How to Clean Your Living Room in 10 Minutes or Less
Are you sensing a theme here yet? I am really into getting my house in order before summer begins and like all of you, I am super busy so I am trying to get it done in as little time as possible.
What is your process for cleaning your living room? Do you feel like you are spending too much time on it? We can do better my friends! It doesn’t even matter how big or small your living room is, you can get it clean in less than 10 minutes. How can that be done, you ask? Well here is a list of several tips I have created to teach you how to clean your living room in 10 minutes or less. If you have any tips to add in, let us hear about them!
- Pick up all blankets/throws, etc. and fluff your throw pillows. I don’t know how things are in your house, but my kids always have blankets on the sofa with them. (Even when it is warm outside). If your house is the same, then start here! Get those blankies folded up and put away in the closet or on their beds, etc. Now it is time to fluff up those pillows that are supposed to be on your sofas.
- Do a quick scan for dishes, papers, trash, etc. Again, I have children and yes I let them eat in the living room, maybe I shouldn’t, but it is what it is. Because of this, I will often find a hidden granola bar wrapper or cup left sitting on the coffee table.
- Put away any toys that have been left out. My toddler plays with his toys all day every day with no regard for what room he is in, so we have multiple toy boxes in the house, one of which is in the living room. I do a quick sweep for toys and get them stored in the toybox.
- Dust. Take a microfiber cloth and dust your tables and entertainment center, tv, etc.
- Vacuum. Now it’s time to run the vacuum really quick.
I always end the cleaning session by spraying Febreze or turning on my wax pot. I always feel like my house is cleaning when it smells good. How about you?
How to Clean Your Bathroom in 10 Minutes or Less
How long do you spend cleaning your bathroom? Do you feel like your time could be better spent elsewhere? I mean really? Can’t you find better things to do than scrub the toilet all the time? If you are ready to move on from this monotonous chore, here are some tips on how to clean your bathroom in 10 minutes or less:
- Remove all items from tub and sink. Move all of the shampoos, conditioners, soaps and other products from around the tub and sink. Spray them down with your favorite cleaner and wipe them down.
- Clear off the counters. Did you leave your makeup out? Maybe your hubby left his shaving supplies or cologne out? Time to pick all of these up!
- Wipe down the counters. Using the same cleaner or a cleaning wipe, wipe down the counters.
- Clean the toilet. As long as you clean your toilet regularly, this should be an easy job. Just spray your all purpose cleaner on the surface of the toilet and wipe down with a cloth or paper towel. You can also spray inside the toilet and do a quick sweep of the bowl with a toilet bowl brush.
- Spray your shower curtain with a mildew fighting cleaning spray to keep it fresh and clean. Depending on your cleaner, you may have to wipe the curtain down as well, or, it may be a wipe-free type of cleaner.
- Sweep. Now it is time to sweep and spot clean the floors. As long as you keep it swept and clean of any debris or any spots, you shouldn’t have to mop each time you clean the bathroom. I have little boys though, which means that I do quite a bit of spot cleaning my bathroom.
What are your quick cleaning bathroom tips?
How to Clean Your kitchen in 15 Minutes or Less
Are you tired of spending forever cleaning your house? Well, no more! With these tips, you can get your kitchen clean in 15 minutes or less. That’s right, I said 15 minutes. No more skimping on your chores, my friends! At this rate, you can clean your entire home in less than an hour! This is great if you are expecting company on short notice, or if you are just too busy to focus a lot of time on your housework.
Are you ready to get your place cleaned up in a hurry? Here are some step by step tips on how to clean your kitchen in 15 minutes or less:
- First and foremost, start with an empty dishwasher. If yours is full, empty it out now.
- Load up all of your dirty dishes into the dishwasher next and start the washing cycle.
- Clear off your counters. Put any food away, get rid of paper clutter such as mail or kids schoolwork, and put small appliances (toaster, blender, etc) away into cabinets.
- Assuming you are done with it for the day, empty out your coffee pot and rinse it out. Don’t forget the used grounds!
- Wipe Down countertops. Do this step twice. The first time to get any loose crumbs, or other objects off of the counter. The second time is to get it good and clean.
- Sweep the floors (we do this toward the end to be sure and catch any dust or crumbs that have fallen down from the counters.)
