Household Tips

garage sale finds 2She Shops | Garage Sale Finds

Did you go garage sailing (my personal fancy name for it) this weekend? You know what they say: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure …. well, we found some great treasures this weekend, and I thought I would share our haul.

We spent a total of $4.50 and got the following (shown): A cute little metal bucket/tin for my daughter to put her hair bows and clips in, an Easter Tree (yea, I know… not so necessary, but this was my daughters pick and she loves it!) and then my son picked out a really neat brand new/unopened game called Big World Atlas that actually looks really neat, and retails for $25 on Amazon here. He was also super excited to get a new ball pump (because you can never have enough of these when you are an 8 year old boy who loves every kind of ball, and can never find a ball pump when you need one!) and then I also let them each pick out a book:

garage sale finds

My family enjoys going to garage sales together for many reasons. For one, it has been wonderful in teaching my children the value of a dollar. It has also helped them to understand not only saving and spending, but has also shown them that we can get creative as a family because we often discover old things that we can make new again, like this candle holder that we repurposed into a fish bowl last year.

What great garage sale finds have you found lately?

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My mother-in-law just shared this with me, and I just had to pass it along…how cool is this??

*here is the link to the YouTube page which has the original source of this neat trick!

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Every now and then, I impress myself with a “Mom” type solution to a problem. I did just that last night, and I since I was still a little impressed with myself and my idea this morning, I decided to share.

My kids and hubby LOVE watermelon. I get tired of having to cut it up into little pieces because that gets so messy. My Grandmother used to cut it in long round slices and just let us “pig out” on watermelon, but I think she was a lot more chill than I am because up until I came up with this solution last night, that was just way too messy for me. (Plus my daughter’s watermelon was always slipping of her plate…but no more!)

When I cleaned out the cupboards last week, I found these pie plates that don’t get too much use anymore, and guess what? They make the perfect watermelon dishes!! My kids were just tickled that they got a huge slice of watermelon, and I was thrilled that we had no mess.  No sliding off the plate, no sticky watermelon juice everywhere … just delicious watermelon!

Do you have a “Mom” type solution to a problem to share? I think Mom solutions are the best ones, so I am all ears!!

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Did you go garage sailing (my personal fancy word for it) this weekend? You know what they say: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure …. well, we found some great treasures this weekend, and I thought I would share my favorite.

We found this old candle holder along with it’s heavy iron base for only $12. (I haven’t been able to find another just like it, but did find some similar on Amazon for over $100!) We brought it home, cleaned it up, added a few rocks and grass (.99cents at PetSmart) and picked out our new family member. Meet Rocky, the Beta Fish:

My family enjoys going to garage sales together for many reasons. For one, it has been wonderful in teaching my children the value of a dollar. It has also helped them to understand not only saving and spending, but has also shown them that we can get creative to make new things out of old things, like our new fish stand!  I think it’s a great addition to our family room decor, and the kids are really enjoying their new pet. Plus, this created a fun family activity for all of us and it is exciting to enjoy the finished product!

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Here is a quick fix for anyone who has a clogged or slower running shower heads. We are on well water where we live, and that means a lot of build up (and I mean a LOT!)  I also do this on the faucets in our sinks and the hand nozzle sprayers as well.  I do this a few times a year …and I just did mine, so this is my semi-annual reminder post ;)

All that you need do is fill a sandwich baggie with white vinegar. Place your entire shower head in the bag so it is completely submerged in the water, and secure with a rubber band around the neck of the shower head. Leave it on over night. The vinegar will break down the build up and in the morning your shower head should be running much better!!

I wish I had taken a better “before” photo… but I think that you can see all of the build up and rust in the photo above, and below you will see the result after literally just a wipe down after removing the bag (this is pre-scrubbing):

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I have these mom stress moments. You know the ones. I walk into a room that looks like it has just experienced a tornado. My head starts to spin and I feel my blood pressure rise. My kids (wise from experience) quickly start to sneak out of the room. It has happened so many times over the years that you would think it wouldn’t stress me anymore… but it does.

Then, because I too, am wise from experience… I go to my “happy place” … and find the courage to start singing (and I am a horrible singer!)…. the Clean Up Song:

It’s time to clean up clean up
Everybody do your share
Clean up clean up
Soon the mess will not be there

Clean up clean up
Look at this we’re almost done
Toys away — hey hey hey
Clean-up can be fun….

And just like a few little dwarfs out of the movie Snow White…everyone swings into action. Ever since my kids were teeny tiny … we have used the clean up song to motivate us while we pick up toys. I have a basket or “toy box” in just about every room … so it’s really easy for everyone to do their share. Books back on shelves, stuffed animals back in baskets, and toys in the toy boxes. It’s the weirdest darn thing. I can go from completely stressed to la-la land chill in a matter of minutes, and you know why? Because I made a decision a long time ago to STOP getting stressed over a messy house. That doesn’t mean that I DON’T get stressed anymore about it … it just means that I have learned how to STOP when I feel it coming on and move forward to a happier place.

See, I started realizing that as soon as things were picked back up, I felt good again. . . and the fact of the matter is, it really isn’t that hard to put things back where they go. . . and the process of getting there CAN be fun. I want to have fun with my kids and enjoy them whenever I can … so why not make even the “not so fun” moments fun. Who said picking up can’t be fun? … and of course, kids can have fun doing just about anything, especially if they don’t know better.

And of course, over the years… to keep everyone motivated, we have had to spice it up a bit. Sometimes we sing reaaaaalllly s — l— o—-w and move like turtles and other times we sing superrrrrrr fasssssssssssssstand race around like airplanes. It’s all really just about having fun … and what this has taught me is that kids can have fun doing anything. It’s moms that need to chill out an break into song now and then…it’s good for the soul, I tell you!

