Weekly and Yearly Deep Cleaning Tips and Tricks with Free printable Checklists.

Hey guys,

This is a new post in my cleaning series where I share with you my tips and tricks when it comes to deep cleaning and weekly cleaning, plus I give you free printable of weekly cleaning checklist and a yearly deep cleaning checklist.

So to get yourself in the deep cleaning mode or even everyday cleaning I will give you a few tips and tricks to help you on your journey of cleaning.

Tips:

1. Start from inside-out: Start from the inside of the room and work your way out through to the door.

2. Play music and set on an update music list.

3. Clean one room at a time.

4. Set a time frame for each task and make sure you give yourself enough time to acomplish all you have planned.

5. Gather all the supplies and equipment before you begin.

6. Gather boxes and bags for decluttring.

Supplies you may need:

Floor mop                                  Microfiber mitt                                     Window Combi-squeegee
Dish soap                                  Old toothbrush to scrub around drains, faucent, tub jets, etc...
Glass cleaner                            Multi-degreaser                                      Arm length rubber gloves
4 Gallon bucket                        Backing soda                                          Lint roller
Multi purpose cleaner              Wood cleaner                                         Bathroom cleaner
Slim duster                               Laundry detergent

So to end this post I will provide you with color coded cleaning checklists that are very detailed and clear.

Yearly deep cleaning

Deep Cleaning room by room

Daily chores list  

How to organize your life?

Hey guys,

It's the start of the new financial year plus it's back to school season...

So why not start fresh with an organized life, new beginning new start, I'll give you my top 5 skills you need to develop in order to organize your life and stay organized throughout the year.

5 Skills you need to learn to organize your life:

1. Time Management Skills:

So Time management is key to an organized life, you only have 24 hours per day, we spend 8 hours sleeping, 8 hours working and we end up with 8 hours to work around to get our life together, so time management is key.

You'll find some tips on How work smarter not harder? here.

Tips to help you manage your time:

1. Make a schedule, Planners are amazing. Use a journal to track what you do        everyday, and how much time you spend on each task. Schedule more time than you think you need for meetings to build in a natural buffer.

             Personal planner.

      

 2. Make weekly goals to keep yourself accountable.

      

 3.Prioritize. Write down 3 - 5 must - do priorities each morning and knock them out early in the day. The task Priority Sheet  is the way to go. Spend more time on your priorities, time is highly elastic and will stretch to accommodate what we choose to put into it.

 4. Don't be a time waster.

5. Take breaks when you start to lose steam.

2. Filling Skills:

Keep all your bills, documents, receipts and other important paper in folders for each month out of the year for easy access just more organization. For expenses you can always divide them into IN and OUT folders.

Free printable are your friend. 

House Cleaning Checklists - Room by Room

Free printable office cleaning checklist.

Grocery and inventory Tracking.

Weekly Meal Planner.

3. Decluttering:

Having a clean space is the number one inspiring method to get things done. When you have less stuff to stumble on when working will make focus more on the job and less on the clutter around you.

You will my tips on Decluttering very helpful, check them out.

4. DIY Skills:

The most affordable way to organize your space is by recycling items you already have to serve a different purpose that what they're meant to.

1.  Use a cloths hanger to organize scarfs.

2. Use a food stand to display your most worn jewelry.

3. Use a mug holder to display your necklaces.

DIY Organization Ideas from Pinterest.

5. Labeling Skills:

Labels are used so we can find stuff more easily, so use plenty of them .

1. Use washi tape to label electric cords.

Roll out washi tape on a hard surface and write the name of each item.

Wrap washi tape around the cords and stick washi tape to washi tape.

Trim out triangle to create a flag shape and place in your power strip.

2. Use nail polish to label your keys.

you can write on them and once the ink is dried seal it with a clear top coat.

3. Label your pantry jars and spices to make it easier to find everything.

Labels 6

Labels 5

Labels 4

Labels 3

Labels 2

Labels 1

I hope you found these tips useful to have a more organized life free of clutter.

Please comment and share with your friends cause I worked extra hard on this post.

Tips and tricks on How to pack? How to save money and space on traveling?

Hey guys,

It's finally SUMMER, time of traveling and having fun.

Packing and traveling is not easy, and forgetting something behind is a party pooper, so what is the solution to an easy breezy packing experience?

I'll share my packing, traveling and booking airplane tickets top tips and tricks, hacks that were very helpful to me personally when I'm travelling.

The topics I'll be discussing in today's post are as follow:

1. Traveling Tips (What to do before and during your flight?).
2. Airport hacks.
3. What to take with you in your carry on?
4. How to pack?
5. What to pack?
6. Packing hacks.
7. Outfit journal.
8. Outfit ideas.

1. Traveling Tips:

Fact: Airlines make more money by knowing our buying habits.

So when to buy airline tickets? 

• The best time to buy your ticket is 6 weeks out.
• Shop early but don't buy early. Airlines start offering cheaper seats about 4 months before departure, 5 months for international.
• Prices change up to 3 times/day, sign up for email alerts for prices.
• Sunday is the most expensive day to fly- Holiday travel is an exception, buy those tickets as soon as possible.

