Tips & Tricks Around the Home

Back to school season is here, which means fall, winter and the Holiday's are quickly approaching us. This is a great time of year to do some "spring cleaning". Most of us take our kids back to school shopping. We buy socks, undies, pants, shirts, etc... some of us even buy enough to get us through the entire school year. So what do we do with all the summer clothing, the clothes that don't fit anymore, or just the clothes that have been sitting there all year? We have some tips and ideas that might work for you. My youngest son is very picky about his clothing. I went through his dresser with him before school started and we found clothes that were brand new and had been sitting there since last Christmas! Here are some ideas of what to do with all that "extra" clothing you have laying around taking up space -

  • If you have little ones you may just want to pack it up and away for next summer
  • On Craigslist you can resell your clothing for no charge, they do not take anything out
  • Donate it! In these hard economic times there are so many in need that cannot afford new clothing
  • Host a Swap Party! Get some of your mommy friends together and have everyone bring clothing that no longer can be used or is unwanted. I have found that very often baby clothes and kids clothing are usually in very good condition. As a Mom we sometimes over buy and things sit unworn, then by the time we get to it, it no longer fits. This is a great way to get together with some friends! You can also make a play date out of it, or even have a brunch!
  • Create a dress up box for the kids to play. We sometimes will even save old clothing for Halloween and make scarecrows with them.
Here are a few other great household & money saving tips-

  • Keep a fabric softener in your dresser and towel closet, it will help them keep them smelling fresh
  • Unplug appliances that are not in use. Just because they are turned off, does not mean they are not using up electricity
  • Stop using paper towels & wipes to clean up - save your old unwanted clothing and turn them into rags that you can wash clean
  • Recycle - save your cans, bottles and plastic; we make a trip to the recycle bin once a month and usually bring home an extra $30-$40
  • Rid a smelly fish odor or bad food odor by placing a blow of white vinegar on the counter
  • Rub Alcohol on ink stains
  • Clean your toilet with Coca-Cola
  • For paper cuts use super glue
  • Alka-Seltzer is not just for upset tummies, it will also help to cure urinary tract infections
  • Place a mini-marshmellow at the bottom of your ice-cream cone to prevent the ice-cream from dripping through the bottom
  • You can also place a marshmellow inside your brown sugar box to help keep it moist
  • To shave you can use olive oil
  • A dab of toothpaste can help relieve an itch
  • Use instant potatoes for rat or mice poisoning
  • Always carry snacks in the car for when the kids get hungry everytime they see a McDonald's
  • Buy store brands when grocery shopping. Sometimes the food will taste the same, it is just the packaging you are paying extra for
  • Shop without the kids! This is a must for us, everytime we take the kids we ending up spending at least $50 more than planned
  • Call your electricity and gas companies and make an appointment for an audit. Most times they will come out free and give you many useful tips to cut down costs
My final tip is to shop clearance!! I will never pay full price for anything. My favorite place to shop is Target and I almost have the days down that they do their markdowns. LOL You can even find groceries on clearance at Target. This past month they have been resetting their toys and getting ready for Christmas. They had a big toy clearance with toys marked up to 75% off clearance! Soon they will start marking down camping, summer toys, and back to school merchandise. Most all stores will have some kind of markdowns. Most of all I really believe that giving back to others and helping a neighbor is so important, especially during the hard times that so many of us are going through. Get to know your neighbors and the people living around you - you never know when your family might just need their help.