May Decluttering Efforts

My goal was to declutter at least 100 items.

Here are the things that I decluttered for the month of May:

• 11 pairs of toddler socks
• 11 duplo blocks
• 1 strawberry stemmer
• 1 toddler spoon
• 1 toddler fort
• 4 toddler books
• 1 bouncy ball
• 2 surprise eggs
• 8 food items for the Stamp Out Hunger food drive
• 1 puzzle cube
• 2 deodorant samples
• 1 lotion sample
• 1 sanitizer sample
• 1 floating candle
• 1 broken drinking glass
• 1 stack of coupons
• 1 bag of box tops
• 1 cutting board
• 4 toddler snack cups
• 1 monkey figurine
• 1 stack of metal mason jar lids
• 1 tote bag
• 1 egg carton
• 1 stack of used post it notes
• 1 pair of toddler shoes
• 3 egg shaped crayons
• 2 toddler sweaters
• 1 toddler coat
• 1 phone book
• 1 spork
• 1 spatula
• 1 car shampoo
• 1 spoon
• 1 wine sized organza bag
• 1 hair net for a aig
• 1 ribbon
• 1 necklace
• 2 doll stands
• 3 cans of formula samples
• 11 utensil packages
• 1 toddler fork
• 1 carbon filter
• 8 old vitamin containers
• 1 empty candle
• 2 toddler books
• 1 teether
• 1 stapler
• a pack of candy bars
• a graze sampler box
• container of pepper
• old gum
• an assortment of samples
• 3 color wonder coloring books
• bag of color wonder markers
• mug holder
• led flashlight
• spaghetti jar

Total for this month: 118 items!

My house feels lighter, but I have much more to do. At least I can breathe easier each time I choose to let go of an item. I am setting another personal goal of decluttering at least 100 items for the month of June.

What have you decluttered this month?

Last week's frugal efforts.

I filled out the survey on the Fred Meyer receipt for fuel points.

I froze some strawberries before they went bad along with some bananas.

I made a double batch of chia seed mini muffins and put half in the freezer so my toddler has an easy snack at a later date.

When cleaning out the pantry I gave the toddler some old spaghetti noodles to play with instead of just tossing them. I wrote a post about it here.

I took the old blackout curtains from the bedroom and hung them in the living room. It makes me feel so much better about the room, but now I have to find 4 more panels to put on the other living room windows.

Instead of buying new bulbs for the bathroom vanity lights I took one from my closet vanity light. The closet had 5 bright bulbs so I can do just fine with 4.

We attended a free live band show at the local marina. (although we did buy a little bit of food) I have to attend a couple live music performances for one of my classes, and this venue is the only one I can make it to during assignment time frame. We all enjoyed it. There were lovely views of the water. My toddler got to experience something new! We'll probably come back soon, but eat before we go.

The toddler and I spent some time coloring in a magazine with markers. He liked tracing and drawing faces and silly hats on people.

What have you done to save money lately?

Moment of Pause #6

That moment when you can bring out the washable markers and have fun drawing on some random magazine pages. No money being spent. No screens being looked at. Thoughts are consumed on what color to use next instead of chores that need to be done.

When was the last time you colored?

Frugal Fun. Toddler Spaghetti Craziness.

Um, yes. That is a ton of spaghetti on my kitchen floor. I was cleaning out my pantry and came across some very old spaghetti noodles that weren't suitable to eat.

So instead of throwing them away I thought I would present them to my toddler in a big bowl to see what he would do.

I got this idea from a blog post somewhere. The blogger gave her kids an old bag of flour to play with outside. I remember the picture of her kids covered in flour. They had a great time.

At first I helped him break the noodles in half. Then he started putting them into a small box. Then into a gallon ziploc bag.

Not only did he get in some good sensory play he was thoroughly entertained for a long time, and I got some good pictures to show the grandmothers!

So if you have some old foodstuff that could be a potential toy consider giving it to your toddler for some screen-free fun.

I also have some dry oats that I'll bring outside when the weather gets warmer for him to toss around.

Has your little one played with food lately?

Meal plan update.

I'm still looking for the best way to meal plan with my limited time and cooking skills.

My challenges are:

* Feeling guilty that I can't make everything from scratch.
* My toddler is very picky taste and texture wise.
* My husband has a tomato intolerance
* I have to limit certain meat and fat intake for myself
* I don't do most of the grocery shopping
* If I don't stick to a plan everything goes off kilter
* I work full time, I go to school online full time, and I am alone with the toddler most of the time due to my husband's work.

For about a month I've been writing down dinners on the wall calendar in the kitchen so I can keep track of what we've been eating. That will make planning easier in the future.

I just started using a chalkboard on the freezer door to write down weekly dinners as I browse the pantry and freezers. It's nice to come home from work and know what to make so I don't have to give it a second thought. And if I spot something that needs to be used up I can quickly change it.

What's nice about the wall calendar is that if my toddler didn't like what was for dinner that night I can keep track of what he did eat and what "new" foods he was exposed to.

Maybe I'm over complicating this, but so far these seem to be making it easier for me.

How do you meal plan?

Last week's frugal efforts.

I used my new (refurbished) KitchenAid mixer to make banana bread, strawberry coconut muffins, and mini chia seed muffins. My toddler isn't afraid of the noise so I can actually use it without waiting for my husband to be around to mind the toddler. I can make double batches of things and freeze the extras. I'm excited for the possibilities.

I've been reading personal finance/minimalism/simple living blogs, forums, and books and also listening to podcasts.

I filled out the Fred Meyer survey on the receipt for fuel points.

My husband used coupons when shopping. (yes some men do that!)

I used my stockpile of Amazon digital credits to buy free expansions to my video game. The credits were starting to expire, and there were no Kindle books I wanted at the time.

I started watching youtube videos to learn things. From how to use a reusable Kcup to grocery hauls to see how other people shop and why. This will help me with planning meals, how to use things up, how to shop smarter, etc.

Sometimes the "usual" things I do get overlooked when I'm thinking of what to include in these posts. These include using stainless steel bottles for water and coffee, glass containers to bring leftovers to work, and reusing hand/body towels more than once before washing.

I ate my toddler's leftovers so they wouldn't go to waste.

This is a big one --- we managed to cut the toddler's hair! It involved a spontaneous trip to the bathroom to show him how not scary the scissors were and a single size bag of goldfish crackers. (he only gets the organic bunny crackers under normal circumstances) Sure his cut is crooked and uneven, but we saved $20 here and a slightly scary trip to the barber!!!

I cut off the filter from a coffee bag to save for my husband's new coffee canister (a Father's Day gift). It uses filters to keep the coffee fresher, and it fits the same filters used on coffee bags.

I filled out a survey from the Pizza Hut receipt. We haven't stopped there in a long time, and this survey will save us $10 off a $20 purchase. Nice for when we don't feel like cooking and/or want a lot of cheap meals for convenience.

What have you done to save money lately?

Moment of Pause #5

There's nothing like the taste of coffee.

That moment of pause where the day is just barely beginning, but you still have time to inhale and catch your breath before plans, busyness, and tantrums take over.

Remember to live in the moment once in awhile.

Once a day.

Once upon a time.