How to Defend Your Shower Curtain From Mildew

This post will help save you work.

To keep her plastic shower curtain or liner mildew-free, I had a friend that used to wipe it down immediately after each shower.  The only problem is as soon as you finish, you feel like you need another shower. However, I tried something else that worked much better to defend my plastic shower curtain that I thought you also should try.  

Before I hung a new plastic liner, I treated it first in a salt solution in my bathtub according to the directions I learned from one of my friends that visited over the holidays.  What I did was to fill the tub about half way full with water before dumping in two cups of salt and that plastic liner.  

You need enough water to fully immerse the shower curtain.  If it keeps popping up, then make sure to weigh it down with something because it has to remain in that treated water for at least an hour before hanging it.  I used some full plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash, which served to anchor it down.

The purpose of bathing your fresh plastic shower curtain or liner first is because the salt solution will leave behind a transparent coating of sodium crystals to repel mildew spores from attaching.

Tax Organizing Your Documents Now to Save Headaches Later

Filing begins January 29, 2018.

Organization, you do it for your stuff but you should organize your finances, too.  The 1099s and W-2s will be rolling in soon and it’s a good time to get things in order.  After all, scrambling for a lost tax document just adds to your stress!  You can’t actually file and have your taxes processed by the IRS until January 29, but you may want to figure out how you’re going to file this year and start thinking about 2018.

The big tax cut lawmakers just passed won’t affect the tax return that you about to file this year.  So that’s the good news.  Everyone likes more money but if taxes confuse you, 2018 will be even more stressful.

Rules are changing and rates go down for some more than others.   But the thing you need to watch out for is what will your withholding be for 2018.  You might see a bump in your paycheck in February as the IRS changes the withholding rates based on your income.  This sounds simple enough but it’s something you need to watch.

For example, exemptions disappear in 2018 and tax credits like the Child Tax Credit are age limited to kids under 17 now.  So those factors usually play into the W-4 you would  fill out if you started a new job.  

The biggest pitfall is politics.  There are midterm elections coming up so you may see your paycheck rise more than it should.  First, remember it’s a new law and sometimes you can’t anticipate how the law will function.  More likely Congress wants to make sure people are happy to go into an election and pressure the IRS into increasing take home pay by pushing the withholding rates down too much.  Ideally, you file your taxes every year and break even.  Many like the idea of a refund or as I like to call it a free loan to the IRS.  But what if they overdo it?  Remember this is a new law and they have a big election with the control of Congress at stake.  And by the time you find out you’re going to actually owe money, then your fate has already been cast.  After all, the election happened months before  . . . sunrise!

Do yourself a favor and keep an eye on next year’s withholding making sure it’s correct and you don’t  find yourself without a refund or worse find out you owe for 2018.

How to Freshen Up Your Suede Coat or Jacket in Between a Professional Cleaning

This post can help better maintain your suede jacket or coat.

One of my favorite jackets in college was this heavy suede with a plush fur collar that tied instead of buttoned.  It was so heavy that I named it the “tank” because it protected me through the worst weather.  Despite how frigid the temperatures could be, I felt cozy while waiting for my bus after classes.

My only complaint about the “tank” was how expensive the professional cleaning became each season I retired it. Still, it always came back to its beauty but that cleaning bill did quickly add up in time.  Nonetheless, it was worth it to someone like me that couldn’t hold up in the cold.

If you own a suede jacket and notice a small spot, take a clean, but soft, rubber art gum eraser to it and gently rub.  This helped me remove some small spots in between going to the dry cleaner.

Once I did drop my pen and got some ink on my jacket.  What I did was spray the spot lightly with some hair spray.  Test the hair spray inside the jacket or coat in an inconspicious spot first before trying this directly on the spot.  This way you will know if the material is up to it or not.  After the treated spot dried, I rubbed it with the eraser, which helped. 

Perhaps, you haven’t worn your jacket or suede coat for a while and notice it collected some dust and lint from just hanging.  Save a pair of old pantyhose and then crunch them up in your hand to make a ball to rub over the jacket or coat.  Believe it or not, the pantyhose act like a magnet to draw off the dust and lint.

These #suede #cleaning tips that I’m sharing with you can help keep your jacket or coat better maintained and beautiful longer. 

How to Save Your Candles From Excessive Dripping So They Last Longer

This tip will help keep your candles in better shape.

