Day 34: Grocery shopping... from home!?!?

Sorry I have been absent from blogging for a little while. I have been VERY busy these last few days! So busy, I can barely find time to get groceries. Ever have those days?

Well.... I can't even recall where I heard about this, but it sounds really amazing! What is it? It's Alice.com

It's a website where you can do your GROCERY SHOPPING! And it automatically adds coupons... and it ships for FREE! Really! For every product you add, they'll remind you when you might be running out, find coupons for you and help you avoid the chore of shopping for household essentials at the store.

I have yet to try it, officially, but I can't wait to see my groceries arrive at my front door -- from here on out! :) Ok, so I'm not planning to stock up on ice cream, filet mignon and fresh iceburg lettuce. But I DO plan to get all the rest of those pesky little non-perishables out of the way! *sigh of relief* Now I'll have time to clean the closet, reorganize my pin collection, sort through my kids' too-small clothes, put some items up for sale on craigslist, straighten-up the pantry....

If you'd like to try out Alice.com, I added their banner to the left side of my page. Looks like you'll get $10 off your order! LUCKY!


Now, THAT's neat!


* Once again, no one asked me to write about this, nor did they pay me to do so. I am writing about Alice.com on my own accord.... because it sounds really neat!

Day 33: Speed-cleaning tips

In addition to being a neat freak, I could be dubbed a speed cleaner. I'm fast. Very fast. Of course, part of this is due to the fact that I clean so much, and so often, that it just doesn't take as much time or effort to KEEP everything clean! This goes hand in hand with a great, common-sense tip from our handy-dandy neat freak cheat sheet: do a little cleaning everyday, and you won't have it all build up to HOURS of cleaning once a week... or DAYS of cleaning once a month!

At any rate, I did a little digging on the internet today and found a fellow speed cleaner, Laura Dellutri, a Kansas City, Mo.-based cleaning expert and author of "Speed Cleaning 101." I have never heard of her before, and, no, I do not have her book (yet!?!), but I noticed a list of her favorite cleaning tips, and I thought I'd pass them along to you!

• In each room, clean from top to bottom. Dust and clean the top shelves, mirror tops, etc., and work your way down. "Dust and dirt fall," she explains.
  
• Work rooms in concentric circles, from outer to inner. (Does anyone have a theory on this one? Is this a good way to round-up the dirt and grime and keep it from escaping in to adjacent rooms?!)
  
• Have all your supplies on you or near you. Dellutri uses a lightweight backpack vacuum cleaner and attaches rags and spray bottles of cleaning products to the pack's waistband. (I sometimes use a "garden" apron. I stuff the pockets with cleaning products and old t-shirts, so I'm ready for just about anything, anywhere! Or, you can dump what you need in a bucket or basket and tote it around with you. I also keep cleaning products where I need them. Bathroom cleaners in EVERY bathroom. Kitchen cleaning supplies... in the kitchen. Profound!!!)
  
• Stay focused. Don't take breaks to talk to your friends, pet the dog or do laundry. "That's why it takes all day," Dellutri says. (I don't know about this one. I tend to break in between tasks. For instance, I may vacuum in the morning and clean the kitchen in the afternoon....)
  
• Don't clean clean. Cleaning surfaces that aren't dirty wastes a ton of time, Dellutri explains. For instance, don't clean the entire patio door, clean just the door handle that shows fingerprints. (Wow-- this might be tough for the perfectionists out there! Of course, I tend to do this as well, especially in the dining room!)
  
• Minimize products. Dellutri uses only three products: glass cleaner with disinfectant, a multipurpose cleaner (in her case, Kaboom) and an all-purpose cleanser (Dellutri likes cream cleansers).
• Use rags. Microfiber cleaning cloths pick up more dirt and bacteria, and they won't streak surfaces, Dellutri said.

Now, THAT's neat!

Day 31&32: The Real Simple Library

I have been an AVID reader of Real Simple magazine since it came out 10 years ago. Don't be fooled, though: this magazine is NOT just for neat freaks! :)

I just love all the helpful tips for organizing and simplifying things in your everyday life. If you haven't checked out this mag yet, then please do so! Not only does it just have a great look and feel... It's inspiring!

Along with that, Real Simple has a host of great books! The one I just added to my library is "The Organized Home." I can't wait to dig through this oh-so-fitting book and fill y'all in on the wonderful advice and helpful hints!




