80 of the Best Tips for Working Moms
December 18, 2013Whether you are a new mom just heading back to the work force or a mom that has been back for years, you probably have found that it’s difficult to balance your work and home life. Finding ways to fit in all the things you have to do while still being able to enjoy all the things you want to do isn’t easy. However, there are ways you can reduce the time you spend tackling things on your to-do list. With the help of these 80 blogs you’ll find you have more time during the evenings, you’re better dressed during the day and you and your family are happy and healthy.
Meal Preparation
After a long day at work the last thing you probably want to do is stand over a hot stove and fix dinner, especially on the nights that one or more people in the house have evening activities to attend. While ordering a pizza or swinging through the drive-thru may seem like the most efficient way to get everyone fed, you can actually save both time and money by fixing up a quick meal at home. These 10 blogs are stocked full of ideas for quick, easy, healthy dinners that you can get on the table in no time on even the craziest of nights.
- My Best Tips for Power Meal Cooking Sessions & Freezer Meal Preparation Getting dinner on the table after a long day at the office can be difficult, but you can save time in the evenings by making meals ahead of time.
- Real Food Survival Guide for Working Moms Plan out your meals ahead of time to take the guesswork out of dinners, and stick to meals that don’t require a lot of prep work or cooking.
- How to Make Meal Prep Easy with Your Crock Pot Instead of standing over the stove to brown meat or make rice let your crock pot do the work for you.
- Meal Planning + Sunday Prep Try and save time wherever you can; some easy ways to do this are to pre-plan your meals and to chop veggies ahead of time.
- Organizing a Lunch Station for Easy Meal Preparation Don’t waste time running around the kitchen looking for things when you are packing lunches; instead, have everything in one spot to save time and reduce stress.
- Quick, Easy Family Meals and Tips to Help You Survive “The Witching Hour” Cook ahead as much as possible and enlist the help of your kids while you are preparing dinner.
- How to Extend Slow Cooking or Crocking Time {Freezer Crock Pot Meals} By adding frozen, pre-prepped meals to your crock pot you can extend the cooking time by up to two hours.
- Fix and Forget (Crock Pot) Meals Read these tips on how to make your crock pot work for you.
- Time-Saving Tips for Cooking from Scratch Setting timers allows you to walk away from the meal you’re cooking and get other things done.
- Sunday Night Prep to Eat Clean All Week Try to incorporate little time-saving tricks, like washing all of your fruits and veggies when you get home from the grocery store before putting them away.
Choosing Childcare
Deciding who is going to take care of your child is not something you should take lightly. After all, whoever you decide on will be spending eight to 10 hours a day with your child. Before making a decision, consider your unique family situation and what kind of childcare would work best for you. If you want your child to spend his days with kids his age, daycare might be the best option. However, if you want your child to have one-on-one attention throughout the day, you might consider hiring a nanny. Take a look at these 10 blogs for tips on what to look for as you investigate different childcare options.
- Choosing the Right Child Care: Tips for Working Mothers You should always find out what the child to employee ratio is for each class before settling on a daycare.
- Why Select an NAEYC Preschool? The NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) is an organization that sets high standards for child education, and this post explains why one of their preschools might be right for you.
- Nanny Background Checks If you are thinking about hiring a nanny, it’s important to be knowledgeable in what questions you can ask and how to evaluate if a nanny is right for your family.
- Ten Must ask Questions During a Caregiver/Nanny Interview Take a look at these questions before you get started interviewing potential caregivers.
- Three Tips for Finding a Good Daycare Center Read through these tips as you begin to look at different daycare facilities.
- 12 Tips for Choosing the Right At Home Daycare If you are thinking about having your child taken care of in a home, you’ll want to keep these in-home daycare tips in mind.
- Why Choose an Accredited Preschool Program? Look over this list of what you should see when you visit an accredited preschool facility.
- How to Choose a Day-Care Center for Your Child Make sure that you are allowed to look around the facility and that the staff is well-trained before you make a daycare decision.
- How to Choose Good- Quality Child Care Before you start your search for a daycare read this article explaining what you should be asking and looking for in the different facilities you tour.
- Steps People Should Take When Selecting a Child Care Center If you are just starting the process of finding a childcare center, this blog post is a must read.
Self-Care
When it comes to priorities, moms often find that their own hover somewhere near the bottom of the list. However, while you’re busy taking care of everyone else, who’s taking care of you? It’s important to exercise some self-care as you go through your days, and these 10 blogs can help you find the time to take care of yourself. You’ll find that once you start making time for you, you’re able to better take care of everyone else.
- 3 Stress-Less Tips for Working Moms Take help wherever you can get it and try to schedule a time into your routine that allows you to be present with your kids.
- Top 5 Stress Relieving Tips for Working Moms Begin the day by meditating or praying to achieve the right frame of mind to start your day.
- 5 De-stress Yoga Tips for Moms Learn these five tips and you may be able to reduce some of the stress that you suffer from as a working mom.
- Self-Care Tips for Working Moms Keep in mind that it’s important to enjoy your life, not just get through it. These tips will help you enjoy life more.
- Finding Me Time Through We Time Reconnect with a hobby that you loved before you had kids and try to carve out at least a little time each week to do it.
- It’s Time for You to Get Off the Back Burners, Mama’s! Instead of constantly putting your own needs behind everyone else’s, move yourself up on your to-do list.
- Dealing with Working Mom Guilt Learning to say “no” to some things will make it easier to say “yes” to the things that make you happy as a mom.
- Working Moms Wisdom: Improving Self-Care & Self-Love The life coach on this blog radio show gives working moms tons of self-care tips.
- The Extreme Overwhelm: Stress Reducers and Productivity Tips for Working Moms Read these tips and solutions from bloggers regarding challenges that working moms face every day.
- Working Moms Workout This blogger knows what it means to be a busy working mom, and shares her tips for fitting in time to work out.
Breastfeeding Tips
Choosing to continue breastfeeding once you go back to work is something that is both admirable and difficult to accomplish. Before you go on maternity leave, talk to your Human Resources department to find out the logistics of pumping at work. You’ll want to plan ahead in the weeks prior to going back to work by shifting the baby’s feeding schedule to one that will match the times you are able to pump. For more tips on breastfeeding after going back to work, read these 10 blogs.
- Breastfeeding Working Moms Tips and Tricks Get all of your breast pump parts washed and packed up the night before so that you are not running around the next morning looking for a part.
- Breastfeeding Tips and Tricks for Working Moms Make sure that you get enough sleep so that your milk supply stays strong.
- Breastfeeding Tips for the Working Mom Get into a habit of pumping at work every two to three hours so that your body keeps producing milk.
- Tips and Tricks for a Breastfeeding Mom Going Back to Work Freeze some breast milk before you head back to work and then continue to pump and store your milk at the same times you would feed your baby at home.
- Been There, Pumped There, Pumping Moms’ Tips on Returning to Work Get a hands-free pumping bra to make pumping at work easier.
- How to Pump Breast Milk at Work Watch this video to learn what items will making pumping at work simpler.
