all to the drive-in. Here in our neck of the woods our whole family can go and see 2 movies for less than $20. What else is great is that we can bring our own snacks like popcorn and candy. This is a huge savings! Before the movie starts at our local drive-in movie theater families are able to play on the grassy area with their children. We enjoy tossing the football or frisbie around before the start of the movie. Here is a starting point to find a drive-in in an area near you. Enjoy!
Works for me Wednesday
It's time for another Works for me Wednesday. Yesterday I posted about a great deal on some board games. In that post I mentioned I buy gifts for Christmas and birthdays or whatever throughout the year.
My most important rule to follow is to try and buy everything for 70% off or more. I do not like to pay full price for anything.
Here's how I keep track of everything:
1. I start with a list* where I write down everyone I can think of that I need to buy a gift for throughout the year.
2. I correspond the name list with when I need a gift for them. Do they need a gift at Christmas, birthday, wedding gift etc..
3. I then write in the dollar amount that ideally I would spend. Meaning, I would normally spend $20 on a birthday so I write that amount in next their name.
4. I keep my list with me in my purse so that it is always available.
*My list is an excel sheet. Essentially in the columns are these headings: name, occasion, amount, gift purchased, original amount, sale amount, savings amount.
Now the shopping. I am at Walmart or Target all the time so it only takes a second to browse the clearance areas for great gifts. My favorite store is Target because they have great clearance throughout the year. I also scour the web a couple of times a month to look for great deals. The deals I mentioned yesterday will make nice birthday presents for parties that my children will attend next year. I only spent $5 on one game that retails for 16.99. This deal was 70% off the orginal price. Now I can cross off some names on my list. If you add up all the $ you save throughout the year sale shopping it is sure to make you smile.
This is a huge savings! Just think if you do that for every gift that you purchase!
My most important rule to follow is to try and buy everything for 70% off or more. I do not like to pay full price for anything.
Here's how I keep track of everything:
1. I start with a list* where I write down everyone I can think of that I need to buy a gift for throughout the year.
2. I correspond the name list with when I need a gift for them. Do they need a gift at Christmas, birthday, wedding gift etc..
3. I then write in the dollar amount that ideally I would spend. Meaning, I would normally spend $20 on a birthday so I write that amount in next their name.
4. I keep my list with me in my purse so that it is always available.
*My list is an excel sheet. Essentially in the columns are these headings: name, occasion, amount, gift purchased, original amount, sale amount, savings amount.
Now the shopping. I am at Walmart or Target all the time so it only takes a second to browse the clearance areas for great gifts. My favorite store is Target because they have great clearance throughout the year. I also scour the web a couple of times a month to look for great deals. The deals I mentioned yesterday will make nice birthday presents for parties that my children will attend next year. I only spent $5 on one game that retails for 16.99. This deal was 70% off the orginal price. Now I can cross off some names on my list. If you add up all the $ you save throughout the year sale shopping it is sure to make you smile.
If I were to only sale shop for my children's birthdays and
I only bought inexpensive gifts here's how it would look:
4 presents at $20 each for four children = $320
4 presents at 70% off $20 each for four children = $96
Savings = $224
I only bought inexpensive gifts here's how it would look:
4 presents at $20 each for four children = $320
4 presents at 70% off $20 each for four children = $96
Savings = $224
This is a huge savings! Just think if you do that for every gift that you purchase!
Works for me Wednesday
I love lists. More importantly, I really enjoy summer vacation with my children. Now I combine these two loves to make a Summer List. What's that do you ask? First, I have each child (except the baby of course) come up with a list of activities and special things that they would like to do this summer. Then we all come together and go over the lists to create a master Summer Wish List. Lastly, we look at the calendar and try to schedule as many things as possible. Here are the types of things that are on our list:
-spend the night at Grandma's
-alone time with mom or dad
-go to the movies
-camping
-drive in movie
-library time
-pool
-minor league baseball game
-zoo
-museums
These are just a few of the items on our list. Of course we might not get through everything, but we have already made head way. It sure does help us loosely structure our days and I love how it creates great summer memories.
