Tag: blog

Swap Out

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn OrganizingLeave a comment

Today I swapped out my warm weather clothes for the colder ones. I hadn’t meant to do this task so early in the season, but Hannah needed a brown turtleneck which I thought I had (I donated it last season it turns out) and the weather has started cooling off quite a bit. It’s a chore I am not fond of doing because I share a very small closet with Donny. If you ever see a video of small NYC apartment closets you get the idea.

I decided to pare down my wardrobe quite a bit. I tried every single item on to make sure it fit well and I still liked it. I ended up with a trash bag full to donate. I’m always nosy about how people fit everything into a small space and what all goes into that said space. So here is my take on it.

These are my sweaters. I pared them down quite a bit.

I love jeans. I added some brown cords and my olive velvet pants. I think these will definitely get me through the winter months.

I love this denim jacket. I’m keeping my down coat in the storage bag until it gets a lot colder. There’s no need for it to take up precious space.

These are my cardigans and skirts. I love cardigans because they are the perfect layering item for our weird weather.

Purses and backpacks get hung on hooks I have installed around the closet.

These hang behind the clothes.

Keeping everything organized by color helps me find items quicker.

It took 3 hours, but I feel like I got a lot accomplished. I was sick of trying on clothes by the end but I really think that it helped me get rid of so much. I’m so happy that this is DONE.

Mr. Whiskers was not happy about having to move as I was backing up tonight. He has a wound on his hip that he has been coming to me so I can spray it with antimicrobial spray. I have tried to bring him into the house, but he will have nothing to do with that. He does love back scratches and head rubs though.

Day #68 – Pushing Through

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn 100 DaysLeave a comment

I’m still not feeling great. I felt better when I was consistently taking my supplements and have been slipping lately. Tomorrow I’ll go through them and start the regime back up again. I had no choice but to go to the store because we were out of milk and almost out of cat food.

Jackson and I hit the dollar store to see if there were any cat toys for the kitten. She has a windup chicken that is not a cat toy. She loves hair ties, bottle tops, pretty much anything that isn’t for cats.

At first Baby Ruth looked at me like I was crazy when I gave her the toys. Later on we found her favorites were the sushi ones. She likes to slide them along the floor and toss them into the air.

Even though I knew it was Monday and sheet changing day I almost talked myself out of it. Just one more day won’t hurt, but I knew it would bug me if I didn’t just get it done. That’s also what this 100 day accountability is about: doing things that I really don’t feel like doing but will improve my life. So I got out new sheets and threw the old ones in the wash so they just won’t pile up.

I did take breaks throughout the day because I can’t overwork my body right now. Because the temperature was only in the high 80″s I thought it would be a good idea to vacuum out the car. We have an asphalt driveway that is narrow and we track dead grass onto the floorboards and it drives me nuts. I almost couldn’t finish because I was sweating so badly. We’re talking rivers of sweat. Another symptom I have.

Luckily I have thrown caution to the wind and was wearing a tank top. I detest strapless bras. When I was cleaning out Hannah’s room I found this awesome mustard color bralette. She doesn’t like that color so I took it. It’s so comfortable and the straps are cute and supposed to show.

i’m hoping once I get back on my supplements I’ll feel better.

Oh, I’ve also decided to embrace myself, wrinkles and all. I hate foundation so I decided I’m not going to wear it anymore. If I want to wear brighter lipstick, that’s what I’m going to do. My hair gets wild and curly, so be it. I just want to love life, have the best time and not care what anyone thinks. The end. LOL

Day #13 – Check it Off

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn 100 DaysLeave a comment

Today was mowing day. That in itself is not a big deal, but after I finished I decided to get some things checked off my, always growing, to-do list. I have been needed to paint the window trim in the back of the house for so long. It’s just a task that isn’t my favorite. I washed down the house because it was dirty and then I got to scraping.

