The How To!!!

Good Morning!

Well, it seems last week's post caused a stir. Listen if you aren't learning something new you aren't growing and as long as we have breath we are called to keep growing. Some of you wanted to know more about getting the most out of your calendar. So here goes with a few of the things I have learned about getting it together and making the calendar work for me.

First: Someone wanted to know where to get the calendar notebook? Target has some and so does Staples. Probably Walmart as well. Above is a picture of one and the kind of pages you will need.

Second: Take some time to write everyone's birthday, anniversary or important dates all the way through the entire year. Don't just put down this month's important celebrations. That is one of the traps we can fall into. You write things down for one month then forget to go back for the others thinking you just don't have time to do it. But in the long run this will save you more than you know right now.

Third: Get all your appointment cards and the cards for all the people you are responsible for and list them too. Write any and all important dates for get togethers, family reunions, craft fairs, or regular meetings you attend. Now I know you know about all these things but there is something about having them written down that relieves your mind of having to keep up with all of them. Imagine all the brain space you will free up. LOL.

Next turn to the current month. Go to the day by day pages that follow it and begin your plan for the week. I usually sit down on Sunday afternoon and write on each one of those days the things I have written on the calendar. Then I will add any to do's for that day. Take for instance Monday. That is house blessing day. That's what I call house cleaning. Blessing sounds a lot better doesn't it? Then I will write the zone for that week and each days activity for it. I'll explain zones in a minute. Now you may think it is silly to write down your plan for the week but I have found if it is written down 99% of the time it gets done. After all isn't that what we are after?

Then there is anti-proscrastion day which is Wednesday. All those things that you have intended to do but never got around to doing them this is the time to just do one a week on Wednesday. After a month you will have four of them done and in a year, if you have any left, you will have done fifty two. Wow!

 Wednesday is also grocery day. I go on that day because that's when the sales for the new week start and you get the senior discount too. I get my list together on Tuesday along with my coupons and hit the store running. LOL. When I leave the grocery I go right to the gas station. You all know what a pain it is to get gas and it seems you can never make the time to get it until you are running on fumes.

Every Friday is clean out your purse day. Silly... no! Because we all know the things that can accumulate in that black hole. Notes, appointment cards, receipts and of course trash. Which is one of the reasons when we are trying to pay for something we end up dumping our purse on the counter trying to find whatever it is we need. No more!

Now let me explain about zones. When I started following Flylady one of the things she did was divide her house into zones. For me it looks like this: first week of the month is the front porch, the Dining room and the hall. Second week is the Kitchen. Third week is the living room and the 1/2 bath. Fourth week is the master bedroom, bath and closet. Fourth week is the other bedrooms, laundry and bonus room. Now during the first week you will spend only fifteen minutes a day in the zone. Then each week you will move to the next zone all the way through the entire house each month. Fifteen minutes is nothing in the big scheme of things and you will be pleasantly surprised at what all you can do in that time.

The kinds of things I include in the zone are vacuum the edges of the baseboard, clean the inside of the windows, windex the picture frames, polish the furniture, clean out the magazines, dust the light fixtures or ceiling fans. Here is the deal. After you have been through the zones in your house for a couple of months things will begin to look good. No more spring or fall cleaning. You home is clean all the time. If you spend fifteen minutes before bedtime picking things up and putting them away every night there is no mess. You have solved one of womankind's biggest problems... how to have a clean house all the time.

Take it from me this works. Yes, it took some disciple to keep going and get it done every day but when I saw the results I was sold out. Flylady had me lock, stock and barrel. I've been doing this since 1999. Yeah there have been times when I fell off the wagon but it didn't take but a minute for me to get back on. When you have all your important information corralled in a notebook your life is manageable.

But to keep your calendar on it's toes you have to look at it first thing in the morning and you have to keep adding the important things to it as they come up or it won't work. It's all wrapped up in a Nike one liner......JUST DO IT.

Happy Blessed and Very Thrifty Week to You All!!

Write It Down!!!

New Calendar..New Brains!

Full Page Month

Individual Days

Original Flylady Brains

Hello all Thrifties!

I am so glad you stopped by today. As you can see from the title we are going to talk about writing things down. Oh, I know, you know to do that but a lot of the time our well meaning intentions get sidetracked.

We either do really write it down but we can't find it or we wrote it down and it ended up in the trash because it was written on the back of an envelope or an old grocery list. Lol. But I believe I've found a key to this dilemma.

You may want to call it a daytimer although that name went out in the early 2000s. Today it's a month by month calendar. It not only has the entire month on one page but it has multiple pages following each month with space to write your notes day by day. Now I know everybody knows the value of having a calendar but a lot of the time we don't get full use out of it.

Just like when we write our information on the back of things instead of in one central place. For a long time I have called my calendar... my brains. Years ago I started following Flylady. She is a wonderful creative person whose house was a clutter disaster and in nine months time she went through the entire house decluttering, organizing and she set up a plan to keep it maintained. She offered a daytimer, calendar, maintenance zippered notebook. Listen it was the best thing I ever gave myself.

She taught me how to use my calendar to the utmost. She showed how you could keep everything in this notebook and at a moments notice you could produce miracles with your time. I have since gravitated to a more decorative calendar notebook but I still use the principles she developed.

We only have so much time everyday to get everything done. So if we don't manage our time it flies out the window and at the end of the day we are no better off than we were the day before. As women we are responsible for so much and so many things it can be overwhelming.

You may not be a list person if so my hat is off to you. I need a visual reminder of what my day consists of. I need to be able to see if I can figure out a plan to do it. Here's the rule over at our house. If it's not on today's list it probably ain't gonna happen. But if it is there I can usually work it in.

