New habits

So beginning around summer of 2012, I decided that I was just going to STOP using my dryer. I kept telling my other half that the day I got a clothes line........ I kept wishing and looking for plans and realized it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. So one day I just packed up the girls went to our local True Value, and bought some 100lb clothes line. Ran it from our deck to a tree and there we go. That's it until the day I build a pretty one. lol

Ill tell you what though,I was the person I wont lie that washed and dried the laundry but it would just sit there in laundry baskets til who knows when. The minute after I tied up my clothes line I ran inside and started to do laundry. So excited that when the ding went off on the washer, I ran out to hang it all. Realizing in half the time of the dryer it was dry from just blowing and basking in the sun for less than an hour. As I'm taking it down I'm "folding it", realizing I just did the "hard part" of laundry I walked inside and immediately put it all away!

I killed to birds with one stone!
1. Saved money by not using my dryer
2. Laundry is folded and not just sitting in the basket, waiting to be folded

All in all I think this was a good day. Not to mention our power bill went down my almost $40 a month.

Some other things that I have been doing, is making my own laundry detergent and Spray-n-wash. I used to spend about $40-$60 every 2-3 months on Tide, Dreft (*for the girls) and , Spray-n-wash. I NOW spend close to about $1.00 a month just by making it with things that everyone has around there house.

The initial cost of buying the washing soda and borax was about $12.00 depending on were you go, but it should last you years ( if you only use it for making laundry detergent). So in the long run if I look at the date I bought it and it last me 5 years then I'll be spending about .20 cents a month to wash my laundry. SCORE!!!

A couple cleaning tips you cant live without!

I'm one of those people that look at certain things to see if there clean when I go to someones house. I know I'm weird, but I cant help but wonder. I mean have you ever really "looked" at your stove burners how they have all that cooked and oh so goodness black cooked on crusty greatness. I growing up really disliked having to clean those things. I would scrub for what seemed like hours of my life, let them soak in super HOT water and nothing would ever get the black off. Oh and what I really love is the people that wrap them in aluminum foil, I know it keeps them clean but it makes me giggle. So I found that once a month I order pizza and I make sure its a non stove use night. I start by taking it apart and putting the burner plates in plastic sip lock baggies. I then put just a splash of ammonia in the bag and seal it up. I then place in the sink just in case something is to leak. Then let sit till the next morning or if there really bad a whole 24 hours but I find for me that 8-10 is good.

This is what I started with. You can tell which one I use 95% if the time.

Placing in there bags. I do 4 bags one for each burner plate.

I promise there the same ones just early morning sun. But look how pretty they are

Also when opening the bags open a window or go outside. Ammonia is super stinky!


Now for number 2. OK for the sake of seeing if this worked. I let my microwave get dirty. Drives me up the wall. I clean it every time I use it so I don't have to worry about it getting baked on. So take a microwave safe bowl, or measuring glass. Fill it with about 2 cups of water then I add about 1/2 - 1 cup of vinegar. Place in microwave and start cooking it for about 5 minutes. The steam that it creates just breaks up the old stuck on food and it wipes right off. If when the timer goes off let it sit in there and let it do its thing a little while longer. You will be AMAZED. No more putting your elbow into and bending your arm trying to get it clean. Here take a looky :

My little bits of food.



SUPER clean!

Love it! I hope that these help you too!