Frugal Friday- Build you own washer and dryer pedestal

If you are like me and have a front loader washer and dryer set, then you know how hard it is to reach in and grab clothes out. I am getting closer to the end of my pregnancy so I just cannot bend far enough over anymore to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer. I have resorted to depending on the children to switch them for me.

Now, when they sold us the set they tried to get us to buy the matching pedestal set for another $200.00 each! There was no way I wanted to spend that much more for them. When we got them home it did not take long to see why we might need them.

Well, being the frugal minded people that we are my dear, sweet husband decided to make our own. He was ready to build a platform with 2 pullout drawers. I had to remind him that the drawers would NEVER be used since I would not want to bend over that far. So, he built me just the platform.

We went to the habitat restore and got a large sheet of MDF for $1.00 and then we bought 1- 2x8x8 and 1- 2x8x10 for $10.00. We used paint that we already had, so the total cost to us was $11.00! Much better than the $400 it would have cost us.

Here are the before pics:




Here are some after pics:

We still had a few touch ups to do in the after pic, but you get the picture. It wasn't hard to do and it saves my back, all while saving me a bunch of money. Many home improvement projects can be done yourself for so much less. Make sure you check to see if your city has a Habit for Humanity restore. You can find all sorts of things to spruce up your home for pennies on the dollar.

For more frugal ideas, make sure to visit Biblical Womanhood for Frugal Friday's.

Home Organizing Binder

Today is Wednesday and it's time for another, "Works for me Wednesday." One thing that really worked well for me is a home organizing binder.

One of the biggest questions I get asked is how I keep up with everything and stay so organized. Ok, those of you who really know me can stop laughing now...really!

Seriously though, I love my lists! I have a list for everything. I have a to do list that covers anything that I have outside of my normal schedule. I also have a grocery list, a list for all of the weekly sales, a daily, weekly and monthly chore list, etc. You get the picture.

I love the feeling of knowing how my day should run. I thrive on a schedule. I am so busy taking care of my household, that without my lists and my schedule I would be lost.

The problem I began to have over time though, because of my list obsession, is that they began to take over. I had lists at the computer stand, at the table, on my headboard. They were everywhere. Of course with 6 children they would get misplaced and then I would panic and start having heart palpitations.

One day, while complaining to my sweet husband, he suggested to me that I keep all my lists in a central location. In something I could carry around with me. He actually gave me a binder and told me to put everything in there. Can you hear the choir in the background as that lightbulb went off in my head? Wow, why didn't I think of that?! Yes folks, he is a genius.

So now I have everything I need in my binder. It is my lifeline. Our main schedule is in there. I write all of my lists in there. I keep tips and tricks i've learned, my grocery price book, our chore charts, and more in there. Basically everything I need to run my house is in that binder.

I have since found that other women do the same thing, imagine that! If you are interested in making one for yourself, you can do a quick online search to get an idea of how others are making theirs. A really good one is Keepers at Home's Organizer. If you look at her page, it will give you an idea of just what you can include in your binder. Just remember that everyone's will be different because every family is different. I have tweaked mine several times over the years to fit our changing family.

Another great thing about my binder is that I hope to be able to share it with my girls one day, when they are ready to run their own household. I am actually working on one that I am decorating beautifully. I plan on doing the same for them. It's a little bit of me that I can pass on to them.