FREE Night Out With The Girls!

 

Home Depot it partnering with Martha Stewart Living to do a super cool FREE Do-It-Herself event on Thursday, September 30th from 7:00-8:30pm.  The first 30 people will get a free project organizer.  This would be so much fun to do as a night out with friends to learn how to do some projects around the house.  Get signed up HERE to reserve your spot.

FREE Clinics At Home Depot

 

Home Depot has some great new Workshops available for FREE in your area!  We have always done much of the work around the house ourselves and sometimes bitten off more than we can chew.  These seem like a lot of fun and also a great way to save money but learning how to do things on your own without paying to hire someone.  Here are the new workshops they have out for the fall.  Sign up for one HERE!

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 Fall Face Lift: Interior & Exterior Painting

• Learn about patching, prep and maintenance for refreshing your home’s interior and exterior
• Find out about some of the basic tools and accessories to make your project easy, fast and clean
• Locate the best quality paint and products for the job

Decorative Flooring Solutions

• Explore the range of laminate, tile or carpet flooring options that make your projects easy and affordable
• Discover the many products exclusive to The Home Depot, designed especially for easy décor coordination and installation
• Learn about the range of colors, textures and innovative benefits like stain resistance and warranties

Save Energy. Save Money

• Identify several exclusive Eco Options and Energy Star–rated products that can help you start saving on energy costs in the fall
• Begin weatherizing your home with a range of low-cost sealants and insulation that make your home more comfortable and save you money
• Learn about other easy-to-install products that help you get lower electricity and water bill

Fall Planting And Maintenance

• Maintain your yard year-round with the right products for the right climate
• Learn tips for eco-friendly gardening and weatherizing your yard
• Find out tips for maintaining curb appeal year-round

Lunch Box Recipes And Ideas

I told you all about some of the great bloggers that I met at Baking With Betty and today I am introducing you to one of them!  Amanda from A Few Shortcuts has done a great post about lunch box recipes and ideas.  I don’t know about you but I get in a rut quickly and run out of ideas for lunches for Marley.  Check out Amanda’s post HERE that summarizes 6 different posts she has done to help you with new ideas.  Thanks for sharing Amanda!

CSN.com Tons Of Products At Great Prices

When CSN asked me to do a review of some of their products I was a little skeptical at what the $40.00 would be able to buy.  When I got on their site and started searching, however, I was pleasantly surprised.  Our favorite pair of sheets had gotten a little too much wear so I went to see if there would be any good options without me having to spend money out of pocket.  I was a little hesitant but curious enough to order when I saw a pair of Columbia microfiber sheets for only $14.99.  I also found a flour sifter that I really needed and was able to get them both for right at $40.00 including the shipping.  They had quite a few items with free shipping and I was amazed at the amount of items and stores that they had all under one easy roof.  They have anything from lighting, housewares, decorations, cooking supplies, outdoor equipment and so much more. 

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When the sheets arrived, I threw them in the washer and then put them on later that night without telling my husband.  He is a little picky about sheets so I wanted to see what he would think.  Thankfully, he loved them and so did I.  They are the perfect balance between light and airy and soft as well.  We have not put the old ones back on the bed since:)  The sifter I chose is very light and easy to use without the worry of rust from a metal one.  It makes my muffin recipe so much easier and faster!

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If you have not checked out CSN stores, you should definitely give them a try and see if you can find good prices on the items you are looking for!

Great Offers From Home Depot

Home Depot has several different offers out right now that can get you savings for your home improvement and gardening projects.

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Join the Home Improver Club to get access to money saving tips and offers HERE.

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Join the Home Depot Movers Club to get a 10% off coupon HERE.

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Join the Home Depot Pro Club to get savings, tips, advice and more HERE.

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We joined these and have gotten some great coupons in the mail and our email for gardening tools, plants and more.  Make sure to sign up today!

Learn How To Save By Going Green

Let Eco Home Improvements show you how you can actually make money through tax credits by greening up your home.  I know last year we bought energy efficient appliances for our new house and got some good tax credits from them.  Find out all you need to know by clicking the banner above or HERE.

Premium Business Cards 500 Only $10

Vistaprint has a great new offer out for their Premium Business Cards!  You can get 500 for only $10 including FREE Shipping.  It doesn’t get much better than that.  If you do not have a business, these are great to use to put your personal information on to make giving your info out a little easier.  That way when you want to give someone your email address, phone number or address, you can just pull out a card and not be fishing around for paper and pen. 

