Our Family Calendar/Appointment Board

In effort to keep everyone informed about appointments and family events, I made a bulletin board for our laundry room. Before this board, I would try to keep track of everything in my home management binder, however, I got tried of having to answer everyone's question about when this was happening or that was happening. So I came up with the idea to make a central board to put all the info, so my loved ones could look it up themselves. 

I started looking on line on how to make a pretty bulletin board. I got a general idea of how to go about, then went shopping for my supplies. I bought a cork board, 1 1/2 inch wide red gingham ribbon, and silver thumbtacks. Back home, I laid out a diagonal grid, then started laying down my ribbon and securing where it intersected with thumbtacks. The grid wound up being a little off, but I was still pleased with the over all look. 

On the board is a calendar page for the current month with all the family events and appointments written down on them. We also put any appointment cards for a particular month on the board as an additional reminder. We also put any business cards that we needed for a quick reference on there. I have also printed out all of our family's phone numbers and DH's work numbers on there for quick reference. 

The board isn't very full right now, but that doesn't mean we don't have appointments or plans. The bow is not normally there. I put it up to cover up any phone numbers that might could be seen.

This board has come in handy. I am no longer having to answer dozen of questions or hunt for a phone number. We also leave messages on there to remind of us things we need to remember, like recording a tv show or to run a specific errand. If you are part of a busy family and need a place to keep everything organized so everyone could access it themselves then a calendar/appointment board is simply just the thing for you and your family!  

Our Garden/Storage Shed And Cat House

Our garden/storage shed and cat house was once attached to our old mobile home and served as our laundry room. When we moved into our new home, DH saved our laundry room and with the help of my daddy attached to our outside storage shed, creating a bigger building with two separate sides. The old laundry became my garden/storage shed and the other building became the lawn mower shed. Years later when our rescue kitties came into our lives, it became their house where they sleep at night tucked safe away from the coyotes. With the help of DH's carpenter skills and my organizational skills, our garden shed has become a very functional tool in the caring of our simple home place. So today, I thought I would give you tour of the shed and how we organized it to work for us.

As you walk through the door, you will see a set of black metal storage shelves. We had used them in our old laundry room and were a perfect fit for our shed. I use these shelves to store a variety of items. I use various items to contain items. On the top shelf, you will see a coke crate full of small clay pots. We have an old radio to use outside. This is also where I store the cats canned food, which they get every night when I call them in for the night. The next shelf holds old glass bottles and other glass containers for fresh flowers to put the house. I have some of the small repurposed containers standing in old cake pans. I put old towels in the bottom to help them not wobble around too much.

The next shelf has seeds containers and gift wrapping supplies on it. I also have plastic containers that can be used for various things. The wooden box holds citronella candles for when we host an event outside in the summer. The pink crated holds old towels, sheets, and blankets. The cardboard box holds old dish cloths, kitchen towels, cloth napkins, hand towels, and wash cloths to be used for whatever they may be needed for.  

The bottom shelf is full of old coke crates that hold old sheets and pillowcases. It also house our rash can. A bucket for any leftover garden soil I haven't used, yet, and a bucket to hold the scooped litter from the kitties litter boxes. I have an old clothes basket stuffed full of old linens to provide a cozy spot for the kitties to curl up in. 

 

Underneath the window, between the black shelves, and the storage shelves DH built, he built me a potting table. As with most other areas I use, I have made it pretty and filled it with things that mean something to me. 

My sweet niece gave me the "Live, Laugh, Love" sign that is attached to the window, for my birthday last year. I love how it compliments the area ~ color, birds, and all. I found a pretty water can that sits on the window sill all year round. DH nailed some nails into the wall that separates the storage shelving from my table, so I could hang up all of my garden tools. 

On the right side of the table top, I have flower pots DD has given me as presents over the years. The watermelon one holds measuring spoons for measuring out flower food, etc. The bigger blue one holds garden markers I use to mark the veggies I sowed. The other small pot holds the cats' hair brush. 

On the left side of the table, I have two flower pots stacked on top of each other. The colors really don't well in our home, so I use them for tool storage. I lined the top one with old kitchen towels, then added my pruning scissors, pruning shears, and a other little items. Other either side are things I won when we were playing cards. I like candles in place I may need to see if the power goes out. The other jar holds a pair of old scissors and pencils. The little butterfly sat in my childhood room and just seemed to find a new home on my potting table. 

