Three secrets to a clean house

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

nullI think people set them up for failure in hoping, wishing or even praying for a clean home. That’s because they believe it’s all or nothing. “I either spend all afternoon cleaning, or it’s a mess.” Not true!

And here is my confession — I have no “cleaning day.” I never spend hours scrubbing, dusting, etc., but I perpetually get compliments on how neat and clean our home appears.

Now I am not talking that you can eat off the floor or won’t find a speck of dust on my blinds, but I never feel like I need to apologize how the house appears when someone stops by (or to myself when I wake up).

My secrets? Glad you asked. :-)

  • Pickup – My Mother ingrained this in me. If you pick up each day (and in our house it’s in the morning and the night), the house already looks clean. Sure, there might be dust, but if you put the remote back by the TV, plump the cushions, and deal with any of those clutter monsters (mail, newspapers, etc), your home will look neat. That, alone, is half the battle. Make it a habit in the morning, or when you first come in the door from work, or before you go to bed at night. Just make it a habit. Like I said, I have my a.m. run through the house, the 5 p.m. run, and usually a quick pickup before bed. Total I may spend 15 minutes a day.
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  • Do a little each day – There are so few people who have hours to spend cleaning house (and who wants to?). But I would hazard to say we can all carve out 15 to 30 minutes a day to work toward this effort. Add it up — if you spend 30 minutes a day tackling a couple tasks in your home, by the end of the week, you’ve spent 3.5 hours cleaning. Three and a half hours! When I cleaned homes for a living, I could do a 2,000-square-foot house in 4 hours, so I think this timeframe would cover most any one’s home. The secret is to breaking it down. In 15 minutes, I can do all the “wet work” in the bathrooms — scrubbing toilets, sinks, and tubs. The next day I may do the spit and polish. Another day I clean the glass tables and vacuum. This way — and this is important — the house is in a perpetual state of being clean. I think that’s ideal — the house is always neat and clean, not just one day a week. A little every day adds up to a lot after a week.
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  • Make it a game — set a timer – Flylady (a well-known Internet cleaning maven) advises and I agree in effect, to set a timer for cleaning. I no longer physically set the countdown on the microwave, but I do set goals: “I’m going to dust the downstairs and clean the glass tables before I check email.” I also like, “I’m going to pickup/clean the kitchen in the 15 minutes before 5 p.m.” I give myself a time — and focus. In that small amount of time, I take care of what needs to be attended to before I sit down, change my clothes, or any other reward I may assign to myself. It is truly amazing what you can accomplish! The secret is that you are focusing just on cleaning and accomplishing a task. I like it in 15 minute timeframes, but give yourself 30 if you want to take care of some big tasks. Just stay focused. Much better than spending a Saturday afternoon cleaning!
  • Hope these suggestions help. You can do it. Just remember a little every day adds up to a lot in a week and beyond! :-)



    ProHo hacked but all repaired

    Thursday, February 4th, 2010

    Just wish to let my readers know that Prohomemaker was hacked briefly today in which the site would forward to another one. But the problem has been fixed today, and additional safety precautions taken. Thank you to those readers who let me know, and please know we were on it like flies on you know what. :-)



    A super-duper easy chicken recipe

    Friday, January 29th, 2010

    I love recipes that are incredibly easy but still deliver bang-up results, and I found a new one last night for chicken breasts on allrecipes.com. I read the reviews and altered the recipe accordingly, but was so surprised that five ingredients could net a dang-good dinner that took zero brain power.

    I served the chicken breasts over rice (made simple with this recipe) and a vegetable on the side (this time I did broccoli), and I was done. The best part was I didn’t even need to defrost the boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you could easily adapt it for fresh, bone-in ones. And the results were wonderful!

    Try this recipe next time you are not in the mood to cook, but want a comforting dinner.

    Creamy Chicken Breasts

    Ingredients

    Four frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    1 10.75 oz. can of Cream of Chicken soup
    1/2 cup sour cream
    1/2 a packet of onion soup mix
    Two splashes of milk to thin slightly

    Directions:

    1. Spray 9-12 inch casserole dish with Pam or oil lightly.
    2. Put frozen breasts in dish.
    3. In a small mixing bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, onion soup, sour cream and two splashes of milk.
    4. Pour soup mixture over breasts.
    5. Bake at 325 degrees, uncovered for 55 minutes.

