Time savers, money savers, energy savers (both electrical and human), maybe even sanity savers.

I have a couple I thought I’d share with you, but I’m selfishly hoping you’ll share yours with me.

Fresh and Free Bread Crumbs

I’ve always thought it was a huge waste to throw the ends of the bread away. But I don’t want to eat them either. My solution? I keep a bag in the freezer and everytime I finish off a loaf of bread, I toss the ends in. When I need bread crumbs for a recipe, I pull a couple out and put them in the food processor, blender or Magic Bullet. In just a couple minutes I have fresh bread crumbs that didn’t cost me a dime. Sometimes I add Italian seasoning or some cheese to spice up the flavor. I’ve saved money and reduced waste.

Natural and Inexpensive Multi-Purpose Cleaner and Odor Eliminator

If you’re not using vinegar all around your house, you’re missing out! The first place I started using it was in the laundry room. I have four young children. Diapers leak, they get sick, they wet the bed. Their clothes and bedding get smelly. My towels were smelling musty too. I used to buy Febreze Laundry. Effective, but really expensive!

Now, I keep a jug of vinegar next to the washer. I add a half cup to a cup to the loads that are stinky. Works like a charm! And, no, the clothes don’t smell like vinegar. I also use it as a liquid fabric softener and more in the laundry.

I also use vinegar to clean my kitchen and bathroom. It wards off mold and mildew. It doesn’t disinfect, so it’s not the only product I use in those rooms. But I use it a lot. And, no, my house doesn’t smell like vinegar. It also doesn’t smell like chemicals.

My best tip related to vinegar? Take an old baby wipe container and fill it with equal parts vinegar and water. Fold some clean rags and place them in the solution. I actually filled mine with two cups water and marked a line on the outside of the container with a magic marker, then added two cups vinegar and made another mark. Now I don’t have to measure my equal parts.

When you’re ready to clean, take out a rag. If you need another one, don’t dip the dirty one back in, just pull out a new one. No paper towels! Again…saving money and reducing waste. When you’re finished cleaning, toss the rags in the wash. The vinegar they’re soaked in helps freshen the load.

There are so many other uses for vinegar! Give it a try. You’ll be over the smell in a couple days.

Organizer for Coupons

I wrote an entire post on my coupon strategy, but the key is really how I organize the coupons using a mini photo album and Post-It notes.

There you have it. Three of my time and money savers. What are your favorite tips and tricks?

$30,000 in stunning cabinetry from Merillat Cabinets!

Today marked the official beginning of our journey into kitchen remodel-dom.

We were pleased to welcome Merillat representatives Mark Ayers, vice-president of marketing, Susan Cross, communications and public relations manager, and “Elliot the intern” from Eastern Michigan University. Joining them was Karin Bottomley, marketing manager of KSI Kitchen and Bath as well as several members of  Hanson, Inc. (web developers for Merillat).

The purpose of their visit was to present me with a giant-size “check” in the amount of “$30,000 in stunning cabinetry from Merillat Cabinets.” A check I will be more than happy to “cash” thank you very much!

In addition to all of the above named individuals, the two major tv news channels in Toledo, Ohio, WTVG and WTOL were on hand to interview Mr. Ayers, Ms. Bottomley, Michael and me and to photograph the heck out of the kitchen (the before pictures)! That was also the purpose of the Hanson, Inc. folks being here.

If you know me at all, you know I can not be described as obsessive compulsive when it comes to keeping my house in order. I used to be. Then I had four kids and got a puppy. You relax your standards a little more with each additional mammal in the house. I practice something I learned from Good Housekeeping Magazine. It’s called “Good (Enough) Housekeeping.” I also identify with British sitcom character Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet by her-and only her) from the show Keeping Up Appearances.

So all these people are coming to shoot video and take pictures of my kitchen…so what’s “Good Enough?” Besides your basic kitchen cleaning of counters, stovetop and sink, I dusted, I mopped, I got the cobwebs from the corners, I cleared all the junk that had gathered in the room, I weeded out the “stuff” on the front of the fridge, I washed the windows and I even picked the dead leaves off my plant. That should be “good enough,” right?

Sure! Good Enough for the human eye, but not good enough for those lights (capable of spotlighting dirt my 40-something eyes missed), and that camera–you should have seen the zoom on the camera! Oy! They spent nearly an hour videotaping my empty kitchen! Then, horror of horrors, they started opening cupboard doors and drawers! Oy!…oh-well! My secret’s out!

The lights and the cameras are gone (for now) and it’s time for the action! I have homework. We have to measure the kitchen and I have a questionnaire to fill out before I meet with our designer at KSI (Amy Wuest who happened to go to Cardinal Stritch High School with my husband). I’ve also been looking through the brochures Kim gave me about Merillat Classic Cabinets and I’m finally getting a sense of what I really want to have included in my new kitchen. It’s finally starting to sink in and I’m so excited!

Oh yeah! and I have to thoroughly clean out and scrub my cupboards, refrigerator and stove one last time lest the contractors think I’m anything less than an immaculate housekeeper!