Money Saving Mom®

We survived the Cincinnati conference! It was busy and our days there were packed, but it was wonderful — and it was so good to meet so many of you in person!

{And for those who are wondering, my workshops went well… and after the first two, I wasn’t really even nervous for the other two! This was a huge victory for me in the public speaking arena. Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me to face my fears and step out and do things outside my comfort zone. The more I’m doing this, the easier it’s becoming! And I’m really starting to enjoy it, too!}

My apologies that Friday’s assignment never got posted. I had it planned, but our internet was so poor where we were that, by the time, I was able to get working internet, it was too late in the day to bother posting the assignment. So I just decided everyone could have the day off! 🙂

Day 16 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 and make a list of weekly goals. I’ll post my goals along with a link-up around 1 p.m. ET this afternoon.

::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 quickly pick up your house and put things back into order after the weekend.

::Clean your vents. If you have floor vents that can be removed, remove them and wash them in warm soapy water. Vacuum/clean any dirt or grime around the floor vent area and replace the vent. Use a vacuum attachment and/or a wet rag to dust/clean your other vents.

::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!

If you missed this morning’s assignment, you can check it out here.

We got up at 3:15 a.m. in order to make our early connecting flight to Cincinnati this morning. It’s been a long day, but a good day.

We got into Cincinnati in the early afternoon, set up our booth, and then spent the evening manning the booth — and meeting many of my wonderful readers. You all mean the world to me and it was so great to get to meet so many of you in person. I look forward to getting to spend more time with you tomorrow!

The convention hall here is amazingly huge compared to our homeschool convention in Kansas!

Our simple booth {I’m not a big fan of the yellow, but we didn’t have any choice regarding that! If you’re wondering what’s on the table other than my books, those are freebie bags we put together with some fun freebies to hand out. Because it just wouldn’t seem like a MoneySavingMom.com booth without freebies! :)}

Earlier this week, I did today’s assignment. Here’s the junk drawer before I cleaned it out. {And in case you’re wondering why it looks so clean, it’s because I recently cleaned it out! Otherwise, it might be a sorry sight!}

And the utensil drawer. I’m not too happy with the after result — it still seems cluttered to me. Anyone have suggestions on how to make it more organized?

And my pile of 7+ items to get rid of: from the junk drawer and the utensil drawer. Some to throw out, some to stick in the garage sale boxes.

How did you do on Assignment #14? 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.

Day 14 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 clean the mirrors and glass doors in your house.

::Clean out your utensil drawer(s) (those with serving spoons, ladles, spatulas, etc.) in the kitchen and your junk drawer(s). Take everything out, throw out the trash, get rid of extra clutter, wipe out the drawers, and re-organize the contents as you put them back in.

::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 around 9 p.m. EST 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!

We’re leaving early tomorrow for Cincinnati so today will be a busy day of last-minute preparations. However, don’t feel like that means you get off the hook. 🙂

I actually worked ahead a little bit and have done most of the next few days’ assignments already so that I can continue posting this challenge when I’m gone. Yes, you all can thank me right now for making you work while I’m on “vacation”.

(I’m not sure that I’m ready to call speaking in front of thousands of people a “vacation”, but getting to meet many of you all in Cincinnati will make it worth dealing with my stage fright! And honestly, I’m learning that the more I just face my fears, jump out and do this stuff that used to scare me to death, the more I’m actually enjoying it — which is something I never dreamed I’d say about public speaking!).

At any rate, I’m hoping for a productive, focused, and calm day. And an early bedtime. 🙂

Day 13 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 do a quick-clean of your bathroom. Need specific directions? Read this article on How to Clean Your Bathroom in 15 Minutes.

::Clean the top of your kitchen cupboards (if there is space between them and the ceiling) and the top of your refrigerator. If you have clutter on the top of your refrigerator, go through it and see if you can get rid of it or find a new home for it. Wipe down the outside of your kitchen cupboard doors.

::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 around 9 p.m. EST 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!

If you missed this morning’s assignment, you can check it out here.

So, do you all want to know the truth? I haven’t cleaned my oven since we moved to this house. I’ve wiped up a few spills, but haven’t given it a serious scrubbing since we moved in almost two years ago (wow, has it really been that long?!).

Some of you are probably reeling from shock just thinking of how horrific that is that I wouldn’t clean my oven on a weekly basis.

And maybe others of you are breathing a big sigh of relief that you’re not the only one? 🙂

At any rate, I got out the baking soda and started scrubbing this morning.

Honestly, it wasn’t that bad at all.

But I did find some burned on gunk on the racks that was very persistent. I finally gave up on getting it completely off (anyone have suggestions for how to miraculously take stubborn stuff off oven racks?!).

I also discovered this at the bottom of the oven. It appeared to be some kind of hard plastic. I’m not sure what it is or how long it’s been in there but you would think that if it were plastic, it would have smelled like plastic every time I used my oven recently, right? So I have no idea, but I’m glad to have it out of there.

I also cleaned out the drawer underneath the oven while I was at it. It was in dire need of cleaning as it seems to be one giant crumb catcher!

And finally, I tackled the stovetop and the microwave, neither of which were too bad since I do clean those on a regular basis.

My pile of 7+ things to get rid of today — mostly well, well used foil pans I found stashed in the drawer under the stove and decided were well past their prime.

How did you do on Assignment #12? 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.