You might be dining by candlelight over the holidays.  As beautiful as they are to grace your table, the only drawback is how messy those candles can become after a short time.  However, I have a tip to help solve the problem.

Start the night before by soaking your candles in a flat pan that can hold enough water to cover them (about two cups).  What you need to do is add two tablespoons of ordinary table salt and keep the candles soaking until the next night.  Resist the urge to take them out of the treated water too soon because the salt solution process needs an entire day for it to penetrate the wax that causes it to develop a protective coating.

Make sure to thoroughly dry the candles first before attempting to light them.  If you try this little household solution, you will be shocked at how much longer and more neatly the candles will burn!

Keep Your Cheese From Developing Mold With This DIY Trick

Save your cheese!

Since I like to bake my own breads and pizzas from scratch, I pick up my dry yeast and a big four or a five-pound block of mozzarella cheese at GFS Marketplace (Gordon’s Food Service), being the cheapest place in my area to buy those two items.  

What I do is cut and freeze pieces of the cheese, only leaving one piece in my refrigerator at a time.  Before I ever tried this tip, I would just take my chances and hope to use the cheese before it would get any mold.

Then I found this wonderful trick to keep any variety of a block cheese fresher longer. Take two tablespoons of salt, add three cups of water and mix it thoroughly before immersing a paper towel in the mix.  

After that paper towel is saturated, you loosely place it over your piece of cheese to cover before returning to your container in the refrigerator.  Believe it or not, this does help prevent mold from growing.  The reason this works so well is that salt once dehydrated can stop microbial mold spores from forming.

I tried this salt and water trick on a hunk of cheddar cheese and got the same great results as well. I hope you also try this and my bread and pizza recipe because you’ll love them.

Have You Been Considering Self-Storage As an Option to Solve Your Clutter Problem?

Have you weighed the pros and cons of seeking self-storage for your treasures?

Most of us seem to buy more than we need.  This might be great for the economy, but it is not necessarily a good thing for our homes.  Too much of anything presents a problem of clutter if you don’t have enough space to store.  Therefore, you eventually have two options of downsizing some items or storing possessions elsewhere to keep stress levels down.

Of course, no one likes to part with their treasures, especially if they have sentimental value such as your grandmother’s set of china or a sizeable teapot collection from your dearly beloved aunt.  Ask yourself though how often or if you ever you plan to use those things first or just keep them on a shelf or packaged in a box.  After all, grandmothers’ china may be beautifully ornate and a part of your family’s history, but do you trust the glaze to be lead-free to be safe to eat from now? As to your favorite aunt’s teapot collection, you might be admiring them in a china cabinet, perhaps, but ask yourself if you’re really a tea drinker or mostly prefer coffee or soda?  These are the questions that you need to consider when examining your belongings, if you intend to keep your sanity.

My recommendation is to pick and choose items based on their practical use in your life.  Gather what you can’t live without in one section of the room and then place the other items on the opposite side.

The hard part comes next.  From the items you want to keep but don’t really have room for, try to sort out the essentials from the nonessentials but keepsake items.  Some of the nonessentials are ones that aren’t really important to you that may want to donate to charity.  Others are ideal for a garage sale.

Now ask yourself the importance of each nonessential keepsake by hanging onto it.  Is the cost of monthly storage justified or would it be cheaper and more to your benefit to sell it?  

Memories are one thing, but they also can be costly for self-storage or looking into buying a larger home. Saving one item from that cherished, departed relative over many may be more practical for your budget and stress reduction. 

By now, the pile of items that you’re keeping has decreased.  The items still dear to you that do not fit in your home will need self-storage.  Write down every piece and then start calling self-storage facilities to compare their prices.  Depending on the business and the square footage of space that you’ll need, you can expect to pay anywhere from $30 to $400 per month.  Furthermore, you might even need to have additional  insurance beyond your homeowner’s or rental insurance for theft, water damage, fire, etc.  

The price might be within your budget.  Yet, can you afford this monthly fee regularly in the future?

I knew someone that has a passion for collecting cookbooks.  Cookbooks dominated every room of her home, including the garage.  Their cars and boat eventually had to be parked outdoors until moving them to self-storage.  One unit soon became two and a good part of this woman’s monthly salary went toward self-storage of these cookbooks, packed in boxes that were so jammed in these storage units that once inside, rarely saw the light of day.  Yet, what others may consider a money pit was worth it to this particular woman. Can you say the same?