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You can also use these for your kids.  You can either put all your info on it for them to keep with them or if your child has allergies or medical needs, you can list it all on the cards and easily leave it at childcare, nurseries or for babysitters.

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Order yours from Vistaprint today!

Reader’s Green Cleaning Tips

Just as promised, I wanted to share with you some of the great tips that you all shared as entries into our giveaway for the Seventh Generation cleaning pack.  There were tons of good ones, so I just picked some of the ones I thought offered some good savings in addition to green cleaning.  Enjoy!

 

~~ I use vinegar in the dishwasher where the special rinsing stuff goes, much cheaper and does a great job of keeping my dishes spot free

 

~~ Lemon essential oil will take off adhesive residue (stickers, tape, etc.). Rub a drop or two on the area and rub with a cotton ball, then wipe clean with a wet cloth.

 

~~ Use baking soda in place of chemical cleansers like Ajax.

 

~~ Two words–baking soda!! This stuff is great I use it instead of comet to clean the sink and also some plastic bowls that might have stains in them like spaghetti sauce. Mix a little water to form a paste and it comes right off.

 

~~ Use those reusable cleaning rags you can get at Target. I’ve literally cut my paper towel usage in 1/2 at least!! I never seem to need them! Just throw them in the washer when they get really dirty

 

~~ Use newspapers to clean windows.

 

~~ When my bath towels get too raggity, I cut them up and store them in the kitchen and use these smaller, super absorbent towels to wipe down the kids and chairs after meal time. It saves us money since I don’t need to buy a ton of paper towels for this job.

 

~~ Reuse, reuse, reuse then recycle. I like to use the sour cream container or cottage cheese container (after it’s cleaned in the dishwasher) to organize smaller items around the house. I also use them to store grease in and for taking leftovers to work.

The Importance of a Clean House & Giveaway

Talk To Me Tuesday!

 

I have recently found that the times I feel the most stressed are the times that my house and life is in total disarray and any sense of organization has gone down the drain.  A few weeks ago this is where I was.  Everything seemed out of control and there was no real plan for each day.  We were eating out way too much because we had no plan, were always in a hurry and it was too easy to just go somewhere.

Finally, I cracked and realized that if I would just get myself in gear and get organized again, things would go much more smoothly and everyone would be more happy.  My husband and I sat down and looked at our budget and changed some things around.  I made myself a schedule for work time, play time, family time and household duties time.  While I haven’t stuck to every single second, I have done pretty well.  I have learned that by doing one thing at a time and doing it the best I can, I can get much more done and done better than before.  Keeping things balanced and not letting the scale tip too far in any one direction is key.  While volunteering, making money, keeping my house, my kids, my husband and many other things are all wonderful and important things, spending all my time on one of them throws the others out of whack.

One major factor is keeping my house clean.  When the house is clean, we all feel more at peace and happy.  That is just what we are used to.  It helps things not seem so scattered and chaotic and provides a safe and happy place for our family.  I have made several efforts along the way to clean more organically and safely by using rags instead of paper towels and as few cleaners as possible.  Now there are so many great options available out there for “green cleaners” it is much easier.  Seventh Generation has a great line of cleaning products that you can feel great about using in your home and on the things your loved ones eat on.

THE GIVEAWAY:  To help one lucky reader get their house in tip top shape again, Seventh Generation through My Blog Spark is offering a Seventh Generation “Disinfecting Cleaning Kit” that includes a disinfecting multi-surface cleaner, bathroom cleaner, wipes , a copy of The Conscious Kitchen, a cleaning caddy made from recycled plastic, and two rolls of 100% recycled, unbleached paper towels.  They provided me with the same thing and it is great!  I love being able to use paper towels and not feel as bad about it and not worrying that my cleaners will be bad for my girls or us.

HOW TO ENTER: This giveaway is now closed.

Ready For Spring Cleaning?

Are you ready to start your spring cleaning?  I am so enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having and glad that spring is here!!  I love letting my kids go and play outside again and eating dinner outside.  I also love spring cleaning which might sounds odd:)  I love the new and the change of seasons.  I am actually a little sad that we just moved and there is not much spring cleaning to be done.  I am sure I will find something else to do with my time:)

 

If you are looking for some time saving ideas, you can download the free spring cleaning guide above.

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