- Working Mothers Can Breastfeed Talk to your boss and find out if there’s a place that you can go and pump your breast milk while you are at work.
- Back to Work: Tips for Breastfeeding Mothers You might want to find childcare near your work so that you can breastfeed your child during the work day.
- Tips for the Breastfeeding/ Working Mom Purchase a reliable double breast pump that is electric to save time pumping at work.
- Tips for the Working and Breastfeeding Mom Make sure that you introduce a bottle to your baby before you head back to work.
Versatile Wardrobe
You’ll likely notice that your body has gone through some changes after giving birth. Even after you’ve lost the baby weight, it’s unlikely that your body will go back to being exactly the same as it was pre-baby. To compensate for this, you may find you need a new wardrobe. For ideas on how to put together a kid-friendly wardrobe, check out these 10 blog posts.
- Stylish Tips for the Working Mom Choosing shoes that are both stylish and comfortable make it easy to transition from working professional to mom.
- 5 Easy Self-Care Tips for Busy Moms By putting outfits together on a single hanger down to the scarf or necklace you can look put- together without spending a lot of time choosing clothes and accessories in the mornings.
- Wardrobe Savings Tips for Working Moms with Style Skip following the latest trends and instead focus on classic staples for your work wardrobe.
- Mom Tips: 8 Ideas for a Working-Mom Wardrobe One way to save money is to look for stylish shoes online.
- Wardrobe Oxygen: Style Tips for New Moms Solid colors don’t fade as quickly as patterns do, making solids a staple for your wardrobe.
- Fashion Tips for the Working Moms Try to work with separates so that you can mix and match your wardrobe. Keep your look simple to save time.
- Tips for Building a Work Wardrobe Start by buying the basics and then add to those for outfits you can mix and match.
- 7 Tips for Building a Stylish Nursing Wardrobe Wrap dresses and button down shirts are a breastfeeding mom’s best friend.
- 8 Tips to Create a Wardrobe for New Moms If you find that you need to build a new wardrobe, use this post for helpful tips and tricks.
- 13 Wardrobe Essentials Every Mother Can’t Do Without Choosing these basics will help you mix and match your wardrobe with ease.
Travel Tips
Not every working mom has to travel for work, but many do from time to time. Being separated from your child for even a few days can be emotionally stressful for you and your child. There are ways to prepare both you and your child for a trip, though, even if you are still breastfeeding. If your kids are older, involve them in the planning and packing for the trip. Plan something fun for them to do while you’re away. These 10 blogs will share more tips on how to travel for work while the kids stay home.
- No-Tear Tips for Working Moms that Travel Leave notes or cards around the house for your kids to find while you are away.
- Working Moms—Make the Most of Your Time Apart Try to continue doing little things while you are away, like reading a bedtime story over the phone or singing a lullaby.
- Working Moms: Tear-Free Work Travel While you are gone, routines will inevitably change, but try to have the caregiver keep as many things the same while you’re gone as possible to reduce disruption.
- Seven Tips for Working Mothers Who Travel Skype with your child while you are away so that you can let him know you are okay.
- TSA Guidelines and Air Travel Tips for Pumping Moms Read what the latest regulations are in regards to bringing along bottles and a pump in your carry-on.
- 10 Easy, No-Tears Tips for Working Moms Who Travel Creating a ritual that the kids can do while you’re gone can help lessen the stress of you leaving.
- Tips for Working Moms Who Travel Be sure to talk about where you are going and what you will be doing while you are away to help the kids feel more comfortable in your absence.
- Three Tips for Traveling Business Moms Make sure that you are organized before you leave and that you plan something fun for the kids to do while you are away.
- Unaccompanied Mommies: Traveling without Baby While Nursing If you have to travel while you are breastfeeding you’ll want to make sure that you keep your milk production up.
- The Working Mom’s Guide to Business Travel: 10 Tips and Tricks to Keep You and Your Family Sane While You’re Away Plan ahead by making dinner that can easily be reheated before you leave town.
Organization
Being organized can help you streamline your life, whether you are a working mom or not. However, for working moms, organization can help you get everything done and reduce the stress on everyone. Utilize the many apps that are available for your smart phone to help keep track of appointments and other commitments. Do as much preparation as you can the night before to reduce morning stress. Find these and other organizational ideas for working moms in the following 10 blogs.
- Taming the Transition Times Help your children adjust to transitions in their day by developing a routine with them that will reduce drama for you both.
- Going Back to Work? 5 Tips to Make the Working Mom Thing Easier Look at the schedule for the week ahead of time and plan out the meals you will have on certain nights.
- Getting the Whole Family Organized Put everyone’s schedule down on one calendar that everyone in the family can see so that activities aren’t missed.
- Organizational Tips for New Working Moms Pack a diaper bag the night before so it’s ready when you need to run out the door in the morning.
- 20+ Secrets of (Somewhat-Organized) Working Moms Don’t sweat the small stuff; spending time with your child is more important than folding laundry.
- Life Hack: 10 Organizational Apps That Will Boost Every Mom’s Life 2Do is an app that will help with your task list.
- Organization Tips for the New Working Mom When you walk in the door avoid just dropping everything into a pile. Instead, spend a few extra minutes putting everything in its rightful place.
- Simple Tips for Working Moms to Get Organized Working from home can be every bit as challenging as working in a corporate office. Take these tips to heart when organizing your home office.
- Morning Tips for Working Moms Do as much as you can the night before to get ready for the next day.
- Organizational Tips for Moms that Work Outside the Home Do not open your e-mail throughout the day. Instead, have a set time that you check it.
Housework
Face it; most people don’t relish the idea of doing housework. It’s one of those necessary evils of life. The trick is to make it as painless as possible for all involved. Find ways to save time and still get everything done by reading through the tips on these 10 blogs.
- Working Mom Survival Tips By doing a little housework each day you can get it all done by the end of the week.
- Managing Housework When You Work from Home Set a timer and clean for a certain amount of time and then be done.
- Working Mother or Domestic Goddess: Can You be Both? Delegate tasks to family members so that everyone can contribute to keeping the house clean.
- Working Mom Friday Tip: Clean When You Can! Wake up early and clean before everyone else gets up so that you don’t lose any family time.
- 5 Tips to Juggle Child Care, Housework and Your Career Get into a routine so that everyone can be on the same page.
- Time Management for Working Moms Learn how to prioritize your tasks so that you know what has to be done and what you can let slide.
- A Few Tips for Making Housework Quicker and Easier Declutter your house so that picking up is simpler.
- Time Management Tips for Working Moms Plan out your time so that you can do a little laundry every day to free up hours on the weekend for other things.
- Does Housework Expand to Fill the Time Available? Allow yourself short pockets of time to do housework and you will get as much done as if you had allocated more time.
- Tips for Working Moms This blog post encourages moms to plan and then prepare ahead to get more done with less stress.