Personally, I think self-storage is better as a temporary solution.  You could be remodeling your home, moving, going through a divorce, etc. that calls for changing your life. How do you feel on the subject?
  

How to Pick Out a Better Watermelon Before You Bring It Home

These shopping tips can help you choose a watermelon more wisely.

When you ask someone as to their method for selecting a ripe watermelon, the answers can vary.  Some people swear tapping it is enough to tell how good it will taste based on the sound.  Others argue the only way to judge a great watermelon is by the uniformity and smoothness of its shape.  There is another school of thought that involves the heavier the melon, the more likely it is fully matured.  Others find the best indication of a ripe watermelon is by checking the melon for a creamy white yellow section.  How can you tell the best method with so many different points of view?

Actually, the answer to pick out a really tasty watermelon is more complicated than any of the above methods. The truth is there are several things that you need to look for. 

The first thing that I like to do is find one that a creamy white yellow section at the bottom.  This coloring marks how long the melon sat on the ground and ripened in the sun.

Next, I check the shape.  You want a melon that has symmetry in its shape without any cuts or deformities like bumps to it, which can be signs of a drier watermelon that lacked getting enough water during its growth. 

Make sure the melon that has met the first two criteria feels heavier than some of the others of the same size.  The heaviness is your clue to its ripeness from the weight of all the water it obtained during growing.  

If you remember these three points, chances are that you’ll end up with a much better, ripe watermelon than in the past.

A Beautiful Free Way to Keep Your Cords Organized

This is a thrifty tip on how to better store your cords without damaging them.

I hate all those needed small cords and wires that we have to depend on because they can be a problem to store.  However, I found a way that you can keep the thinner ones like video or USB cables organized without buying anything special.

This trick involves those plastic fasteners you find on bread bags, potatoes, onions, etc.  Instead of throwing them away, take off and wash them to use for another purpose.  They work well to keep those skinnier wires neatly separated!

How to Finally End Losing Socks When Laundering!

This post will finally end the battle of missing socks!

I don’t understand the mysterious connection between washing machines, dryers and socks.  Some mysterious phenomenon must be going on because how many times have you put in pairs of socks only to be missing one once it comes out of the dryer.   Have you ever wondered where those socks go after searching every inch of your dryer and washer and other clothes from that load to see if they attached with no avail?   Well, I finally managed to solve that madness with what I’ve been doing lately.

I originally tried pinning pairs of socks together with safety pins before washing. This is all right most of the time, but I found it can tear socks.  Therefore, I stopped that practice.

Then, I tried using a mesh laundry bag that normally I use for washing delicate pieces. However, instead of taking them out of the bag when it’s time to put them into the dryer, I throw in the entire laundry bag.  The socks stay together this way because I am glad to report no more missing socks have occurred at my house since.  

If you want to end missing socks once and for all, try using a mesh laundry bag as I suggested.  This laundry tip is the way to go, readers!

How to Give Your Home a Delicious, Welcoming Fragrance When Vacuuming!

You'll love that delicious bakery aroma that will linger in your carpeting.

What can be more inviting than the scent of something delicious baking in your oven like apple pie when it wafts through the house?  Imagine treating your senses to that aroma as you run your vacuum cleaner over your carpeting as its scent permeates through the air. Therefore, let you share a cleaning tip that will help you turn the drudgery of vacuuming into something that will be more of a joy for you and your home.

What I suggest that you need to try is buying a bottle of cinnamon oil to add a drop or two to your vacuum cleaner’s bag.  This will infuse the carpeting with such a yummy  cinnamon aroma that will linger.

Vacuuming can be more pleasant using this tip.

You might be confused because there are two types with the cinnamon leaf oil and the cinnamon bark oil. The bark version is more expensive and the most potent one due to its heavy cinnamaldehyde content (the substance that gives it that characteristic cinnamon scent) with nearly 75% compared to the leaf variety that may be just a fraction of cinnamaldehyde with about 10%.

The cheaper cinnamon leaf oil typically sells for around $6 while the bark oil version runs about $22.  

The cinnamon bark oil is the one that you might want to try if you have a lot of problems with muscle aches and pains with how it can heat the sore area up and relieve inflammation.   However, never apply it directly without mixing it with a carrier oil first or you risk developing a severe allergy.

