Here it is Tuesday again. It is a very wet morning here, but getting warmer! I will gladly take rain over ice and snow. This week looks to be much warmer than last. I am liking that.
Nothing too exciting today - just an idea or two of using things around the house and keeping our lives a little simple. You know I like simple. I also like using things in new ways. Sure, some (many) things in my house are conventional - but many aren't. I am just one of those people that tries to think of how I can use something I have before buying something new.
Many people wrap their pipes to keep them from freezing. Here is a little idea that helps. Maybe something to think about for next year. Pool noodles! Cut them to the length you need and cut open lengthwise and slide over pipes. They work perfectly.
Noodles also make great door draft dodgers as well - cover in an old towel or piece of material and place at the bottom the door to keep out any air drafts.
I try my best to always use my reuseable grocery bags, but sometimes I run in somewhere and forget - then I get those plastic ones. I keep them handy in a jar I have hanging out in the kitchen. They come in great for pet messes, trash can liners, or uses outdoors.
Think about using old suitcases for storage - slide under the bed.
Utilize the space behind doors with hanging racks or the floors of closets or under stairs.
Not everyone has a big house or a basement with lots of storage. Sometimes it takes getting creative to keep a nice pantry storage on hand and organized.
There are so many ways to store our "extras".
My silverware drawer is in an old washstand and it is a double wide drawer. I hate opening and closing it everyday - so I store the excess in it and keep this little cup out with daily items and needs. I put a cut piece of sponge in the bottom, to absorb dampness and keep the bottom of the cup safe. It is sure handy to just have things at my reach.
If you get a lot of snow (lighter stuff) and hate the idea of getting out and shoveling or sweeping it - use a leaf blower. Easy to handle (easier than a snow blower) and moves that light snow lickety-split!
I have gotten to enjoying a TV program about smaller houses around the world. It is called Never Too Small and it is on Earth TV on Thursday evenings. There are 2 - 30 minute shows. It shows various very small dwellings around the world, and how they have been revitalized and refurbished to provide lodging for families with TONS of storage and a simplistic look, being the main priority. A lot of the shows are in Asia and Australia, but there have been some from Europe and the US. Kind of interesting.
I like watching shows about tiny housing - they are just so creative!
Do you have any unconventional way to store things? Let us know. I love getting new ideas to keep life simpler and using what I have.
Give us a shout out. We can all use new ideas!
Have a blessed day and know you all stay in my prayers!
I love the idea of an ice scraper in the house. That would come in handy today. Although I have no place to go, thank goodness (ice storm).
ReplyDeleteI bought a doll just like that at an estate sale this past week, I think it was .50 when all was said and done. It's so cute and holds a bunch of bags.
I have been watching this lady in India remake her relatives kitchens and so forth. It's inspring for sure to watch those shows.
I tell a scraper in the house sure comes in handy! Thankful we are just getting rain.
DeleteNeat - they do hold a ton of bags. And it is cute as well.
I love shows that show remakes and fixing things up. So many good ideas.
Tommy's former boarder left Tupperware cannisters here, but no tops. So, I use those for storing long utensils, one near stove and the other near the microwave. I would prefer something else, but I also prefer not spending a small fortune. So, until something else comes on the radar, I will use them.
ReplyDeleteI do store items in suitcases, tote bags, the clear zipper bags that things like bedspreads come in, tins for storing letters and cookie cutters. Small train cases that are bought from Temu for meds, sewing items. They cost $3 and the ones bought at Walgreens, etc, cost about $20. I store my bags in a bag, because I lost all my homemade bag bags with my house. I used a brightly printed new pencil bag for schoolchildren to store my insulin supplies. I can always find it.
I never get rid of a laptop bag or purse because there is always something that I can store in an old purse and put that purse in a drawer or a shelf or hang on a hanger or hook.
There is a garbage bag hanging in the kitchen where I keep plastic. I store the Kraft Parmesan Cheese cannisters and clear peanut jars. At some point, I do recycle both of these plastics. But, in the Kraft shaker jars I store DE, baking soda for under kitchen sink--not for cooking or near food, dishwasher tabs. In the clear plastic peanut jars there is battery recycling, dental floss recycling, etc. The Parmesan cheese shakers are great for anything you shake. The peanut jars are small enough not to use a lot of room to recycle small things like AA batteries or dental floss containers.
