Good morning, savvy savers! It’s hard to believe that we are already in August. Can you believe the start of the busy back-to-school push has begun? In fact, this morning was my husband’s first day back to school to start prepping his classroom for the 2016-2017 academic year. The kiddos will start school in our district this Wednesday. By midweek, our house will be silent during the day, except for podcasts, chirping birds, and the snoring of my Shih-Tzu. And would it be terrible of my to admit that I’m looking forward to distraction-free mornings this Fall? Super excited folks, super excited!
And on that note, while I’m a little forlorn to no longer have my family here each day to help me around the house, it will be nice to get things back on schedule this month. So today, with the ideas of scheduling and organization on my mind, I thought I would share with you all my five goals personal goals for the month of August.
This post has been underwritten by me on behalf of Balance and Mom It Forward Blogger Network. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
I experienced a crazy, beautiful moment this morning. It was 9 am. I was drinking a cup of chai tea, doing my to be completely engaged with my family while checking out the Arts & Leisure section of the New York Times. It was in that second that I realized how surreal that moment was. You see, my home was straightened up. There were no dishes or mugs in my sink. My completely bare counters sparkled as the morning sun swept across my galley kitchen. In the background I heard the hum of my tea kettle.
Was this the home of a woman with live-in help? No. This was the home of a woman who had been able to complete her daily 90-minute morning routine.
It was in this single second that I realized that by having created balance in my one-hour morning routine, I had helped transform the feel of my household, and more importantly, my stress level as a whole. And while I know that this is not the reality for every WAHM, there is hope. A well-balanced morning routine is the easiest way to keep your homes picked up and cultivate an atmosphere of productivity and balance into your daily routine.
So, here are a few tips for helping you to create balance in your own morning routine.
I wake up early: For me, getting a good nights sleep is essential to a productive day. I generally go to bed each evening by ten pm and get up each morning at 5:00 am.
I take time out for my fuzzies: From 5:00-5:30 each morning I walk, feed, and spend time with my fuzzies each day. Just like other members of my family, they deserve a few one-on-one moments of my uninterrupted time each day.
I give myself a personal power hour: From 5:30-6:30 each morning is my power hour. This is my time for a cup of chai, check over my daily schedule, as well as time for my devotional, personal e-mails, and a look at my blogging editorial calendar. This block of time allows me to get my thoughts together for the day in a quiet, peaceful manner and is in many respects what fuels the rest of my morning.
I make time for my family each morning: From 6:30-7:00I pack lunches,make breakfast, and get everyone off to school, including my educator husband.
I make time for my home: From 7:00-8:00 I complete my 1-hour morning cleaning routine. This time helps me keep my home in working order, and helps me to maintain an atmosphere of peace for my working day at home.
I make time for my health: From 8:00-8:30 each weekday I make time to workout on my treadmill, lift weights, or perform a light yoga workout. I also remember to take my vitamins as well. – Work (3 hours)
I make time to feel my best: From 8:30-9:00 each morning I take a 10 minute shower, followed by 7 minutes of makeup and 5 minutes on naturally curly, scrunch-and-go-hair care, and pull an outfit out of my capsule wardrobe for the day. I make sure to dress for work even if it is still at home.
I make a point to smile while I work: From 9:00-11:45 each day I make a point of smiling while I work. With the idea that no matter what will come my day, from the moment that I open my laptop I assume good things will come my way. While I am blogging, working as a business owner and social influencer, I make a point to smile in the midst of it all. That’s how I like to go about my work, and that’s how I help myself to make working from my home office less a drudgery.
I make time to nourish my body: From 11:45-12:00 pm each day, before my morning ends, I make a point of stopping for a quick, nutritious breakfast. And one of my favorite options is to pour a glass of juice and grab a Balance barfor lunch. Oh my gosh, not only are these bars convenient, they are also sogood!
Balance products are a nutritional snack alternative with the perfect balance of sweetness and energizing, holistic, balancing ingredients.
I need energy. And I love that I can grab a balance bar instead of a cup of coffee and a candy bar for a late morning pick-me-up. Balance bars are a snack that I can crave-freely, with just the perfect amount of sweetness I crave and the nutrition my body needs. They help me snack smarter!
Each bar is packed with just the right amount of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy dietary fats; this is incredibly important for me as I am pre-diabetic and have PCOS.
I also love that Balance bars come pre-packaged in regular and mini-bars. This is perfect for enjoying on- the-go while running errands. For me, I’m all about eating an Almond Brownie, while getting my days worth fiber and vitamins at the same time! To think, brownies can be wholesome and tasty too!
