Hello Everyone!
It's been a while since I've posted here. I'm right now sitting on the only available seat in my living room. Ever since I've had Nate I have been not only behind, but I'm starting to feel like a hoarder. It's not as bad as all of that, but it can feel REALLY overwhelming at points. I'm sure you know what I mean.
My problem when it comes to cleaning: I look at the whole picture instead of what's directly in front of me. I can't see the forest for the trees. Just like I can't see the carpet through the mess. sigh. Well, luckily it's clutter mess, not filth mess. My whole house can be cleaned in less than a few days uninterrupted, (including laundry) IF I don't turn on the TV or climb onto my computer, or pick up a scrapbook or make some cards, etc. (check out one of my crafting blogs HERE!) Another problem I have is I'm a constant human feeding machine. (a SSHD way to save money; breastfeed!) I have to stop every couple of hours to feed/change diapers/ rinse out diapers/ etc.
So, having made homemade cleaners, I'm going to work on a way to declutter, especially since we're moving soon. Don't know where (yay, Army!) and have a general idea of when- December(ish) timeframe. I want to get as much done now, before I have to worry about "what do you mean we have 3 weeks?!".
I'll keep everyone posted. Remember, it's SMART, SAVVY, Homemaker Diva. Handling things on a one-at-a-time basis is smart. I just need to keep reminding myself- housework is a process not a destination. it will NEVER be "done". sigh.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Sometimes, and investment is worth it.
I'm going to talk a little girly here. Well, the subject is about an investment, however the topic of the subject is makeup. huh? what? trust me on this. I wouldn't steer you wrong.
Okay, so my foundation alone costs around $45. it has, however, lasted me 2 years. It's a mineral powder foundation and I have to tell you- I put makeup on nearly every day, and it's lasted. assume I put makeup on 300 out of 365 days a year. this foundation has lasted me 2 years. so... 600 days. 600 divided by 45 is around 13 cents a day. Now, I still have 1/2 a container left of this particular foundation. which means, my $45 investment will cost me when I'm done, about 6.5 cents a makeup application.
Now, what do I mean by all of this? Well, 1- 10 cents a day to make up your face (I'm including other makeup like mascara and eyeliner/shadow, lipstick etc) will do a WORLD of wonder for your attitude, and 2- sometimes paying more in the beginning for something long-term. It's always cheaper to pay for 6 months of car insurance than per month; even cheaper to buy the year in advance.
Most of you know I'm a cloth diaper mama. Well, I will be as soon as my stash is back up. In fact, I only have a few more covers to make and I'll be off the disposables permanently. (unless he gets really sick or something.) Well, CDing costs on average $3300 less than using disposables. It's an investment that pays off in the long-run.
What investments are you staring at lately?
Okay, so my foundation alone costs around $45. it has, however, lasted me 2 years. It's a mineral powder foundation and I have to tell you- I put makeup on nearly every day, and it's lasted. assume I put makeup on 300 out of 365 days a year. this foundation has lasted me 2 years. so... 600 days. 600 divided by 45 is around 13 cents a day. Now, I still have 1/2 a container left of this particular foundation. which means, my $45 investment will cost me when I'm done, about 6.5 cents a makeup application.
Now, what do I mean by all of this? Well, 1- 10 cents a day to make up your face (I'm including other makeup like mascara and eyeliner/shadow, lipstick etc) will do a WORLD of wonder for your attitude, and 2- sometimes paying more in the beginning for something long-term. It's always cheaper to pay for 6 months of car insurance than per month; even cheaper to buy the year in advance.
Most of you know I'm a cloth diaper mama. Well, I will be as soon as my stash is back up. In fact, I only have a few more covers to make and I'll be off the disposables permanently. (unless he gets really sick or something.) Well, CDing costs on average $3300 less than using disposables. It's an investment that pays off in the long-run.
What investments are you staring at lately?
Saving my sanity, one dish at a time.
So, my most vile, hated, loathed, abominated and despised chore is doing the dishes. It wouldn't be half as bad if I had a working dishwasher. sigh. I don't, unfortunately. well, it technically works, it just leaves sand and grit all over the "clean" dishes. Don't know about you- but drinking oj and sandpaper... not my cup of tea.
