Category: cleaning

Today’s thrifty living tip is declutter. Clutter makes your life unorganized, looks messy, and makes your life expensive. What I mean is if you can’t find that certain widget you know you own, then you waste time finding it. You might also buy another widget since you can’t find it. This happened to me last year at Thanksgiving. I couldn’t find a pastry cutter so I bought another one at the store for $5. I later found one that I couldn’t find so I now own two. I actually plan to use the one I already have, and have stored the other one in a place that I can now find it if I need it one day.

This happens very often to people. It’s money wasted as well as time. I try to declutter at least once a year. You can either sell or your stuff online like ebay, Craigslist, an ad in your local paper, or at a yard sale. I also like donating some of the clutter to my local church and women’s shelter. I usually don’t have enough stuff to justify a yard sale so I prefer to just give most of it away. This way I can help others in need.

Today’s thrifty living tip is use a pumice stone to clean hard water stains. This works really well with porcelain sinks, toilets, and even tubs. You can buy them at Lowes or any hardware store. We have an older toilet plus hard water. So deposits will build up over time, and it’s the original toilet to our 50 year old house. You do have to apply some elbow grease and it took out all the old stains. The inside looks brand new again. They are relatively cheap and I think I paid under $4 with tax. It’s a lot cheaper than most chemicals and it’s not toxic. I would recommend putting on a pair of latex gloves first.

Today’s thrifty tip is to reuse and rewash food containers and plastic ziploc baggies. I’m sure you have read this tip before but it’s such a great one. I never reuse anything that contained raw meat. I love those small plastic containers that deli meat comes in. My husband uses these to hold his bolts, screws, and nails. They are clear which makes it easier to see what is inside. They stack nicely. I also like to these for leftovers to give to other people. I never give out my Tupperware containers and use these instead. They make great containers to use for homemade goodies and treats.

Today’s thrifty living tip is extend the life of your shower curtains. I wash mine in the washing machine on a short cycle with vinegar and hot water. I also throw in a towel to help weight it down. The curtain comes out clean and it’s easier than scrubbing it by hand. I have been able to keep a curtain for at least 2-3 years. These are the cheap vinyl ones. I do eventually throw them away once they start ripping or starts looking like swiss cheese.

Today’s thrifty tip is turn your bottles upside down to squeeze out the last remains. I do this with all my bottles of shampoo, conditioner, dish liquid, and such. I also will add a little water and shake well to use it all. You would be surprised at how much more you can get from a bottle. I usually get at least 2-3 more uses this way.