Also, a drop of cinnamon bark oil in a beverage like tea or juice is said to also aid the immune system, fight off viruses and even help circulation.  I do advise checking with your physician first to see if this would be a benefit for you or possibly conflict with any medications that you may be on.

The next time you shop, I hope you remember to look out for cinnamon oil because it really freshens your rooms with a lasting bakery scent that you’ll love.

How to Prepare Your Home to Keep It Safe Before That Summer Vacation!

This post could help keep your home safer.

You’re probably dreaming of that long, awaited summer vacation that will be coming up before you know it. After all, you planned every last detail to make it perfect.  All you have left to do is just to up pick your suitcase, jump in the car and board that plane, train or drive with nothing left to do but relax.  Before you leave, you might want to think about taking a few extra precautions to safeguard your home from break-ins first.

 A dark house without any lights on is a clue that no one is home.  Instead, make sure some lights in your house come on automatically by picking up a timer to set them to.  

How to Better Conquer Clutter Before It Takes Over Your Life!

This beauty could use less stress and these tips can help.

Accumulating things is so easy to do.  I know first hand being a blogger.  Before you realize it, our stuff can begin to take over our homes.  If you want to maintain your sanity, then you need a plan to tackle the problem with a few tips to better organize and end the chaos.

Every week, I like to begin sorting through newspapers, correspondence, magazines, and circulars instead of allowing these to pile up.  Paper stuff can be your worst enemy because it can quickly accumulate if you don’t get a handle on it right away.

If You’re Planning to Give Her Flowers This Mother’s Day, Make Sure She Knows How to Make Them Last!

Everyone loves fresh flowers for their beauty and scent.  Perhaps, you were thinking of surprising that special woman with a bouquet this Mother’s Day to make her smile.  If so, let me share some valuable tips in order for her to enjoy them as long as possible.

Fresh flowers have a magic about them that always brightens a mood.

Once those fresh flowers are immersed in water, they start growing bacteria. To slow this cycle down, remember to remove lower leaves.

You also need to change the water in the vase daily. The ideal temperature for flowers is just warm, not hot or cold that can shock them. Doing so also will help keep the fresh flowers healthier from contamination due to any plant droppings in the water. 

Another helpful tip is making sure to trim off the immersed stems every other day.  You can cut up to an inch without harming them.

The water isn’t the only place bacteria can linger.  It’s just as important to properly disinfect the vase holding your fresh flowers at least twice a week.  Wash it out with some dish detergent and then rinse in a solution of water with a few drops of bleach.  You will be surprised at how much longer time your flowers will get in their clean home.

To preserve roses, you can drop an aspirin in the water to keep them going.  Tulips appreciate a penny in their water, but what works better are what florists use–-a floral preservative.  You can find a floral preservative at nurseries or your local florist.

Something else that you may not have thought about is where you keep your flowers displayed.  You don’t want them on a table or area to close to where a fruit bowl may be.  The reason this is not a good idea is because when fruit ripens, it discharges ethylene gas that takes a destructive toll on fresh flowers.

Finally, if you get fresh flowers and don’t plan to be around them for a while, you could try storing them in your refrigerator. Then again, you might not have room, you could also try leaving them in a draft-free and cool, dark spot.

Hopefully, this bit of floral care will help you get more days of pleasure from those beautiful fresh flowers that will be arriving than before!    

How to Better Tackle Hard Water Stains in Your Toilet Bowl!

If you live in an area with hard water, you got to try this cleaning tip because it does work!

In my opinion, cleaning the bathroom is the worst job that I can think of.  I hate the smell of those strong, nauseating disinfectants when you have to scrub the tiles, tub and sink.  Still, there is something even more disgusting and we all know what that involves–cleaning the toilet bowl!  

Despite how often I clean that toilet and all the Sani-flush, bleach, and other various cleaners that I have dumped into that porcelain bowl, some stain is always left because of how hard our water is here. Regardless of how vigorously I scrub with my toilet brush or change products, I always feel defeated because some degree of that stain wins.

Try My DIY Multi-Purpose Green Cleaning Spray and Save Yourself and the Planet At the Same Time!

