Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Oh wherrrrre is my hairbrush?
Monday, April 30, 2012
My Favorite Organizational Tools
Today I bring you ... two of my all-time favorite organizational tools! Am I the only one excited by these things?
This second idea I found on Pinterest, but it was posted off of something Martha Stewart-related (the picture isn't linking to the original site for me anymore, so I can't post it). I altered it a little, or really, just use them the way they were intended according to the picture on The Container Store website, with the dividers positioned vertically rather than horizontally. The weight of the pans caused the whole thing to lean a lot. I can't imagine they didn't screw the dividers pictured on the right into the side of the cabinet. Before these $5 dividers, I was unstacking and restacking all of my pots, pans and lids every time I cooked. It was a nuisance that I could live with but am more than happy to be rid of now.I'm always looking for new and better ways to organize our home, so if you have any tips of your own, please share!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Next Cleaning Project
My next much-needed cleaning project will be to tackle the closets, probably only M&L's. A few weeks ago, I went through all of my clothes - closet & dresser - so ours is relatively clean, but the girls' closets remain. And what a project. I was inspired after reading this blog post and hope I can pull it off. Honestly, I'm very doubtful. Before and after pics to come ... I'm really just posting this because I'm honestly afraid to even begin such a massive ordeal, but ultimately want them to have clean closets - and just more organization in our home in general - so I'm hoping that this will somehow keep me a little accountable. We'll see what this week brings ...
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Free Educational Resources
I just found this great list of free Summer Reading Programs offered by different companies through MoneySavingMom. The best from that list (IMO) is Sylvan's Book Adventure as it offers a whole online program with quizzes, prizes, and parent monitoring tools.
From there, I got curious and went to Sylvan's main website to see if they had any other free learning resources we could use over the summer ... and was happily surprised! They have 5 more resources, including a math activity booklet, "just a page per day" workbook, summer fun and learning guide and writing journal. The math booklet does not specify an age group, but after looking at the PDF, it seems to be geared towards jr. high/high school. Most of the problems say "Grades 9-12" or "Grades 6-12". The Page Per Day workbook, however, is split up by age group and looks great - a good mixture of math and language arts. The only problem is it's only 11 pages long - 8 if you take away the title page, sample calendar and blank calendar pages at the end. So ... that won't last the whole summer. But it does remind me of this other website I found a while ago that has some great workbook printables - for free as well. At Education.com, you can print off cute, colorful worksheets that are categorized by grade level and topic. Not all are free, but most are and they have a LOT. At least ... the last time I was looking through the site (probably almost a year ago now), there were. Let me know if it's changed! Since M seems to take after me in her academia successes/struggles - picks up on language/reading easily but has a harder time remembering math facts - I'm hoping she can pick up some speed this summer with a little extra effort.
From there, I got curious and went to Sylvan's main website to see if they had any other free learning resources we could use over the summer ... and was happily surprised! They have 5 more resources, including a math activity booklet, "just a page per day" workbook, summer fun and learning guide and writing journal. The math booklet does not specify an age group, but after looking at the PDF, it seems to be geared towards jr. high/high school. Most of the problems say "Grades 9-12" or "Grades 6-12". The Page Per Day workbook, however, is split up by age group and looks great - a good mixture of math and language arts. The only problem is it's only 11 pages long - 8 if you take away the title page, sample calendar and blank calendar pages at the end. So ... that won't last the whole summer. But it does remind me of this other website I found a while ago that has some great workbook printables - for free as well. At Education.com, you can print off cute, colorful worksheets that are categorized by grade level and topic. Not all are free, but most are and they have a LOT. At least ... the last time I was looking through the site (probably almost a year ago now), there were. Let me know if it's changed! Since M seems to take after me in her academia successes/struggles - picks up on language/reading easily but has a harder time remembering math facts - I'm hoping she can pick up some speed this summer with a little extra effort.
Friday, April 27, 2012
This Week's Groceries
Last week, I posted my grocery budget and $ spent for the week, promising to prove this week that I don't usually shop at so many stores or use so many coupons. Well ... I came through on half of that promise. But I also went over budget! Boo. Here's the rundown - only used 1 coupon this week.
