My Best Tip Ever

I have started something in the last several months that has helped me a lot when it comes to house keeping.  It took a good few months to accomplish and we (my husband and I) had to be ruthless about it.  I promise if you do this - you will be living a simpler more enjoyable life.  I don't promise riches or anything like that but I can guarantee you will have more time to spend with your family or on things that you enjoy.

Do you want to know what it is?

Get ready . . .

My Best Tip Ever is . . .  Act like you are going to sell your house.

Seriously.

I mean we actually have our house up for sale so we had to do it for real.  You may not want to sell your house or you may live in an apartment but these things can and will work for you!


I will tell you what it does for you:

1. You are able to open your closet doors and actually see things and get to them easily.
2. Your kids can find the toys that they have and easily get them and play with them and put them back because there is a space for them.
3. Dusting is not a problem because there are virtually no knick knacks and other dust collectors.
4. Laundry is easier because (see #1) - you have room to put clothes away.
5. Wiping down the bathrooms are easier because the counters are clear.
6. Vacuuming takes less time because there isn't as much stuff on the floor.

I can tell you when I first started this process it was overwhelming.  I enlisted help.  My mom helped me clean out closets.  My stepmom and sister helped me decorate the walls and clean.  My husband rented us a storage unit and took lots of trips there.

Let me tell you why a storage might be a good idea for you.  It is money you are spending extra per month, but I think it will help you.  It will help you get things out of your house.  If you put them in storage and realize you can live quite well without them for at least 3-6 months then you know you can get rid of them.

These days since I have my menu planned and I shop by the pantry principle and I am training my kids to keep their things picked up and to help me clean - I really have a much more relaxed and happier home.  Often times getting a load of laundry done is all I have to do for the housework side of my job.

Again, I did not get to this place overnight and if we don't watch it, the house can get cluttered again, but this time I know how wonderful it is to live in a decluttered home and I won't go back.  I don't go to garage sales.  I don't go to the Goodwill.  I've stopped going shopping unless I have a specific list.  It is really freeing actually not to mention you spend less money - a great bonus!

It may sound daunting but just start small - with one closet or one drawer.

Give yourself a deadline - maybe 3 months down the road.  Enlist accountability partners to see you through.

If nothing else you will have the freedom and peace of mind that comes with having less stuff.  As my kids always say, "Try it, you'll like it."



 

Caring for your home . . . The bedroom(s)

For Part I - the Kitchen, go here.

The bedroom is also a place that you will spend a lot of time, but most of it will be sleeping. So your room should be comfortable and not too cluttered. This room should be a little easier to care for. Again you will want to have your daily, weekly and monthly schedule (to remain sane and have a clean house). Here is a sample of mine:

Cleaning

Daily
Pick up clutter/Make beds

Weekly
Dust (including base boards - not that I always do this)
Change sheets
Vacuum floor

Monthly or semi-annually could be to clean the windows and wash the curtains and turn the mattress.

Here is the Flylady's detailed cleaning list for the bedroom.

Bed making

Go here for exact instructions for how to make a bed. We all have been making our beds for a long time so we just do it how we always have done it. I recently read a book about organization and it said to tuck everything in on the bed. Maybe you do this, but for some reason I haven't been tucking my top sheet or quilt under the mattress when it hangs longer than the mattress.
So, her suggestion was to tuck everything. It makes everything look neater and it really does. It is a simple suggestion, but it really does help.

TV

Many people advocate that you NOT have a TV in your bedroom. I am of this group. We have had the TV in our bedroom and we have NOT had it in our bedroom. I personally do not like it in there. I like to rest and relax there. It is a personal choice, but you will be a happier couple if you leave the TV out of your room!

Decorating

If my sisters are reading this they are probably laughing that I would even talk about this. I am so not a decorator. I put decorating off. I buy a picture one month, then hang it the next month and then wait 5 more months to decide what curtains to buy. So I will leave this to the experts. There are many of them.

HGTV
Dollar Stretcher
The Glam Guide - this was so cute (the picture is above)

So there you have it, a beautiful serene bedroom, it is what Works for Me!

