MyBlessedLife.net shows you how to make a homemade fruit fly trap.
Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
Summer Bucket List
Classic View
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Shared Jun 12, 2013
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Gretchen’s $45 Grocery Shopping Trip and Menu Plan for the Week
Gretchen’s $45 Grocery Shopping Trip and Menu Plan for the Week
Health Food Store
1 Organic Kale – Marked down to $0.99
1 Rudis Organic Sandwich Flatz – Marked down to $0.99
2 Grapefruit – $0.50
0.86 lbs Peaches @ $0.99/lb – $0.85
Total with tax: $3.57
Dillon’s Meat Trip
We were getting low on meat so I made a run to Dillon’s on the day they mark down meat. I was super excited to find some great prices on our favorite brands! This will keep us stocked up on meat for the next several weeks.
3 lbs Laura’s Lean Beef – Marked down to $1.99 each
1.7 lbs Simple Truth Organic Chicken Drumsticks – Marked down to $3.80
Total with tax: $10.48
Dillons
Transaction #1
I did 2 transactions at Dillons. On the first one I only bought items that were part of the General Mills catalina sale (Buy 5 participating items, Get a $5 catalina). I used the catalinas from the first transaction to buy groceries we needed on my second transaction.
6 Totino’s Pizza – $1.33 each, used 2 $1/3 printable – $1 each after coupons
4 Green Giant Sweet Potato Chips – $2 each, used 2 $0.50/1 coupons from the 6/9 SmartSource insert AND 2 $0.60/1 printable (coupons doubled to $1) – $1 each after coupons
2 Chex Mix Muddy Buddy – $2, used 2 $0.50/1 printable (doubled to $1) – $1 each after coupons
2 Mott’s Fruit Snacks – $2, used 2 $0.75/1 printable (no longer available; doubled to $1) – $1 each after coupons
2 Cocoa Puffs – $2.50 each, used $1/2 printable – $2 each after coupon
2 Original Cheerios – $2.50 each, used 2 $0.50/1 printable (doubled to $1) – $1.50 each after coupons
1 Multigrain Cheerios – $2.50, used $0.75/1 printable (doubled to $1) – $1.50 after coupon
1 Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch – $2.50, used $0.75/1 printable (doubled to $1) – $1.50 after coupon
Paid $28.64 out of pocket (total with tax), Received 4 $5 catalinas ($20 total)
Transaction #2
1 Surf Detergent (40 loads) – $2.99, used $1/1 coupon from the 6/2 RedPlum insert – $1.99 after coupon (This is normally $6.25!)
2 Suave Shampoo/Conditioner – $0.99, used 2 $1/1 printable – Free after coupons
1 Annie’s Mac & Cheese – $1, used $0.35/1 printable (doubled) – $0.30 after coupon
1 Hunts Spaghetti Sauce – $1
1 Kroger Glass Cleaner – $1.79 (We haven’t had glass cleaner in months now and I’ve been trying to make do with other cleaner but I decided last week it was time to buy actual glass cleaner since my windows are full of toddler fingerprints these days. 🙂 )
1.88 lbs Bananas @ $0.35/lb – $0.66
1 Kroger Ice Cream – $2.50
1 Cucumber – $0.59
1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99
1.24 lbs Tomatoes @ $1.99/lb – $2.47
1 Kroger Cheese – $1.50
1 Dillons Bread – $1
6 Oranges – $0.49 each ($2.94 total)
1 Garnier Fructis Hairspray – Marked down to $0.99, used $1/1 coupon from the 6/2 RedPlum insert – Free after coupon (I just used up my hairspray this morning so I was excited to find this deal!)
1 Dillons Gallon Milk – $2.98
2 Dove Soap – $1 each, used $1/1 printable – Free after coupon
Used 4 $5 catalinas from Transaction #1
Total with tax: $2.57
Total for both transactions before coupons and sales: $88.48
Total for both transactions after coupons: $31.21
Total for all grocery items: $45.26
Menu Plan for this Week
Breakfasts
Oatmeal, Cereal, Toast, Bananas, Juice, Oranges
Lunches
Mac & Cheese, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Turkey Sandwiches, Baked Potatoes, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Dinners
Leftovers, Steamed Broccoli, Fruit (We’re using up stuff in our refrigerator from last week.)
