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Shared Apr 27, 2012 comment

Reader Tip: Save money on repairs by watching YouTube videos

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 27, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Lizjane emailed in the following tip:

We’ve all probably heard about videos on YouTube. I had, but I hadn’t spent much time looking for things to watch — until this week, that is.

We have an older vehicle that was having a problem losing antifreeze & overheating. We had a big belt that needed to go back on, several pulleys, and a bracket. Although my husband is pretty handy with fixing cars, he wasn’t familiar with these problems.

I turned to the internet (as I often do to research things), and looked at a few articles that were sort of helpful. But then, one of the links was a YouTube video.

Voila! It showed and explained in detail what to do, how to do it, and what tools would be needed. I watched the video myself a few times, then went back to the garage and put the belt on myself!

I didn’t find where the bracket went in that video but searched and watched a few more until I found it, then brought the laptop out to the garage and played the video for my husband. The car is now back to 100% with no extra pieces left over (always a good sign!). It runs fine and doesn’t overheat anymore!

I had no idea people would post instructional videos like that out there, but now that I do, you can be sure I will check the next time we need some help figuring things out! -LizJane

Shared Apr 27, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #20

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 27, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We’ve made it to the finish line — woohoo! Thank you to all of you who have joined me in this adventure and who have followed along in all the crazy tasks I’ve assigned to you. 😉

It’s been fun, but I’m kind of looking forward to a few days of break before we begin next month’s challenge on May 1. Any guesses as to what that challenge might be??

Day 20 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

::Clean out and re-organize your medicine cupboard(s). Check expiration dates on medicines and dispose of any that are expired. Note: Check out this article for information from the FDA on how to properly dispose of medicine.

::Set the timer for at least 15 minutes and do something you really enjoy and that relaxes and rejuvenates you. If you need ideas, here are a few: read, write, call a friend, pray, exercise, bake, play with your children, laugh with your husband, stop by the bookstore and browse the book selection, work in the garden, or take a nap! Take some time to just stop and enjoy life today!

Note: If you work outside the home or have a really busy week with little time for extra projects, just do the bolded project above.

At 4 p.m. ET this afternoon, I’ll be posting my progress and pictures, along with a link-up for you to share your progress and pictures, too. Here’s to our productivity today!

Shared Apr 26, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #19 Update

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So, um, I have more windows than I realized. And today’s assignment was a doozy. Sorry, everyone, don’t ask me what I was thinking!

While cleaning windows today, I couldn’t help but think that it sure would be nice to be back in our first apartment that only had one window and one sliding glass door. There were definitely some perks to living in a tiny place — namely, cleaning was a breeze! 🙂

The windows weren’t all that dirty and, gratefully, the few window treatments we have are newer, so I skipped the laundering part. I did find a nice layer of dust on the top trim of each window.

Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever dusted up there — unless I did the week we moved in. Gulp!

So yes, it was good to get those cleaned, even if I was sort of whining at myself for assigning it today. 🙂

And when I got in the cleaning rags basket to get some rags to tackle this project, I noticed it needed to be thinned out.

So here’s my final pile of 7+ things to get rid of this month.

And now I’m off to bed — probably to dream about cleaning windows. 😉

How did you do on Assignment #19? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.

Shared Apr 26, 2012 comment

Freezer Cooking Session: Beans, Rice, Cinnamon Rolls, and Homemade Poptarts

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Earlier this week, the girls made peanut butter cookies by themselves. It was their first time to follow a real recipe all by themselves, so they were pretty excited. It left an aftermath of mess, but the memories and fun were worth it! 🙂

Jesse had to work late last night, so I got motivated to do a little more freezer cooking. In about an hour and a half, here’s what I was able to accomplish:

5:50 p.m. — Started the flour grinding and rinsed the beans. Added more wheat to the grinder. Filled up a pot of water and put it on the stove to boil.

5:55 p.m. — Poured a bag of rice into a pot and put it on the stove to boil. Added more wheat to the grinder.

