Archive for the ‘Home Tips’ Category

• Newly Discovered Crafting Site

  Date: 2009.10.02 | Category: Fun and Trivia, Home Tips, Life, craft | Response: 0

  Today I discovered a craft site which I would like to share with you.  It is an american site so the terms are american.

  Lots to look at and lots to create.

  http://www.favecrafts.com/

• Fast Food Cheap?

  Date: 2009.08.26 | Category: Encouragement, Home Tips, Life | Response: 0

  I recently received my weekly Simple Savings enewsletter and this hint really highlights the thinking that is encouraged and shared on the website and forum.

  EXPLODING THE MYTH OF CHEAP FAST FOOD

  One fast food corporation currently has a ‘meal deal’; for $4.95, you get a cheeseburger, a small soft drink, small fries, and an ice cream sundae.
  Sounds great, doesn’t it? And $5.00 is nothing, right? But let’s say you have to buy three meal deals – that’s not $4.95 – that’s $14.85! Now, factor in the petrol you use driving to the fast food outlet, and while waiting in the drive-thru – add $3.00. If someone wants to upsize or have M&Ms in their sundae – another $3.00. A therapeutic cappuccino for Mum – yet another $3.00.
  Suddenly, our original $14.85 fast food treat has blown out to $23.85!

  For a little less, I could buy this list at the supermarket:

  500g extra lean mince, $5.99
  Hamburger rolls, $1.99
  Cheese slices, $3.49
  1.25ltr lemonade, $0.69c
  2ltr premium light ice cream, $2.99
  Chocolate wafers, $0.65c
  Frozen French fries, $1.99
  10 sachets of cappuccino or latte mix, $4.49

  Total: $22.28

  That $22.28 actually has the potential to save me buying:

  15 cheeseburgers @ $1.95 = $29.25
  5 toasted sandwiches on the go @ $3.00 = $15 10 ice cream sundaes @ $2.00 = $20
  8 fast food soft drinks @ $2.00 = $16
  Side dish of fries for dinner @ $4.00 at the fish and chip shop 10 cappuccinos @ $4.00 = $40

  Total: $124.25

  So a saving of $101.97 for my $22.28 spend! While fast food appears to be cheap at face value, it might not be the bargain you think it is. Always ask whether the ‘face value’ cost is all you’ll pay – it probably won’t be!

  To find out more about Simple Savings, visit their website, it’s all self-explanatory.  I’ve been a member for 4 or 5 years now and believe it is worth the money.

• Larissa’s Tuna Casserole

  Date: 2009.05.19 | Category: Family Journal, Home Tips, Life | Response: 3

  I just finished eating dinner, one that the whole family ate, without complaining, all gone.  A WINNER!

  Serves 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children (hubby wanted more!)

  Put 1/3 – 1/2 of 500g packet uncooked tri-colour vegetable spiral pasta in a casserole (3L).  Drain a 420g tin tuna (in springwater), break up with a fork to desired size of chunks then mix in a can of cream of celery soup, 250ml cheese sauce and some pepper.  Pour over pasta and add a little water to make sure pasta is completely wet.  Grate some cheese over (about a cup if you want it really cheesey).  Add 1/2 to 1 cup of mixed frozen veg (or just peas and corn if you prefer – basically getting some veg in there, improvise!) Bake in 180.c/350.f oven with lid on for 45min remove lid and bake for a further 15min.  Serve up and dig in!

• Save money – cut your hair at home.

  Date: 2009.04.29 | Category: Family Journal, Home Tips, Life, YouTube | Response: 2

  I have been to a hairdresser approximately nine times in my life.  Yes only nine!  I cut it myself now or as I was growing up (and sometimes still now!) my Mum does it.  The cost saved would be a lot.  I can’t justify paying someone else to do something I can do myself.  This tutorial shows you easily how to cut long hair.  There are many on YouTube if you are looking for a particular type.  Turn your sound off as it’s just bad music, no speech.

• I found treasure!

  Date: 2009.04.24 | Category: Blogroll, Friends, Home Tips, Life | Response: 0

  I found a treasure yesterday.  I value personal achievement and striving for what is best for you.  My new found treasure is a blog.  The central theme is Living a simple life.  The sub-title at the top is

  We discuss vegetable and fruit gardening, slowing down and being mindful, cooking simple food, keeping chickens and worms, composting, green cleaning, stockpiling and preserving, living well on a small amount of money, working within the community and how to change the habits of a consumer to those of a conserver.

  Rhonda Jean uses friendly conversation with bits of life journal to convey to younger people (and others) how to find your own brand of simple living.  She intersperses her posts with photos of her home including her garden and crafts. I find it very inspiring, and so do all the readers.  She welcomes comments and replies in a bit of a forum threadlike fashion.

  She posts on the idea of simple living from time to time as well as what she is doing.  Below is an excerpt from one of her posts.