Oh, and the flavors? Available in four flavors: Chocolate Caramel Peanut Nougat, Caramel, Chocolate Peppermint Patty and Dark Chocolate Pecan Turtle and Dulce De Leche, which are all available on Amazon and other national retailers, so you won’t have any trouble finding them in your area or from the comfort of your own home!
Also, be sure to follow Balance ® for tips and nutritional information:
Now what’s really awesome everyone is that Balance is offering one LadyPrefers2Save reader a chance to win a free box of Balance Bars to try for themselves, too!
Flavors will be chosen at random. A particular flavor cannot be guaranteed for delivery.
ARV: $7.74
To enter, just leave me a comment below letting me know which variety of bars you would want to try and why you think Balance Bars would help balance your mornings as well!
Please note, this giveaway will close on 7/31/16 at 11:59 PM CST.
All entries will be verified.
Balance brand will send boxes directly to winners.
The LadyPrefers2Save is not responsible for lost, delayed, or damaged prize boxes.
Good luck, everyone!
So, savvy savers! Do you have any morning routine tips or tricks for keeping your health, home, and businesses in tip-top shape? I’d love to hear about them below.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ScrubCloth #CollectiveBias
Growing up, my grandmother never liked to have anything on her kitchen counter tops, so I’m pretty sure that’s where my love of clean counter tops originated. I try to have mine cleared off as much as possible. Sometimes, when I’m in the middle of work project or cooking, things start to pile up. Things get messy. Life happens. Especially when trying to make impromptu snacks and dinners in my kitchen!
If you’re anything like me, there are no scarier times in your home than the 5 o’clock what’s for dinner debate. Thescenario ofof having to decide what to cook can be a daunting task for even the most prepared home chefs. So, you may be asking how to end this dinnertime debate, especially in summer? I have two words for you: Freezer meals!
Yes, small, make ahead meals which help me get out of the kitchen and back to spending more time with my family and friends during the hot summer season. There’s nothing better than being able to provide my family with a hot, nutritious, affordable meal. Now, it goes without saying that I adore freezer cooking meals, with just one exception, the clean-up.
You see as a cook, I am anything but neat. I’m what you could call an all-in, full-contact domestic goddess. A typical afternoon of cooking for me involves grease spatters, crumbs on the floor, and a pile of dishes that far exceeds both sides of my kitchen sink. From the blinds to the baseboards, nothing in my kitchen seems to be exempt from stains and spills.
It’s always a balancing act. Do you cook all the meals your family will enjoy, only to spend the rest of your evening scrubbing saucy, stained lasagna pans? Or cook just enough meals, in hopes of limiting the mess that will inevitably be created.
For me, I choose to go with the creating of meals, and to find better more practical ways of cleaning-up my kitchen. Through several years of trial and error I’ve gotten my new Freezer Cooking Clean-Up routine down to a science, and I’d like to share some of my favorite tips for Freezer Cooking Session Clean-up Success.
Instead of walking over to the trash can or compost bin with handfuls of peelings and scraps, use a bowl on the counter where you work to consolidate all of your cooking waste. This way you can efficiently save time and prevent the mishaps of slipper drippings on your floor.
Make sure cutting boards are clean, dry, and wipes down with kosher salt to help foods slide right off your boards.
For cooking projects where I’m using a lot of canned or boxed goods, I’ll take the recycling bin and set it right by the counter so I can drop everything in at once as I open it.
Pick up anything that falls on the floor immediately. It goes without saying that cleaning up spills immediately will help prevent bigger messes and help prevent kitchen falls and accidents on slippery floors.
As the old adage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So for me, I like to prep my freezer cooking sessions starting with a cleared off counter tops, an empty, fresh, soapy dish pan of water, and swept floors.
For me, it’s also important to keep functional, zero-waste cleaning methods by my side during freezer cooking sessions. Recently, my go-to cleaning cloths have been the new Scotch-Brite® Scrubbing Dish Cloths. I love that these Scrubbing dish cloths are reusable, sturdy, and fully washable, both by hand and through machine washing.
What first caught my eye about these cleaning cloths are double-sided. One side features awesome, textured, non abrasive fiber scrubbing dots, which gives you non-scratch scrubbing power for all your post-freezer cleaning needs. And who doesn’t need supercharged cleaning when it comes to getting off baked on, oily, gooey messes from dishes, pots, pans, and counters.
The other side of these clothes feature a multi-functional, lint-free cleaning cloth; this side is great for wiping and drying dishes, glasses, counter tops, and appliances, too!
I like that these dish cloths can clean almost anything in my kitchen, even items that I previously would have to soak or scrub including glasses with milk protein deposits or wine deposit film, a particular pet peeve of mine.