Salad Bar, 30 Minute Rolls
Italian Chicken Drumsticks (I just pour Italian dressing on them and bake.), Green Beans, Tossed Salad, Homemade Bread
Spaghetti, Peaches, Tossed Salad
Steak (gift from Crystal), Biscuits, Sliced Oranges
Date Night (yay!)
Dinner with extended family for Father’s Day
Shared Jun 12, 2013
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Melissa’s Walgreens Shopping Trip: Spent $8.38, Got $4 in Bonus Rewards back!
Melissa’s Walgreens Shopping Trip: Spent $8.38, Got $4 in Bonus Rewards back!
Melissa emailed me details on her shopping trip at Walgreens today:
Transaction #1
Neutrogena concealer — on sale for $7.34
Neutrogena primer — on sale for: $9.79
Butterfinger on sale for $0.59 (not pictured)
Used two $2/1 Neutrogena coupons
Use $2 Register Rewards from my last shopping trip
Used $5 Bonus Rewards Points from my last shopping trip
Total with tax: $7.96, Got $3 in Bonus RewardsTransaction #2
2 Scrubbing bubbles Starter kit and caddy — on sale for 2/$6 on sale (The store let me substitute the Cleaning Gel since they were out of another starter kit.)
Used two $3/1 Scrubbing Bubbles coupons
Total with tax: $0.42, Got $1 in Bonus Rewards
So Melissa ended up spending a grand total of $8.38 and got back $4 in Bonus Rewards to use on her next trip. Great job, Melissa!
See the full list of deals at Walgreens this week here.
Can a Warehouse Membership Save You Money?
Guest post from Victoria of Creative Home Keeper
Warehouse memberships can be a great way to really save money on your grocery budget. However they can also be a budget-buster if you’re not careful. Since joining Costco earlier this year, I have been able to buy a large portion of my groceries in bulk without breaking the bank.
If you are thinking about joining a members-only warehouse club, here are three tips to consider before you do:
1. Do your homework
Before you purchase a membership at a warehouse you need to do your homework first.
Take a tour
If your city has more than one warehouse to choose from, then you probably want to visit both. Where I live we have both a Sam’s Club and a Costco.
Before joining Costco, my husband and I toured both warehouses. Most warehouses will let you in on a visitor’s pass. You won’t be able to purchase anything without purchasing a membership, but being able to tour the store and take inventory on the type of products they sell will help you determine what warehouse to join, and if joining one is going to be cost effective for your family.
Know your prices
While touring, take a notebook, or your price book, to jot down the names and prices of the products you would buy. Note the price and how much you are getting.
For example, I can purchase a case of 8-14.5oz cans of organic diced tomatoes for about $7. That is about $0.88 per can. My price book tells me that this is the cheapest price for diced tomatoes. Not all prices at warehouse clubs are better deals then standard grocery stores so this is where knowing your prices, or having a price book, really comes in handy.
Also you need to factor in the yearly membership price into your cost breakdown. Does paying the membership (anywhere from $30-$100 per year) make sence for your family?
Some warehouses provide cashback bonuses; others provide services such as discounted prescriptions, eyeglasses, discounted gasoline, etc. Know the membership policies and compare to see which one will give you the best investment.
Pick the right warehouse
Once you have toured the warehouse and collected enough information to validate paying for a membership, then you need to pick the right warehouse to join if your city has more than one. Think about location. It’s not really going to save you any money if you have to drive a long way to get there.
Another factor to consider is how convenient it is going to be to get to the warehouse. My Costco is located just a few miles from my house near other stores that I shop. So I can easily do most of my grocery shopping in one trip.
2. Have a game plan
Walking into any warehouse can be very overwhelming. There is just so much to look at outside of groceries!
Know the layout
I suggest taking the time to know the layout of your warehouse. That way you know exactly what areas your items are located, and what areas to avoid. By knowing the layout, I can quickly get in and out of Costco without wasting time backtracking, which might lead to impulse purchases.
Make a list
Going into a warehouse without a list is an invitation to blow your budget. Make your list based on your meal plan and what stores have the best prices on those items (this is where a price book comes in handy).
