Saving More Money wtih Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

Like I mentioned at the end of my last post, Justin and I have been looking into other ways to save money by making our own stuff, or by simply doing things the old-fashioned way (hello cloth diapers!). A few days ago we ran out of our Clorox Green Works Cleaning Wipes, and let me tell you, we use those things for everything! Instead of going to the store and getting another container for $3, which will generally last us 2-4 weeks, I decided to make some homemade all-purpose cleaner.

It's really easy to make...it's just equal parts water and white vinegar. And since you can buy giant bottles of discount vinegar I spent less than $1 on 4 cups worth of cleaner and have plenty left over for when I run out. Now, instead of using Clorox Wipes, I just grab an old wash rag, spray some vinegar solution on it, and go to town. It works really well to break down grease and it's also a disinfectant. The only downside is that it smells like vinegar when you're done (not cool), but it goes away after awhile. If it weren't so dad-gum hot outside I'd open a window, but I don't want to waste my precious AC!

So far I've had a good experience with it. I've been able to get some tough grease off of our stove that I'm sure has been there since before we moved in and it made cleaning around the bathroom faucets super easy. It also makes me want to clean more! There's a sense of gratification that comes with successfully cleaning the kitchen counters with something I made myself. If only this translated to some of our other chores...

Speaking of which, here's an update on our recently-implemented chore chart: Just as I predicted, Justin was a little hesitant to use it at first, but he's come around (yay!). We haven't worked out a perfect system yet, but the longer we use it, the more on top of things we become. I'm sure Levi's arrival will throw us off for a while, but I'm glad we already have a (somewhat) working system in place to fall back on when we're ready to start operating with routines again.

Upping Productivity and Organization at Home

In an attempt to get more organized before Levi gets here and throws us into hectic chaos, I decided to create a Chore Chart to keep us on track. Call it nesting if you will…haha! I don’t know how on board Justin is with the idea, but he did say that it would be good for us to have a set routine and to get used to it so that we can set a good example for our kids. I know he hates prescribed to do lists though, so we’ll see. I assigned different chores to different days and spread things out throughout the week so it wouldn’t get overwhelming. I know, I know. This sounds so simple and obvious, but we, unfortunately have not been using this strategy up to this point. We’ve been going based on need and not efficiency. No more! I’m also convinced that if we keep up with it, everything will take less time to do because it is done regularly.

I originally made the chart in fun bright orange and fuchsia, but Justin shot that down (no pink!)…so now it’s classic Baylor colors – green and gold (well, pale yellow). Wife created, Husband approved. I’ll let y’all know how it works out, but so far I’m loving it! I’m a to-do-list kind of person, but I can get stressed out if I can’t cross off everything on my list. This chart doesn’t let me cross things off, but I can see what needs to get done all the same. It feels more flexible. I posted it on our fridge inside a sheet protector so it’s easily accessible and out of the way.