No more reaching for a case knife or finger nail to scrub off messes in the kitchen with the Scotch-Brite® Scrubbing Dish Cloths. Your manicure touch-ups can be saved for another day.
What’s even better? These cloths go hand-in-hand with our families commitment to zero waste living as they can be used, washed, and easily used again. They help us save money over commercial paper towels and help us create a greener home in the process. An added bonus for me? These cloths air dry in minutes, allowing me to get right back to my kitchen cleaning in no time flat. These new cloths have become a staple in my kitchen!
In fact, a few days before I started my last major Freezer Cooking marathon, I stopped into my local Walmart to pick up a few additional packs of the new Scotch-Brite® Scrubbing Dish Cloths, a few needed Freezer Cooking staples, as well as a snack of Good Value Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies and a banana, for good measure. Having originally purchased these cloths in tan, I loved finding out that they are also available in 2-packs in coral and navy, too! I especially liked the cheery orange cloths, which are perfect for summer!
Oh, and I wanted to mention that I was able to find my Scotch-Brite® Scrubbing Dish Cloths, not in the dish detergent aisle, but on the cleaning aisle of my local Walmart. Plus, for a limited time savvy savers, be on the lookout for a $1.00 off money saving offer on your next in-store purchase of Scotch-Brite® Scrubbing Dish Cloths at Walmart. This offer is right on the package!
And who would have known that you can get a 2-pack of awesome, greener living, reusable, scrubbing dish clothes for the low, low price of only $4.98. At this price you just can’t go wrong!
And with my new dish cloths handy, I created a month’s worth of Italian-style freezer meals this past weekend. I cooked, assembled, and froze Chicken Parmesan, baked spaghetti, and lasagna roll-ups pans. All meals were delicious, and all super simple to make. The best part? They were all created using my recipe for Homemade Italian Pasta Sauce. Here’s how it’s made.
[yumprint-recipe id=’73’]
Now that your sauce is finished, you can turn this base into different pasta meals. Again I made, Baked Spaghetti, Chicken Parmesan, and Lasagna Roll-Ups. Here’s how I used this sauce:
Ingredients (for two trays):
8 cups spaghetti sauce
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In large skillet, cook ground beef until brown. Add sauce to hamburger and bring to temperature. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Boil pasta for 10 minutes. Once cooked, drain your pasta. Mix together spaghetti and meat mixture, pour into pans. Top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly. Cool for one hour, then wrap in foil and plastic wrap. Freeze for up to six months; serves four per pan.
Ingredients (for two trays):
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoon water
2 cups kosher dried bread crumbs
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 pound spaghetti pasta
Directions:
Create a chicken coating station; place beaten eggs in one bowl, flour in a second bowl, and bread crumbs in another.
Meanwhile, lay a piece of plastic wrap over chicken breasts. Pound the chicken breasts flat with mallet, until 1/2-inch thick. Dredge chicken pieces in all three bowls; egg, then flour, then crumbs. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Boil pasta for 10 minutes. Once cooked, drain your pasta. Cook cutlets in olive oil for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning only once per side. Place cooked pasta in each freezable tray. Ladle the tomato sauce over each chicken piece and sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Bake the Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Cool bake for one hour and freeze for up to six months. To reheat, thaw dinner overnight in fridge. Cook at 350 for one hour.
Ingredients (for two trays):
1 box uncooked lasagna noodles (16-20 sheets)
2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork sausage
3 cups tomato pasta sauce
2 containers (15 oz each) part-skim ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons fresh basil leaves
2 egg
2 cups mozzarella shredded cheese
Directions:
Cook noodles in salted water. Cook for twenty minutes. Rinse with hot water. Drain well. Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Stir in 3 cups pasta sauce. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Remove from heat. In small bowl, mix ricotta cheese, basil and eggs into a mixture. Spread about 3 tablespoons of mixture over each cooked lasagna noodle from end to end. Spoon about 1/4 cup meat mixture over ricotta mixture on each noodle. Roll up firmly toward unfilled end. Place roll-ups, seam side down, on pan. Cover with sauce and shredded cheese. Cover loosely with foil. Freeze about 30 minutes or until firm. Freeze up to 3 months. To bake 16 lasagna roll-ups, thaw in refrigerator at least 8 hours and bake at 350°F. Bake until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
So savvy savers, that was a lot of work this past weekend! But with the Scotch-Brite® Scrubbing Dish Cloths, cleanup took just minutes. Comparing this to the hours spend scrubbing dishes, pans, counters, and floors before, these cloths were a true lifesaver.