The potting table has a shelf where I have plastic storage containers that hold miscellaneous items and all of the baskets I use for gardening. The basket on the bottom with the orange towel in it is the basket I carry around with me as I work. I place all of my tools in it, as well as old hand towels to wipe dirty hand on and a bigger towel to place on the ground when I need to sit. The other baskets are what I carry to the garden when I gather produce. Below the shelf is an old toy scooter that belong to my brother. I am not sure how I wound up with it, but I put it to good use by storing Seven Dust, Miracle Grow, and clay pots one. The big white bucket holds dry cat food, which they nibble on all day long.

 

The storage shelves DH built are sturdy and hold a lot of boxes and tubs. All of our Christmas, winter, Easter, and fall decorations are stored here. The lowest shelf holds tubs that are covered with old towels, because the kitties like to sleep on top of them.  

DH's part of the storage shelves is much smaller than mine, but they contain a lot of items. His side doesn't always look that neat. I straightened them up before I took pictures. You can also see the cat have use of part of his shelves too. 

In the bottom picture, you can see a clean litter box and a little red wagon lined with blankets. I try to provide a lot of comfy, different places for the kitties to sleep. Underneath the wagon is another basket full of linens for them. In the right corner, you can see a little bit of white showing. It is my old play table that we keep around in case we need it. I store buckets and containers underneath it. I also separate the cats plates when I feed them at night. Miss Bashful gets her plate on top the table. Miss Cooper gets her plate underneath the table. 

I truly believe in decorating and making the places you use a lot pretty and meaningful. It makes work a little less of a chore when you are happy to be there. I even add decorative touches to the door of this room for different holidays. During the summer, I have a cute little welcome sign on it that puts a smile on my face. 

Well, that completes the tour of our garden/storage shed and cat house. This little shed and the pretty inside are just a simply good place to have at you disposal!

A Peek Inside Our Refrigerators Or Frigs

Yesterday, I showed you a peek at what I keep in my pocketbook. In keeping with that theme, I am going to share the inside of our frigs. We have two of them; one in the kitchen and one in the laundry room. 

This is our freezer section of the frig in the kitchen. It isn't usually this empty, but I have been trying to use as much as I could out of it to help save on the grocery bill. I will have to restock soon.

Door of the freezer. I have gotten lazy and stopped making Italian Bread. We don't eat as much as we use to and it is just easier to warm up a bread stick. I buy biscuits for the simple fact that I can NOT make biscuits. They never turn out tight, never. Bottom shelf contains walnuts, frozen coconut for a coconut cream pie I am making this weekend. There is meat in the Ziploc bags; a roasted pork tender lion and baked chicken.

Door of the refrigerator section. The door is where I store our eggs, butter dishes, soft butter, pickles, jams, jellies, bacon bits, and...

other condiments. Yes, we use all of these regularly.

The shelf above is what I think is called the meat drawer. It usually holds our leftovers in Pyrex containers, and fruit that DH takes to work and DD eats for breakfast. The Laughing Cow Cheese is mine. The half empty applesauce cup is Miss Oakley's. Somehow, I missed taking a pic of what was in the meat drawer and no, it isn't meat. I keep the extra butter, the slice cheese, and blocks of cheese in there.

The drink shelf beside the meat drawer.

The middles shelf and bottom shelf. More leftovers, bacon thawing for supper, salad, salad spinner full of lettuce from our garden, and a sandwich from the deli at our local store for my lunch.

In the crisper drawers are carrots, peppers, and a cucumber hidden underneath the pepper pack to prevent it from freezing.

The other drawer only has grapes in it this week.

This is the freezer door in the frig in the laundry room. The ice packs are for our work lunchboxes and the fabric thing is a herbal wrap for neck or shoulders. You can warm it up in the microwave, too.

The freezer section. This is where I store all the foods I put up and freeze from the garden and where I store leftovers to use in other meals; as well as some meats. It is emptier than it has been in a while. However, as soon as our peas start coming in, it will fill back up. There are also trays for making ice.

The door of the frig is used to store extra blocks of cheese, a container for eggs, and DH's Slim Fast,...

as well as other bottled drinks for DD's lunches.

This is the middle shelf and bottom shelf. The pan is to put meat in that we are thawing out in. We keep plenty of bottled water on hand and yes, all we drink is Cheerwine or water. I keep any extra fruit in here like the watermelon. Missed taking a pic of the top shelf, but is where I store all of our extra eggs and other items like blocks of cream cheese.