Things to consider:

• Prices rise quickly the week of the flight. You'll pay about 40% more for ticket the day of.
• Most discounts and sales are offered early in the week.
• Consider nearby airports. Some cities have several airports, and the airfare can vary dramatically between them.

Before your flight:

1. Stick to a routine: Choose a flight that fits your sleeping schedule, if not stick to your bedtime routine before the flight, to fall asleep easier on the plane.
2. Dress for success: Wear sweatpants or workout cloths will keep you comfortable. Don't forget the thick socks to keep your feet warm.
3. Choose your side: Book your seat according to the side you sleep on if possible.
4. Tire yourself: The night before the flight, try to get a little less sleep.
5. Limber up: Stretch your body or do some yoga before your flight.

During your flight:

1. Flip your neck pillow: When you doze off, your head will be supported.
2. Use a foot rest: Use your carry on luggage as a foot rest.
3. Stay away from the light: Block out light, close the blinds, if you're setting next to a window, if not wear an eye mask.
4. Listen to white noise: Drown out any distracting sounds.
5. Avoid the snack trolley: Avoid drinks that are full of sugar and caffeine and alcohol, try to have carb-rich snacks like cereal one hour before dozing off.

Choose your sleeping position:

1. The window-gazer: Using a pillow prop your head against the window.
2. The headbanger: Pull down your seat tray and lean on top of it.
3. The lovebirds: Rest your head on the shoulder of the person next to you.
4. The crab: Ideal for isle seats, bring your legs to your hips and over the armrest (Watch out for the trolley).
5. The traditionalist: Push your seat back and enjoy the extra space.
6. The VIP: What are the odds? Just like sleeping in your bed, when you're alone in the raw, you can sprawl across the seats with a blanket and a pillow.

2. Airport Hacks:

• Check in online.
• Stay close to the business boarding, They occasionally show mercy and take people in from the queue.
• If you get thirsty, bring an empty water bottle through security,then fill it later.
• Know the rules, no sharp objects, liquids in sealed bags.
• Empty your pocket before you go through security.
• Offline survival, download your online boarding, Maps and passes, in case the unthinkable happens.
• Instead of storming the gate, wait out the rush and get some work done, the plane won't take off before 40 minutes.
• Use headphone for noise cancellation, not music, this way you won't miss any important announcements.
• Expect the unexpected, your luggage may be lost,so keep on an extra outfit and the essentials in your carry on.
• Board last for a free upgrade. If the plane is not full, you'll get to pick your seat, maybe even in first class.

What to take on your carry on?

1. Super important:

• Passport/ID.
• Copies of flight itinerary and address of where you're staying.
• Boarding pass.
• Proof of payment of any visas, hotels, flights. etc.

2. Entertainment:

• Tablet.
• Chargers.
• Headphones, Noise cancellation headphones.
• Knitting supplies. Knitting needles are allowed on the plane.

3. Snacks:

• Almonds.
• Beef jerky.
• Empty water bottle, you can fill it in the airplane.
• Granola.
• Apple pie, feel free to bring that pie yo baked last night.

4.Hygiene:

• One quart - size bag of liquids per flyer - that's it. Liquids must be 3.4 Oz or less deppending on the airlines.

3.4 Oz hand sanitizer.

3.4 Oz lotion.

Eye contact solution + Glasses

5. Just in case:

• Change of underwear.
• Pillow case.
• Anti wrinkle shirt.
• Pliers. 7 inches tools or less are allowed on the plane.
• Expensive electronics.
• Sleeping mask.
• Blanket or a big scarf.
• travel pillow.
• Anything you hate to lose like Jewelry, be careful if the ring resemble a brass rings it may get taken away. 

4. How to pack?

1. Know your destination, check the temperature, the climate, the culture, etc...
2. Trip duration, how many days, you can make your suitcase as light or as heavy as it needs to be. If your traveling just for the weekend it's better to pack your stuff in your carry on.
3. Make a check list to prevent forgetting anything. A complete checklists will be provided. Beach Packing List, Makeup and Toiletries Packing List, Vacation Packing List. 
4. Choose a color pallet. It's best to choose all nature colors with a few pieces of colored items like accessories or shoes.
5. Weigh your luggage at home so that you don't have to go through trouble at the airport, taking out your items from the suitcase in case of an over weight.

5. What to pack for a 5 day get away:

So Packing is not an easy task, but if you followed the 5 steps of how to pack it'll be so much easier.

1. Check the climate and culture.
2. Gather the basics.
3. Add key color pallet items.
4. Rationalize shoes, A pair of nude wedges to go with everything, flip flops, sneakers and heels for romantic dinners.
5. Complete with accessories, a cross body bag, a tote that can be used as a beach bag too, a clutch, belts and statement necklaces.