I’ve been so inspired by the ease of cleaning this past weekend that I’m already looking for new recipes for my next mega freezer cooking session online. And if you are looking for awesome new family meals ideas, be sure to check out the Scotch-Brite Scrubbing Cloth site for quick, budget-friendly cleaning tips and family meal planning ideas!
I encourage you all to pick-up a pack of Scotch-Brite® Scrubbing Dish Cloths, while in-store at your local Walmart, because with Scotch-Brite® Scrubbing Dish Cloths I no longer have to choose between a clean kitchen and the convenience of a freezer full of meals .
So savvy savers! Do you have any great tips for keeping your kitchens cleaned and your counter tops cleared during freezer cooking sessions, I’d love to hear about them below!
Hello again, everyone! It’s hard to believe another month is almost at an end. But before we say adieu to April I wanted to share with you all some of what I’ve been lovin’ this April.
Do you love down-home, stick-to-your-ribs, country cooking? Then you are in luck as the new cookbook from Francine Bryson, Country Cooking from a Redneck Kitchen Cookbook has plenty of recipes to satisfy your childhood comfort cravings.Francine speaks my language when it comes to food. Her book focuses on the best of southern cooking, from Chicken and Dumplings Like Mama Made to Coconut Party Dip, Deviled Ham Dip, Aunt Fanny’s Buttermilk Salad, Old-Fashioned Squash Relish, Grits and Bacon Fritters. This author knows what she’s selling and she knows her way around a kitchen. To find out more about this book, click here.
In the new relationship book by Pastor Dave Willis, “The Seven Laws of Love: Essential Principles for Building Stronger Relationships,” explains in detail the seven laws of love found throughout Scripture offers age-tested advice on how to live out those words in order to have better relationships with your spouse, family, friends, neighbors, and even enemies. Willis contends, “If Christ is not the center of your marriage, you will never learn how to love your spouse completely.” To find out more about this book, click here.
Do you love adult coloring books? Then be sure to check out Wonderland by Amile Shen. Why this book? Well, there is nothing like relaxing while creating fast, beautiful art. And this coloring book is fantastic. Wonderland follows the story of Alice’s age old tale of adventures quite closely which allows readers to color along with Alice and her companions from page to pages. Moreover, Amily Shen’s illustrations are beautiful. To find out more about this book, click here.
One of my favorite new cookbooks is the I Quit Sugar Kids Cookbook, by Sarah Wilson. What I liked about this book: Wilson’s cookbook and guide to sugar-free living are a refreshingly, friendly, helpful voice in a sea of holier-than-thou handbooks for health and diabetic living. After following the authors advise for several weeks and laying off the sweet stuff, I generally felt, well better. This book is helpful, easy-to-follow, and is helpful resource guide and go-to recipe guide. To find out more about this book, click here.
As someone who strives to live a minimalist lifestyle, in both my home and business, I’ve following Joshua Becker, on his site Becoming Minimalist, for the past several years. What I liked most about Becker’s site, his idea that minimalism can be a sound, obtainable goal through the presentation of reasonable minimalism. In Becker’s latest book, The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own, he extrapolates on his blogs central minimalist theme, as well as the benefits of owning even fewer personal effects. For those who would like to know more this book click here.
Finds:
Vanessa Blair’s Beadery Craftique on Facebook for awesome handmade, Summer-inspired jewelry.
Katie from PurePeriwinkle on ETSY. Her Dave Ramsey Envelope System Wallets are amazing!
So folk, this is what I’ve been loving this past month. Since April is not currently on the books, you still have time to go out and find something that truly sparks joy in your world. And for those of you who have lived April to the max, how was your month? Have you scored any awesome freebies, chanced upon an awesome new music station, or curled up with a new, thought-provoking book? I’d love to hear about it below!
It was around this time last Spring when I first heard about Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing consultant, from friends who spoke her praises with an almost religious zeal. They described her methods as transformative. My friend started her method was nothing short of life-changing. They each described how they’d transformed their lives, homes, businesses, and marriages. They all told me this wasn’t a book to check out of the library, that this book was “a keeper.” And in case you have been living under the proverbial rock for the past two years, they were speaking fondly of Kondo’s 2014 book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, the decluttering craze that continues to sweep the globe.
Here in the West, we think of decluttering as donating a few knick-knacks here and there, but Kondo’s decluttering services command a waiting list in Japan of no shorter than a six to eight-month period. Luckily for the rest of the rest of us who wanted to research this unicorn of organizational systems Kondo’s book breaks down her revolutionary approach to decluttering into a simple two-pronged approach, which she has dubbed, tidying.
