Let's Get Ready to Declutter!

Is it the change in seasons coming up?  I am so ready to get my home "minimalized" just a little bit.   I have never been a "spring cleaner", I feel more generous to the landfill in the fall.  I know, I have been couponing and bringing lots of things into the house: shampoo, toothbrushes, dish soap, laundry soap, and food.  These things are taking up space, but they are put up in an organized, more hidden fashion.  Those things don't bother me...yet.  However, the papers, books, clothes, knick-knacks, SMALL APPLIANCES and GADGETS that don't have a proper space, a place they can call home and I can tell hubby where to put them back need to be gotten rid of.  It causes me paralysis.

So I am getting my flylady feng shui on!

I have made a challenge for myself to get rid of at least 10 things that I don't like, want or need every day.  Some things may be going on Craigslist or the local Facebook yard sales groups (actual yard sales wouldn't be feasible way out in the boonies).  Some things may be going in the trash.  Some things may be going to Goodwill.  Regardless of an item's resting place, it is time to get some order and clear space in the house.  This personal challenge goes above and beyond the 15 minute decluttering that I (cough, cough) should be doing everyday!

Yesterday I raided the cookbook shelves.  I am starting safe.  I threw away 8 cooking magazines from 12 years ago and a couple of promotional cookbooks that I think were given to me because someone else didn't want them.  It is a sad life for an unwanted cookbook, and now he shall be laid to rest.

Today I upped my game and decided to go through the closet.  I threw away my old comfy Ts and and a couple of things I just don't want to wear, as well as Bruce's never to rarely worn T-shirts. Yes, it's a little presumptuous of me to throw away his clothes, but I do the wash and know what he hasn't worn in a while.

As I said, right now I am playing it safe.  To be honest, I can't tell that anything has been done.  That's okay.   I didn't want to just throw away trash per se, you know, the junk mail that I haven't handled yet, or old pieces of scratch paper in the office, but I also am not mentally ready to do a full on KonMari either.  I want to be able to see a difference in a week or so, not have a bonfire tonight.

Is anyone else feeling the need to purge?  What is your method?

Now it is time to get my routines and normal daily chores done, and maybe even that 15 minutes of decluttering that is on the calendar.

Have a blessed and productive day!

CVS Haul #2 8.8.18

I told you I was an addict.  

I bought 2 more Arm&Hammer detergents, 3 packages of Tide pods, Garnier shampoo and conditioner, L'Oreal shampoo and conditioner, and Crest 3D toothpaste. (Please note I don't have a few things in my picture as I gave my mom a bottle of Arm&Hammer, a package of Tide pods and the Loreal shampoo and conditioner.) 

My Total = $2.03 out of pocket (after coupons and extra care bucks)

I received $9 in ECBs, plus a $3 ECB from the CVS coupon spitter-outer for a beauty bonus.  No, not my beauty-I would owe them, but for the beauty products I have bought over the last month.  

Coincidentally, Flylady's habit of the month is one load of laundry done every day.  I have no excuses with all the detergent I have!  

Have you been to CVS or anywhere yet this week to get some great deals?  Do tell...

Have a blessed and productive day! 

Tuesday To Do 8.7.18

Yesterday was so HOT!  My one-year-old air conditioning system could not cool down this double wide.  The bay windows in the living room are like a solar oven regardless of the thermal blackout curtains.  After 3 pm, when the sun had been hitting those windows for a good two hours, I could not do much in the living room, or kitchen for that matter.  It wasn't until after 7 when cloud cover and a cooler breeze helped to cool it down that I could do much for any length of time.  By then, I was exhausted just from the heat.  My inside thermometer read 98 degrees at about 5pm.  

Yesterday I also went to the gym for my personal training session.  Leg, back and biceps day.  Probably gone feel that today!  

What is on the agenda today? 

My morning routine for this Tuesday: 

Same as it is every morning.  Rise and shine, take care of me, swish and swipe the bathroom.  I stripped the bed this morning.  I was supposed to do that yesterday but had the bed made before I realized it was Weekly Home Blessing Hour-day...wow, does that make any sense.  Mondays are Weekly Home Blessing Hour where I spend one hour dusting and vacuuming and just cleaning the major areas of the house.  I did not do the sheets or the kitchen mopping yesterday so that will have to be done today. My dishwasher quit on me again, so I have to take them all out and hand wash them this morning.  

