What you can do:

• Make a donation.  Even $10 can make a difference.  Get a free pink sweatshirt with a $100 donation.  You can also make a donation in memory of a loved one.  Use the link on the website to donate or call 877-337-3348.
• Instead of using your normal search engine, set GoodSearch as your home page and a donation is made every time you search or shop online.
• Order gift cards.  Gift Cards for a Cause is an easy way to support a non-profit organization throughout the year by shopping for your every day needs like groceries, clothing, and casual dining, or any occasion that calls for gift giving.
• If you use a professional maid service, ask them if they have heard of Cleaning for a Reason.

For more information, visit the Cleaning for a Reason website.

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

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

Sandra Felton,The Organizer Lady® will be speaking about the ideas found in her 24 page booklet I’ve Got to Get Rid of This Stuff.

WHEN? Wednesday, March 18, 2009

TIME? 9 PM Eastern Time, 8 Central, 7 Mountain, 6 Pacific

HOW LONG? One hour has been set aside for your burning questions.

COST? FREE There is no charge for the teleclass.  Of course, regular telephone charges will apply just like when you call Aunt Sally in Wyoming.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE? Just dial the telephone number and use the access code given below when asked. For those of you who have never participated in a teleclass, it is just like listening to the radio, only over the phone.

TELEPHONE NUMBER to call is 712-432-1699

ACCESS CODE is 466504#

Come prepared with pen and paper to write your strategies and goals.

ALSO – If you miss the live teleclass it will be available on messies.com for you to listen to at your convenience!

If you attend, please let us know how it goes.  If everything goes well tonight, I may drop in on the call.

Image: Karen Weideman

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

We redid our kitchen 4 years ago and have had the cabinets from our old kitchen sitting in our garage ever since.  I finally got tired of them sitting there and put them on Craig’s List yesterday.  I got 10 emails in less than an hour and I now have a check in my hand!  I even got what I was asking for them.  They didn’t even haggle the price.  I posted the listing exactly 24 hours ago.  I am SO HAPPY! Now we can use the money to fix up our next project to sell.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Then I remembered the marker all over my wooden door goingto the bathroom that Turkey Butt decided last year to use as an easle.  It came off like butter on a hot knife.  I was sold since I had tried to use another cleaner and couldn’t get it off my door without ruining the protectant surface.  I liked the magic eraser before but now I am sold … hook, line, and sinker.

So thank you Mr Clean Magic Eraser for letting me participate in this little experiment and yes, I will be buying more erasers soon.

Stay tuned to next week to find out why.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

So this weeks, Thursday Cleaning Challenge is to purge the kids toys so that when Christmas comes, you won’t be totally overwhelmed.  Hope this helps.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I found black specks all over the top of my clothes.  Then I looked at the top of my washing machine ring.  What I saw was a small ring of dirt and black junk.  So I cleaned out the black junk.  All I can say is Yuck!!!   But now I can honestly say that my washing machine is officially clean.  I also cleaned out the fabric softener dispenser with a rag.  Now I know my washing machine is clean and ready to go.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Post from: Thrifty Mommy