June – 2016 – Frugal Novice

Five Tips for Getting Your House Move-In Ready – Plus a Free Printable!

I can still vividly remember what it felt like packing up our first home to get ready for our move. There is SO much to do when you’re getting ready to move out of a place, and SO much to do when you’re moving in, too. It’s a thrilling time, but it can be pretty exhausting, too.

My friend Bailey and her husband bought their first house recently, and it was a lot of fun seeing pics of her new place and hearing about all their plans for the various rooms. Isn’t their house great? I love the big tree in the front yard!

If you’re about to be moving into a new house, whether it’s your first or your tenth, there are things you can do to make the space feel like yours and really be move-in ready. Getting everything thoroughly clean is the biggest step, and I’ve got five tips for you that’ll really help your home feel fresh, clean, and most importantly, like yours.

Wipe down all the surfaces in your house. Your counters, of course – but go ahead and wipe down your mantel, your window sills, and the insides of your cabinets and drawers while you’re at it.
What you’ll need: You can make a great DIY cleaner using vinegar, dish soap and water, and you’ll want to have plenty of paper towels on hand. We love Bounty Select-a-Size – then we can use as much or as little as we need, and they’re extra absorbent.
Go ahead and wash all your curtains before you hang them. Whether they’re new or are being transferred from your old house, it’s worth it to have fresh, clean curtains hanging from your windows, free of wrinkles or folds from store packaging.
What you’ll need: A washer and dryer, of course, and good detergent. Tide Pods make it super easy – we love them because we just have to toss one in and it cleans, brightens fabric and removes stains.
Get the floors sparkling. I like to do a preliminary mopping before anything is moved in, focusing on places furniture will be placed to get them clean beforehand. After everything is in place and all the trekking in and out of the house is done, do another good mopping session.
What you’ll need: A mop and cleaning solution. My fave? The Swiffer WetJet. It’s easy to use, and it traps and locks dirt so it doesn’t get pushed around on your floor.
Refresh the air. If the house has sat empty for a long time, it might be a little musty. Or if you’ve had a crew of sweaty friends helping you move, you might want to clear that odor out of your new home, too. Open up the windows, let a nice breeze blow through, and then take the added step of making things smell great, too.
What you’ll need: Find a good air refresher to get the job done. Unstopables Air Refresher infuses the air in your home with a boutique-worthy fragrance, giving an airy undertone that lasts for up to 6 hours.
Stock up on essentials. Get hand soap for all the sinks, dish soap and detergent for the kitchen. Buy your food basics for your pantry and fridge/freezer, and don’t forget the most crucial essential – toilet paper. You do not want to be without that!
What you’ll need: With this tip, you’ll need to make a list of the various things you use most, but I think we can all agree that toilet paper will make that list. We like Charmin Ultra Strong – it’s 2-ply and allows you to use less than other leading toilet papers.

Keep Kids Confident & Clean with Cottonelle

Motherhood is messy. That first diaper change in the hospital is just an introduction to many, many more messes to come. When your littles are potty training, there are bound to be accidents (unless you’ve got some super secret potty training skill – and if you do, please share!) to clean. And even once your kiddos have gotten bathroom trips down and go on their own, you’ve still got to keep an eye on them to make sure they’re getting completely clean.

Cottonelle FreshCare Flushable Cleansing Cloths are a perfect tool for moms to have in our arsenal for all those messy moments so you can experience a more confident clean. The cloths feature SafeFlush Technology™, so they start to break down immediately after flushing. They’re effective, alcohol-free, and are sewer- and septic-safe. They’re great for everyone in the family – not just kids!

Sam’s Club has a great deal on the cloths, so we stopped by to get stocked up. Right now you can save $3.00 instantly to get an even better deal!

Genius Uses for Kids’ Pools

In the summer, pools are the name of the game – they’re a great way to beat the heat whether you’re hitting up a hotel, visiting your community dive spot, or are lucky enough to have one in your back yard.

The only pool we’ve ever owned is a kiddie pool – but guess what? They’re good for more than just a little cool fun. Check out these uses for a pool that are outside the box:

Kids Eat Free at Denny’s!

This post is part of a compensated ambassadorship with Denny’s. All opinions are honest and are my own.

As you can tell by the name of my blog, I like to save money. I’m sure most of you do, too. And if you’re like us, eating out can be one of those things that very quickly adds up and drains a large chunk of your food budget for the month. I know for us, with three kids, the total for a dinner bill can be astounding sometimes.

Fear not, friends. You can eat out – with the whole family – and still live to tell the tale.

Yep, you read that right. Denny’s offers free kids meals – usually on Tuesdays, but check your local Denny’s to find out when it’s available near you. Our location offers this twice a week – Tuesdays & Saturdays.

Our Family is #FriendsWithBeneful!

This post is part of an ambassadorship with Beneful. I receive products, information, and compensation as an ambassador. All opinions are my own.

Our dogs are complete opposites from each other. Sally is a labrador/golden retriever mix, and is about 80 pounds. Ninja is a schnauzer/yorkie mix, and is about 12 pounds. She’s HUGE and he’s little. She’s got light fur and his is pitch black.

They couldn’t be better buddies, though. These two love each other, and we love them. They’re a perfect part of our loud, busy, sometimes chaotic family and I just couldn’t imagine our house without them.

If you’re ever looking for these two, just find us. They couldn’t be more loyal companions and they always want to be right where we are (they’re sitting beside me as I write this post!). If I’m walking around the house working on things, I often hear the jingle of both of their collars as they follow right behind.

Give Your Office Space Style with Martha Stewart

This is a partnered post with Martha Stewart. All opinions are honest and my own.

Y’all. Don’t judge.

This was my home office space a few weeks ago. I managed, but as you can see my desk was cluttered and not the most appealing place to get work done. It had good bones, but it was calling out for a makeover.

The workspace is in our master bedroom, and giving it a facelift was the first step in giving our whole room an update (stay tuned for more posts to see our progress)!

Martha Stewart has a line of products available at Staples, and the moment I saw the collection I was absolutely in love.

Even just looking at the thumbnails of various setup options you can see these are colorful and striking pieces that create a graphic and bold impact no matter which way you arrange them. I love (like love) teal, and was excited to add some of the color to my workspace.

Check out these great files, folders, and binders. I can keep my work stuff separate from blogging and freelance materials, and thanks to the great bookplates, I can easily see at a glance where to find anything I need. I love the metal accent – it provides a great high-end look.

And oh my word, the Discbound customizable notebook is practically made for me. Like I mentioned earlier, the teal color speaks to my organizing heart. And the dividers you can add make it easy to set the notebook up just how you want it.

It’s so easy to change things out. And friends, there are pockets so I can have everything I need right at my fingertips. Perfect for work lists, for home lists, for grocery lists.. for anything I need to jot down. It’s a must-have.

This organizer is another favorite. The way I have this set up actually combines three pieces in the Stack+Fit line: the desk organizer, inbox with drawer, and small item holder. There are great compartments for pents, paper, paperclips and more.