- Follow up on sweeping by spot mopping. I do this by grabbing a couple of cleaning wipes and wiping down any spots I see. I prefer to mop just once a week so this keeps things shipshape in the meantime.
Do you have any quick cleaning tips that you typically use?
5 Tips For a Successful Flower Garden
Every year around Mother’s Day I plant my flower garden and vegetable garden. Being outside and planting my flowers helps rejuvenate my soul. I love the beauty these flowers bring to my yard, they make me so happy! I’ve learned over the years from neighbors and friends what combinations to use in my flower beds and ultimately how to keep them alive. Which is the goal, right? Here are a few tips that will hopefully help you out this year on a successful flower garden.
- Determine your flower bed design. You will want to design your shape and size of your flower gardens first. See how big each is and how many flowers and bushes will fit in each area.
- Buy flowers and bushes with a variety of colors and heights. Finding a variety of colors will help your yard look beautiful. Add in some bigger bushes to give more depth. You will want to put smaller flowers on the borders and then put some taller ones in the back.
- Placement is key. Now that you have your sizes and design drawn up. You also have your flowers and bushes planned out. You need to know where to place each flower or bush. The easiest thing to do is look at each tag on the flower and read the directions. I know, total old school, right? But there is really no short cut. You want to see how much sun each plant needs, how deep to plant them and how far apart. Making sure they are in the right spot will help them survive. You don’t want a full sun flower in the shade or vice versa.
- Add in soil or mulch. I try to add in new soil each year. This not only makes it look nice, it will help your flowers thrive. If you like the look of mulch then add in some new mulch each year. This will also help lessen the weeds.
- Keep watered. This sounds easy right? But if your flowers aren’t in an area that the sprinklers hit, then you need to be ahead of the game and keep your flowers watered. I have a lot of areas that are full sun, so keeping them watered is key.
5 Benefits to Cutting the Cord on Cable
Are you still on the fence as to whether or not to cut cable or satellite out of your household budget? I won’t lie, this can be a tough decision especially if someone in the house has a favorite television show or program. There are some serious benefits to cutting this expense out though!
If you need a little extra push to make this call, here are 5 benefits to cutting the cord on cable:
- The money saved, of course. This one is no surprise, but since the average cable and/or satellite tv bill is $100 per month, that is an average savings of over $1000. What could you do with that extra money?
- More free time. Yes, free time. I know that watching TV isn’t technically required time, but it starts to become that after a while. It is nice to not feel tied down by it.
- You will be more active. If you aren’t sitting around watching TV all the time, you have more time to be active and therefore more healthy! (I love this benefit)
- More family time. Again, when you aren’t sitting in front of the television, you have much more time for more important things, like spending time with your family.
- No more channel surfing. Do you know what I hate? I hate sitting with a remote in hand trying to find something to watch. It’s a never ending cycle it seems!
- Your TV time can be focused on what you want. Instead of channel surfing, you can sit down and stream exactly what you want watch and that’s it.
If you are looking for streaming options, be sure and check out Amazon, Netflix and Hulu. Plus, if you have a specific channel you want to watch, Amazon often offers free trials of movie channels such as HBO, Showtime, etc.
5 Ways to Make Extra Money in Your Off Time
Could you use some extra money? Who am I kidding, of course you can. We all can! Maybe you are looking for a way to pad your wallet a bit without taking on a second job or begging for a raise or promotion. Not to worry, it can be done!
Here are 5 ways to make extra money in your off time:
- Sell your old clothes on Poshmark – I joined Poshmark about 2 months ago and have made an extra $150 off of clothes that we had here already. Note: You need to post good brands and good quality clothing that is in good shape in order to make any sales, but it is really easy and I’m happy to clear some room in my closet and add some bulk to my wallet.
- Sell crafts on Etsy – If you are the artsy type, consider selling your handmade goods on Etsy. Although I can’t really comment on this because artsy I am not, some people make good money doing this.
- MLMs / Direct Sales – I am going to start this by saying that I myself am not a fan of MLMs, but mostly because I am not a great salesperson and I personally don’t like it when friends and acquaintances contact me non-stop about buying their products. That being said, some people are highly talented at MLM sales and if that is you, I say go for it!!