I am not walking this morning because we are going swimming today and I have to push mow the back yard.  I know, I am wrecking my morning routine today.  

The rest of the day:

1. Declutter/tidy up the kitchen x 15 mins.  It is Zone 2/ Kitchen Week and I have plenty to do in here.  I cleaned the oven yesterday, so now I need to move on to the bottom cabinets, especially under the sink.  This does not include the washing of dishes that will be another 1/2 hour probably. 

2. Get all the laundry done today.  I am going to go ahead and wash the blankets and mattress pad today while I am doing the sheets.

3. As mentioned, I will be mowing the back yard.  Mom used her new John Deere riding mower yesterday, but it is not a rider-mower friendly yard.  Raised bed, clothesline, laundry washing system, firewood, shepherd's hooks x 4.  At least we did get the kennel panels moved to the upper pasture. Lots of trim work to do.  But I am very thankful she got the majority of it!  Have to get that done early before it gets too hot. 

4. Swim...We three ladies (me, mom, daughter) going to head to the lake with our air mattresses and relax on the lake for a couple of hours. 

5.  I feel like I still need to do a heavy duty declutter in the living room.  I have a lot of planner and devotional items still nested around the couch that need to be put back and cleaned up.  

With my training I have my Ultrafit diet.  Basically, no sugar, no fat, no salt.  Eat 1 serving of protein and 1 serving of carb per meal every 4 hours.  I MISS AVOCADOS!  I only have 6 weeks to do this, so might as well go full on right? 

I am not going to lie.  It can boring to look at. A breakfast from this weekend.   

Two egg whites with pepper, cream of wheat made with water, and water.  I did have my vitamins too. This meal really is an exception.  I add veggies and berries to most of the meals, including the egg whites and porridges.  

Meals for today:  oatmeal with strawberries, egg whites with onion and spinach, leftover chicken fried rice that I made up last night (cooked chicken breast, one small carrot (these are to be limited on the diet), diced onion and minced garlic to taste, egg whites and 1/2 cup rice), grilled London broil, sweet potato fries, broccoli and sliced tomato from the garden, grilled chicken on a slice of Ezekiel bread with lettuce, tomato and mustard. Water throughout the day and a LaCroix with steak meal.  

Tonight, I want to make sure the laundry is complete, the dishes are done and my "nest" is put away. I will double check my planner, but I do have training at the gym at 2:00 tomorrow, so I will get my clothes lined out for that. I will make sure that Sarah has her to-do list done for the day as well as plans for tomorrow.  

Other than when we are swimming, I will be checking on the animals to make sure their water is fresh and clean.  Although it is advantageous to have the ducks in with the goats for their protection, it is not good for the goats.  Ducks dirty every clean source of water they can find.  I have a 5-gallon bucket, 2.5 gallon bucket, a dishwashing tub and their little kiddie pool that are constantly needing rinsing and refilled.  The rest of the day is free to do with what I choose.  CVS?  No, just kidding, not today!  Home and play today! 

What is on your agenda today?

Have a blessed and productive day! 

CVS Haul 8.6.18

According to everything that I have seen on YouTube regarding couponing at CVS, this week was the "jump back on the bandwagon" week.  I have been on the train for a few weeks now, and I do have to admit this was the most exciting haul for me for sure! 

I have dabbled in couponing for years really, and even had an organized binder years ago.  When my linen closet gets full of soaps and toothpaste, I usually take a break to use everything up.  This can take weeks to months.  I don't know if I can stop now.  I may have to donate some of my haul items, but I am not sure that I can just stop.  Sounds like I need a 12-step program, doesn't it?!  

As I was decluttering the living room bookshelves thoroughly (thank you FLYLADY) I found that old binder, and inside was a CVS raincheck from September 25, 2014. This was a raincheck for buy one Arm&Hammer laundry detergent and get two free.  Ah, yes, I remember going to three different stores close to me to find that deal.  There was a store that had two on the shelf, but why would I do a normal BOGO when I could have a whole other bottle for free? PLEASE!  Raincheck!  

