Learning to Live on Less!

White_Iris

White_Iris wrote: »

"Operation Kitchen-Deep-Clean"...
1 - finish cleaning oven DONE MONDAY
2 - de-grease and clean tiles DONE MONDAY
3 - clean blinds and window DONE THURSDAY
4 - wash down cupboard doors DONE TUESDAY
5 - clean dishwasher inside and out DONE TUESDAY
6 - clean fridge inside and out DONE WEDNESDAY
7 - touch up paintwork and wash down walls
8 - scrub floor (even under the fridge/freezer/dishwasher!!!) DONE SATURDAY

Well the list if almost complete - I might get the painting done today but it's probably going to roll over to next week. I'm planning a bathroom clean and paint and the bathroom and the kitchen are both white so it makes sense to paint both rooms together. I'm pretty pleased with the kitchen - it looks and feels a lot nicer, even though they were quite small jobs. Just have to keep it clean now.

I've had another good week on eBay, which is needed after the bills I've had recently! Just hope everyone pays up! I'm leaving everything in my PayPal account at the moment, just withdrawing the postage costs. At the end of the month, once I've paid my eBay fees, I hope I'll have at least £75 to cover the washing machine and the holiday deposit. Ideally I'd like another £30 on top of that to top up the savings pots to round numbers - we'll see! In a perfect world I'd also make enough to pay a bit off the hotel we booked for our easter mini-break (£170 currently sitting on the credit card - to be paid off at £50 a month or more) but I don't think I'll do that well!

White_Iris

Operation Bathroom-Deep-Clean

1 - freshen up paintwork
2 - remove mildew from wall tile grout
3 - organise storage for toiletries and toys sitting around edge of bath
4 - replace bath mat, bin and laundry bin as cheaply as possible
5 - flush sink and bath drains (both a bit pongy at the moment)
6 - scrub bath, sink and tiles
7 - clean window & mirrors
8 - fix floor tile grout
9 - do something with tatty sealant around edge of bath
10 - get the pink stuff off the bottom of the shower curtain and give the whole thing a good wash.


Bleugh, makes my bathroom sound really dirty - it's not really that bad...honest!!

White_Iris

"Operation Kitchen-Deep-Clean"...
1 - finish cleaning oven DONE MONDAY
2 - de-grease and clean tiles DONE MONDAY
3 - clean blinds and window DONE THURSDAY
4 - wash down cupboard doors DONE TUESDAY
5 - clean dishwasher inside and out DONE TUESDAY
6 - clean fridge inside and out DONE WEDNESDAY
7 - touch up paintwork and wash down walls DONE SUNDAY*
8 - scrub floor (even under the fridge/freezer/dishwasher!!!) DONE SATURDAY

Woo hoo, finished! Ready to start on the bathroom now!



*Although what the paint touch ups in the kitchen will look like once dry is anyones guess! Although it's the same colour the new clean white often makes the old white look a bit grubby - may end up getting the roller out and doing the lot!!!

flowertotmum

Hello..white iris..i have been reading you for a while now..all i can say is you keep going and you'll get there..you are brilliant..
Wether you know it or not you have inspired a lot of folks..
good luck and keep smiling
ftm

White_Iris

flowertotmum wrote: »

Hello..white iris..i have been reading you for a while now..all i can say is you keep going and you'll get there..you are brilliant..
Wether you know it or not you have inspired a lot of folks..
good luck and keep smiling
ftm

Aww, thank you!

Itsadogslife_2

Hi White Iris,

I think I am going to take a leaf out of your book with the household chores. I look at what needs doing and then decide it is too much and so don't even start. I think the trick is to break it down and do one thing every day

I keep looking at my bedroom wondering whether I can get away with a spruce up or whether if I am going to do a job properly I might as well strip walls and re-paper etc? I keep looking at all the lovely decorated houses on Rightmove yearning.... :rotfl:

White_Iris

Itsadogslife wrote: »

I keep looking at my bedroom wondering whether I can get away with a spruce up or whether if I am going to do a job properly I might as well strip walls and re-paper etc? I keep looking at all the lovely decorated houses on Rightmove yearning.... :rotfl:

We decided to strip the wallpaper off the hall, stairs and landing and re-decorate a few years ago. It was an absolute b!tch of a job but it looked lots better once it was finished (except it's now needing a re-do as it was the first thing we decorated and now looks the grubbiest - maybe next month!).

We're going to swap bedrooms around in a few weeks - currently the twins are in the biggest room at the front but things would work better if they were in the smaller double that we sleep in and we move to the master room. I suspect there'll be some more decorating on the horizon once we do that. We need a new carpet in the back bedroom too but that will have to wait for a while yet.

I know what you mean about other peoples houses - I'm so much more aware of it now we've got our house up for sale. Previously we'd lived in new builds, which didn't have time to need redecorating before we sold at a profit and moved on...now we're in a house that's over 40 years old, not in great shape cosmetically and trying to sell in the middle of a huge housing slump - I'm always checking out the competition on Rightmove!

White_Iris

White_Iris wrote: »

Operation Bathroom-Deep-Clean

1 - freshen up paintwork
2 - remove mildew from wall tile grout
3 - organise storage for toiletries and toys sitting around edge of bath ordered from eBay at a cost of just over £10
4 - replace bath mat, bin and laundry bin as cheaply as possible
5 - flush sink and bath drains (both a bit pongy at the moment) DONE MONDAY
6 - scrub bath, sink and tiles
7 - clean window & mirrors
8 - fix floor tile grout
9 - do something with tatty sealant around edge of bath
10 - get the pink stuff off the bottom of the shower curtain and give the whole thing a good wash. currently soaking in a bucked of bleach-y water

Some good progress today - next challenge is to get the soggy and potentially bleach-y shower curtains from the bathroom, down the stairs and in to the washing machine without leaving a trail of bleach water everywhere :eek:

flowertotmum

Morning..have you thought of washing your shower curtains in the bath..i do this on a regular basis..i fill the bath with warm water and a cup of wash powder..and just let the curtains soak for hours all day actually...i then pull the plug and rinse them off with the shower and bingo..nice clean curtains and a lovely clean bath..much easier than dragging them up and down stairs..
ftm

White_Iris

flowertotmum wrote: »

Morning..have you thought of washing your shower curtains in the bath..i do this on a regular basis..i fill the bath with warm water and a cup of wash powder..and just let the curtains soak for hours all day actually...i then pull the plug and rinse them off with the shower and bingo..nice clean curtains and a lovely clean bath..much easier than dragging them up and down stairs..
ftm

Yes, that probably would have been more sensible :rotfl:. I did manage to get them to the washing machine without too much mess but next time I'll deinately do them in the bath! They were quite icky at the bottom and I think giving them a spin through the washing machine got them cleaner than I would have been able to by hand washing (they've come up like new!) but I plan on washing them every month from now on so hopefully they won't get in to such a state again.

Part of the problem with our bathroom is that it has no extractor fan and the only ventilation comes from the narrow top window (the big bit doesn't open). Even pushing the top bit open as far as I can, it doesn't do much to de-humidfy the room and so everything gets mildewy faster than normal (especially at this time of year, when it's too cold to leave the window open for long)...oh I can't wait to move house .