Cheap, easy, chemical free cleaner plus so much more!

By now you are settling into your dorm room or apartment.  You have taken my advice from my previous post (hint, hint) and have organized your space.  You've probably had a nice, quiet gathering ;) to celebrate your new space and now you are left with the after mess.  Don't clutter up your space with multiple chemical cleaners!  Go to the store and get.....white vinegar.  Yes...that's right....white vinegar.

1 - Place vinegar in a small bowl and place it on a counter to reduce cigarette smell, etc.

2 - Mix 1 tsp of vinegar with 1 tsp of liquid detergent to remove stains from carpet.  Blot the mixture on the stain with a towel and gently rub.  Rinse the spot with clean water.  Repeat until stain is gone.  Dry using a fan or hair dryer.

3 - Remove the sticky gunk (that's a technical term, BTW) after a label is peeled off by soaking a cloth in full strength vinegar and then placing the cloth over the gunk for several minutes.

4 - Use vinegar and water to clean your shower, bathroom fixtures, etc. to kill germs and just generally de-nasty it.  For stubborn stains, add blue Dawn dish detergent in a spray bottle.  Spray on the surface and let sit for 30 minutes before rinsing.

5 - Run vinegar through your coffee maker to get rid of little nasties.

6 - Deodorize your kitchen (or bathroom) sink.  Pour 1 cup of vinegar down drain.  Let sit for 30 minutes and then rinse cold water down the drain.

7 - Speaking of drains....if you have a clogged drain, pour baking SODA into the drain and then add white vinegar.  Let it bubble and do its thing.  Then flush with hot water.

8 - Use equal parts of vinegar and water to clean your fridge.  

9 - Put 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 cup water into a microwave safe bowl.  Put the bowl into the microwave and run for approximately 2-3 minutes (or until water is steaming).  This will loosen the nasties in your microwave so you can wipe them out.

10 - Get clothing cleaner and deodorized.  Add 1 cup of vinegar to each load of laundry when putting it into the washing machine.

11 - Remove underarm perspiration stains by using 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water solution.  Blot directly on stain and then rinse.

12 - Cold weather is coming, so store this somewhere you will remember.  Coat your windshield with a solution of 3 parts vinegar and 1 part water at night.  This will keep your windshield free of frost in the morning.

13 - You've been putting off laundry for 2 weeks now, your roommate burned some popcorn, and your room/apartment just has a funk about it.  Take an empty spray bottle, fill it almost to the top with white vinegar and then add 10 drops or so of ESSENTIAL oil.  Use this as you would any odor neutralizing spray.

14 - If you have a dishwasher and it gets a case of the nasties....put a cup of white vinegar in a dishwasher safe glass and then place this into an empty dishwasher.  Run this through a normal cycle.  This will wash away the grease, gunk, odors, etc.  

Dorm room or small apartment storage

So you've now moved into your dorm room or your apartment.  Your loved ones and friends have hauled your stuff up numerous steps and plopped it just inside your door.  Now, you are starting to wonder "where am I going to put all this stuff?"

Here are several ideas to help you organize your stuff for a very minimal amount of money.

Dollar Store finds....

1 - You can double your closet space by adding a second bar to hang clothing.  You can find adjustable spring loaded shower rods at the Dollar Store.  Add this about halfway between the floor of the closet and the existing bar.

2 - If you purchase nothing else, get yourself some adhesive back storage hooks.  These can be found at the Dollar Store, or if you want to splurge, go to a department store and purchase the Command brand.

     a - let's say your cable hookup is far away from where your TV "fits."           A few well placed storage hooks with the extension cable

          threaded through them works like a charm.  The same can be 

          said for extension cords.

     b- Hang one on the back of your closet door as a place to put

          wet towels after your shower.  

     c - put a few on the wall and hang colorful storage totes or baskets               to keep track of remotes, electronics, etc.  Get creative!

3 - Get yourself a shower caddy.  Keep all your shower needs in here. 

      Just pick up the entire caddy and take it with you.  Will force your 

      keep only what's necessary and will save you tons of storage space.

a - This can also be used to keep pens, pencils, scissors, etc.

4 - wire key hooks - These wire key hooks can be used inside your closet to hold necklaces, bracelets, etc. 

Other inexpensive storage ideas...

1 - bed risers - get your bed a little further off the ground, and you gain instant storage space.  This can be

      used for out of season clothing you just HAD to bring with you.  Could also be used for shoes.  Flat 

      storage containers can be purchased to keep like things together.  If you want to splurge, get some bed 

      risers with electrical outlets in them (check out Bed, Bath and Beyond).

2 - over the door shoe organizer - instead of using this for shoes, hang

      it on the wall (with your hooks from above) and store your snacks.        Microwave popcorn, granola bars, etc will fit perfectly into each   

      compartment.

3 - hanging sweater organizer - It's not sweater time yet, at least for most of the country.  You can still use 

     this to organize and store your T-shirts, camisoles, etc.  Each compartment can hold 10+ T-shirts!

4 - hanging shoe organizer - use this for shoes (flip flops can be doubled in each compartment) now.  In a 

     few weeks from now, this can be used to organize and store your scarves, gloves, etc.  

5 - cascading hangers - instead of taking up a foot of hanger space in your closet, you can hang the same amount of clothing using a fraction of the space.  

These are just a few ideas to get your dorm room or apartment to work with you, not against you.  Feel free to comment and share any additional ideas you may have!!

Buy in bulk...cook for one

I remember when I first got married and started cooking for only 2 people.  I was used to helping prepare meals for 7 people.  Cooking for one or two people is harder than you would think.

It may seem illogical to buy in bulk when you are only cooking for one or two.  However, it makes perfect sense once you learn how to separate the bulk food and freeze it for future use.

Example #1:  my grocery store was having a sale on onions.  I bought 2 huge onions, brought them home, chopped them up and separated them in snack sized plastic bags. This is roughly the amount I need when I cook.  From there, I put the snack sized plastic bags into freezer bags.  Two onions gave me about 10 bags (and therefore 10 meals) for about $2.00.  This can also be done with bell peppers and other vegetables.  Note: when placing the food into the plastic bags (Zip-Loc) keep it as flat as possible.  This will allow you to stack your freezer bags in your freezer and maximize space.

Example #2:  corn on the cob...this is the same basic concept.  However, you boil the corn, allow to cool enough to be handled.  Stand corn cob on its end in a bowl or on a plate.  Use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cob.  Once finished, proceed with putting the kernels into the plastic bags.  For this, I use a sandwich size bag.  Place in freezer bags and store in freezer.

Example #3:  meat...I just did this today so I took some pictures.  My store had some pretty good sales on chicken breast.  

There are 3 of us in the family now.  Even with a husband and a teenage son, we do not need this much chicken.  If you are cooking for one or two people, this could be 3 meals for you....for around $7 for all three.  You will need some plastic wrap (cling wrap, Saran Wrap, press and seal, etc).  Take a piece of the plastic wrap and place 1 chicken breast in it.  Use a meat mallet or the bottom of a sturdy glass to flatten the chicken breast.  This will ensure you get even cooking when it's time.  

Start at the thin end and work your way to the thick end.  Not sure why, but that seems to work better for me.  Tuck all the plastic wrap under the chicken breast.  Once you have them all wrapped in the plastic, put them in the freezer bag.  Make sure to mark your freezer bag with the contents and date prior to filling.  Again, be sure the contents are flat so you can stack them in your freezer.

Final example:  complete freezer meals.   When you are comfortable buying in bulk and packaging for individual meals, give packaging the entire meal together a try.  Go to this website for a huge list of freezer meal options...http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-meal-recipes-master-list/