Tips and Quick Questions on “How To Start Being Old Style”

Bitsy_Beans

When I meal plan and budget, I do fine til I write my list and add in all the toiletries/cleaning products that we need. These are what puts me over budget every week. I have bought star drops before, and have heard about using vinegar/bicarb but don't know exactly how to use them. Do I dilute them? If so, how much?
I only buy basics bleach and stardrops for most of my cleaning. I have bicarb that I can add to hot water if I want to clean something like my venetian blinds etc. I just add a mix of water and vinegar (about one third vinegar) and keep in a spray bottle. Use it on windows and glass etc for cleaning and buff up with newspaper
I also use value loo roll I am not too fussed about the quality and even if I bought two 12 packs and used them in one week it's still cheaper than buying the dearer stuff!!!
I don't think I can make any savings on toiletries, I have v sensitive skin and dd has eczema which rules out a lot of smartprice products (I have tried almost all of them :rolleyes:) so for dd I use Halos n Horns range, for me I usually try get the few brands that don't dry my skin out when they are on offer and stock up. I can only use medicated shampoo, but I do buy shops own brand in this.
Check out Health, Beauty and Fashion board. I use olive oil and castor oil mix (both cheap, especially castor oil) as a deep cleanser on my face. You can vary the quantities so that you get a mix that suits your skin. Check out http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ and there is a thread on the HB&F too. If you're stuck just post for advice.
Can your DD use Acqueous cream? Its cheap as chips from Boots although I am not sure if you can use it on the face. Since your DD has eczema can you not have some Double Base cream or Oilatum on prescription??

The other thing I wanted to ask was about adding lentils/oats to mince to bulk out. How do I do this? I am not a great cook, while I can cook the things I already know how to cook, I have no idea where to start with new things! I need things explained to me in laymans terms, I still don't fully understand how to "blanch" something :rolleyes:. I have lots of orange lentils in a storage container, but no wrapper so can't even read instructions on that :huh: If I am making spag bol for instance, do I need to boil the lentils then add them to the pan of mince, or can I just pour them straight into the frying pan with the mince?

OK lentils. I use these to bulk out casseroles etc in my SC and for cottage pies etc. I tend to use green lentils but that's because they hold their shape more. I always part boil mine before adding to SC as they never seem fully cooked to me if I bung them in raw

What about oats? How do they stretch mince out? I tried buying value mince as I couldn't figure out how to bulk it out, but I honestly could not eat it, there were huge bits of gristle all through it, I have a hard enough time getting dd to eat without this putting her off

Not used oats and not sure I could bring myself to use them
I never buy cheap mince - it's rank and a waste of money. I'd rather buy more expensive and eat less of it. I bulk buy my meat from Costco and it tends to be cheaper per KG than supermarket and much better quality (ie not pumped full of water or fat or gristle yuk!). Perhaps try your local butcher rather than the supermarket? Their produce is likely to be better quality than the supermarket.


HTH

jackieb

If you're on the computer too much (like me!), time yourself. Do 15 minutes of housework, then reward yourself with 15 minutes of computer time. If you're watching TV of an evening, do something in the ad breaks. It's surprising how much you can get done in 2-3 minutes. These are really teensy baby steps but they do help.

If the dark nights are a problem, I have daylight saving bulbs. They're cheaper than a SAD light and 2 of them are supposedly equivelant to a SAD lamp. I have 2 in the kitchen and my husband practically lives in there. We all love them - they give off a white light unlike the yellow that they normally do.

http://www.ecogreenstore.co.uk/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=biobulb&gclid=CKz2hfGTgp0CFUxs4wodUC9_bQ

I agree that a calender is a must. I also have a small diary that I carry with me everywhere.

You may be a perfectionist believe it or not. You may find that if you can't do a 'proper' job of something then you won't do it at all. That's why Flylady says that things don't have to be perfect.

Good luck. xx

Olliebeak

northwest1965 wrote: »

squuezymeplease - Have you tried Turkey mince? I tend to use that for chillis and spag bol. Its a lot cheaper than a good beef mince. Personally I dont like the cheap mince because of the fat and gristle.

I never use a spray polish, have you tried using microfibre cloths instead, great for dusting.