    To serve: Place breasts over cooked rice, spoon extra sauce over and garnish with parsley or a dash of paprika, and vegetable on the side. Voila! Dinner in an hour!

    Note: For fresh, bone-in chicken breasts, raise oven temperature to 350 and bake for 35-40 minutes.



    Excellent — and important — tip if your wallet is ever stolen

    Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

    wallet
    Hopefully you will never need this information, but I did this week, when my wallet was stolen from my car. Sure, it’s a pain — new driver’s license, re-ordering credit cards, etc., but it’s also an easy way in which to get your “identity” stolen.

    Think about it — the bad guy has your name, address, birth date, and probably a lot more personal information. It would be simple to take that and order items online, open new accounts or even order a new cell phone (as happened to a friend of mine).

    But there is a simple way to protect yourself.

    The police officer who took the burglary report advised me to contact all three major credit bureaus — Trans Union, Experian and Equifax — and instruct them to put what is known as a “fraud alert” on my name and aspects of my identification.

    This is a free service, and provides you with so much protection. The fraud alert was instantaneous, flagging my personal information for 90 days of the possibility of fraud. If someone now attempts to gain credit with my name, I will be called to verify that it is indeed me.

    I completed the process online, as well as through automated services for two of the other credit bureaus. It took all of about 15 minutes, but it was a small price to pay in terms of time that I would not be a crime victim again in the future.

    Feel free to share this information. I never knew, and am glad I know now.



    Secrets to netting high-value coupons and savings at the grocery store

    Sunday, January 17th, 2010

    coupon shopping
    I’ve been using coupons with a vengence for about three years now, and am saving thousands of dollars every year and have more food and sundry items than ever before. In this time, I learned that couponing is a skill that can save a lot of money, and requires only a little bit of knowledge and about an hour to 90 minutes a week in prep time.

    I am always surprised when people don’t think it’s worth their time to use coupons. Look at this shop from today. I spent only $22.86! That was 71 percent off! Among other items, this included 4 pounds of boneless chicken breasts, 2 pounds of ground turkey, 5 Healthy Choice entrees, a nearly 2 pound bag of frozen Taquitos, Progresso soup, etc. If I had just shopped the specials — without coupons — this same shop would have cost $47.17 — more than 50 percent more. (By the way, I got the Quaker snacks, Gatorade, and Yakasobi noodles for free. The Progresso soups were only 27 cents each for three cans!)

    I’ve learned over the years that the newspapers flyers give you some great coupons, but if you want to net the big savings, you need to add in three more venues for high-value coupons — the Internet, Facebook, and online saving specials.

    Let me explain these areas:

  • The Internet – If you want to net the biggest savings, you must use Internet printable coupons. You can easily find them on Couponmom.com, or any other sites, but you will consistently net higher savings on more items by just printing out the coupons. But let me tell you, hold onto them. They are usually good for a month or two, and just wait for the products to hit their lowest point. I combined Internet and a store special to net the V8 juices for 99 cents apiece today, as well as the Healthy Choice entrees for only 99 cents apiece. I normally wouldn’t buy Healthy Choice, but for less than a “value meal” burger, I added those in. If you see any high-value coupons (the Healthy Choice was $5 off 5) print it out!
  • Use Facebook for savings – More and more food manufacturers are using Facebook as a marketing technique. I’ve found in several instances that if you become a “fan” of their pages, you can net some high-value coupons. I got one in the mail just yesterday — a free pint of International Coffee creamer. This is normally at least $1.49 on a great sale, and I get it for free. No spam from Facebook, just some great deals. Watch savings blogs for alerts on companies offering great deals. I like Saving Cents with Sense.
  • Watch TV and Internet offerings – You know that nearly 2 pound bag of frozen taquitos I bought today? The sale price was $5.49. How much did I pay — 49 cents! You’re damn right I put that in the cart! I netted the $5 off coupon by seeing an online offering where if you provided a recipe, they would send you a $5 coupon. I used my chipotle sauce one I got off allrecipes.com, and voila — I got a bag of taquitos for 49 cents! When you watch TV or surf savings blogs, start mentally noting companies that are offering savings specials on their web sites. Print out the coupons, match them with store specials and Ecoupons and net huge rewards. Last week I got the big Coffeemate for only 75 cents apiece (normally $3.49) by combining the coupon from the web site, a store special and an Ecoupon!
  • Anyone who wants to save money or who is facing tough times should use coupons. I literally save more than $3,000 a year for a family of two. Doesn’t make any difference? Wouldn’t that help you pay off a credit card, or maybe help a lot on a car payment?

