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 Leave a 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
I Tried It: DIY Drawer Divider
Posted: January 23, 2012 Filed under: Do It Yourself and Save, Frugal, Organize, Saving Money | Tags: DIY, do-it-yourself, Frugal, Organize, Project, saving money 4 Comments »My work out clothing has never been organized. It’s always bothered me. So, I tried Design Sponge’s DIY idea. I made my own dividers out of cardboard, except I didn’t measure because I don’t believe in using measuring tapes Here are the directions, step by step:
1). Hold cardboard over drawer and estimate wear you need to slice it (or your can measure if you REALLY want to), by slitting it with an exacto knife. (Do this with all four pieces of cardboard)
2) Cut a slot into the tops of the cardboard that will serve as your base. Do the same to the cardboard that will help divide your drawers, except cut the slots into the bottoms of those.
3) Fit all the pieces together and organize your drawers!! Super easy!!
Slit cut with an exacto knife…believe me, it doesn’t have to be very exact!!
The finished product!
ahh…I can find stuff in my drawers!!
I would say this project was worth the effort! I even labeled the compartments when I finished. Now my husband can’t tell me he doesn’t know where my clothes go when we’re folding laundry!
Cost-$0
Money Saved-At least $10. I own a couple of drawer dividers that cost $12 for a pair.
Make Your Own Drawer Divider
Posted: January 21, 2012 Filed under: Do It Yourself and Save, Gadgets, Organize, Saving Money | Tags: DIY, Frugal, Organize, saving money 2 Comments »Yesterday, I gushed over pinterest. I know. I’m way behind. The world probably realized how great the site was 5 years ago!
I did find a gem of a blog via pinterest, though. I’m very excited because it includes a picture tutorial on how to make a drawer divider out of cardboard. CARDBOARD! I’ve drooled over drawer dividers for years. NOW I can make my own for FREE! Who knew?!?
Next week I’ll attempt (I’ve never been good at measuring!) to make these handy gadgets and post the results! No more spending $6 per plastic ugly divider at Bed, Bath and Beyond and no more messy drawers.
Old Nail Polish Uses
Posted: November 26, 2011 Filed under: Do It Yourself and Save, Organize, Saving Money | Tags: Frugal, Nail Polish, Organize, saving money 6 Comments »
Do you fumble with your keys when trying to open your front door? Try this cheap trick. Color code your means of entry with nail polish. Now your keys can look as cute as your toes. Plus, you’ll find that darn house key so much faster!
Do you have left-over nail polish you don’t want to throw away, but don’t know what to do with it? Click HERE for some more nail polish tips.
Organization and Contact Lenses…
Posted: November 25, 2011 Filed under: Organize, Saving Money | Tags: Health, Organize, Saving-Money 5 Comments »I wear disposable contacts. Throwing them out after two weeks of wear is a must. Over the past few months I’ve found myself scratching my head and asking myself, “Did I open this package 1 or 2 weeks ago?” I’ve thought about keeping a little calendar in my make-up bag, but I came up with a better solution. Here it is.
1) Find a DRY ERASE pen.
2) Write the date you open the contacts on the corner of your mirror.
3) Make a dash EVERY time you wear them (see picture below).
4) Throw contacts out when your two weeks are completed (or per your doctor’s recommendation).
5) Simply erase the marks on the mirror and start over!
Due to this system, I no longer wear my contacts too long or throw them away too soon. This saves my eyes and my money!
I also write surprise notes to my husband, reminders and lists on my mirror! Just make sure you are using a DRY ERASE pen.
