Handy Spray Review
August 6, 2010 | Leave a Comment
While I was pregnant, I was contacted about reviewing the Handy Spray. In a nutshell, Handy Spray is a hand-held “bidet” that hooks right on to your toilet and doesn’t require a plumber to install. It took my husband about 15 minutes to rig the thing. (In fact I could have done it myself, but my big pregnant belly got wouldn’t fit in the tiny space between my commode and the wall!)
I love this thing.
You know how often you have to visit the bathroom when you’re pregnant, right? So often that sometimes you develop a bit of a rash from toilet tissue? Not only is it more comfortable to clean yourself with water, it’s far more hygienic. (After all, if you got pee or poo on your *hands*, you wouldn’t rub them with dry paper to clean them, would you?)
After I had the baby, I found the Handy Spray really nice during the early postpartum period to soothe my, um.. perineal area. It’s also super nice for, um… freshening up after, um… certain activities involving hubby exercise. If you are troubled with hemorrhoids during pregnancy or postpartum, the water would be quite soothing for cleaning yourself too.
The only caveat with this product is that during winter, the water that comes from the sprayer is c-c-c-c-c-cold! It feels refreshing during the hot months but it can be a bit jolting
otherwise. Still, I used it frequently even during the winter months.
My thought that in addition to being used for its intended purpose, it will be awesome for cleaning cloth diapers once Ruby is eating solid foods and her poops are more formed. Some companies market a similar device just for cloth diaper use. (A quick rinse will plop the poop into the toilet before you stash the diaper in the pail.)
You can see more about the Handy Spray
Disclaimer: I received no compensation for reviewing this product other than a sample of the item itself to facilitate the review. If you purchase the product through my Amazon.com link I will receive an affiliate commission.
Best Laundry Detergent for Cloth Diapers?
June 23, 2010 | 1 Comment
My cloth diaper stash, at least for the newborn period, is complete.
Except for one thing.
I make my own homemade laundry detergent, which I love because it’s so cheap and easy and I go months without running out.
But since it’s got soap in it, I don’t think I should use it on my cloth diapers. I’m thinking it would eventually impact absorbency.
A detergent based product seems best.
(In years past, I washed my diapers with whatever I used on my clothes… usually, something like All Free & Clear.)
Anyone know of a homemade laundry detergent that’s soapless?
(I found one that calls for equal parts: Borax, Washing Soda and Oxy-Clean “free”.)
What do you use to clean your diapers?
I also want to avoid brighteners and enzymes, two things that even “natural” laundry detergents often contain.
Suggestions?
Diaper Jungle has an excellent page of recommendations. A couple of the top ranking products aren’t available at my local Whole Foods or health food grocery store.
I don’t necessarily want to do mail order either.
What’s your favorite detergent for washing cloth diapers?
Nesting
June 20, 2010 | 1 Comment
photo credit: susansimon
Nesting
Yesterday saw me in a frenzy of last minute baby stuff gathering, yard sale-ing, cloth diaper obtaining, cleaning and baby clothes laundering.
Seems my long awaited “nesting” instinct has finally kicked in.
I’ve been looking around the house for weeks taking note of things that I wanted to do, but just didn’t have the energy to take care of them.
So I made lists. 
Yesterday I went to a couple of great yard sales.
I got a like new Moses basket with extra sheets (for $12!), a set of nursing PJs and a nursing gown and robe ($2 for the lot!) and a few newborn baby layette items (like those snap lap tees and cotton gowns – a buck for the bag!).
photo credit: philcampbell
I also snapped up several Swaddlebees, 4 ProRap diaper covers and a couple of And Such Is Life diapers (these are sooo cute!) for a song thanks to a local mom who had listed them on Craigslist. (From my communications with other sellers, cloth diapers don’t seem to “move” so well on Craigslist so that may be a great place to find good deals.)
I went through the bags and Rubbermaid containers full of previously loved baby clothes friends have given me (curiously, all of them boy clothes) and organized them by size, and washed the newborn stuff to set aside for the baby.
(Hmm, why hasn’t anyone given me girl hand me downs?) 
