We have a problem in our kitchen.  Basically, we’re running out of room.  The reason is no doubt because I have a love for anything that has to do with cooking and eating.

Like many people, we have two sets of dinnerware – one for everyday and one for special.  They aren’t fancy or expensive, just different sets.

As I was shuffling around the plates and bowls in my overcrowded cabinet today, I realized that I like one set of dishes and the other set was just, well, to use.

All of a sudden I realized how foolish I was being to use dishes that I didn’t care about when I had nice dishes that I really like.  I had the notion a lot of people have that we mustn’t use our “good” dishes for just any meal.  That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me anymore.

We work hard making nice meals for our family, don’t we?  So why choose to serve those meals on anything less than your favorite dishes?  And why crowd our kitchen with extra plates, bowls, cups, and glasses when we have what we need without all the duplicates.

So, I boxed up an entire set of dishes and some odd glassware, along with serving pieces that I have yet to use, and they’re ready for the donation bin.  My cabinet is clean and organized.  It looks nice and feels better now that just one set of dishes is there – the set we like.

Tonight when we sit down to dinner, the table will be set with our nice dishes.  Now, won’t that be pleasant.

What I suggest is that you take a minute and look in your cupboards.  Are there stacks of dishes and other assorted dinnerware and cookware that rarely if ever see the light of day?

p.s. Once you start to organize your kitchen, you may not want to stop… it feels that good!  Find even more Spring Cleaning Tips For Mom and start your cleaning mission today.

This is the time of year when the weather is very unpredictable.  And, when the weather changes so drastically from cold one day to pleasant the next, we seem to forget how to bundle up and stay warm.

My family is guilty of adjusting the thermostat up and down to suit the weather rather than dressing properly.  We do it so often at times that we confuse the poor thermostat and we have to shut down the furnace and start all over.

The problem with changing the thermostat all the time is that extra one or two degrees starts to show up on our power bill the following month.  When we get the bill, we’re reminded that we need to figure out a better way to stay warm when the temperature drops and stay cool when the sun comes out once again.

Simply stated, we need to know how to dress.  In the dead of the winter, we are always bundled up, but as soon as we get a day or two of the promise of spring, we toss our sweaters and jackets aside and celebrate.  Unfortunately, the weather always turns bitterly cold again at least a few times before spring officially arrives.  That’s when we seem to forget our pile of warm clothes and just reach for the thermostat again.

So, my frugal challenge to my own little family and to you is very simple.  Keep your sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets handy until spring.  I know it’s hard to bundle up again after a brief flirt with warm weather, but it will be worth it when you see the power bill next month!

I was reminded last week just how important a good night’s sleep is.  And, along with that, I also became aware of what exactly one needs to get that sleep.

During a conference I attended, I noticed one wonderful thing about the hotel room.  It had all the amenities of an average hotel room with one exception.  The bedding was quite luxurious.

Granted, it wasn’t as luxurious as some exclusive hotels, I’m sure, but the difference between those linens and the one’s I have in my bedroom at home was very noticeable.

I have always tried to be frugal in my purchases, especially when it comes to homemaking.  Expensive linens seems like such a waste.  I mean, after all, no one sees them but us, right?  Inexpensive bedding does the same “job” as expensive bedding, right?

It seems that I’ve been mistaken in this notion.  If I look at sleep as a necessary function in my life, just like other necessary functions, I should provide the best possible tools to achieve this function of sleep.

Sounds silly, I know, but if you look at sleep the same way you do cooking, laundry, and other daily tasks, you’ll see what I mean.  Choosing the right tools for the job is important.  I have nice knives for food preparation, great pots and pans for cooking, and a reliable washer and dryer.  However, my bedding was not up to par.

Searching for reasonably priced, but luxurious bedding, I found many super-soft sheets, fluffy comforters, and supportive pillows.  Here’s a sampling of what I found so far:

600 thread count sheets

Memory foam pillows

Comforter

Duvet cover

I know the difference between sleeping on poorly made bedding and superb bedding.  The difference is a good night’s sleep.

It’s time to invest in my sleeping hours the same as I would my waking hours.  How about you?