* Just FYI: These are ALL my own opinions and thoughts. Real Simple magazine has not contacted me, paid me or asked me to say anything about their magazine. I just LOVE it! And you will, too! You can click HERE to get a FREE preview issue ... and start streamlining your home... and your life! :)


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 30: Menacing Medicine Drawer

We don't have a medicine cabinet in our master bath, so we've given that menacing job to one of the drawers. Of course, when I am not constantly checking on this drawer for neatness and organization (and for expiration dates), THIS is what happens. Mass chaos. (Just dive on in, dig around, and hope you come up with what you need!)


So I figured that today was as good a day as any to reorganize this disaster. I took EVERYTHING out of the drawer and organized it in piles by function... bandages, "stomach problems," allergies, bug repellent, headaches and pains, sore throat, etc., etc.


To save some room and hopefully eliminate the chance of a pharmaceutical avalanche, I tossed all the outdated items and random wrappings and trash, got rid of extra bottles, put like medicines together and put all the bandages in just two boxes. I also ripped off all the box tops. (This makes everything neat and tidy... AND easy to get to whatever it is you need to fix your ailment!)


Then I simply stuffed everything that was left back in the basket (did you even know that a basket was in there!?!), making sure to keep like things with like things. I also placed the most-used items (let's see, that looks like bandages, Excedrin migraine and Gas-X) toward the front.


Then I slid the basket back into the drawer and stuck the extra odds and ends (sunscreen, heat pads, etc.) neatly in the back.


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 28&29: Where the dust bunnies roam

My dining room loves dust. I'm sure of it. Every time I walk through there, I notice dust... and dust bunnies. I think they host a weekly convention there, right under one of the chairs that sits to the side. (I may break down and show you a photo of that one day. But not today. It's embarrassing.)

Of course, there are plenty of things to get dusty in the dining room: the chandelier; the sconces; the glass-top dining table; the candle holders; the decorative mirror; the hordes of dishes, bowls, serving platters, teacups, crystal, vases and other doo-dads that sit idly on the hutch; etc., etc.

And while I obsess about cleanliness, I am NOT one to take down all these items and dust them off, one by one. AGH! I would go insane! I usually just use one of three methods:

1. dust only the edges and/or the things that you can reach easily without breaking anything;
2. use a battery-powered duster that spins gently so you can get into those nooks and crannies;
3. blow really hard.

Just for fun, here is a close-up BEFORE and AFTER picture of a section of the dining room table.

BEFORE DUSTING


AFTER DUSTING


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 27: If the shoe fits....

I have found that many houses either don't have enough drawer and cabinet space to begin with.... or the owners have WAY too much stuff! Either way, this leads to one of two things:

1. An over-stuffed drawer. You know the one. It gets stuck because all the stuff in it keeps standing up on top of the other stuff and blocking you from opening it. So you have to attempt to squish one hand in there to push everything down while yanking on the handle with your free hand. This usually works. It also usually scrapes off your top layer of skin.

2. An over-packed cabinet. This is the cabinet you avoid like the plague because you know that whenever you have to open it, everything jumps out at you in some sort of organized attack. You know the one. You throw stuff in it, hold it shut it... and run!

Well, to keep from getting too much stuff in our cabinets and drawers, I have devised a simple trick. I use shoe organizers.


Yep. I've purchased several, inexpensive shoe organizers (with lots of pockets) and stuffed them with everyday, useful things like tape, glue, staplers, staples, paperclips, post-it notes, pens, rubber bands, batteries, etc., etc.


You can hang these up in a closet, laundry room, pantry, wherever it's handy for you to get to it! It's amazing how much space this frees up. AND, it's wonderful how organized things are!

Now, THAT's neat!

Day 26: Thanks for sharing!

A follower of this blog (who happens to be my very delightful sister-in-law!) was recently inspired by my post about the plastic lid rebellion! AND she used a nice, simple little trick: rather than put her plastic lids in a wire holder, she put them all in a large bowl!

Here are her words: "I didn't get the wire rack for two reasons...A) I'm cheap and B) the Tupperware is in one of the top cabinets so I wouldn't have been able to reach the rack :) Darn!"

No worries! Tidiness can be accomplished without spending a dime! Here is proof: some photos of her results!


Thanks for sharing your accomplishment! May your lids stay put and your cabinet remain organized!


Now, THAT's neat!