With school fixing to start for so many we will really need that control center set up so we can keep up. Even if you don't have anyone going back to school it would still be a good thing to get yourself together. Just think about the time you went to an appointment and they scheduled your next appointment. They gave you a card but the next thing you know you don't have a clue where that card is. So you have to call them back to find out or you totally forget and miss the appointment. Here's the truth it won't matter how many calendars, daytimer's or post it notes you have, if you don't use them they can't help.

I'll guarantee you one thing if you ever get started using your calendar and keep it up you will begin to feel like it is your brains too. Lol. So let's get ourselves all together in one place so we can keep up with it everything. Now you might be thinking this has nothing to do with being thrifty but the time, money and energy you will save are too much to be counted.

Have a blessed week and remember to stay thrifty!

Consignment $$$

Good Morning to all thrifties!!!

Ready, set, go... clean out those closets and toys. It's time to get ready for consignment season. Kids clothes, toys, games, ladies and men's clothes they all gotta go. You can make yourself some cash for Christmas or some new fall/winter clothes. 

Most of the time it's the kids consignments we hear about but there are ongoing consignment stores open year round. Of course the name brand clothes and shoes will bring the most money but other things that are in good shape will sell too. 

Do you have things hanging in your closet with the tags still on them? What about those items which are too big or little for you? As women we all have a "few" too many shoes. LOL. 

Most of the consignment sales require you to tag the items and put them on wire hangers. You will want to make sure there are no missing buttons or rips. Sometimes they can get by us. Check the church and community websites plus the local paper for upcoming sales. A lot of the time the consignors get to come in the night before the sale starts to shop for themselves. What a benefit! You can get the good stuff for you and your family.

If you go ahead and start working on your things now it will be ready... set.. go to get your things to the sale. I have missed several of them because I didn't have enough time to get things cleaned, pressed and tagged in time to make their deadline. So you can count this as your advance notice. LOL. Plus if your things don't sell at one sale you are ready to move onto another one.

There is no time like the present to "git er' done" so to speak. Let's make some money for the things we'll need this fall and winter. You all know this is an original "thrifty" idea!!! Recycle. Repurpose and Reuse.

Decorating Do-Overs

Before

After a mini "Do-Over"

Merry Monday!

Do you all remember when Spanish was the decorating style? All the red and gold couches and chairs. The dark wood that looked like it had been chopped on with an axe? LOL. What about the country theme? The ruffled curtains, the blue and mauve ducks with bonnets. Then of course came the modern look with lots of chrome and black leather. Now today it's farmhouse, farmhouse and farmhouse.

It also seems if you don't have something, anything you can call farmhouse decor you are way out in left field. The younger generation wants a farm with all the animals too. Never mind the work involved in it. Just think about the baby ducks and chickens. LOL.

 I do think designers come up with the change in home decor just like the fashion designers come up with long pants, then the short pants scenario. With all this being said. How does a person keep up or better yet decide what their home decor taste really is?

I believe it is simply a matter of what you really like to see when you come into your home. What makes you smile? If there are items in your home that someone gave you and you took them because you felt obligated or you liked them to start with but now they have become an eyesore. It's time to move on. It's time to create a "do-over" so to speak.

The best way to create a "do-over" is to empty the room and then bring only the things back into it that make you happy. It might mean you will have a lot less in it too. This might also mean you make a list of things you would like to purchase to give your space new life.

Now don't think I'm talking about a whole new living room suite. The new things could be a picture or repainting a small table. Maybe even a new lampshade for an old lamp you love but know it needs an update. You may not even have to go to the store. You can always shop the house.

A lot of times you have jewels in other rooms that could be brought front and center to take your "do-over" room to another level. Sometimes the only thing needed for a "do-over" is to declutter. If old magazines, books or too many do-dads have overtaken a table removing all that stuff can make your room feel light and airy.

With all the different decorating designs it's all about what you like. It's what you feel warm and cozy with. After all isn't that what "HOME" is all about. It's your nest, very personal and an expression of the way you see things.

So don't let your eyes glass over with dollar signs and get all discouraged because you don't have a designer to come and redecorate your house. You have many talents you may have not discovered yet. Your home is a blank space ready and waiting for your "do-over."

Stay sweet and be thrifty .... always.

Cool Summertime Drink

                                           

Happy Wednesday to You!

Well, now that the 4th of July has come and gone we are officially in full blown summertime. You all know that hot is on the way big time. So how are we going to keep cool?

In the South sweet tea or fruit tea are some of our favorite coolers but there are many more drinks we could enjoy. One of my favorites is called Brunch Punch. This is a refreshing drink to have for breakfast instead of orange juice or with sandwiches for lunch on the weekends.

Here is the recipe for your next cool summer drink.

1 (46 oz.) can pineapple juice, chilled

3 cups orange juice, chilled

2 cups cranberry juice, chilled

3/4 cup powered sugar

1/2 cup lime juice

Stir together pineapple juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, powered sugar, and lime juice. Serve immediately, or cover and chill 2 to 24 hours. Stir before serving. This makes about 3 quarts. You could add orange or lime slices or strawberries to it as well. This would really dress up a pretty glass pitcher. Then just before serving you can drop an orange slice or a maraschino cherry in each glass.

I would like to say this is my very own concoction but my thanks must go to the 2009 issue of Southern Living Christmas at Home Magazine. You can add to or subtract some of the ingredients and make your own special cool summer drink.

Stay cool and stay thrifty too!!!