Covid Accomplishments

Here are my shoes, so far, that I purged.

 It's just a drop in the bucket, but it's something.

I have a very long list of less common, but necessary housekeeping things to do.  Here are a few of the weird, but useful projects I completed on Covid quarantine:

* Washed the kitchen ceiling. The ceiling was filthy and had stains and splatters on it. The other day I took my Swiffer mop and put on a microfiber rag (purchased in bulk on Amazon) which was soaked in water and dishwashing liquid. I then, turned the mop upside down and mopped the ceiling. It worked perfectly. I definitely need to paint the ceiling but this way there are no stains or dirt highlighted.

* Cleaned and organized the junk drawer.

* Cleaned and organized the tool box.

* Touched up the scratches on the wood furniture in the home with dollar store furniture markers. Such a difference!!

* Had the handyman repair the captain bed drawer fronts and drawers and shore up the loft bed. (The repairs were beyond our meager abilities.)

* Asked the handyman to repair the microwave handle that broke off. He was unable to fix it, then it stopped working altogether.

* Purchased a new dishwasher and over the range microwave. We comparison shopped and then went to the cheapest appliance store who came in well under the prices we had. It's been YEARS since our dishwasher died.  The handyman installed it lickety split and even took out and discarded the old one. (He needs to return with a helper to install the microwave.)

* Shelves above the pantry collapsed. Hubs was able to do the repair himself! Woo hoo!

* Organized several drawers of clothing.

* Bought two pair of like new sneakers for about $7 each. Score!

* And, last but not least, I went through my shoes and organized them and got rid of 8 1/2 pairs! (I can only find one shoe of set so that is the "half".)  It's amazing how many pairs of shoes I own.  The funny thing is I only wear a couple on a regular basis. There are a few more that may still end up in the toss pile.

I'm so darn proud!!

My 16 year old kiddo just refashioned a shirt!  The shirt was gifted to us by a neighbor and ultimately landed in our "toss" pile. It was too big on me and too businesslike for the kids. It was going to be sent to the thrift shop (when they finally reopen) or less likely to be sold online. 

She measured, ironed, and sewed on her own. Looks great to me! Love it when frugalness and creativity come together!

Caveat Emptor

Furniture markers from Dollar Tree. Love them!!!

Here's the after photo. Much tidier!!

When Covid quarantine first began, I spend my days at the kitchen table which became my "office". Everyday, I would do my work and stare at my living room. I became obsessed with one corner of the room.  (Basically, every corner of that room has piles of various stuff, but one corner was particularly troubling.) I've been tackling the corner clutter issue for years and years, with little success.  However, I had a brainstorm.

I thought that if I organized the mess of musical instrument purgatory. (That's the corner where all of the dumped instruments go when the kids no longer want them.) It would do the trick.  While organizing that area was helpful, it didn't do it all. Then, I thought that if I got rid of the broken magazine holder and purchased a (used) storage ottoman, the problem would be fixed.  So, I became OBSESSED looking on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and various other pre-owned furniture platforms, scouring the pages until I found what I wanted. Then, I pounced. I quickly (for me) bought one.  Problem solved?  Not yet.

I got an okay price of $45. While it's is significantly, less than the cost of new, this one had more mileage than I was led to believe by pictures from the owner.  Of course I tried to bargain down a bit, but he wouldn't budge.  This is why it's never a good idea to want something too much.  I should have walked away or at least thoroughly examined it prior. I would have had leverage to bargain, or at least be more aware of what I was purchasing.  Let the buyer beware!

But all was not lost. It was still in fair shape. I went to town and gave it a bath inside and out with a clean damp rag and some dish soap.  Then, I took a matching wood marker I already had from Dollar Tree (see pic) and touched up the wooden feet.  Finally, I took a cheap disposable razor and lightly shaved off the many pills covering the fabric.  Now, it looks great.  Just a little elbow grease and it's in tip top condition!!  

I took this opportunity to clean out the contents of the offending area.  I greatly decreased the sock pile (bag of single socks), put some blankets in the closet, and rearranged some things. While the corner is not ready for Architectural Digest, it's considerably better than it was and at least it's not an embarrassment anymore.  What do you think? (I forgot to take the before pics.)

I'm baaaack!

Hi everyone!  It's good to be back.  It feels right. 

So much to discuss.  Firstly, it's Covid-19 time.  Crazy!  Like most people, we've been social distancing and staying at home with all the kiddos, hubs, and doggy.  Recently, I had a Covid scare so now I'm on super-quarantine until negative test results are confirmed.  In the meantime, I'm confining myself to my bedroom and cancelling all outdoor activities. 

We were all looking forward to a camping get away to the annual Porcupine Festival in New Hampshire.  There I was to be a speaker on (you guessed it) Frugal Living as well as give detailed instructions on how to make homemade yogurt.  But, better safe, than sorry. So we made the hard choice to stay put.