Well, that is a peek inside of our frigs and their freezers. The frigs aren't usually that full and our freezers aren't usually that empty. I took these pics right after I got groceries and I have been trying to use what we had in the freezer for meals.  To answer you next question, yes, they are always that neat, well, most of the time, anyway. That is how I roll and what my OCD tendencies demand. What's in your frig?

Living life simply and blessed by doing so!  

A Peek Inside My Pocketbook

Are you ever curious as to what other women carry in their purses or here in the South, their pocketbooks? I have to admit I have been especially when women carry really big purses. I just wonder what all they have to take with them everywhere they go. I know it is more than I want to lug around.

In the years past on other blogs, I have seen ladies post what is inside their pocketbook and decided I would revive that. So here is my pocketbook and all of its contents. 

I recently had to buy a new pocketbook. The Liz Claiborne I bought with some of my Christmas money a few years ago had seen its better days and was starting to fall apart. It had lived a hard life. I found this one a Walmart.

I liked its classy look and it was on sale. I would have preferred it in black, but was pleased with the brown. It has 3 sections to it, one of which zips shut. It also has a side pocket and a long strap for carrying it on your shoulder. I prefer using the handles and carrying it on my forearm.

 

In one of the sections, I put all of the little books I carry in. I have my "Grocery List & Expenses Book", a small book of Bible verses my brother and his wife gave me a long time ago for singing at the wedding, a small book of Bible verses for moms our church handed out one Mother's Day, and the little pink book is where I write down the errands and shopping lists (besides groceries) when I have errands to run.

In the other section, I have my wallets. The change purse is for one dollar bills and the bigger one holds all of my other financial needs. I have two cosmetics bags and a manicure set.

The contents of one of the cosmetics bags; brush, comb, small mirror,  nail clippers, nail file, chap stick, tissues, and lotion.

The other contains wet wipes, meds (Benadryl, ibuprofen, and Tyenol), band-aids, and an inhaler. The manicure set carries tweezers, clippers, and a small pair of scissors.

In the zipped section of my pocketbook is where my flip phone resides. Yes, a flip phone. I hate talking on the phone and would hate being available 24/7. So, NO fancy I Phone for me.

That's it! That is all I carry and want to carry. I keep it as simple as possible, just like the rest of my life. Living life simple is the life for me! 

What is in your pocketbook or purse? Leave me a comment and let me know! 

Simple Organized: The Rainbow Organizer & Other Closet Organizing Tips

Who knew the colors of the rainbow could become an organizing tool? If you think about it, most clothes stores use the colors of the rainbow in their displays.  The arrangement of the colors catches the eye and is found to be attractive. Using the same technique in your closet will not only be pleasing to your eyes, it will also help you plan outfits a lot easier. Arranging your clothes by the colors of the rainbow makes it a breeze to put them away and find them.

Another great and practical organizing tip, that most everyone uses already, is hanging the same items of clothing together. Hang all of your pants together, all of your shirts, skirts, etc., etc. I go a step further in my closet, which I will explain shortly.

Here is how I go about arranging my clothes in my closet: 

My side of the closet. (Notice all of the white hangers.)

When arranging my clothes by colors of the rainbow, I start with all of my whites and work my way to violet. This is the order I use: white, browns, grays, blacks, reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and purples. In putting my pants in order by color, I arrange them from lighter hues to darker hues. I hang all of my capris of a particular color together then all of my long pants. I try to hang all of my jeans together then all of my jogging pants.  After my pants, I have all of my shirts. My shirts are arranged from darker hues to lighter hues. I start with all of my short sleeves, then my long sleeve shirts and 3/4 length sleeve shirts. My sweat shirts come next.  My skirts and dresses are arranged in the same way.

DH's side of the closet.

On DH's side of the closet, things are a little different but still arranged by color. I hang all of his sweat pants together, then his jeans, then his dress pants. His shirts are arranged by knit shirts, dress shirts, then sweat shirts. His suits come next. 

I know all of these tips may seem excessive and the rantings of an OCD addict, but they are proven tips and techniques used by me for a long time and by other people who teach organization for a living.  All of these tips make it ease for me to put away clothes because I know exactly where their place is. It also makes it easy to find an item of clothing I am looking for. So, if you aren't using any of these techniques and tips, give them a try and see how much easier it makes your life.

Anything that can save me a little time is a simply perfect thing for me!  

Simply Organized: Plastic Colored Hangers

DH has a big laugh over this next tip I am going to share. He says it is proof that my OCD is out of control, but it really has helped me with the laundry. My next tip to keeping organized in plastic colored hangers, a color for each of the kids and one for the parents.