Thursday, I had to make a return at Carson's, which doesn't open til 10. Since I have to drop the girlies off at school at 9, I used the hour and did a little grocery shopping.
Aldi: 4-lb. bag of navel oranges $1.49
6 kiwis $0.69 (yes, total)
bag of 9 Gala apples $1.89
1-lb. strawberries $0.99
Total: $5.17
Garden Fresh: 3-lb. bag onions $1.00
1 lb. turkey breast lunchmeat $2.86
Total: $3.95
Fresh Farms: 1 can black beans $0.99
1 jar hoisin sauce $2.19
1 bunch green onions $0.33
1 tub House tofu $1.49
Total: $5.11
Costco: 4 box-pack of Capri Sun $7.99
Total: $8.73
Today, I finished off my grocery shopping with just two stores. Lately I've been finding more deals at Dominick's than Jewel. Crazy, right? Well, now that I'm done rocking your mind, here's the rest:
Dominick's: ~4 lbs. round steak $9.16 ($2.49/lb)
BUY 8, MIX & MATCH DEAL:
28 oz. Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce $1.99
3 cans Hunt's petite diced tomatoes $2.97 ($0.99 each)
2 Lipton Pasta Sides $1.58 ($0.79 each)
2 Rosarita refried beans ($0.79 each and used $0.50 off 2 coupon)
Total: $17.17
Joe Caputo: 1 box Barilla Ditalini $0.99
1 box Barilla Farfalle $0.99
3 plum tomatoes $0.55 ($0.79/lb.)
3 frozen pizzas $6.00
~2 lbs. chicken leg quarters $1.91 ($0.89/lb.)
~1.5 lbs. ground sirloin $3.86 ($2.99/lb.)
Total: $14.62
Grand Total: $54.75
So I have $4.75 less to spend next week. I guess I'll survive. I'm actually a little proud of myself for getting so much meat but only going over by $5. *patting myself on the shoulder* Hope you all (and by that, I mean all 2-3 people who actually read this) have a great weekend!
Thursday, I had to make a return at Carson's, which doesn't open til 10. Since I have to drop the girlies off at school at 9, I used the hour and did a little grocery shopping.
Aldi: 4-lb. bag of navel oranges $1.49
6 kiwis $0.69 (yes, total)
bag of 9 Gala apples $1.89
1-lb. strawberries $0.99
Total: $5.17
Garden Fresh: 3-lb. bag onions $1.00
1 lb. turkey breast lunchmeat $2.86
Total: $3.95
Fresh Farms: 1 can black beans $0.99
1 jar hoisin sauce $2.19
1 bunch green onions $0.33
1 tub House tofu $1.49
Total: $5.11
Costco: 4 box-pack of Capri Sun $7.99
Total: $8.73
Today, I finished off my grocery shopping with just two stores. Lately I've been finding more deals at Dominick's than Jewel. Crazy, right? Well, now that I'm done rocking your mind, here's the rest:
Dominick's: ~4 lbs. round steak $9.16 ($2.49/lb)
BUY 8, MIX & MATCH DEAL:
28 oz. Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce $1.99
3 cans Hunt's petite diced tomatoes $2.97 ($0.99 each)
2 Lipton Pasta Sides $1.58 ($0.79 each)
2 Rosarita refried beans ($0.79 each and used $0.50 off 2 coupon)
Total: $17.17
Joe Caputo: 1 box Barilla Ditalini $0.99
1 box Barilla Farfalle $0.99
3 plum tomatoes $0.55 ($0.79/lb.)
3 frozen pizzas $6.00
~2 lbs. chicken leg quarters $1.91 ($0.89/lb.)
~1.5 lbs. ground sirloin $3.86 ($2.99/lb.)
Total: $14.62
Grand Total: $54.75
So I have $4.75 less to spend next week. I guess I'll survive. I'm actually a little proud of myself for getting so much meat but only going over by $5. *patting myself on the shoulder* Hope you all (and by that, I mean all 2-3 people who actually read this) have a great weekend!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Homemade Cleaners
Ever since I tried (and succeeded) in making my own laundry detergent, I've had an itch to try replacing other cleaners with homemade versions. One, for the price and two, to ease up on the chemicals in the house. Our huge bucket of laundry detergent that has lasted at LEAST six months now cost us less than $6. I don't even include laundry detergent in our small-anyway grocery budget anymore. Amazing, right?? I know you're amazed.