I’ve cleaned out the master bedroom closet and moved all my clothes to another closet (the secret to a happy marriage? Separate bathrooms and separate closets. LOL!). Our closets aren’t designed well and this was the best solution. Eventually big Z will move all his clothes downstairs to the laundry room since he often changes clothes down there anyway.
We rearranged the girl’s rooms.
Previously little Z and Ilana (10 and 7) were rooming together in the larger bedroom, and Sadie (almost 5) had her own room (where we also store the baby’s things).
We’ve put Ilana and Sadie back together, which is the arrangement I had before marrying big Z. It seems to be working out well. Little Z is the only kid in public school (long story, it’s her mother’s wishes) so instead of her having to tiptoe around a sleeping sib to get ready in the morning she’ll have a little more breathing room.
Also Ilana and Sadie were having trouble getting along, and the move seems to have helped with that already. They’re acting like friends again.
Not to mention Sadie had never slept alone until she had her own room, and it wasn’t going well. Mama was getting awakened in the night which was difficult. Since being back with her big sister she’s doing much better.
I’ve been organizing the basement a bit.
I wanted to have a huge yard sale before the baby came, but fatigue and the heat just made it too difficult. (It’s been over 100 degrees here lately with the heat index.) So downstairs there are dozens of trash bags full of outgrown/discarded kid’s clothes, dh’s tools, and general junk treasures to sell at our huge yard sale in the late summer. I moved it all to a more out of the way location down there and created some space.
I made another batch of homemade laundry detergent so I won’t run out.
I put together a small “postpartum wardrobe” to wear the first few weeks after baby (because it’s going to be a long time before my size 4 skinny jeans fit. Waaah!). There are nursing bras, nursing gowns and PJs, two stretchy skirts, a dress and several tops that are a bit baggier than what I would ordinarily wear (to fit the postpartum boobs).
I have two Belly Bandits waiting in the wings. This is the first time I’ve ever done postpartum belly binding. I’m hoping it helps with the intense after birth pains I get (and these get worse with each baby!) as well as baby belly shrinkage.
My cloth postpartum pads, cloth diapers, newborn baby clothes are set out in my bedroom. My Moby Wrap, BabyHawk Mei Tai, and Peanut Shell pouch are ready to tuck a sweet little baby into.
The diaper pail (which is actually a large kitchen trash can with flip up lid that I snagged from a neighbor for free when she moved out!), wipes warmer (I like using warm cloth wipes for my newborn, it’s my way of spoiling my baby ) and such are ready on top of my dresser (a changing spot/cloth diaper station).
The birth kit and other supplies (herbs, juice, flash light, etc) are tucked into a kitchen cabinet. Ready for inspection by the midwife, who is coming Tuesday for the home visit (when I’m 37 weeks and get the thumbs up for a home birth).
The only thing I’m missing is my labor pool, which I ordered in May but is on back order. Yikes! It better arrive before I go into labor!
I still need to sterilize the extra sheets and towels for the birth. I’ll do that Monday. Find the video camera and film and organize the boy’s bedroom are also on my list.
What kinds of things did you do to get ready for baby?
The “nesting” thing fascinates me. In previous pregnancies I would find myself up at 3 A.M, restless and cleaning out closets, scrubbing baseboards with a toothbrush and organizing spices. LOL.
This time I’m not so interested in cleaning stuff (maybe I’m a bit older, have more kids and a little tired?). Yesterday I did go to a Chiropractor and felt *much* better after an adjustment, maybe that helped me be more comfortable so I could get some things done.
What did nesting look like for you?
Frugal Shopping At Natural Food Markets
April 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment
This is a guest post from Candi at Family, Stamping and FOOD! Candi is a real, live offline friend of mine and a mom, homeschooler, gardener and frugal living/couponing domestic diva.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/qmnonic/125341177/
You might be thinking to yourself, “Natural Organic Food Markets are EXPENSIVE!” That can be true. Or you might be thinking, “Those stores rarely have coupons I can use on product.” That may be true too. But let me put your mind at ease on some of these issues.
Shopping at organic food markets can be thrifty and frugal. You need to have a plan, a budget and a little know-how.