I am saving my sanity though. After just having a baby 3 weeks ago on 1/14/11, I have let a few things slide, like cleaning, and laundry, and sanity. I think that my sanity disappears easily because not only do I home school, nurse a newborn and run a home, I also do odd crafting jobs for money. I'm currently working on wedding invitations and favors for a friend- I know, I'm awesome. I'm exhausted, but I"m awesome.
Anyhoo- I have found a way to save some sanity, as well as some money while doing dishes. I have to use a "special" soap for dishes because my hands break out with just about everything. Litterally, they blister and crack and ache for days. Well, I don't know about you, but I use my hands to do darn near everything. You want to know what it is?
It's my household miracle product. Baking soda. Add 1-2T to your water before you add the soap. GUESS waht lasts longer? yup, the soapy suds AND it also helps to soften your hands! aaah, no more blisters (yay sanity!) and less soap used! (yay, wallet!) Not to mention it has this uncanny ability to take out weird smells, so if you have some plastic wear, like rubbermaid, tupperware, or even glad containers, it helps to take out the accumulative funky odors out of it!
I love baking soda. :)
I am saving my sanity though. After just having a baby 3 weeks ago on 1/14/11, I have let a few things slide, like cleaning, and laundry, and sanity. I think that my sanity disappears easily because not only do I home school, nurse a newborn and run a home, I also do odd crafting jobs for money. I'm currently working on wedding invitations and favors for a friend- I know, I'm awesome. I'm exhausted, but I"m awesome.
Anyhoo- I have found a way to save some sanity, as well as some money while doing dishes. I have to use a "special" soap for dishes because my hands break out with just about everything. Litterally, they blister and crack and ache for days. Well, I don't know about you, but I use my hands to do darn near everything. You want to know what it is?
It's my household miracle product. Baking soda. Add 1-2T to your water before you add the soap. GUESS waht lasts longer? yup, the soapy suds AND it also helps to soften your hands! aaah, no more blisters (yay sanity!) and less soap used! (yay, wallet!) Not to mention it has this uncanny ability to take out weird smells, so if you have some plastic wear, like rubbermaid, tupperware, or even glad containers, it helps to take out the accumulative funky odors out of it!
I love baking soda. :)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Do you know how much it's costing you?!
This is for all those moms in diapers. well, not the moms but their precious little ones. From birth to potty training, it costs around $3600.00 in diapers! Yes, that was THREE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED! This is based around 5-6 diaper changes a day until potty training, and believe me when I tell you- some kids aren't that quick of a study! Ready to faint now mama? Well, if you're not- but you're all about the environment just know each of those diapers takes around 500 years to decompose! (I have NO clue how they came upw ith that, just know they did.) No to mention the byproducts of bleaching those diapers and how the chemicals sit on your baby's skin. I was shocked, because this information while available on the internet should be told more often by diaper companies! Then again, what company wants to put on their product: this product may lead to infertility when your angel grows up... But I digress. what it actually costs to cloth diaper- around $500... unless you make them yourself! (feel free to buy them from me though, if you don't have the time- shamless plug for Cheeky Monkey Diapers. check me out on facebook!! cheeky monkey on facebook!)
Let me talk to you for a second- is 2 extra loads of laundry a week worth you saving on average $3100? it sure was to me! Add to that I make my own laundry soap (check out my first few blogs it's in there somewhere- I'll insert the link when I'm done writing this.) so it quite litterally costs me only .02 cents a load. I will do 2 extra loads of diapers and accessories a week to prevent spending a fortune!
now there are so many other benefits to cloth diapering, like less rashes, less skin irritation, chemical free, etc. I encourage you to look them up! If you're interested in purchasing, you can always email me on FB or go to cheekymonkeydiapers@gmail.com for it. :)
Let me talk to you for a second- is 2 extra loads of laundry a week worth you saving on average $3100? it sure was to me! Add to that I make my own laundry soap (check out my first few blogs it's in there somewhere- I'll insert the link when I'm done writing this.) so it quite litterally costs me only .02 cents a load. I will do 2 extra loads of diapers and accessories a week to prevent spending a fortune!
now there are so many other benefits to cloth diapering, like less rashes, less skin irritation, chemical free, etc. I encourage you to look them up! If you're interested in purchasing, you can always email me on FB or go to cheekymonkeydiapers@gmail.com for it. :)
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
for the cost of a loaf of bread...