Tommy can find these containers and see at a glance the place he wants to deposit recycling.
I looked up batteries and found a place that would get the batteries from me sitting in the car. He never gets the plastic peanut jar. On the internet Crest will take anything dental to recycle--floss, floss containers, toothbrushes, etc.
Okay, I will quit.
Practical Parsimony
Lots of good ideas there. I keep the tops to peanut butter jars and also the tops to parm. cheese and put them on my mason jars. I prefer glass over plastic - then I take the plastic jars to recycle.
DeleteI have stove utensils next to the stove in a 6" clay pot. Natural and easy to clean.
Thanks for lots of ideas!
Good ideas! I suggested the pool noodles to BIL when he bought his house and pulled out insulation from under it last year. He called Hubs this week. His main water pipe burst. Pool noodles sell for as little as $5 each at Dollar General in the summer. Our son uses one at his outdoor spigot.
ReplyDeleteWhen we bought our house (a manufactured home) it was on order as a lot model for the company, very much like one that was already on the lot, but had sold. We liked the layout and the added feature of extra storage. We have no garage or basement. We do have a large barn shaped shed. Our storage is pretty traditional. Intentionally. A small chest freezer is tucked into a corner alcove of the kitchen. Hubs added shelving to the master bedroom closet and laundry room. We have buffet type cabinets in the living room and "hallway" that hold quite a bit.
About the only thing unusual is my craft area in the guest bedroom, which is really just a marble topped, large vanity dresser that had been in our son's house when he bought it. It has 3 drawers on each side of an opening for a chair. There's an attached mirror against the wall behind that spot. The drawers hold my beading supplies, beads and jewelry to take apart and remake. It looks "bedroom", but functions as a craft space.
Note to those with winter weather... it's not stylish, but keep a broom and/or snow shovel by each door heading outside when snow is predicted. Last year we learned that the hard way when we opened the front door to a foot of snow that had packed against it.
--Elise <---still waiting to hear from the oral surgeon
Yes, I was surprised to learn that a broom was better for light snow than a shovel, so one is hangning within reach of the front door! Also I have a long-handled brush hanging on the front door that I use for the windshield if it's just snow. Nicer than a scraper... but I also have a scraper indoors.. And plenty of Silicone Spray from NAPA store for the car door gaskets.
DeleteMaybe this week it will warm up enough that I can catalog the pantry storage in the back (unheated) bedroom! :)
I also have a "Bag for Bags" of pretty fabric that a friend made for me. :) Great to have someplace to put those things, otherwise they'd swallow up my kitchen, even though at the grocery I use my own cloth bags.
Best wishes for you, Elise, with the oral surgeon. Dental work is so very upsetting.
MaryB
Yes, keep the shovel and broom close at hand. My shovel is right outside the back door and I have a broom by each door. Nice to have them close by.
DeleteI used to have a working chest freezer in the garage and it quit - so it has become extra storage for animal feed and bird seed - keeps mice from getting it!
It seems there is always lots of wasted space over shelves in closets - I have added extra ones up above the regular.
Elise good luck getting scheduled for dental work.
MARY yes those plastic bags can take over - nice to have a place for them. Hope it warms up for you!
DeleteOne week from today will be a busy day: I have a filling scheduled at the dentist on the morning of 30th, and a consult appointment with the oral surgeon in the early afternoon. Having him pull the (most recent) abscessed tooth is the way to go as it will be only $300-500 vs. the cost of a root canal plus $850 for a crown. Dental work isn't only unpleasant, it's EXPENSIVE. Thanks to all for your prayers.
Delete--Elise
P.S. CHERYL... Hubs put shelving *under* the hanging clothes in our walk in MBR closet, which is also an often unused space. Each of the other bedrooms has a regular closet with cubby spaces to the left and right of the door that he'll eventually put shelves in. He put shelving in the laundry room space that was intended for an upright freezer. GOOD idea to use a broken chest freezer for storage!
Elise, at least you have a date and have the ball rolling.
DeleteElise, I sure will be praying. God bless you dear one. ((((hugs))))) ~Amelia
DeleteLots of good ideas! It's good to keep the ice scraper in the house as many times the doors are frozen, making the scraper in the car inaccessible. Kind of like putting your umbrella in the trunk. You're gonna get soaked getting out to get it.
