50 Chores That Take 5 Minutes or Less
Posted: February 28, 2013 Filed under: Do It Yourself and Save, Organize | Tags: Clean, home, neat, Organize 1 Comment
I am a mother to an infant. She doesn’t leave me much time for organizing and cleaning, so I’ve started relishing every 5 minute chunk of time she gives me. It’s amazing what you can accomplish in under 5 minutes!!
1. Empty the top rack of the dishwasher
2. Empty the bottom rack of the dishwasher
3. Sweep the kitchen floor
4. Switch the laundry from the washer to dryer
5. Clean a toilet
6. Wipe down a bathroom sink
7. Sweep a bathroom floor
8. Iron a shirt
9. Make your bed
10. Organize a small drawer
11. Wipe down the kitchen counters
12. Fill the dishwasher
13. Wipe down 1 shelf in the refrigerator
14. Shake out a small rug
15. Dust/vacuum a flight of stairs ( I guess this could take longer than five minutes if you have a TON of stairs 🙂
16. Dust a coffee table
17. Vacuum an area rug
18. Put five items away
19. Start a load of wash
20. Wipe down the stove top (obviously, your stove top can’t be completely crusty for this to take less than 5!)
21. Dust a lamp
22. Wipe the outside of your refrigerator
23. Wipe the outside of your dishwasher
24. Dust the top of your refrigerator (I did this the other day. Wow. I really need to do this more!)
25. Wipe down 5 cupboard doors
26. Tuck the kitchen chairs in
27. File 5 papers
28. Dust 2 shelves on a bookcase
29. Dust the baseboards in your bedroom
30. Sweep your laundry room
31. Switch out all of the hand towels in your bathrooms
32. Carry all the stuff piled at the bottom of the stairs up
33. Wipe the outside of the microwave
34. Wipe the inside of the microwave (Use this tip if yours is really dirty! It works)
35. Dust the baseboard in a guest/child’s room
36. Clean one shower wall every day. I do this while showering by using a dish wand filled with vinegar and dawn.
37. Wipe down the dining room table
38. Dust the TV
39. Take the trash out
40. Put some of the shoes in the entryway in their proper closet
41. Take the recycling out
42. Put one item of clothing you haven’t worn for a year in a give-away pile
43. Put all the remotes/coasters away
44. Put your hair styling products in their proper places
45. Dust your computer/printer
46. Find homes for some of your phone charger/ipad charger etc.
47. Throw away some old magazines
48. Empty the bathroom trash
49. Fold as much laundry as you can! Make it a game to see how much you can get done in 5 minutes
50. Dust a light fixture
DIY Cloth Baby Wipes
Posted: February 22, 2013 Filed under: Do It Yourself and Save, Frugal, Saving Money, Sewing | Tags: baby wipes, DIY, Frugal, saving money, Sewing 2 Comments
DIY baby wipes. So easy and will SAVE, SAVE, SAVE you money. I made these when I found out I was expecting and I’m glad I did because I like them better than disposables. They clean more efficiently and 8 million of them don’t come out of the dispenser when I want just ONE. (Have you ever tried to pull out JUST ONE disposable wipe?) I made about 50 wipes and it cost me a little less than $10. Here are the directions:
What you will need:
1) Flannel (I chose white because I didn’t want any dyes to bother my precious one’s bottom)
2) Thread
3) Sew Machine
Directions:
1) Buy the flannel from a fabric store (I found mine at Wal-Mart on sale).
2) Wash and DRY the material. This is very important as the fabric will shrink.
3) Cut into 8 inch by 8 inch squares.
4) Zig-zag the edges (or use a pretty stitch if you like!)
5) You are DONE!!
I looked up baby-wipe recipes, but decided to use plain water. I didn’t feel comfortable adding essential oils, soaps or etc to a mixture I was going to be using on my child. That being said, water works GREAT.
I’m so glad I made these, especially when I see Target advertising that their wipes are “only $4.56 per 256 count.” I’ll likely be able to use these wipes through the diapering of this child and my future one(s), too!
DIY Granite Countertop Cleaner
Posted: February 18, 2013 Filed under: Do It Yourself and Save, Frugal, Money Saving Recipes, Organize, Saving Money | Tags: Clean, DIY, Frugal, recipe, Save Money 1 CommentI love this cleaner. It works GREAT. It leaves no streaks. I also this on my mirrors, stainless steel and oven top. Make sure you test the product in an inconspicuous area before first use! I found this recipe here.
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
2 cups water
8 drops dish soap (I have used Kirkland and Joy..both work fine)
Mix together and store in spray bottle for easy use! I love using this on my mirrors. It’s streak free when I wipe with an old newspaper. I LOVE this cleaner.
