Holiday Grand Plan Week 6

Week 6: Kids Room

I really need to do a lot more work in my son's room this week but I won't be here!
We have a major toy and clothing overhaul to make. And when I say "we", I mean "me" because of course nobody else will do it!
I will just have to make a little extra time in the coming weeks to take care of this one. But you can keep the torch going. Get in there and do it, you'll feel better once you have. If your children are old enough then enlist their help. Do you have enough "stuff" that you can put into a garage sale? Weather is nice and perhaps people will be out looking for Christmas gifts. What a great way to make a few extra dollars for your gift fund.

Now is also the time to check/change your smoke detectors and work on Halloween/Fall Harvest costumes if you celebrate this.

How is your gift shopping/making coming?

So far I've made knit items for two family members and I have a few gifts coming in here and there from catalogs.

By the way, you can save up to 20% with Lillian Vernon this week if you have signed up for their e-newsletter. I just ordered several items for gift giving today with this deal. It really pays to sign up for e-news from your favorite companies - then sit back and wait for the offers. I typically earmark what I like in their catalogs and then wait for an offer - then order. I try never to pay "full price" for anything. When you do your shopping year around you save yourself money and stress!

Let me know if any of you are doing the HGP this year and how it's working for you.

Frugal Friday: Baking Soda Uses

We previously talked about Vinegar, now let's go over another product that is used around my house for cleaning, baking, odor control...the list goes on.

Here's just one tip for cleaning with baking soda. My kitchen sink gets really grimy (don't they all). So every once in awhile I bring out the baking soda (that I once again buy in bulk) and sprinkle some in the sink. Then I pour lemon juice over top and watch it bubble and fizz! I let this "paste" sit a few minutes and then I rinse with hot water. Most of the grime comes off with just a rinse but I use a rag or "greenie weenie" to get the rest off with just a light once over.
I've also found this concoction to be very useful in cleaning the shower. I was using Comet and all sorts of other chemicals to do the job but this worked just as well and with no offensive odors.

Take a look at some more uses for baking soda.

Holiday Grand Plan Week 5

Master Bathroom

Did you finish up all you wanted to in the Master Bedroom? I certainly didn't. But that's okay - I at least got started and that's more than I can say for the rest of the year! My schedule has just gotten unbelievable and I've had to majorly scale back this year (this on top of my son and I getting very sick).
But that is ALRIGHT! There's another chance to get this house ship shape with the Spring Cleaning Grand Plan.

So if you are not finished in that bedroom, clean up whatever mess you drug out from your closets or underneath your bed and then walk away and move on to your bathroom.

You'll also want to work on your linen closets AND do a wardrobe checklist for your children. This will give you a head start for next week because we'll then be working in the children's rooms (and since I'll be on the road again next week I need all the help I can get). My family is already asking me what my son needs in the way of clothing and I can't tell them anything yet because I've not gone through his clothes or tried anything on him from last fall.

Keep working 1 hr a day on homemade gifts, try to buy some gifts off your list.

On the horizon: Holiday Stamps will be coming out in early October with a theme very near and dear to my heart.
Also, have you thought about having a baking day or weekend? I'm not sure if I'm going to do any baking at all this year due to my very restricted diet. But when I was baking I picked the first weekend in November and made several batches of cookie dough to roll and freeze along with my Pumpkin Butter.

Frugal Friday: Plastic Grocery Bags

What are you going to do with all those plastic grocery bags you accumlate every week?

A lot of stores now have recycling bins for you to put your extras in - that's always a good option.

I use mine for kitty litter, dirty diapers, bathroom trash can liners and sometimes my husband takes his lunch to work in them.

Did you know you could also crochet with them? Now that's my kind of recycling!

Here are 10 more plastic bag uses from Real Simple.

Happy 3rd Birthday!

My son has turned 3 years old today!
We are having a small party for him this weekend at my in-laws. It's going to be hectic for several reasons but I'm going to try and focus on having fun and making a few memories.

I went to the store yesterday to pick up some specific party supplies and the shelves were empty! I'm running out of time here! FRANTIC PANIC - whoa slow down. It's going to be OK!
Does anyone have any tylenol?

