Cleaning is a daunting task that seems to take up a lot of our time. We spend hours of our day scrubbing baseboards and washing floors and putting away clutter. If you want to save yourself some time use these five tips next time you roll up your sleeves for a day of cleaning house.

1. Use dryer sheets to clean baseboards. This goes for chair rail too! If you have a lot of dust and debris that’s piled up on the trim in your home, don’t bother scrubbing it down with soap and water then drying it. Instead, use a clean dryer sheet to quickly wipe up the dirt. The particles stick to the sheet and you’ll be moving on to your next task in no time. The clean smell they leave is just an added bonus.

2. Use a lemon to make your stainless sink shine. It takes a lot of time to scrub down a kitchen sink and usually we end up with streaks that make it look dirtier than when we started. We have to scrub to make the steel shine and use harsh chemicals. Instead, rub a lemon on the inside of your sink. It will clean away the gunk, make your sink shine and smell fresh.

3. Make a clutter basket. When you’re cleaning the house sometimes it seems like you’re spending the entire day putting things back into their place. Instead of picking up clutter multiple times a day, throw it all in your “clutter basket” as it piles up. At the end of the day make one trip putting away all of the items you’ve collected.

4. Clean your couch with a brush. Most vacuum cleaners come with a handy attachment that looks like a brush. Instead of constantly vacuuming your couch and pillows, remove the brush attachment and scrape for pet hair and lint. The brush will pick up everything including the unwanted stuff you don’t even see in a short amount of time.

5. Designate a day for bigger tasks. Some cleaning tasks need more attention, for example, the bathroom. Instead of doing a mediocre job of cleaning your bathroom each day, designate a day to do it. Once a week you should scrub your sink, tub and toilet really well and wash the floors and linens. Then you won’t need to spend so much time throughout the rest of the week.

Super Bowl Sunday is almost here! Before you open your door to your football-loving guests, read our tips for throwing a successful Super Bowl Party!

1. Make sure you have plenty of seating. Not only do you need seats for your guests, you need seats that have a great view of the TV. Count how many people you need to accommodate and rearrange furniture if necessary. Use giant pillows on the floor as an option so people can be close to the action!

2. Cook finger foods. Your guests are going to be sitting in your living room and paying attention to the game so there’s no point serving a five star meal! Make a bunch of appetizers or throw something in the crock pot to snack on.

3. Play your own games. Design your own version of Super Bowl squares for your guests. Ask everyone to pay $1 per square and divide up the pot at the end of each quarter. This is a great way to get guests who aren’t huge football fans in on the action.

4. Use coolers. Instead of filling your fridge full of beverages for your guests (and taking up all the room), display a large cooler in the living room. This way your guests don’t have to leave the excitement to replenish their drinks.

5. Dress the part. Ask your guests to show up wearing their favorite team’s swag! Want to take it a step further? Break out the face paint! Give the kids at the party something fun to do by painting their faces before game time.

A blizzard is heading our way and it’s time to start checking to make sure we are prepared at home! Before settling in for the night tonight make sure your home is prepared with the following items. Once the snow starts falling many local businesses will be closed so it’s important to prepare! Do you have all of the items on this list?

• Non-perishable food—at least a 3-day
• Flashlight
• Battery-powered radio
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications
• Fully-charged cell phones
• Family and emergency contact information
• Extra cash
• Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
• Pet food
• Candles/matches
• Sand or rock salt
• Warm coats, gloves, hats and boots
• Firewood (if you have a fireplace)
• Warm blankets
• Snow shovel

We all have had issues with clutter whether it’s our kitchen drawers that get filled up with junk or our linen closets. Sometimes it can get overwhelming and we’re unsure how to fix the problem! Here are 4 tips to help you get rid of your clutter fast!

<strong>1. Choose one room at a time!</strong> Don’t expect to de-clutter your entire home in one weekend. Instead, pick one room at a time and focus on a smaller area.

<strong>2. Remove junk before you start buying.</strong> Bins and baskets are a great way to store our everyday household items. Before you go out and buy a bunch of containers for your stuff, clean the area and determine just how many you’ll need so you aren’t buying in excess.

<strong>3. Finish what you start.</strong> Sometimes when we start cleaning we can create a bigger mess than we had when we started. To avoid digging yourself into a clutter hole, finish each task before moving onto another space.

<strong>4. Give yourself a break!</strong> If you de-cluttered your office on Sunday and by Saturday it seems messy again, don’t give up. Put items away before things get out of hand again. Spending five minutes putting clutter back into it’s home each night will save you a lot of time in the long run and you won’t have to start all over.

When the temperatures get low it’s hard to get motivated to brave the cold to spend your spare time. Rather than bundling up to shop or go out to dinner or the movies, try some of these activities this winter!

