At Home Vacation?

Vacation @ Home!

So many of us don't have extra money to spend on hotels, airfare, foods or simply gas!

I think we should think "inside the box"...I love having vacations at home...You need to be able to let go and relax...No laundry, No huge meals to have to clean up after...You have to be able to let all the little things go in order to really enjoy the experience....

Here are some "Screaming Good Ideas":

1. Hire a maid service to come in and wash dishes, make beds, straighten bathrooms, laundry, vacuum etc...It will feel more like a vacation...:) And if you can make a deal with your maid service...have them come in before the vacation starts and do a deep clean...A lot of maid services would be more than happy to work out something for every budget...If you can't afford that...Think about a responsible teenager...:) They always need extra money! {Think about buying chocolate to have the maid put on everyone's pillow...I know...I'm detail oriented;)}
2. Order in food...Or pick it up...Stock up on snacks that you normally wouldn't eat...Ice Cream, expensive cookies and cupcakes from a local bakery...You are on Vaca, right? ;)
3. Have a lot of games, magazines, and books to read...If you have kids, make sure to really get down there and PLAY with them...All your attention on them...not the laundry, dishes and what's for dinner...
4. Get your camera ready...Take a lot of photos...They will mean so much to you down the road!
5. Rent a lot of movies and a few video games for the kids or "big kids" ;)
6. Think about hiring a massage therapist to come in and do a chair massage or a full body massage...:)
7. Check out local hot spots or places you all have never had time to visit...It is fun to find places that you never heard of!
8. Get fun toiletries...Shampoos, conditioners, bubble bath...Make it like a fancy hotel...Have towels laid out and ready for some splish splash! :)
9. Think about outdoor games too! Volleyball, horseshoes, rally games, swimming, or laying in a new hammock...:)
10. OR you could swap houses with a friend or family member...:)

I hope that I have opened your eyes to looking at your home differently...It is important to have fun and be able to relax...even at home!

Please stop by and visit me over @ Screaming Meme's! http://www.thescreamingmeme.blogspot.com/

clean and green

cleaning the green way...not only saves you money, but helps keep dangerous chemicals out of our homes too.

unclog and freshen drains

Pour half of box of baking soda down your sink drain. add a cup of white vinegar and watch the bubble show! once the bubbles are all gone, flush out the drain with hot water.

soft scrub cleanser

mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with enough liquid detergent to make a cleansing liquid. scrub sinks and tubs with a sponge or scrubber. rinse your potion off when you are done. even more fun, it washes off easily and doesn't leave any grit behind.

copper and brass cleaner

mix 1/2 cup of vinegar with two tablespoons of salt. apply with a sponge on item and let it sit for about 15 minutes. rinse and enjoy the shine.

toilet bowl cleaner

mix ¼ cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar, pour it into toilet and let sit for 5 minutes before scrubbing with a brush.

{a little safety note...it's really important that you don't mix bleach based cleaning products with ammonia based cleaning products. the combination of the two, creates a toxic fume and can be deadly. never mix anything that you don't completely understand and NEVER reuse cleaning containers.}

come and see more of me and my gang at a thorn among roses.

financial basics for the new year

it's another new year and time to reflect on a make adjustments to our personal finances. one thing that doesn't directly affect your pocket book is to take care of the basics that every household should have in place.

Make sure you have an up-to-date will and estate plan.
hubs and me did our wills on legalzoom.com for less than $100 and in about 15 minutes on the laptop while drinking coffee. you can also get your financial stuff all together and see an attorney, but i prefer the jammies and coffee/internet way. either way, you need to get the final wills notarized and placed in a secure place. many banks offer free boxes with your savings account, so check there first. we keep a copy in our firesafe at home and at the bank.
{side note...our firesafe is locked and in the garage by the garage door for quick access in an emergency}


Check your life insurance and retirement plan beneficiaries
ok, i say this one because i randomly looked over my work policy one year and noticed that after my name change, the insurance company had changed my beneficiary inadvertantly to my ex-husband. not a good thing. it was a fairly easy fix, but you can imagine the problem....yikes...let's not go there!




life insurance does not mean you will die tomorrow
this is something that SAHM's often don't think they need, but honestly, if you are gone, someone has to keep the money coming in and take care of the house...which means you are worth a lot of money. when we were deciding on how much insurance to take out for me after i "retired" from engineering, we estimated childcare costs per year per child for a rough number. honestly, your insurance agent probably has a spreadsheet to do that estimate for you, so talk to them!
listen, you have small kids or other dependents, you need to ensure you have plenty of insurance to take care of them if you are gone. and don't forget disability insurance too. If you are seriously injured or heaven forbid, die, you would want your family to be taken care of. Not doing so is honestly, selfish. Few things, if anything, can do more to screw up your family's finances - and lives.

don't forget to scroll on down to see other great ideas for your home!!
and come see me any time at a thorn among roses!