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.
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!
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 CommentsMy 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 CommentsYesterday, 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.
Keep Your Kitchen Towels ON the Rack With this Tip
Posted: January 13, 2012 Filed under: Do It Yourself and Save, Frugal, Gadgets, Saving Money | Tags: DIY, Kitchen, Saving-Money, Tip 8 CommentsWe recently moved into a home with no towel racks in the kitchen. I used the bar on the oven door, but the towels constantly slipped off. It was driving me crazy! So, I thought of a solution! I clipped my towel into place with a clothes pin! Ta-Da! I’m so glad I thought of this, because I was thinking about buying a towel rack from Bed, Bath and Beyond. This is way cheaper and I don’t have to drill any holes in the wall!
Saving Money With Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent
Posted: January 6, 2012 Filed under: Do It Yourself and Save, Money Saving Recipes, Saving Money | Tags: DIY, homemade, Save Money, saving money 9 CommentsThis blog could not be complete without a recipe for homemade laundry soap detergent. I won’t pretend I was the clever one that came up with it, so here is a link to the source!
This is the recipe I use:
* 1 bar of shaved soap (you can use Ivory, Zote or Fels-Naptha). I use a cheese grater. My sister dumps the shavings into a food processor after she grates it. Whatever floats your boat.
* 1 cup Washing Soda
* 1 cup Borax
Thoroughly stir together for 5 minutes! Only 1 TBSP needed per load!
Making your own detergent is quick and painless. It also spares some benjamins. I think it cleans well, also.
According to the writer of this recipe, one will save $0.16 per load. See his calculations HERE. $0.16 per load doesn’t sound like a lot, but if you wash 2 loads a day you will save $116 over the course of a year. That’s like a new pair of boots!
Vinegar Hair Rinse
Posted: January 2, 2012 Filed under: Do It Yourself and Save, Money Saving Recipes, Saving Money | Tags: apple cider vinegar, efficacy, hair conditioner, saving money 1 CommentLast night I arrived home from our Christmas vacation. After sitting in a car with a miniature snauzer snoozing on my lap for hours, I decided it was time for a shower. Unfortunately, my hair conditioner stash was depleted. So, I tried a tip I learned from reading a variety of blogs. I rinsed my hair with vinegar. I have actually known about this vinegar use for months, but have always been doubtful about the efficacy of the exchange. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised when I brushed my hair and it was tangle free! I’m excited to try this apple cider vinegar recipe I read about here!
ihavetriedit 