Here is how it works at our house. DH and I have white plastic hangers for our clothes. DD has blue plastic hangers for her clothes. Each of us are responsible for seeing that our empty hangers get to the laundry room. As I am getting clothes out the dryer, I put them on their hangers. If I don't have a hanger for an item of clothes, I know which closet to go to look for the hanger. If we all used the same colored of hangers, it is possible I would have to make two trips to both of our closets to find the empty hanger. With colored hangers, I know which closet to go, thus saving myself some time.  

This idea happened by accident. I wanted to find an alternative to wire hangers. I hate wire hangers. They don't hold their shape. They are easy to bend. They leave odd bumps and humps in somethings. They were easy to get tangled up and I was just tried of dealing with them. So, I started looking for other types of hangers. I found these Mainstay plastic hangers at Walmart, tried them, and liked them. Over the next few months, I started buying hangers for DH and I. When all of ours were replaced, I started buying DD some. I choose blue for the color of her room. Little did I know that buying her a different color hanger would be a time saver for me. 

I know this could become an expensive project for a big family. To make it a little less costly, you buy a different colored hanger for each closet instead of each child. Also, it doesn't have to happen all at once. It took me several months of buying hangers when I had a few extra dollars. 

This colored system of hangers really works well for me. It has saved me time when I have to go hunt down hangers to hang something on. Plastic hangers are simply a good thing when it comes to organizing!  

Simply Organized: Plastic Shoe Boxes

When you live in a double wide mobile home, storage space can be an issue. So you learn how to organize the spaces in ways to maximize on the space you have. Plastic shoe boxes are one of those ways we maximize our space. 

We have a big closet in our master suite, but it doesn't have a lot of shelving and the floor space is being used. That lack of shelving and floor space forced to get creative when it came to finding space for shoes. DH solved his shoes storage space by keeping the under the bed he sleeps in. That left my shoes. 

The solution I came up with was plastic shoe boxes from Walmart. They are relatively inexpensive and sturdy. I use the 6 quart size, which my shoes fit in nicely. Of course, I don't wear high heels. If I did, I would use the 12 quart size. The 6 quart is about $2.00 and the 12 quart is about $3.00. I don't have a lot of shoes, so I didn't need a whole lot of the boxes. I also bought the over a period of time, when I had a few extra dollars. I also had some on hand, because these storage boxes are also good for storing Legos in. 

Most of my shoes, except for the 2 pairs of shoes I wear all the time, have their own box. They are stackable and don't take up a lot of room (especially the 6 quart ones.) An add plus is that any dirt or debris that may be left of the shoes after wearing them, will be contained in the box making any clean up easy. All you have to do is dump out the box next time you put on the shoe.

My plastic shoes boxes. They are stackable and keep things clean.

Plastic shoe boxes are just of those tools I use to keep our home simply organized!  

Getting Organized

When you run a household, staying organized just doesn't apply to schedules, making lists, and cleaning house. It also means keeping all the stuff you have organized. This essential for me because of my OCD tendencies. If our house and its stuff is organized, I feel calmer and at peace. If our house is in chaos, then I am in chaos. There is really something to the old adage ~ "A Place For Everything And Everything In Its Place." 

With that being said, I am starting a new series on how I get organized. I will share some of the tips and techniques that I use that have worked well for me and helped me keep all our stuff organized and in its proper place. Some tips are so simple, but work so well. Some of the techniques will be things you may have heard of, but weren't sure they would work. Some of them may be so over the top that you might say ~ she has serious ODC problems. LOL! 

I would also love to hear from you. If you have a tip or a technique you use that makes storing your stuff and keeping it organized easy, I would love to hear from you. So, just leave me a comment and share them with me. 

Getting organized is simpler than you think!

Simply Useful: Plastic Linen Bags

If you are like me, you like things neat and tidy, and an organized house is a must for me. However, buying containers and storage tubs to help keep things organized can be an expensive. So, you have to look for creative ways to find storage solutions. One of my favorite storage solutions is plastic linen bags. You know those plastic bags that often come with the set of sheets or bedspreads you buy. There are so useful and are perfect containers to store linens in. 

I use these plastic linen bags to store all of our camper linens in. After they are washed, I fold them up with a dryer sheet placed in the middle folds. The dryer sheet keeps them smelling fresh and the plastic linen bags keep the mice out of them.

