Hudson’s Bay: 11 Piece Cuisinart Cookware Set only $199

Aug 8 | Canada Deals

cuisinart

Know someone heading off to school that will be setting up a home for the first time? This 11-piece Cusinart cookware set would be a fantastic gift! Especially since it’s on sale for just $199.99. (reg. $749.99). I still use the pots my mom bought for me over 10 years ago on a daily basis! Here are some details:

  • Stockpot with cover, 6 QT (5.7 L)
  • 3 QT (2.8 L) saucepan with cover
  • 2 QT (1.9 L) saucepan with cover
  • 1.5 QT (1.4 L) saucepan with cover
  • Skillet with cover, 9.5″
  • Steamer insert, 8″
  • Cool touch lids and handles
  • Riveted stainless steel handles
  • PowerBond™ high-impact bonded base
  • Even heat distribution
  • Interior capacity markings for easy measuring
  • Flavor Lock; tempered glass lids with wide, easy-grip handles
  • Tapered rims for drip-free, easy pouring
  • Oven safe to 500°F (260°C)
  • Glass lids are oven safe to 350°F (180°C)
  • Stovetop, oven, freezer and broiler-safe
  • Induction cooktop safe
  • Dishwasher safe
  • Cuisinart Limited Lifetime Warranty
  • Premium stainless steel construction

Shop online at TheBay.com here.

Offer valid August 8, 2016 only.

3 Things I Do Each Evening for Success the Next Day

Aug 8 | Household Tips

by doing these three things almost every single night, I set myself up for success every morning when I get up. 

Evening routine for success the next day

Does your day typically start with you feeling overwhelmed by everything you need to do?

As a mom with a newborn and a preschooler, I usually find myself overwhelmed each day. 🙂 Simple tasks such as getting lunch made is a big deal if the baby is awake. However, I’m learning and getting into more of a routine each day thanks to three things I try really hard to accomplish each evening.

I’d love to challenge you to try doing these three things every single night. The things I try to do are not hard or difficult or time-consuming, but by doing these three things almost every single night, I set myself up for success every morning when I get up. And I believe that a successful day begins the night before.

Here’s my list of three things I try to do every night:

Tidy Up

Waking up to to a tidy house makes my heart sing. Especially if the kitchen is tidy with the dishes washed and the counter cleared. Some nights this can seem daunting because I’ve let the entire day’s worth of dishes pile up. Though, if you’re not in the newborn stage of life, you should have a much better time getting this done. Do it, you’ll feel great in the morning!By doing these three things every single night as part of your evening routine, you will set yourself up for feeling happier and more successful at home every day. 

Go to bed at a decent hour

This is one thing that I have rarely let slide, even if I have website projects to do. As a mom, I’m not guaranteed to get 8 hours of sleep each night. So by making sure I go to bed at a decent hour, or as soon as the baby falls asleep, I know I’ll at least get a couple of hours before I have to wake up again! Sleep makes a happier mommy. Even if you’re not a mom, or have older kids, I can’t stress the importance of going to bed at a decent hour.

Make a To-Do List

Finally, probably the most important task for me these days. Making a to-do list of the things that have to get done the next day. Currently, my list looks a little like this:

  • Brush teeth
  • Shower
  • Eat

Haha! But in all honesty, If I get those done and get my oldest to preschool and other activities, I feel like I’m winning! A to-do list is important for me because sometimes I have a hard time unwinding in bed if I can’t shut my brain off. So jotting down the must-dos, including my meal ideas for the next day, helps me to relax.

What are some things you like to do in your evening routine to set yourself up for a successful day?

Need some encouragement to have a better evening AND/OR morning routine? I’m SO excited that Crystal Paine of Money Saving Mom has two great courses available to change your life: Make Over Your Mornings and Make Over Your Evenings! Both of these online courses will stop you living life feeling constantly behind, overworked, and overwhelmed at very affordable prices!

5 Quick Tricks to a Cleaner Home

Aug 5 | Household Tips, Cleaning

5 easy things to clean when you're overwhelmed by your messy home

So, your house is a bit of a mess. Not only do you not have time to devote to a good cleaning, you may be overwhelmed at the thought of starting! While looking around at all the mess, you may think that nothing will make a difference because the mess is too great.

There are 5 main items that get scattered throughout to create chaos in your home. Learn to tackle these 5 cleaning tasks and you'll find they can make a huge difference to the cleanliness level of your home!

Do the Dishes

Quick Cleaning trick #1 is to do the dishes! Dirty dishes seem to multiply quickly and can even gather in places they shouldn't! It's important to keep up with the dishes so the old food doesn't attract fruit flies, ants or mold. So get going on those dirty dishes; I'm always amazed at the difference a clean counter can make in my home!

This is my all time favourite dish soap. Makes the chore more bearable. 😉

Dirty laundry and clothes

Quick Cleaning trick #2 is to pick up the dirty laundry and clothes piles. If clothes strewn about have taken over your home, it's time to take care of this task. Getting all the clothes laundered and back into the closets and dressers will make your house look much cleaner. First of all, go from room to room with a laundry basket or two and gather up all the dirty laundry. Next of course, is to wash and dry all the laundry.  I find that if I don't fold and put away the clean clothes right away, they'll sit in the laundry basket, which quickly becomes a mess!

Gather the Garbage and Recycling

Quick Cleaning trick #3 is to gather the garbage and recycling! I think this is the easiest task because all you have to do is wander around your house and put all the garbage and recycling items into  bags and then take them to the trash can or recycling box. I find when I let recycling items pile up, our house can look messy very quickly. So once a week or so, I'll wander around and pick up old newspapers, junk mail and empty cardboard boxes and put them away in the blue bin.

Toys

Quick Cleaning trick #4 is to pick up the toys.  This is the battle I'm fighting with right now. Toys seem to be all over the place all the time, making the floors seem very messy! If you have older children, make a game out of putting the toys away. Or, if you have the willpower or some time, why not declutter some of the unused toys to create more space?

Paper

Quick Cleaning trick #5 is to take care of the paper.  Between my husband and I, we can create quite the mess with our individual paper piles. Piles of paper drive me bananas, but I can't seem to stay on top of the piles on a regular basis. Nevertheless, here are a couple of  things that help me stay organized:

  • Stack all the papers together.  While filing papers can take a long time, stacking them all together does not.  It's better to have one pile over several piles!
  • About once a month or so, I go though the pile I created to file, shred and organize each paper.  Takes a bit of time, but I love the results and knowing I can easily find an important document.

Any of these quick cleaning tricks will give you relief from a messy house and help your house to appear cleaner, but don’t feel you have to do all 5 in the same day! Why not attempt one task a day?

I hope that these quick cleaning tricks will give you a starting point to help you keep things mess-free and organized!

What are your tips to help you achieve a cleaner home? Let us know in the comments below.

printable cleaning planner

Looking for an easy way to stay on top of cleaning especially as life gets busy? Check out this gorgeous HOME CLEANING PLANNER – with room by room checklists, daily + weekly task lists, and seasonal cleaning checklists to make sure it all gets DONE!

Simply Frugal 2016 Summer Survey

Aug 5 | Useful information

survey

I’ve got a ton of ideas going on in my head and really, I could be working so many “good” projects. However, I only want to work on the ones that matter most to you!

In order to do that, I have to ask a few questions. Would you mind taking a super short 7-question survey? You can do that right here.

The 2016 summer survey will be open for the next week (that’s through August 12, 2016).

Thanks so much!