- Vendor opportunities – Do you live near a large metropolitan area with a big arena (think professional sports, concerts, etc.)? If so, reach out to the vendors who work events there (drinks, clothing, etc) and apply. Many of these jobs are available for just the night of the event and if you can’t work that night, it’s no big deal, they will call you the next time. I recently spoke with a woman who makes $100-$250 each night in tips just doing this.
Save $50 on Groceries This Week with These Tips
Are you tired of spending all of your money at the grocery store? I know that I am! I am in the middle of doing all that I can to cut back on my ridiculous grocery budget right now. So, if you are in the same boat as me, follow along!
I am planning on implementing the following tips that will help me save $50 on groceries this week alone:
- Use your club card – Do you shop at a grocery store that has a club card program? Be sure to check your app or your online account for sales and coupons. I just saw that I have a coupon for $10 off $50 on mine.
- Use coupons.com – I am planning to meal plan and compare my meal plan to the coupons that are available to print out right now and hopefully score some deals.
- Meat-free meals – Hello again meat-free Mondays! You can save big money by cutting meat out of your meals on occasion. We have, in the past, done meat-free Mondays and it has worked great.
- Shop bulk. You can buy food so much cheaper in the bulk food section. One of the local grocery stores I shop at sells bulk oatmeal for $0.67 per pound which is like ½ the price of the oatmeal that you buy in the cereal aisle.
- Make breakfast for dinner. Breakfast for dinner is a cheap way to feed the family! We make it a habit to do this at least once or twice a week and we have noticed savings in our food budget. Typically just scrambled eggs and maybe sausage links. That entire meal costs us just $3.25 for the whole family. ($2 for a dozen eggs and $1.25 for a pack of 10 sausage links).
- Shop the markdown section. I have noticed that if I go to the grocery store early in the morning I am able to score some sweet markdown deals on meat. Most of this meat needs to be sold within a day or two, so I buy it and bring it home and put it in the freezer. The prices are often ½ off too!
If you implement some of these tips in your grocery budget, let me know how you did!
5 Inexpensive Mother’s Day DIY Gift Ideas
Mother’s Day is coming up soon on May 13th! Are you getting ready? I love finding gifts that are sentimental yet won’t break the bank. These DIY gift ideas are perfect. Some of them your kids could even help make for their grandma. Start them now and be ready!
- Make your own flower pot. This is one of my moms favorite things for Mother’s Day. It is a perfect way to add some color to her front porch. If you need a tutorial on how to make your own flower pot, check out this post I did last year.
- Marbled Clay Ring Dish. Guys, I’m not a crafty person, but I think I could totally do this. My mom would love it for her earrings. Check out how to do it here.
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries. YUM! This is something I’ve wanted to try out and my mom would definitely love. It’s sometime you don’t normally get and would definitely make her feel special. You could even write “mom” on the strawberries. Check out this “How to” for help.
- Salt Dough Flower Magnets. This is a good one for the kids to help make for grandma. They are totally inexpensive and so so cute. You can find the tutorial here.
- Homemade Lemon Soap. Yes! I love the smell of fresh lemon. This would be super cute to add a summer towel to it. You can find the tutorial here.
Spend Less Time Doing Laundry with These Tips
How much time do you spend each week doing laundry? Is it an hour? Is it three? Regardless of the exact time, I am willing to bet that you would rather be spending some of that time on something else. I have 3 children and a hard working husband which means I find myself doing a lot of laundry each and every week. I have made some changes thought that have helped with how much time I am spending doing it. Would you like to hear about it?
I can’t promise that you won’t need to spend any time at all doing laundry, but you can spend less time doing laundry with these tips.
- Wash denim less often – Unless they are visibly dirty, forgo washing your jeans for a while. Not only will this keep you from washing them over and over, but it will also prolong the life of your jeans, which will save you money.
- Hang towels after use – I have 3 children, one of them being a teenager who uses two towels every day after her shower. I have started making each child hang their towels after each use and they need to reuse them 2-3 times before I wash them. I would literally wash a load of towels daily if we didn’t do this.
- Do laundry daily – Yeah, I know it sucks, but if you do one load of laundry each day, you will spend only a small time doing it as opposed to taking an entire afternoon or day washing all of the laundry in the house. I do this mostly because I hate folding laundry, so folding one load at a time is far less annoying than folding 10 loads in a day.