I use plastic linen bags to store all of my linens in. For example, all of our camper linens are stored in our camper in these bags. They help to keep the mice away from them. All of my Christmas linens from towels, to dish towels, to place mats, to napkins are stored in these bags. As well as, any antique linens such as my great-grandmothers handkerchiefs are stored in them. Since one of the concerns about storing cloth in plastic is that moisture can form inside the plastic, I make sure all of my linens are completely dry before I put them in the bags. I also don't zip the zipper all the way shut. To keep all of the linens smelling fresh, I place a dryer sheet in the middle folds of the linens.  

It may take a few years to accumulate as many as I have right now, but they are definitely worth starting a collection. Plastic linen bags are simply a useful item!   

Simply Useful: Ziploc Bags

Ziploc bags are simply the best, especially the slider bags. They are the easiest to close and the easiest to make sure they are close. I use Ziplocs for more than food storage. I use them to store a variety of items in. They are easy to carry and can be flattened out which makes them stackable. So, today I thought I share with you all the ways I use Ziplocs and why they are a simply useful item when it comes to organizing. I find the slider bags work the best.

Ways To Use Ziplocs

• Use them to store all the little pieces from board games. This prevents all the little pieces form being scattered. The bag can be flattened out to fit nice in the boxes. 
• Use them to store cards in your camper if you don't have a card holder. 
• Use them to put crayons, markers, colored pencils, pens, etc. in. This makes them easy to transport and helps keep them contained. It also makes it easy for kids to use in a car on a long trip. 
• Use them for snacks for the kids on those long trips. They are easy to open and easy to close. 
• Use a gallon size bag to store the item you may be embroidering or cross stitching in as well the embroider thread, scissors, and needles. The project can easily be transported so you can use those few spare minutes to work on it. 
• When traveling, store all those hair items you may need; rubber bands, hair clips, hair bow, as well as your brush and comb. 
• When traveling, store your toothbrush and toothpaste in them. This will keep those items from making a mess and getting all over your other items. 
• Use the gallon or larger ones to send a spare pair of clothes in to day care or school. It will also provide the day care workers or teacher a bag to send the soiled items home in. 
• Use the to store bows you use for decorating your house in the various seasons and holidays. 
• Use them to store those open bags in your cabinet or freezer. I use them for my opened bag of noodles or marshmallows. It helps keep them fresh and from critters getting in them. I do the same with bags that are opened in the freezer. 

  

I could go on and on, because Ziplocs are so versatile. The possibilities of how to use them are endless. So the next time you need something to store an item in, think about Ziploc bags. They are simply a good thing! 

Couponing & Saving Money

Clipping coupons is a good way to save money and has saved us quite a bit over the years. However, I do it differently than I have seen those that are extreme couponers. It seems to me that extreme couponers want to use every coupon that they clip, but that doesn't make sense to me. I never understood the wanting to buy something you don't need just because you have a coupon for it. In fact, I do it differently than any article on how to coupon I have read.

I clip coupons for those products that we use the most often, especially for those toiletry items that are so expensive. When I run across one of those coupons, I use it before the date even if we don't need it. Those toiletry item coupons are few and far between, so in order to save on these items I use the coupon and keep a stock pile of items underneath our bathroom sink. We have found that method to be quite useful because we always have a supply on hand. 

Another way, we coupon took a while for us to convince ourselves it was worth the effort and did it really save money in the long run. I am talking about those coupons where you have to buy 2, 3, or 4 things of the item in order to save the money. For a long time, we just didn't see how it could be worth to buy more than you needed just to save a few cents. We started using those types of coupons for items on sale and where the coupons would be doubled. We learned it saved us more money and a provided us with a well stocked pantry. That well stocked pantry has come in very handy and at times has gotten me out of a jam when it came to fixing supper. Now, we have no hesitation when we have to buy more than one items to save a little money because we see that it will save us even more money in the long run. 

Looking at sales papers and pairing up those items on sale with coupons is another way we save a lot of money. I shop at two different places, so I always calculate the difference between the prices at both places on sale with the coupon. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy the item on sale where the coupons are doubled instead of the other place and vice a versa.  I also look for opportunities where I can use a manufacturer coupon and a store coupon on items that are on sale, which makes the savings even greater.

Another way, I save money is to buy items that we use everyday in bulk when they are on sale. For instance, Cheerwines ~ the only soft drink we drink ~ is on sale for $1.00. I have been buying at least 6 a week. We only drink between 4 to 5 a week, so when they go back up to $1.25 or higher, I have several extra stocked up so I don't have to buy some for a week or two. 