ReplyDeleteI keep lots of glass and plastic jars. Some are used for collecting grease from browning meat or excess liquid. I put a small jam jar in a basket in the kitchen to hold some small items that are used pretty regularly. Have another basket sitting inside an open cabinet to hold the lemon squeezer, hand can opener, pizza cutter and some other things that won't fit into a drawer easily. I am my mother's child so I do emulate her in keeping some things "just in case". There have been many times I'm glad I did.
Rain instead of snow! Yes!
Yes indeed - I have several umbrellas both in the car and house! Nothing like getting stuck without one to use.
DeleteI pretty much keep glass jars and try to recycle the plastic ones. Smart to have those little baskets of goodies handy. I think we learned well from our mammas!
I did up some knitted bags that can be used to store plastic bags and hung them up in various places. Sure does keep those bags under control.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Smart idea. yes, it sure does contain them. It is amazing how many you can get into a container.
DeleteWe no longer have plastic bags in the stores; if one forgets their reusable bags, one has to purchase another or carry all their items in their arms. I did get a few when I was in North Dakota in November and I've used those for cleaning the cat litter box.
ReplyDeleteThe maintenance guy at the condos across the street is currently blowing the snow off the sidewalks with the snow blower right now. :) I can see using it for sidewalks but the driveway is another matter. They have a bobcat for that, I use the shovel. I do use a broom on the deck and steps.
I've heard of using pool noodles for pipes, and recently saw a photo of a pool noodle someone had covered in fabric for a draft dodger/door stop. Our $ store sells them for $2 but don't have any in stock at this time of year. I'm definitely going to purchase one when it is available to use as a door stop for the door between the kitchen and basement. Currently I'm using a dust pan to keep it open!
I guess several places no longer have plastic bags - but that is not the situation any where around me. They are plentiful and used almost exclusively to paper. I do like to take my own bags to the grocery.
DeleteI have a snow blower but haven't used it in years. Just to big and cumbersome - I have a decent size drive and it sure made that easier. Now I just shovel when need be. Haven't had to yet this year.
Pool noodles are good for all kinds of things. They are pretty darn cheap that if for sure. It might be a good idea to get a few for different projects.
I used to get a magazine called Small Room Decorating that was so great for ideas. We lived in a small house in Cali so I was always trying to maximize space. Some worked, some didn't. I used these almost immediately...Turned my hope chest into a coffee table. It stores year around decor, but keeps it close so I don't forget. We moved my husband's inherited highboy into the living room and use it to store kitchen and decorating linens like Easter tablecloths, etc. I shared the idea with several people. My mom thrifted a long dresser that she used in her kitchen as a spare work counter and stored her pots and pans in there. And none of this stuff looks odd at all if you do a little decorating. She covered it with a pretty tablecloth that she could easily lift to get to the drawers.
ReplyDeleteAnd every pencil holder in my house is either a mug or flower pot lol.
love it. It is amazing the things that can be used for something else. Love the hope chest/coffee table idea. I have an old wash stand in my kitchen - it holds silverware and additional knives, baking pans and odd and end gadgets. The microwave sits atop it. Just a neat old piece.
DeleteDressers make great storage and are neat in bathrooms too, for a sink base.
Thanks.
I use a small terra cotta pot with saucer to hold my sponges and brush by my kitchen sink. Around the house I use all those pottery items my kids made in their classes to hold pencils, brushes, soap, etc. I use a plastic utensil holder in the bathroom to hold my cosmetics & brushes in the bathroom. I also use one in my pantry to hold tea and sauce packets from carryout.
ReplyDeleteMy husband redid the brick patio last summer using a product that came in buckets with a lid. He had about 30. I'll be using them for my gardening supplies and to tidy up the garage this spring and maybe plant flowers in them if I have enough.
I'm considering moving an old computer desk to the garage to use as my potting table. But hubs is thinking it should go into a bedroom and actually use it as a computer desk even though we have one in the living room we use all the time.
I have used large glass candle holders to hold wrapped candies.
I use hanging shoe bags to hold my sewing supplies and also to hold my canvas bags (I roll them up) but not shoes! Lol
I took an old upright media cabinet years ago and removed the glass door and painted it. My daughter used it for years as a bookcase/table by her bed. I now use it to hold my gift wrapping supplies.
I turned an old t-shirt into a grocery bag by sewing across the bottom and cutting the armholes and neck for handles.
When I get the notion something needs to be corralled and organized I usually wander the house looking for something to repurpose. And I rarely donate anything until I've thought about its potential use in a new way.
