How We Afford the Holidays Without Credit Card Debit

When I talk to my friends and family about the holidays, the subject of budgeting and credit card debit comes up. No one can ever believe me when I tell them we accumulate $0 credit card debit for holidays and I never spend more than $50 on gifts.

I have had people say things like "That is a flat out lie Sara. The gift you gave us last year cost at least $30!"
They always want to know how I can decorate, gift and give without spending more than $50 out of my own pocket. Today I am going to share the low down with you too.

First, being a family that lives on a budget, events such as back to school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthdays are always on my mind! Creative ways to accumulate funds or gifts is a year round project.

I do a variety of things online to add to my kitty.

If I see a great item on clearance I will buy it, but only if I have the extra cash on hand. I don't buy on my debit card or credit card.

At the end of each season I buy the goods I need next year on clearance. I use my stash of gift cards to do this. I buy wrapping paper when it is down to 50 cents a roll or less. Instead of going out and buying decorations, I usually make my own using items that I already have at home. For example, I use Christmas ribbon to decorate not only the tree, but to also add finishing touches to garlands, wreaths, and wrapped gifts. Same with bows, gift tags, bags  etc. Seasonal trinkets are also great to get when they get marked down to 80-90% off. I get stocking stuffers for 20 cents and stash them for the next year. Or I might buy Easter coloring books for 10 cents and stash them too.

Inbox Dollars I spend about 25 minutes a week reading emails, playing games, watching videos and more. I have cashed out several times. It is pretty easy money and you get a $5 sign up just for joining!

I shop Zuilly. I shop here because it is easy to earn credits and they have such super deals. I get really low priced deals here through out the year and add to my "Gift Box".

I use the WalMart Savings Catcher App. I scan each receipt I get from WalMart and accumulate savings on products. I wait to 'cash out' until there is something I need to buy for a holiday.

I have the Shutterfly app, so I watch out for special offers, free prints and more. Photo gifts are always a hit. If you are not using Shutterfly sign up here for FREE Prints!!

I of course watch amazon for deals. I save money on everything! I do tasks on m turk to earn money too. I don't have much time for this, but I would estimate I spend about 30 minutes a week turking and making some spare change on easy tasks.

As a blogger, if I participate in a campaign that pays via a gift card, I save it.

That is how I can afford to celebrate all of the major holidays without dipping into our budget for any extra expenses. I limit us to about $50 for last minute things like batteries.

 How does your family afford the holidays?

Gourmet Homemade Oreo Marshmallows

It was one of those days, the cupboards were growing bleak, the need to grocery shop was strong, but the interest wasn't there. I knew I could put it off another day. {Face it, shopping with two young children is not fun!}

After whipping up an easy peasy dinner, I knew that dessert was in order too. I had 3 ingredients on hand and this little bit of yum is what I came up with!

To make Oreo Marshmallows you will need:

White Chocolate

Oreos

Marshmallows

First melt your white chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 25 seconds or so until it is smooth.

Crush Oreos, place in a bowl.

Dip your marshmallow into the melted chocolate, immediately dip it into crushed Oreos. 

Set aside for about 25 minutes until the chocolate has set.

Enjoy!

My family loved these! They were soft, sweet and had bits of crunch thanks to the chunks or Oreo cookies. This was an incredibly easy treat to make with a gourmet flavor perfect for kids of all ages!

Do you love gourmet marshmallows? Have you ever made something like this at home?

Millstone Creek Park : Topping the List of Best Ohio Playgrounds

We really love to go to the park and play! My family has a once a week standing date for the park. When my son gets out of school we go to the park and play! Mr. Sweet Silly Sara meets us there when he is off of work. It is probably my kids favorite day of the week. Not only do we love to enjoy the parks in our town, but we also love to get out and look for the best parks and playgrounds that Ohio has to offer.

In August we had to make a trip to Lancaster, Ohio. That is a long drive with young kids. On our way back we made a detour to Westerville, Ohio to Millstone Creek Park. Our kids were so glad to get out, stretch their legs and play with other kids!

