Category: Simple Living

As you’re getting into the groove of homemaking, eventually you will stumble across the issue of buying clothes. I don’t mean that homemaking requires a particular kind of clothing; it doesn’t. (That’s a huge benefit, in my opinion!)

I just mean that at some point, you will need to buy more clothing — and you may need to make some adjustments to your previous methods!

If you’ve been working and living on your own, you might be used to spending as much as you like on clothes, and buying garments that suit your job, social life, and hobbies.

Then when you become a homemaker, you might find yourself with a closet full of clothes that no longer seem to fit your lifestyle. Add to that the fact that you’re probably on a budget now. (And even if budgets aren’t new to you, becoming a homemaker changes them!)

Suddenly, you find yourself looking for ways to spend less on clothing, while still dressing well.

Buying cheaply made clothing might seem like the simple answer, but it’s not the best one. Cheap clothing wears out quickly, and needs to be replaced much sooner than quality garments. 

But those high quality pieces can cost a pretty penny, can’t they? Is there a way to find durable, well-made clothing without spending $$$ on your wardrobe? 

There is, my friend! But the shopping method is different, so listen carefully.

Used vs. New

When you’re shopping for clothing that will last, it might seem like new clothing is much better to buy than used. After all, clothing does wear out, and laundering takes a toll on all clothing even if it’s not heavily worn.

Sometimes you find brand name clothing at secondhand stores, but it’s just plain worn out. Don’t buy those! Use your judgment, and follow these tips whether you’re buying new or used.

How to spot quality clothing

All garments are not created equal. Cheap materials or construction make an item much more likely to wear out faster. Learn how to notice these signs of quality, whether you’re shopping at thrift stores or a brand new boutique.

It’s in the seams

Examine the stitching on an item before you buy it. Are there loose threads hanging out? Hems coming loose (or not fully finished)? If you tug gently along the seam, does the fabric around it stretch much more than the stitching? This could cause it to rip out easily.

Know your material

If you’re shopping used, what is the condition of the fabric? Is it pilled, stained, or scuffed? Is the garment stretched out of shape? Does it appear shrunken?

The type of material matters, too. Natural fibers like cotton, linen, and wool tend to wear better and hold up to washing better than synthetic materials. Elastic fibers can break down over time, making garments lose their shape after repeated washings. 

A good rule of thumb if you’re looking for garments that will keep their shape for a long time is to opt for woven fabrics over stretchy ones. Of course, a well-crafted knitted wool sweater may hold up for years. But a clingy top made of fine-gauge polyester is much more likely to snag or get stretched out.

Do your homework on brands

I don’t shop based on brand names, but I do take them into consideration. If you know that a particular brand makes poor quality garments, stay away from them! Well known, trusted brands have a reputation to keep up, so they are usually a better bet for quality.

However, many companies are outsourcing their manufacturing, and the quality of their products may not be what it once was. I have chiefly noticed this in footwear. Sometimes companies will keep one line of products USA-made, and the rest will be outsourced for cheaper labor.

It is worthwhile to do your research on this, particularly if you are considering investing in quality wardrobe staples that you want to wear for years.

A word on clothing styles

When you’re shopping for clothes on a budget, quality isn’t the only consideration. Trends are fun, but how long do they last? Sometimes only for a season; sometimes a few years. If you find a quality garment in a trendy style, the garment is likely to last longer than the trend.

Now, I’m not saying you can’t have your own particular style, or follow fashion trends at all! But we homemakers do need to be practical, and consider the overall composition of our closets.

Before you take home that cold-shoulder sweater, think about how likely you are to wear it three or four years from now. Do you really want to fill your closet with clothing that will look dated in a few years?

Alternatively, consider buying classic styles and silhouettes — at least for wardrobe basics. If you can find high-quality basics in timeless styles that will last for years, you’re golden. Then you can always fill in the gaps with a trendy top or accessories that suit your style.

For more tips on buying used clothes, read Samantha’s article on thrifting quality pieces. I found it very helpful.

Finding a great price

Now that you know how to pick out quality garments, it’s time to talk about price. Remember how I said that used isn’t always better than new? Here’s why.

Secondhand stores vary widely in price and selection. Some thrift stores are part of national chains, while others are local shops. Consignment shops usually sell higher quality garments than other thrift stores, but their prices will also be higher. Shops advertising vintage or antique clothing will likely have even higher prices. 