~margaret
Love it. Yes, we can generally roam our houses and find something to use. We are our best own store!
DeleteI laughed at the re-use of t-shirt. I had one of Glen's I did that too downstairs for years. He was a big man - so it was big and held lots of packets and packages of stuff. It hug from a rack that I had down there.
Love all your reuses. I have a terra cotta pot next to the stove for utensils. Love the ideas for the shoe bags.
Smart thinking. Thanks.
OT... not especially terrific grocery sales in AZ this week, but Safeway will have (starting tomorrow) b/s chicken breasts for $1.67 lb., digital coupon, limit 10 lbs.. Plus a 99 cent sale on Signature Select cereals (up to 18.7 oz. boxes), apple juice, canned vegetables, canned tomatoes, Bumblebee tuna, Blue Bonnet stick margarine, McCormic seasonings, Rosarita refried beans, canned chilis, Kraft mac-n-cheese, Rice a Roni, VO5 and Suave shampoo, various yogurt, Michelina's frozen dinners, Signature Select 2 liter sodas, and a few junk food things (like candy).
ReplyDelete--Elise
I have always liked to keep a torch handy, but found that the batteries were always flat whenever I needed the torch, so I bought a couple of wind-up torches. I keep one in my bedside cabinet and decided that the best place to keep the second one was in the kitchen, but it always disappeared into the depths of the drawer. I was about to throw a plastic container away one day when I realised it was the right size and shape to make a holster for the torch. I made a hole in the back, put a screw through it and attached it to the door surround of my understairs cupboard. It keeps the torch close at hand, but doesn't take up any valuable drawer space.
ReplyDeleteVery clever you are! Great idea. I have them all over the house and generally only use one or 2 - so those are the ones that stay charged. I like to keep solar lights outside as well - then if needed, they can be brought in for the evening to give extra light.
DeleteLots of fun clever ideas, Cheryl. I use recycled jars and cans that I've decoratively painted with flowers and such using glass paint and multipurpose acrylics. I have recycled jars with painted flowers in the bathroom that hold cotton swabs, cotton balls, makeup brushes etc. In my craft room, I have tin cans that I painted with roses and forget-me-knots that hold paint brushes. I made some end-of-the-day coiled baskets where scraps of left over fabric are wrapped around clothes line and then sew coiled on the sewing machine that hold all kinds of sewing notions. A recycled cheese box painted with magnolias holds all my thread. I have some antique mason jars that are half gallon size with the zinc lids that hold pasta shells and macaroni. Metal coffee cans get painted and are used to store bulk sugar and packets of spices. A large chipwood basket holds my acrylic paints. Water colors, alcohol markers, water color paper and cardstock are in a repurposed sewing machine cabinet that has shelves built in it to old things. Cookie
ReplyDeleteYou are one crafty chickadee! Love that. I use a small mason jar for Q-tips and a blue quart for cotton balls - but love the idea of painting and reusing other jars. It would brighten things up. I have those gallon ones too - and rice and pasta get stored in them. Oh goodness, you have given so many great examples, now my head is about to explode thinking what I can do!
DeleteThanks.
Wow Cookie that's cool - all those things you do to dress up your storage! I love it!
Delete~margaret
Lots of great ideas today!!! I thought I was the ( self proclaimed) Queen of Storage, but there are some new things here for me to try.
ReplyDeleteI love a bit of outside the box thinking, that’s what really makes a house feel like a home to me.
Stay warm and dry, Louise
Yes it does!!! I have never been one to follow the crowd, so I like all the different ideas. I do what I want with what I have - it is fun and inexpensive to boot! Take care.
DeleteHi Cheryl, Aw...that little lady bag holder is so sweet. I just put a cloth tote bag (or two) on the back of my pantry door and stuff them with plastic bags. I've made those tshirt bags too, as I read above, very easy to make and they don't take up much room, you could throw them in the trunk. We have stores that use plastic bags and paper bags here so that is nice. I like to save wide mouth jars for grated cheese and things like that. I do wish we had basements here but we don't, I have seen a storm cellar that was very, very neat in uso town in a backyard of an old home there.