    I hope these tips help you to refine your skills so you can save even more. I tell you, it’s fun! Even the cashier today told me how good I did. :-) You can do it, too, see the “Coupon Shopping” and Grocery Store Tactics” link on my web site for more.



    The challenge: Feed one person for $25 a week. Guess who wins?

    Thursday, January 14th, 2010

    I love these kind of challenges! Can one person eat breakfast, lunch and dinner for a week for $25? Yes, it can be done — and the food will last more than a week!

    I have several friends who are single-person households who are not big converts to using coupons, so I added to the challenge that I had to make it as easy as possible. My strategy? Combine in-ad coupons, with grocery store specials and Internet coupons. So all they will need to do is rip the coupons from the ad and use their printer at home.
    grocery shopping on a budget
    But this time, unlike my last challenge, I added in that they must only have to visit one store. And I still did it! Sure, they may need to visit a farmer’s market for a vegetable or two, and they may wish to add in milk, but I am sure it will still end up under $30. That’s still only $120 for a month.

    But the best part is several of the purchases are stock-up buys, meaning the price hit so low it’s time to think week’s ahead. That brings the savings back to $25 easily.

    The final result — this shop saves them 50 percent off the same bill if they were not smart shopping! (I went today, and my savings for my similar purchases was 69 percent, because I also used newspaper coupons, but we are going to go baby steps.)

    But just using this shopping strategy, here are the numbers:

    $49.96 in merchandise for only $24.73!

    The store this week is Vons (Safeway in many other parts of the country), and here are the items to buy (click the headline to print out this post individually for a shopping list). Also, to print the coupons, click the link where it says “with this coupon” and you will be taken to the site. You may need to install the coupon printer, but let me tell you, it’s easy and will save you a lot of money.

    So, let’s get saving!:

  • Farmer John Sausage Links or Patties – 12 oz. - $1.99
  • Final price – 99 cents (when you use this coupon – enter 92025 for ZIP code)

  • Juicy Juice - $2.49 each *Buy 2*
  • Final price – 99 cents (when you use this coupon and buy 5 participating juice products)

  • V8 Fusion juice - $2.99 each *Buy 2*
  • Final price – 99 cents (when you use this coupon and print twice, and buy 5 participating juice products)

  • Langers or Motts juice - $2.49 *Buy 1*
  • Final price - $1.49 (no coupon but part of the “Buy 5, Save 5″ deal)

  • Healthy Choice dinner entrees - $1.99 *Buy 5*
  • Final price – 99 cents each (when you use this coupon - must buy 5)

  • Gortons Grilled Fillets - $3
  • Final price - $2 (when you use this coupon and it doubles)

    Also be sure and clip the in-ad coupons with a minimum $10 purchase and get these great deals:

    Here are my favorites with the coupon price:

  • Safeway Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast - 4 lb Bag Frozen $5.88 ea (Regularly $9.99)
  • Quaker Chewy Granola Bars $.99 (Limit 3) (Regularly $1.99)
  • Ore-Ida Frozen Potatoes $1.99 (Limit 2) (Sale price $2.99)
  • Wish-Bone Salad Dressing $.99 (Limit 3) (Sale price $2)
  • Lucerne Large Eggs, 18 ct $1.49 (Limit 1) (Regularly $2.59)
  • I loved doing this post, in hopes that will help my friends, but it also goes to show you how a little planning can reap lots of savings. I specifically went off the grocery-saving lists found at the Grocery Gathering blog (just look on the left for Grocery Store Specials), which lists numerous specials state-by-state, and store-by-store. Check it out for more savings!



    The lazy man’s way to save at the grocery store — E-coupons!