This is the most awesome park we have experienced with the kids. As we arrived, we enjoyed a short walk over a boardwalk. My kids were delighted to hear a bullfrog and see it hop into the water. As we arrived at the playground my kids were ready to run!

Harp loves Millstone Creek Park!

 My son really loved the park. He was a blur then entire time we were there. Constant motion! I promise he was there, but no great photos of Roo were taken.

Harp was ready to climb!

 One of the things I loved about this park was there were so many things for kids of all ages and all abilities to do. This is one of the playgrounds that are accessible and fun for kids with special needs such as wheelchairs. Knowing that this area was designed with all kids in mind really sets it apart from others!

The park had a nice sculpture to view and a great slide; that kind of went down a hill into an area of tall grass. This was fun for my adventure seeker son!

My sweet little Harper adored this park. There were so many things for her to do, explore and discover. To see her having so much fun was contagious. My mood immediately lifted upon the first sound of her giggles.

This park was spacious, super clean and really quite lovely. The sound of happy children playing was thick in the air and there was no way to avoid the contagious feeling of a great summer day.

The entire family loved the option of taking the boardwalk or hopping over some stones in a creek to reach the playground. My husband and I had a blast playing this electronic game together. It was a fun way to get moving ourselves while showing our kids you are never to old to play!

Millstone Creek Park was fantastic. It very well may be the best park in Ohio. It is certainly on the top of our list of Best Ohio Playgrounds!

DIY Blanket Box

I had this really great box. I had been holding on to it for several months because I have a cardboard hoarding problem. Ha! It is true, I will say "Ohhh! I am going to make a cardboard bed with that box..." and my husband will nod his head and say "Great idea!" or maybe "Interesting." He is patient and will give me a few days. If the box remains untouched, he sweetly breaks it down and recycles it to keep my hoarding to a minimum.

This box however I had managed to keep stashed out of the way in a closet used for coats. We haven't needed jackets in months now, so no one has been in that closet. Until one day. I saw him open the door. His eyes locked on the box.

He asked "What are you doing with this box?"
I knew my time was limited. It was a great box... I couldn't lose it! My mind went to work and I came up with a great way to use it and make it look pretty too!

From a swifter box to a blanket box in under 5 minutes. This project cost me about 50 cents to complete which makes this not only an upcycle, but also a frugal organization project in one.

I purchased my contact paper for $1 at Dollar General. I have enough to do another box about the same size.

First I unrolled enough paper to cover the top.

I peeled a small section of the paper off of the contact paper to carefully begin applying it to the lid of the box.

Then I did the same for the sides and the bottom.

I took a hard plastic case and smoothed out the bubbles and wrinkles in the contact paper the best I could.

My edges were a touch uneven, but that is okay. I highly doubt anyone is going to inspect my blanket box for perfection.

This box is great for storing baby blankets and it fits perfectly under Harp's crib.

This project only took a few minutes (5) and it created a really useful organizational tool for my daughters room!

Pizza Craft for Kids

My kids love to eat, they love to play with pretend food and they love to craft. Hmmm. I wonder where they get this from? I love to eat, pretend to eat play food and I love to craft. These are my kind of kids!

Every day Roo asks me these 3 questions:
"Mom, are you making lunch?"
"Mom, are you making dinner?"
"Mom, can we make a craft?"
Miss Thang always offers her 2 cents with "Eat Mom?" "Craft Mom?"

A few weeks ago I had a package with the cute little crinkly pieces of paper inside it, like the stuff you fill a gift bag with. I was just about to toss it in the trash when inspiration hit. This would be the perfect base for a craft my kids would want to gobble up!

To start off, I grabbed yellow, white, green and red paper that was left over from another craft we made, I cut simple strips of yellow for cheese. Simple circles for pepperoni, I made little curved green peppers and the hardest shapes was the white mushrooms.