  Whatever your circumstances are, you can fashion a life that will simplify your daily tasks, help you nurture yourself and your family and lead you to discover that a simple life is like a patchwork – it’s pieced together slowly, unpicked sometimes, composed of a mish-mash of colours and textures and is different for everyone, depending on the fabric of your life. But when one stands back from a completed patchwork, it’s complexity becomes apparent. It’s no longer pieces of this and that, it builds into a functional piece that gives warmth, beauty and comfort.

  If you like the idea of slowing down and jumping off the neverending treadmill of the ratrace, no matter where you are, take the time to read her blog.  It will be well worth it.

  Down To Earth – Rhonda Jean

  Excerpt from “Not the step-by-step guide to simple living”

• Some good insurance advice.

  Date: 2009.02.11 | Category: Home Tips, Life | Response: 0

  This week’s horrendous fires brings home how vulnerable we are in the event of a disaster.

  To be prepared in the event of a loss of our home or assets, an insurance loss adjuster gave me some tips today on how to expedite a full claim, it necessary, as well as answer many questions that you will be asked by bankers, government and other bureaucracies.

  Some of the tips are:

  ·        Scan all your personal documents such as:

  o   Insurance policies

  o   Registration papers – vehicle

  o   Drivers licences

  o   Property titles

  o   Valuation certificates

  o   Marriage licence

  o   House plans

  o   Building permits

  o   Prepare a list of account numbers – utilities, banks etc. And a separate list of PIN numbers

  o   List of names/addresses/ contact numbers for family/ friends

  ·        Prepare a detailed inventory of all items in your home – room by room – don’t forget garage and garden sheds

  ·        List collections piece by piece e.g. CD’s – list each title of all CD’s

  ·        Clothing- count everything and list e.g. 20 pairs of socks

  ·        List all of garden features and valuable plants/ features

  ·        Take photos of all collection pieces.

  ·        Take photos of the property from different angles – including garden and outdoor features

  ·        Include aerial photos – Google earth is helpful.

  Once you have all of these details, burn a CD or put on a memory stick and then keep in a safe place.- remember where it is.

  Update this information at least annually or when you have made a substantial addition to assets etc.

  This will assist in returning life back to a bit of normality in very stressful and trying times.

  Let us all hope that we never need to refer to this list.

• Budgeting, economy and the economic crisis.

  Date: 2009.02.05 | Category: Home Tips, Life | Response: 0

  I have been married and running a household for nearly 13 years.  During this time I’ve learned that if you don’t have a budget and you enjoy “things” or going shopping then you won’t have money to pay for the necessities in life.  Some people may be saying to themselves “Well, duh!” but others may very well be in that boat or maybe you are somewhere inbetween.  Maybe you budget but there is still no money to pay for those things.

  I can’t promise more money coming into your possession, but I can outline some things that I’ve learnt that can make the money you receive cover more of your expenses.

  A budget according to dictionary.com is: an estimate, often itemized, of expected income and expense for a given period in the future.

  Economy actually means the same thing but is applied to a working system already and concentrates on the frugality of it, making it cost the least amount possible.  I was floored to read that an obsolete use of the term was to run a household!  This should be the most common use of all…perhaps we can turn that around!

  In saying all that lets see what we need to do in this time of global economic crisis and in some parts of the world, recession.  We need to look at every cent (or whatever your smallest denomination of money is) and account for it.

  1 Get yourself a piece of paper and a pen.

  2 Write down how much money comes into your household from work, government benefits, interest from the bank, any other earnings. This is your total income.

  3 Write down ALL expenses for a given period (a year is a good one).  Mortgage/rent, electricity/gas, water, insurance, cost of licensing, running and maintaining all vehicles, medical bills, travel expenses (bus, train), parking expenses, food shopping, other shopping, entertainment, gifts (birthday/christmas), hobbies, school books, school fees, takeaway meals…everything in your life that you have to pay for.  This may take a long time, or if you’re really organised not long at all.  Please don’t estimate everything because if you are finding it hard to make ends meet then there is something you may be underestimating your spending in one or several areas.  Keep receipts, ask for receipts if the person doesn’t automatically give one.  This total number you come up with is your expenditure.

  4 Now that you have a number for both, it’s reconciliation time.  Time to see how the numbers compare.  The first number, your income should be bigger than your second.  If it isn’t, that is your goal.

  There are two was to do this and I’m only covering one.  The ways are – make more money and reduce spending.  We are looking at the reduce spending side, which feels like you make more money if you do it right.

  5 You need to look at your expenditure list again.  Closely because something HAS to give.  You have to make choices to take control of your life.  Do you do anything that is needless spending?