-spend the night at Grandma's
-alone time with mom or dad
-go to the movies
-camping
-drive in movie
-library time
-pool
-minor league baseball game
-zoo
-museums
These are just a few of the items on our list. Of course we might not get through everything, but we have already made head way. It sure does help us loosely structure our days and I love how it creates great summer memories.
Works For Me Wednesday
I love e-coupons. They come in handy while I shop at my local grocery store. Here are some sites that offer free e-coupons. All you have to do is register your grocery card and add their coupons. Make sure to add the coupons to your card a day or more before you shop.
Cellfire
Load up to 50 coupons
Bringing Hope to the Table
Load up to 25 coupons
Shortcuts
Load up to 50 coupons
P&G eSaver
Great coupons on P&G products!
UPromise
Earn money for college with your purchases. College savings account through UPromise grows as you shop! Love it!
Great coupons on P&G products!
UPromise
Earn money for college with your purchases. College savings account through UPromise grows as you shop! Love it!
Works for me Wednesday
I always go to the grocery store (Kroger & Marsh) on Wednesdays here in my hometown. This is the last day of the sale week for these stores where I live. Meaning that Thursdays is the first day of the new sale. I go to the store on Wednesdays because I have come to realize that many items are marked down even further in preparation for the upcoming sale. More importantly, this is the day that the produce department gets their new shipment which is great for me. I can get lots of produce items for very little money out of pocket. For example, every Wednesday morning that I shop I have found bagged lettuce, spinach, carrots, etc.. clearanced to unbelievably low prices. Last week I was able to get bags of Fresh Salad Blends for .29. That is a great bargain since they normally are around 2.99. Yes the salad blend was soon to expire ,but it helped round out are meals for a couple of days. I often find large boxes of diapers at dirt cheap prices as well. What does all this mean for you? First, I would suggest asking your produce department what day they get their new shipment and if they mark down items to make room for the new produce coming in. I would also suggest just trying to go to the grocery store the morning of the last day of sale. You might be suprised to find great deals like myself.
Works for me Wednesday
Lately I've turned over a new leaf. I've decided to do away with paper towels and paper napkins. I know that this may seem nearly impossible, but truthfully I don't really miss them. Now I have a large stack of towels and rags on hand to mop up spills and a good stack of cloth napkins for dinnertime. It makes more sense to me than constantly adding to our trash as well as our budget got a nice little amount subtracted from the grocery column. It really only adds up to one more small load of laundry a week and since I like to hang the laundry out to dry I'm not using energy to dry them. I hope this encourages you to look at what you throw away. Can you give up paper supplies like these? Try it for one week. You might be surprised how easy it is!
Works for me Wednesday
I am a huge, HUGE fan of our local library. I especially love the library in the summer when I can find loads of things for my children to do. From reading clubs to special presentations, the library offers family friendly entertainment for free! I love having access to so many resources at our library too. Here at our house, we are readers. We just love a good book and our library lets us fuel that passion without any expense out of our pockets.
Works For Me Wednesday
Every spring is my purging time. I go through every room in our house and make three piles.
1. Save pile. These items either get relocated to their appropriate place or get boxed up and put away in the garage. I don't like to save a lot of things because there really isn't much room to do so and who needs more stuff? Things that I continually do save are clothes to pass down to the next child. In my family we have three boys. Any clothes that can be saved to pass down is wonderful.