Also just like any grocery shopping, it is best to not go into a warehouse hungry. Impulse purchases are much more costly at a warehouse than your standard grocery store.
3. Make sure you have storage space
One last thing to note before you even purchase a membership is to think about how you would store your food. Ask yourself: Do I enough freezer/refrigerator/pantry space? Coming home with a car full of bulk food will not save you any money if you don’t have any room to store it.
Victoria Osborn is a wife and stay at home mom to two little ones. She is passionate about encouraging women to live simply, intentional, and inspired at home. She writes about it every day at Creative Home Keeper.
Shared Jun 11, 2013
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52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Follow a Local Deal Blogger {Week 23}
52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Follow a Local Deal Blogger {Week 23}
Every week in 2013, I’ll be sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.
One simple way to save at least $5 to $10 each week without spending a lot of time and effort is to follow a local deal blogger. This is someone who lives in your area who covers the deals at your local store, as well as who alerts you to special sales, clearances, and even free events and other tips on bargains in your city.
There are a few such bloggers in my area and I save a lot of money thanks to their tips. Plus, I love that they do all the legwork to match the coupons and sales at my local grocery stores.
Before I go shopping, I always check their complete coupon match-ups and it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll find a few deals that are going to save me at least $3-$5 extra dollars — often more! Best of all, I don’t have to spend time matching coupons and sales, so it saves me an amazing amount of time.
How to Find a Local Deal Blogger
When I talk about finding a local coupon blogger, the first question people always ask is, “Yes, but how do I find one in my local area?” I suggest starting by searching for your local city/town + “coupon matchups” or “deal blogger”.
If that doesn’t pull anything up, try searching for the towns around you. If you live in a very small town, you might not find anything, but if you live in a decent-sized town, there’s a good chance you’ll find someone — maybe even multiple bloggers!
If you still can’t find anything, then search your store’s name and “coupon match-ups” or “deal blogger”. You should definitely find something with that search. You can also check out our Store Deals section to find a blogger who is covering the deals at the stores you shop at regularly.
Once you find some bloggers who you think might be a good possibility, go ahead and sign up for their email newsletter or subscribe to their blog. Follow them for a few weeks and you’ll get a good idea if they are a good fit or not for the types of deals you are looking for.
Can’t Find a Blogger? Create Your Own Frugal Network!
If you can’t find a blogger in your area, don’t fret. Consider starting your own blog or just creating your own frugal network.
Ask some of your local friends who are interested in saving money if they’d partner together with you to share deals they find and pass along any bargains they come across. You could have an email list, private forum, or Facebook Page.
It’s amazing how effective working together to help everyone save money can be. Plus, you might take your frugal network a little farther and set up a frugal club. You can read more about how this might work here.
Remember: Just Because It’s a Great Price, Doesn’t Mean It’s a Good Deal for YOU
Following deal blogs can save you a lot of money, but you need to be careful that you don’t spend a lot of extra money or time chasing “bargains”. It can be easy to get caught up in the excitement and forget to check to make sure you can afford something in your budget. In addition, when other people are all thrilled about a deal, it’s easy to forget to carefully think through whether you need to buy the item.
So just make sure that following deal blogs doesn’t actually encourage you to spend more money than you would otherwise. As I always say, just because something’s a good price doesn’t mean it’s a great deal for you.
Do you have a local deal blog? If so, tell us what area it’s for and share the link to it in the comments!
Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: 11 items for $6.85!
Target Shopping Trip
2 Mott’s for Tots Apple Juice – $1.99 each (price cut), used 2 $1/1 coupon from the 6/9 SmartSource insert – $0.99 each after coupons
6 YoCrunch Yogurts – $0.67 each, used 2 $1/3 printable – $0.33 each after coupons
1 Silk Almond Milk – $2.99, used $1/1 printable AND $1/1 Target printable – $0.99 after coupons
2 Benadryl Itch Relief Sticks – $2.39 each, used $2/1 coupon from the 6/9 SmartSource insert – $0.39 each after coupons
Total before coupons: $15.77
Total with tax (7.3%) after coupons: $6.85
4 Ways to Cut Your Summer Meal Prep Time in Half
Summer can be a busy time of the year. And the last thing you want to do on a hot summer day is spend hours cooking and sweating in the kitchen. But your family has to eat — and eating out adds up very quickly!