1. Host a game night at home.

2. Have friends over and setup a hot chocolate bar.

3. Have a Netflix or movie marathon (complete with a cozy blanket and slippers.)

4. Read that book you haven’t had the time to pick up.

5. Host an at home wine tasting.

6. Try some of those Pinterest craft projects you’ve pinned

7. While you’re at it, try cooking some of those recipes too.

8. Have lots of photographs on your phone? Use a printing app to get them printed and arrange them in photo albums.

9. Update your playlists on iTunes and download some new music.

10. When all else fails….do some research on booking a tropical vacation!

Spraying air fresheners are a quick fix when it comes to giving your home a clean scent. Some of them are full of chemicals though which are bad for you to breathe! Here are five easy ways to make your home smell great for company or just for your own benefit.

1. Bake something. There’s nothing more “homey” than the scent of freshly-baked goods! If you are inviting company over, try throwing some cookies or bread in the oven.

2. Use citrus fruits. If your sink or garbage disposal starts to smell from food odors, use fruits right from your fruit basket! Chop up a lemon or orange to throw down the disposal for a natural, clean scent.

3. Use essential oils. By dabbing essential oils in places around your home you can add a subtle clean scent just about anywhere! Try adding a few drops to the inside of your toilet paper roll to make the bathroom smell fresh or put some oil on a cotton ball and slip it inside of a pillowcase.

4. Use your crock pot. Slow cookers don’t just have to be used for cooking! Add some fragrant spices or herbs like cinnamon, cloves or rosemary to water and let it simmer on low in your home for a delicious scent.

5. Display fresh flowers. Buying yourself a fresh bouquet to display in your home will not only look nice, it will smell nice too. Head to your local farmer’s market or grocery store and get a couple bouquets. You can cut them and divide them into mini vases in several rooms in your home.

Making resolutions is easy…sticking to them is the tough part! Whether you are trying to lose weight, save money or get organized here are some tips to help you be more successful with your goals this year!

1. Make your goal realistic. If your goal is to lose weight, remember that losing 100 pounds in a year is just not feasible (for most of us) so make your goal one that is realistic to obtain in one year.

2. Make sure you resolutions are specific. Don’t just say “I am going to get healthy in 2015.” Instead say I am going to exercise three times per week this year and stick to it.

3. Find a buddy with a similar goal. If you want to quit smoking this year, find a friend who has the same wish and keep each other accountable. You can inspire each other to stick with it.

4. Give yourself a smaller time frame. One year is a long time to be held accountable for a lifestyle change. Instead give yourself monthly goals. For example, save 100 dollars by the end of January. Once you have done that, challenge yourself to save 200 dollars in February.

5. Don’t be afraid of setbacks. We are all human and tend to slip up throughout the year. Don’t worry about a setback and just get back on track rather than choose to give up.

Watch the video below to learn a fun and very easy way to display your holiday cards in your home!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0k2azydHqM&w=560&h=315]

‘Tis the season for empty wallets! The holidays are certainly a time when we tend to drain our bank accounts shopping for the perfect gifts. Here are five tips to help you shop this season on a budget!

1. Make a list! Don’t go to the mall blindly. Make sure you have a list of people to shop for and budget how much you want to spend on each person. Cross off people’s names as you purchase their gifts.

2. Buy children something they want, need and something to read! Instead of going overboard with toys and clothes, ask your children to come up with one gift they really want. Supplement that with an item they really need and then finally something they can read.

3. Search for coupon codes. Websites like retailmenot.com offer coupon codes for hundreds of stores we all shop every day. If you’re shopping online, make sure to check for offers first!

4. Wait for sales. Stores like Macy’s offer annual sales every holiday season where you can get many things for a discounted rate. Put items on hold and wait until the sale to pay for them and pick them up.

5. Stop when you hit your limit! We all tend to go overboard during the holidays but make sure you set a spending limit and do not go over it, no matter how early you finish your holiday shopping.

Interested in starting some Thanksgiving traditions with your family and friends? Here’s a list of five great ways to make memories this turkey day.

1. Have every person at your dinner table write down one positive thing about each person in the room. Throw all of the answers into a bowl and read your own compliments aloud. This game will be sure to make everyone smile.

2. Have an award ceremony! Make everyone vote and hand out ribbons to the winners. Ideas for achievements could include “the best pie,” “the biggest eater,” “best dish washer” etc.

3. Watch a certain movie after dinner. Gather the family and friends around the TV after dessert and start a tradition of watching a great classic movie. Promise that the only night each year you’ll watch that flick is on Thanksgiving.

4. Make a thankful tree! Have all of your guests write what they are thankful for on a paper leaf and hang it on a tree used as your table centerpiece.

5. Are you a competitive bunch? Why not have some turkey trivia? After dinner let the games begin, break up into two teams and play some good old fashioned trivia!