Comments on: Simple Living Saturdays

By: Nikki

Nikki — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:38:59 +0000

I would like to give this a try. Right now, I do 1-2 loads per day. If I could wash everything one day, fold everything the next, iron what NEEDS to be ironed, I think I might like this new system, but not sure if it will work for us or not. We homeschool upstairs, and the laundry room is downstairs. It’s worth a try to see if it would indeed simplify things for our family:-)

By: Kate

Kate — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:26:16 +0000

hmmmm that reminds me!

Any tips on dry cleaning only clothes? I have clothes that are dry clean only as does my husband. He wears suits and the like daily. Most of his pants are dry clean only.

Tips as in how to save money. Our dry cleaning bills are ridiculous some weeks.

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:59:57 +0000

Whatever works for you! It really depends upon your season and how much clothes you have to wash. We have simplified our wardrobe quite a bit, and yet we still only have three people, so getting it all done in one day is quite easy. I used to hang all my clothes, but with the limited space I have, and a container garden on my deck, I had to cut back to just hanging one load per week. That works for us right now!

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:58:33 +0000

I hang anything to dry that would normally get wrinkled (nice button up shirts, skirts, etc). Wednesday is ironing day if it is necessary.

By: Kate

Kate — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:50:38 +0000

I thought the exact same thing!

I can’t do it all in one day. When it was just me (and living on my own) it took me 2-3 days. I was usually too busy to do it all in one day.

Now with the 4 of us, I do at least a load or two a day. Always towels to be done!

By: Nikki

Nikki — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:26:13 +0000

I have a question…if you wash your laundry all in one day, and fold the next, how do you keep things from getting wrinkled?
Thanks!

By: Sweetpeas

Sweetpeas — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:59:58 +0000

I had to laugh when I read your laundry tip, because I think if I had to pick the NUMBER ONE thing that helped me get housekeeping more under control, it was to switch from doing laundry once or twice a week & just do one load every day! I was “forced” into it, when I switched to line drying because I only had space to line dry one load (now I could do 3 if I had to, when the new baby comes I’ll have to do 2 at least once or twice a week w/ the extra diaper loads, and if rain or being out of town backs things up I’ll do 2 or 3 loads one day to get caught up) But by basically never letting the laundry pile up I find it SO much easier to keep on top of, I can almost always find time to put away one load of laundry, but having a whole bunch at once overwhelmed me. It means we can get by w/ less clothes because things are almost always clean. It means it’s ok when one of my kids goes through an “I want to wear this dress (or whatever)every day” because as soon as they wear it, it will get washed the next day, instead of having to wait till wash day.

By: judy

judy — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 02:06:07 +0000

It is late (at least for me) Saturday night and I just discovered this carnival. I love it and will be prepared to participate next week. I am enjoying reading the thoughts of others, being inspired, encouraged and accountable on this journey towards simplicity which is anything but simple!

By: Shellie

Shellie — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:56:25 +0000

Hi! This is an awesome idea, living simply seems so simple, yet so hard to implement. I love reading other’s ideas.

As for limiting computer time, I have problems with this myself. Unless my daughter has a computer class that day, I don’t turn on the computer until after everyone is safely tucked in their beds. Then I can turn on the computer and spend an hour or two in silence to do what needs to be done, or just relax, surf and read blogs If I turn it on during the day, I get caught up in it, reading page after page, surfing and realizing that the kids just took every toy out of their rooms and are now all over the house! LOL It’s happened. When my daughter does have a computer class, or if my hubby calls and asks me to research something for him, I turn it on, do the task at hand, then promptly turn it off until later. This seems to be the ONLY way I can limit my time. Hope this helps you!

By: Marliss Bombardier

Marliss Bombardier — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:24:26 +0000

The thing that above all has simplified my life is a shopping spreadsheet. I have used this for years and years, and when I was on bed rest once for months during a pregnancy, it showed its worth to my husband as well. It’s a simple spreadsheet with the item, name, store, size, price, and how much we use per month (or whatever time frame) and the month I anticipate buying it next.

At the beginning of a month I sort by the month I am in, then look at what I have in inventory. If I have in inventory what I would need for that month, I update the list for the next time I would need to buy it. This, in combination with a meal plan, has saved soooo many trips to the store and panic attacks when an ingredient is missing. When I come back from the store, I quickly update the spreadsheet with what I bought and its price (which also helps with budgeting). In the middle of the month I usually only have to buy perishables.

As far as the computer is concerned, I like to quickly check my e-mail and the news first thing. Of course, one has to be careful that checking e-mail does not entice one on and on… Then I check e-mail again in the afternoon and late in the evening. I give myself a little more leeway at this time to read articles, do research, etc. I am beginning to discipline myself to using the weekends for significant computer tasks, like commenting on blogs. It’s a work in progress, but I appreciate that so many understand that the computer can become a lonely love affair that leaves our families out in the cold.