We Could All Use a Little Help with the Laundry!
Bookmark and check back often because this lens will grow ... and grow ... as I discover new (or remember old) great gadgets, tips, and tricks!
Thanks to stargazer00 for the lovely dividers.
The Bow Goes in Front
Help your toddlers learn to dress themselves!
Once they transition out of diapers, they often want to get dressed on their own. (And their mothers want the same thing!) But front and back can be awfully confusing. For my littlest one, I finally figured out how to help without actually helping. I ran to the craft store and got a package of tiny bows (often found in the wedding section for some reason) and sewed one to the front of each pair. My little girl was so pleased to be able to get dressed all by herself and have it done right!
For some I sewed on the store-bought rosettes; for others I took a short bit of narrow ribbon and tied a small bow to sew on. This takes no sewing skill: just knot the thread and sew it in and out of the rosette and waistline together a few times, then knot again. You could also use sew-on or iron-on decals if they were small enough - and find some that would be appropriate for boys as well.
FRUGALICIOUS TIP: Alternatively, just run a piece of colored yarn in and out two or three times, and tie it off. Or color on a dot with permanent marker! Anything to mark the front so the child has a visual to help put clothes on correctly.
Amazing Two-Finger Fold for T-shirts
A perfect fold - every time!
The Holey Single Life of Socks
Have you ever washed an entire load of NOTHING but socks and underwear?
Forget matching your socks before washing and clipping them together with some doohicky that you'll never be able to find! Instead try this handy tip for always having matched socks:Buy only one style of sock. Maybe two. If you need a few special one-of-a-kind pairs, okay, but for your plain-jane everyday wear, get only one style. The more kids you have, the more you will appreciate this tip. Look at all the benefits:
1. You don't have to match and fold pairs together.
2. You don't have to match and fold pairs together.
3. You don't have to match and fold pairs together.
4. When you lose or get a hole in one, the one you have still matches the rest.
5. You don't have to match and fold pairs together.
My husband has two styles of sock: long black dress socks and short white sport socks. I never fold his socks! My two sons have long white socks and short white socks. I never fold their socks! (I make sure their socks are distinct from each other so they can just be sorted into piles before putting away.) My two girls also have short and long socks, in varying colors and patterns, but since they are color-coordinated and the girls like to mix and match their socks ... I never fold their socks!
FRUGALICIOUS TIP: Partnerless socks still have a mate!
Who Invented Socks Anyway?
Learn a little more about the lowly sock.
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Sock It To Me
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I like socks. Never one for a pedicure, and stuck with constantly cold feet, I wear socks a lot. I also enjoy knitting socks, although I suffer from "second sock syndrome," and can never make two with the exact same coloring or decoration. They can...
The Ultimate Household Tips Guide
by Amy Dacyzyn
FRUGALICIOUS TIP: First there was a little newletter. The newsletter grew, and grew, and grew. Then a bunch of the old newsletters were gathered into a book; the book sold and sold and sold. Some other newsletters were gathered into a second book, which also sold and sold and sold. A third gathering did the same! Finally, all three books were bundled into the single volume that is available today. Amy Dacyczyn (pronounced "decision") is the queen of household tips, trick, and tightwaddery!
The Complete Tightwad Gazette
Amazon Price: $15.61 (as of 12/07/2009)
Though tightwad seems like a derogatory term, author Amy Dacyczyn wants to assure you that it's okay to be a penny-pincher. This self-styled "Frugal Zealot" wrote and published The Tightwad Gazette for over six years to spread the frugal gospel. Each issue contained tips from her personal experience and from her many readers. The wealth of information contained in all these issues has been compiled into one volume for the first time. You'll find literally thousands of ideas for saving money, from the simple or practical to the difficult or bizarre. On the simple, practical side, Dacyczyn advises would-be tightwads to keep track of price trends at several stores in a "price book" and to buy in bulk when prices are low. Other, stranger offerings include tips for turning margarine-tub lids into playing-card holders, old credit cards into guitar picks, and six-pack rings into a hammock or volleyball net. More helpful are inexpensive recipes for making homemade versions of pricey, well-known products and ingenious ways to fix broken or damaged items. The book's disorganization encourages browsing, but the detailed index will point you to the exact page for specific items. Dacyczyn's occasional "thriftier than thou" tone is balanced by the friendly support for frugality that infuses every page. She even reminds her readers that it's okay to "sweat the small stuff"--because this small stuff is the essence of frugality. --C.B. Delaney
Get More MomTips!
"MomTips: In the Closet" is one in a series.
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MomTips: Baby Wearing - All the Best Babies are Doing It!
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My babies lived in a sling from the moment they were born. So comfortable for them and me too! I tried other baby carriers but always came back to slings. They are much more versatile than most other carriers, but at the same time far simpler to use....
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MomTips: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices from My House to Yours
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As a homeschooling mom of four kids, finding time- and labor-saving tips is something of a hobby with me. So here are all my tips, tricks, and best practices for moms and homemakers, collected in one place! All around the house, all my MomTips are ac...
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MomTips: In the Kitchen
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You may love cooking or hate it, but the tips and gadgets on this page will make your kitchen time easier! In the kitchen and around the house, all my MomTips are actually used and tested by me and my family and found to be useful or can't-do-without...
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MomTips: At Tea Time
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Whether it's "Earl Grey: hot," as Captain Picard likes it, coffee, or some herbal concoction you stew together yourself, a hot drink is a wonderful and soothing beverage. In the kitchen and around the house, all my MomTips are actually used and teste...
Air Your Dirty Laundry Here!
MomTips on Squidoo
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- missbat missbat Sep 20, 2009 @ 11:01 pm
- Some wonderful tips you've included here! Great job!
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- Michey Michey Sep 20, 2009 @ 9:17 pm
- hi! great tips! thanks
Michey
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- puzzlemaker puzzlemaker Sep 17, 2009 @ 12:10 am
- OMGosh, that shirt folding technique will take me a while. And you can do it? I'm impressed. I'll give it a try. I'm getting a shirt now.
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- sandyspider sandyspider Sep 14, 2009 @ 7:47 pm
- Great tips!
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- stargazer00 stargazer00 Sep 14, 2009 @ 11:24 am
- We do that with socks too. A great tip!
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- Joan4 Joan4 Sep 14, 2009 @ 10:35 am
- Super tips! We do buy only 2 kinds of socks for each of us! Sure makes laundry easier! Loved the tshirt fold!
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