Of course, I still want to first and foremost KILL THE GERMS. That is my number one priority. But if I can also save my nostrils from some burning (along with probably a few brain cells here and there) and keep a little extra cash in my pocket in the process, I'm all for it.
So today, I tried making this recipe for homemade "shower cleaner" that really could be used on almost anything. It's basically equal proportions of vinegar and dish soap mixed together ... I was skeptical, but the blogger claimed to have tried numerous different recipes over the course of two weeks and that this was the one she liked the most and that it "smelled amazing!". So I tried it. Now I'm wondering what else she tried .... it's horrible! =P I ended up mixing in some lemon juice, lemon extract and water to try to tone down the vinegar smell ... it helped, but not enough. And it seems like there's way too much soap STILL (after watering it down a bunch) because when I spray it, it doesn't just wipe off, it's all soapy and probably leaving a film. I will say that it cut through the grease on our stove pretty easily. So that's good. It might be a good base recipe, but the proportions are all off. And you either need some strong lemon oil or a strong-smelling dish soap to counteract the vinegar smell unless you want your kitchen/bathroom to smell like you've just been dying Easter eggs all day. The dish soap I happened to have was original scent, so that may be part of the reason for my troubles.
I guess I'll keep looking ... I found this website that looks pretty promising. Their proportions are 2 T vinegar to 2 CUPS of water and 10-15 drops of essential oils. Uh yeah. The other one was definitely off. I honestly don't know what she could have done to make that work ... probably should have taken the time to read the comments. =P
Some exciting news ... in my quest for homemade cleaners, I've also been finding many other recipes for homemade goodies - peanut butter, eye makeup remover, starbucks brownie cake pops ... yay!
Of course, I still want to first and foremost KILL THE GERMS. That is my number one priority. But if I can also save my nostrils from some burning (along with probably a few brain cells here and there) and keep a little extra cash in my pocket in the process, I'm all for it.
So today, I tried making this recipe for homemade "shower cleaner" that really could be used on almost anything. It's basically equal proportions of vinegar and dish soap mixed together ... I was skeptical, but the blogger claimed to have tried numerous different recipes over the course of two weeks and that this was the one she liked the most and that it "smelled amazing!". So I tried it. Now I'm wondering what else she tried .... it's horrible! =P I ended up mixing in some lemon juice, lemon extract and water to try to tone down the vinegar smell ... it helped, but not enough. And it seems like there's way too much soap STILL (after watering it down a bunch) because when I spray it, it doesn't just wipe off, it's all soapy and probably leaving a film. I will say that it cut through the grease on our stove pretty easily. So that's good. It might be a good base recipe, but the proportions are all off. And you either need some strong lemon oil or a strong-smelling dish soap to counteract the vinegar smell unless you want your kitchen/bathroom to smell like you've just been dying Easter eggs all day. The dish soap I happened to have was original scent, so that may be part of the reason for my troubles.
I guess I'll keep looking ... I found this website that looks pretty promising. Their proportions are 2 T vinegar to 2 CUPS of water and 10-15 drops of essential oils. Uh yeah. The other one was definitely off. I honestly don't know what she could have done to make that work ... probably should have taken the time to read the comments. =P
Some exciting news ... in my quest for homemade cleaners, I've also been finding many other recipes for homemade goodies - peanut butter, eye makeup remover, starbucks brownie cake pops ... yay!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Grocery Day
Friday is grocery shopping day in our household. I try to spread it out over the week if I happen to be near a store, etc., but usually do most of it in one day. For the past couple of months, I've been trying to cut our budget down more and more to see how little I could spend while still getting everything we need. Originally, our budget was $75/week but I'm happy to say we've gotten it down to $50/week for the past month or two and have been doing very well, not because we've just been eating out more. Actually, we've been eating out less! The funny thing is, I rarely use coupons. This week I happened to use the most I have in a very long time (9). But most weeks, I honestly don't use any, maybe 1-2. The trick? Mostly, Aldi. But here's the breakdown for this week's groceries if it helps.
