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.
Love this. I do all of these things (just recently started with the delivered TP) – but I never thought of the fast food order one!! It will come in handy – also with the hubby and his subway – (How did you want it???) 🙂 Thanks!
My girls do their own laundry and I only do laundry once a week. I use PlanToEat.com for my meal planning which has saved me from the “5-o-clock-what-do-you-want-to-eat” and saved me a bit of money. I use Amazon subscriptions for vacuum cleaner bags…never thought about tp! I only make dinner. Everyone else in this house is perfectly capable of making their own breakfast and lunch. I only vacuum upstairs every few weeks as the dogs aren’t allowed up there so it doesn’t really get dirty! I also have a vacuum on every level (basement, main, and upstairs).
A notepad on my bedside table with a click pen (so as not to ruin my bedsheets). It’s a life, sanity, sleep, and time saver.
Pinterest: now I can put all those neat homeschooling resources I read about into a spot where I can find them again. Love it!
Well, my TP isn’t on subscribe & save, but, I do order it frequently from Walmart along with any other personal items we might need. I’m so scatter-brained I would, like you pass certain isles and for a few months time I’d wonder to myself “why do I not go down those isles anymore? Oh duh, you order those silly.” I think I should get back to that practice, as it sure does save me time and money. When I shop online I’m not as tempted to add things I don’t need like I do when I go into the store.
I have been seriously considering moving some of my shopping to amazon 🙂 I’m right there with you on the no makeup thing! I can’t stand how it feels plus I’m allergic. When I wear it my eyes water and then the next morning I wake up with a headache, and eyes nearly swollen shut! Who wants that?
As far as the laundry goes.. well I have 4 kids 8 and under. Recently I got a dirty clothes basket for each one and they have to put their dirty clothes in the one with their name on it. (doesn’t always happen but for the most part they’ve done well) I can’t tell you just how much TIME that has saved me! If a kid is running low on clothes then I just dump their bucket in the wash then dryer and fold all their jeans tshirts etc and put away. Two of my three girls are in back to back sizes(though 3 years apart) and I had to check each tag which is tedious and made me dread folding laundry and now they problem is solved. 🙂
The tag checking drives me crazy. Good call on the separate buckets!
Love this. I.actually have a laundry station next to the washer and could put my boys’ names on each. We are starting to get them used to doing chores (little later than I had hoped).
To stay sane, I quit couponing (at least for this season of my life while I’m working full-time). I found that I was spending more time and money using them than I would have otherwise. They were stressing me out and I was spending money on bad-for-us stuff that we didn’t even really eat. Sure my grocery budget is a little higher now, but we’re eating healthier, so I’m willing to make the trade.
I created a “Wendy’s” list. It’s a list of stores or restaurants that I intentionally avoid after having had too many negative or stressful experiences (Wendy’s was the first on that list). Rather than trying to convince myself to go to these places (including Wal-Mart) to save a few bucks, I instead go to places that will leave me less stressed even if it costs a little more.
I’m also an Amazon devotee. And having just discovered the 20% discount that comes with 5 subscribe-and-save deliveries in a month, that’s my go-to. With two babies in diapers, I’m a believer!
My latest thing is to make a big pot of soup on Sunday afternoon and portion it up into small tupperware containers for the week. It helps to keep me from going out because there’s “nothing to eat” for lunch.
@Rachel I do the same thing! I make a big pot of soup once a week, and portion and freeze into individual servings. I LOVE SOUP year around.
I have four friends and once I month we all make a batch of soup and put it into 8 pint mason jars. We meet and swap 2 jars of soup to each person. You go home with 4 kinds of soup (2 mason jars of each kind) and have a great variety for the month. Totally fun activity with friends too…fellowship and thriftyness!
I quit most couponing, too. It was really freeing.
I did too, Jessica. Just not worth it. Some toiletry coupons, but not much else. Most of it’s junk.
I just wanted to let you know you’re not alone in your “craziness.” In fact, now I know why I can do so much and people think I’m crazy for doing as much as I do (school/work, etc.). I’m considering getting toilet paper delivered, but for now our budget is tight so I shop the sales and stock up for about 6 months worth. It keeps it off my to do list for a long time and I only look like a crazy person to those who see my back storage room.
I also don’t sort laundry or wear makeup!
Fast food is hard for me now that I’m gluten free, but when we can find a good deal or the days are crazy, we do eat out or do fast food!
Clothing: due to bad feet, I can only wear ugly orthopedic shoes for work and they’re expensive, so I just have black, that means just black pants. So I own lots of black pants and then any top I pick matches :-).
Personal care: I wear very minimal makeup. I do not polish my nails or color my hair. I only use shampoo — no conditioners, hair gels, etc.
Laundry: I only sort the towels and sheets from the clothes. I do not iron. I do not buy dry clean only clothing.
Clothing: I figured out years ago that simple, classic, well made, mix and match clothes make it much easier to get out of the house quickly in the morning. I buy only black, navy, red and brown clothing. Makes it easy to mix and match. I have only three pairs of shoes — athletic, black dress and navy dress. I only have two purses — one black leather and the other cloth cream or light brown. Add a simple pair of gold earring, my wedding ring and a watch and I am good to go.
I did have to laugh when my husband lamented on my last birthday how hard it was to buy me a gift when all the traditional gifts (jewelry, chocolates, flowers, lingerie) I viewed as wasteful, overpriced or unwanted.
I do almost all the same things! I do wear mascara and a silver eyeliner that I love on days when I feel like it, but that’s pretty much it. And I am seriously goingto check out getting our tp delivered now too! I haven’t sorted laundry in years. And we don’t even have Netflix. We have a library and a Redbox nearby.
Other crazy things we do?
I don’t buy clothes that need to be dry cleaned except for the guys suits.
I don’t iron.
We operate on an entirely cash system, we have one credit card for huge emergencies only. We save until we have enough cash to buy a new (to us) vehichle.
We owner financed an older fixer upper, and have upgraded, added on, and fixed up.as we save the cash.
We don’t have a land line or a texting plan.
We borrow tools that we only need everyso often, instead of buying and maintaining them.
We buy quality once, rather than poor craftmsnship in bulk.
in doing these things, we have extra funds to buy quality groceries, eat out when we desire, and indulge in the things must important to us, relationships and experiences rather than things.
Thanks for all your tips and insights. They are helpful and delightful!
Dry clean only is for the birds!
If it can’t survive the dishwasher or the washing machine, it doesn’t belong in this house!! (At least not during this season of our life).
I just discovered amazons subscribe and save since boy#5 was born in January. Best thing ever! I get diapers and wipes delivered and toilet paper, dishwasher soap, razors… It’s great!
Not much of a makeup person either. I wear a little of the powder foundation stuff but that’s about it.
We also canceled our cable almost 2 yrs ago and watch stuff on Amazon prime…again love amazon…their 2 day shipping is wonderful.