Since having kids, things seem to mysteriously appear throughout my house.  No matter how many times I clean and tidy up the house, there seem to be things out of place.  To make up for some of the extra time I spend mothering and tidying up the house, I’ve had to figure out some quick cleaning tips.  Here’s a few to try:

1)  Clean your bathroom while your kids are taking a bath.  Be sure to use safe cleaning products such as vinegar.  You can also take this time to clean out a bathroom drawer.

2)  Keep a few extra trash bags in the bottom of your trash cans.  When you take out the trash, there will be a clean bag waiting.

3)  Do a quick 10-15 minute family clean-up.  Set the timer for 10 minutes and have everyone participate in cleaning up the house.  At first you may have some resistance but if you make this a daily routine, the kids will know what’s expected and participate.

4)  Grab a basket for a quick pick up of out of place things.  Put items into the basket and it will be easy to put them away as you walk through each room.

5)  Before leaving a room, make sure you take something with you.  This goes for your car too.  Each time I get out of my car, I usually pick up a few pieces of trash or grab a few things that need to go into the house.

6)  Do a load of laundry each day.  This will avoid laundry piling up and will make it easier to put away each load as it’s completed.

7)  Unload your dishwasher as soon as the load is complete.  It’s easier to keep dirty dishes out of the sink if the dishwasher is ready to be loaded.

8)  Keep cleaning supplies in each bathroom and in the kitchen.  Using an all purpose cleaner such as vinegar will cut down on the supplies you need.

9)  Assign daily chores to each person in the house.  Each person needs to contribute and if each person has a regular job, they will know what’s expected of them.  The chores need to be age-appropriate.

10)  Do a quick vacuuming in common areas once during the week.  Save the time consuming vacuuming and furniture moving for cleaning days.  Having clean floors makes a home more attractive.

What time saving cleaning tips can you share?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Here are two apple crates that we’re using as bookcases.  My hubby and I found these in a yard sale many years ago as we were traveling up the mountain to Virginia.  I think we paid $10 for both of them.  We have been using these for about six years and have really enjoyed them.

If you have any old dresser drawers, you could use them as potting boxes.  I saw this recently at a pumpkin patch and thought it was so cute.  If you use these on a railing (as shown here), don’t forget to attach them so that they don’t fall.

This old chair is a favorite in our home.  My husband found it a few years ago at a yard sale for about $5.  He cleaned it up and now Emma sits proudly on it in our dining room.  We really like the rustic look of the chair. 

These are a few ideas of how you can take some old junk and make it into a special treasure.  What ways have you repurposed your old things?

images (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Your home’s entry is the next thing people see after they walk up to your home. Think of it as curb appeal… but for the inside.

This is Lou Manfredini, Ace’s “Helpful Hardware Man,” and if you came to my house about six months ago you would have found a pile of shoes, which my four children seem to think belong right by the door. I found that having a place designated to store things gives you a better chance that they will actually get put away. If you have the space, place a bench that has some shoe storage in it so you can create a safe haven for some of the clutter that comes through the front door. These benches come in many sizes and a range of prices; in my opinion, the smallest size for effectiveness is about four feet long. A unit this size allows you to store about six pairs of shoes and also offers you a place to sit when putting them on. We placed a five-foot unit in my home’s entryway and I have actually seen my children put their shoes back in the cubbies! Our unit also has small drawers where gloves and hats (and sometimes loose change) can also be found.

If you can’t find a unit in your price range that fits your needs, get creative: Convert an old bookshelf – or an inexpensive new bookshelf – into an entryway storage unit by adding baskets or colorful totes to help keep backpacks, homework and other items neatly organized and out of sight. Or add bins below a plain bench, install a few hooks overhead to hold coats and keys and you’ve got yourself a custom entryway! A coat rack or coat tree can also keep things organized and neat. Look for one that also has umbrella storage in the center. Any piece you choose should serve multiple purposes, because the last thing you want in an entryway is too much furniture or too many obstructions.