I cut out quite a few of each. I knew the kids were going to LOVE this craft and I want to be able to repeat it again this winter. The extras I placed in baggies and stashed away for later.


I offered the kids some of each topping, including those crinkly little strips of red paper. They each got a paper plate.

To begin we generously applied glue to the plate, then we added our sauce.

Plate with sauce

Next we added cheese.

Cheese Please!

Then we started to add our toppings. This was a ton of fun for everyone, including me.

Green Peppers

The works! See how cute my mushrooms are!

And there you have it! We made fun pizzas from recycled materials. This was really a simple craft that both the almost 2 year old and the 5 year old enjoyed. You will have to stay tuned as this idea has spawned other pretend food crafts!

Fryer Park Offers Kids An Out Of This World Adventure

A few weeks ago, we set out on a mission! Last winter we saw this great park in the Columbus, Ohio area. I was sure I would recall the park! But then 8 months time passed, and I could only remember that there was electronic games on the playground....

Well I knew it existed, but I couldn't remember what part of town it was in, of course I had no clue about the name of the park either. Hubby turned to google and found a park that sounded like it could be it. Fryer Park in Grove City. So, we hopped in the car and headed south to the capital, then off to Grove City.

When we arrived at the park, we walked around the pond, enjoyed the sight of the ducks and made our way over to the park.

The ducks ready for a swim

My kids were amazed with the park. They thought everything from the cave to the playground equipment was fantastic. They were hoping other kids would be there, but that wasn't the case. We had the place to ourselves.

My kids loved the cave!

The park was large, spacious and perfect for kids of a variety of ages!

I loved the plaques for the planets!

I loved being able to set the kids free. They ran, they played, they had a lot of fun!

"The Moon"

There were so many things for the kids to do! They loved exploring the moon, they delighted in climbing thru the cave.

This part of the park is perfect for bigger kids looking for a thrill!

While Fryer Park was not the park we were looking for, it was a great park in the Columbus Ohio area to visit. It was well worth the drive down and we will certainly be hitting this park up again! We visit a lot of parks, it is kind of our thing these days. With that in mind, I will be as bold as to say, Fryer Park is on our top 5 list of Ohio parks and playgrounds, which is quite impressive!

Grove City in general is a charming place. It is a great place to visit with your family for shopping, dining or playing!

30 Days to Move: Day 11 Get Serious About Junk

Okay, this series started with good intentions but obviously, I couldn't keep up in the midst of a move! (Smart idea, bad timing or bad time management... you be the judge.)

On Day 11, I got serious about what I considered junk and what I felt was worth the trouble of packing and moving. I went through our house (everything that wasn't packed and destined to be kept) and started tossing junk into one of two huge boxes.

What is junk?

By my definition junk consists of:

Shoes I haven't worn in at least a year

Clothes that are outgrown or worse for wear

Toys the dogs never play with because they are well... junk!

Toys the kids have outgrown

Kitchen gadgets I never use

Excess plastic bowls with lids

Magazines I will never read due to time

While I was sorting this junk, I made one box the to donate box. This was the box of things someone could use but I felt had no real value.

The second box was yard sale items.

Yes, I know moving is crazy, but having a yard sale is genius when moving. You will reduce the amount of junk you either have to haul to Goodwill or pack and move. Plus, if you do it right you will make a ton of cash and can buy new stuff for your new home!

Traveling With Kids : A Day at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

I visited the location in this article as a guest of the Columbus Zoo.

On our first week of summer we traveled to Columbus, Ohio with the kids to experience one of the many fantastic offerings the city has for families. We got a chance to get our walk on, enjoy the sun and see so many breath taking animals all in one spot!

Where was this? If you are following me on Instagram you might have guessed that we visited the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium! If you are not following me there, you should be! I am getting more active there and sharing lots of my adventures!

We visited the Columbus Zoo on a perfect June day. As soon as we arrived and decided on a path, we were able to take in the sights of the Black Rhino enjoying his morning munch.