Pack light with the 5, 4, 3, 2 ,1 Rule:

5 Tops        4 Bottoms        3 Pairs of shoes       2 bags      1 Swimsuit

Black high neck (B.H.N)    Black Mesh (B.M)    White (W)     Mint  (M)      Kemono (K)

Black Pants (B)        Jeans (J)         Coral jeans (C)      Shorts (Sh)

White Wedges (W.W)    Sneakers (S)   Flipflops (F)

Black crossbody bag (Cross)      Nine west bag (Nine  L(long strap) / Sh (short strap))

For example: B.H.N + B + W.W + Nine Sh

                      W + K + J + W.W + Nine L

 

6. Packing Hacks:

• Put necklaces through straws.
• Put earrings through buttons holes.
• Put plastic wrap to close the bottles of toiletries (double wrap).
• Put cotton balls in compact powders to save them from breaking.
• Use cloths pins to make you toothbrush stand up right on the sink's top.
• put your money, credit cards and important papers in a maxi pad wrap, no one will ever touch it.

Cloths packing and organization tips:

• Roll clothes to fit the uneven bottom of a suitcase.
• Add pants and trousers.
• Roll clothes again.
• Put outerwear.
• Wrap pants and trousers.
• Insert accessories / shoe to corners (put socks inside shoes before hand).

Folding tips: 

Jeans:

Anti-wrinkle t-shirts:

7. Outfit Journal:

Keep a journal to document every outfit idea you get, do it on Microsoft Excel, or on physical paper, whatever suits you so you don't forget.

Take photos with your phone and keep them in a separate folder for easy access.

I do it on Excel sheets, its easier for me to find it on my laptop, plus I upload it on dropbox for the convince of finding it on my phone.

Here you'll find a free printable of my outfit journal, plus a Microsoft Excel version so you can customize it to your needs.

The photo above is an example of my journal for reference.

8. Outfit ideas:

Finally I hope you liked this blog post, I've spend a massive effort on covering so many aspects of travelling, please share it with your friends and family, and leave me a comment telling me about your secret traveling hack.

Home made Oat Milk

Hey guys,

I needed to find a cheaper alternative to dairy so I tried oat milk. It is so cheap, fast, and easy to make. Three things everyone loves! I also love that there are no emulsifiers, thickeners, stabilizers or other additives in homemade milk. It’s not going to replace the calcium and protein in cow’s milk so I make sure to keep our diet high in yogurt, cheese, poultry and leafy greens.

You'll find a printable recipe of my Homemade Oat Milk .

Ingredients:

 

• 1 cup oats
• 3 cups filtered water
• 1.5-2 tbsp. honey (or pitted dates), to taste
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

You will also need a blender, a fine sieve, a large bowl, and measuring spoons/cup.

I haven’t tried this oat milk with cheesecloth or a nut milk bag yet, but if anyone does please leave a
comment and let me know how it goes.
 

Instruction:

·          Rinse and drain 1 cup of steel-cut oats. Place oats into a bowl and cover with water. Soak for around 20 minutes. You can soak longer (even overnight) if desired.

·          After soaking, rinse and drain the oats very well. This step is very important because you want to rinse off any of the oat slime that has occurred from soaking.

·          Scoop oats into your blender and add 3 cups water. I prefer using 3 cups of water as opposed to 4 cups because it yields a creamier/thicker milk. Just know the more water you add the thinner your milk will be.

·          Cover with lid and turn the blender on a low speed, increasing the speed gradually, and blend at the highest speed for about 8-10 seconds only.

·          Place a fine sieve over a large bowl and pour the oat milk very slowly into the sieve. You might have to do this in a couple batches depending on the size of your sieve.

·          With a spoon, gently push down on the oat pulp so the milk flows through. This helps push the milk into the bowl, leaving the oat pulp behind in the sieve.

·          Clean out your blender and sieve with a good rinse of water until no pulp residue remains.

·           Place sieve over top of your blender and pour the milk in once again and strain.

·          Add in 1.5 tbsp Honey, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon.

·          Then  pour the milk from the blender into a clean mason jar for storage in the fridge.

·          Notes: This should last in the fridge in a sealed container/jar for 4-5 days. Use it in smoothies, oatmeal, cereal, baking, or drink it straight. If you want to use it in a savoury recipe, you can omit the sweetener, vanilla, and cinnamon.

·          Note:  Homemade milk does separate (remember there are no added emulsifiers!), so be sure to give your milk a very good shake (or stir) before using. I just don’t want you to be alarmed when you see the heavier ingredients sitting at the bottom of the jar.

What can you do with the leftover oat pulp?

I suggest saving it and mixing it into smoothies. Use it in Oatmeal cookies. If you have a dehydrator, I assume you could also dehydrate the pulp and then pulverize it in a blender to make flour.

If anyone has any other ideas, leave them below.
Ups:

• Very low cost.
• Nut-free so good for those with allergies
• Quick to make
• You don’t need a nut milk bag or cheesecloth
• Clean up was easy.
• Decent, but not mind-blowing flavor

Downs:

Not as creamy compared to homemade almond milk

Slightly watery (although this is improved when using 3 cups water instead of 4)