Kitchen ingredients such as white vinegar and baking soda are effective natural cleaning agents that I use, depending on what I want to clean.  However, I mixed up an eco-friendly cleaning spray recipe that my cousin prompted me to try that is really wonderful for tackling practically any surface.  It worked so well that I thought you would love to try it too!

You'll save money, the environment and yourself from those harsh ingredients that could risk your health.

This cleaner will do its job to disinfect since it acts as both germicide and fungicide due to its tea tree oil.   I hope that you give it a shot because it is great to have on hand, will save you some money over the commercial versions and keep the environment healthy.

My DIY Multi-Purpose Green Cleaning Spray


5 drops of tea tree oil
4 cups of water
2 drops of lavender essential oil


Mix the ingredients together and fill one of those plastic spritz bottles to store for spraying.

How to Make a Secret DIY Home Safe!

Do you have some small treasures, but don’t want to invest in a safe?  Here is an inexpensive solution that can help.

Find yourself a thick hardcover book that you don’t want to read anymore.  What you want to do is go to about the middle of the book and then cut a square out to accommodate your little item.  After you place your treasure inside, tape the pages of that section so when you close the book and place it on your book shelve, you’ll have your DIY safe in view. 

Be sure to remember, which book has your treasure.  Keep a note of the title of the  book you used for this purpose, just in case you forget which one it was.

How to Save Time and Work by Planning Your Weekly Dinner Menu Ahead!

Let me show you how to spend less time in the kitchen, save money and enjoy healthier meals.

You may think that popping a frozen entree in your microwave is your only option when you’re too busy or tired to cook.  Yet, what if I told you that you will eat healthier meals, save money and even time once you plan out your dinners for the entire week? With a little forethought and organization, I’ll show you how to simplify your life without denying you and your family delicious, home cooked meals.

First, think of your family’s favorite meals. You’ll need seven recipes with one dish that will freeze well. Then head to the pantry and refrigerator to see what ingredients you have or will be needing to shop for. 

Scan the newspaper for food sales and go from there is my method. If chicken breasts are a good deal, one meal is something with chicken from stuffed breasts, stir fry, etc.  I can easily get another meal if any meat is leftover by chopping and turning it into a pot pie, casserole, creamed chicken, etc. 

Say carrots are one of the featured vegetables that have a lower price that week, I buy a few bags and serve as a side vegetable or for my other recipes for that week.

Take a piece of paper and assign a recipe to each day of that week along with vegetable, bread, etc. to complete that dinner meal. Now that you inventoried, you know the food staples that you have on hand. Write down those ingredients that you need to pull that meal off.  

What I’m suggesting really does help ease dinner meal preparation.  I only hope that you take these words to heart and give it a try because your dinners will be so much tastier, healthier and you’ll have more money in your pocket.

An Easy Fix for Dresser Drawers That Are Hard to Open!

Nothing irritates me more than a dresser drawer that is hard to budge.  Instead of wasting time trying to yank it every time you need to get in there, I have a great hint that solves that sticking drawer problem once and for all.  

All you need is to get a bar of any soap.  What you do is start rubbing it on the runners of that drawer.  Later when you try that formerly stuck drawer again, it will glide easily! 

How to Make Your Own Instant Plant Fertilizer Out of What You’re About to Throw Away!

Your house plants will love this  DIY home fertilizer!

You probably are aware of the value of saving your old eggshells and crushing them up for your garden plants.  However, there is another way to speed up the fertilizer effect for your indoor plants using those discarded eggshells by making a home solution.

What I like to do after making a batch of eggs is soaking the shells in a covered container for at least a day or two.  Once the solution has time to set, pulling the nutrients from the shells, the fertilizer solution is ready.

All that is left to do is to scoop out the old eggshells and then feed the houseplants.

Saving those eggshells and treating your own indoor plants with this home solution at least once a week will help them thrive.  Try it yourself and see!

Rain Gutters to Replace or Not to Replace That Was the Question

Sometimes, the gutter problem is not always what you think.

This summer we had a problem that I noticed with our gutters.  Rain was literally pouring over the top of them.  You would think there was a problem with leaves clogging the gutters. But before you replace your gutters check them out! 

What we found was the old gutters were not as bad as we thought once we replaced them.  The real problem was in the ground and not on our roof. What we found when we pulled one of the downspouts to investigate this mystery was it was loaded  with dirt that the water couldn’t flow through.