These are the original 1961 windows and they are a mess. I scraped off as much as I could. They were still wet from washing them. Tomorrow I’ll sand them and then give them a coat of paint so they’ll match the front of the house.

I had to caulk one window.

Trust me, they will look completely different when I’m finished.

I also went around with my vinyl tape and covered up all the holes in the siding. There were so many around this window.

I covered up 5 on this part and I swear, unless you knew where to look, you can’t see them.

Tomorrow we are going to have to cut down the Morning Glory vine because it has taken over the chicken coop.

I still cannot believe that the people behind us cut down these trees. Ours were not as big, but this is in my neighbors yard and I just love the flowers.

Another thing I got checked off was putting out the torch lights. I’m not sure if they are going to stay where they are, but they are off our patio table so that’s a plus.

I always said I’d be the crazy cat lady that wears weird clothes and walks on the beach. Ok, I don’t have a beach nearby, but the rest fits.

Let’s see how much I can get checked off tomorrow.

I Found A Way

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home StuffLeave a comment

Everyone knows that you are supposed to drink water every day. I would always fill my tumbler up, take a few sips, and then somehow just lose the tumbler, forget about it, you get the idea. Lately I had beginning to feel dry. Kind of like my skin like a sponge left out in the sun. I googled how much water I should be drinking every day and it was a lot, 80 ounces to be exact. I knew for a fact that I wasn’t getting anywhere near that so I came up with a plan.

Every hour I would fill up my mason jar to the 1 cup mark and then I would just chug it. Think guy at a frat party chugging. I would mark it on the dry erase board on the fridge because I knew throughout the day I would lose track of how many cups I drank.

This is the third day I’ve done it and it’s been so easy. I will admit that I have probably gone through a roll of toilet paper per day but I hear that it gets better once your body adjusts. I can honestly say that I feel so much better. It’s amazing how fast it works. Hannah is even trying it out too. She has the blue tally marks. Even if you don’t like water, you can chug 8 ounces in under a minute and the benefits are so worth it.

I also found this amazing pumice stone. We have a VERY old gas stove. Even though I clean it there was always this flat burned on stain. I have tried scraping with a razor blade, baking soda, bar keepers friend, cleaning paste, really just about everything. I was in Drug Emporium and ran across this.

I thought it couldn’t hurt to try. So I got to rubbing.

You can see the spot where I started. It took a lot of elbow grease, but it came off like a charm.

I couldn’t believe how much better it looked and there were no harmful chemicals used so even better.

Sand, Paint, Done

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Frugal LifeLeave a comment

It has been so rainy here lately. I have been waiting for a sunny, not too humid, day it seems like forever. I checked the weather channel last night and it seemed like today would be the day. I could finally finish the last two chairs. I saved the two most rusty pitiful ones for last. Luckily, since I was painting the bases, all I had to do was sand of the rust and chipped chrome.

It was a messy job, but it came off pretty quickly.

The bases only take one coat with a little touching up where I missed any place. They dried quickly.

The chairs take 2 full coats. They have to dry completely and then they get flipped over for two more coats on the back and underneath.

While I was waiting for them to dry I decided to go ahead and paint our plant stand. I got it at an estate sale 6 years ago. It started out cream, then I painted it vintage teal. Today it became warm caramel.

I got all of the chairs put back together and I think they look really good. Would I rather have not had to sand and paint them? Yes. Would I have wanted to spend about $100 per chair. No way. They were made in 2000 so I think they are holding up really well. Plus they are super comfortable. I purchased them for $2.50 a piece and I figured I used 1/2 a can each of the spray paint. So for a total cost of $9.50 I think I got a heck of a deal with a little bit of elbow grease.

A smaller table would probably fit better, but I absolutely love this drop leaf antique one. I was cleaning out a rental house and the previous renters had just left it. I told the owner how much I liked it and she said, just take it. Free is good and I just love the design of it. So, $38 for a dining set is a pretty good deal, even if we don’t actually have a true dining room. Just make the best of what you have. Always works for me.