I am also learning to take advantage of the special ways to save at our local grocery store. I shop a Walmart and at Lowes Foods. I don't have a smartphone and didn't know I could take advantage of Walmart's Savings Catcher. All I had to do was set up an account and type in the bar code on my receipt. I started it in August and to date, I have received about $15.00 in savings. Lowes Food has a program where you can earn money off of your gas purchase. For every $100 you spend, you get 5 cent off of gas. They sometimes will run a special where if you buy 10 things of the selected items you can earn additional money off of gas. I do this when the items are things we will use and can stock up on just to get that extra money off of gas.  

Another way, I try to save money is when I buy meats. We don't buy meat from Walmart, we had a bad experience and just won't buy it there any more. However, we do buy meat from Lowes Foods and a local butcher shop. The local butcher shop is where we get most of our meat. It is really good meat and most of the time cheaper than Lowes. They also have really good sales. I also lookout for sales at Lowes and take advantage of them.  

Clipping coupons and the various ways that grocery stores give you opportunities to save is like anything else in life. You need to do some research and seek advice, then figure out what works best for you and your family, because what works for me probably won't work for you. It will only take you a little time to figure out what works, so get started today. 

Using coupons and looking for ways to save money on groceries is simply one of things to do when you are trying live a simple and frugal life!  

Making Out The Grocery List And Menu

When we set up our household over 28 years ago, one thing I had to figure out was how to come up with meals for the week and make out a grocery list. I came up with my own system and a few years later I saw the same type system in a household organization book. It is a simple system that has worked well all these years. The only kink in the system is me, because I have a tendency to put it off to the last minute. (This is NOT one of my favorite chores I have to do.) Here is how I do it.

The first thing I had to figure out is what day I wanted to do the grocery shopping. When we first started out, DH worked odd hours. So, I got groceries on Monday evenings when he had to work. Over the years and job changes, my grocery shopping day had shifted to Thursday. 

With my grocery shopping day set, I worked out a menu for the week starting with Thursday to the next Wednesday. I only plan the supper meals and Sunday breakfast, which I leave a space for on Sunday. So, Sunday has two spaces. Since we all get up at different times I don't need to plan big breakfasts. We all grab what we want for breakfast with the items that are in the cabinets. Lunch, for DD and I, is usually leftovers or some quick food we have on hand. I also add a line for a dessert of the week. This is how I write down the week on paper: 

Weekly Menu

Nov. 10th - 16th, 2016 

Thursday:

Friday: 

Saturday:

Sunday:

Monday: 

Tuesday: 

Wednesday:

Dessert:

Below my menu for the week, I write down the name of every place I go and leave room to add items. Currently, I visit 3 different places; our local Walmart, our local butcher shop, and a grocery store closer to our home. As I write down the meals for the week, I write down the items I will need to make the meals under the places where I am going to buy them. For example, I am planning on having cheeseburgers w/ slaw & chili and chips w/salsa for supper on Monday, so I write down the following:

Mays Meats                            Lowes Food

med. gr. beef                                   cabbage

Walmart

h. buns

chili

cheese

Once I have all the meals planned and checked the pantry for what items I need to get for that meal, I start writing down all the others items I need for the week. I run through my check list of staple items, toiletries items, cleaning supplies, drinks, fruits, breakfast and lunch items. To aid with the checklist, I keep a notepad on our bar to write down any item I can think of during the week. 

It is a simple system that works well. It is adaptable to any household or situation. It has been a time and money saver for us over the years. The only kink I can find is me! 

If you are looking for a system or a new system to try, give this one a trial run. When and if you do, let me know how it works out for you. 

Living a simple life and loving every minute of it! 

Deep Cleaning: Guest Bath & Hall

Our guest bath, and the bathroom mainly used by DD, usually takes me a good day to clean. The majority of that time is spent on cleaning the tub/shower. Removing the hard water stains is a BIG chore, especially since it is all white.

Guest Bath/DD's Bath

• Dust walls, door, outside of cabinet, shelving, & air vent
• Dust & vacuum inside of cabinet; sort, purge, & reorganize items
• Clean counter top, sink, & mirror
• Clean pictures, knick knacks, candles, candle holders, & light fixture
• Wash fabric shower curtain, replace shower liner, wash shower curtain rings
• Clean shower shelving, bottles, & knick knacks
• Scrub shower walls & tub with hard water cleaner
• Clean toilet; clean pipes with vinegar, baking soda, & boiling water
• Clean sink & tub drains with vinegar, baking soda, & boiling water
• Clean & sanitize trash can inside & out
• Sweep & mop floor

 
Our little hall is a small space that DD's bedroom, the guest bedroom/office, and guest bath lead off of. Since DH put down laminate flooring in it this spring, I have had to tweak the cleaning tasks. It only take about 30 minutes to deep clean this area.