Easy Breakfast Recipe
Posted: February 12, 2013 Filed under: Cooking, Frugal, Money Saving Recipes | Tags: baking, breakfast, Save Money, yummy 7 Comments
This recipe is easy, cheap and delicious. I wouldn’t advise eating it every day, though. You might gain a few pounds! My mom used to make this when I was little and I loved watching the “pancake” rise.
Oven Pancakes
3 T butter
1/2 c milk
3 eggs
1/2 c flour
1 T sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Melt butter in 9 inch pie plate or round pan. Beat together eggs, milk, flour, sugar, and salt. Pour batter into hot butter. Bake for 20 minutes. Cut into wedges. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Daily Shower Cleaner DIY
Posted: February 7, 2013 Filed under: Budget, Do It Yourself and Save, Money Saving Recipes, Saving Money | Tags: Cleaning, DIY, home, homemade, recipe 2 Comments
Hard water stains haunt my home. I fight them in the bathroom by spraying this concoction all over the shower walls every time I shower. It works great and it’s easy to make. Best of all, it’s much cheaper than the store bought version! I found the following recipe at pinkyhasabrain.com. I was skeptical, but once I tried it I fell in love. Here ya are, folks:
24 ounces of water
1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
2 tsp dishwashing liquid (original recipe calls for Dawn. I use whatever I have on hand)
2 tsp automatic dishwasher rinse
DIY Liquid Hand Soap
Posted: February 5, 2013 Filed under: Do It Yourself and Save, Money Saving Recipes | Tags: Budget, DIY, Frugal, home, money saving recipe, Save Money Leave a comment
The other day I happened upon this DIY liquid hand soap recipe. I decided it was worth a try! I followed all the instructions set up on this blog, but used Irish Spring Soap instead. It smells wonderful and works well. This DIY hand soap is also much cheaper than the kind you buy in the store!
The Crock Pot is My New Best Friend
Posted: January 31, 2012 Filed under: Cooking, Frugal, Money Saving Recipes, Saving Money | Tags: beans, cooking, crock pot, Save Money, saving money, slow cooker, soup 10 CommentsI shared my exciting job news in my last post. While I’m ecstatic to finally be bringing home a pay check, I’m still committed to saving money. I do not want to start spending frivolously just because my husband and I will be making more. Thus, I’ve decided the Crock Pot is my new best friend. It cooks while I’m away, makes plenty of food for left-overs and does not require expensive ingredients! Perfect! This week I’m going to cook up some Festive Black Bean Soup. It looks super tasty, healthy and not to mention easy on the wallet. Take a peek!
Hired…
Posted: January 29, 2012 Filed under: Frugal, Saving Money | Tags: Frugal, saving money, unemployment, work 9 CommentsI recently wrote about my unemployment frustrations. I’m happy to share that I was recently offered a full-time job and I accepted! This unemployment era (this is what I have nicknamed it) of my life has taught me a lot about saving money. I will continue to apply these principles to my life, but I’m sure I will look for CONVENIENT ways to cut down costs while working. Does anyone have any suggestions?! I’d love to hear them!
Gift Conundrum
Posted: January 25, 2012 Filed under: Gift-Giving, Saving Money | Tags: birthday, gifts, marriage, relationships, saving money 12 CommentsMy husband’s birthday was last week. I did not buy him a present. Wondering how I could be so heartless? Well, here’s an explanation for my seemingly callous action. We set up a gift budget at the beginning of the year and decided not to give each other Christmas gifts. I assumed this rule applied to our birthdays. I was wrong.
I saved a few bucks by failing to buy my husband a birthday gift, BUT I did not strengthen our marriage with this choice! I just wanted to point out that saving money is important, BUT so are relationships! 🙂 Has anyone else made an epic mistake like this? I’d love to hear about it.
*my husband was not mad at me for not getting him a gift. he’s amazing like that*
A Little Motivation…
Posted: January 24, 2012 Filed under: Saving Money | Tags: DIY, Frugal, Motivation, Save Money, saving money 4 CommentsSometimes my will to save money falters. Bad days tempt me to spend. How about you?
When my will power is starting to fail, I read posts by fellow bloggers who are also trying to squirrel some cash away. Their words usually inspire me to keep my credit card tucked in my wallet.
Enjoy. Hope these blogs motivate you!
Budgets are Sexy Their blog will make you think.
DottieDomestic-Her blog will inspire you to count the sheets of toilet paper you use. Wow!
How I Save Money.Net. I just found her blog today. Gotta love the clear skin tips, too.
Design Sponge This blogger really knows how to DIY! I love DIY because it can really save some dough.
ihavetriedit 