Seconding the turkey mince - great stuff .

debtmuncher

cleaning windows...put a few drops of washing up liquid in a bucket/basin of warm water and clean using that.

instead of furniture polish use a few drops of fabric conditioner in a bucket/basin of warm water and damp clean your furniture etc using this.

i wouldnt buy cheap mince either. used to buy tescos mince but went off that because it smells rank. the local shop has top quality mince and i dont mind cooking it (i dont eat meat) and it goes down well with the kiddies much better than the tescos stuff.

Butterfly_Brain

Bless you - it sounds like you are a bit depressed too.
If your OH is not working get him to help you with the daily chores - I like many others find the daily grind a pain sometimes , but when I have help it really does buck me up.
Make lists of what you want to achieve and try and cross off at least one a day then move on to two a day and so on. It is surprising how motivating this can be.
As for finances if they are really bad go to your local CAB they are really helpful and could point you to benifits that you didn't know you can claim for.
I hope things work out for you my DH was made redundant last year but he got a job even though it is low paid - with benefits we are coping well.

mummysaver

My style of organisation probably isn't anybody else's, but it works for me! I hate hate hate housework with a passion, so I try to do it as fast as poss, I know that every day the hoovering needs doing, the sitting room needs tidying and the kitchen and bathrooms need a swish and a swipe. Me and the kids share these jobs, not quite equally, but they do help - anyway, I try and get my tidying and hoovering done first thing after they've all gone to school, before I start on anything else. For you this might mean doing it before you go to work if there's time, or as soon as you come in whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. Essentially it means that the jobs get done before I've really noticed I'm doing them iyswim!

Something else I picked up from reading the OS board and flylady is little tasks, such as wiping the kitchen cupboards down whilst doing something else, in my case the 2 mins waiting for my porridge to go ping in the microwave. My cupboard doors used to be full of odd drips and marks, now they are always clean - a tiny thing in the grand scheme of life, but the dirty marks used to really irk me! Now I've added in giving the windowsill and surfaces a wipe each time I wash up, the cloth is already wet and soapy so it's not much more effort, it's just getting into the routine of it.

Mealplanning is probably the biggest thing for moneysaving for me and for saving time. Each week I look at what I have in stock and try to meal plan around it, adding the missing items to my list, together with all the usual stuff like loorolls etc. I usually set off with my list plus an open mind, meaning that if something is on special offer or heavily reduced I'll buy it, but with the proviso that I can swap a meal that week or freeze it for use the following week. Some people plan specific meals, whilst others just have a vague idea, sometimes I will plan right down to the veg we are eating, other times I might just write down mince, and then cook something from it depending on how I feel that day, it really is a question of finding what works for you.

Lists and a calendar are total lifesavers for me, I am naturally one of life's disorganised people, but my dodopad is fantastic. There is space for each of us to write in what we are doing (children are all aware that if they don't write something down then they can't rely on me to take them or collect them, even my relatively new oh has started looking before he tried to commit us to stuff!) There is also a blank sheet where I write that week's mealplan (or whoever is doing that week writes it, kids like to do them as well!), plus a list of things I have to do, send cards, find paint, pay bills, and things I want to do, repaint ds's ceiling, sort out a cupboard, move wine rack. Each gets ticked off as I do it, but it does mean that I get a nudge each time I read it! Sometimes I just stick on things like walk the dog so that I'll have something I can always cross off, hey it makes me feel better lol!

Basically it is a question of finding what works for you. The 15 min rule is great though, spend just 15 mins doing something that has to be done, whether it's hoovering or paying some bills then make yourself a cuppa or read a book or whatever. Nothing ever seems quite so bad if you know your won't have to spend more than a small amount of time doing it.

Flylady thread is great, even if you just cherry pick some of the ideas, it gives you an idea of how other people get organised. Also the OS daily thread is great for an insight into how others spend their time and what they achieve each day - I find it's always good for a nudge into remembering that I need to finish my mealplan, stick the washing machine on or whatever!

Good luck and get your pen and paper ready for your list making!

Bargainloverbec

I'll add my support to the 15 minute principle as well! When you really don't feel like doing anything I tell myself 'just 15 minutes' then I can have a sit down and it's amazing how much you can get done.

The other thing I do is 'lazy cleaning' - I can't remember the last time I actually got a duster out to go and dust the house, as I do it as I go along with random items. So when I'm carrying the laundry downstairs I'll take a dirty Tshirt out of the basket and between the bathroom and the kitchen I'll quickly use it to dust whatever I pass on the way. When I go to throw a towel in the laundry that will get used first to wipe the sink/mirror/bath etc. Also the kitchen T towel will be used to wipe up the counter or sink before going in the WM.