Dividing and Conquering: How to Delegate Household Chores
December 15, 2013If cleaning the windows, washing the laundry and scrubbing the floors are getting in the way of your family bonding time, there’s no need to worry. It is possible to get your home whipped into shape while spending quality time with your children. Household responsibilities should not be isolated to mom, dad or the nanny. Instead, get your children involved to promote responsibility and development, says Shannon Battle, a licensed therapist and CEO for Family Services of America in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
“When you have children in the house, a mother or father should not have to be overwhelmed with minor chores,” says Battle. “Kids can learn to pick up behind themselves.”
With a joint effort and cooperation from the kids, the nanny and both parents, your family will be all smiles and your home will be sparkling clean.
Create Incentives
In order to obtain a clean home and a happy household, consider motivating family members with chore charts. Age-appropriate charts with stickers, privileges or points for allowance can help show your children that they must earn rewards by chipping in and helping out when needed.
Designate a portion of the chart for daily tasks, such as feeding pets, making beds and keeping rooms picked up. The primary portion of the chart should include minor tasks that need to be completed on a regular basis, such as taking out the trash, dusting the furniture and washing laundry.
Battle says she uses star charts for her younger children, and the stars they receive can accumulate to earn allowances. If they complete extra tasks, they have the ability to earn additional allowance.
“On top of having an allowance, they are required to put money into a savings account in which I manage for them,” she says. “The savings incentive is that by the end of the year, the child that saved the most money, mom and dad will double that money to promote financial wisdom for my six, nine and 10-year old.”
Stray from Gender Specific Roles
Many times stereotypes influence a resistance to household chores. If you have subscribed to the belief that men take out the trash and women cook the meals, you could be turning your family off to the idea of keeping the home and family intact.
“As the wife and mother of five children, I used to believe that chores were assigned gender specific roles relative to physical demands,” says Battle. “In this day and age, it’s no longer realistic.”
Instead of assigning and delegating duties based on gender, Battle recommends discussing how all members of the family are capable of doing the most chores. “Whoever sees that something needs to be done and if they have the capability of doing it, then that should be their responsibility,” says Battle.
Ask for Preferences
No one likes being told what to do, especially adolescents who are trying to establish their own identity and freedom. Instead of taking an authoritative approach when delegating household chores, ask for preferences from everyone in the home. Providing choices is key, says Yaelle Shaphir, mother of three and licensed acupuncturist in Los Angeles, Calif.
“It is not a question of are you going to help out or not, but rather how,” she says. When it’s time for chores, use phrases, such as “do you want to dust the furniture or sort the clutter under your bed?”
When children are given a choice, they feel more invested in both the activity and the outcome. In other words, they feel more in control and may put forth more effort to complete the chores.
Make it Fun
“What is most important is the attitude in which the parent introduces the concept of a shared household,” says Shaphir. “Make it fun and it will get done.”
Try energizing cleaning day with these activities:
- Shake It: Turn on dance music to motivate everyone to shake their groove thing while folding laundry or dusting the furniture.
- Squirt and Spray: Toddlers will feel empowered and overjoyed to be responsible for their very own spray bottle. Add a little water and vinegar to a bottle and allow your child to spray down counter tops and then wipe it away on his own.
- Race to Clean: If your children are dreading cleaning tasks, make it a game. Set the timer and see who can clean up their room the fastest or rake the leaves in the yard.
Even if you don’t have a magic wand or a full-time house cleaner on the job, there are still ample ways to enroll all the members of the household – no matter what age – to participate in weekly household duties. Make it fun, provide choices and get your home in tip-top shape.
Posted in Housekeeping | Comments Off70 Tips for Getting Your Home Organized before the Holidays
December 3, 2013There’s nothing like hosting a holiday get together to get you motivated to clean and organize your home. For some people, this will mean hiring a sitter so they can get the cleaning and organizing done. With your children in the hands of a capable caregiver, you can turn your focus onto getting holiday ready. For 70 great tips on getting your home organized for the holidays, whether you need an additional helping hand or not, read on.
Cleaning Checklist for Parties
Cleaning for parties is a little different than typical daily surface cleaning. To get your home squeaky clean and festive, you’ll need to start cleaning about a week before the party. Try to do a little deep cleaning every day to avoid getting overwhelmed. You’ll also want to use checklists to keep track of what you’ve done and what you still need to do. Check out these 10 blogs to get some cleaning ideas and downloadable checklists.
- Easy Cleaning and Home Organizing Tips Organizing and updating your laundry room can turn a once-boring chore into a much more pleasant task.
- How to Speed Clean Your Home for the Holidays Follow this checklist for cleaning and organizing your home for the holidays to make this season a little less stressful.
- Cleaning for the Holidays Start cleaning and organizing several days before your party.
- To Do: Your Holiday Organizing Checklist Get the fireplace cleaned and the chimney swept before you invite people over.
- Countdown to Clean Series: Annual Routines {With Free Printable Checklist} You’ll find cleaning tips and checklists on this post.
- Holiday Cleaning and Organizing Plans There are different cleaning and organizational lists you can pick from on this blog.
- 7 Days of Holiday Cleaning Follow these tips to break your house cleaning into manageable, bite-size pieces so that you aren’t exhausted by the time the holiday arrives.
- Christmas Checklist: Clean House for the Holidays Follow this list to clean your house one room at a time to stay methodical throughout the process.
- How to Clean Your Home for Holiday Guests This checklist will help you manage your time by listing out the things you should in the days leading up to your party.
- Christmas Countdown: Six Weeks to an Organized Christmas! You can sign up for this free organizing plan to learn what you need to do as the holidays approach to get ready and stay sane.
Getting Junk Mail and Paperwork under Control
What do you see when you look at the surfaces in your home? If the answer is stacks of paper, you’re not alone. You are in luck though, because eliminating paper clutter is relatively simple to do. Start by going through each stack of paper in your home and sort it into piles. If it’s junk mail, throw it out. Now, decide which school papers you want to save and which need to go. Store the ones that you are saving in a designated box for each child. Once you do that you should be seeing a light at the end of the paper clutter tunnel. Go on to file the rest into appropriate files. These 10 blogs will help you determine how to file, what you need to hang on to and what needs to be shredded.
- 10 Tips for Getting on Top of Your Paperwork Implement these steps to clean up your paperwork and stay ahead of junk mail.
- 9 Decluttering Secrets from Professional Organizers Create a paperwork filing system that you store on a wheeled cart so that you can move it around wherever you need it.
- Declutter Your Mail & Paperwork in 30 Minutes a Week Read more about how to handle mail as it comes into the house to make sure it doesn’t become clutter.
- A Fast and Easy Guide to Organizing Paperwork Learn how to break down the organizing process into manageable chunks.
- Declutter Your Life—Organizing Paperwork Follow these daily steps to get your office and paperwork organized in less than a week.
- What Papers Can You Get Rid Of? With the tips in this blog post you can learn how to limit the useless paper that comes into your home and organize the paper you need.
- 8 Easy Steps to Organize Your Financial Paperwork and Declutter Your Life Learn which papers you need to keep and which ones you can shred.
- How to Organize All Your Paperwork Create a system to file your paperwork and then get into a routine of filing your paperwork every week or month.
