Quick Idea: Save Money and Reduce Chemicals with Alcohol from The Daily Green.

“Vodka has a wide range of potential uses beyond serving as a relaxer and social lubricant… It is widely available, effective and less toxic than many of the chemical alternatives you might use for these tasks.”

Some of my favorite alternative uses of vodka:

– Boost shine: add a little to your shampoo for extra shiny hair
– Keep clothes smelling fresh: spray a tiny bit onto clean laundry to lock in freshness
– Rejuvenate flowers: combine with sugar and add to a vase of flowers for a longer living bouquet

Add vodka to your shopping list today…

I received this email & just knew I had to talk to Mary:  “I love springpad. I think it is a perfect program for a busy full-time-working mom like me. I can keep my whole life (and brain) in order. It made holiday shopping, gifts and recipes so much easier to keep together. My holiday was much more stress free since I didn’t have to keep everything straight in my memory. I could go to springpad at any computer…”

Mary is a mother of two small children & works as an Art Director for a Fortune500 company in Iowa.  She also writes a great blog about all the good things in her life, called The Yellow Door Paperie.  Her favorite places online are Ravelry, Facebook & flickr.

How Mary uses springpad: “When I find something on the internet that I want to come back to later, I add it to springpad.  I keep a huge list of photos & ideas for my blog.”

A specific case where springpad helped her out: “My husband and I are planning a trip to Chicago this summer for our anniversary.  I planned it all in springpad.  I looked up restaurants and  I have my packing list in there.  I added a book about Chicago that I want to buy.  I really wanted to plan my hotels in there, too…” (that feature is coming soon!)

What she loves about springpad: “It’s is like my brain on the internet, I can access it at home, at work, visiting my parents in California… I don’t have to think I about where things are at.  I just know they are there.”

Kristina (aka Mom on the Rise) is one busy lady.  Up until a few months ago, she was a 9th grade English teacher in New York City.  She recently decided to become a WAHM (work-at-home mom) in order to have more control of her time.

She’s been blogging since 2004 & has also recently started her own web design business.  She’s the Editor-in-Chief of YonkersKids.com & is in the process of starting up a new site for working parents who are juggling many jobs in addition to the responsibilities of family.  For those of you counting along, that’s four jobs – in addition to being a parent!

How springpad has helped her: “Ever since I started using it, I find that I’m working better…  I work at home with a toddler & I used to find myself working all the time.  With springpad, I can keep myself organized and focused, so now I work 9-5.”

What she like about springpad: “I like that I can personalize it.  I don’t buy paper Day Planners because they force you to use their system.  springpad adapts to yours…  I love that I can just organize it how I want.”

What she’s like to see improved: “I wish I had access to springpad outside of my computer.  I wish that I could download it to my PDA.”

A specific case where springpad helped her out: “I don’t have a drivers license & I decided to get one this year.  So, I set up a springpad to organize myself & keep track of my driving practice.  Having a checklist motivates me to do what I need to do, so that I can check it off.”

Thanks again, Mary & Kristina.

Quick Idea: Unclutterer recently talked about the high cost of too much stuff – I totally agree!

Even more, I think too much stuff also complicates life – both literally and figuratively. Not only does it take time and money to deal with my excess stuff, but having my stuff scattered about also weighs me down emotionally.

Resources:
Zenhabits 15 great decluttering tips
Internet Duct Tape 7 tips for learning the declutter habit
Slow Down Fast Steps for decluttering your life
Dumb Little Man 10 ways to remove clutter from your life