6:00 p.m. — Added the black beans to the big pot of boiling water. Started putting the ingredients in the bread machine for cinnamon roll dough (I used this bread recipe for the dough). Added more wheat to the grinder.

6:05 p.m. — Finished adding the ingredients to the bread machine and turned it on. Brought the freshly-ground flour into the house (I grind wheat outside since it’s a little on the messy side!)

6:10 p.m. — Cleaned up the kitchen and started in on the homemade poptarts. I decided to use a different crust recipe since I didn’t have any yogurt on hand.

6:30 p.m. — Poptarts are finished — finally! {More details on how they turned out will be coming in a separate post.} I stirred the rice and beans and turned the rice off to cool.

6:35 p.m. — Cleaned up the kitchen — again! — while the poptarts baked and put the flour into freezer bags.

6:50 p.m. — I dumped the dough out onto the countertop and rolled it out and into cinnamon rolls. I set these out to rise and sat down to take a short break.

After the cinnamon rolls rose, I stuck them in the oven to bake while I finished cleaning up the kitchen (notice a trend here with all the kitchen clean-up?! It seems to be never-ending!) and put the beans and rice into bags to go in the freezer.

The cinnamon rolls were supposed to be for an event this weekend, but alas, they were too good to stick in the freezer to save for later! 🙂

Shared Apr 26, 2012 comment

Free Kid’s Summer Reading Programs

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Summer is just around the corner and that means that it’s almost time for the Summer Reading Programs to begin.

Kristie from Saving Dollars and Sense put together a comprehensive list of nine different Summer Reading Programs that are available this year.

Have you participated in Summer Reading Programs before? If so, which ones are your family’s favorites?

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Click here to sign up!

Shared Apr 26, 2012 comment

We Paid Cash: A Kitchen Aid Mixer

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A testimony from Lizzie who blogs at A Dusty Frame

I’ve wanted a Kitchen Aid mixer for more than 20 years. While I majored in Home Economics in college, I worked in the bakery and used the huge Hobart mixers. When I first saw the Kitchen Aids (Hobarts for home use!), I wanted one.

I could never justify the expense, and since they are not necessary for living, I never purchased one.

Through the years, I kept watching for sales, but we always had other things to purchase. Then we went through a very long personal trial and money was so tight that I often didn’t even have $2 to spend at the thrift store. Purchasing a Kitchen Aid was out of the question!

Recently, our lives have begun to settle back into something resembling our old “normal” and I began to think about a Kitchen Aid again. Last Thanksgiving, the Kitchen Aid sales were very attractive. My husband told me he wanted me to have one. But we truly didn’t have the extra money even though the deals were super.

So earlier this year, I began save up for “my” red Kitchen Aid.

Here’s what I did:

1. Set aside any unspent money from my personal weekly allowance of $25.

2. Avoided all temptations on Amazon and save up my Swagbucks certificates.

3. Watched for sales.

I had $65.00 saved from my weekly spending money and $68.00 in Amazon certificates when I found the Empire Red Kitchen Aid for sale on Amazon for $231.00. My husband and I decided to give each other a little bit of spending money out of the tax return, and I used mine on the rest of the money I needed to buy my mixer. I placed the order and tracked it all the way across the US!

It looks so pretty on my counter and my son and I are having fun using it. And now, if I need to make something, my son says, “If you need to use the Kitchen Aid I’ll make it!” I consider this an extra value — free child labor! 😉

The breakdown of my purchase is:

Mixer Total: $231.00
Used $65.00 Cash
+ Used $68.00 Swagbucks/Amazon certificates
+ Used $98.00 from my tax return money

The best part is that right after I placed the order, I saw that the rebate was still active and I chose a refund instead of the free magazine. I’m still waiting for my $42.00 rebate and that money will go on the next item I’m saving up for.

Lizzie blogs at A Dusty Frame which was born during her husband’s incarceration. Lizzie desires to share how God carried her and that His grace truly is sufficient — even when life stinks! She also shares other bits of their life including books, homeschooling, and crafting — when she’s not too busy using her new Kitchen Aid.

Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.

