Top Tip$ for Back to $chool on a Budget

The Nest Effect (thenesteffect.com) recommends these

1. Get Office 365 University: $79.99 USD for a four-year subscription
   At just $1.67 per month, college and university students can’t afford not to get Office 365 University. Get the latest Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook) for two devices, including PCs, Macs, iPads, or Windows tablets. A subscription also includes 1 TB of OneDrive storage, and 60 minutes of Skype PC-to-phone world calling per month. 

2. Download OneNote: Free app for most popular computers, tablets, and phones and on the web
   This year, make OneNote the single place for all your notes and information. With this digital notebook you can type, handwrite, paste and insert class notes and research anywhere, and organize them in notebooks and sections that are automatically saved and searchable. Additionally, it’s easy to share and collaborate with classmates for team projects and group assignments. 

3. Keep it in OneDrive: Free app for most popular computers, tablets, and phones and on the web
   Here are five reasons to cross that USB-drive off your shopping list and use OneDrive:  1) You get 15 GB of cloud storage for free; 2) You can’t lose OneDrive; 3) You can easily store and share photos, videos, documents, and more; 4) You can access OneDrive on any device; 5) You get 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage with an Office 365 Home or University subscription. 1 TB is the equivalent to approximately 50,000 trees made into paper and printed. That’s a lot of trees! 

4. Use Office Online: Free on the web
   Who said nothing in life is free? Office Online offers free web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that let you create, view, edit, and share documents, spreadsheets, presentations and notes. The best part is, no one needs an Office 365 subscription to work together on a team projects. With Office Online, students can collaborate on group assignments more easily, and parents can share the carpool schedule without having to send bulky attachments. 

31 day$ to a Le$$ Cluttered Life #2

If you've completed the clutter busting ideas for days 1-5 and are ready for a more organized life here are the next 5 days challenges.

6)  You'll find that during the purge process you'll find you may need to purchase replacement items.  Keep a running list.  It's been my experience that I occasionally find an item that i was sure was lost or used up.  Just be sure to cross of those items when you find them in an area you've just cleaned out!

7)  A place for everything and Everything in it's place
I find that I have the tendency to come into the kitchen and leave the details of my day on the counter (Briefcase, purse, lunch box, library books, mail).  This school year I resolve to put away my STUFF rather than laying it on the first flat surface I encounter.  I find that visual cleanliness makes me more relaxed.  Ok... this is not a picture of my kitchen but you get the idea...

Identify a place to stash backpacks, papers that need your attention, lunchboxes and wet umbrellas.

I have a set of hooks in my laundry room which is right inside the garage door
where we hang backpacks. You can use U-shaped curtain rod hooks mounted on the wall to store winter coats and scarves.
I use a discarded dish drainer to store wet shoes.  Use the plastic base and store it in the laundry tub when not in use.

Even the youngest member of your family can be taught to empty their backpack and lunchbox and replace the ice pack in the freezer, discard the garbage and replace uneaten snacks back in the pantry before placing the lunchbox back in its rightful storage place.

8)  I have multiple utensil drawers in the kitchen.  Years ago when I first began the annual purge-I found I had 10 TEN wooden spoons.  I was appalled to find that I had so many of the same item...Use this opportunity to clean out a kitchen drawer.  Donate items that are past their usefulness or you can't remember WHAT the darn thing does (did you really need that lemon zester).  The extra space will make cooking a more pleasant experience.

9)  Now move to cleaning out the silverware drawer.  Remove the storage container if you use one, wash and replace.  Throw away the old chopsticks that have migrated to the back of the drawer.  If you find that you're down to 3 teaspoons, put new silverware on your shopping list so you can keep an eye out for a good bargains.





10)  Linen Closet
I have 3 linen closets.  One in the powder room where I store linens for that half bath and all my "overflow linens.  Its less than 12 inches wide so there is NOT a lot of extra storage space.  I store any rags here for car washing or those towels that will accompany the kids to camp (and not be returned!)

The guest and Master bath Linen closets both require different types of attention.  The guest bath closet stores towels but also lines for both children's beds.  This area quickly gets out of control when the bed linens are not folded properly.  Check out this to see how to fold a fitted sheet. They key is tucking the corners into each other.

The Master bath stores beach towels and extra bottles of shampoo, etc. in addition to Master linens and towels.  If your cabinet has a shelf with toiletries-treat that shelf like a drawer and you can stick to the 15 minute tidy rule.

31 day$ to a Le$$ Cluttered Life #1

I'm inclined to agree with my dear Daughter, Alayna, who says a new school year is almost better than the New Year we celebrate on January 1 for starting new habits and shedding old...SO it is to that sentiment that this post is dedicated.
Here is my list of suggestions to de-clutter your life in 31 days or less.  If you employ one of these each day for a month, you'll have a less cluttered life and all of the benefits that go with that!

1)  Stash the Trash

When papers come home from school or in the mail employ the TOUCH ONCE and be done policy.
Note from the teacher?  Read and Sign it and place it back in Juniors backpack.
Reminder notice for the PTA meeting next week?  Put it on your family calendar and in your phones calendar and throw the paper away.
If you get these reminders electronically you can employ the same habit.

Art work from your preschool students?  Place in a "pizza box" labeled with the name of the child and the year.  These stack nicely and you can find them years later when Junior goes off to college.   Use these to create greeting cards or wrapping paper for grandparents or far-flung relatives.



