cleaning

Hello again, savvy savers! I hope you all are well rested, work-minded, and in the mood for cleaning and organization this week! As so many of us are currently in the throws of Back-to-School shopping and preparations, I wanted to share with you one of my current cleaning goals, and that is to create morning and evening Cleaning Zone Chore Lists. 

For me, a cleaning schedule is basically just a daily, weekly, or monthly plan for how you will clean your house.  It can be as simple as one main task per day or as complex as a spreadsheet that accounts for every single housekeeping task that needs to be done over the course of a year.  It really is up to you, and what will work best for your family, not this week, but every week going forward; especially with fewer people at home this time of year!

If the idea of creating any sort of cleaning schedule sounds overwhelming, no worries—I promise it is not as bad as it sounds.  In fact, as you will see below, you can do it in three easy steps! The point of a schedule is to relieve guilt and to create a routine that gives you less stress; a schedule for cleaning will be a lot less overwhelming in the long run.

So, do here’s how to it:

Step 1:  Create a Master Chore List:

Before you can decide when to clean you must first know what to clean, and how often.  Create a cleaning schedule that works for your life and your schedule, you need to assess your own home and cleaning needs. 

You can start with the following master list and then customize it to fit your own home’s needs, my suggestion is:

Step 2:  Pick the Best Plan for YOU:

The next thing you need to do is figure out what sort of cleaning plan will work best for your life and your schedule. 

• Are you the kind of person who wants to do a little every day?
• Would you rather tackle it all at once so that you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the week?
•  Do you work full time or are you home during the day? 
• Do you have young children at home whose chores can be incorporated into this system?

There is no one “right way” to keep house, and so no universal cleaning schedule that will fit every household’s needs. Just sit down, take an hour, and create a system that will work best for you!

Also, I’m going to share with you my true cleaning secret, you will want to consider creating a master lists, and then smaller, daily and weekly lists, too! 

If you are like me and have a hard time functioning when your house is messy, this may be the best option for you.  I have personally found that my home runs best with a daily morning and evening zoned routine, in addition to my master list.

Each morning, Monday-Friday, before work I complete my Zone 1 Cleaning Project:

1. Make all beds in the home.
2. Empty the dishwasher.
3. Start one load of laundry.
4. Wipe down my kitchen counter tops. 
5. Wipe out my bathroom sinks and vanity tops, and clean off mirror.
6. Sweep my entryway and front porch. 
7. Start a crockpot meal, marinate foods, etc.
8. Feed my fuzzies.
9. Put load of laundry in dryer.
10. Spray and squeegee out shower stall, after morning shower. 
11. Check out your to-do list, for the day.

I will typically spend about 35-45 minutes cleaning morning, between the daily tasks, and doing 1 or 2 weekly tasks each day; these morning tasks helps to keep deep cleaning projects at a minimum in my home. This also allows me plenty of time for walking my fuzzies, take a shower, have breakfast, take my medicine/vitamins, read from my daily devotional, all before heading into the office. 

Each evening, Monday-Friday, before bed I complete my Zone 2 Cleaning Project:

1. Pack lunches and snacks.
2. Set your home up for the next day; set the coffee maker,  re-stock paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, napkin holder, wipes) in home, check briefcases and back backs for anything you might need the next day, pack gym bags, pre-harness pets for morning walks before being crated, and lay out morning outfits.
3. Clean your kitchen: Be sure to wipe down counters, load and run your dishwasher, sweep floor, lay out a clean dish towel, scrub the kitchen sink (if needed), and remove trash. 
4. Pre-treat any laundry, as needed.
5. Plan your morning meal: Plan your breakfast, and lay out utensils/settings, if needed. You can also set-up clean, sanitized pet food/water dishes, placed in the fridge for the morning meals, too. Also, lay out your medications/vitamins. 
6. Five minute pick-up: using a basket, take 5 minutes before bed, walk around your home, lightly straighten the house, and anything that is in the wrong room can be placed in your basket, to be sorted as you go from room to room, so items can be put back in their proper places! 
7. Check for piles: Sort any bills, mail, and paper piles to their proper places, daily.
8. Create a to-do list for the next day. 