- Make sure clean clothes get put away – pay attention when your kids put their laundry away. I have a 10 year old that likes to take the easy way, every time and I often find clothes that I just washed back in the laundry. I think it’s because he tosses his clean clothes on his nightstand or on the floor and then moves them to the laundry when he cleans his room. That issue has since been taken care of, but it was happening for a while before I really caught on.
Simple Grilling/Campfire Foil Dinner Recipes!
It’s warming up outside which means we’ve pulled out the grill and started cooking outside! It’s also camping season, who’s ready to get outdoors? We love having foil dinner when we’re out camping but ever so often I’ll need a simple dinner we can grill and I’ll pull out the foil. Here’s some yummy combinations you can combine in foil and grill outside or over the fire.
- Hobo Dinner Foil Packets
- Southwest Chicken Foil Packet
- Chicken Fajita Foil Packet Meal
- Green Chile Cheddar Burger Foil Packs
- Grilled Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken in Foil
- Cajun Sausage and Pepper Foil Packs
- Grilled Sweet and Sour Chicken Foil Packs
- Bacon Ranch Chicken Foil Packet
- Beef and Potatoes Dinner
These are all yummy options to have for a quick dinner you want to grill outside or take with you camping! What’s something yummy you do in your foil dinners? And one tip before I let you go, try using a foil pie tin to cook your meal in. It will keep the juice inside easier and perfect for eating right out of! Enjoy!
Start a Successful Etsy Shop With These Tips
Are you crafty? Have you given any thought to turning your craftiness into a business? Etsy shops are hot right now and a great way to get your awesome crafts into the hands of craft loving customers! Some of these Etsy shops have been pulling in some big money too! I mean big 6 and 7 figure incomes from selling their handmade products. If you want to give Etsy a try, here are some tips on how to start a successful Etsy shop.
- Decide what to sell. To start an Etsy shop it is usually best to begin by selling just a couple of items that you are great at creating. It’s cheaper to only keep supplies for a couple products on hand.
- Decide on a shop name. Make a cute, personality-filled Etsy shop name that will be easy to spell and easy to remember. Your name is your Etsy identity. Choose well!
- Decide on prices. Invest some time searching Etsy for similar items to what you are planning to sell and get a feel for what the prices are set to. You can’t expect to charge $15 for what others charge $5 for, so you need to be prepared for the competition. Additionally, it is bad business practice to undercut everyone else significantly too so be sure to remain competitive. It will look better on you.
- Remember the fees. Once you determine your price, redetermine it once you remember that Etsy will charge fees (a listing fee and a commission based selling fee). There are additional fees as well so be sure to look through and take note of these.
- Start social media pages/groups. Like anything else, advertising is key and social media advertising is huge. It’s best to start social media pages across more than one platform. I suggest FB, Pinterest and Instagram at the very minimum. I have a friend that does wood-burning art and has become extremely successful by posting about her art on these platforms.
- Be confident. Don’t be too nervous to sell yourself. Go out and be confident about your Etsy shop, or fake it until you actually feel that confidence. You can do this, I know you can!
Have you ever sold anything on Etsy before?
7 Budget Killers You Should Avoid
Where is all of my money going?! Do you find yourself asking this question often? Honestly, it is probably going to one of the many budget killers that affect many of us. If you are ready to put a stop to them, I am here to help!
Here are 7 budget killers you should avoid to keep that money from disappearing:
- Free trials. Have you signed up for a free trial of an online or streaming service? Did you forget to cancel? I have done that too many times to count, unfortunately. Be sure to go through and cancel these trials and if you haven’t used the service, reach out to customer care, you may be able to get a refund.
- Online subscriptions. Similar to the free trials above, have you signed up for online subscriptions that you really aren’t taking advantage of? Consider cancelling.
- Gym memberships. If you are paying every month for a gym membership you rarely or never use, it’s time to get rid of this budget killer.
- Gas. That is in gas for your car. When you do too much driving around whether you are doing it aimlessly or because you aren’t combining your trips, your gas bill can go up tremendously and that’s definitely a waste.
- Music streaming. Do you really need to pay an extra $10 per month for that music streaming service? My guess is no. I prefer to turn on the radio in my car, or, if I just need to hear a specific song now, I go to Youtube. Additionally, if you have Amazon Prime, they have a streaming service for Prime members.
- Magazine subscription. Do you have automatic payments for magazine subscriptions? Do you actually read it? I’m guessing this one can go down the road too.