Here are 4 ways to cut your summer meal prep time in half:
1. Stick With Simple Meals
Summer is not the time to be cooking six course dinners. Nor is it usually a great time to be trying recipes that require ten different prep steps.
Keep it simple by focusing on lean meats, whole grains, fresh fruits, and veggies. Many times in the summer months, our dinners will be something like marinated chicken, rice, steamed veggies, and chopped up fruit. A meal like this is filling and wholesome, but it requires very little time and thought.
2. Enlist Your Family’s Help
If your children have more time on their hands and and they are old enough to be helping out in the kitchen, encourage them to take over parts of the meal a few times per week. This keeps them productive, teaches them valuable life skills, and can help make dinner prep a little easier for you (well, provided they don’t make a massive mess in the process!).
Growing up, we sometimes would rotate who was on dinner duty — with each of us having one or two assigned nights each week to plan and cook dinner. This was a fun way to have lots of variety in our meals and to relieve my mom of having to always be cooking for us.
Simple meal options that are especially great for kids to help out with are: Homemade Pizza (they can chop some of the veggies), a salad bar (they can help with washing & tearing lettuce or dicing and slicing — if they are old enough), or Haystacks (shredding cheese, setting out the items needed, opening cans).
3. Fill Your Freezer
When you have a free day or a laid-back weekend, use some of that time to make meals and parts of meals to stick in your freezer. If you eat more snacks in the summer, things like homemade popsicles, homemade gogurts, homemade cookie dough, homemade muffins, and homemade smoothie kits are great to have on hand.
Also, think about what recipes you typically make and figure out if you can prep some of the ingredients ahead of time: making baking mixes with the dry ingredients for pancakes or waffles, putting together meat rubs or marinades for grilling out, chopping and freezing veggies to use in stirfry.
5 Crockpot Freezer Meals from Repeat Crafter Me
I also highly recommend doing some crockpot freezer cooking. Not only are crockpot freezer meals so incredibly easy, but they are also fantastic for hot summer days!
Tip: For lots of great freezer cooking recipes, check out my 4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer series.
4. Create a Snack & Sandwich Bin
If you have a snack times every day, take a little time on the weekends to put together a snack bin. This will save you having to even think about what to serve for snack. In fact, you can just tell your kids to go pick out something from the snack bin!
You can also speed up lunch prep by stocking a sandwich bin in your fridge. This can have all the sandwich fixings available so you can whip up lunch in no time. If you want to save even more time, you can freeze peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ahead of time.
What are your favorite ways to speed up meal prep in the summer?
Shared Jun 11, 2013
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Q&A video: What are the first steps you should take when starting a business?
Q&A video: What are the first steps you should take when starting a business?
My husband and I had the privilege of getting to spend a day in Nashville with Robert D. Smith and his team. They are amazing folks who do incredible things. And they graciously shared counsel and wisdom with us from their years of experience.
{You can see a few pictures of our time with them on my Instagram page. Yes, we started the morning by following Robert’s mantra to eat dessert first!}
We spent a little time filming and recording in Robert’s studio for some upcoming projects he’s got cooking (I’ll be sure to let you know when they are available — they’ll be free!). And they were kind enough to let me take the interview reins for a bit and ask Robert a question that I’m often asked: “How do I start a business and actually make money?”
Watch the short video above for his wisdom-packed answer. I think you’ll be inspired!
Be sure to check out my review of Robert’s book, 20,000 Days & Counting. My husband just finished this book and was also very inspired by it. Also, read Robert’s guest post on How to Never Be Short on Money Again.
Part-Time Virtual Graphic Design Job Available
Aaress from DuoParadigms Public Relations & Design, Inc. emailed me today and said:
I am the co-owner of a graphic design and public relations firm (DuoParadigms Public Relations & Design, Inc.) in Houston that specializes in working with Christian ministries and businesses.
We have an opening for a virtual graphic design assistant and I thought it might prove to be something of interest to your readers. It’s a part-time job at $20.00 per hour, and might be perfect for someone who is looking to work from home and make some extra money.
The details about the job are here.
For more work-at-home ideas, be sure to check out my series on 31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash.