Walgreens: 2 bottles Kids Aquafresh toothpaste - 18 cents each with 1 Walgreens and 1 manufacturer coupon per bottle.
Total: $0.36
Dominicks: 18 ct large eggs on clearance - $1.49
2 8-ct. Go-Gurt - $1.495 (?) each after Just for U savings & manufacturer coupon - $3.01
2 loaves Nancy Martin bread - 59 cents each after Just for U savings
1 bunch of green bananas - 0.49/lb - $1.13
Total: $6.98
Jewel: 2 bottles Kens salad dressing - 50 cents each after 1 Jewel & 1 manufacturer coupon
Total: $1.02
Fresh Farms:1 box mochiko flour - $1.99
1 lemon - 0.98/lb - $0.32
2.04 lb organic gala apples (about 6) - 1.79/lb - $3.65
3 lbs chicken leg quarters - $3.05
1 dozen extra lg eggs - $0.99
1/2 lb salami - $2.07
1/2 lb bologna - $1.59
Total: $13.97
Aldi: 1 bag romaine hearts - $1.59
1 bottle cran/raspberry juice - $1.49
3 green peppers - $0.99
1 lb strawberries - $0.99
1 lb. bacon - $2.79
1 bag potato chips - $1.49
1 apple juice concentrate - $0.92
1 grape juice concentrate - $1.49
1 lb baby carrots - $0.49 on clearance
brown sugar - $1.49
1 sm bag flour - $1.69
4 lbs. navel oranges (6 in a bag) - $2.69
Total: $18.61
Grand Total: $40.94
I had an extra $10-11 from last week so I used that with what I saved this week to get 2 200-ct bottles of fish oil from Walgreens with 2 coupons and a BOGO sale for $20 and some change. Just as we were running out. God is truly the perfect provider - something He's shown me again and again in our grocery budgeting adventures.
This is by far the most coupons (and most stores) I've used in a long time. I'll try to post again next week to prove it. :)
Walgreens: 2 bottles Kids Aquafresh toothpaste - 18 cents each with 1 Walgreens and 1 manufacturer coupon per bottle.
Total: $0.36
Dominicks: 18 ct large eggs on clearance - $1.49
2 8-ct. Go-Gurt - $1.495 (?) each after Just for U savings & manufacturer coupon - $3.01
2 loaves Nancy Martin bread - 59 cents each after Just for U savings
1 bunch of green bananas - 0.49/lb - $1.13
Total: $6.98
Jewel: 2 bottles Kens salad dressing - 50 cents each after 1 Jewel & 1 manufacturer coupon
Total: $1.02
Fresh Farms:1 box mochiko flour - $1.99
1 lemon - 0.98/lb - $0.32
2.04 lb organic gala apples (about 6) - 1.79/lb - $3.65
3 lbs chicken leg quarters - $3.05
1 dozen extra lg eggs - $0.99
1/2 lb salami - $2.07
1/2 lb bologna - $1.59
Total: $13.97
Aldi: 1 bag romaine hearts - $1.59
1 bottle cran/raspberry juice - $1.49
3 green peppers - $0.99
1 lb strawberries - $0.99
1 lb. bacon - $2.79
1 bag potato chips - $1.49
1 apple juice concentrate - $0.92
1 grape juice concentrate - $1.49
1 lb baby carrots - $0.49 on clearance
brown sugar - $1.49
1 sm bag flour - $1.69
4 lbs. navel oranges (6 in a bag) - $2.69
Total: $18.61
Grand Total: $40.94
I had an extra $10-11 from last week so I used that with what I saved this week to get 2 200-ct bottles of fish oil from Walgreens with 2 coupons and a BOGO sale for $20 and some change. Just as we were running out. God is truly the perfect provider - something He's shown me again and again in our grocery budgeting adventures.
This is by far the most coupons (and most stores) I've used in a long time. I'll try to post again next week to prove it. :)
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