For more Works for Me Wednesday posts, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

Caring for your home starting with . . . The Kitchen

I am starting this series because my sisters are getting married within a week of each other in less than 2 months. I wanted to put a book together to help them in their new homemaking adventures.

The kitchen is the place that I spend most of my time. There is the cooking, the baking, the cleaning, and of course, the feeding. I am going to start with cleaning the kitchen, because, let's face it - who wants to cook in a dirty kitchen? You will need a to make a list of what needs to be cleaned when. Start with the daily, then the weekly, and then move onto the monthly.

I. Cleaning

Daily
Pick up clutter
Empty/Load dishwasher
Wipe counter tops
Sweep floor/Wet Swiffer floor as well

Weekly
Wipe down cabinets/Clean Appliances
Clean stove/burners (this might actually be more monthly)
Mop floor
Wipe out/clean out fridge

The Fly Lady is also a good place to start to organize your cleaning schedule.

How to Speed Clean your Kitchen by Real Simple online is another great resource.

Odds and Ends about Cleaning your Kitchen:

Cleaning the microwave made easy - Take a glass container, fill it with 2-3 cups of water or vinegar and microwave for 5 minutes. Take the water/vinegar out and wipe down the microwave. The steam helps to loosen any particles that have hardened and it is very easy to clean after that. I put the glass plate in my dishwasher to wash.

II. Menu Planning

I do not profess to be an expert here. I will just share what I do and I will also share a few links from others that do it differently, for you to choose from. You can see all of my past menus here.

First of all, menu planning is a must if you want to save money and not pull your hair out everyday. What I do is to keep a list of staples and pantry items that I use all the time. I try to not run out of these items. I asked my husband to name some meals that he likes that he could eat almost every week. I then made themes - 5 of them. Basically it is a master list of meals.

Monday Stir Fry/Main Dish Salad/Freezer Meal*

Tuesday Meat/Poultry**, mashed potatoes, corn and salad

Wednesday Fish/Lentils/Meatless (Chickpea/black bean burgers)

Thursday Italian Night*** (usually a meatless night)

Friday Homemade Pizza/Calzones (Alfredo or regular)

*I always have 6 freezer meals on hand to choose from, from our OAMC Cooking Club.
**This will be a choice of meat from the freezer or chicken that I got on sale or meatloaf made ahead and frozen.
***This can be Lasagna, Fettuccine Alfredo, Manicotti or Garlic Butter Pasta

I do try to make things ahead and freeze them as much as possible.

III. Grocery Shopping

If you are using coupons or want to, go here on Today's Daily Dose to see a wonderful post my friend just did regarding coupon questions and answers.

If you do not want to or cannot use coupons, Money Saving Mom has some good tips for grocery shopping without using coupons. Basically, what I have been trying to do is make as many things from scratch as possible. When I am about to run out of something (such as Hershey's chocolate syrup), I do some research and see if I could make it from scratch with the things that I have on hand. If we like it then I won't buy it from the store again. Basically, I am trying to find a way to rarely enter a grocery store (wish me luck).

On that note, if you do shop at Aldi please go to Mom Advice and see her Aldi Menu Planner.

I also really enjoyed Heavenly Homemaker's "Getting Real with Food" series. You can read her answer to a question that I e-mailed her.

There are many ways to menu plan. I have tried a lot of them. I find that the way I am doing it now works well for me. Some people plan their menus around what sales are going at the grocery stores. Some people plan their menus a month in advance. Some people do the Once A Month Cooking plan (which I do some of). There really isn't a wrong way to do menu planning (unless you just don't do it). You need to find out what works best for you and your family.

And a great menu planning resource is to check out OrgJunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday. You will get all sorts of ideas and great recipes.

I find that I enjoy the time I spend in my kitchen. I really enjoy it when it is clean and I have a plan. Now, it isn't always clean and there are times when the best plans don't work. The point is that you will be spending most of your time in the kitchen so make the best of that time!

For more kitchen tips and all sorts of wonderful recipes, visit Tammy's recipes. She has wonderful kitchen tips.