The short of the method is as such: First, you must change your mindset. You have to wrap your mind around the idea that your home should only serve to house the items and belongings that spark joy in your life. And how do you know if you’re belongings spark joy? Simple, you gather all of your belongings by category throughout your home and touch every item to see what items truly spark joy. Items that do not spark joy, the item should be thanked for their usefulness and donated. Second, once only your most joy-sparking belongings remain, put every item in a place where it’s visible, accessible, and easy to use daily. And it is at this point that Kondo says will you have reached the nirvana of peace-filled housekeeping, and never have to clean again.
While all of this sounded wonderful, as a working woman who could barely keep up with the demands of daily life I didn’t know how practical this method would be. But once I read Kondo’s book, I got motivated and as it turns out, tidying was my quickest way to household happiness.
There is so much information that I learned from the Kon’Mari method. For the next five, Thursday’s I’ll be sharing what I learned from the Kon’Mari method by category, starting today with clothing, and ending with Kondo’s newest master-level book, “Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up.”
Here’s what I learned about clothing:
Lesson #1: Tackle Categories, Not Rooms:
In the past, I have always tackled clutter one room at a time. Generally starting in my bedroom and working my way to the front of the house. Instead, Kondo’s first rule is to tidy by category—making sure to engage and sort you’re all of your certain types of clutter at once, in a single day. She advises beginning with clothing since it’s the least emotionally loaded category for most people. Then onto books and so forth, leaving emotional items such as photographs, letters, and holiday cards, things that hold great sentimental and emotional attachment to the end, to keep your momentum going in decluttering. I gave each category one afternoon which seemed more than plenty.
Lesson #2: Regard Your Belongings:
With a new mindset in place, I realized my closets were a disaster. To remedy this, Kondo asks that you consider your clothing’s feelings: Are your clothes happy on a corner shelf? Are they happy crowded onto hangers? Are your workhorse socks being best utilized, lint-covered, and balled up? As silly as it may seem, after considering this perspective, the clothing, and unmentionables I spent so much time acquiring didn’t look very valuable after all. I spent two separate occasions. A large purge and then a second afternoon to create my first capsule wardrobe. Now, every day when I open my closet I love every item I see. It’s such a relief. My biggest lesson? Treating your things with respect makes them look better.
Lesson #3: Nostalgia Be Gone:
As I started emptying the closets, I happened upon several hat boxes filled with letters and old photographs. Serious mistake. Seeing photos of my grandmother sent several days of decluttering to the wayside in afternoons filled with watching the film Beaches, shedding tears, and vast amounts of wasted time. Mind you, this was my fault. I did not heed Kondo’s advice to focus only on the category of belongings at a time. I was procrastinating.
While I was keen on the idea of living intentionally with clothing that sparks joy every morning, I still had hang-ups: What will I be left with? Will I wear it to meetings? What about date nights? What about church attire? Will I have to sacrifice my favorite belongings for the sake of decluttering? In the end, the Kon’Mari method helped me work through this clothing insecurities and fill my closet with only pieces that currently fit, will work for a multitude of occasions, and are easily seen in my closet. And as for those nostalgic items that you really can’t (and shouldn’t have to) throw out but that are taking up space in your home, why not hire a storage unit and keep them there? You can see them whenever you want, they’ll be safe and secure, and your home will be minimalist and tidy – it’s a fantastic solution.
Lesson #4: Purging is Cathartic:
From this point forward I took decluttering my home seriously. Channeling Kondo’s advice, to say a prayer upon entering a client’s home, I lit a candle, said a little prayer, and started digging through each day’s tasks. Every day between work, on breaks, in the evenings, and all day Saturday I purged.
What was surprising? The more I purged the more my clothing style emerged. I was left with clothing that didn’t look better on someone else, things found in magazines belonging to someone else’s journey, I was left with clothing that looked amazing on me. Mind you, this realization came 16 bags of donations destined for consignment and Thredup later. Sixteen bags with non-joy-giving clothes. Sixteen bags of guilt-ridden clothing. Clothing I tortured myself over no longer being able to fit. Kondo’s clothing purge ideas gave me the freedom to enjoy my clothing for one reason, to make myself happy. Kondo also advises hanging clothes so that the line along the bottom slopes upward—it adds an optimistic “smile” to your clothes. I did this too!
Lesson #5: Fold Everything:
So, once you’ve sorted out the things you plan to discard, you then decide where the remaining clothing and everything else for that matter should go. Kondo suggests clothing would be happier folded in a dresser. So, almost everything aside from dress clothes found themselves again. Everything from unmentionables to workout clothing, everything.
I started folding using KonMari’s vertical fold, which can be applied to everything that starts with a long rectangle and then folds from the bottom up, and in half again until it’s in a little package. How do you know if it’s done well? It stands up on its own! To keep these little folded packages standing at attention in the dresser, Kondo suggests using shoe boxes as drawer dividers.