Do It Yourself: Reversible, Full-Coverage Children’s Aprons
AllOurDays.com shows you how to make homemade reversible, full-coverage children’s aprons.
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
Freezer Cooking in an Hour: Sweet Barbecue Chicken, Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookies, Whole Wheat Pancakes (and why you were SO right!)
I finally had another Freezer Cooking in an Hour session, after taking a few weeks off from doing much freezer cooking. I made the Sweet Barbecue Chicken and would recommend being careful when sprinkling the cayenne pepper on it. 🙂 I ended up having to wash the pieces of chicken off — and it was still spicy!
We served half the recipe for dinner and I froze the rest for another meal. I think next time I’ll leave the cayenne pepper out entirely since it was on the spicy side for some of us.
I was anxious to try the Perfect Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookies since the pictures of these looked SO good online.
Unfortunately, my end result looked quite pathetic compared to the original pictures. But it was still yummy.
However, I thought it was a lot of work for just a few cookies (the recipe said it only made two, but it made 5 for me — maybe I made them a lot smaller?). I think it’s a better use of your time to just make a big batch of your favorite cookie dough or cookies and freeze it.
Did you notice something out of the ordinary in this photo?!?
Yes. I finally got a griddle — thanks to my husband surprising me with one even though I was sure I could survive just fine without one. (I’m the kind of person who will basically never buy anything or replace anything when it comes to kitchen stuff. I’ll just make do with whatever I have for as long as I possibly can!)
But oh wow! Every one of you who have been encouraging me to get a griddle for months and months and months were so very right. I cannot believe I waited this long to get one. It only took one time of making pancakes to have me completely and utterly sold on the practicality of this appliance.
We had to move around some of the kitchen drawers and cupboards to make space for it, but it has been every bit worth it. I can now cook 4-6 pancakes at one time!!! I’ve been doing them one at a time for so long that I just complete forgot it was possible to do them so much faster.
And not only that, but the pancakes turn out so much more beautifully than my other pancakes ever did. Plus, they aren’t constantly burning!
So yes, I should have listened to you all years ago! I would have saved myself to much time and effort!
Recipes Made:
Perfect Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sweet Barbecue Chicken
Whole Wheat Pancakes
8 goals for this week
Last week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1.
Read three chapters of The Trumpet of the Swan
to the children.
Read three chapters of The Hardy Boys Book #1 with Kathrynne, read three chapters of Carolina’s Courage with Kaitlynn, read a few picture books with Silas.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.Personal Goals
3. Memorize Romans 1:15. Review Romans 1:1-14.
4. Exercise five times.5. Read The Charge, Surprised By Oxford, and
The Jade Bracelet.6. Get at least 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep every night. {I did this every night but two nights — progress!}
Homemaking Goals
7. Finish planning our summer schedule.Business Goals
8. Finish tweaking recipes for the new recipes page. {Made some progress here, but I’m nowhere near finished — maybe this week!}
This week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
Personal Goals
3. Memorize Romans 1:16. Review Romans 1:1-15.
4. Exercise five times.
5. Finish a few books in my current book stack. {Yes, I know. I sort of have a book problem going on here… 🙂 There are so many books I’m hoping to read this summer and this is only a very small stack of them that I want to read right now!}
6. Get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night.
Homemaking Goals
7. Start our new summer routine.
Business Goals
8. Finish the copy edits for my manuscript. {Almost done with all the editing for this book — and then it’s onto the marketing. So, so excited about this book!}
How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives!
You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.
Gretchen’s CVS Shopping Trip: Spent $8.53, Saved $25.42
CVS Shopping Trip
Transaction #1
1 Colgate Total Toothpaste – $2.99
Used $1/1 coupon from the 6/2 SmartSource insert1 Colgate Total Mouthwash – $2.99
Used $2/1 coupon from the 6/2 SmartSource insert2 John Frieda Shampoo/Conditioner – $6.99 each
Used $3/2 peelie coupon (I found this on the shampoo)Used $5 ECBs from last week’s CVS trip
Used 25% off CVS coupon I received in an email from CVS (took off $3.50)
Paid $6.66 out of pocket, Received $2 ECBs (for buying 2 Colgate products) and $5 ECBs (for buying 2 John Frieda products)
Transaction #2
2 Chex Mix – $2 each
Used 2 $0.50/1 printable1 Gillette ProGlide Razor – $9.99
Used $3/1 coupon from the 5/12 P&G insertUsed $7 ECBs from Transaction #1
Used 20% off CVS in-ad coupon (took off $2)
Paid $1.87 out of pocket, Received $2 ECBs (for buying 2 Chex Mix) and $4 ECBs (for buying Gillette Razor)
Total before coupons and ECBs: $33.95
Total with tax (7.3%) after coupons and ECBs: $8.53 plus $6 ECBs leftover
Swagbucks Helped Pay for Our Wedding!