Okay, so the avg cost of a loaf of bread is about $2.15 here in my neck of the woods- depending on where you go. This doesn't include tax, gas to get there or the time you take to go get it. (granted we usually get it with our grocery shopping!) Tax in middle TN, is 9.95%. (ridiculous, I know!) so that one loaf of bread cost about .50 to go to the store too.
so, let me get this straight: for one loaf of bread, it's:
$2.15 bread +
.50 gas + (or more depending on how far you drive!-)
.22 tax. +
---------------
$2.87 Not bad, considering. but remember, this doesn't include your TIME! your time is valuable too!!
Now, homemade bread... (don't roll your eyes, it's really only like 20 minutes of actual work)
Flour, yeast, salt and water. that's all you need.
the most expensive thing on here is the yeast. and with a jar (about $4) you can make aprox 20-30 loaves with this. The 10lb bag of flour will cost you about $3- and make about 20 loaves of bread. salt is pittiance. it's like .80 and you only need 1 t. you'll get about 100-150 loaves of bread from it. Water is- free from the tap. :)
I'm going to price this at the highest price and lowest amount of return. (least amount of loaves of bread) this is per batch of dough, and 1 batch will make you 2-3 loves of bread depending on how large your pans are.
yeast: .20 per batch.
flour: .15
salt .008 cents. (let's round that up to a full penny!)
For an entire two loaves of bread- you're paying .36! (please note, this doesn't include electricity or gas for baking, however .36 beats $2.87 anyday!)
Now, on to the link for the home made bread. it's a tutorial because I'm just lazy (or is it smart not to reinvent the wheel???) Joyful Helpmeet's homemade bread tutorial.
Enjoy!
so, let me get this straight: for one loaf of bread, it's:
$2.15 bread +
.50 gas + (or more depending on how far you drive!-)
.22 tax. +
---------------
$2.87 Not bad, considering. but remember, this doesn't include your TIME! your time is valuable too!!
Now, homemade bread... (don't roll your eyes, it's really only like 20 minutes of actual work)
Flour, yeast, salt and water. that's all you need.
the most expensive thing on here is the yeast. and with a jar (about $4) you can make aprox 20-30 loaves with this. The 10lb bag of flour will cost you about $3- and make about 20 loaves of bread. salt is pittiance. it's like .80 and you only need 1 t. you'll get about 100-150 loaves of bread from it. Water is- free from the tap. :)
I'm going to price this at the highest price and lowest amount of return. (least amount of loaves of bread) this is per batch of dough, and 1 batch will make you 2-3 loves of bread depending on how large your pans are.
yeast: .20 per batch.
flour: .15
salt .008 cents. (let's round that up to a full penny!)
For an entire two loaves of bread- you're paying .36! (please note, this doesn't include electricity or gas for baking, however .36 beats $2.87 anyday!)
Now, on to the link for the home made bread. it's a tutorial because I'm just lazy (or is it smart not to reinvent the wheel???) Joyful Helpmeet's homemade bread tutorial.
Enjoy!
I want to be a better homemaker!
I've decided that during the last few months of my pregnancy, this preggo project will be becoming a better homemaker. I so desperately want to be like those of the 30's - the 50's who put their families first, had dinner made by the time their husband walked in the door, all laundry was done, dishes were non-existant, and not a fleck of dust was anywhere on their furniture, and they seemed to have leisure time for their pet projects. Their houses were immaculate as were their families, and they seemed to never been rushed or harried in any way.
I SO want to learn the secrets of these amazingly enviable women! For a few years, I have been studying the book Created to be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl, and that has helped my relationship and my mentality in my marriage is now incredible! I HIGHLY recommend the book, and yes it will piss you off. it did me, but when I examined myself I realized that I was in the wrong. Some things I had issues with I am still dealing with, but that's between me and God.