- Declutter Your Paperwork—How to Get and Stay Organized Make sure you have the proper tools to organize the papers you need to keep, then go through the stacks to get rid of what you don’t need.
- 7 Simple Ways to Organize Paperwork at Home… Don’t wait to get rid of the paper that comes into your house; instead, decide what to do with the mail the minute you bring it home.
Organize Your DIY Projects
Do enjoy the occasional DIY project? The holidays tend to bring out the crafty, creative side of people, whether it’s baking a batch of cookies or fixing the broken latch in the bathroom. If you are expecting guests this holiday season, you may want to do a few tasks around the house that you have been putting off, like touching up the paint or fixing a squeaky door. Start a list of the things you need to do and organize a repair kit for touch-ups around the house. You can also organize your decorations to make them simpler to find when it’s time to decorate. For tips on organizing your projects, take a look at these 10 blog posts.
- Top 5 Holiday Home Organization Tips Make sure you have one main list where you put down things like mail holiday cards, attend school activities and parties, put out decorations, etc.
- Holiday Organizing Go through your Christmas decorations and clear out anything that’s broken.
- The Holidays are Just Around the Corner: Dazzle Your Guests– and Showcase Your DIY Talents—With these Clever Home Updates Add hardware to your cabinets or change out the faucets in your home to give your home an update.
- 10 DIY Home Repair Projects for the Holidays Fix those little scratches on the table or marks on the wall before your guests arrive.
- Tips for Organizing Holiday Decorations There are tips for sorting and organizing all of your holiday decorations on this post.
- 31 Days of Falling for Fall Try some of these projects to get ready for Thanksgiving.
- Get Festive Holiday DIY Ideas Organize your ideas now to save some stress later on.
- Easy DIY Décor to Take Your from Thanksgiving to Christmas Take a look at these projects to see if you’d like to incorporate any of them into your holiday To Do List
- Holiday DIY Quick Tips: Creative Cards Learn how to make your own cards to send at Christmastime.
- Organize and Decorate Everything Create these glittered bottles and use them to organize with during the holidays.
Create a Holiday Task List
Do you love to look at creative ideas on Pinterest? Have you got big plans for this holiday season? If you answered yes, it’s time to create a task list of everything you’d like to accomplish during the holidays. The sooner you can get started on your list the better. Take this opportunity to cross a few things off your list, too. Removing a few items from your To Do list will reduce your stress and hopefully allow you to enjoy the holidays more. Find some sample checklists on these 10 blogs to help you get started.
- Checklist: Holiday To Do List Follow this checklist or create your own using this one as a guide to give yourself a plan of action.
- How to Organize the Family’s Holiday Season Take a look at the ideas on this post to help you get and stay organized during the holidays.
- Top 10 Holiday Organizing Tips Create a central calendar that has everyone’s holiday events on it so that you can keep track of what you have coming up.
- Christmas To-Do—Make a List and Check it Twice This blog gives an example of what you might want to put on your holiday To-Do list.
- Get Organized for the Holidays Look at the ideas listed on this blog and see how and when you might add these items to your task list.
- Your Holiday Task List by Task Complete From choosing a holiday card to decorating your tree, this blog post will help you get your holiday act together.
- Holiday Checklist If you will be traveling during the holidays, this packing checklist may come in handy.
- How to Make a Holiday Planner for a Stress-Free Season Grab a 3-ring binder and get to work creating this planner that will organize the things you need to stay stress-free.
- Time Management: Tips to Reduce Stress and Improve Productivity Make your list and stay focused on what you need to get done.
- To Do List Template Calendar Download one of these templates to help make your task list more structured and simpler to follow.
Decluttering Tips
Clutter makes everything more difficult to manage, and often is comprised of things you don’t need or want. Decluttering is different from organizing because once you remove clutter you can organize what is left. What better time to clear out the clutter than before the holidays? These blogs will help you get started decluttering your home.
- 12 Ways to Declutter for the Holidays Start decluttering the area in your house with the most clutter.
- The Amazingly Awesome Pre-Holidays Declutter Guide Follow along with this blogger’s guide to get ready for the holiday influx of gifts.
- Peter Walsh’s Strategies for Decluttering Your Home for the Holidays The upcoming holiday season may be just the thing to motivate you to start decluttering.
- Decluttering for the Holidays This blogger starts the decluttering process with the kids’ toys by going through what they have outgrown or broken.
- 3 Reasons to Declutter before the Holidays You may think that you should declutter to clear out room for all the new stuff or to get ready for guests, but this blogger has three other ideas.
- Holiday Decluttering Tips Make sure you declutter before you decorate so that you start with a clean slate.
- Kitchen Decluttering Before the Holidays You will be spending more time in your kitchen during the holidays, so decluttering this area is a priority.
- Organize and Declutter Your Home for the Holidays This blogger talks about asking everyone in your family to do the black bag trick; read more to find out what it is.
- Tips for the Holiday Season: Decluttering and Donating Not only is donating at the end of the year a smart idea for your taxes, it also frees up space for new items.
- Inspired Holidays: Clean Your House for Christmas [4 Tips] Break down the decluttering into steps by gathering up anything that doesn’t belong in the room into a box. Make it a game and include the rest of the family.
Create a Command Center
By creating a command center in your home you will have a central space to keep important information. There’s always a calendar at the command center, and often storage baskets to contain papers and mail. You may also like to keep your coupons at the command center or your menu planning supplies. This spot should serve a purpose for you and your family. If you can’t visualize what a command center should look like, take a look at these 10 blogs.
- Ideas for Creating a Family Command Center Depending on your taste, one of these command center ideas might be ideal for your family.
- Done in a Day: Family Command Center Get out the painter’s tape and create a plan for your command center ideas.
- Create a Command Center and Get Your Paper Piles Off the Counter! Read these ideas on how to take a small section of wall and create a command center.
- How to Create the Perfect Family Command Center {Hint: Involves a Close Relationship with Command Strips) Take a look at the things that this blogger thinks a command center should include.
- Family Command Center Ideas and Free Organization Printables You should be able to find an idea on this blog post to use as inspiration, no matter what area you are thinking about turning into your command center.
- Set Up a Family Command Center Start by making a list of items you would like your command center to include, then determine where you’d like to put it.
- Kitchen Command Center You may be able to reduce the amount of clutter that piles up in your kitchen simply by creating a command center.
- Customize Your Home Command Center If you have a built-in desk in your kitchen, it will function perfectly as your command center.
- Working Woman: 7 Ways to Do it All and Still Stay Organized You may want to include things like menu planning and homework papers in your command center plan.
- Create a Command Center for Family Organization this Fall Before you create your command center, map out the different ways you want to use it.
Get Organized for Guests
Are you expecting guests this holiday season? One idea to help you always be prepared is to create a basket full of fresh linens and other items guests can use that you can grab at moment’s notice. You can also reduce the stress of unexpected guests by making up some appetizers, cookies or meals ahead of time and storing them in the freezer. For more ideas on how to prepare for guests read these blogs.
- Getting Your House Ready for Holiday Guests You’ll want to clear out the coat closet so that your guests have a place to hang their coats.