1. The Plan. If you are new to the organic scene, as I am, ask your friends if there are any good quality stores in the area. My friend Carrie tries to stick to an all natural way of life and she suggested Sevananda. The first time we went there, I was a little surprised at the size of the store. It’s not a huge supermarket, like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. It’s a small store with a wide variety of products. The prices were very reasonable on many pantry items, though I chose not to purchase any. My plan was to scope out the bulk bins and see what kind of price I could get on bulk whole wheat pastry flour, bulk whole wheat flour, bulk dried beans, bulk honey, bulk spices and herbs.
2. The Budget. I know, don’t groan! Budgets are set in place for our own good. Sort of like training our children, they need boundaries and we need boundaries to avoid over-spending. Currently our budget is $50 a week on grocery and food purchases. Since it was the first of the month and I hadn’t been shopping for nearly two weeks, my envelope was full. I know I need to buy milk, eggs and butter and a few other sale items at Publix, so I decided to only take $20 cash with me to Sevananda.
3. The Know-How. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you save money on natural foods for your family.
- Buy from the Bulk Bins. The bulk bins are a great way to stock up on organic products at reasonable prices. Beans in bulk usually cost about $1.50 per pound whereas a bag of beans on the shelf in the same store are about $3.00 per pound. Sometimes they offer sales and you can pick up the dried bean in the bulk bin for as little at $.99 per pound.
- Buy from the Bulk Spice Jars. The bulk spice jars are truly heaven-sent! A regular size jar of dried spices can cost anywhere from $3.00 up to $5.00. In the bulk spice jars, the price is per pound and since you are only buying barely an ounce or so of the spice or herb, you are paying less than a dollar for them. For example, I purchased about 30 bay leaves at $23.49 per pound and spent only $.47! Normally a jar of bay leaves at Walmart can cost around $3.28 and there might be 10 bay leaves in the jar.
- Buy the Sale Items. Walk around the store and check out the sale tags. Once while shopping at Sevananda, the Organic Soy Milk was on sale for $2.99 and there was a tearpad coupon on the shelf for $1.00. I was so excited I bought two! Check out the produce and see what’s in season. Seasonal produce will be less expensive.
Do you have any other saving tips for shopping at a natural organic food market?
Candi is a stay-at-home mommy to 2 preschoolers, learning to live a more frugal life using coupons, and sharing family friendly recipes on her blog Family, Stamping and FOOD!
What Do I Buy That I Can Make?
April 14, 2010 | 8 Comments
In my ongoing quest to a) frugally feed my family and at the same time b) improve the quality of our diet, I had a bit of an epiphany the other day.
I decided to make a list of things that I currently BUY that I could MAKE from scratch.
A lot of stuff we purchase at the grocery store (like condiments and cleaning supplies) weren’t even available to our Grandmothers or weren’t affordable. These items were made at home. Typically, the made at home version is far superior to the store bought, and usually cheaper.
Here’s what I came up with after a little brainstorming. Some of these items I regularly make myself, but I threw them in there because I thought it might be helpful to you. If you have any more suggestions, links to recipes or tips, please comment!
photo credit
Stuff To Make At Home Instead of Buy
Salad Dressing – I love a simple olive oil, apple cider vinegar and honey vinaigrette. Sometimes a “Ranch” style dressing is nice too. Here is a creamy salad dressing recipe to try. (MSG and other icky ingredients not included.)
Laundry Detergent – I haven’t bought this in a couple of years. I make my own. (Big Z thinks I’m some kind of genius!) It’s cheap as dirt and works great. I use this recipe for homemade laundry detergent.
Dishwasher Detergent – I’ve made this in the past and found that it made my glasses cloudy, but after reading the recipe and comments on this site, I’m motivated to try again.
Mayonnaise – This won’t be a cost savings (due to the eggs), but that doesn’t matter. Homemade mayo is more nutritious. I avoid soy products and commercial mayo is made from soy oil (or canola, just as bad). An easy recipe for homemade lacto-fermented mayonnaise is here on @cheeseslave’s blog. Because it’s lacto-fermented, it’s probiotic, lasts longer in your fridge and is a “live” food. This is one of those instances where making your own won’t save you money in the short term, but the end result is a healthier diet.