I will typically spend about 35-45 minutes preparing my home each evening; I typically take my nightly melatonin and can complete all Zone 2 tasks, prep my face for the night, read a few chapters of my current book selection, in the time it takes for me to become sleepy! This also allows me plenty of time to both relax each night, and to efficiently start my next day.

So, today I am challenging you all to accomplish three tasks:

1. Create a mater household cleaning list.
2. Establish an morning cleaning ritual (Zone 1).
3. To establish an evening cleaning ritual (Zone 2).
4. Consistently use your newly created Zone Cleaning Methods for one month!

Now, while this list seems extensive, depending on the size of your home, should only take a one hour daily, and in the long run should greatly help you not only today but in the future. This week is not only about creating long-lasting cleaning solutions in your home, but establishing routines that will help you not only keep your home cleaner and safer, but to shave the time it takes you to do so, in half! 

Here’s to you,

Good morning, savvy savers! Can you believe we are almost half-way finished with this No-Spend Month! WooHoo! So, today will be the final day of this months No-Spend Challenge Cleaning projects! 

Today I want to focus on one of the most neglected areas in my home, and perhaps yours, my couponed stockpile. Yes, the cave of Frugal Wonders! My stockpile, housed in my homes basement, though it’s well lit, houses many built-in shelving features, the area still seems to always be in need of rearranging, sorting, and cleaning! The one saving grace of this area, the exhilarating feeling I get each time I am able to gaze over my shelves, from the shampoo to the paper products, and then proceed to “shop from my home!”  

My stockpile, though hard earned, is an immense blessing to my home. And as they say, to whom much is given, much is asked, and this rule equally applies to my stockpile! My stockpile saves my family thousands of dollars a year, but I must honestly admit is the most neglected area in my home. But no more! So today, I challenge you all to clean up your stockpile! 

Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Rotate your stockpile. “Rotating your stockpile” means rotating your stockpile per season. You will need to place goods in order of expiration date, my seasonal usage, as well as keeping climate into consideration; you may need to start storing it in one location for summer and another location for winter, in terms of baking tools, cans, chemicals, etc.. 
2. Long Term Storage: If you plan to store any item for longer than a week or two, you need to know its long-term storage requirements. Some items will only last months or longer if stored in a cool, dry place. Some items must be stored in a refrigerated or frozen environment in order to last longer. Make lists, and create sub-areas in your stockpile; examples are canned goods, cosmetics, paper products, etc.
3. Take Note of Patterns: Start a list of your product usage, this will allow you to see what you need, will use in a years time, and what should be donated accordingly. Unused goods are cash wasted.
4. Last Forever Items: Nothing lasts forever. Even goods such as bottled water, start to have an altered taste after a decade, so keep this in mind.
5. Canned and Preserved Goods: Keep inventory and note the dates of home-preserved items; a rule of thumbs is to only keep items no longer than two years. 
6. Pests: Pests love your stockpile, almost as much as you do! Be sure to check goods monthly, especially in Summer, and any goods that look altered, chuck immediately! 
7. Dehumidifier: Humidity can alter and mold many goods, so consider running a dehumidifier twice weekly. 

Keep in mind, this project took me a little less than three hours, and I was able to clean out three shelves of goods, and the best part… I assembled sixteen boxes worth of goods which are being donated today to a local women’s shelter and homeless pantry!

I was able to clean out three shelves of goods, and the best part… I assembled sixteen boxes worth of goods which are being donated today to a local women’s shelter and homeless pantry! Woohoo! 

As well today I was also able to accomplish:

1. As part of my #Choose30 Daily Challenge, I woke up at 7:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
2. Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner, before heading out this morning.
3. Read my daily devotional.

Today I will save:

• I received a $200.00 tax receipt for donating goods to charity.
• I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.
• Ate from my weekly menu, three times, and saved $8.91.

Total amount I saved my family: $212.59

So, how is your week looking? What are you saving this week, I’d love to hear about it!

Here’s to saving,