Trust Me; Your Coffee Maker is Gross

No, but really-it is. The second love of your life may look clean, and smell fabulous, but it's got some dark, dirty little secrets hidden inside. Confession:  I didn't know I needed to clean out the inside of my coffee maker until recently. Why would you need to clean out the inside of something that is constantly flushed with clean water-water that is heated nonetheless? Answer: it's a perfect, cozy, warm, dark breeding ground for bacteria! Yuck. And you drink out of it every day. Yep. True story. Now, in no way am I trying to break up your relationship with your coffee maker. I know for many of us SAHMs that is our life line. I just want to share with you an affordable cleaning solution, so you can go back to trusting your "Joe" in the morning.

Step 1)  Fill up your 12 cup coffee-maker with about 4 cups of white vinegar (if your coffee maker only makes 4-6 cups, do about 2 cups worth)
Step 2) Turn on your coffee maker and let the vinegar cycle all the way through.
Step 3) Once you've brewed yourself a cup of hot vinegar, let everything sit for about 30 minutes.
Step 4) Dump the vinegar and fill up the coffee pot with water. Turn it on and let it cycle through. Do this 2-3 times until the vinegar odor is gone.
Step 5) You're done. Make sure you do this every 2-3 months from here on out.
Voila! Easy as pie.

Quick! The Baby's napping-Must go faster!

And this is me today! Off I go to get myself another cup. So little time, so much to do!

The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking

A new book came out that many of us, if not all of us, could probably benefit from-"The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking: Decorating, Dining, and the Gratifying Pleasures of Self-Sufficiency on a Budget!" . This book is not in my budget right now, but when it is, I think I'll be purchasing a copy. It's gotten great reviews so far. Amazon's review calls it humorous, savvy, and user-friendly; "Kate Payne shares fun, low-cost (and often free!) creative solutions that will make anyone feel more accomplished in minutes." And who doesn't want to feel "more accomplished in minutes"?

Save $: Basic Household Items Repurposed

I came across this article yesterday on Yahoo and thought it had some very helpful tips, and it's always interesting to see what creative things other people have come up with. I love multi-purposing things to save money and be, well, just a little cooler, so here are some money-saving ideas that you can hopefully use in your household.  

Via Bex Barker in "First Person: The Six Surprising Money Savers Hiding in My Home"

1) The mesh bags onions and potatoes come in from the grocery store generally end up in the garbage can. Instead of tossing them, I save a few and use their naturally abrasive texture to scrub pots and pans. The bags are far more gentle on hands than S.O.S pads filled with chemicals.  (Via SAHM I AM- you can also use foil squished into a ball as an abrasive scrubber. It works pretty well, and your hubby will think you're a genius).

2) Paper towels are ridiculously expensive. Many people have moved to cleaning with old washcloths or a sponge, and that is certainly a great alternative. However, I am one of those people who prefer to throw away things I have used to wipe the toilet. If you are like me, try using cheap coffee filters. They clean better than paper towels (especially mirrors), and are way cheaper.

3) Speaking of cleaning, "going green" is in these days, so why not hop on that bandwagon for some of your kitchen and bathroom cleansers? Simple ingredients like baking soda splashed with vinegar are terrific for cleaning showers and toilets, and they're especially great at opening drains. If your bathtub drains are clogged with hair, replace the Drano with a few shakes of baking soda, a splash or three of vinegar, and a kettleful of boiling water. These products are generally in the pantry already and when combined they make amazing cleaning agents. (Going to have to try that one- between my uber thick hair and my daughter’s we constantly have clogged bathrooms drains)

4) I love baking soda. It has so many uses. Another of my favorite tips is to pour about half a cup of baking soda into a small dish, add 12 drops of essential oil (or your favorite scented oil from Bath & Body Works), and place the dish wherever a little freshening is needed. I like to put a dish in the car after I've forgotten to bring in a cup of coffee and the spoiled cream has left a distasteful odor.

5) While I'm discussing cleaning, I would be remiss in not bringing attention to the most amazing corn cleaner ever. I love corn on the cob, but I hate the corn silk that can seem impossible to remove. Now I just use an unused toothbrush to brush the corn. The bristles do a great job of cleaning out all the silk, and I don't have to spend half an hour per ear of corn. (This one is a little weird to me, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it right?)

