Doodle Acres

White vinegar mixed with water is my favorite all-purpose cleaner.  I keep a spray bottle of it under my kitchen sink and in each of my bathrooms.  We use it to spray and wipe the counters and tabletop in the kitchen.  It is used daily by the children during chores to wiped down the bathroom counters, sinks and mirrors.

Another added bonus is the health benefits.  A few years ago when one of my sons was diagnosed with a mild case of asthma, his doctor was glad to hear that we use this wonderful cleaner because the typical cleaners are harmful to an asthmatic.

Saturday during our family cleaning time (now that’s the subject of another post), I used the vinegar and water spray to clean walls, wood stairs, bathroom tile, bathtubs, showers, etc.  I was amazed how well it performed on my shower stall.  (However I am currently on the lookout for a healthy spray to deal with discolored caulk).

And best of all, I can buy a gallon at Costco for only a few dollars (I don’t remember the exact price because it lasted so long!!!)

P.S. While searching for a picture of vinegar, I happened upon a post called, “66 Uses for Vinegar”.  Hope you enjoy it!!!

With the price of fuel oil being so out of sight this winter, I have been keeping the thermostat set pretty low: 60 at night and 64-65 during the day.  I have found several strategies for keeping warm – a hot cup of tea, keeping busy (not sitting too long), and a comfy sweater.  Today, I’d like to talk about my favorite way to stay warm.

Well you may have heard the expression, “Cold hands, warm heart.”  Well I have a new one: “Warm feet, warm body.”  A pair of wool socks and a cozy pair of slippers go a long way in staying warm.  Growing up, I always heard that people lose most of their body heat through their head and feet.  This was my mother’s way of getting me to wear my hat.  Well now that I’m the mom, my advice to you is to warm your body by warming your feet!!!

You can find links to more money saving tips at Biblical Womanhood!!!

My perhaps most important laundry secret for saving your clothing from the garbage can is Spray and Wash stain stick.  I leave a stain stick in my top dresser drawer.  Every night, I “evaluate” the shirt I wore that day to see if it needs to be “stain sticked”.  It usually does because I always seem to forget to wear an apron!!!  I have resurrected many shirts with my trusty stain stick.  My trusty stain stick is so good that it will usually get the stain out on the second washing if I forgot to “stain stick” it the first time!!!

Around here, someone under the age of 18 always seems to be breaking a dish.  And we had gotten down to an insufficient number despite using Corelle (which are breakable in our home!!!).  I personally hate to eat off of plastic dishes.  Well I was lamenting to a friend recently about the my dish situation and wondering whether I should invest in another set of Corelle or just go to paper plates.  Both “solutions” were not floating my boat!!!  Then my friend gave me a great idea.  He suggested buying second hand plates at a thrift shop.  It turned out to be a great idea.  I got a nearly complete set of dishes for 8 (dinner plates, luncheon plates, bowls, tea cups and saucers) for $4!!!  Now I can eat on real plates without worry!!!  God is good!!! Thanks Don!!!