2. Trash pile. Anything that is obviously trash. Broken or stained items go here.
3. Donate or Resale pile. Anything that we haven't used in a year gets thrown into this pile. Also anything that I can't foresee us using goes here as well. This year that pile is getting rather big. I've decided to use these items to make a profit by holding a garage sale in the near future. (More on how to organize a garage sale soon)
I try to clean sweep our house throughout the year, but it doesn't always get done or at least not done properly. So, near the end of school is a good time of year for me to reevaluate everything that we put in our house. I know this task can seem daunting, but it is very therapeutic for me. This task does take some time. I generally do 1-2 rooms a week. So it takes me about 6-7 weeks to finish. My advice is to start small. Maybe just purge your office area since this is an area that can get overrun with things. Or maybe just look through all closets and discard anything that hasn't been worn in a year. I hope this motivates you to clean sweep your home. You never know. You might find something you thought was long gone. Maybe you will find so many things you no longer need that you can donate or resale them.
Enjoy!
1. Save pile. These items either get relocated to their appropriate place or get boxed up and put away in the garage. I don't like to save a lot of things because there really isn't much room to do so and who needs more stuff? Things that I continually do save are clothes to pass down to the next child. In my family we have three boys. Any clothes that can be saved to pass down is wonderful.
2. Trash pile. Anything that is obviously trash. Broken or stained items go here.
3. Donate or Resale pile. Anything that we haven't used in a year gets thrown into this pile. Also anything that I can't foresee us using goes here as well. This year that pile is getting rather big. I've decided to use these items to make a profit by holding a garage sale in the near future. (More on how to organize a garage sale soon)
I try to clean sweep our house throughout the year, but it doesn't always get done or at least not done properly. So, near the end of school is a good time of year for me to reevaluate everything that we put in our house. I know this task can seem daunting, but it is very therapeutic for me. This task does take some time. I generally do 1-2 rooms a week. So it takes me about 6-7 weeks to finish. My advice is to start small. Maybe just purge your office area since this is an area that can get overrun with things. Or maybe just look through all closets and discard anything that hasn't been worn in a year. I hope this motivates you to clean sweep your home. You never know. You might find something you thought was long gone. Maybe you will find so many things you no longer need that you can donate or resale them.
Enjoy!
Works for me Wednesday
I have been making my own laundry detergent for some time now. Here's my recipe:
1 cup Fels Naptha Bar Soap grated
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 Washing Soda
Mix and store in an air tight container. For small loads use 1 tablespoon and for regular loads use 2 tablespoons and extra large loads use 3 tablespoons.
I have found that this costs me about .10 per load. Regular laundry detergent costs around .25-.30 per load. The main reason, however, that I make my own soap is that it is extremely easy on my skin.
You can also make liquid soap if you prefer. Here's a great site to find out more. I also love, love, the product they sell called soilove. Enjoy!
WORKS FOR ME WEDNESDAY
Here is my first post for it "Works For Me Wednesday". Yeah!
In our home we can get overrun by paper. It's unbelievable how much paper can accumulate just in one day. If just one paper comes in from each of my family members per day that would be 42 papers a week! That's a lot of paper! From mail, to school, to lists and everything in between. To help clear up the clutter and have a system that keeps the necessary papers I created "home central". On the wall in my kitchen I have hung wall pockets to organize our never ending paper crusade. I have two sets of large and one set of small wall pockets to fit our needs. Here's how I use our system. In one large folder goes the incoming mail. This has been a huge help. No longer do I have mail sitting on the counter in my kitchen. The other large pockets are for individual family members. I have one, my teen has one, and my two middle children share one. In each of the pockets for family members, I keep file folders. The children's pockets are broken down into two file folders. One is for important papers from school (i.e. calendars, permission slips, etc.) and another is for important papers for extra activities (i.e. sports schedules, band performances, etc.). In the small pockets I keep take out menus, my address book and other odds and ends. This has helped tremendously. What doesn't get filed in the wall pockets either goes into the recycling bin, gets shredded, or gets reused for something else in our home. Also in my "home central station" I have a large desk calendar hung on the wall. On this goes everything! I keep a small pocket calendar in my purse to jot things down and then I transfer it to our main calendar. What type of system do you have to keep your family organized? I hope this inspires you to organize the never ending paper pileup. Enjoy!
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