The mom in me swooned over the swans with the eggs in their nest.

My son and I loved the Camels!

The sheer number of exhibits and animals at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium makes it well worth the trip to the city,

 The elephants were lovely!

The flamingos made a great group to photograph!

We have visited the Columbus Zoo numerous times over the years. I am never disappointed and I am always very impressed with the continuous effort to make this one of the best places for families to visit for a zoo experience! Add in a Chicago dinner cruise afterward, and it can be even more magical!

This guy stole my daughters heart and attention. She was amazed with him!


I wanted to share a few tips with you to make your next trip to the Columbus Zoo even more enjoyable, if you are traveling with the kids.

Make sure your children wear comfortable shoes. There is a lot of walking and this is a good thing! Kids will get plenty of activity and hopefully sleep wonderfully that night, but folks, do you really want to be carrying a 20+ pound child for several miles?

If your kids are not accustomed to walking very far, take them on a few walks around the block as preparation for the Zoo. 

Pack a few drinks and snacks for the kids to sustain them in between meals and exhibits!

Sunscreen! Enough said!

Bring a pack of travel Baby Wipes. Even if the kids are a bit older these are so handy for freshening up in the summer!

Make sure your phones and cameras are ready for lots of great photo ops!

Grab a map, if the kids are really little, like mine are, decide what exhibits are most important to see and aim for those first, seeing what you can on the way. You never know how much a small child can take in terms of walking in the summer sun.

Take advantage of the play areas for the kids. Give them a break and a chance to let loose. You can rest on a bench and bask in the sound of happy children at play for a little while!


Have you ever visited the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium? If not what is your favorite Zoo?

A Car Show With the Kids

My little boy likes Super Heroes, trains, dinosaurs, sports and of course CARS! Anything with wheels is a hit with Roo!

While we were strolling around at a little community event in Galion, Ohio my son was delighted to see a car show! He strolled among hot rods, classics and styles we had never heard of!

Holy Smokes! It is the Bat Mobile!

                                                     My guys went into a trance ...

                                        Even I had to admit this was quite a sight of a car.

                                     These are the kinds of cars that little boys dream of.

Imagine the delight of both of my kids when we found the Mystery Machine! We are just starting our interest in Scooby Doo so this was.... Ah-Mazing!

Then we ran into a really great Micro-Bus. My husband was wide eyed and tye dye dreaming for a few minutes over this one.

I loved that seeing this in our little town. It was like a mobile part of history that we got to show our kids. They are little, but someday I will show them these pictures and maybe trigger their memories of this day when they want to learn about the 60's!

Isn't it amazing how out of the blue you can find things like this in the smallest towns? While I am not a "car person" I love sharing in experiences that my kids are interested in and experiencing the magic and joy of it through their eyes.

When was the last time you took your kids to something like a car show? Did they enjoy the experience of seeing so many cool cars?

A Simple Fine Motor Activity

I like to keep Roo learning and developing skills even though he is on summer break. I also like to create tools for learning from items we already have at home.

I had an idea for a super simple fine motor activity that I could make in a matter of minutes. I had no idea how much bot of my kids would enjoy working on such a simple activity with such great fine motor skill practice.

You will need:
Pom Poms
A pair of plastic tongs
An egg carton

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

The rest is pretty self explanatory. Put the pom poms in the egg carton, then demonstrate how to pinch and pick up then sort the colors.

As you can see I used smaller pom poms for Roo exclusively so he would really have to work at pinching the pom poms with the tongs.

Harper isn't ready for the tongs yet, but using her fingers to grasp the varying sizes and the fuzzy texture of some compared to the hardness of the smaller pom poms is good for her fine motor development too. I use assorted sizes when working on this activity with her.

A Day At Kelley's Island With My Sweetie #LakeErieLove

I just returned from a few lovely days from the Shores of Lake Erie. I can't wait to tell you about a simple adventure I took with my 5 year old and why this was the highlight of the trip.