Hall

• Dust walls, doors, & door frames
• Clean light fixture
• Sweep & dry mop laminate flooring

 

I spent the past two weeks listing all the cleaning tasks for each room when I give our home a deep cleaning. I usually take the whole month of August to do this kind of cleaning. To this date I have deep cleaned the laundry room, kitchen, living room, Master Bedroom, the guest bedroom/office, and the hall. That leaves DD's bedroom, the guest bath, and the Master Bath/Closet. The Master Bath/Closet will have to wait until after Labor Day weekend. DH is planning on starting another small scale home improvement project in there that weekend. So it wouldn't be a good idea to deep clean until it is done. Be on the lookout for updates on that home improvement project! 

 

Living a simple life & enjoying making our home shine! 

Deep Cleaning: Office/Guest Bedroom

The office/guest bedroom usually takes me a good 3 to 4 hours to clean. Thankfully, every thing in this room is easy to move by myself, so I don't have to wait for a time when DH can help me. There is one item I don't worry about moving and that is the desk DH built for the room. It - like our king-size bed - is just too big to move. I don't reorganize the files on the same day I clean. We work on that over a period of several days or when we get a few free minutes.

Office/Guest Bedroom

• Move bed to dust walls & vacuum underneath, dust & vacuum bed rail, vacuum mattress & box spring, put everything back in its place
• Dust walls, night stand, & desk
• Move items from underneath desk to dust, vacuum floor underneath desk
• Clean computer equipment, knick knacks, picture  frames
• Clean & vacuum inside desk drawers
• Wash window, dust blinds, wash curtains
• Wash bed linens (quilt & blanket) & any decorative items that  need it
• Clean & straighten up the inside of night stand
• Sort, purge, & reorganize files in desk
• Dust ceiling fan, clean light & lamp

Living a simple life & enjoying making our home shine! 

Deep Cleaning: DD's/Storage Closet

DD's/Storage Closet doesn't get deep cleaned every year. It does get deep cleaned every other year, but is straightened up every month. I also take the time every month to find places for the things we put in there to store. 

DD's/Storage Closet

• Remove all of DD's clothes from closet; go through clothes to sort, purge, & reorganize
• Remove clothes drawers from closet, clean & vacuum drawers inside & out; go through clothes to sort, purge, & reorganize
• Dust off shoes & jewelry box; go through shoes & jewelry to sort, purge, & reorganize
• Dust wire shelving, storage boxes, shoe rack, & clothes crates
• Dust storage bins, storage crates, & hanging shelves
• Move everything to dust walls, vacuum floor, & vacuum around edges of floor
• Clean light fixture, dust door
• Put everything back in its place

Living a simple life & enjoying making our house shine!

Deep Cleaning: DD's Bedroom

DD's bedroom usually takes me one day to clean. I make DD help me, much to her chagrin. She does some light dusting & cleaning while I do the heavy cleaning. I make her help me put things back in place. I also take the time to make sure she sort, purges, and reorganizes her desk. DH is usually called upon to move the bed when he is home. The rest we do ourselves.

DD's Bedroom

• Wash all bed linens (quilt, blankets, bedspread)
• Wash pillow shams/cases, wash decorative hankies/doilies
• Move all furniture to vacuum, vacuum around edges of floor
• Wash window, dust blinds, wash curtains
• Dust bookshelves, knick knacks, picture frames
• Dust walls & doors
• Clean out desk drawers & window box storage
• Dust desk & nightstands
• Clean light fixtures, lamps, & lampshades
• Vacuum & dust bed frame, vacuum mattress/box springs

Living a simple life and enjoying making our home shine! 

Deep Cleaning: Master Bath/Closet

Since our Master Bath is fairly big, I take several days to clean it. I break it down into sections. I will clean the sink area, then the shower/tub area, and then the toilet area. The Master Closet I can get clean in one day. It usually takes 3 to 4 hours. 