Ketchup – As soon as my tomatoes start growing I want to try my hand at homemade ketchup. I’ll use the recipe from my Nourishing Traditions cookbook.
Salsa – I love my homemade lacto-fermented salsa! Again, the homemade version is a superior product in terms of nutrition and taste. Hurry up garden, I need tomatoes and peppers!
Jelly – I’ve never tried my hand at making homemade jelly because I didn’t have a source of free berries. When my strawberries start coming up (if there are any left after the kids pick them and eat them!), I want to do this.
Coconut Milk – I had no idea you could make your own coconut milk until I got an email in my inbox with this recipe. This is especially exciting since coconut milk is super nutritious, yet very expensive – I often cannot bring myself to pay $2 a can for it but now I don’t have to go without!
Dishwashing Soap – Right now I get dishwashing soap for free or pennies by combining sales and coupons, but I would like to try a homemade version that’s more earth friendly. I saw this recipe yesterday, it looks easy enough. I love Dr Bronner’s soap and always have a large bottle on hand. The trick will be keeping my two oldest girls from using WAY too much of it to wash dishes! (The girls have dish duty as their chore and they tend to be quite heavy handed with the soap. I’m assuming that this homemade recipe won’t lather as much, hence my concern.)
Homemade Tooth Powder – I love making my own homemade tooth powder. It’s very inexpensive, and my dental hygienist approves – as long as I leave out the cinnamon! (Read the post for an explanation.) It’s great especially during pregnancy if your foamy regular toothpaste triggers gagging.
Deodorant – Haven’t done this yet, but plan on trying it. Have a good recipe to share?
Kombucha – Kombucha is very expensive store bought and costs almost nothing if made at home. The SCOBY will live forever if you take care of it, so the only challenge is getting one. Ask around amongst your crunchy friends, or order it online or from eBay (Google search will turn up sources). Or you can culture your own by buying a bottle of GT’s kombucha (around $4) and growing the “mother”. Easy instructions here.
Kefir – Another expensive item ($4 a quart!) when store bought that can be made for pennies at home, and is soooo easy. I used to make kefir regularly but my grains froze in the refrigerator once and I have not replaced them. Similar to kombucha, once you get the kefir grains you can make kefir forever with just the cost of milk. Get them from a friend or online.
Yogurt – This is one I’ve never attempted, but plan to. My friend Candi posted a homemade crock pot yogurt recipe on her blog that looks totally doable.
Sauerkraut – Homemade sauerkraut is super nutritious (great for your gut!) and cabbage, even organic, is cheap. Since most of the sauerkraut you see in stores is cooked, it’s “dead” and a very poor substitute for homemade. You can Google for easy sauerkraut instructions. Here is a recipe for a “no pound” method. I’ve fallen out of the habit of making kraut and have been buying Bubbie’s (the only real sauerkraut I can find locally), but I’m going to order this fermented veggie maker from Cultures for Health (incidentally you can also get kefir grains and kombucha from them too).
Tortillas – Ummm, homemade tortillas are so delicious and don’t compare to store bought! I don’t have a cast iron tortilla press but it’s on my list of things to buy! You can get them from a mercado or amazon.com
Bread – My oldest son is our resident bread baker. He loves to knead dough by hand and says it’s great for stress relief (from an 11 year old!). I want to challenge him to try his hand at homemade sourdough.
Gluten Free Baking and Pancake Mix – These are very pricey in the store but a necessity for me and my youngest, who are wheat allergic. I think I’ll just stop buying these at all now that I’ve discovered using coconut flour for pancakes, breads and muffins. It’s nutritionally superior to rice flour, corn and potato starch (common ingredients in GF baking mixes), and a little of it goes a looong way (a typical recipe calls for just 1/4 cup coconut flour). To save money, I’ll start buying it in bulk online.
Wheat Free Cookies – Ditto. These are outrageously priced in the stores, and I admit to the occasional impulse buy (fix: I now go shopping without kids!). Making cookies for my youngest at home is cheap and easy enough.
