5 Crazy Things I Do to Keep Things Together
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Life can be crazy. The unexpected is sure to raise its head and knock your best plans off course. “Simple living” is a good thing to strive for, but sometimes it’s elusive.
Here are five kinda crazy things — at least in the world’s eyes — that I do to keep things a little more sane at my house. Please keep in mind that in NO WAY do I think these are must-do’s for anyone else. Like I said, I know that these are kinda crazy for the times we live in. But, they help me and my family.
1. I have my toilet paper delivered.
Oh, yes, yes, I do. About a year ago, I realized that we were constantly running out of toilet paper. I would cringe each time someone would tell me we were out. Running off to the store — when there were no sales to be had — became a regular thing. And no, I didn’t/don’t really have the brain power to follow the toilet paper sales.
Instead, I started ordering it on Amazon. Using Subscribe and Save, I have a regular delivery programmed. I watch for sales on Amazon, not hard to do when Kosher on a Budget regularly reports the toilet paper deals on her Facebook page.
(No, we don’t keep kosher; we’re not even Jewish, but I’ve found some great deals through Mara’s site.)
I’ve found such freedom in having the toilet paper delivered. I can’t tell you why. It’s pretty silly, really. But, I can totally ignore the paper goods aisle at the store and it is so freeing!
Plus, my people are all prepared when they need to do their business.
2. I don’t sort laundry.
A few years ago I decided I wasn’t going to sort the colored clothes from the whites. No longer do I need to wonder if this yellow shirt counts as white or colored, I just toss it all together. So far, so good. (I wash linens and towels separately and in hot water.)
Then to take it one step further, I put the kids in charge of their own laundry. So, I don’t have to sort the different piles either. Quite freeing and saves me so much time.
3. I am not afraid of fast food.
Well, sort of. I am picky about my fast food, limiting it to places like In-n-Out Burger, Rubios, or Chipotle. While I would love to feed my family healthy, home-cooked meals every night, that’s just not the reality. I have to be able to outsource. And In-n-Out Burger, the closest to our house, makes a pretty mean burger.
I even have everyone’s order programmed into my phone. We’re so complicated, that this helps me in more ways than one.
4. I don’t watch TV.
I grew up as a TV junkie. Today I’ve got too much to do. We had cable for awhile, mainly for sports, but now that’s gone, too. I can’t imagine how much time I would waste if I were watching TV. I know that for me it’s an all or nothing proposition — and I’m better off without Downton Abbey or American Idol.
Really, I am.
We do have Amazon Prime so we can watch movies and programs after the fact. This summer we’ve really enjoyed Foyle’s War which we treat like a movie. We’re not hooked to a time and place when we have to watch. Nor is flipping on the TV a habit. (And they just took it off Prime Instant Video, so now we’re even less likely to watch it.
5. I don’t wear make-up.
Last year I had to splurge for some make-up in order to do a couple TV appearances. I hated every minute of wearing it on my face and washed it off as soon as possible.
Do I have flawless skin? No. Do I look as young as I might if I wore make-up? No. Do folks see my unsightly pregnancy-mask-that-never-went-away? Yes.
But, do I have to wash my face every night? Or spend time in the morning putting my face on? No. And for me, this totally works.
Like I said, I don’t think these are things that everyone else should do — or not do, as the case may be. Instead, I offer them as examples of things that you can tweak to make life a little easier for you. Find your own groove, and make it work for you and your family.
I have a year’s supply of Tp stashed ( I am my father’s child, he had over 3 yrs stashed).
I wear a good sunscreen that doubles as my moisturizer. Mascara when going out , lip balm, body powder and sometimes Deo as I’ve found the body powder does a better job.
Kids always did their laundry after age of 5 most without help as I started them helping at 2. They regret they didn’t do the same with their own. I keep darks and red tones separate ..the rest is fair game. I make 5 gal of homemade laundry soap and use vinegar as the softener. I use auto dry cycle on the dryer wash the heaviest first and then what ever isn’t dry going in with the next load to dry. No rebooting. Have a drying rack …and actually being able to use my clothes line saves me time, no waiting for the dryer to finish to put in the next load.
I will text myself when out or I don’t have paper (I love post it notes) and pen/pencil.
I have 4 paper calendars (bills, appts, kitchen and garden) and I have the appts on my phone calendar also so I don’t have to come home and check after making an appt.
Even with being retired, I am still looking for ways to save time and money.
This is a great list!
I so sort clothes sort of. I wash anything black or red by themselves. I also sort out socks and underwear and do those separetely and sheets and towels are washed separetly. I am going to try making my laundry soap one of these days and I use only vinegar as a “fabric softener” I can not take the smell of most of that stuff.
I do most of the things you do on your list, except I do like my make-up! I order not only tp through Amazon Prime, but also Pull-ups, the thing we always tend to run out of at inconvenient times. Other ways I’m trying to survive mothering and homeschooling 4 kids 8 and under:
*Paper plates–I buy the biodegradable ones and I have found that it knocks my dishwashing load down from 3 per day to 2 per day. With a family of 6, eating 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, it makes a big difference in my time and I save on Cascade Complete Packs (the only thing that gets dishes clean in my old dishwasher) and the water bill.
*I don’t fold clothes–All of my kids have a bin in the laundry room where their clothes get tossed, unfolded. We have one basket for socks and it’s their job to hunt through the bazillions of socks to find a match. I do hang up dresses and nicer clothing that comes out of the dryer and put it in their closet, but the other clothing is tossed in the bin. I can’t stand to fold clothes only to see them unfolded by kids digging through their bin, so what’s the point?
*I’ve limited toys to just a few per kid and outfits to about 5 per kid. I have more outfits in the storage closet if I should need them and some toys in storage. The boys mostly play with legos and duplo blocks so those are out, but if they fail to keep them cleaned up, they go in “time-out” in Mommy’s room for a few weeks. Less is more!
*We’ve said no to extra-curriculars this year. I noticed AWANA nights were chaotic, stressful, and caused the little kids to be grumpy all day the next day so only my oldest child is allowed to go. I don’t help out at AWANA anymore and the kids aren’t in soccer or ballet or swimming.
*I don’t have a cell phone or an iPod or a laptop. We live in a rural, slow-paced town facing the mountains in Wyoming and don’t have a need for them, which means I’m not accessible 24/7 to my friends and family and I like it that way. I use my answering machine and caller ID to screen calls during our homeschooling.
I do most of the things you do..minus the amazon because shipping to canada is outrageous!
I also don’t have a cellphone…or a any kind of smart tech.
I write things down on paper…and when I’m not home then I’m sorry you can leave a message on our answering machine. I don’t have to be in contact with the world all the time and I don’t have to rely on electrical devices to check my schedule or grocery list. I find it very freeing not to be “plugged in” all the time for everything.