- 5 Ways to Get Your Home Ready for Holiday Visitors Organize your pantry so that guests can find things if they need a snack, and provide them with a hamper for dirty laundry.
- How to Clean a Very Messy House… and Get It Ready for Guests! (with a Printable Checklist) Go through these step-by-step directions to create a plan for getting your home ready for holiday guests.
- 10 Things You Should Do before Holiday House Guests Arrive Cook ahead so you don’t have to spend valuable visiting time stuck in the kitchen.
- Get Organized for House Guests Make sure that you have a supply of breakfast foods and that you set the table the night before.
- Organizing for Guests: How to Roll Out the Welcome Mat Start by cleaning up the yard so that your home makes a good first impression.
- Getting Ready for House Guests: Guest Room and Guest Bath Tour Watch this video to get some tips on how to make your guest room and guest bathroom welcoming.
- Get Your Guest Room Ready Read through this list of questions to see how your guest room stacks up and get some ideas of ways you can make your guests more comfortable.
- Christmas Organizing: 10 Ways to Get Organized before Your Guests Arrive Try to give your guests a private place to sleep if possible.
- Get Organized to Welcome Unexpected Guests Keep a few basics on hand for unexpected guests, like fresh linens and spare toothbrushes.
10 Chemicals to Be Cautious of When Cleaning Around Kids
November 20, 2013Keeping your house spotless, shining and most of all, clean, with kids around can be a challenge. Somehow, a small handprint appears before you are even finished cleaning the windows. Even with gallant efforts to keep your abode sparkling, know that there can be dangers lurking if you are using products and chemicals that are harmful to your children.
Know which chemicals to avoid when cleaning areas in your home that little hands and mouths tread frequently.
1. Triclosan
The past 10 years or so have seen an explosion in the prevalence of household anti-microbial products, previously used only in clinical and industrial settings, according to Joe Walsh, founder of Green Clean Maine in Portland. As the most common consumer anti-bacterial agent, triclosan containing benzalkonium cloride may be leading to strains of bacteria that are resistant both to disinfectants and prescription antibiotics.
“Before you reach for the bottle of anti-bacterial hand soap or kitchen counter cleaner, consider plain old soap and water as an alternative,” says Walsh. “It’s often cheaper and is all you need to get the job done.”
2. Benzalkonium Chloride
Also found in many anti-bacterial products, benzalkonium chloride offers many of the same risks as triclosan. Although antibacterial products promote clean health, a growing chorus of researchers and medical professionals are raising concerns about the health effects of the widespread use of anti-microbial agents in the home, says Walsh.
“The idea is that highly disinfected household environments prevent children from developing strong immune systems early in life,” says Walsh. “Without the challenge of bacteria exposure, the immune system gets lazy and underdeveloped.”
3. Alkylphenol Ethoxylates
Chemicals that end in “-phenolethoxylate” are commonly used in surfactants, such as those found in all-purpose cleaners. “They are estrogen mimickers, which makes them particularly harmful to women and especially children,” says Walsh. “They do not break down in the environment, but persist and bioacumulate, meaning they build up in human tissue over time.”
The most reliable way to find out if your household cleaning products have this family of chemicals is to look the product up in the U.S. Department Health and Human Services’ National Household Products Database.
4. Chlorine Bleach
Danger is lurking when a child is exposed to chlorine bleach. Keeping bleach around increases the risk of a child ingesting it, spilling it or touching a surface that has been cleaned with bleach. In addition to being highly toxic on its own, chlorine bleach also forms carcinogenic compounds, including chloroform, when it mixes with organic materials in the general environment, says Walsh.
Luckily, there are great alternatives to bleach that can whiten without the dangerous side-effects. Walsh suggests non-chlorine bleach, such as hydrogen peroxide, or oxygen bleaches and sodium percaronate. “The use of the detergent booster, washing soda, will also help to keep clothes bright and white without bleach,” says Walsh.
5. Ammonia
Although ammonia may make your glass surfaces shine, the harmful chemical is not advised as kid-friendly. “Ammonia can be toxic to the skin, eyes and lungs and like bleach, it’s far too easy to mix it with other things unknowingly,” says Walsh. Many household cleaners contain ammonia, but as a rule, it is in the traditional glass bottle cleaners, as well as metal and oven cleaners.
6. VOCs
This type of chemical includes ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butyl cellusolve and anything under the heading of petroleum distillates. According to Walsh, the acute effects of exposure are eye, skin and mucus membrane irritation. The long-term risks include nervous system damage and liver, blood, lung and kidney damage.
“Daily VOC exposure in children has been directly linked to asthma, and in mothers has been directly linked to diarrhea, earaches and even depression,” says Walsh. To avoid VOCs, look for products that contain a warning label that the product is “combustible” or “flammable.” Many products with VOCs also offer precautionary statements that the product can cause respiratory irritation or recommend using in a well-ventilated area.
7. Perchlorethylene
While trying to keep your carpets clean, avoid products with perchlorethylene, a common agent in carpet and upholstery shampoos. This carcinogen against animals is claimed to be harmful for the liver, kidneys and nervous system, according to Kris Koenig, CEO of Natura Clean, a residential and commercial cleaning company in Middleton, Wisconsin.
According to Koenig, the effects of exposure to perchlorethylene can include dizziness, fatigue, headaches and irritation to skin, eyes, nose and throat.
8. Nitrobenzene
Your children are frequent loungers on the couch, chairs and furniture within the home. Ensure they are not at risk while watching their favorite TV show by avoiding use of nitrobenzene, a common chemical found in furniture and floor polishes. “Small amounts can cause minor skin irritation,” says Koenig, “but regular exposure to high concentrations can reduce the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.”
9. Formaldehyde
Mold and mildew poses risk for your family as it is, but disinfectants with formaldehyde are just as harmful, says Koenig. Formaldehyde is used as a disinfectant in mold and mildew removers and some dishwashing liquid. Check your labels to ensure that you are not posing more risk when cleaning.
Exposure to high doses of this chemical can affect the mucous membranes, with some people developing sensitivity and triggers to asthma attacks, says Koenig.
10. Phosphates
Even though you may think you are providing a sanitary and clean environment for your children when tossing dirty laundry into the washer, there may be harmful chemicals that will pose a risk for the family’s health. Phosphates, commonly found in laundry and dishwashing detergents, are also fertilizers, which means that they can cause rapid algae growth after washed away into rivers and lakes, says Koenig. Ensure you are keeping your household healthy and the environment safe by straying from products with these chemicals.
Alternatives
If you’re concerned that all of your household cleaning products pose risks to your children, there are plenty of eco-friendly alternatives to keep your home sparkling clean. According to Leslie Reichert, cleaning expert and author of “The Joy of Green Cleaning,” you should only use items you could eat when cleaning around children.
“You can do a fabulous job cleaning with things like white vinegar, baking soda, salt and lemon juice,” she says. “If you feel like you have to disinfect things, you can use hydrogen peroxide (which is safe enough to use as a mouth wash) or conquer stains on sinks and counters with toothpaste. We really don’t need to use any toxic chemicals around our children.”