ReplyDeleteA prayer request and testimony: I received a call from a very sweet hospital caseworker, the Lord again! : ) She said tomorrow my mom needed to be transported to rehab! I was shocked, already?! I had to quickly pick a facility, and we chose one she has not received complaints about, she said it was plain but the people were very nice there, she said many of the fancy looking ones don't have the greatest staff. It's part of a hospital and has all the equipment and machines right there, no driving into the city. What makes things even nicer are two brothers who have a mom who had the exact same thing with their mom who is at the same hospital toured the facility today. I had told the caseworker we wouldn't have time to tour it before tomorrow since we lived a little ways out and she had one of the sons of the other lady call us! They picked the same one and that was very helpful. The caseworker is so very nice and even moving to our area out here.
Anyhoo, please pray friends, we'll be at the hospital in morning and I need to see if one of our girls could be at facility when ambulance gets there. Praying my mom will be cognitively with it tomorrow so when I explain to her what is happening it will stick.
Please pray my mom will do well in the transport, she's been confused and was even hitting the nurses last night I am now hearing. I'm mentally tired. But am also encouraged as to how the Lord is leading.
I was able to take a walk today and that was nice. Vegan tacos for dinner. : ) God bless you, Cheryl. ~Amelia
Glad she is doing well enough to be transferred to rehab. The last rehab Husband was in was in an older building, no frills and a little shabby, but I believe he got good care there, and that is what is important. Good that you got a little time to take care of yourself today. Prayers that all goes well tomorrow for all of you.
DeleteMy mother moved from assisted living to memory care yesterday. My brother is there coordinating everything, and he told me she was so settled in that last night she was walking the halls wearing nothing but her Depends. I have to admit a got a little chuckle out of the mental picture. Today she was lucid enough to ask him about the chocolate she had had in the refrigerator at AL. The silly man had tossed it out LOL! I told him to NEVER toss a woman's chocolate! I guess I've seen enough at Husband's residence to not be surprised at anything. Though he's not in the memory care wing, there are still plenty of residents with varying degrees of dementia.
--Frances
Continued prayers for both of your moms, Amelia and Frances.
DeleteAmelia, it doesn't surprise me at all they're moving her so quickly after surgery. It's very common now. So glad she'll be in a place where she'll get good care! You all just have to get through Wednesday. God will see you through. (((Hug)))
Frances, my mom did the same thing, but at my sister's house when her 14 yr. old grandson was staying with them for a few days. Poor boy cut his visit short! Poor mom hadn't realized she forgot to put pajamas on!!! (((Hug)))
--Elise
AMELIA - that is just amazing to me that she is being moved already. I know things are different now (I don't always agree with them), but geesh that is quick. I am glad you talk to one of the other persons sons. I hope all goes well with the move and the settling in. I agree it is the care - not the shiny bobbles that matter. Maybe she can get a couple of her things there to brighten her room and make it more personal.
DeleteTake care of yourself and prayers to the family.
FRANCES - glad your mom has been moved and settled in. I had a chuckle with that mental picture as well! Oh my goodness, life does change. I am sure your mom would never have done such a thing in years past, but as we age it seems our minds regress. He better get her some chocolate! Men - go figure. No woman would throw away chocolate!!!!
DeleteI hope all is well with you and your hubby.
Amelia, no surprise at all that she's being tranferred. I was transferred the morning of Day 2 following my surgery. Look at it s a good thing. The docs want her PT and OT to start ASAP. I spent 3 1/2 weeks at the rehab having PT and OT twice a day. I had to learn how to walk again. You have a good team. You've got this. Cookie
DeleteNothing really unconventional here, but I do save my grocery bags and use them constantly! I like trying to figure out different uses for things. I'll have to tell hubby about the leaf blower trick just in case we get snow this winter!
ReplyDeleteThere are just so many ways to use grocery bags. They are good for all kinds of things. The snow blower works very well for lighter snow - sure beats shoveling!
DeleteThat is a great idea about the ice scraper. I get on a kick of watching videos about tiny houses on youtube. I am not sure I would want to climb a ladder to get to my bed these days, not could I crawl on my knees to make the bed. But back in younger days I would have been fine.
ReplyDeleteI saw a show, not sure if it was on youtube or actual TV show. I think it was in Japan...They had a smaller sized space, but not like a tiny house. The guy designed it till the walls moved...Slide one one way, and it would be a kitchen...slide the other way and living room. I say 'walls' for lack of a better word. they were at least a foot deep...it was very interesting. I would love to see it again. It has been years...before this Tiny House thing.