Master Bath

• Dust walls, cabinets inside & out, towel shelves, clean mirrors
• Clean inside of cabinets; sort, purge, & reorganize stored items
• Clean inside of drawers; sort, purge, & reorganize items
• Dust wall scones, artificial ivy vines, & candles
• Clean/dust/wash knick knacks, decorative baskets, & candle holders
• Wash window, dust blinds, wash curtains
• Wash decorative towels & wash cloths
• Clean/scrub shower stall & tub with hard water cleaner  
• Clean/dust air vent
• Clean toilet; put vinegar, baking soda, & boiling water down toilet to clean pipes
• Clean sink/tub/shower drains with vinegar, baking soda, & boiling water
• Sweep & mop floor

 

Master Closet

• Remove all clothes from racks; sort, purge, & reorganize; put back when dusting is finished
• Dust walls, wire shelving, storage boxes, & shoe boxes
• Remove drawers from wardrobe, clean/dust/vacuum drawers
• Remove clothing to vacuum inside of drawers; sort, purge, & reorganize clothing
• Dust wardrobe inside & out, remove items off of inside top shelf to clean, replace dry sheets with fresh ones 
• Remove items off of top of wardrobe to clean, replace dryer sheets with fresh ones
• Clean/dust/vacuum storage drawers on floor; sort, purge, reorganize items
• Clean clothes baskets
• Sweep & mop floor

Living a simple life and enjoying making our home shine!

Deep Cleaning: Master Bedroom

The deep cleaning chore list for our Master Bedroom had to be tweaked too, due to the new piece of furniture we replaced our bookshelves with. Our bedroom is one room I don't move all the furniture in. Our king-size bed is so big and solid that it is next to impossible to move unless we take it apart. DH does help me remove the mattress and box springs so I can vacuum underneath the bed frame. It also gives me a chance to wash our bed skirt. Our new entertainment cabinet will also be impossible to move, so I cleaned really well behind it before we moved it into place. 

Master Bedroom

• Clean windows & blinds, wash curtains
• Move nightstand & desk to vacuum
• Vacuum floor, around edges of room
• Remove mattress & box springs, vacuum underneath bed frame
• Vacuum off mattress, box springs, & chair
• Dust furniture inside & out
• Dust walls, knick knacks, & pictures
• Remove glass shelving from entertainment cabinet to clean
• Clean lamps, lamp shades, & light fixture
• Wash bed skirt, comforter, & doilies

 

Living life simply & simply making our home shine! 

Deep Cleaning: Living Room

Since we put down laminate flooring, I have had to tweak the list of deep cleaning chores for our living room. For next year's deep cleaning, I will have to have DH's help to move the sofa and area rug to clean. While the living room covers the entire width of our home, I usually get it done in one long day of deep cleaning. As a result, I plan on a very simple supper for that particular day. 

Living Room

• Dust walls, wall decoration, & pictures
• Dust all furniture inside & out
• Dust lampshades, lamps, & artificial plants
• Remove books from bookshelves to dust, dust top of books
• Wash windows, curtains, & doilies
• Clean all knick knacks, baskets, & storage containers
• Remove sofa cushions & vacuum, vacuum all nooks & crannies of sofa
• Move furniture & area rug to sweep, dust mop, & wet mop floor
• Sweep, dust mop, & wet mop rest of floor, shake out rugs

 

Living a simple life & enjoying making our home shine! 

Deep Cleaning: Kitchen

Deep cleaning the kitchen usually takes me about a week to complete. Removing everything from the cabinets, cleaning, reorganizing, and putting everything back takes a while. I also go through all out food staples, get rid of the old, and see what needs to be restocked. Thankfully, the rest of the kitchen doesn't take that long. 

Kitchen

• Move frig to clean behind it
• Clean frig inside & out
• Clean inside of drawers & cabinets, clean wire shelving
• Sort through & reorganize items in cabinets & drawers
• Wash down cabinet doors & front of drawers
• Clorox counter tops & drain board
• Clean window & blinds, wash curtains
• Clean oven, stove top, & range hood
• Clean microwave inside & out
• Clean china cabinet inside & out
• Move corner shelf to clean, dust shelves
• Dust walls, clean mirror, clean light fixtures
• Clean decorative plates, knick knacks, wall decorations, pictures
• Wash decorative linens & doilies
• Clean table, remove glass top to clean, dust table legs
• Dust kitchen chairs, clean cushions
• Clean & sanitize trash can inside & out
• Clean flower containers, wash off plant leaves
• Sweep & mop floor, shake out rug

Living a simple life and enjoying making our home shine!