How to Save a Little Money on Laundry Supplies

My tip today is pretty short and sweet, but it is something that works for me, so I thought I would pass it along.

Fabric softener dryer sheets, I think, are pretty big. So, before I use one, I just rip it in half (inside the dryer, in case anything "falls" out, per se) and throw in only half a sheet. Then, when I do my next load of laundry, I use the leftover half.

I know that there are those spikey dryer balls that could probably be better, since I wouldn't be using them at all. But, after hearing pretty mixed reviews, I decided to stick with ripping them in half. (I will note that I have heard of people cutting a whole package worth at the same time, but that it is difficult. I figure it's easy enough for me to just do one at a time.)

I know this seems like it isn't a big deal, but when I realized that this means that my box that is meant for 120 loads of laundry actually lasts for 240 loads, that sure seemed like a big difference to me!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday (themed edition: Frugal Tips) and Frugal Fridays.

This is reposted from 2008.

photo by *ThroughMyEyes*

My Big Fat Catholic First Communion Party

We had such a busy week (last week) and weekend! Even though Jack made his First Communion last Sunday (April 26th), we had a party in his honor this past Sunday.

Of course, this meant that last week was just one giant tackle!

I finally got the house clean (though I did hire someone who is in between jobs to come in for a couple of hours to help me along on that).

Then, we spent part of the weekend planting flowers, mowing the lawn, and installing swings on our swingset.

The rest of the weekend was spent getting the food ready for our party, although my Mom did a ton of the work where that was concerned!

Our First Communion party menu:

• Baked Ham Sandwiches
• Meatballs
• Spiral Sandwiches
• BBQ Pork (and Buns)
• Chicken Nuggets (I went through an entire huge bag from Sam's of dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets!)
• Sesame Noodles
• Deviled Eggs
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Potato Salad
• Crab Dip
• Macaroni Salad
• Pasta Salad
• Fresh Veggies
• Fresh Fruit
• Spinach Artichoke Cheese Spread and Crackers
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Shoe Cake (this is a chocolate chip bread)
• Phyllo Shells Filled with a Cream Cheese/Dream Whip/Powdered Sugar Mix
• 1/2 Sheet Cake
• Cheese Cake Bites
• Punch
• Lemonade

We loved having so many family members, friends, and members of our church family at our home! But, we were extra thankful for beautiful weather that meant that all of the kids spent the entire time outside! (Whew!)

This was quite a tackle this week. I think next week my tackle is going to have to be something like picking a Lego up off the floor or brushing my hair in the morning.

This post is linked to Tackle It Tuesday.

Many Little Blessings: April 2009 Recap

Thanks to everyone who has come to visit Many Little Blessings during the month of April! While there were many referring sites, as usual, I would like to share the top 10 referrers for the month.

1. We are THAT Family

2. The Homeschool Classroom

3. The Lazy Organizer

4. Catholic Mothers Online

5. Simple Mom

6. 5 Minutes for Mom

7. Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers

8. Moms by Heart

9. The Finer Things in Life

10. BlogHer

7 Quick Takes - May 1st Edition (Vol. 2)

1. We are so pleased to announce that Jack made his First Holy Communion this past Sunday! He looked so grown up, and so proud! And, I suppose we probably looked pretty darn proud too. (We definitely felt that way.)

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2. And, speaking of Jack's First Communion, we are gearing up for his party this weekend. Since my parents were originally going to be out of town last weekend, we scheduled the party for this weekend instead. Can I just tell you how much less stress I felt at the Mass knowing that I didn't have to rush home for guests to arrive? (Plus, then we got to go to a First Communion party of one of Jack's friends instead.)

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3. The printing on the N key and E key of my laptop is almost gone. The same thing happened with my old laptop too.

Looks like the M key is set to be the next victim.

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4. I'm having someone come to clean the house tomorrow. I know, I could do it myself. But, this woman is charging a very reasonable price (and is out of work). I guess we'll see how this works out. I feel bad to have someone come clean (well -- kind of), but it seems to be a win-win situation. We'll see how it all works out and if I want to have her come back and clean again.

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5. I actually did have someone come clean my house a few times several years ago. It was someone I knew from work who did cleaning on the side. She appeared to have several clients, and I was so busy. I thought it would be perfect.

Honestly, she didn't do the best job where we worked, and so I figured that perhaps cleaning was her forte. Let's just say, I don't think it was.

Of the times she came, one time she spent all three hours in my bedroom and our bathroom. I didn't go in there while she was there. I was shocked to find several dusty areas and an unmade bed when I went to see it after she left. To this day, I still am sure she spent a good portion of the time on her cell phone.

That was the last time I had her (or anyone) over to clean the house or talk on the phone or whatever it was that she did.

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6. My favorite latest downloads from iTunes are "You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie" by The Submarines, "Major Tom (Coming Home)" by Mxpx, "Brand New Day" by Tim Myers, and "Beautiful Life" by Fisher.

All of them were songs that I heard in commercials and couldn't get out of my head.

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7. I cried at least a few times while I watched Grey's Anatomy tonight. I'm such a sap, but I'm okay with that.