June Newsletter

June Monthly Newsletter

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                Summer is here. Schools are letting out, the heat is coming in. I bet you’re realizing that your grill needs a scrub, the garage is packed full, and your outdoor furniture needs to be hosed down! Sounds like beginning of summer to me!

                I remember back to when I was a child, summers meant fun and games. It also meant running around the neighborhood till dark, late pool nights with friends and the infamous drive in! It all sounds so perfect. Then you grow up. You realize it’s actually 3 months of trying to keep track of the kids, having an off sleep schedule and spending a lot more money than normal. You start to learn quickly that you need to plan these things into an already busy schedule or you will end up crazy, tired and broke. So I hope this blog can help you avoid some of the madness!

Organization Idea of the Month

Being a single mom since I was young, I have learned that Yard Sales are yearly savings havens. Not only are you putting your hard earned cash into your local community, but you are always getting a sweet deal!

Yes you could stop by every yard sale and feel obligated to buy at least one thing at each, but then you always end up with way too much stuff that leads to built up clutter!

Or you could use this season of garage sales to enhance your home and pocketbook instead. Just read through this blog and actually use the information that you have been given! It works! Every time!

4 Ways to Prepare for Yard Sale Season:

1. Gather supplies for your shopping

Each year I assemble a small bag filled with supplies that come in handy while out yard sale shopping.

Inside the bag I keep:

A:   A small notebook filled with needs, wants, and measurements.

B:   A pen to write down locations of sales that had items such as clothes the right size for my children.  That way I can keep an eye open for more yard sales from them in future years.

C:   A measuring tape to measure small furniture finds so I know for sure that my finds will fit where I want them too.

D:   A few double and triple A batteries to test toys and electronics.

2. Go through your home room by room and write down your needs and wants

I take one afternoon to go through the whole house room by room and make notes in my yard sale shopping notebook. For instance I might be in the family room and decide I would really like to upgrade our end tables to larger ones, so I will write down “new end tables” with the measurements of the space beside it. When I reach the children’s bedrooms I go through their closest and mark down clothing needs and sizes.

3. Decide what you have to spend

Every April and June I set the budget for the upcoming yard sale season. I base it on what needs are on our list and what we can afford for wants. Some years I have been able to pad the yard sale envelope with enough for a few splurges, other years it has been essentials only.

4. Network with Other Yard Sale Shoppers

Once you have yard sale shopped in one community a while, chances are you will begin to make yard sale shopping neighborhoods and buddies. These buddies are great sources of information. During the season they can tell you what sales are worth stopping at and which ones to skip.

You also can check out craigslist, so you can see what they are selling and what kinds of items are where. And you can also check out some apps on your phone to be able to find them!

·         Garage Sale Rover

·         Garage Sales by Map – Free

·         Garage Sale Wizards

·         Private Garage Sale

These 4 tips will put in you in excellent shape for yard sale season.

Cleaning Idea of the Month

                So a friend of mine posted this blog on Facebook about how to clean in between the 2 panes of glass on the oven door. And I was so eager to read it, and clean this massive drip that happened last year and so I ran checked to see if I had a torx screwdriver of my own. And I ran and found a torx screwdriver, and immediately ran like a giddy child to go pull my oven door apart to clean between the glasses. Then to my surprise I needed a different kind of screwdriver then what I had. So I ran to Home Depot and just bought this Swiss Army Knife, look alike, with 24 different kinds of screw drivers. It was $6 and totally worth it. So go enjoy a clean oven!

                First you need to scrub out your oven, sorry, but this is the perfect excuse to finally clean it after the holidays. And find the correct screwdriver and unscrew the 2 screws at the corners of the inside of the door. Have a chair or be ready to grab the glass face of the door if it falls. And start to pull them a part.

                The inside of the door was relatively clean. It had a big tomato sauce drip mark, and some burnt remains at the bottom. But I just took some vinegar water and wiped everything out with a paper towel or microfiber rag.  Then I gently fused the door faces together and screwed them together. Now it is sparkling clean!

*Make sure the door is closing correctly to make sure it is done well before baking next time.*

Craft of the Month

                This is the time of year is when the birds come out, start to nest, and greet us every morning. To reward them for their song, you can make them a bird feeder. I’m sure it would be appreciated!

                To make a good bird feeder, you want one that can be blown in the wind without emptying, and one that doesn’t need to be refilled every week. So here is a fun, easy bird feeder that can be free of charge.

A great simple bird feeder is to take a soda bottle and some old wooden spoons. (or you can get a pack at the dollar store)

Grab a pair of scissors and cut into one side of the 2 liter soda bottle a 2x2 inch square and on the other side where the spoon would exit make an “X” cut into the plastic and push the spoon through the “X”. Do this 2 more times.

Grab some twine or string and knot around the bottle neck, make its secure so that you can pull on it and it will not slip off.

Grab a funnel and fill the bottle with your bird seed and hang in a tree nearby!

Enjoy the beautiful birds that will soon call your backyard home!

Healthy Idea of the Month

Now is the time of year weight loss is on everyone’s mind. Summer is right around the corner, you are trying to fit into last year’s jeans, and it is almost as if everything shrunk. I’m not saying gaining weight isn’t healthy, I’m not saying that at all. It’s only unhealthy if you are not exercising and not eating correctly.

So making sure that you are being physically active is so important, and with this great weather it is wonderful to go on a long walk, a run or just go play ball with the kids in the park for a few hours! Or you could try what is my personal favorite way to stay healthy is, going to my gym.

My gym is not like your gym. That I can promise. It’s called Sweat like A Girl. It’s a female only gym that is designed to empower, strengthen, and motivate you. It isn’t a gym where you check in and check out. It is a team effort supported by everyone in the room with online workouts, monthly events, and even challenges always coming and going. They have all kinds of workouts, from group classes and personal training, all the way to pole fitness!

I encourage you to try them out for free! And check out their website or Facebook page. www.SweatLikeAGirl.com