So, back to being the home maker. It's more than being "just" a housewife, though I promise there are times that we all feel like "just" a housewife, and that's ok. Every time we wash yet another dish, or change yet another diaper, or yet another round of our dust/vac routine, we honor God. In the mundane, boring, irritating things we do, we bless our family and honor God.
My goal over the next 3 months (before the baby is due) is to do all of those things WITH joy and in love for my family! I want to find joy in doing the mundane, and while I realize that goes completely against what society would have us do, I want to honor my husband and my children.
Now, I'm a home school mom, and I own a business making cloth diapers. Add to that I volunteer at my church (albeit lightly), am my hubby's help-meet, and I'm in the throwes of growing a complex human being. I will be blogging (hopefully) 2-3x a week about what I did, and what I plan on doing for the next day.
Wish me luck! :)
I SO want to learn the secrets of these amazingly enviable women! For a few years, I have been studying the book Created to be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl, and that has helped my relationship and my mentality in my marriage is now incredible! I HIGHLY recommend the book, and yes it will piss you off. it did me, but when I examined myself I realized that I was in the wrong. Some things I had issues with I am still dealing with, but that's between me and God.
So, back to being the home maker. It's more than being "just" a housewife, though I promise there are times that we all feel like "just" a housewife, and that's ok. Every time we wash yet another dish, or change yet another diaper, or yet another round of our dust/vac routine, we honor God. In the mundane, boring, irritating things we do, we bless our family and honor God.
My goal over the next 3 months (before the baby is due) is to do all of those things WITH joy and in love for my family! I want to find joy in doing the mundane, and while I realize that goes completely against what society would have us do, I want to honor my husband and my children.
Now, I'm a home school mom, and I own a business making cloth diapers. Add to that I volunteer at my church (albeit lightly), am my hubby's help-meet, and I'm in the throwes of growing a complex human being. I will be blogging (hopefully) 2-3x a week about what I did, and what I plan on doing for the next day.
Wish me luck! :)
Friday, July 2, 2010
Great source for getting your home in order.
There are literally thousands of sites you can "google" (when did that word become a verb?) that will tell you how to clean your house, but let's face it- we KNOW how to clean, we just get overwhelmed on where to start.
Well, I've been a "flybaby" for years. What is a flybaby? It's someone who follows flylady.net. If you have 15 minutes at a time, you can do pretty much anything, and the BEST part, SSHD's, her advice is FREE! She does have a shop that's open and I very much want to purchase things from her shop like the rubba series stuff but that comes later, after you've established your routines.
for example, did you know it makes a difference if you get dressed to your shoes every day? it does! you are more "prepared" for the day. You are more willing to work if your shoes are on, and your makeup done. "crap, I need to run to the mailbox?! but I don't have a bra on..." no more.
anyway, I HIGHLY encourage you to check the lady out. Marla Ciley- I want to personally thank you for not only saving my sanity and home, but for making me a stronger, more productive (and in turn), more valuable woman! I want to share my knowledge and recipes, and money-saving tips with all women, and flylady, you have so graciously given us this knowledge free.
FREE= SSHD!
Well, I've been a "flybaby" for years. What is a flybaby? It's someone who follows flylady.net. If you have 15 minutes at a time, you can do pretty much anything, and the BEST part, SSHD's, her advice is FREE! She does have a shop that's open and I very much want to purchase things from her shop like the rubba series stuff but that comes later, after you've established your routines.
for example, did you know it makes a difference if you get dressed to your shoes every day? it does! you are more "prepared" for the day. You are more willing to work if your shoes are on, and your makeup done. "crap, I need to run to the mailbox?! but I don't have a bra on..." no more.
anyway, I HIGHLY encourage you to check the lady out. Marla Ciley- I want to personally thank you for not only saving my sanity and home, but for making me a stronger, more productive (and in turn), more valuable woman! I want to share my knowledge and recipes, and money-saving tips with all women, and flylady, you have so graciously given us this knowledge free.
FREE= SSHD!
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