I honestly feel that the Lord blessed me because of my tithe offering this week.  You know those weeks when you don't do the full 10% because of something that came up, so you just whittle it down a bit.  God will understand...we rationalize. Why do I forget how faithful he is from week to week??

Okay, so here is the haul: 

I bought three Arm&Hammer laundry detergents, a refill of wetjet solution for my Swiffer, Crest Pro-Health toothpaste, mascara and eyeliner and Almay mineral face powder.  I also bought Sarah a root beer and Bruce a Pepsi...for hanging with me during this process.  

My Price= $0.00

Yep, not only did I not have to exchange any money but I got ECBs back...$11.00 worth.  So CVS paid me $11.00 to take these items home.  Okay, okay, I know you get it.  Bruce asked if I was upset, he said I looked upset...I think I was just flabbergasted, truly-ha! 

So how did I do this.  
Honestly, I am not sure.  Does that help?  I can tell you what I handed them at checkout. 
I had my almost four-year old raincheck and three $1 coupons for the Arm&Hammer detergent.  I had a $2 coupon for the Swiffer solution.  I had a $2 coupon for the toothpaste.  There were two printable Covergirl coupons for $3 off of eye products.  (The mascara was on clearance too!) I had a $3 coupon from the paper for the Almay face powder as well as a $4 CRT that I received last week at the CVS coupon printer. The drinks were full price-ugh! 
I had my $8 off of a $40 purchase and the rest were ECBs.  I actually did lose $.64 because I miscalculated a "pending" coupon.  But you know what?  I am okay with that at this point. 

As I said before I do only get one newspaper with inserts, but I have crossed over to printables...I may need an intervention before I order shop for whole inserts!!  And let's not forget the fact that I may have watched Southern Savers LIVE last night to see if there are any grocery store coupons and sales that I need to check out.  The only thing with the grocery coupons is that most of the items are really unhealthy snacky foods.  I admit I am regressing a bit on the making of my own laundry detergent and toothpaste right now.  I still make and use mine, but I do like to change it up once in a while.   I do the same with shampoo and soap, even bath tissue.  I will never be a brand-specific person-which is handy if you coupon. That being said, I do think I have to draw the line at some of the "food" items that go on sale with coupons.  I guess I could give those away too, but could I do that with a good conscience? I doubt it.  Knowing me, I will probably test that theory just for the thrill of saving a dime.  

My CVS shopping is not done this week.  There is also a good deal on Tide pods but they were out.  Teenagers must of beaten me there this week.  (Oh no I didn't.) They are $4.94 a bag.  Buy three and get $3 ECBs plus I have $3 coupons (two from the newspaper and one from the CVS app) for all three.  I am estimating to get the three packages of pods for just over $3 after tax.  Does that sound right?  I will let you know, of course, when the purchase comes to fruition. 

Anyone else have any great CVS deals, or deals anywhere?  Let me know! 

Have a blessed and productive day! 













  

CVS Haul 8.1.18

My daughter and I went to CVS to get some of the deals I had been hearing about this week. 

Keep in mind that I get a single Sunday paper in my mailbox every week.  I do not feel the need at this point in time to purchase any extra inserts or papers.  I do know that two is often a better deal, especially on BOGO deals.  As I continue to stock up and learn the ropes, this could be something I will consider later.  

This is what I got: 

Irish spring 6-bar pack and body wash.  2/$8.  I had a $1.00 coupon for the body wash and a $.50 coupon for the bars that was in last Sunday's paper.  I also had a CRT for $2 off any $8 purchase of body wash or bars that I think I got last week...maybe this week.  And of course, $3 ECBs back with the purchase of 2 Irish Spring soaps.  That means I got all my soap for $1.50, or $.75 for the body wash and each bar of soap just under $.13 each.  

The 2-pack of Oral-B toothbrushes were $5.29 each.  There were coupons in the Sunday paper for $1.00 off any Oral-B toothbrush.  When you purchased the toothbrushes you received $4 ECBs.  This deal could be doubled.  AND it just so happens that I received 2 P&G inserts in my Sunday paper that delivers to my mailbox. The Lord blessed me and my teeth this week.  So I did double this deal.  Thus bringing my total for each toothbrush to about $.15. 