    Friday, January 8th, 2010

    I know a lot of people have yet to jump on the couponing bandwagon (even though it is easy with sites, such as Couponmom and saves a lot of money), but anyone can benefit from the new wonder — E-coupons.

    Look at this haul from tonight, including two gallons of milk, two Coffeemates, four boxes of Cherrios, Olay lotion, potatoes, carrots, cheese slices, snacks, a frozen pizza and even a frozen dinner entree. $85 in groceries for … $29! That’s a $55 savings!

    I used my standard strategies, which is to combine store specials, with store coupons, with manufacturer coupons (both newspaper and Internet). But I started adding in one more saving strategy — E-coupons tied directly to your store club card.

    The best news is now the stores are adding E-coupons available on their web sites! So before the shop, I stopped by my store’s site (Vons.com), added its E-coupons onto my Club card, and then went on over to Shortcuts.com, Cellfire.com and P&G.com for Proctor and Gamble savings. The best part is I never needed to leave the store’s web site — the links were right there under “coupons.” Now this is no-brainer savings!

    To use them is nothing. Slide your card at checkout, and the savings is automatically deducted (usually noted as “Manufacturer E coupon”). The store makes it easy to remember what you loaded, by offering a printable shopping list on its web site.

    Just with e-coupons (which take nothing to load), I saved $6.05. Adding them with regular coupons and the rebate, and my total coupon savings was $32.61 — more than what I spent!

    But when you combine E-coupons with and/or store specials, store coupons and paper and Internet coupons, you can net some dang good deals!

    How about these steals tonight:

  • Coffeemate creamer - 49 cents a bottle ($1.50-E-coupon, $1.50 Internet coupon and $1.50 store coupon)
  • Olay lotion - Got paid $3 to buy it! ($2 E-coupon, $1 paper coupon, and rebate for purchase price before the coupons!)
  • Cherrios 14 oz (4) - 79 cents each (55 cents E-coupon, $2.55 Internet coupons, and $4 store special)
  • Bertolli dinner entree - $3.99 ($2 E-coupon, $1 paper one)

    You can see the secret for stupendous deals is to combine the coupons. That’s the best part with E-coupons — you can combine with Internet/newspaper and store coupons. Normally, you cannot stack deals like that, with the exception of store coupons with manufacturer ones. This really can make a good deal a fantastic one. Coffeemate for 49 cents! That’s normally $3.49 (and a staple in our house).

    But even if you don’t want to go to the trouble of cutting coupons, be sure and check out the E ones available at your store’s web site or those I listed above. The $6 in savings I got tonight from them more than paid for the two gallons of milk!



  • A very personal post — watching money is working!

    Monday, January 4th, 2010

    Sorry for the holiday hiatus … lots to do, but I am back with a very eye-opening, personal post. And that is how being financially savvy can save your budget.

    I am going to be sharing a lot of personal information here, but it shows very clearly that by watching your money, you can make it!

    budget livingAs you may know, my income dropped to one-fifth of what I was living on before — and I still watched my money then. What’s the numbers? I averaged a little over $100,000 for about four years, and have been living on $22,500 a year for the last two years, and only $7,000 in 2007. The reason? Need I say more? Real estate meltdown.

    But we are surviving and with a very little impact on our day-to-day life! Sure, the days of 15-night cruises to Hawaii are history, but I still managed a three-night one to Ensenada this year! :-)

    The best news is that for the first time in two years, I did not need to pull $10,000 from savings in January to give me a head start on the coming year (and by that, I mean, I was out of money). I take that as a huge victory, and I chalk that up to the fact that my budget-saving measures are working — and well!

    Not only that, I have six months’ living expenses in the bank!

    To answer a couple questions/doubts, I am not living on credit cards. My total balance is less than $700 (and that was for real estate association fees). I’ve resigned myself I cannot pay those off in one fell swoop, but with a chunk payment here and there, I can pay ‘em off in a matter of three to four months.

    I last hit savings in January 2009 for $10,000. Otherwise, it is intact (and actually improved, thanks to a stock market uptick).

    How am I doing it? It’s the cumulative effect of watching our budget — and looking for savings wherever I can.