Cream Soups – SO many recipes I have that are convenient (slow cooker recipes for instance) for my family call for cream soups. I don’t buy these because they all contain wheat, MSG and other ingredients I want to avoid. I knew there had to be a substitute for this addition to recipes so I did a little searching and found that cream soup can be replaced by a simple white sauce! DUH. The cream soup serves as a thickener basically. Obviously if the recipe calls for “cream of mushroom soup”, you could add diced mushrooms. Finding out this info was a big forehead slapper!
Pickles – My kids LOVE pickles, but I don’t buy them because commercially available pickles usually contain food dyes, HFCS and other ingredients I avoid. Homemade pickles (using a cold method) are more nutritious since they’re raw, lacto-fermented, not cooked. I planted cucumbers this year just so the kids could make pickles homemade. Can’t wait!
What types of things do you make instead of buy? Got any great homemade recipes?
Please comment!
Large Family Laundry Solutions: “Before”
February 15, 2010 | 2 Comments
I knew something had to change. I’ve been spending far too much time doing laundry for my large family (there are 7 of us, with one on the way).
Interestingly, in my days as a single mom of 4, I kept on top of laundry doing one load a day. As long as I did that, laundry never got overwhelming. During some of that time, I didn’t own a dryer and hung all the laundry outside or inside on a drying rack.
When I found myself in a house without a washing machine, I did the coin laundry thing for awhile. (Surprisingly, I didn’t mind this at all. Every week, armed with about $8 in quarters and two hours, I got ALL the laundry washed, dryed and folded in one fell swoop.)
Back to my laundry management system before August 24, 2009.
Part of the reason for my success with “one load a day” despite having 4 kids was because I had instilled good laundry habits in my young’uns. I trained them to wear their jeans two or three times, until they actually looked or smelled dirty. I strongly discouraged changing outfits multiple times a day and made sure items were actually dirty before I washed them.
They also had modest wardrobes. Everyone looked good, but their dressers and closets weren’t stuffed to the gills by any means. I found that I could even get away with not sorting (since I almost never use bleach and most of their clothing was purchased used, so nothing was going to bleed). I washed boy’s laundry on one day, girls on the other. That cut down on the footwork too (since the kids were roomies).
Enter new hubs and a 10 year old step daughter, aka Big Z and Little Z (Zeke and Zoe).
Of course, I love them dearly and wouldn’t trade them for all the Soap Nuts in the world…
but suddenly I found myself doing FOUR loads a day just to keep up, much less put a dent in the piles!
I spoke to Big Z about this phenomenon (also throwing in how much I previously earned per hour as an internet marketing coach to moms and a freelance writer, teehee) and we came up with some solutions. (Well actually I came up with solutions but Big Z wielded the power tools and did the heavy lifting. Gotta love that!)
Before I unveil my new “Large Family Laundry Solution”, I’ll talk a bit about why my laundry duties quadrupled overnight and what my laundry routine of recent months has looked like.
I’ll call this the BEFORE.
(I do wish I had actually taken a picture of the monstrosity that was the “BEFORE” with its mountain of laundry all over the basement floor but alas, I didn’t. I promise nice shiny pics of the “AFTER” shortly, when I do the B portion of this post.)
Bad Laundry Habits
Let me now refer to some of the habits that create needless laundry work. The first of which is :
Bogus Laundry
Bogus laundry is clothing that isn’t actually dirty, but which is mindlessly tossed into the hamper, where the Laundry Fairy/Angel (aka Mom) magically takes care of it. A few examples:
- Bogus laundry include jeans that are worn for a couple of hours that still look and smell clean.
- Socks that were never worn but which fell on the floor because the owner didn’t put them away in a timely manner.
- My personal favorite, towels that are used to blot a CLEAN body dry after a shower, which are then tossed still damp into the hamper. Ugh! (Please tell me I’m not the only person in America who thinks it’s perfectly sanitary to use a bath towel several times?)
- Doll clothes. Double ugh.
- Suits and dresses that are worn for two hours while a child sits still in a place of worship. They ain’t dirty either.
See what I mean? All this bogus laundry was adding up to huge work (and a wee touch of resentment) for mama.
Another bad laundry habit?