6)Finally, the easiest of them all. Outdoor activities like concerts or picnics can be less comfortable if you are sitting on a blanket in soggy grass. I like to keep a cheap shower curtain liner with my picnic blanket for these occasions. The liner keeps the blanket dry, and my family and I no longer have to worry about wet bottoms after our picnic.

Keeping Up The House-My Chore Schedule

When I was still new to the full-time homemaker business, I quickly found I had a strong need for routine, some order. I had a baby girl to take care of, and that kept me busy, but I still felt the need to be able to list my accomplishments for the day. I realise that sounds bad. Listing "loved and cared for my baby" all day as my accomplishment should have been enough for me, but it wasn't. I wanted a longer list! So, I came up with a daily list for myself. Each day a different room was thoroughly cleaned. Monday-Saturday a different room, or rooms, was assigned, and Sunday was my "play day". Tuesday was "kitchen" for example. This worked very well for me because it was realistic-do-able with a baby. I didn't put down how much to be accomplished in that room-just that the kitchen was the room that would in some way be improved that day. As you can imagine some days were better than others. Sometimes the floor would be mopped, cupboards wiped down and garbage can disinfected. Other times the dishes would be done and...well, that was it. That schedule really worked well for me though. It gave me a goal for the day and helped me keep a somewhat tidy house.
I don't use that type of schedule any more now because the children are just a little older and easier, and I've become more disciplined in my housework. I do have a general chore list that is kept on the side of our refrigerator that I try and stick with. Sometimes it works, others it doesn't but it's a good guideline.
Here it is:

Daily Chores:
-Pick up clutter
-Dishes
-Put away clothes
-Wipe down counters after use
- Take out trash

Weekly Chores:
-Laundry
-Vacuum carpets or sweep floors
- Dust
- Mop kitchen and bathroom floors
- Disinfect kitchen and bathroom surfaces (counters, fixtures, toilet bowl, etc)
- Change bed linens
- Spot-clean visible wall smudges

Monthly Chores:
-Clean refrigerator shelves
-Disinfect indoor garbage cans

Quarterly Chores:
-Wash windows
-Clean baseboards
-Vacuum and rotate mattresses
-Dust or vacuum ceiling fans, air vent covers and smoke detectors

Twice a Year:
-Shampoo carpets
-Clean inside of oven

Generally I do try to do certain things on a regular day-like laundry is always done on Mondays for us, but in having a weekly chore list and not dividing those chores into specific days, I give myself more flexibility.

Grocery shopping- it's boring, but someone has to do it

It's Friday, which means it's time for my weekly grocery store adventure at my local Stop & Shop. I chose Friday because that's when my hubby is around to watch the kids. If you've ever grocery shopped with your children and attempted to score good deals using coupons, you know what a juggling act that can be! I prefer to either take him with me if the kids are along or just go by myself. If I'm feeling lazy I wing it-set out with a mental list of needs, but what I almost always try to do involves much more planning. You've probably read that "winging it" when grocery shopping is generally a bad idea because you 1) forget things, 2) buy stuff you already have and/or didn't need 3) buy items not on sale without coupons. You tend to spend a lot more that way, so it's best to stick with a plan. Here's my system:

1) Compile a list of groceries-stuff I need for the next couple of meals I'd like to make well as things we're running low on or are out of. I browse the store circular on their website and click what I want and make a virtual list, which I can then print out. Most store's websites allow you to do this now-so handy!

2) I then compare my list with a blog or website that follows the store I shop at for their deals and coupon matchups. I personally like Wicked Cool Deals because they're in the New England area, and The Coupon Divas , but there are a ton of others out there. Just do an internet search using the terms "coupon match-ups" and your grocery store choice.

3) I look up whatever items I don't yet have coupon match-ups for on a coupon database. Coupon databases are great because they allow you to search circulars, website links, and other sources for specific coupons on any item on one source. Check out this Coupon Database to see what I mean.

4) I then gather the necessary coupons and paperclip them together with my list. And that's it!

Yeah, ok, so it took a bit of planning, but it saves me money in the long run because hopefully I won't be making any extra trips to the store-which costs extra time & money, and I won't have missed using any coupons I might have been able to (and that's the worst!). So, hi ho, hi ho. It's off to the store I go!