Door-to-Door

I've recently discovered this great service that is offered in my area. A local charity drops off plastic bags that you can fill with clothes, books ect and they pick it up on a later date! I never used to take advantage of this, but have recently realized how easy this is! It's a great way to get rid of those extra clothes and books AND help someone else in need!! My house is feeling less full already!

Storage

So, I realize it's been way too long since I've posted. I've been very overwhelmed with school, life....you name it. I have managed to find a few things that have made my life a little easier though.

1. I live in an area of the country that is known for its tiny kitchens and bathrooms. I'm fine with that. I don't need a ton of space. I DO get annoyed when every time I try to take something out of my storage compartment above the toilet, one of my toiletries falls IN the toilet. I decided that an extra shelf was long overdue. You wonder why I hadn't thought of that before? WELL, there is absolutely NO wall space in my bathroom....where there isn't a shower or mirror, there's the toilet or the door. I finally decided to put an extra shelf above the over the toilet organizer. I matched it to the colors of my bathroom and it looks great! I put a basket on top of it with all of the necessary items I NEED, but don't necessarily use every day. NO MORE toiletries falling in the toilet!

2. Since both my husband and I are students there is an abundance of textbooks in our house. I thought there was no easy way to keep these big bulks of knowledge out of sight...and then I decided to buy a cloth box. I now keep all my nursing texts in the box and put my husbands in wooden boxes on our bookshelves...no more ugly textbooks glaring at me in every room of the house!!

Do you have any ideas for organization? Post a comment.

A List of Gadgets that Have Made My Life Easier

1.Sock Locks
When I was growing up, it was rare that I was able to find matching socks in my drawer. If they were both white, they were considered matched. As a young child, I did not really care if one sock was mid calf and the other a no-show sock. Things have changed. I can not stand searching through my drawer for socks that are actually supposed to be worn as a pair! One might ask, "Well, what's the problem..match your socks when you fold your laundry!" Well, that seems to be an easy answer to the problem, right? Well, I've found that washing one person's clothes is easy, but washing and matching four peoples socks...well...it's a bit more challenging and time consuming. After sorting socks for 40 minutes one day, I decided to try out the sock lock. It's a little device that keeps both of your socks together throughout the entire washing, drying and even folding process. They are a life saver! No more digging through drawers of unmatched socks for this girl!

2.A Compartmentalized Hamper
So you're stuck doing the laundry? At least you can get your family to pre-sort it for you with a hamper that has a compartment for darks, whites and in-between clothes.

3.Rubbing Alcohol
This takes ink right out of your favorite shirt that your friend accidentally wrote on.

4.Magic Eraser
It truly is MAGIC.

5. Pan Organizer
My brother-in-law and sister used to get annoyed with the way I put pans in their cupboards. One day my sister came home with the perfect solution..A multi-level shelf that organizes pans.

Drains Driving You CRAZY?

I used to live with 3 other girls in an apartment with one bathroom. 3 of us had shoulder length hair or longer. Needless to say...our drains never drained to swiftly. Then I got married and my husband taught me a neat little trick. Say good bye to slow draining sinks and tubs.

1. Pour a cup of bleach down the drain.

2. Let it sit for a few minutes.

3. Boil some water.

4. Pour it down the drain.

5. Follow these steps at least once a week or more if your household contains lots of girls with long hair!

*Note* This is a "prophylactic treatment"...if your drain is completely clogged you may want to use some draino and then follow these steps weekly.

Mimimalize Garbage Annoyances.

Do you ever find your garbage bag at the bottom of your can while the garbage is brimming at the top? I used to have this problem all of the time. Here's a quick fix.

1. Buy a stainless steel garbage can.

2. Insert Garbage bag.

3. Find some strong magnets you like. I found some decorative ones that look nice.

4. Stick the magnets to the outside of the can on top of the plastic bag.

5. No more garbage annoyances!!!

Do You...?

1. Turn off all of the lights when you aren't in the room? My husband got after me for this the other week. I was dusting so I NEEDED them ALL on so I could see...the next day he left the light in the living room on when he was in the kitchen. Of course I had to be a snot and ask him if he was using the light in the living room :)

2. Use your computer instead of printing off all of your notes....(or whatever people who aren't in school print off?) I figure this will save us about 15 dollars a month...I just can't get used to TYPING my notes though...I'm a firm believer in writing everything down...but I'll try this "high-tech" way of taking notes if it saves money.

3. Shower at the gym. I've decided that this saves a bit on the water bill..so why not?

4. Eat soup. This is actually a GREAT tasting, healthy and CHEAP meal.

5. Pick your nose? Answer this one truthfully:)

I've Discovered....

I've discovered the benefits of garage sales.

1. You can sell all your junk and make a profit! Who really needs two picnic baskets? yes..we have two

2. It makes me feel less guilty when I store the junk in the garage...at least I know it has a purpose for being there.

3. It's easier to convince another member of the household to get rid of something if they think they might make a profit off of it.

4. Just make sure you don't become a victim of buying lots of "useful stuff" at other people's garage sales!