Since I gave birth to Harper, Roo and I don't get a lot of one on one time. He is now 5, and I have missed him in many ways, despite the fact we spend most of our days together. On Monday night I whispered to Roo "Wanna go on an adventure with me?" He whispered back "And Harper?" I shook my head no and said "No, this is a special day for just you and me." Roo smiled and drifted off to sleep.

At noon my husband dropped us off in Sandusky and Roo and I strolled over to the Jet Express to get tickets for our adventure. We were headed to Kelley's Island, Ohio.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

We had some time before our boat boarded, so we strolled around the area. We stumbled into a great shop featuring basically every old fashioned candy imaginable as well as a vast selection of soda. (I believe it is called Soda Pop's on W. Water Street.) This was a fun stop to make as we waited for our ferry. Roo got an apple juice and a few gummy candies to hold him over until lunch.

We made our way back to the ferry, and my little guy snacked happily on his sweets and a small bag of local chips. As he saw the boat approaching his eyes were wide with excitement. He said "Hold my hand Mommy!" and he bounced his way to the line to board. We climbed to the top deck and sat down, he slid closer to me and said again "Mommy! Hold My Hand!!!" He was excited and a touch nervous.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

We enjoyed taking a few photos together and of the scenery. The ride wasn't too long, I didn't time it as I wanted to savor the moments with my growing son. I did hear that the boat can travel 34 mph, which is impressive!

Roo was quite impressed by the sight of Cedar Point from the water!

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

As we arrived my son was happy. We looked at the boats, we walked around town for a few minutes, scoping out restaurants. We held hands and happily walked around taking it all in. I asked him questions, he answered, we laughed. He very cutely told me that sometime he was going to have 20 babies of his own. I smiled. I said "What will you name all 20 babies?" He said "I don't know. I have to get 20 beds first Mom!"

We wandered into the Captains Corner. We weren't really hungry, but we knew we would be eventually. Roo opted for lemonade and we shared a basket of fries.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

The conversation with my son, giving him the chance to make all the choices. My heart pinched me to savor every second, to let him eat junk food, to laugh with him and soak it all up. We rarely get the chance to do anything just the two of us these days.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

We rode back after a walk around, we admired the view of the lake, the boats, the peaceful atmosphere, the feeling of community in such a lovely place in the world. I have been going to Kelley's Island since I was just a kid, my first trip was at the age of 14.  But, experiencing it with my son.... having a day alone. It made the experience new again.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

After we arrived back in Sandusky, we sat on a bench and talked, looking at the boats and water. We walked around town, enjoyed a fountain and decided we had a great day.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

If you are looking for a trip that takes you away to a slice of paradise, hidden in Ohio, I have to recommend that you get Jet Express tickets and exploring Kelley's Island. It is so much like being at the ocean, that you will forget you are in Ohio!

June is a lovely time to visit in my opinion. The temperatures were perfect (high 70s, low 80s) and going on a weekday gave us plenty of time to explore without the crowds I normally encounter on weekends. If you are looking for a great getaway in Ohio, #LakeErieLove the Lake Erie Shores and Islands make an exceptional option for families!

Thank you to my friends at Lake Erie Shores and Islands and Jet Express for hosting this day of #LakeErieLove with my son.

30 Days to Move: Day 10

So, this is not working out as I had planned. Do you know why? Writing a month long series while moving is really not the brightest of ideas....


On Day 10... the guilt of the day before hit me (think hot mess cookie fest). I got busy, cleaning, packing and getting stuff done! Granted, as I packed a box, I had eager help to unpack my boxes. It was a process.

With a great deal of the toys, blankets, clothes, odds and ends from the kitchen and knick knack things tucked into boxes I felt better. This was going to happen, one way or another.

On Day 10, I had moved, mothered and worked several hours for my job. The long week I had was showing on my face.