Too Much Clothing
Let’s be honest. Most of us wear about 20% of our clothing 80% of the time. Why not get rid of the clutter? All it does it spill out of jammed dresser drawers and make things fall off hangers in closets (creating more bogus laundry!).
When I moved into Big Z’s house, I tactfully suggested that he toss some of the threadbare T-shirts he had been collecting since the late 80′s. Since we were moving and having to pack up this stuff anyway, he obliged. We ended up with FOUR large black trash bags full. Ahem.
My stepdaughter’s closet had enough short sleeved t-shirts in it to outfit a small orphanage. She admitted that she didn’t like or wear most of them, so it was toss! toss! pack into storage for her new younger stepsister! She was thrilled to create tons of new space in her closet.
Another factor is my husband changing clothing several times a day. First he takes off his t shirt and PJ bottoms and tosses them into the hamper (wrong, PJs can be worn several times!), then puts on work clothes which of course get nasty with furniture repair goo, then changes into exercise clothing that get sweaty and smelly, then back into PJs… not sure what to do about all these wardrobe changes!
My laundry “routine” also brought me frustration.
My washer and dryer are located downstairs in the basement. Good because of the space to move around. Bad because I was hauling laundry baskets up the stairs. Then I folded it in little stacks around the living room. Then I asked various children to put their stack away.
The end result was that I had multiple little laundry piles for each load creating visual clutter in my living room while I waited for kids to obey or reminded them over and over.
No good.
The new system is much better. It saves me time, labor and creates no clutter.
More on that later!
How to Train Your Kids to Keep a Clean Room
December 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Note from Carrie:
I appreciate this guest post from Marie Ynami. Especially the point about telling a child exactly what a “clean room” means to you. When I created a simple checklist on an index card for my 8 year old, it made things much easier for him. I think most kids want their room to be tidy, but they become overwhelmed in the process. That’s easy enough to understand – we adults do the same thing!
If you are a parent, I’m sure you’ve heard your kids whine and complain when you ask them to clean up their room. The constant question is ” … but WHY, Mom? It looks fine!” Here are some answers that you can give them, the next time they ask why they have to clean up their room.
* It teaches them to be responsible. Knowing that they need to keep their room clean and tidy will instill some kind of responsibility in them. It will also help them appreciate and take care of the things they already own.
* It helps them to be prepared for the future. Admit it, they won’t live with you forever. Sometime in the future, they will have to move out and live on their own – they need to know how to do that and you are merely training them for this.
* Being a part of a family means that everyone needs to help out around the house – not only by keeping it clean and tidy but also with the other responsibilities like preparing meals, taking care of pets and other chores. Mainly though, they are responsible for keeping their personal space clean.
* When kids have a clean room with everything in a place of its own, they refrain from stepping on toys and breaking them. Not only will this keep their toys in good condition so they can be passed along in the future but it also avoids any situation where kids can hurt themselves.
* When you keep a room clean and organized, it is easier to find things that you need. If the room is messy and cluttered, they will have a hard time finding the toys they love to play with or homework and projects that need to be turned into school.
No one is born knowing how to clean; someone has to teach them. That’s one of the responsibilities of being a parent. We are the ones that will teach them well or not so well. What we teach them will carry through their entire lives.
An easy way to teach them is by having them help you when you clean. Start early to train your children to help with cleaning. This way, you will be less likely to have a problem when they get older. Of course, some children are messier than others, just be patient – just because they are messy doesn’t mean that they have to live in a pigsty.
Be certain that your children understand your definition of “clean”. For some, clean is a perfect room with nothing out of place. Some people see clean as not having to walk all over things on the floor. You decide how clean you want their room to be and ensure they understand what that is.
Sometimes, it is helpful to write a list of what you would like your child to do while they clean their room, for example:
- Put the clothes in the clothes hamper, hang them up, or put them in the dresser.
- Pick up the toys.
- Place books on the bookshelves.
Help your child figure out which of their items they can get rid of.
Ultimately, this is why its so important for children to clean their own rooms. They are learning how to prepare for the future, taking care of the things they have, and they are helping to maintain the home.