If you are entertaining this holiday season, consider using foldable coat racks that you can place in the living room for guests to hang their coats on. These racks keep guests from going upstairs to lay their coats on your bed, which means one less room to keep clean.

What inexpensive ways can you make your entryway more appealing?

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My hubby and I dropped by the local antique/furniture/junk store this week.  We just never know what we’ll find.  I have been dropping in there frequently lately because I was looking for something for my tv to sit on.  I found a beautiful big dresser but it was $350.  Ouch.  I even considered it.  After all, it would be a lifelong beautiful piece.  Thankfully, we went back a few days later and found this entertainment center.  We paid only $45 for it!  I’m so excited!

The cabinet also has room underneath for our dvds and such.  We plan to keep that television for only another year or two, so it’s best that we didn’t pay much for a tv cabinet.  After we get a flatscreen for the wall, we can move this entertainment center to our bedroom to use as an armoire (since it has doors) or to one of the kid’s rooms.

What deals have you found lately?

image (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

His comment really got me to thinking.  Would someone really be a renter forever?  Here are some reasons why I don’t believe you should rent for life.

1)  You will always, always have a payment.  When you are 65 years old, you’ll still be paying rent.  This is a time in your life when your income will be limited and you won’t need extra payments.  Will you be able to afford your medication, rent, groceries, and utilities?

2)  The cost of rent will continue to increase.  Just as inflation goes up, so will cost of your rent.

3)  You get nothing for your money.  Figure it out.  If on average you pay $1200 per month for rent for 40 years, that’s $576,000.  Yes, I said $576,000!  And the $1200 per month I figured is a generously low estimate.

4)  There is no return on your money.  Not only do you get nothing but temporary housing, but your money is not being invested.  Think of all the older folks you know that paid $22,000 for their homes.  They’re paid off and their homes are now worth 10 times more than they paid for them.  If they get into a financial bind, they can always sell their homes.

5)  You’ll have something to leave your spouse and children.  When I was a teen, my friend’s dad died.  I was shocked to find out that her dad had made some very poor financial decisions, one of which was renting the same house for about 20 years.  This house was only worth about $50,000 at the time.  After he passed away, he left his wife with little to no insurance and his wife had to figure out how to make it on her own, which included the extra burden of rent.  Thankfully, she was able to get a low-income loan, but it was not easy for her.  That $50,000 house that he rented for so long could have been hers to keep if he had purchased it rather than renting.

The purchase of a home is not for everyone and I’m certainly against buying a home if you cannot afford it.  In the long time scheme of things, I believe that buying a home is the best option. 

What are your feelings on renting versus buying?

image (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

4)  Don’t buy new boxes.  The last time my husband and I moved, we bought about eight boxes.  The rest were boxes that we picked up from grocery stores, Wal-Mart, and other places.  If you like for all of your boxes to be the same size, then try purchasing used moving boxes.  I’ve even seen them being given away on Freecycle.

5)  Compare truck rental rates from different companies.  Compare the size of the truck with the price and know if they’re going to charge you per mile that you drive or if some miles are included in the deal. 

6)  Consider moving on a weekday.  I’ve been told many times that it is cheaper to move during the week.  I guess it makes sense because of supply and demand.  More people want to move on the weekends.  If you’re able to move during the week then check out weekday rental prices.

What ways do you save money when moving?

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As you all now, I’m a bit of a tightwad and I try to save money whenever I can so here are some money saving tips to consider when moving:

1)  Do it yourself!  Don’t hire a moving crew.  They charge an enormous amount of money to move your stuff.  Try to do it yourself, as much as possible.

2)  If you must hire someone, consider hiring some college students or other strong guys.  Even if you have to pay a few guys $100 each, it’s so much cheaper than a moving company.