The next deal was a money maker for me.  Crest mouthwash, 1 liter size, was on sale for $4.79.  There was a coupon for $1.00 in the P&G insert and when you purchase one you receive $3 ECBs.  I also had a CRT (cash register receipt) from the coupon machine for $1 off any mouthwash.  That means I actually made $.21!  

Now, lets discuss my mistake.  Ugh!!  The deal is purchase NYX lipsticks 2/$11.98 and receive 10 ECBs.  WELL...apparently the NYX butter gloss is not part of that deal.  It was priced at $4.99 and the other matte lipstick rung up at 6.29...so...yeah.  I didn't get my ECBs...yet.  Never fear, I will rectify the matter by purchasing another beautiful fall colored lipstick to get my ECBs.  

All in all my out of pocket for this haul was $14.37 and I received $14 ECBs.  Not bad for $.37 and clean mouth.  

Have you done your CVS shopping?  What deals did you get this week?  

Have a blessed and productive day!  xoxo 

Happy August 1, 2018

Oh how the rain this morning made my blanket heavy!  I did not want to get up and get started.  Alas, as we all must, I did.  

My morning routine for this Wednesday: 

Up and at 'em.  Cleaned my face and teeth.  Dressed in my walking outfit.  I swished and swipe the bathroom.  Right now I am using Frosh grapefruit cleaner in the bathroom and some all-in-one citrus soap as my toilet cleaner.  Smells like a citrus grove in the bathroom.  Even though my bathroom is not decorated how I would like it, i.e. navy blue carpet and floral walls, it still is a lovely feeling when it is clean and fresh.  I then made the bed and put my pj's in the washer.  Everyone throws their dirty clothes in the washer after their shower and so it is ready to go in the morning.  I put in about 1/2 cup of homemade laundry soap and headed to the kitchen.  I had a couple of handwashed dishes that had dried overnight in the rack to put away and then finished up by emptying the dishwasher.  This morning I grabbed my Notre Dame rain jacket, Bass pro cap, the waterproof phone carrier and a grocery bag as well as tote bag and headed for my morning walk to the mailbox.  It was a light rain off and on.  As I mentioned yesterday, I try to get a picture of me or something up there to prove my walk to my hubby.  Honestly, he doesn't care, but it is an excellent motivation, especially when he questions if I am okay if I don't send a picture. It was hot in the rain jacket and hat!  And of course, I moisturized my face which seemed to hold in heat.  Ugh!!  But I made it there and back no worse for the wear. 

I also want to make sure I am eating meals at appropriate times so that come 3 or 4 o'clock I am not searching high and low for the junkiest quick fix I can find.  I made some oats with blueberries and cinnamon, along with water. This is okay, but when I start back with my trainer Friday, she will be telling me to get some protein in there.  There is 5.4 grams of protein in my 1/2 cup of oatmeal though.  Isn't that enough? 

  Plans for the rest of the day:
1. Declutter/tidy up the kitchen x 15 mins.
2. Declutter desk area x 15 mins.
3. Make a phone call to the auto place to align the Kia next week.    done
4. Bruce and I need to get the kennel panels to the upper pasture to keep Snape, our billy goat, separated, especially since he figured out how to jump the fence.  We do not want another spring like this year with all the does pregnant!  We really need him sold.  If you know of anyone who wants a buck, please send them my way!
5.  Practice calligraphy.
6.  Basic weekly plan (flylady) of checking fridge and pantry for expired items and a little tidying along the way. done
7. MAYBE make some sausage patties out of turkey balls for breakfast.
8. MAYBE make some egg white muffins for breakfast options.
9. Mom and I to finish up unpaper towels-snaps on.
10.  CVS for toothbrush and mouthwash and lip gloss deals; and pick up the puffs tissues if in stock! Ingles for bread (I don't want to bake today...)

Supper is baked sweet potato with leftover turkey chili on top.  I will probably add a bit of garden green beans and sliced tomato too.

I will be finishing off the day with the night routine.  This includes cleaning up after supper with hubby, making sure laundry is put away, clear the coffee tables, shower and lotion up before PJ's on.  Check over planner (may or may not do my today sheet-if I do, I will make Sarah one too) for tomorrow.

I will fill the time with whatever I see needs done, time with Sarah, checking on animals and enjoying life!

What is on your agenda today?

Have a blessed and productive day!