Holiday Grand Plan Week 4

I really can't believe it's week 4 already on the HGP.

Let's get into that Master Bedroom.

My major tasks here is to get the fan and high ceilings cleaned and to clean out/rearrange the closet. I've lived with a messy closet for over a year now and it's time to do something about it!

It's really time to start getting gifts (if you haven't already) and making items. Buying gifts now makes it easy on the wallet, I try to buy one or two items each paycheck.
I like to buy gifts over the internet because I despise going out shopping unless I'm with my husband and it's not easy to coordinate that due to his schedule. I sign up for emails with companies I regularly buy from and then I wait until they offer me coupons or free shipping. My goal is never to pay full price.

So here is a handy dandy form to track all of your internet orders.

Also you should check out My Simon to help you find the best price for your item.

Frugal Friday: Vinegar Uses

An old friend of mine flipped her lid when I told her I used vinegar as one of my main cleaning agents. She said, "It doesn't clean or disinfect, you've got to use something stronger!"

Well I've never given into what she said because I simply don't believe it.
I mix equal parts of vinegar and water and keep it in a spray bottle under my kitchen sink and another bottle of it in my cleaning bucket. I use this general purpose cleaner in every room of my house.

Visit Vinegar Tips to get totally overwhelmed with ways to use this product that should have a spot in every home. I haven't read all the tips yet but I bet there will be some I haven't thought of.
I think I'll start here.

I love that it's nontoxic - good for me, my family and my pets. It even gets rid of fruit flies which I always have a problem with...well problem no more!

Thanks Vinegar Tips!

Holiday Grand Plan Week 3

This week we are in the entryway. I don't know about you but my entryway is small so there's not a lot of work to be done here. I'll also clean out the coat closet but I tend to keep it pretty organized throughout the year. I will switch out the summer shoes for winter and break out the winter coats, hats etc...
This is also the week that I like to put out my fall decorations (of which I do not have much - just a wreath and some pumpkin scented candles - a few other things).

If you are planning on making homemade gifts for this holiday season then you should be getting your materials together now (depending on what you are making).
I am going to try to make some knit items, I have all the yarn I need as well as some patterns. Try to work at least 1 hr a day on these gifts - the time is going to slip away from you so if you can get started now you are giving yourself a great head start to a great season of giving.

I haven't forgotten to put up pictures of my HGP binder, I'm just been really knocked off trail by the icky sickys.

Sick

Please forgive me for not posting but right now I'm very sick and I'm also taking care of my mother for awhile, the dust just hasn't settled yet in this busy time.
HGP post coming on Sunday.

In the meantime - play some Frogger

Holiday Grand Plan Week 2

Holiday Grand Plan Week 2: Question Week

It's question week at the HGP and I have a few of questions for you:

1. Do you know what you are doing?
2. Are there dust bunnies under your bed, in the bathroom and all over those hard wood floors?
3. Do you know where your children are?

What does this have to do with the Holiday Grand Plan? Absolutely nothing but if you answered:
1. Absolutely not
2. Dust BUNNIES? More like dust ELEPHANTS
3. They were here a few hours ago.....hmmmm

Then welcome to my world, hop onto my boat and grab an oar, we'll steer through this thing together. HA!


Alright so you'll be cleaning in the Living Room this week, continue making lists, finish up that binder if you haven't already and buy a few extra items that you will need on hand for the end of the year.

If you didn't get them last year then think about ordering your address labels and Christmas cards now. If you don't order them then just keep an eye out in the stores, Christmas items are already being put out.
What I do is purchase Christmas cards just after Christmas each year on sale. This year I ordered return address labels from Vistaprint just for the cost of shipping. Normally I just write addresses (terrible handwriting though) or print envelopes out on my printer.

So how did things go with cleaning your front porch and list week last week? Did you figure out you have a ton to do around the house? Cut that list in half, it'll never all get done anyhow, no since in beating yourself up about it!

Coming up next is an inside look to my new HGP notebook!