About the Author:
Marie Ynami loves to blog about topics that interest moms. You can find more of her blog posts at Mommy Community .
photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography
Ten Inexpensive Things to Help you Get Organized
December 4, 2009 | 3 Comments
photo credit: evelynishere
You don’t have to spend lots of money just so that you can get organized. There are many inexpensive items you can use to help you organize your life. Save your hard earned money for something else more worth while. Here is a list of 10 inexpensive items you need to make life organized:
1. Calendars – These are the number one item for keeping family and yourself organized. Mark down appointments and special dates. These can easily be found in disocunt stores often for as little as $1.00. If you want a particular calendar, like a Franklin Covey calendar, wait a week or so after the new year and you could get it at a discounted price. If you have a computer and printer, you can even print your own blank calendars from the internet.
2. Timers – My timer is my best friend. It helps me not to waste time when I am doing things around the house. Set your timer for fifteen minutes and spend that time de-cluttering, cleaning, or organizing. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get done in a small amount of time if you work hard during that time. It keeps you focused cause you know you only have a set time to complete your task.
3. File folders/Labels – You don’t have to have a large filing system for it to work for you; plan on having just enough files to store and be able to locate important papers for finances, insurances, health, utilities, credit cards, warranties, or anything else you can think of.
4. Index cards – I love using index cards because you can use them for a variety of things like: shopping lists, goals, recipes, menu planning, frequently used telephone numbers. Also, they are small and easy to stick in your purse or put on your desk so you can always find and use them. I sometimes assign a color or index card to a specific purpose like: green for shopping lists, pink for recipes and white for to-do lists.
5. Cork Board - This is a great way to keep all your important notes in one place. You can use them for keeping up with to-do lists, shopping lists, and any number of other important notes and reminders. They help corral papers, and keep notes where you can find them instead of being tucked away in a drawer some place in your house.
6. 3-Ring Binders – The 3-ring binder comes in different widths to be able to hold different amounts of paper. This is a good alternative to a filing cabinet in your home. You could have 3-ring binders for each category and store everything on a shelf instead. You can purchase these at a discount especially during Back-to-School sales.
7. Totes and Bins – These come in all shapes and sizes and materials materials: like wood, plastic, fabric, metal, or glass. You can find some with lids and some that don’t have any lids. Prices may vary but are these are great for storing and organizing. Try looking for them in discount stores or garage sales.
8. Cereal boxes – An almost free item that you can easily transform into paper storage. Cut off one corner of the box, cover with contact or wrapping paper, and use them for storing magazines. You can keep your kids busy by having them decorate the cereal box. You can also use this to store your kid’s papers that they bring home from school. Each week or when the box gets full, you and your child can go through it and toss the papers that you no longer need. This teaches you kids how to be organized too.
9. Baskets - These are wonderful holders for so many different things. Organize crafts that youre working on, wash cloths or towels in a bathroom, fruit, or any other number of things can be kept in baskets to help keep things neat and tidy.
10. Boxes - If you are storing items in an area that won’t get wet, you may be able to save money organizing by using boxes that you can get in your local grocery store. You really do not have to spend money on boxes when you can get them for free. Just make sure to label the outside so you know what is inside the box without having to open it up.
Why spend a great deal of money to get organized? There is no need for that. These ten inexpensive items will help you get organized and won’t break your budget. Come to think of it, there maybe are other items around your home that you can repurpose for organizing. Take a look-see and you may be surprised at what you find.
About the Author:
Marie Ynami loves to blog about topics that interest moms. You can find more of her blog posts at Mommy Community .
Wordless Wednesday: Bliss
August 26, 2009 | 4 Comments
Recyling and Pest Control
August 20, 2009 | 3 Comments
Ugh.
The all natural creepy crawly critters are loving my efforts to have a more eco-friendly home.
The cans, bottles (even when well rinsed), cardboard boxes and plastic containers provide everything they need: tiny bits of food provide endless nourishment (especially for roaches who only have to eat once every few weeks!), moisture for their hydration, and dark nooks and crannies are perfect hiding places.
When my kitchen started being taken over by bugs again, I had to throw out all the recycling… with the trash.
Overnight the bug population dwindled.
Major eco-guilt. 
How do you keep your recycling area from being the ideal home for unwanted guests?
Do share.