Reluctantly I pushed my trusty mower out the door and got a good sweat rolling as I made attempts to mow the jungle that was a lawn just 10 days before. Of course, Carla came by and said she was so worried about me... I looked exhausted. I laughed and told her putting in 13 hours on a Sunday and then mowing will do that to a woman. She looked guilty and hurried away.


Overall, Day 10 was good. I mowed half the yard, packed a bunch of stuff and was half way fun to be around for the kids!

30 Days to Move : Day 9

Well, the dream house... wasn't the dream house after all. There was just no way to make it work financially. I didn't get too discouraged. Remember I had a plan to fall on... campground living.

I half joked there.

Well the search continued. Houses were scooped out and promptly passed on when the insides were viewed, or the neighbors were sighted. House hunting proved to exhausting.

So, tossing in the towel for a day I have to admit. I wallowed in misery. I cried. I ate cookies.

That day feeling especially helpless and hopeless I prayed long and hard for God to shove me and I would do the work to get there.

So, on Day #9 of 30... Here are some more tidbits on what not to do:

Don't give up.
Keep Looking! Neighbors be damned, if you need a house, don't give up.

Don't cry.

Don't Wallow in Misery.

Don't turn to cookies.

Instead:

Keep sorting, packing and eliminating things that you really don't want, need or use. This stuff should not be moved to your new house.

Keep your attitude positive. There are houses!

30 Days to Move : Day 8 The Dream House

On Day 8 I found my packing mojo again. I started stuffing things into boxes at the speed of pack! Just seeing the pile of boxes grow bigger motivated me to keep going!

And behold, a call came in! We had a second viewing at a house, that like all others, I got a crush on from photos. I looked again and again. I was ready to make an offer on this house. Forget renting it. I wanted it NOW.

Funny how this works out.  Feast or famine and all.

As we are headed over to look at the "dream house" a call comes about viewing a third house. We make an appointment, options are good!

As we look at the Dream House, my heart pitter patters. I see my family growing up here. Oh, this house. This charming old house with modern updates. Be still my heart.

The catch? It was way out of budget. However, that heart was willing to do what it had to do to get this house... for 20 minutes we discussed dropping this, selling that, blah blah... it was going to happen.

I shared photos of the house with tons of friends, I gushed. I really had a crush on this space!

This made me ready to start packing with purpose. This was the house....

30 Days to Move: Day 7

By Day 7 I had a viewing! The house was cute, but bland. White and gray everything. But, it had lots of closets. As we walked through I liked it... a lot. 

We approached the subject of pets. He said "People with dogs won't be my first choice... but go ahead and fill this out. Let's meet Sunday morning to discuss." Huzzah. A Prospect. 

As we drove away, the mixed emotions played in. The location was not prime. It had no fence, neighbored a car wash and was on Main Street. With Kids and Dogs, this was an issue.

We talked about installing a fence with his okay. End of discussion. Or was it.

We had no more prospects in order so we saw the application out and went back Sunday. The guy wasn't there... he was at Sam's Club. He forgot... 

Not one to waste time, we scouted out several other houses. In no time, we found 2 lovely possibilities and one so so option.

The game continued.

As this was one full week in, we were starting to worry... just a little. 

I continued searching and Adam networked.

As the day continued on, I gave up on packing... I really got discouraged. My stress levels were high. I basically had a mini relapse of Day 6.

30 Days to Move: Day 6

On Day 6 I had good intentions. I was going to call a few numbers. I was going to pack up some kitchen things...

Well, the calls happened. I called and called number after number. No luck, nothing worth checking into further. No one wanted to accept dogs. End of the line.

A dark feeling settled over me as I realized, in 24 days we need to be out of this house. I admit, I let depression take hold. I started to give up a little. So, on this installment I am going to give you advice on what not to do on Day 6 of 30 Days to Move.

Do not grab the remote.
Do not get suckered into watching episodes of Roseanne on Netflix.
Do not act like a ziggy piggy with gourmet popcorn.
Do not put on your pajamas at 1 pm.
Do not feel so sorry for yourself that you have no choice but to have a nap with the baby.

