Easy Ways to Clean Your Kitchen Floor

Over the years, I’ve tried a number of things to keep our kitchen floor clean. For a while there, it seemed like the best results and convenience were had by the most expensive systems. Fortunately, there are ways around the expense. Try one of the following ideas. The Cheapest An old fashioned floor scrub will be the cheapest. It only requires a bucket (or just a sink), some soap and something to apply the soap, from a brush to an old towel. You have to get down on your hands and knees and scrub and then rinse the floors with … Continue reading

How to Reduce the Cost of Paper Towels

While paper towels can certainly be convenient in a home, they do cost money. Assuming that you don’t have an extreme couponing stockpile of paper towels to keep you for the next 50 years, you may want to spend less money on paper towels. Here are some ways that you can reduce that cost and save the extra in your budget. Use Substitutes Instead of pricy paper towel, opt for some reusable substitutes instead. In out kitchen I have dish towels for drying dishes plus wiping up larger spills. A small drawer holds clean, thin wash clothes that can be … Continue reading

Three Kitchen Products that Waste Money

There are a ton of things that you can use in the kitchen for convenience, but many of them also waste money, and in my opinion, aren’t worth purchasing. You can get away without using these products for very little inconvenience. Crock Pot or Slow Cooker Liners I remember the first time someone gave me a box of crock pot liners. These bags allow you to cook in a crock pot without the clean up. You just lift the bag out when you are done. I gave the box away almost immediately. Why? Well, beside the fact that I don’t … Continue reading

Tips in the Kitchen 3

Don’t you just love it when you find a tip that makes your time in the kitchen so much better? I’ve been sharing some of my best kitchen-related tips and strategies. While melting chocolate in a microwave can be more convenient than using a double boiler, it can quickly become a disaster. Chocolate burns easily. To help reduce the chances of this happening to your chocolate, use a clear glass bowl that will allow you to see the progress of the chocolate in the microwave. Heat it in 30-second intervals, and always stir it between heating times. Sometimes what looks … Continue reading

Organizing Your Kitchen Counter

Face it, kitchens tend to collect a lot of stuff. This is natural since in most homes, the kitchen is the hub of family life and where most people (or at least one person) spends most of their time. Kitchen counters are notorious for collecting stuff, most of which could probably find better homes elsewhere. Counter space should be valuable space. The way your organize your counters should make it easier for you to prepare meals. Having a cluttered counter or a counter where things are far from where you need them will add to a lot of frustration and … Continue reading

Frugal Cleaning Arsenal

If you want to attack your dirt, you’ll need an arsenal of supplies. But forget the fancy cleaners, battery powered mops, and expensive robots. You can have a sparkling clean house without spending a lot of money. Head over to your local warehouse and/or discount club and pick up the following items. You can use them to make your own cleaners and cleaning equipment arsenal. Baking soda: A natural deodorizer and scrubber that is great for cleaning ovens, microwave ovens and the refrigerator. Combined with the next ingredient, it can clean bathrooms. Vinegar: A grease cutter that makes surfaces shine … Continue reading

Frugal Living Month in Review: June 2008

What a happy month is June, filled with the renewal of spring and the promise of summer. In the last month, we have shared so many ideas for frugal living and saving money. This past month has seen some pretty big increases in food, gas and other items (look for an upcoming post about strawberries increasing more than 100 percent). Now more than ever, it is important to save money where we can. This is why I decided to do a month in review. June 2nd Frugal Living Review: May 26th Through June 1st Garage sale shopping has got to … Continue reading

Inexpensive Kitchen Makeovers

As you may know, we are exploring our options with a kitchen makeover. We don’t want to spend the time or money for a complete redesign, but we do need an update. If you are in the same situation or you just want a mini update, check out these inexpensive kitchen make over ideas. Remove the doors from upper corner cabinets or the cabinet above the stove to create a new look. Having some open cabinets can add to the feeling of more space and a larger kitchen. If your cabinets are like mine, old and lined with floral stuck-hard … Continue reading

Warning to Kitchen Sink Fashion Victims

Do you know which popular kitchen trends that you should avoid this year? I’m making sure that I do my research before we do any updating to our older kitchen. As my husband keeps pointing out, kitchens can look outdated very quickly if we choose features that are hot for the moment but don’t stand the test of time. I counter with a feeble argument: “But if we like it then why not enjoy it?” There is some truth to both sides of the discussion of course. Still, I am doing my research to see if there are any trends … Continue reading

Be Wary of Trends in Kitchen Renovation

As you may know from following along in my recent blogs, we are in the process of choosing materials, colors and finishes for a kitchen update. One aspect of this whole journey is a desire to make sure that we choose materials, finishes and accessories that will withstand the test of time, or at least the test of ten years. While we plan on staying in our current home for quite some time, circumstances could always change, leading us to sell our home. If we are caught with something that looks outdated, it could hurt a sale. We also don’t … Continue reading