I'm determined to make staying at home a reality, not only for me but for others so to do this I'm tracking my journey of cutting costs without feeling deprived! This is my first month and my main tackle is our budget. That word used to make me shudder, now its my challenge. My first week back at home I've tackled a few things to cut back on our budget. First thing is groceries, I'll go into that in more detail in a later post. Next, I called our cable company and we're going to get BASIC cable and wifi for $60 a month, much better than having channels we didn't watch and paying $120! Then came the cell phone, this is still a work in progress but we'll probably switch providers and save and maybe even get more on our phones! Sprint is charging us $140 a month for 2 phones and mine isn't even smart! All it does is call and text. That is a little outrageous to me so I will update after Paul starts his job and we know for sure we need 2 phones. On to utilities.... We are installing curtains to block the sun in the dining and living rooms since summer and the heat is fast approaching. I'm also using this heat to our advantage and have bought a portable close line to hang dry our clothes! It can be moved inside for the winter and I'm sure we'll quickly get our $42 dollars back! I turned our water heater down from 140 degrees to 120 (not sure why I never did that to begin with!) but we'll see what this does to our gas bill. I'm super excited to be able to be at home. The positive things I've already seen in Quincy are that she is talking to me more and we're on a great schedule so her attitude is MUCH better because she is resting better! I've said my daily rosary and feel that God is working in my life to help me achieve this gift of staying at home (ie I found a $10 Target gift card in my wallet that I forgot about...free pull ups..booyah!) Can't wait to post again! I'm sure I'll find even more ways to save especially with this new one coming.
Advice from Melba on clothes drying! I'm gonna use these tips!!!
ReplyDeleteHanging out clothes tips. Throw your load or 1/2 a load at the time in the dryer for about 10 minutes. Take out and kinda fold as you put in the basket, then take outside. Be sure and balance your portable close line or it will topple. Fold your sheets in half length wise and then hang over the clothes line, they will take up less line space this way, hanging over the clothes line half way will give you a nice folding crease. Either fold your towels in half length wise or hang them 2 at the time. This will make them move against other and make them fluffier. Hang your wash cloths the same way, 2 at the time and you can even "ladder" them down, 2 then at the end of those 2 add 2 more until you have about 3 pairs going 3 down. Hang your socks by one side of the top never by the toe, hanging by the toe makes it hard on the toes when you get ready to wear them. I had Louis put me some screw eyes around the edge of the porch. The eyes need to be an inch or so apart and need to be big enough to put one of those large plastic hangers in. Hang as many tee shirts, blouses etc. on these. BUT, hang them wrong side out. This will help fading but also keeps those difficult "angle wings" on the inside instead of the outside thus making them sometimes invisible or easier to iron. If they did not need ironing I put them in the closet the same way...you can also hang these things on the metal arms of your clothes dryer between the lines. You can also buy an extra shower curtain rod only, and hang it in your bathroom over your tub and hang the clothes hangers and all on the rod. A small fan in the bathroom, especially one that moves will dry them in a much shorter time. On a still day a fan that moves pointed up at the clothes will also dry them faster. The faster they dry the softer they will be. You can also use this same rod for drying bed spreads......all dried a little in the dryer first. Make sure bathtub rod has support under each end or it will get heavy and fall.They are really heavy to manage but concrete blocks will help to stabilize your portable dryer. The wind does love to use them for toys and you need to make sure your patio is clean swept or you will be loosing your temper. Also, do not leave your close pins on the line. No matter how tempting. You will needs lines empty so they can be wiped down before you hang each load to remove dust, etc. before you put your clean clothes on them. Do not think of the time in the dryer as a waste of money......it makes a world of difference!
Dad says you look like the Clampetts. Say, do you have one of those cement ponds in your backyard? I have always wanted one of those. Reminds me of when you and Nate were little and we had one behind the duplex. Now, I was hanging your diapers on it little lady.
ReplyDeleteThe Clampetts WITH style!
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