Time is Money

You know the old saying, "Time is money"? Well, a talk I heard last fall at the mom's group I attend has really stuck with me. The speaker was talking about organization and how much time it saves. She gave an estimate of how much time is wasted daily per person just for looking for something that was misplaced etc. and if I remember correctly it was close 20 min. a day. Now that might not seem like much but when you think of it being over 2 hrs. a week or 9 hrs. a month it starts sounding a bit more frustrating and wasteful!

Anyway, I am not a super unorganized person, but at the same time I have a lot to learn in this area and have been trying hard to learn what I can! One of the things that I did several months ago that has helped save me time was organize my spice drawers.

I used to just have my spices in the drawer in any old order. One day I had this "ah-ha" moment when I thought, "Why don't I alphabetize my spice?" So I took a couple of minutes and put them in alphabetical order and you know what? I love it! It has saved me so much time trying to figure out which bottle is basil. Is it in the first row or the last, left side or right? Now I know it is going to be right there at the beginning on the left hand side and presto, I can go right to it.

What organizational things have you done lately that have saved you time or made your life easier? I'd love if you told us about it!

10 Uses for Dryer Sheets

Picture: Real Simple

Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam has a great post on how to get more life out of your used dryer sheets as well as some creative ways to use new ones. I love learning these kinds of things!

Homemade Window Cleaner Recipe

A while back in my Weekly Spending Summary I mentioned buying things to make my own window cleaner. I promised that after I tried it out, I'd post the recipe if I liked it.

I personally have had a real dislike for Windex and other store bought window cleaners. I was always having trouble with my windows looking streaky and honestly, sometimes I felt like I had to scrub like crazy to get off the dirt- esp. when I was doing the outside part of my windows. I kept thinking of making my own, but wasn't sure which recipe to try and just never got it done. So when I had a friend tell me how much she loved this recipe, I decided to bite the bullet and try it.

I have not been disappointed. It cleans up mirrors and windows like a charm, without any streak either, let me tell you. And I tested it this morning on my smudgy, finger printed windows (think pretty stuck on and dirty) and it had them shining and clear without any hard scrubbing. Oh, and did I mention that it takes literally a minute to make and is very inexpensive? Yeah, well it does and it is. Personally, I'm sold on the stuff.

Okay, so here's the recipe. I'd love to know what you think of it if you try it!

Homemade Window Cleaner

1/2 c. rubbing alcohol
2 Tbsp. ammonia
1 tsp. dish soap
water

Put the first three ingredients in a 32 oz. spray bottle then fill with water up to the 32 oz. mark. Spray away!

Do you have any favorite homemade cleaner recipes? I'd love to try making more of my own things.

Household Tip: The 10 Minute Rule

I'm one of those people that often puts off a job because it simply seems overwhelmingly big. Or sometimes I'll get started with the task, but then I'm soon distracted and doing something else that needs to get done and soon end up having four things that I'm working on at once. And then I begin to feel like I'm not getting anything done!

One of my goals for this year is to learn how to be more efficient, especially as a homemaker. One of the things that I've started doing is following what I've dubbed "The 10 Minute Rule". When I have a task that needs to get done, I'll set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes and dive into it. Knowing that the clock is ticking helps me stay focused and stick with what I started working on.

And staying focused is something I need help with. It is so easy for me to be going about my work and then decide to just take a minute to check email, read a magazine article or post on Facebook. Next thing I know I spent 10 minutes doing something that was maybe okay to do but didn't really help me get anything done if you know what I mean.

"The 10 Minute Rule" is also a great way to get me motivated. For instance, this morning I was feeling lazy. It was snowing and overcast and those kind of days always make me feel like just sitting around. Nothing was desperately calling for my attention and so I meandered through several hours accomplishing little and feeling rather frustrated with myself.

Suddenly I remembered the "10 Minute Rule" and decided that was just what I needed to get me going. So I set the timer- this time for 20 minutes- and decided to see how much cleaning I could get done. Before I knew it the downstairs was organized and dusted and I finished just as the timer started to beep.

Then I set the timer for 10 minutes and tackled the dreaded chore of responding to emails. Next I'm going to set it for another 20 minutes and see if I can get the downstairs swept. I'm already feeling more motivated and probably won't even bother to use the "10 Minute Rule" to help me get the bathroom cleaned.

Have you ever used "The 10 Minute Rule"? What tools do you use to help you be efficient and get things done?

Plastic Wrap Tip

Please tell me I am not the only person who never noticed those two little arrows on the side of the plastic wrap box! I recently discovered it and wow, it saves a lot of headache!

Have you ever been trying to cover something with plastic wrap, only to have the plastic roll keep trying to hop out of the box? Yeah, me too. Well, if you simply push in those little tabs, your problem is solved. They sort of lock the roll in place and viola! No more rolling out of the box plastic rolls! It makes me wonder what other simple little instructions I am missing that would make my life easier.

An "Egg"celent Tip

Have you ever wondered how long eggs stay good? Since I'm not one to throw food out just because it is past it's expiration date, I knew from experience that it was a long time . But I found it interesting and insightful to read what the American Egg Board actually says about the shelf life of raw eggs:

"The oil coating which seals the shell's pores helps to prevent bacteria from entering the egg and reduces moisture loss from the egg. RAW SHELL EGGS REFRIGERATED IN THEIR CARTONS WILL KEEP FOR ABOUT 4 TO 5 WEEKS BEYOND THE PACK DATE WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT QUALITY LOSS. (The pack date is usually a number from 1 to 365 representing the day of the year starting with January 1 as 1 and ending with December 31 as 365.)" "Properly handled and stored, eggs rarely "spoil". If you keep them long enough, they are more likely to simply dry up! But, don't leave eggs out at room temperature. They'll age more in 1 day at room temperature than they will in 1 week in the refrigerator. Room temperature is also an ideal temperature for bacterial growth."

So, for whatever it is worth, I thought you might like to know how long raw eggs keep. Just maybe this will give you the incentive you need to stock up the next time eggs go on sale!