Shared Apr 26, 2012 comment

Use vinegar on weeds instead of weed-killer?

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Okay, so I’ve heard about many amazing uses for vinegar, but this is a new one! Supposedly, you can use vinegar to kill weeds in your garden.

Here’s what A Garden For Your House wrote:

How to Apply: You can use a watering can, a spray bottle or a pump-sprayer to apply vinegar. I use a pump-sprayer, because it is more efficient. Be sure to rinse your sprayer after use, or metal parts (if any) can corrode.

Make your application on a warm, sunny, calm (not windy) day. Vinegar is not selective; it can potentially harm plants you wish to keep, should you accidentally spray them. As I said earlier, I use vinegar on walkways, where grass and ornamental plants are not an issue.

Will vinegar kill every weed in every garden? That I can not say. I only know that it has kept my pathways free of unwanted growth.

Have any of you tried this before? I’d love to hear if it actually works!

Shared Apr 26, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #19

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We’re almost to the finish line of this 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home Challenge! Thanks to those of you who have diligently joined me in this month-long challenge. And thanks to the rest of you for following along — or being willing to skip over so many home organization posts! 😉

I have another fun challenge planned for next month… but you’ll have to wait a few days to see what that’s going to be. 🙂

Day 19 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and wipe down your windowsills and trim around your windows (if you didn’t wipe these when we wiped down the baseboards earlier this month).

::Clean your windows and blinds and/or window treatments. If you want to get really ambitious, you can take the screens off (if you have screens) and clean the outside of your windows. Or, you can just use window cleaner and clean your windows on the inside. Dust or wash your blinds. Remove any washable window treatments and launder them.

::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

Note: If you work outside the home or have a really busy week with little time for extra projects, just do the bolded project above.

Around 9 p.m. ET tonight, I’ll be posting my progress and pictures, along with a link-up for you to share your progress and pictures, too. Here’s to our productivity today!

Shared Apr 25, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #18 Update

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

My day began with a splash — literally. One of the children decided to get up early and help themselves to a bowl of cereal and milk. In the process of trying to get the milk out of the fridge, they somehow managed to spill the entire gallon of milk all over the kitchen floor.

So, we pulled the refrigerator out and it took seven towels to mop everything up. The upside? The floor underneath our refrigerator is now spic and span! 🙂

Gratefully, the day got better from there.

We had Egg in a Hole for breakfast, by Kathrynne’s request (what’s with me not following the menu this week?!?).

After our morning homeschooling and chores, I pulled down the sock basket and the children matched socks while I read to them.

Apparently, a number of socks have grown legs and walked off to live where the lone shoe lives because this was the pile of socks without a match! Argh! It’s like we have a sock-eater here or something. 🙂

{The pile of mismatched socks is counting for my 7+ items I’m getting rid of today, by the way. Now watch, as soon as I get rid of these, all their matches will mysteriously appear!}

Late this afternoon, I did the vacuuming and worked on the closets.

None of them were disastrous, but Silas’ closet was in need of some cleaning out.

I moved some of the books and toys downstairs since he’s a creature of habit and only has a few favorite things/books he plays with/reads during quiet time. I figured I might as well move the rest of the things to the toy closet downstairs so the girls can play with them since he really doesn’t.

Jesse had to work late tonight, so I did another impromptu freezer cooking session and made homemade poptarts, homemade cinnamon rolls, plus three bags of cooked beans, two bags of cooked wild rice, and ground up two big bags of whole-wheat flour. It’s so good to be filling my freezer again! {I’ll post about my homemade poptart experiment and my freezer cooking session tomorrow, for those who are interested.}

How did you do on Assignment #18? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.

Shared Apr 25, 2012 comment

Ask the Organizer: Organizing Children’s Clothing

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Earlier this month, I posed the question, What is your biggest issue when it comes to clothes clutter? and the majority of your answers implied that children’s clothing was a pretty big issue in your home.

So today, I’m excited to read Andrea’s tips to help us declutter and better organize our children’s closets. Over the last several years, Andrea has worked with many moms with different ages of children (and different sizes of closets). She also has a 5-month-old daughter… so she should bring some interesting perspectives to the whole topic of clothes clutter!