Lesson #6: Love Your Closet:
This is why people become evangelical about the KonMari method. Once you’ve cleared away the clutter, you truly can see the light of day on your own, hard-earned things! What do I love most about my closet, post method? There’s breathing room between pieces, I can move my belongings along the bar and see light between every piece I own. Each piece in my closet gives me hope, and dare I say joy. What brings me the most joy? My simple, vintage polka dot dress.
Lesson #7: Don’t Let Others Go Through Your Donations While Decluttering:
Kondo warns against allowing others to delve back into donation and discard bags since they’ll want to stop you from getting rid of so much. Never a truer statement was made. Throughout my closet cleaning, I was met with not only self-doubt but also family members asking, “You’re not getting rid of this are you?” For this reason, I suggest decluttering alone.
Lesson #8: Your Style Shines:
For years I’ve worn the same rotation of easy-to-launder, neutral pieces. The color was a nonentity. There were not any pieces vibrant with color in my closets. Once a closet full of dirt dobber brown grabs, now houses my true, truth-speaking passion for color, including turquoise, coral, and shades of pink. These are the forgotten colors of my youth, the colors I had long admired in my study abroad in Europe. These were the colors that drew me into Art History. These are the dances of tone. These are the colors that now greet me each morning.
Lesson #9: Getting dressed is not a chore:
Getting dressed is a joy. Having dug out my current closet from nothing short of a painful, weight-fluctuating past. Now my closet feels richer. My closet feels simpler. My closet is easier to navigate. I feel privileged to have nice clothing and take pride in what I wear. Case in point, every Saturday morning I run errands and take a long lunch with my family when able. Every outfit I put on, despite having owned many pieces for years, brings a smile to my husband’s face.
Kon’Maring my closet has helped me to see that when there are gaps in my staple wardrobe it’s okay to purchase new or new-to-me items to fill those needs. I also now collect only things I love in my closet. I now focus on finds such as hand-crafted handbags instead of expensive handbags. I look for cool, moisture-wicking cotton summer dresses and beautiful abalone shell earrings.
My only criticism. While cleaning is so much easier I still have to tidy from time to time. I would assume that only the most devout, extreme-minded KonMarists would never have to clean again their closets. This was not my experience. Maybe it’s the fact that I live in an older, dusty house but I still dust my closet floor and clean my closet doorknobs weekly. But now that everything flows with color, order, and purpose maintaining my closet is a pleasure and never a pain.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Wisk60 #CollectiveBias
Laundry is unavoidable. Especially in my home, where it’s done every day. And never did I aspired to seek the title of the Lady of the Laundry, but after working from home for the past five years I’ve become an aficionado of all things laundered. I am truly a self- proclaimed expert on this subject. And like with most other domestic divas ventures, I strive to tackle laundry on a daily basis as part of my daily cleaning routine. This is no easy task for a family of three with clothes ranging from mud-soaked gardening trousers to athletic clothes ripe with an Eau de perfume that only a post-workout stench could make. All of these items and more make daily cameos in my families laundry basket.
To say I’ve wadded deep within the laundry trenches since yesteryear would be the understatement of the week. Luckily, I’ve found a few tried and true household hacks that have been life-affirming in helping to keep the laundry monsters at bay. My biggest tip? Keeping a stock of detergent on hand that can handle whatever laundry disasters we as a family throw its way. Wisk Deep Clean® has been my go-to stain pre-treater, detergent, and even carpet cleaning solvent for as far back as I can remember. It has cleaned up countless grass-stained jeans, totes, musty workout clothes, filthy tennis gear, and even pet collars, sweaters, and leashes. I can honestly say without hesitation that I feel safe using Wisk Deep Clean® in my home as it was the detergent of choice for my grandmother too!
When you’re running a busy household, it’s super easy to fall behind on household chores. To stay on top of my laundry, I have a simple rule, a load a day keeps the chaos at bay. I make sure to wash 1 load of laundry while completing my daily 1-hour cleaning routine. To do this, I just put one load in to wash when I start cleaning each morning, pull my laundry out in a half hour at the end of my washer’s cycle, and when all my chores are done I put my laundry out to dry. This way, both my cleaning and laundry can be done in the course of one hour. For me, doing at least one load a day I never get behind on my laundry. Ever.