Posted in Housekeeping | Comments OffNew Mom’s Guide to Buying a Crib
November 14, 2013As you anxiously await the arrival of your baby, it is common to immerse yourself in decorating the baby’s room and purchasing diapers, bottles and pink or blue booties, but in the midst of your planning one of the biggest responsibilities you have as a parent is purchasing a crib.
Adhering to the revised federal guidelines about cribs, considering the comfort and well-being of your child and taking your personal preferences into consideration makes it a challenge to select the perfect crib for your baby. New parents need to consider price, style, safety and versatility when shopping.
Safety First
First and foremost, safety is a key factor when shopping for a new crib. Before venturing to the store or shopping online, learn about the federal safety standards for cribs to ensure you will be purchasing a crib that is in compliance. According to Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2011 federal regulations banned drop-side rails and mandated that all cribs have slats and hardware that are more durable for mattress support. It’s essential when buying a used crib that you contact the manufacturer to make sure the crib complies with 16 CFR 1219 full-size crib standards.
Standard vs. Convertible
Determining the flexibility and use of your baby’s crib is also a factor when buying a bed for your expected arrival. Many parents are opting for a convertible option that allows you to convert from a standard crib to a toddler or day bed as your child grows. Many convertible cribs also are equipped to convert into a full-size bed complete with a headboard. Some styles also feature built-in changing tables, adjustable mattress heights or bottom drawers.
When thinking long-term, a convertible crib may be a wise investment, but many parents must also think about the style they prefer. Do you plan to stick with the same type of wood or bedroom outfit style well into your son or daughter’s teen years? If so, a convertible bed may be the best choice. If you like to change up your style or furniture often, think standard.
Assembly
As you pick out colors, paint the baby’s room and pack dressers with pink or blue onesies, think about the time you want to invest in assembling a crib. To ensure safety, it may be worth the cost to pay delivery personnel to assemble the crib or invite a handy friend over to help. Regardless of how the crib is assembled, put instructions in a safe place so you know how to adjust the mattress, convert to a toddler bed or disassemble when necessary.
Sleep Safety Tips
Although you may breathe a sigh of relief once the crib is in place, it’s important to be prepared and on your toes about how a baby should sleep in the crib. According to Hiren Muzumdar, attending physician at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in New York, your baby’s crib should have a firm mattress with smooth, flat sheets. Avoid putting pillows or loose sheets on the bed, as these can pose a safety risk for babies, he says.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Back to Sleep campaign recommends the following tips to keep your baby safe and sound, while also reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
- Use a firm sleep surface, such as a mattress covered by a fitted sheet
- Do not put pillows, blankets, crib bumpers or toys in your baby’s crib
- Keep loose objects and loose bedding out of your child’s crib
- Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep, for naps and at night
- Dress your baby in light clothing, such as a one-piece sleeper – do not use a blanket
- Make sure nothing covers the baby’s head
It’s also important to adjust the crib mattress as your child grows, according to Dr. Katherine O’Connor, attending pediatrician at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in New York. “Babies should be placed on their backs in a crib with the mattress at the right height for their skill level,” she says. “Once they can roll, the mattress is lowered and then lowered again when they can pull to stand.”
Even though it takes time and effort to find, assemble and care for the best crib, the reward of watching your baby sleep comfortably and safely will be well worth it.
Posted in Housekeeping | Comments Off15 Blogs with Instructions for Creating a Spooktacular Yard
November 10, 2013Halloween is one of the few times during the year that you can really go crazy with yard decorations. Your yard essentially becomes a stage where you can tell a story, whether it’s a cemetery, the Headless Horseman or some other spooky tale. However, since it’s only one day out of the year, you probably don’t want to spend a fortune on decorations. These 15 blogs are packed with outdoor decorating ideas you can use to create a spooktacular Halloween set up, and even supply you with some budget-friendly ideas for making your own props. Happy spooking!
Budget-Friendly
The tutorials in these five blogs show different ways you can inexpensively make your own spooky props instead of spending a fortune at the Halloween store. You can make everything from faux dead bodies to grave markers to flying bats, and all without breaking the bank!
- How to Decorate Your House for Halloween on the Cheap Utilize fallen leaves to cover up some pant legs and dirty shoes in the front yard for a zombie-like effect.
- Cheap Halloween Decorations to Spook Up Your Front Yard Your trees can become hauntingly eerie with the addition of cobwebs and bats.
- Decorating Your Yard for Halloween This post has lots of inexpensive ideas for decorating your yard.
- Decorate Your Home for Halloween—Cheap and Quick! Fill up old costumes and hide them around to make it seem like different creatures are watching.
- Easy Halloween Ideas Create a witch parking area with scary brooms, a candlelit walkway and some hanging spiders.
Front Yard Fun
The front yard is the area that welcomes your party guests or trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Create a slightly creepy front yard or a truly frightening one using some of the ideas in these five blog posts. Whether you want to tackle a big Halloween project, like a life-size Halloween tree, or something less involved like headstones, you’ll find the instructions to help here.
- How to Decorate Your Home with Homemade Halloween Decorations Learn how to make tombstones to create a spooky graveyard in your front yard.
- How to Decorate Outdoors for Halloween Take a look at these pictures of some eerie yard décor that you can recreate in your own yard.
- Halloween Tree Combine chicken wire and papier-mâché to make this spooky tree that has faces coming out of the wood.
- Build a Giant Spider Web This giant spider web will be the perfect addition to your front door.
- Decorate Your Yard for Halloween Follow the steps described in this blog post to make your yard look like the one in the picture.
Backyard Party Décor
Are you having a Halloween party this year? If so, you’ll need to dress up the inside and the outside of your home. Depending on the size of your yard, you may want to scale up your decorating or scale it down for a more intimate gathering. The ideas in these five blogs will help you set the mood for a spooktacular party.
- How to Decorate Your Backyard for a Halloween Party Use spider webs and glowing pumpkins to give your backyard a spooky vibe for your party.
- Outdoor Halloween Decorating Ideas Create some ghosts in the trees by hanging sheets over balls.
- 10 Hardcore DIY Halloween Projects The video on this post provides the perfect inspiration for those people that really get into the Halloween mood.
- Halloween Yard Décor: The Best Outdoor Halloween Decorations Download these instructions to create a truly spooky yard for your guests.
- Halloween Decoration: Refreshing Ideas for Halloween Yard Take your design cues from the pictures on this blog post to up the scare factor in your back yard this year.
21 Blogs Featuring the Best Tips for Decorating Your Outdoor Living Areas
October 24, 2013Outdoor living spaces allow you to expand your home’s square footage and enjoy the outdoors at the same time. Spending time on your front porch visiting with neighbors used to be the norm, but as people’s lives have gotten busier that practice has fallen by the wayside. There has been a resurgence for the simpler things in life in recent years, though, and outdoor living spaces have been making a comeback. However, instead of relaxing on a porch swing, people are creating entire living room spaces outdoors. In these 21 blogs you’ll find inspiration for decorating any of your outdoor living spaces.