On Day 6 of 30 Days to Move, if you have not found a few prospective houses or apartments, prepare to make a worst case scenario plan. While wallowing in self pity I did devise a pretty comically lame plan. I decided that if I couldn't find a house for my family I was going to get a storage unit, stash 95% of our possessions in there. From there I was going to the near by state park campgrounds to rent a primitive camp site for 6 nights a week and a cabin for one night a week. This would buy us time to keep looking without going broke living in a hotel, and best of all the kids would think of it as a vacation... the cabin was justified by the $26 a night rate and the luxury of a bed,  a tv and electric one night a week would be much needed.

My friends and family laughed. "Oh how silly you are Sara!"

But at least I have my Alamo. A real plan. Even if it is funny to some, lame and not really a great one.

Find your Alamo. Do you have someone that can let you stay with them for a week if needed? Can you afford a hotel room to act as your residence if you can't find a house? Spend Day 6 of 30 thinking out what you will do if the house hunt is harder than expected.

30 Days to Move : Day 5

On day 5 of 30 Days to Move, I gathered all of the stuffed animals in our house and put them on the sofa. I asked my kids to pick their most favorite toys out of this pile. The ones that remained on the sofa were safely tucked into an under the bed storage container. The kids insisted on keeping about 20 plush toys out. I chalked it up as a win.

After making progress I checked ads for houses for rent. I made calls. I felt discouraged, but I kept going. I gathered half o the play food, half of the puzzles and half of the trucks into boxes. The kids were okay with the half situation. They like having options for play time.

If your kids are anything like mine... that amounts to hours of work and an embarrassing amount of boxes filled with kid stuff!

So, on Day 5, if you have kids, start with picking out half of their toys. If there are toys that are not in great shape, very carefully dispose of these toys without a fuss or scene. Trust me, the less crap you pack and move, the less crap you have to unpack! Get rid of broken toys, outgrown toys, toys that are not played with.

If you don't have kids, on day 5 you could spend your time sorting through some of your toys! Do you have a lot of books? Do you hoard magazines like I tend to? Look through stuff like that, eliminate what you are not going to read, use, etc.

This makes the move much easier!

30 Days to Move : Day 4

It is now day 4 of 30 Days to Move. Today I am taking on the job of looking at my clothes and being honest with myself. Will I ever wear it again? When did I wear it last? This is hard to do. I always think I am going to wear that. I am going to wear those shoes when I... mow grass.

I started with my shoes. I had a pair of heels I hadn't worn in 5 years. I had 2 pairs of heels I cannot wear due to my broken foot in 2014 changing the shape of my left foot. I had a pair of sneakers that were too tight on said foot. I had a pair that was too big, a pair that was just old and had seen better days. I reasoned with myself that well, someday...

See. It is hard to sort your shoes and part with them!

I compromised by putting them in a box, and putting the box with the Goodwill stuff. If I find I need them in the next week they can come back out. So far I haven't needed shoes that don't fit.

Then I went to my clothes. I found 4 shirts and a pair of shorts that I will never wear again. I packed up a good deal of my jeans and long sleeve shirts as summer is near!

This made my wardrobe seem sad and sparse. But, its not like I don't wear the same stuff all the time anyhow.

Since we are now approaching the task of actually packing. Lets go over supplies needed to pack.

A supply of boxes
A black permanent marker
A roll of packing tape, clear tape, whatever. Not scotch tape!
Old Newspaper


Pack your boxes efficiently. Don't waste space, but don't over pack them. You want to keep them at a weight that you can comfortably lift and carry. As you pack the boxes, secure the lid with tape. Mark on the top and 2 sides what room the boxes is intended for or what is inside. This will help you should you need something sooner than later. I marked each side with the contents {Roo's Winter Clothes}  {Sheets}.

As the days pass by quickly I realize just how much work I have to do, and how little time I have to do it. 30 Days to Move... it really isn't that long of a time frame.