3)  Call on friends.  Friends should be willing to help you out when you need it, especially if you’re one that lends a hand to them.  Call up all your friends and schedule a moving party.  Promise to have pizza delivered at the end of the day or take them out to your favorite restaurant. 

Stay tuned for more ways to save money when moving.  What ways do you save?

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4.  Repurpose what you have.  Paint that old lamp or picture frame. Change your night stand into a bookshelf.  Recover your old pillows with fabric. Use a sheet for window treatments. 

5.  Get an outside opinion.  It helps to ask someone else’s opinion for ways to help your decorating space.  Many times others will see things you didn’t see and have ideas you had never thought about.  They may suggest moving a piece of furniture or changing a wall hanging.  Those small inexpensive tips can make a big impact.

6.  Borrow furniture.  When I first got married, I didn’t have any living room furniture.  I ended up borrowing some things from my parent’s house.  All you have to do is get the word out to friends and family that you need some items for your home.  Some people have things in their basement that are just sitting around collecting dust.  Some will let you borrow things and others will just let you have the stuff. 

7.  Be patient.  You can’t expect your home to look perfect right away.  It takes moving things around, searching for deals, and tweaking things a bit.  It will all come together eventually.

What tips do you have for decorating on the cheap?

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1.  Shop yard sales and thrift stores.  I’ve been doing this for years.  Just a few months ago I was at a yard sale and found a really nice living room couch and oversized chair.  The person I bought it from had only used it for a year.  She paid $1200 for it and I got it for only $120.  Sometimes you can find some really unique items by shopping this way.

2.  Check Craigslist.  You just never know what you’ll find on Craiglist.  We’re getting ready to move into our house and the home inspector found some issues with the bathtub.  My husband found a brand new tub with jets on Craiglist for 1/5 the price.  It was one a contractor didn’t use.

3.  Think paint.  Paint is one of the least expensive ways to add warmth and color to your home.  It really is amazing how $30 in paint can transform a room.  I am not very fond of white walls and in our last house, all the walls were white.  Once we painted the living room a taupe color, the whole look of the room changed and I could hardly wait to paint the rest of the house. 

Stay tuned for more ideas and tips on inexpensive decorating.  In the meantime, we’d love to hear the ways that you save.

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You see, almost four years ago we bought a house.  We lived in it, fixed it up, and cared for it.  We wanted to make it a special place for our family.  Now here we are selling it and taking a loss.  A big loss.  We actually have to borrow money to sell it.  You may be wondering why I would be borrowing money to sell a house.  Well, it’s been on the market for eight months.  As you can imagine, the upkeep on a home can be very expensive and then add to it rent and utilities in another location, and it leaves us with little money left each month.

For eight months, we have been paying a mortgage, insurance, taxes, and utilities on a house we’re not occupying.  All of this while the housing market is down.  We’ve had people interested in the house, but none that could come up with the money.  The city where the house is located has seen a lot of lay offs.

You may be wondering why I wouldn’t just hang on to the house and wait until the market picks back up.  There are several reasons for this. 

1)  This is the first offer we have received on the house.
2) We don’t know when the market will pick back up again.
3) The financial strain needs to stop.
4) The market where the house is located is far worse than it is here.
5) Houses where we currently live cost a lot more.
6) Interest rates are the lowest they have been in many years.
7) Reasons #5 and #6 equal the reason we can afford to buy a house now.

Let me make this clear:  I hate debt.  This is not the road I want to take, but right now it seems like the only option.  And with rates being the lowest they’ve been in years, we can actually afford to purchase a house here.  The money we’ll save in interest far outweighs the loss on the other home.

I’ve had several people suggest a shortsale on the house, but everything I’ve read about shortsales messes with your credit.  (Shortsales are a better alternative to foreclosure though.) 

Sorry, this is no money saving lesson for today.  This is just a lesson learned and some thrifty struggles, weighing options, and finding the best way to get through it.  I’m hoping things are financially well your way.

images (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Thrifty Mommy