Back Patio
The patio is often an extension of the house, and this is especially true when you try some of these tips for dressing up your patio with furniture and an area rug. Make sure that everything you take outside is weather resistant. Consider buying neutral colors for the furniture and adding pops of color with accent pillows and accessories. Take a look at these seven blogs for more inspiration.
- Garden Craft Ideas to Decorate Outdoor Living Spaces Make sure that you have comfortable seating in your outdoor living area.
- Outdoor Living Spaces are a Beautiful Thing Use an area rug to define your space and to cozy up the “room.”
- 7 Backyard Decoration Ideas By using the same color scheme outside as you do in your living room you can bring some of your accessories from the inside out to the backyard.
- Steps to Create an Ideal Outdoor Living Room Don’t limit yourself; make sure that you think of your outdoor room just like any other room.
- Great Outdoor Decoration Ideas for Your Patio If you are planning to entertain, make sure that you have enough seating to accommodate your guests.
- Outdoor Living Room Ideas Create a Warmth Outside Lighting is an important aspect of your outdoor space to take into consideration as you begin to design and decorate it.
- Furniture Decorating Outdoor Living Spaces To ensure your outdoor space’s furniture lasts longer, make sure that it is weather proof.
Front Porch
Creating a cozy sitting area on your porch can prove to be a challenge because it’s in the front of your home. You can give the area privacy by screening off the ends of the porch with lattice and climbing plants. If your porch is covered, the items you place out there will be a bit more sheltered than if they were sitting out in the open, so you may have a few more design options there as well. Take a look at more design ideas in these seven blogs.
- Home Tips and Tricks: Front Porch Decorating Ideas—Light it Up with Lanterns! You need to make sure that your outdoor living space is well lit, so why not use lanterns?
- Outdoor Decorating Ideas Keep in mind the size of your space and use furniture that will comfortably fit in it without over-crowding it.
- Outdoor Porch and Terrace Decorating Ideas Make your porch cozy by adding some privacy with lattice and a climbing vine.
- A Cheater’s Guide to Outdoor Curtains Look at shower liners as a way to get weather resistant curtains for your porch.
- Decorating Tips for Porches Nail down your outdoor rugs on the porch so that you don’t have a tripping hazard.
- Perfect Porch Ideas for Outdoor Living Take a look at these porch swings to see if there are any that would work for your outdoor living space.
- Exterior Facelift/ Porch Decorating Ideas Start with comfortable seating and an area rug and accessorize as you would inside your house for a cozy and inviting spot.
Living Wall
You can create a living wall anywhere in your yard. If you need a privacy fence, you can use a living wall instead. Unlike a board fence, however, the living wall takes a while to mature. Living walls can help define spaces in the yard and make the area seem cozier. To see photos of living walls and examples of how they can be used, check out these seven blogs.
- How to: Make a DIY Outdoor Living Plant Wall This simple project will add some privacy to your porch or create a wall for your outdoor room.
- Ways to Make Your Outdoor Space Better with a Living Wall Increase the size of your living space by moving outdoors. This blog post explains how adding a living wall will give some structure to your outdoor living space.
- Create Your Own Vertical Garden Vertical gardens not only lend a sense of privacy, but also allow you to grow more plants in a small area.
- Creating Privacy with Living Fences Take a look at this lush living fence that will give you privacy in your yard so that you can enjoy your outdoor spaces.
- Best PVC Pipe Ideas for Outdoor Living and Gardening Using chains and copper gutters a living wall can be hung on one end of a porch for added privacy.
- Living Walls: How They Can Improve Your House and Your Overall Health Plants filter out harmful pollution, so having a living wall can improve your air quality according to this blog.
- How to Plant a Lush Living Wall Learn how to create your own living wall to enhance any outdoor living space you may have.
15 Blogs with the Best Tips for Organizing Your Bookshelves
October 21, 2013Bookshelves have a knack for attracting more than just books, and over time you may find that your bookshelves are overflowing with stuff and in need of a good cleaning. To begin your bookshelf organization project, clear off anything and everything that’s accumulated on the shelves and give the whole structure a thorough cleaning. Then, decide what you want to put back onto the shelves and what you’re ready to get rid of. As you restock the shelves, try mixing it up by using both decorative items and books. These 15 blogs explain options for each step of the organization process and offer up inspiration with examples of well-organized bookshelves.
Whittling Your Book Collection
To begin your project, gather all of the books in your house and put them in a central location. Bring in two boxes to separate books into; use one for donations and one for recycling. Try to only keep and organize your favorite books. If you find that you have books that you want to keep for sentimental reasons, you may want a third box that you can fill and keep in storage. These five blogs will help you determine which books will stay and which will go.
- Are Your Bookshelves Full of Friends? Or Strangers and Houseguests? Read this blog post for a simple method of deciding whether a book stays or goes.
- Got Books? Tips to Decluttering and Organizing Your Personal Library Gather all of your books together and gauge whether you will ever read them again. If not, donate them.
- Reduce, Rethink, Reorganize Books This blogger has new ideas on how to reduce the number of books that you hold onto. Read further to see if these methods will work for you.
- 5 Tips to Organize Your Bookshelves The tips in this post will help you reduce the number of books that you own so that you will have fewer to put back on your shelves.
- Creative Tips for Organizing Your Cluttered Bookshelves Reduce the number of books you have by analyzing each book in your collection. Assess whether you will ever need it or read it again. For more information on how to do this, read this blog post.
Adding Decorative Elements
A well styled bookshelf has open spaces and is free from clutter. It’s important to balance the look of the shelves, and you can do so by stacking the books on the left side of the shelf in one area and the right side of the shelf in another area. You will want to stand some books up and lay other books down to add interest to your bookshelf. Examples of these and other ideas can be found in these five blogs entries.
- A Saturday Morning Project: How to Prop Your Bookshelves Check out this blogger’s advice on how to add decorative elements to your bookshelves to make them look open and interesting.
- Bookcase Styling Take a look at the photos on this blog to get ideas on how to mix books and decorative elements on your bookshelves.
- Creative Ways to Style Your Boring Bookshelves Learn how to make your bookshelves the focal point of your room instead of an eyesore.
- Our Favorite Things: Accents for Your Bookshelves Keep your eyes open for conversation starter pieces like this globe or hanging clock to add interest to your bookshelves.
- Organizing and Arranging Bookshelves These examples of well-arranged bookshelves may inspire you to add decorative items to your bookshelves.
Organizing Your Shelves
How you organize the books in your bookcase will be dictated by how you want to find your books. You can organize them by genre or in alphabetical order. Some people organize their books by size or color. The important thing is that you are able to find the book you are looking for with ease while still having the bookshelf look neat and organized. The various methods of organizing books are described in these five blogs.
- The Importance of Organizing Your Bookshelves Learn how to organize your books by category to make them simpler to locate when you need to find them.
- Book Shelf Tour: How Do You Organize Your Shelf? Do you organize your books by size or author? Read this post to see how this blogger chooses to organize.