Want to hand over cleaning to the experts? Tell us how you have taught and encouraged your kids to clean and be entered to win one of two prizes!

  • First Prize: House Cleaner for a day plus $100 in product from GreatCleaners.com.
  • Second Prize: A Copy of the Book Over 100 Helpful Household Hints

With GreatCleaners.comClean Club, you’ll never have to shop for cleaning products again. With the simplicity of automatic shipments that fit your schedule and free shipping on every order, plus 25% off your first order, you’ll never have to be without your favorite, essential cleaning products. Click here to join the Clean Club today!

WamnWWantWant to hand over cleaning to the experts? Tell us how you have taught your kids to clean for a chance to win one of two prizes!
•First Prize: house cleaner for a day plus $100 in product from Greatcleaners.com.
•Second Prize: A copy of the book 101 Uses for Baking Soda With Greatcleaners.com Clean Club, you’ll never have to shop for cleaning products again. With the simplicity of automatic shipments that fit your schedule and free shipping on every order, plus 25% off your first order, you’ll never have to be without your favorite, essential cleaning products. Click here to join Clean Club today!Want to hand over cleaning to the experts? Tell us how you have taught your kids to clean for a chance to win one of two prizes!
•First Prize: house cleaner for a day plus $100 in product from Greatcleaners.com.
•Second Prize: A copy of the book 101 Uses for Baking Soda With Greatcleaners.com Clean Club, you’ll never have to shop for cleaning products again. With the simplicity of automatic shipments that fit your schedule and free shipping on every order, plus 25% off your first order, you’ll never have to be without your favorite, essential cleaning products. Click here to join Clean Club today!Want to hand over cleaning to the experts? Tell us how you have taught your kids to clean for a chance to win one of two prizes!
•First Prize: house cleaner for a day plus $100 in product from Greatcleaners.com.
•Second Prize: A copy of the book 101 Uses for Baking Soda

Want to hand over cleaning to the experts? Tell us how you have taught your kids to clean for a chance to win one of two prizes!
•First Prize: house cleaner for a day plus $100 in product from Greatcleaners.com.
•Second Prize: A copy of the book 101 Uses for Baking Soda With Greatcleaners.com Clean Club, you’ll never have to shop for cleaning products again. With the simplicity of automatic shipments that fit your schedule and free shipping on every order, plus 25% off your first order, you’ll never have to be without your favorite, essential cleaning products. Click here to join Clean Club today!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of GreatCleaners. The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the Arm & Hammer Brand.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
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Keep Your Shower Heads Running Smooth…

by Keri Lyn on February 5, 2011

in Household Tips

Here is a quick fix for anyone who has a clogged or slower running shower heads… I do this a few times a year …and I just did mine, so this is my semi-annual reminder post ;)

All you do is fill a sandwich baggie or ziploc with white vinegar. Place your entire shower head in the bag so it is completely submerged in the water, and secure with a rubber band around the neck of the shower head. Leave it over night. The vinegar will break down the build up and in the morning your shower head should be running much better!!

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Home Depot

This is one of my favorite deals! Sign up for the Home Depot newsletter (it’s FREE!) and receive access to special savings via email newsletter. Last year, they sent out BOGO FREE Tree coupons, and my hubby still says that is the BEST coupon he ever saw (it saved us over $200!)

If you are really into (or in need of) home repair deals and offers … I also suggest signing up for The Home Depot PRO emails as well … (especially the Garden Club ones!) We scored some awesome coupons via mail with this club last year!!

Like My Deals? Subscribe to my daily email newsletter or RSS Feed and I will send them directly to you, so that you won’t miss a thing!

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Here is a quick fix for anyone who has a clogged or slower running shower head… I do this a few times a year …and I just did mine, so I thought I would share this again!  All you do is fill a sandwich baggie or ziploc with white vinegar. Place your entire shower head in the bag so it is completely submerged in the water, and secure with a rubber band around the neck of the shower head. Leave it over night. The vinegar will break down the build up and in the morning your shower head should be running much better!!

Like My Deals? Subscribe to my daily email and I will send them directly to you, so you won’t miss a thing

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Dirty Rotten Buggars…

by Keri Lyn on August 20, 2009

in Household Tips

I have been planning to post about how I get the bananas for my banana bread REALLY cheap at the farmers market (did you know that most markets have a box full of ripe/over-ripe bananas and they are CHEAP!) Every few months, I will buy a huge box of ripe/rotten bananas and it ends up costing me about $2-$3 … then I go home and make banana bread to freeze.
(we LOVE banana bread.)
What I hadn’t planned on blogging about it what to do when DIRTY ROTTEN FRUIT FLIES TAKE OVER YOUR KITCHEN BECAUSE OF ONE LITTLE ROTTEN BANANA THAT SOMEHOW GOT LOST BEHIND THE CUTTING BOARD.
But while we are on the subject (grrrr….) let me tell you what I did about it.
I RAN to my computer and googled “how to get rid of fruit flies”….and found lots of ideas…went with the most simple one I could find… and I am so happy to say that I am now a successful fruit fly trapper / hunter chic.
Before I tell you HOW I did it … let me tell you WHY. Did you know that these freaky little flies have a 10 day life span in which they lay their little eggs everywhere….only to continue the life cycle in YOUR kitchen??? eeww.
So… the solution was so simple. Mason Jar filled with a little bit of Apple Cider Vinegar. Roll up a piece of paper into a funnel and put it in the jar so it is just above the vinegar. Those annoying little creatures fly down into the jar and they can’t get out. It was amazing to watch.
It works!! … and I have to say … it might work even better with the lights out because tonight I have noticed that when I come back and turned the light on, there seem to be more than usual creeping around …. (what you can’t see in my photos is that there are lots of flies floating in the vinegar …)

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