- Fast food. Seriously, just stay out of the drive through. You will save soooo much money!
10 Frugal Foods You Should Always Keep on Hand
Are you tired of watching your paycheck disappear whenever you go to the grocery store? I know I am. I have 3 kids at home and boy oh boy can they eat! I can easily spend $1,000 or more on groceries each month if I’m not careful. One of the ways I am sure to keep my food budget under control is by making sure to take advantage of frugal foods and keeping them on hand in my kitchen.
If you want to do your best to keep your grocery budget down too, here are 10 frugal foods you should always keep on hand:
- Eggs. Eggs are healthy, filling and very inexpensive. At a local grocery store I shop at, I am able to get 5 dozen eggs for around $5.50. I buy 2 of these each month and feed my family well with them. We keep boiled eggs on hand for snacks and a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs is easy and cheap.
- Bread. No need for the spendy stuff. Buy a $1 loaf of bread for quick PB&Js.
- Rice. Rice is a cheap filler for many, many different dishes.
- Beans. Oh my goodness, dried beans are super cheap and can be turned into some really great meals (tacos, chili, soups, etc).
- Fruits and Veggies. Yes, sometimes these can be expensive, but shop at your local Farmer’s markets during the summer and they are quite budget friendly.
- Lentils. Similar to beans, these can be used as a breakfast food too!
- Oatmeal. If you have a grocery store that sells bulk foods, shop for oatmeal in this section. I buy bulk oatmeal for $0.67 per pound and there are quite a few different ways to prepare it in the mornings.
- Ramen. Okay, not the healthiest meal in the world, but it’s cheap. I rarely buy top ramen for my house, but I don’t mind if my kids occasionally eat it. Plus, it literally costs like $0.25 for an entire meal!
- Peanuts. Peanuts are cheaper than other nuts, but they are packed in protein and easy to grab and go.
- Peanut butter. Peanut butter isn’t always cheap, but when you do find a good deal, you should stock up. It’s a good quick, easy protein, plus it can be added to so many meals (i.e., pancake topping, oatmeal topping, sandwich ingredient, smoothie addition, etc).
5 Ways That Having Your Own Garden Benefits You
Do you have your own garden? Are you consider getting out there in the dirt and starting one? You should! I have had my own garden for the last several years and I absolutely love it! I have found so many benefits to it, many of which didn’t even occur to me.
The benefits truly are countless, but I decided to give you just a couple of them to see if you are interested in getting started on your new gardening journey. Here are 5 ways that having your own garden benefits you:
- Healthier eating. Eating more fruits and vegetables is a great way to boost your health. If you have a great supply of these fresh foods from having your own garden, you are more likely to eat them.
- You are more active. You have to go outside and get moving to work in your garden. Gardens will not survive if you stay sitting on the sofa doing nothing. It’s a great way to sneak some exercise into your day.
- Saves money. Yep, once you have had your garden for a year or two, you will really start to notice how much less money you spend at the grocery store on produce. Plus, the foods that you grow in excess can often be frozen or canned to last until next gardening season.
- Your yard is prettier. With bountiful, colorful foods growing, it is a pleasant site when you compare it to the grass or weeds that you were looking at. I have lawn chairs set out next to my garden because I just love it out there.
- Kids eating healthier. This one was surprising to me, but I after I started gardening and started recruiting my kids to help, I noticed that they had increased interest in eating their fruits and veggies. Once they saw them actually growing and watched the process, they wanted to taste the foods that they grew on their own. This has been my favorite garden benefit.
Easy Chicken Salad Recipe
It’s spring and I love eating light and healthier food options. I love recipes that don’t require a lot of prep and can easily be eaten in a variety of ways. This chicken salad is just that. You can make it into a sandwich, put it in a pita, add it to a green salad mix or just eat it plain with crackers. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Easy Chicken Salad Recipe
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (Add more if needed)
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 Cups or 10 ounce (1 can) Chicken Breast Shredded into bite size pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill (optional if you like the taste of dill)
- Add in any of the following that you would like:
- 3/4 cup celery diced
- dried cranberries
- chopped pecans
- chopped grapes
- chopped granny smith apples
Mix everything together and do a quick taste test. Sometimes I need to add more yogurt or mayo to make it moist. Add more onion powder and mustard to your liking. Then refrigerate for an hour prior to serving. Enjoy!