In the early days of my marriage the dread Mount St. Laundry was a regular occurrence in my home. This happened in our home because I didn’t have one final landing pad for laundry and the stages of laundry, from freshly pressed to a stinky mess, could be seen in various stages throughout the house. My simple solution? We do not use a three-bin canvas laundry sorter. Each member of our family has their own bin, so they just need to toss clothes into the appropriate bin each night and we’re go-to-go! While I purchased my unit, you can check out Pinterest to find hundreds of awesome, diy laundry sorting stations that may inspire you to make your own as well!
Another way I keep your laundry organized is to assign a different day of the week to each family member’s laundry. This includes their towels and bedding. This helps my family know to have their laundry in the sorter before their twice-weekly scheduled laundry day, or their laundry will have to wait until another person’s laundry is finished.
Yes, I know it’s hard. But tackling laundry-folding when the clothes are freshly dried is a must. I always make a habit of folding my laundry as soon as I take it off the line or it’s dry from the dryer. This is simply just a pause in my day at the end of my 1-hour daily cleaning routine. It’s all about getting it done as quickly as possible. But why should home management be a bore? Throw yourself a laundry folding party! Brew yourself a cup of coffee, head to the bedroom, turn on some music really loud and fold those clothes! When you think of folding laundry as a party- everyone including your hubby and kids may want to pitch in too!
The easiest way for me to finish getting the laundry folded? Start with the pretty projects first! I fold my bedsheets into stacks, much like towels are commonly folded, and then put my pillowcases in front of each stack. Think a ribbon on a holiday box. How do I keep my freshly washed sheets neat and orderly? Each person in my home gets both a stack and a coordinating tag to designate where their sheets belong. Seeing beautiful, neatly folded linens in one area gives me the momentum to move onto the next pile of laundry that needs folding!
As I’ve already said, my top-secret, crème de la crème laundry tip is using a detergent daily that can handle whatever stains my family can continuously delve out. For the past 60 years, Wisk has been a premium laundry detergent brand known for effectively, effortlessly, and affordably fight the toughest stains, including that famous laundry room cliche, the Ring Around the Collar®.
It goes without saying, be sure to follow the directions for use located on your detergent packaging. With Wisk Deep Clean®, even our grossest, grimiest clothing, bedding, and athletic wear receive the deepest level of cleaning power possible! Wisk Deep Clean® goes far and beyond simple surface stains, actively penetrating deep inside every fiber of your fabric to remove hidden body oils and sweat some other detergents can leave behind.*
*Compared to the leading variant of the top three liquid value brand.
Even though workout gear and gardening attire covered with moss and muck are gross, our clothes permeated with sweat and odors present bigger laundry challenges than stains themselves. Did you know, the average load of laundry contains 20 times the amount of body oils and sweat than visible stains themselves? And those entrenched oils can leave lasting, lingering smells. Wisk Deep Clean® cleans beyond visible stains, attacking trapped body oils and sweat– one of the today’s most difficult laundry soil problems.
Another awesome bonus? Each bottle of detergent formula can be used as a pre-treater, is safe to use with septic tanks, and each bottle contains 25 percent post-consumer recycled plastic which can be recycled in most areas.
I often pick up my Wisk Deep Clean® when I’m at my local Winn-Dixie. It’s super simple to grab a bottle while doing my weekly shopping. Plus, there’s always an awesome selection of scents and formulas available. Be sure to look out for Wisk Deep Clean® in the detergent aisle of your local Winn-Dixie, or even online through Amazon. You can also shop for Wisk Deep Clean® Free & Pure online here. I encourage you all to try out Wisk the next time you are at your local retailers too!
So, savvy savers. What are your best tips for keeping the laundry monster at bay? Do you have a set laundry schedule or fantastic diy bin sorter? I’d love for you to share your laundry hacks in the comments below!
Hello again, friends. For the past two weeks I have documented the numerous items my family no longer lives with as minimalists in my post The 100 Things I No Longer Own as a minimalist and The 100 More Things I No Longer Own as a minimalist. In each post I discussed that my end goal for becoming a minimalist was not simply to disinfect my home of affluenza, but to rid my life of distraction, discontentment, and to create my own version of Joie de vivre. I did this by challenging myself to go the contrarian route and list the first 100 things I no longer own.
This post wasn’t simply a list of things that I have gotten rid of because I wanted to immolate the life of anyone else, but a chronicle of the things I parted with in life to help me keep down from the Joneses. And I must say that it felt so cathartic to be able to document this personal minimalist progress in my life!
And so here is a list of 100 additional household items my family happily lives without:
Leftover wrapping paper- Recycled.
Business Card Holder- Unused, as I keep only a handful of my own cards in my tote. Donated.
Tea Infuser Pot- Unused. Donated.
Excessive mugs- 4 dozen Donated.
Receipts I didn’t need- Recycled.
Old t-shirts: Donated.