  For example  -drive your car to work and pay for parking

  - get takeaway breakfast, lunches or dinners (or all three) because you are pushed for time or are not organised

  - need to keep up the Joneses (who may be in a worse situation with you so don’t covet their life)

  - buy the kids everything that they ask for, no matter the cost

  - drinking alcohol or smoking

  I could go on, but you get the idea.  What do you do to combat these things?

  - take public transport if possible, this cuts costs and reduces wear and tear on your vehicle.

  - organise your pantry/freezer and put together a meal plan, and follow it

  - be satisfied with the possessions you own and look after them, mend them if broken instead of throwing them away

  - don’t buy the kids everything they want.  They won’t die, really.  You have to be tough and teach them, surely they’ve heard of the economic crisis, if not, tell them about it.

  - drinking and alcohol are huge drains of money if you let them be.  There is no nutritional benefit (although some can argue the once a day wine etc).  Let me put it this way, there is not documentation of someone being worse of or dying because they didn’t smoke or drink…think about it.

  While saying all this, there is also something called false economy.   Something that people practice everyday, unfortunately.  They think they’re getting a great deal by buying the whole pumpkins that are on special, so they buy it instead of the 1/4  they usually buy.  DON’T.  Just buy what you need.  You can cut your spending.  You can also cut your rubbish/trash.  Most people in Australia throw away 1/3 of their groceries!  This is madness.  Say you have 3 meals in your week with potatoes and you need 2 potatoes at a time – just buy 6 potatoes, don’t buy the whole 4kg bag, it’s more than likely that you aren’t going to use it all before they die.

  Now you can take this a step further after a while or if you’re already at this stage.  Look at the nutritional value of the food you already eat.  Do you drink a lot of coffee?  Perhaps you can cut down and add in some cups of tea, tea is WAY cheaper.  Or instead drink some water, they’re always telling us to do that!  Do you buy those little packets of museli bars wrapped in three layers of plastic?  You know a bag full of bags of bars all nicely organised in a plastic tray?  How much of the cost contributes to the packaging?  Try making your own snacks or buy fresh fruit and do the old fashioned lunch box for work.  You may feel a little dorky but look around, a lot of others do it too.

  Some thing has got to give in this current situation, don’t let it be you.

• “I Just Want to be a Mommy”

  Date: 2009.02.02 | Category: Christian, Home Tips, Homeschool, Life, Train up a child | Response: 0

  This article spoke to me and encouraged me when I was feeling overwhelmed as a homeschooling Mum.  I have been busy with the beginning of our school year and thought to post this as my blog entry for today. Enjoy.

  Our first year of homeschooling, I had a seven-year-old, a five-year-old, and a three-year-old, plus a constant struggle with depression partly rooted in a lack of spiritual growth. At this time, I found another Christian mom, with children my children’s ages, in whom I saw wonderful spiritual maturity. This other mom agreed to spiritually mentor me. For a year, we met together, did a Bible study, memorized Scripture, and discussed the practical aspects of our spiritual walk as Christian women. I was so grateful for the investment this woman made in my life. That year my friend’s children were in a Christian school, but the following year she decided to homeschool them.

  Although our mentoring time lasted only one year, we continued to maintain a friendship. After a year of homeschooling, my friend chose to put her boys back in a Christian school. I can still remember her words to me that afternoon as I sat in her home, and she justified her actions, “Oh, Teri. I just want to be a mommy. I want to welcome my boys home in the afternoon as their mommy. I don’t want to have to be their teacher too. I just want to be their mommy.” I recall driving home that afternoon in tears. “Lord, I just want to be a mommy too. I want all the happy, fun things about being a mommy with none of the difficulties.”

  In my mind, I pictured my friend’s children coming home from school in the afternoon. She would have spent the day in personal Bible study, prayer, exercise, housecleaning, reading, ministry, sewing, and cookie baking. As the children bounced in the door, they would be met by a beautiful, smiling mommy. I was sure she would have taken a long shower and blown her hair dry too. The children would smell the freshly baked cookies and scramble for a seat at the table. There they would happily discuss the excitement of their day in school. Finally, they would head outside to play while my friend started supper in peace and quiet. I just want to be a mommy too!

  As I prayed about my heart-wrenching discussion with my friend and my personal feelings about wanting to “just be a mommy” too, the Lord soon began to show me some things. He made me realize that my homeschooling lifestyle was “just being a mommy” in its fullest sense. As we begin a new school year, perhaps you are struggling with feelings of not wanting to tackle another homeschool year. Maybe you have even thought the thoughts of my friend when she told me she “just wanted to be a mommy.” It could be that this is your first year of homeschooling, and you are concerned about being both a teacher and a mommy. Perhaps your role as a homeschool mom has lost the joy it once had. Together let’s encourage one another in the direction the Lord has led each of us in homeschooling. After all, I just want to be a mommy!