If you’re overwhelmed with your children’s clothing, here are a few tips that might help you gain control of their closets. (These tips also work for adult closets too! :))

1. Purge

The first step in dealing with any type of clothing clutter is to look over everything you have and start purging. I know firsthand how quickly the amount of children’s clothing grows — especially with all the different sizes and seasons — so there’s a pretty good chance you’ll have plenty to purge.

Only keep the items you absolutely love, unless you have a younger child who will soon be wearing the hand-me-downs. And unless you have vast amounts of extra storage space, I would strongly encourage you not to hang onto clothing for the possibility that you might have another child, who might be the same gender, and who might be born the same time of year as your current child/children. It’s just not worth the space it takes.

Try to eliminate your emotional attachment to the items and instead, come at it from the perspective that by getting rid of the clothing, you will free-up more space for items you actually need.

I’ve also found it can be easier to purge if you give/sell the items to another mom who could use them for her child. We have received tons of hand-me-down clothes gifts and are so thankful every time.

2. Evaluate

Now that your children’s closets and dressers have a little more breathing room, don’t rush out to the store to fill them back up again. Step back and take a moment to evaluate what you actually need for each child.

If you do laundry regularly (which I assume you do), your children probably won’t need more than a few nice outfits, a handful of play clothes, and some PJ’s. See if you can get by with the clothing you have. If there is something you need, jot it down and take that list with you to your next neighborhood garage sale.

3. Rotate

If you have multiple children, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll end up with all different sizes and seasons of clothing. Plus, you know that the size on the tag isn’t always accurate — for this reason, it’s important to regularly rotate your children’s clothing!

Since I still have a small infant, I try to rotate her clothes every 6-8 weeks (or as she grows out of them). With older children, you’ll probably only have to do this every season or every year.

I simply put bins on one of the shelves in her closet and any time she grows out of something, I add it to the “too-small” bin. As she grows I pull clothing from the “too-big” bin — which contains any hand-me-downs, garage sale finds, and clothes gifts we’ve gotten.

When the “too-small” bin is full, I purge the items I don’t love, and store the rest.

4. Store

Unless you are finished having children (and have absolutely no sentimental attachment to your baby clothes), you will probably need to store some of your children’s clothing. If possible, it’s always the most convenient if you can store the clothes right in the child’s room who will wear them next — in the bottom drawer of a dresser, under the bed, or on the top shelf of the closet.

If you don’t have room in the bedrooms, I’d suggest using large clear plastic tubs or vacuum-seal bags to roughly sort the clothing by gender, season, and size. Oh, and make sure you clearly label the contents so you can actually find the clothes when you need them.

And as you put items away for storage, remember to continually question whether it’s really worth the space you are taking up to store the item… oftentimes it makes more sense to purge the items now and borrow or buy used if you need them again in the future.

I think Crystal shares my same philosophy when she says, “It’s just not worth it to keep items you aren’t using if you don’t have anywhere to store them”.

5. Repeat!

Unfortunately, your children’s closets will not magically stay organized after just one purging session! So as they grow, you’ll have to repeat these steps on a regular basis.

However, keep in mind that you don’t always have to do all the “dirty work”. Encourage your children to get involved in the process — I can almost guarantee they will be more likely to keep their space organized if they helped in the process!

Of course it’s never fun to get rid of cute baby and children’s clothing, but I always remind myself that by keeping less “stuff”, I then have more space, time, energy, and money. Plus, by donating some of the items we no longer need, I’m helping other moms too!

What are your tips to organize children’s clothing?

Andrea Dekker is a wife, mom, blogger, organizer, speaker, and founder of Simple Organized Living. Her goal is to motivate and encourage others to “create their best life” through simplicity and organization.

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Shared Apr 25, 2012 comment

Reader Tip: Check manufacturer’s websites for namebrand prescription coupons

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Karrie emailed in the following tip:

I don’t know if a lot of people realize it, but many name-brand prescriptions have coupons on their website.