My DH has a habit of taking his socks off in the lounge then leaving them there so... you've guessed it... the lounge is nearly always dusted with socks that then go straight in the WM. It might sound a bit grim but it just keeps on top of everything!! Even the loo gets cleaned in this way as if I'm throwing away a tissue whilst I've got it in my hand a quick squirt of cleaner and a wipe will keep it clean on a daily basis. Cotton wool around the taps after cleansing and toning at night also works.

Also if you pick up bits of fluff etc. off the carpet as you go along you'll find that you don't need to vacuum so often - as I go around the house I'll pick up anything that I spot and put it in the bin - I like to think that all the bobbing up and down keeps me fit too!

With regards to getting DH to help, I find he responds much better to specific requests like 'please can you vacuum the lounge' rather than general 'please help' - he needs to be given small, finite jobs to do! I try to thank him lots for what he does do and not complain if he doesn't do something and I've found that he is now doing more and more because he gets cuddles not nags (although it does depend on time of the month how successful I am at not nagging!).

I hope you find some of these ideas useful but as others have said just do one small thing at a time and you will gradually make inroads - and there is loads of support on the OS forum when it starts to feel a bit much.

Good luck! R x

xx_Jo_xx

Hi All

I just thought it was worth mentioning that the Flylady thread on here isnt as overwhelming as you might think.

The Flyday site I personally found to be pretty OTT - but the flylady thread on here is much more laid back and relaxed.

Someone made the comment that they would never get that much done in one day, but thats the beauty of it.....you dont have to!

The days are split into 3 levels.....

When you first start, you aim to do Level One each day. As the weeks go on, you find yourself getting into the hang of things a bit quicker, because youve been keeping onto of one or two things, those take less time to clean as they had before.

Cleaning down the fronts of your kitchen units and appliances is a perfect example, depending on the size of your kitchen, the first time you do it, could take you 20 mins to give them a good clean......but the next week, they dont need to be scubbed, just a quick wipe over, leaving you more time to clean something else - and so on and so forth.

Once youve been doing it for a long time, you can get round to the whole list in a day, without running yourself into the ground and exhausting yourself.

But even if you dont, so what!!! Youve done some cleaning, you quickly notice the difference in your house and it does make you feel better about what you have achieved

HTH.

xxx

marmalize

oh god..only on here can i admit to my 'demon' that haunts my waking (and sleeping) hours...
at work i am a whizz...everything is perfectly timed and organized..nothing gets missed or left or 'passed on'.....however at home i just can't seem to get to grips with the house stuff...my main problem being <whispers> cupboards...ugh..i shudder at the thought of them(and i have lots) all full of ....well...crap...i just can not seem to sort them out..i think the 'crap' just grows when i am not looking...help

ChocClare

marmalize wrote: »

oh god..only on here can i admit to my 'demon' that haunts my waking (and sleeping) hours...
at work i am a whizz...everything is perfectly timed and organized..nothing gets missed or left or 'passed on'.....however at home i just can't seem to get to grips with the house stuff...my main problem being <whispers> cupboards...ugh..i shudder at the thought of them(and i have lots) all full of ....well...crap...i just can not seem to sort them out..i think the 'crap' just grows when i am not looking...help

You are not alone, marmalize! I do find the 15 minute rule works really well with cupboards. Get a bin(bag), a laundry basket and a carrier bag. Set the timer for 10 minutes. Take stuff out of the cupboard and IMMEDIATELY decide (this is the hard bit, LOL!) what you're going to do with it. Your choices are a) chuck (put in binbag); b) take to charity shop (put in carrier bag); c) move to somewhere else in the house (put in laundry basket); or d) put back in the cupboard BECAUSE YOU WANT TO KEEP IT NOT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T THINK WHAT TO DO WITH IT :rotfl:.
When your timer goes off, reset it for 5 minutes: chuck the binbag; put the carrier bag in your car ready for next time you go to the charity shop; whizz round the house putting the things which came from elsewhere at least in the ROOM in which they are supposed to live and put everything else back in the cupboard.

And you're done.

You won't clear out the whole cupboard this way probably, but you will be amazed at what you do achieve. And you can do it again another time: where's the rush?