My boxes, pictured at right are actually 12x12 scrapbook paper boxes.

2)  Clean out the Junk Drawer:
Get rid of those pens that no longer work or markers that have dried up.
Can't identify the key and it won't fit any doors you have?  Toss or (as I do) use in a Steam Punk art project. If you aren't crafty you could still donate to your high school art teacher (trust me on this...she will be glad to get your cast offs).
Address book?  Enter the information into your phone.
Sequester your rubber bands in a box or Ziploc bag.  Place paperclips in a magnetic holder, put stamps and address labels in a plastic envelope to keep them usable.
Some dollar store divided boxes help keep the clutter at bay.

 3)  New School year always means exposure to more germs, colds and viruses.  Take this opportunity to clean out your medicine chest or drawer and dispose of any outdated or expired  medicines.  At a minimum,make sure you have a thermometer, band aids, hydro cortisone cream, benadryl, pain relief and perhaps a cold/flu medicine on hand for those middle of the night emergencies.  

4)  If back to school means shopping for new clothes to your family then use this time to purge the closet and drawers.  If the kids didn't wear the garment  in the last 12 months or it no longer fits , it goes into my consignment box or donate (if it is worn, stained or out of style).  Many charities are able to use bulk garments even if they are not suitable for wear-so I never throw these items in the trash.  Stained and mismatched socks-GONE!  Worn shoes are donated to Edge ministries to help fund clean water in those areas in need.  If it is missing a button and I KNOW I don't have the replacement or won't fix it then it is recycled.  The only exception to my recycling of clothing rule is that old undies are tossed in the garbage!

Clothing, jewelry, shoes, purses, coats, etc. are taken to a local consignment store that pays for my STASH in CASH.  The items they reject are then consigned to a sale hosted by my church.  Anything that doesn't sell does NOT come home but is donated.

The closet purge is completed when old bent or broken hangers are pitched in the trash

5)  Bathroom Drawers are cleaned out of broken hair-ties, half used lip-gloss and the dried up nail polish.  If I am feeling really motivated, I may reline these drawers with new shelf paper.  Half empty bottles are consolidated or discarded.  Hairbrushes are washed and cleaned of that hairball and readied for use.

We make a list of any new makeup that might be required and add to our back to school shopping list.

Pick a start date
Set a timer for 15 minutes and tackle one of these clutter busters
When the time rings, you're done fro the day.
Check back for 5 more tips in my next post.

Happy Purging!

Back to $chool $avings

Whatever happened to my FREE public education?

Honestly, between "renting" the required text book; the locker, sports fees and equipment; yearbooks; required school agenda (which never gets used because of its inefficient format; necessitating the purchase of one that actually gets the job done!); and boxes of sanitizing wipes, paper towels, tissues and hand sanitizer required for the classrooms; composition notebooks, loose-leaf paper, graph paper, binders, pencils, TI-83 calculators and the like I am out more than $400 before I buy the first pair of new shoes (we'll not go THERE in this post).
So, how is a frugal mom supposed to save some cold hard cash this time of year? Glad you asked! And, BTW--you are going to spend much more than you save this time of year, so take an aspirin before proceeding:

1) First, you must have a plan which includes knowing what you are required to provide for your student. Thankfully, our school makes back to school packets available in mid-July before the back to school sales begin in earnest. Don't buy a lot of stuff that is not on the list because it may not get used!

2) Stock up-this is a must for the frugal mom. Peruse the Sunday ads, making plans to shop around and only purchase the best deals at a variety of stores.

Purchase 2-3 times the number of items on the list (if 7 composition notebooks are required, purchase a minimum of 14-21 to assure mid-year replacements are available at a reasonable price). At 25 cents each 14 notebooks will cost you $3.50. Should you fail to purchase the necessary replacements for later in the year you'll be lucky to find these for a $1.00-so stocking up is critical and your net savings throughout the year is over $11.00. I also purchase crayons, glue sticks, colored pencils for arts and craft project, Christmas and Easter gifts and my Operation Shoebox at this time of the year and store them away.
Apply the same strategy to folders, pencils, lose leaf notebook paper and 3 subject or 5 subject spiral notebooks and any other school supplies.

For my college kid I employ the same strategy and even use this time of year to buy new toilet brushes (yes, they are on sale for $2 less than the normal price and I make a habit of replacing them every year at this time), wastebaskets, sheet sets and small appliances are on sale too.(for your personal use or as a replacement, Christmas gifts or wedding showers you know are coming up)

3) Develop a storage system-No one likes to use a bent or tattered notebook. After all, new supplies are the highlight of returning to school for some folks, me included. Therefore, storing your purchases in pristine condition until you need them is a requirement. I use a plastic drawer ed bin but an under the bed box or any secure container which will keep out the dust is satisfactory! DON'T purchase a new storage system, that defeats the frugal part of this post--use what you already have!

4) Get Freebies-make sure you take advantage of any BOGO free offers, rebates and don't forget to pickup any free samples (pencils, post it notes, hand sanitizer, chip clips and caribiners seem to be popular items this year) at your local state fair or community event. Put these in your storage system as you accumulate them over the course of the year.

5) Keep your receipts and don't be afraid to return the UNUSED binder that was desired until DD saw what all the other 7th graders were carrying.

6) Shop early to assure the best selection (you can always return what you purchased but didn't actually need). Younger kids especially enjoy selecting their own supplies and this will insure they are actually used.

Happy Shopping!