Every Monday, I answer a few of the questions that my readers send me. If you have a question you’d like me to answer in a future Q&A post, just leave me a comment here or email me (thefrugalgirl [at] gmail [dot] com) and put Q&A in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you!
Hello, dear readers!
I am pleased to report that I am feeling almost 100% normal. Oh yes.
I have once again been reminded that it’s only after being very sick that you can really, truly appreciate the delicious wonderfulness of a body that is not achy and feverish. I pretty much feel like I could take on the world right now, I feel so happy! (and that’s despite the cough that is still lingering on)
The girls are all back to their usual happy, hopping-around-the-house selves, but Joshua still seems a little quiet and tired today. Mr. FG is about the same as Joshua…it seems they got a milder version of the bug than the girls and I did.
Today I’m pouring my newfound energy into restoring some order (and clean laundry!) to our house, so that’s why I’m a little late getting this post up. And it’s why this post may be a little shorter than usual.
I have read that baked goods freeze well. Based on your experience what is the best way to wrap breads, biscuits, etc…in order to avoid freezer burn? In addition, what items do you bake and then freeze?
-Grace@Life2Seriously
I usually put mine into plastic bags, squeeze the air out, and shut them up tight. The kind of bag I use all depends on what I have around. Sometimes I use cereal bags (chip clips or clothespins keep them shut), sometimes I use Ziploc, and sometimes I use regular plastic bags with twist ties.
I don’t really love to use plastic products, but I haven’t found anything else that works for storing or freezing baked goods. I do re-use my bags until they’re not usable. To make this simple, I don’t even wash them between uses unless they’re sticky….I just shake the crumbs out, make sure the bag is dry, and use it again.
I’ve frozen almost every type of baked good there is, and as long as its sealed up tight against air and it isn’t allowed to languish in the freezer for eons, it’s been just fine.
I noticed in your pictures that you have hardwood floors, i do too, but i want to know how do you keep them so clean and shiny, mine is so scratched up. i mop them with murphys oil soap. but it doesn’t help. just would like to know.
-Julie
I do have hardwood floors in my kitchen and dining room (there used to be carpet in the dining room, which is a really stupid idea when the dining room is the only place to eat). They’re pre-finished hardwoods from Home Depot and they came with a really shiny finish on them. I like them pretty well, but if I had to do it over again, I’d look for flooring without grooves between the boards. The amount of kitchen junk that ends up in the grooves is quite amazing.
I don’t do much to maintain my floors…they get swept several times a day, but I wash them on a shockingly infrequent basis. And when I do wash them, I usually just use hot water without any soap.
Your floors may just have a more matte finish on them than mine do, and in that case, no soap will change that. I think matte-finish, weathered floors have a certain beauty to them, though, so I wouldn’t stress over it too much!
I would love to see how other couponers organize their coupons-especially all of the Sunday inserts…..any great links you have found or great ways to accomplish this?
-Jeanette
I don’t consider myself to be a couponer per se (I wrote a post about that and sparked much controversy in the comments!), but I keep my coupons in an index card file. When I get coupon inserts, I clip the ones I want, put them into the appropriate categories, and then recycle the rest of the insert.
For a serious coupon-user, this system might not work, but for me, an occasional coupon-user, it’s perfect.
I know I’ve got some readers who are avid couponers, though, so I’m sure they’ll be along to share their methods with you!
Today’s 365 post: Blue Eyes
J. smith
Tuesday 1st of February 2011
Youi should never ever ever EVER use "oil soap" on hardwood. It dulls the finish by actually attracting more dirt over time and when that fine particulate gets ground into the polyurethane it causes permanent damage. The only way to fix it once the damage is done is to refinish or at least screen off a layer and recoat with fresh varnish. And be prepared to pay more than usual since the gummy oily dirt is harder to sand off and it gums up the sand paper used on the big machines. (and if you have prefinished floors your only option is replacing -- they can't be refinished) The best thing to use is just plain water. If you have a reason to disinfect a bit, a 1:4 ratio of plain vinegar and water is best. Not only is it dirt cheap but it will clean effectively without damaging your finish.
My husband is a 3rd generation hardwood guy. We run into this problem a lot.
EngineerMom
Wednesday 26th of January 2011
We refinished our oak floors when we bought this house a year ago. We chose to use a water-based polyurethane in a semi-gloss shiney-ness. I didn't want a high-gloss finish, since we have large windows and the light can be blinding in the summertime off a glossy floor! I've also noticed that minor rubs and scratches aren't as noticeable as they would be on a high-gloss surface.
You could try asking a professional floor refinisher. If someone used wax on top of the finish on your floor, that can cause the surface to look dull and cloudy. Stripping the wax off could do a lot to revive the look of the floor.
Kristin
Wednesday 26th of January 2011
There are a thousand different ways to organize your coupons but you'll end up findng a method or a mix of methods that work for your individual lifestyle. That's what ended up happening to me. I have a binder for the loose coupons as well as a small purse file for the ones I use in stores, and then a file box to file my inserts from the newspapers. i was really sick and got out of organzing them last year so that's what I'm doing this week. It will boil down to how much time you want to invest each week into getting ready to shop. THe more time spent the more money saved at least in the beginning. Once you get used to a certain "system", it'll become second nature to you and will not take nearly as long. E-mail me if you want any pointers. I had a blog but shut it down when I started having more health problems. I hope to be back at it soon.
SavingsLifestyle.com (formerly MommySnacks.com) has a lot of great organizing pointers and savings tips, and she's a great person!
Kristen @ Joyfullythriving
Tuesday 25th of January 2011
I use coupons quite a bit and did a recent link up of various couponing systems (mine included) on my website at http://www.joyfullythriving.com/2010/10/coupon-box-links/. I hope that can provide some help! There are so many things to consider that really, it's a matter of finding out what works for you.
ann
Tuesday 25th of January 2011
We have hardwoods. I used to have linoleum and used vinegar and water to mop, which was fabulously frugal. I have a friend who uses that on hardwoods and loves it. On my floors, though, it leaves them a bit dull. So we use Bona. I like the kind in the spray bottle. I use a swiffer type mop but with a washcloth on it instead of reusable pads. This gives a nice shine. As for scratches, I use a sharpie to fill in scratches.
Kristin--maybe vacuuming your floor cracks once a week or so might help with the gunk!