    Here are some salient points on how I did it:

  • I used coupons for food and sundry items. Thanks to Wells Fargo, I can tell you we (a family of two) spent an average of $68.50 a week, or $274 a month, on groceries, including liquor and sundry purchases (keep in mind, some months have five weeks, so that average is even lower). I can tell you that by using my coupon tips, we cut our grocery bill in half. And we actually have more groceries in the house! This is saving us more than $3,000 a year.
  • I altered my health insurance coverage. I dropped my “rich man’s insurance” and went with Kaiser. This cut that bill from $550 to $275, or a $3,300 a year savings.
  • I looked hard at my car insurance. Using online calculators, I realized it was no longer worth carrying comprehensive/collision insurance. This, and raising my deductible to $1,000, cut my bill in half! A $1,000 a year savings.
  • I monitored our utility usage. It’s funny how small measures can add up, but just by watching how much electricity we used, I cut our bill from an average of $180 a month to $120. No, we are not living in darkness and still run the A/C, but I learned a light coat in the house is better than turning on the heat, and that if I leave the house open at night during the hot months and close it up first thing in the a.m., we don’t need the A/C till 3 p.m. That $60 a month saved us $720 this past year, and by not flushing the toilets every time (if you know what I mean) we cut our water bill by another $10 a month, or $120 for a total of $840.
  • I took advantage of any special I could find. For example, Christmas was cut to only $250 this year by using any and every special I could find this year, including signup bonuses, free gifts, online discounts, etc. Sure, no Kindle under the tree this year, but Art got 300 thread count sheets and I got great new kitchen items. The family loved the photo gifts I got for them (using signup bonuses) and they averaged less than $8 each for $20-$25 presents!
  • Bottom line — I ran $198 negative this year. Now that’s do-able. I just ran the numbers, and by just doing the above, I saved a little under $8,500. This underscores now what I know — why didn’t I need to hit savings for $10,000 this year! I just wish I would have done these measures even earlier, but I am so proud of myself. :-)

    Want an even better picture of how watching your money is a job — the savings I made this year is as if I worked 24+ hours a week all year long (tax free!) at a minimum wage job!

    I hope this post gives you inspiration. It sure showed me that what I am doing is working!



    HOT rebate — free Olay Quench Lotion

    Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

    Olay QuenchNow this is too cool a rebate to pass up!!

    Purchase any Olay Quench Body Lotion (other than travel size) before January 29, 2010, and get reimbursed for its total cost! And you can do this rebate twice! (You just need to submit the form separately, so have ‘em ring it up separately, if you do this.)

    We all know lotion is costly, and Olay is a good brand. This rebate is worth bucks! It looks like the lotion is about $6 a bottle.

    This is a great rebate for the cost of a stamp! I am getting rebates nearly weekly, so try it! And, in this case, it’s a totally free product!

    Click here to get the link for the form.



    Are you the Christmas Elf?

    Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

    I have come to learn that in a household, one person becomes the Christmas Elf — the one who makes a memorable holiday come about. We’re the ones who stay up late or get up early, and generally ensure that the holiday spirit is spread far and wide. The others think it just happens — as if the Christmas Elf just materialized as needed.

    Yes, my name is Harry, and I am a Christmas Elf. But I love it, however …

    I’ll admit it, I am pooped tonight. Yes, Prohomemaker is wiped. I’ll head to bed, now after the fudge is ready for the neighbors and I made another cornbread for dressing later this week. And, I’ll be back up tomorrow to go to work.tired housewife

    But just wanted to tip you off to do a to-do list. Start backing out the holidays to ensure you get the most important tasks done.

    Yes, that means some get shoved aside.

    These are my top priorities:

  • Wrap neighbor presents
  • Do grocery shopping for Christmas Day dinner (got the list done tonight)
  • Clean house and change sheets (we’ll have guests but I know the drill)
  • Back out times for dinner, as I mentioned in this post.
  • Prep serving and dishes for dinner.
  • Iron napkins for the above.
  • Everything else goes to B items, including my business Christmas cards. I’ll do my best, but it’s time to say what’s most important.

    So the thought for the day is prioritize. How are you doing?

    P.S. I was going to move the image up in this post that I changed from last year, but it’s time to prioritize. :-)