Today’s Swagbucks success story is from Kacie:
I introduced my (now) husband to Swagbucks when we first started dating.
One day we were joking around and talked about how cool it would be if we could save up enough Swagbucks to pay for our wedding. Even though we knew that we would never be able to pay some of our vendors in Swagbucks, we made a list of all of the things we could buy using them and how many we would need to earn to purchase those items.
We gave it all we could over the 9 months we were engaged and eventually saved up enough to pay for all of the gifts for our wedding party as well as some extra odds and ends. It definitely helped cut out a chunk of our wedding budget! We’ve been going strong with the Swagbucks ever since!
Have you saved up and purchased something using your Swagbucks? If so, you could get a $50 gift card just for sharing your Swagbucks success stories with MoneySavingMom.com readers!
How to Embrace (and Love) a Cleaning Routine
Guest post from Becky of Clean Mama
There are lots of little things that I do around the house every day that make a big difference in our home running smoothly. The one thing that works the best for me is my cleaning routine.
I would love to have a cleaning service come and clean the house top to bottom on a weekly or bi-weekly basis (you probably would, too), but the budget doesn’t have a line for that right now. Instead, I’ve learned to “become my own cleaning service” by creating, embracing, and implementing a cleaning routine.
The thing I love about my cleaning routine is that instead of trying to decide what to clean in that fleeting 15-minute chunk of time, I know what is scheduled to be cleaned. Better yet, because I have a routine in place, it’s easy to get my family involved because they know what is on the schedule for any given day.
My 4 Everyday Cleaning Tasks:
I love the feeling of everything being clean all at once, so I do a few cleaning tasks every day and that gives me the closest thing to that feeling.
Here are the four tasks I try to do every single day:
1. Do a quick check and sweep of the hard floors.
2. Wipe down the kitchen counters and check the bathroom counters.
3. Do at least one load of laundry.
4. Deal with paper clutter (mail and school papers).
Doing these 4 little tasks is a huge step in the cleaning routine. These take a few minutes and can be done early in the morning, during the day, or in the evening.
My Weekly Clean Tasks:
In addition to my four daily tasks, I assign specific jobs to each day of the week. This works really well for me, especially because each task builds on the next day.
Here’s my weekly cleaning plan:
Monday – bathrooms (Bathrooms need a good cleaning after the weekend!)
Tuesday – dust (Dusting should be done before vacuuming so that’s why I schedule it on Tuesdays.)
Wednesday – vacuum
Thursday – wash floors
Friday – catch-all day (Everyone needs a little grace and wiggle room so Friday is my day to catch up.)
Saturday – sheets and towels (I wash these in preparation for the week ahead.)
Sunday – rest
Trying to piece together the perfect way to maintain your house? Stop aiming for perfection and just do a little bit every day. It’ll never be perfect (and that’s okay!), but starting somewhere is the best place to start.
Then realize that the only way the cleaning routine will work is if you follow through and keep up with the routine. If a cleaning company came in every week to clean and then they stopped coming to your house, the house would be in disarray without a little cleaning. Remember that the mess is good – people live in your home and enjoy life!
How about you? Are you a cleaning routine-er? What’s most effective for you?
Need some resources to get started? I post daily picture reminders of cleaning tasks on my Facebook page, I have a FREE monthly cleaning calendar every month with my daily cleaning tasks, and here’s a fun post on how to make a cleaning binder.
Becky (Clean Mama) is a cleaning expert, a wife and mom to three, a business owner, and a former teacher. She knows how hard it is to try to keep it ‘all’ together, but has found that that really isn’t possible and it’s better to embrace the imperfect, grab a cup of coffee and a great list.