The perfect placemats for your table

These woven placemats are really great. They were true to size and consistent enough in color to look really great on our table. We were using cheap fabric mats I’d gotten on clearance years ago but they were starting to show a lot of wear. 

I wanted our table to look a little nicer, now, and a little more finished. These were in various sizes to fit as a charger for any size plate.  I chose ones that would only extend past our plates by about 1” so that we’re less likely to get food on them and have to clean them. But big enough to see and protect my table from our ceramic plates. And best of all we use the extra placemats as mats or hot pads for our hot foods to also protect the table. Now the table looks nice, AND FUNCTIONAL, whether it’s just us or if we have guests.  

They do shed slightly in the cabinet we keep them in but it’s fairly minimal considering they’re natural fibers. 

Do yourself a favor and dress up your table a little bit. Find the link here ⬇️⬇️

Woven Placemats

Or in my Pinterest link

Changing seasons….in the kitchen

 

I love this centerpiece.  I have three seasons worth of flowers I can just easily switch out. Batteries in the fairy lights and I’m good to go. Once you turn them on they come on at the same time every day. And because I love the crispness of the white flowers I leave those in from now until fall!!

All of these items were TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby finds and if you know me anything Hobby Lobby was 40% off.  

#easydecor #minimalistdecor #inexpensivedecor #springcenterpiece

Fantastic over the shower caddy

 

I was able to get these in both black and stainless steel for two of our showers that didn’t have enough space for more than one persons personal cleaning items. These were even enough for two girls to share and have plenty of space for everything. Nothing had to be left on the shower surface itself. They do come with permanent adhesion pads to put the caddy on and give it extra support at the bottom of it, just down from the shower head. However I didn’t want to worry about gunk getting trapped so I didn’t use it. They seem to hold in place pretty well and they look nice and hold large bottles well. 

Get your shower caddy today

Or see ➡️ in my Pinterest link

Felt chair pads that rock!

 

Do you need to protect your floors from you chairs but don’t want them totally noticeable?  For black chairs, these are the answer. 

I had clear felt caps and they were fine enough for protecting the floor but I didn’t like that they were so noticeable. I found these square caps on Amazon and in black and they’re PERFECT. I’m so happy with this purchase. They fit great and don’t standout.  Now if I can eventually find the perfect square clear caps for my brown chairs. For now they’re round and clear. 

You won’t regret these. 

Link ⬇️ 

https://amzn.to/40fjVxq

Follow for more inexpensive ways to protect your investments (aka wood floors). 

Stellar new pantry organization

 Don’t get me wrong. I LOVED the vertical airtight containers I got from Amazon. But then I found these horizontal airtight storage containers that are 3.2L instead of 2.8 and they’re horizontal. Which means no pasta hiding behind pasta. And the great part was I took all of those vertical containers and repurposed them to store all of the coffee and koolaid we had in the same shelf making it look even neater. I love neat spaces. We don’t have a large house for the number of people living here so organized storage and space saving ideas are key. This makes me feel so good!  I love cleaning and organizing. 

Click on horizontal airtight containers  to purchase. 

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Will the kids appreciate what they have?

 The short answer is they will. 

Eventually 

But until they learn how to work hard for something and to be responsible for taking care of things they won’t. But this can all be taught. 

We try to show them exactly how to behave and how to spend. They may not always listen but it’s always going to be with them and as they get older I see a lot of our teachings coming out. They know what’s right. For sure. They lived it for years, by example. 

Spending and saving is such a big lesson that, as parents, even if you don’t struggle you have to consistently teach kids what to do. What happens if their world falls apart and they have no coping or financial skills to fall back on?  I get off budget from time to time but I know how to reign myself in very quickly and where and how to save money.  And we talk openly about it at the dinner table as a family!

The kids in this house learn the same. It’s a skill that’s so valuable.  No pun intended. So we don’t spend a lot on their first car. You can spend $2k or $10k and still have it break down, hit in the school parking lot etc. We attempt to find a car that seems taken care of mechanically and then clean it up. Then they have something to take care of. Something to appreciate the day they save their own money and buy their first nice car. And they pay their own insurance so they DON’T want an expensive car. 

And then maintenance is yet another thing we teach them. How to change your own tire, your own oil.  Our 23 year old replaced the window motor to his car the other day. Our 26 year can fix almost anything. They learned by watching us fix and do things on our own and knowing what their limits are. They both extremely handy!

Don’t be afraid to teach your kids everyday skills. It’s not the schools job. They can only do so much in the time they’re given. If you don’t know these things maybe find someone who needs some help but is willing to teach your kid a new skill. 

#teachakidtofish #moneysavingtips #parentingishardwork #teachbyexample #stopoverspending #teachkidsselfsufficiency #teachkidsresponsibility #teachkidsrespect #teachkidsmoney

New containers to love and organize

 

THESE!!  Right here. 

I still love the 2.8L vertical airtight containers for drink mixes but the horizontal 3.2L are the 💣!

They fit 4 packages (a box) of saltines, multiple packages of spaghetti and lasagna and perfect for boxes of Mac and Cheese for a large family. 

I LOVE that I can stack them up by type and not have to try to see what’s behind what. These make my organizational heart happy and make me less anxious when I open the pantry door.  And I’m not wasting the ones I emptied because I have been repurposing them for storage of others items and the kids who don’t live here (or move out) will take some. There aren’t many left. 

Seriously. What are you waiting for?  If you see your food, you don’t waste your food. Money saved right there! 

All Amazon items that I love are in my Pinterest or here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1ZVLDT6/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_6MHD6P5ZWQ38FFJVQE79?linkCode=ml1&tag=mindfulfrugal-20

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