For example, I use a prescription that doesn’t come in generic form. I went on their website and found there was a coupon available for $15 off my purchase of this prescription. Also, I can use the coupon up to six times!

It’s definitely worth a shot to check out the websites for your medications to see if they also offer coupons. One minute worth of my time to check is saving me $90! -Karrie

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Shared Apr 25, 2012 comment

Ask the Readers: Do-it-Yourself Laundry Pre-Treater

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s question is from Emily:

Is there an all-natural, do-it-yourself pre-treater that works well for small-children’s stains? -Emily

Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Shared Apr 25, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #18

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Day 18 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and vacuum the main living areas of your home.

::Vacuum your carpeted closets. Sweep or mop the floor in those closets without carpet. Remove all items from the closet floor and get rid of clutter, trash, and items that don’t belong in that closet.

::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

Note: If you work outside the home or have a really busy week with little time for extra projects, just do the bolded project above.

At 9 p.m. ET tonight, I’ll be posting my progress and pictures, along with a link-up for you to share your progress and pictures, too. Here’s to our productivity today!

Shared Apr 24, 2012 comment

Today’s 30-minute Freezer Cooking session

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Since I decided to switch my plans and make homemade pizza for dinner tonight, I figured if I was already going to be in the kitchen making pizza, I might as well make a few extra things.

So, I browned two pounds of ground beef and then mixed up the pizza dough.

While the pizza dough was resting for five minutes, I set aside some of the cooked ground beef for the pizza and added some taco seasoning, beans, and a can of tomatoes to the rest of it.

This made two dinners’ worth of taco meat for the freezer — perfect for Haystacks!

I also threw the ingredients for my sister’s Easy Whole Wheat Bread in the bread machine and let the dough mix up while I put together the pizza and baked it. I stuck the bread in a loaf pan to rise during dinner and baked it after dinner.

So, for just a little bit of extra time in the kitchen, I was able to make dinner and plus put two dinners’ worth of taco meat plus a loaf homemade bread in the freezer.

It wasn’t anything spectacular, but by using the little minutes here and there to work ahead like this, it really helps you to be able to pull together homemade dinners in no time later on in the week or month.

Use your minutes well and you’ll soon find you have more margin, more peace, and more sanity in your life!

Shared Apr 24, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #17 Update

Published: by Crystal Paine on April 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We had another good day today. This new routine is going so well — and I even got up later than usual this morning! Yay!

Silas and Kaitlynn tackled the bathroom with me this morning during our morning chore time. They are responsible for cleaning the toilet and sink every day, so I just helped make sure it was done really thoroughly today.

Silas’ attention to detail cracks me up.

He would not leave the bathroom until ever square centimeter of the toilet had been scrubbed.

After our morning homeschooling was done, we had a “picnic” lunch inside and I read Amelia Bedelia stories aloud while the children ate.

Of course, they had to get a silly faces picture, too! 🙂

Later on in the day, I tackled the kitchen cupboards. After looking through them, I rearranged a few things, but decided that it was mainly the pantry that needed cleaning and re-organizing, as the others were in good shape as I’ve cleaned all of them in the last two months.

It wasn’t all that bad, except the snack bin which was in desperate need of help! {Pictured above is what the bottom of the bin looked like! Yikes!}

Much better!

After cleaning out the pantry, I did an impromptu 30-minute freezer cooking session while making homemade pizza for dinner (I know, I know, homemade pizza totally wasn’t on the menu this week. But I decided it sounded better than meatballs for dinner tonight and Jesse agreed. So I just went with it!)

More on the impromptu cooking session in a bit. For now, here’s my pile of 7 items I got rid of today. Actually, there are only six items shown, but I threw out a few things from the pantry that were expired, so I’m counting those, too.

How did you do on Assignment #17? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

Day 20 Assignment

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Here’s what I did:

Day 19 Assignment

1. Purge

2. Evaluate

3. Rotate

4. Store

5. Repeat!

What are your tips to organize children’s clothing?

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Day 18 Assignment

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