  What does being a mommy really mean? Titus 2:4 tells the old women to “teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.” Easily seen then, my role as a mommy is to love my children. Practically speaking, how is this done? Do I have more chance to love my children when they are away from home at school for seven or eight hours or when I have them home with me all day? The answer to this one is obvious: when they are home with me. By loving my children, I just want to be a mommy!

  During those extra hours I have to “just be a mommy,” I can tell my children over and over again how special they are to me, how much I love them, how wonderful they are, and how blessed I am to “just be their mommy.” I have seven more hours a day to give them hugs, pat them, put my arm around them, smile at them, kiss them, laugh with them – opportunities to “just be a mommy.” The bottom line is, “I just want to be a mommy!”

  What about the time we spend in homeschooling? Have I taken off my “mommy” hat and replaced it with a “teacher” one? I am taking the place of a teacher in a classroom in my children’s lives, but I am still “Mommy” in the fullest sense of the word. My mommy role as a teacher began from the first words I quietly whispered in each newborn baby’s tiny ear. Almost everything my children have learned in their young lives, this mommy has had a part in teaching them. Being an official teacher in our homeschool is simply an extension of this natural teaching relationship that exists between a mother and her child. Really and truly, I just want to be a mommy!

  I thought about what it meant to be a mommy teacher beyond simply teaching my children facts and figures. What teacher in a school loves their students like I love mine? What teacher’s main goal in life is to see their students grow up to love the Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength? What teacher is going to cuddle a sick student on the couch, tucking that student in with extra pillows and blankets, while loving and consoling him through his misery? Hey, I just want to be a mommy!

  Perhaps I should consider the time spent in disciplining or correcting my children during school hours. Maybe I am not being a “mommy” then. Once again Scripture assures me that this is part of my mommy role. “My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother” (Proverbs 6:20). My friend didn’t like to have to make her children do their schoolwork. Sometimes they cried about what they were to do for school and this was part of why she abandoned homeschooling in favor of “just being a mommy.” One of my most important “mommy” responsibilities is to prepare my children for life. If they face a difficult task in their school and choose to cry about it, this is my chance, as their mommy, to encourage them to pray about it, to put forth some effort, to try again, and to rest in the Lord. What opportunity these hours my children are home with me during school time afford. Wow, I just want to be a mommy!

  Every day I have a choice set before me. I can look at my homeschooling with resentment and think, “Lord, I just want to be a mommy,” while sending my children away to school and doing what I want to do all day. I might think these same thoughts without acting on them but all the while wishing I could put them in school. It will still affect my attitude toward my children and my homeschooling. Alternatively, I can view homeschooling with rejoicing in my heart and say, “Lord, I am so grateful to just be a mommy. Thank you that homeschooling is part of the mothering I can give to my children. I know there are moms who want to homeschool their children but can’t. I know there will be difficult days for us as we homeschool our children. Yet, it remains with me as to what I will allow in my thoughts.” May we be mothers who relish our roles as homeschooling mommies. Let’s never forget, I just want to be a mommy!

  Written by Teri Maxwell, co-author of Managers of Their Homes, Managers of Their Chores, Keeping Our Children’s Hearts: Our Vital Priority, Just Around the Corner, and author of Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit.

  Teri Maxwell is the mother of eight children and began homeschooling in 1985. Three of her children have graduated from homeschool, two are still living in their home and one is married. Teri is a homeschool conference speaker and has been writing monthly articles of encouragement for homeschooling moms since 1990.

• What is your real age?

  Date: 2008.11.23 | Category: Home Tips | Response: 1

  I found this site a while back and whilst sorting through links I decided to go back and redo the quiz.  It doesn’t take a long time but it’s not a short quiz.  Find your Real Age. Associated with this site is another worth taking a look at Eating Well.  Full of good balanced tips for eating.

  Live long and Prosper!

• Unrecognised Sport

  Date: 2008.11.20 | Category: Fun and Trivia, Home Tips, Life | Response: 1

  I want to bring into recognition a sport that is under appreciated.  Most people would have played it at one time at least in their lives.  The sport of clothesline wrestling.  The involves trying to hang washing on the line whilst it is windy.  A hills hoist is a must as this allows the clothesline to play too, making it a competitive sport.  Some keep their pegs in a basket near the washing, other have them strategically aligned on the wires, others give some advantage to the clothesline (or wind, depending on your philosophy) by putting them in a rather large container and hanging it on the end of one of the posts.  This of course allows you to be knocked out as it goes by at a rate of knots!  The enjoyment of playing this sport is neverending.  You get to duck and weave, perhaps holding on to an already pegged item with all your strength to reach for another, toning for the whole body.  I’m sure gusty conditions favour the clothesline much more than the person, this allows the clothes to whip and splat you in the face and or head.  In saying this I’ve just finished a round whilst competing in somewhat hazardous conditions, gusty wind, bright sun and wasps added for extra danger!

  Phew! – Time for lunch me thinks.