Dried flowers: Composted.
Silk Flowers: Dust magnets. Donated.
Overstretched hair ties and hair bands: Composted.
Old magazines: Donated to husband’s school library for art class collages.
Shoes that don’t fit or didn’t intend to wear: Sent to Thredup for store credit, in all 61 pairs donated.
Old cell phones- Sent to Gazelle.
Wooden spoons- Composted.
Salad Spinner- Donated.
Terra Cotta Taco Holders- Donated.
Earrings where I’ve lost one out the pair- Donated.
Scarves I never wear- Sold to Thredup for store credit.
Items of clothing that were too small for me- Donated.
Glass platters- Donated.
Old towels- Donated to animal shelter.
Old make-up- Tossed as it couldn’t be recycled. Replaced with natural options.
Plastic clothes hangers- Donated.
Expired cooking sauces- Composted.
Old college text books- Sold on half.com or donated to public library
Out-of-date medicine: Donated to Veterans Hospital.
Dried-up nail polish- Tossed. Replaced with natural options.
Electric Jewelry Cleaner- Unused and sold last Autumn.
Tea towels- Donated. We only use re-usable kitchen towels.
Paper towels- Used up our stash and not repurchased. See above.
Pet steps- Donated.
Polaroid Camera- Donated.
Mini Fridge- Sold last Autumn as it was never used.
Dust buster- Unused, sold last Autumn.
Corn cob holders- Donated.
Scratched non-stick cookware- Donated. We only use cast iron and stainless steel.
Swimwear- We rarely go swimming.
DVD’s- Sold to Amazon for store credit. We digitized our entire collection.
Hot Pot- Sold last Autumn, as it was unused often.
Plug-in holiday lights- We only use solar and battery light strands. Donated.
Calligraphy pens- Donated to my husband’s school.
Necklaces- Aside from a handful of precious stone, metal, and heirlooms, all else donated.
Fiber optic Cables- Donated.
Bed Skirts- Donated.
Empty bottles of cleaning products- Recycled.
Spare buttons- Donated.
Bath mats- One kept per bathroom in white, all else donated.
Malt glasses- Donated.
Espresso cups- Donated.
Flat bed pillows- Donated.
Comforters- We only use quilts now. Donated.
Old party invitations- Recycled.
Full tea service- Sold last Autumn.
Bike pump- Donated.
Electronic keyboard vacuum- Donated.
Jewelry Boxes — My jewelry hangs on an organizer. Donated
Trick-or-Treating Pumpkins- Recycled.
Old Holiday cards- Digitized and then recycled.
Post Card collection- Digitized and then recycled.
Bobby pins- Donated.
Crayon maker- Donated.
Containers missing their lids- Recycled.
Unused stationary, stickers and sticky notes- Donated.
Ripped jeans- Those not purposely worn for fashion, donated.
Old Phone cases- Donated.
Old Electronic chargers- Donated.
Old spices- Composted.
Worn-out bath sponges- Composted.
Ribbons and bows for gift wrap- Recycled.
Ribbon maker- Donated to my husband’s school.
Old lunch boxes- Donated.
Kids Book Shelf- Donated to local library.
Old coffee sacks- Donated to husband’s school’s art classes.
Loom- Donated to husband’s school.
Old files- Digitized, shredded, and recycled.
Old Playbills- Recycled.
Baby Bullet- Sold last Autumn.
Broken Christmas decorations- Recycled.
Fairy lights- Donated to women’s shelter for holiday decorations.
Ice trays- We have an electric ice maker. Donated
Expired food- Composted or tossed.
USB cables we never use- Donated.
Outdated software- Donated.
Floppy disks- Donated.
Shoe racks- We paired down shoes for capsule wardrobes. All others donated.
Glass cereal bowls- We kept a single dish set. Everything else donated.
Promotional T-shirts- Donated.
Old cereals- Composted.
Old bank statements- Digitized, shredded, and recycled.
Old utilities bills- Digitized, shredded, and recycled.
Box fans- Donated.
Unused Ethernet cords: Donated.
Mix tapes- Donated.
Bibles- We each kept one study, one devotional Bible, and our family Bible. All others donated.
Backgammon- Donated.
Basketballs- Donated.
Unused plungers- Donated.
Books we won’t read again: Sold on half.com, Amazon, or donated to public library.
Old DSL box- Donated.
Milk Steamer- Donated.
Electric knife- Donated.
Well that’s it folks, 100 additional common household items we no longer live with as a family. Items donated that help us step one foot closer to realizing our family dream of small, sustained, affordable minimalist living. Be sure to stay tuned for next Tuesday’s list of last of this series of the household items we no longer live with.