- Would You Organize Your Books by Color? Take a look at these photos of book collections to see the end result of organizing your books by color. It’s an attractive look if you can remember what color the book is that you’re looking for.
- 5 Steps to Organize Your Bookshelves Follow these tips on how to sort and arrange your books and accessories to create bookshelves you can be proud of.
- 6 Ways to Organize Your Books Look through these six ways to organize your books and see if any of these methods might be right for you and your collection of books.
Clothes that Reveal You’re From the ‘80s
October 8, 2013It’s often been said that fashion is cyclical, which means that every decade or so brings with it a resurgence of interest in the trends and fads of the previous generation. While it doesn’t seem like that long ago that ‘80s fashion was enjoying its own revival, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the ‘90s are coming back in a big way. That means that, once again, the clothes of the first MTV generation are falling out of favor and making those who wear them tend to look dated for a second time. If you have any of these items in your own wardrobe on heavy rotation, you’re probably doing a great job of revealing your age.
- Parachute Pants – If you owned a pair of parachute pants in the ‘80s, you were simply riding the trend wave with flair. Those same pants in your closet today, however, mark you as a product of the excess generation. Bonus points if you have a matching windbreaker jacket.
- Acid Washed Jeans – Plenty of denim styles from the glory days of the 1980s have found their way back into the mainstream, but one fad that hasn’t really enjoyed a resurgence is the old-fashioned acid wash. If you’re rocking a pair of acid washed jeans, not only is there a good chance that they sport zippers at the cuffs, but also that you’re still holding on to them from your own glory days.
- Scrunchies – Back in the day, scrunchies were far more than a simple tool to keep long hair out of the wearer’s face. They were an opportunity to accessorize, doubled as wrist wear and just had to compliment the color scheme of your outfit. These days, you can still find them in the hair product aisle of your local drugstore, but the only people who tend to wear them are those who remember when they first became all the rage.
- Banana Clips – If your permed hair is pulled back with a frightening contraption called a banana clip, there’s no denying that you’re a product of the ‘80s generation. You’re even more conspicuous as a holdover from those days if you’re pairing the clip with sky-high, heavily hairsprayed bangs.
- Slogan T-Shirts – From “Frankie says relax” to “choose life,” there was no shortage of gimmicky slogan t-shirts in the 1980s. It’s not enough to still have one of these gems lurking in the back of your closet, though. It needs to be at least two sizes too large and paired with bicycle shorts or tights for full effect.
- Members Only Jackets – Once upon a time, you were no one if you didn’t belong to the exclusive “members only” club. To be fair, all you had to do to become a member was purchase one of these beauties, but they were the height of fashion for a single, shining moment in time. These days, however, you’re either a hipster wearing ironic thrift store finds or a determined holdover from the ‘80s who refuses to surrender your Members Only cred.
- Rhinestones – There was such a fever for brightly colored, plastic stones in the ‘80s that there was even a tool designed to allow easy application of these faux gems in the comfort of your own home. A few rhinestones here and there may not be too dated, but if they’re adorning the lapels of your denim jacket, you’re definitely from the ‘80s.
- Shirt Slides – What was a girl to do when she wanted to be on-trend with huge t-shirts in the ‘80s but still show off her rockin’ bod? Snag a shirt slide, of course! These little contraptions are next to impossible to find now, but there was a time when every shirt as far as the eye could see was bound up with bits of Dayglo plastic.
- Stirrup Pants – One surefire way to keep your pants tucked securely into your leg warmers while proudly proclaiming your status as a lover of all things ‘80s is to slip on a pair of stirrup pants. Unlike so many other trend elements from the era that have made their way back into circulation, stirrup pants just haven’t come back around as an on-trend style.
- Leg Warmers – Maybe it was the aerobics craze of the 1980s, or maybe it was just that Olivia Newton-John video. Either way, leg warmers were a must-have item a few decades ago, and just haven’t become cool again since.
10 Great Things You Can Find at Consignment Shops
October 1, 2013When the seasons change and it’s time to spruce up a wardrobe, most people head to the nearest department store in hopes of scoring a few decent deals on clothing that’s largely overpriced and likely to be out of style by the time the weather changes again, forgetting about the wealth of goods that may be found in a local consignment shop. From vintage steals to impressive deals, consignment shops can be a veritable gold mine when it comes to scoring new and new to you clothes. Before you make a dent in your wallet for a handful of items at a department store, consider this list of amazing things you may find at a consignment shop in your neighborhood.
- Bargain Prices – In addition to a wide selection of apparel, one of the most common finds at a consignment shop is great prices. You should be able to find amazing deals on clothing that’s gently worn or even new, meaning you’ll be able to score great finds at a fraction of department store prices.
- Kids’ Clothes – Kids grow so quickly that it seems like no time at all before a brand new garment is hopelessly outgrown. Instead of breaking the bank to completely replace your child’s wardrobe every few months, why not scout out fashionable finds at low prices in local consignment stores? Not only do most shops stock a selection of kid’s clothes, some stores even specialize in threads for the smaller set.
- Vintage Items – If your fashion sense leans more towards the quirky and creative than the clean cut department store end of the spectrum, consignment stores may be your new best friend. In addition to almost new, on-trend items from the latest season, you may also be able to find classic pieces from years gone by in your local shop.
- Accessories – The savings don’t stop with clothing at most consignment stores. In fact, many stock a selection of shoes and even jewelry to help you accessorize your latest secondhand find. Just be sure that you thoroughly clean the posts of any earrings you find to ensure good hygiene.
- Unique Garments – When you walk into a department store or boutique, you’ll find entire racks of the exact same garment. It’s hard to be a trendsetter when you’re wearing the same clothes that everyone else in your neighborhood is buying, but a trip to the consignment shop in your area can turn up a few pieces that no one else will be wearing.
- Designer Products – There’s a fairly common misconception that the only clothing to be found at consignment shops is off-brand or no label fare, which simply isn’t true. Not only are you likely to find at least a few name brand, designer products at your consignment store, but you may even be able to find shops that specialize in these items.
- Brand New Items – How many times have you donated a piece of clothing to charity or given something away that still had tags hanging from the sleeve? Not all of the garments at a consignment shop will be used. You may very well find a wide selection of clothing that’s used only in the sense that someone else purchased the item new and let it take up space in their closet for a while.
- Formal Wear – Shelling out top dollar for formal and special occasion items that you’ll only wear once is not only expensive, it’s also a bit wasteful when you consider the fact that there are probably racks full of great items at your local consignment shop for a fraction of the price.
- School Uniforms – Some schools supply uniforms for their students, but others set a uniform and expect parents to purchase the items wherever they can find them. That’s where a consignment shop can come in handy. Other kids who attend your kids’ school will have the same dress code, and their parents may very well be sending gently used items to the consignment shop in your neighborhood.
- Extra Cash – There’s no denying the fact that you can save big bucks by shopping consignment, but what you may not realize is that you can also find a bit of extra cash by selling your own used items. Talk to the management staff at your favorite shop to determine their policies for accepting new garments and you may walk out with a few extra bucks in your wallet.
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