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
