WFMW: Grocery Bag Holder

I am a huge fan of re-purposing everyday items! The idea I would like to share with you is one I just learned about recently, but I can't remember where I got it from. (I'm thinking it's from Woman's Day, but I'm not positive about that.)

When I go grocery shopping, I like to keep the plastic bags that they come in. I mostly use them as trash bags in our kitchen, but I also like to stuff them in packages to provide extra cushion and also to share vegetables with our neighbors during our growing season. For the last 3 years, I've designated a drawer in the kitchen to store my neatly-folded grocery bags, but no matter how neat and orderly I stacked them, that drawer was always in a state of disarray! The very second I would pull out a bag, the whole stack would become unfolded.

The idea that I just learned is that you can take an empty kleenex box (I use the cube-shaped ones and they work really well) and stuff them with grocery bags. I admit, I was a little skeptical at first. I didn't think this would be the solution I was hoping for, but you'd be surprised how many grocery bags will fit in one of those boxes. I fold each bag as flat as it will go and shove it inside the box and I was able to fit probably close to 100 or more bags in easily! And when I want to pull one out, I'm able to get just the one instead of a whole bunch of followers!

So that's my tip. And the best part is that I got a kitchen drawer back in the process - YAY! More storage space in the kitchen is what works for me!

WFMW: Swivel Sweeper

When my father-in-law came to visit last June, he bought us a Swivel Sweeper. Normally, I don't pay much attention to products that boast "As Seen on TV!" labels on them...but I must say, this particular product has made keeping our floors clean so easy!

We have wood floors throughout most of the main level of our home, so I'm always chasing after dust bunnies and crumbs left over by the kids that I babysit. The Swivel Sweeper makes it so easy to clean these things up without a lot of work or effort on my part.

I will say, though - the product says it can be used on both hard floors and carpet. I have found, however, that using it on the carpet does not work as well. Maybe that's just me? I still highly recommend the Swivel Sweeper, though!

Clean floors always work for me!

WFMW: Extending the Life of Jack-O-Lanterns

I am pleased to say that Fall has arrived here in the Midwest! It’s definitely my favorite time of year, as I enjoy cooler temperatures, bright yellow mums…and pumpkin carving!

It may not always look like it, but a lot of time and effort goes into carving my pumpkins. (My pumpkins usually need extensive repair done to them before they’re ready to light up the front porch!) You can imagine my disappointment then, when just days later, my jack-o-lantern is showing signs of mold and shriveling. Thankfully, a friend gave me a tip to help extend the life of my jack-o-lanterns.

Try spraying your finished jack-o-lantern with a diluted bleach solution to prevent mold. Then, to keep the cut edges from getting that shriveled-look, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly.

Sounds easy enough! Enjoying my pumpkin display longer is what works for me!

WFMW: Cleaning Ceiling Fans

Ugh! Dusting is probably one of my least favorite house chores. Dusting ceiling fans, I dread even more! (I admit, I probably only get around to doing this about 4 times a year! YIKES!) But if I have to do it, at least I found a way to do it fast and without making a mess.

I can't remember where I learned to do this, but I take an old pillowcase and wrap it around each fan blade, while wiping the dust off. The dust falls inside the pillowcase, instead of all over the floor and couch and when I'm done, I just throw the pillowcase in the washer. It's seriously so easy, I'm done in 5-minutes or less!

3 fans x 5 minutes each x 4 times a year= 1 hour of dusting ceiling fans a year! That totally works for me!

WFMW: Free (Almost New) Books!

My husband and I love to read! Unfortunately, affording to buy brand-new books from the book store has been one of the things we’ve had to sacrifice since we’ve started cutting back on our budget.

Thankfully, we’ve discovered paperbackswap.com. It allows us to post books to their website that we no longer want and swap them for ones we do want. It’s free to sign up and to swap books. (NOTE: You do have to pay for shipping when someone requests one of your books, but you do not have to pay shipping costs when someone mails a book to you.)

Additionally, they have sister sites that apply the same concept to swapping CDs and DVDs.

This has been a great way for us to save money…and that always works for me!

WFMW: Cheap Snack Containers

The idea I have is very simple and I’m certain I am not the first one to think of this:

I babysit small children, including some that are still eating baby food. When I am finished feeding the kids, I like to keep the plastic containers that their food comes in (e.g. Gerber’s 1st Foods, etc.) They make great snack containers for when I am packing my husband’s lunch. Some foods that these containers work well for include: nuts, cheezits and small candy. Since they are reusable, it saves me from having to use Ziploc bags each time. And the containers are compact enough that they fit easily into the smallest of lunch boxes.

I also use these small containers to organize our junk drawer in the kitchen. They are perfect for holding screws, beads, thumbtacks etc. Upon opening the drawer, I can see at a glance where everything is!

The list of ideas for using these small containers is endless…and that works for me!

Thanks for reading!

WFMW: Vinegar Household Cleaner

Hello World! So this is my first post and first time participating in Works-for-Me Wednesday! Big day for me, huh?

Let's get two things out on the table right now: 1) I hate spending money on household cleaners. 2) I hate that chemical smell that household cleaners have.

My alternative: I clean with distilled white vinegar. It's cheap and very effective. (I still suffer with an unpleasant smell when I clean, but at least I know it's chemical-free!)

For an all-purpose cleaner, I pour 2-cups distilled white vinegar and 2-cups water into a spray bottle.

Out of curiosity, I googled what other things you can do with vinegar and I found this helpful website. Here are just a few of the tips that it mentioned:

Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.

Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.

Clean the shelves and walls of the refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.

Remove soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher by pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and running it through a whole cycle. Do monthly.

Cleaning made easy and with less chemicals...that's what works for me!