Minimizing Allergies from Cleaners and Detergents

If there is any asthma or allergies in your family, then you might want to take a good look at the cleaners and the detergents that you use in and around your home. The same goes for personal care products. Many of these products contain chemicals, perfumes and dyes that can bring on indoor allergies and dangerous asthma symptoms. While you can focus on buying natural products, these can be expensive and some may still cause allergy irritation. Here are some general guidelines about reducing the allergens in your home from cleaners and detergents. Avoid dryer fabric softener sheets. These … Continue reading

Fitting in the Spring Cleaning

With three young children and a work-at-home job, it can be difficult to get the spring cleaning underway. As much as I would love to take a weekend to just complete it all at one time, that is nearly impossible. So I find myself sneaking up on the spring cleaning here and there as I can. Today, I actually started with a bit of the actual cleaning part of the spring cleaning. I have been organizing and de-cluttering along the way in the last two weeks, but outside of normal day to day cleaning, very little deep cleaning has been … Continue reading

How to Deal with Time Spent Apart

I remember reading somewhere that Paul and Linda McCartney never spent a night apart from each other during the entire length of their marriage. While I don’t know if this is true or not, I think it would be a wonderful goal for a couple. Still, there are inevitable times when you have to be physically separated from each other. Maybe one spouse is in the armed forces, or has to take an extended business trip or has to care for family far away. Whatever the reason, it isn’t usually easy to be apart. Here are some tips on dealing … Continue reading

Clever Ideas Around the Home & Yard

Sometimes you have a problem around your home that can be fixed with just a little bit of ingenuity. How many times have we lived with an issue or paid for an expensive solution while wishing for something better? Well, most families are pretty smart and creative about coming up with great ideas. For example, in a previous blog I posted about How I heard that you could use your solar pathway lights for indoor lighting in the case of losing power. There is a magazine that we get called Living The Country Life. (livingthecountrylife.com). It is a magazine devoted … Continue reading

Help, I’m Feeling Overwhelmed with Housework

Most of the time my home is in company-ready condition. It is far from a showcase or spotless, but I can usually open the door to unexpected company without too much embarrassment and at worse, a dish or two in the sink, a couple of toys on the playroom floor, or some mail sitting neatly in the foyer. Today I can’t say that at all. There are toys strewn all over the living room, along with a shopping bag full of presents for a birthday party we are attending, two garbage bags full of boys clothes that were generously given … Continue reading

Shop at Home to Save

In the last five years or so, I have yet to buy one tube of toothpaste, a bottle of shower gel or body wash. My shopping list seldom includes body lotion or shampoo. I never buy magazines, cotton swabs, baby oil, or baby powder, and yet we are always supplied with these things. How? This past month, I have been using fabric softener and detergent and yet the last time it was on my shopping list was at least a year ago. Now, you might think this is because of stockpiling. Some of it is. But, some of it was … Continue reading

Home Blog Month in Review: October

As I sit here looking out my window at the backyard, the birds are hovering in the pine tree against a strong wind and steady rain. The temperature is chilly today, and the calendar reminds me that we have left October behind. October 1st Buy a Home for $1.75 It seems that the housing crisis has made some interesting news lately. Home Month in Review: September 2008 Has the weather turned cooler now that September has passed? Pretty soon, it will be time to get that heat turned back on! Meanwhile, check out all of the articles that were posted … Continue reading

Driving the Family Germ-mobile

“If you’re a soccer mom, you’re essentially driving a germ-mobile.” Or so claims a microbiologist from the University of Arizona who conducted a study on bacteria levels in people’s vehicles. The conclusion: Most of us are driving around in motorized toilets. Scratch that. Actually, what this germ expert concluded was that in most cases the toilets in our homes are cleaner than the interior of our vehicles. Food for thought the next time you consider loading up the kids for a ride to grandma’s house. Before you start bleaching your dashboard take a look at the details of the study: … Continue reading

Frugal Living Week in Review: July 28th Through August 3rd

Do you want to save money? Check out the past week’s articles about frugal living. July 28th Frugal Living Week in Review: July 21st Through July 27th We have a lot of articles on food this week, from saving money on cereal to the best time to grocery shop. Please check them out and let me know if there are any particular topics or knowledge that you would like to read about. Ways to Avoid Fruit Waste Do you want an easy way to reduce your food budget by half? Stop wasting food. Believe or not, the average American household … Continue reading

Frugal Living Month in Review: July 2008

July went by so quickly for us! There were so many fun and frugal activities and events for us to explore, from a science camp to free movies and sand sculpting. I hope your July was equally fun and frugal. Summer is a busy time, I know. Did you miss any frugal articles last month? If so, here is an opportunity to catch up on what you missed. There are new ways to save money on food, clothing, kids, gas and more. Feel free to leave a comment on any frugal post. I read all of the comments myself, no … Continue reading