Thrift Stores

The area where the store is located plays a big role in selection, and sometimes prices. Thrift shops in more expensive locales tend to carry higher-quality (and less worn) garments than their counterparts in poorer sections of town. 

In places where the demand for used clothing is higher, the prices will be higher; and vice versa. Where I live, there are no large-scale clothing manufacturers, so all new clothing comes with an added shipping expense.

This drives up the value of used clothing in our local thrift store — so much that I rarely shop there! When used clothing prices run 60-80% of retail prices, that’s a good indication that you should look elsewhere. You would be better off shopping department store sales, at that rate.

If your thrift store prices are high, or the selection is mostly poor quality and well-worn items, where else can you find clothes?

Consignment Stores

Consignment stores can be a good option, if there are any near you. Their prices are usually higher than thrift store prices — to begin with. Consignment stores often mark down items that aren’t moving, especially towards the end of a season. I have scored great deals on high quality garments by browsing consignment stores.

They are particularly good sources for shoes, unless you wear larger sizes. Consignment store shoes tend to be in much better condition than the ones you find at thrift stores.

Online Consignment Stores

Another option to try is thredUP, an online consignment store. They have a HUGE selection, from department store brands to designer labels. Their prices vary widely by brand: the more popular brands command higher prices.

I have purchased from them several times, and am very satisfied with their service. It is a good way to find higher quality, gently worn items at much lower prices than the new stores.

There are shipping and return costs to consider, so I am very careful about which items I purchase from them. I stick with brands that I already have in my closet, so I know the quality of their garments and how their sizes fit.

The downside of online retailers like thredUP is that you can’t feel the garment and examine its craftsmanship before buying. That’s one reason why it’s good to stick with brands you trust.

thredUP does have an option to order a box of ten garments, with free shipping and free returns — minus a $10 deposit that goes toward the price of any garments you decide to keep. This option sounds like a pretty good deal to me, and the only reason I haven’t done it is that it’s not available for Alaska!

Click here for $10 off your first thredUP order!

Etsy

To round out my list of used clothing sources, we can’t forget Etsy. Since Etsy is a platform for handmade and vintage merchandise, you will see some high prices.

But if you’re looking for a specific item and are having trouble finding it in thrift stores, Etsy is where I look next. Again, there are shipping costs to consider, and not all sellers accept returns.

Shop the sales on new clothing

I’ve talked mostly about used clothing, since that is mostly what I buy. However, shopping for quality clothes on a budget doesn’t automatically exclude purchasing new.

You can find great prices on new goods that are on sale, if you look hard enough. This takes dedication, patience, and focus (no getting sidetracked by the full-price styles!), but it can pay off big time and land you some great new pieces.

You can track the sales at department stores, online retailers, or your favorite boutique. The best sales tend to be after the midpoint of the season, but many stores also run holiday sales.

Always check to see if you can stack coupons on top of sale-priced or clearance items for extra savings. Some stores have loyalty programs which include exclusive coupons or rewards for members.

Classy Loft

I want to just mention Classy Loft as a source for new clothes that are pretty, classy, and modest. I have been satisfied with the quality of their garments, and I like to support businesses which celebrate modesty and true femininity.

While their prices are higher than I like to spend most of the time, they do run good sales!

Shabby Apple

If you’re willing to spend a little more for quality modest garments, I recommend Shabby Apple. I have not purchased from them yet, but I’ve been swooning over their dresses and skirts for years!

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That’s it! For more about dressing like a homemaker, make sure to read my homemaker dress code. Don’t forget your apron!

Happy homemaking!

~Kimberly

I love this old housekeeper’s rhyme, but it doesn’t quite fit my lifestyle. I don’t have any cows, so I’m not churning cream on Thursdays.

However, the concept of each day having its own task appeals to me. It’s simple and easy to remember. It makes each day a little different, and interesting. It sets a rhythm to a homemaker’s life, so that the days slip along quietly and home life is orderly.

Are you ready to set up your own housekeeping schedule? It’s easier than you might think! Just grab a pen and paper, or scroll down to download my pretty housekeeping templates. They’re free!

Not quite convinced? Read this article on the benefits of a weekly housekeeping routine!

How to divide your housekeeping schedule

You will want to divide your housekeeping schedule into three categories: for daily, weekly, and occasional tasks. I like to make two schedules: my basic housekeeping schedule has daily and weekly tasks. It’s short and simple, and I pretty much follow it every week.

The other schedule lists tasks that don’t need to be done as often: things like cleaning the washing machine or window screens. Some of these should be done more frequently than others, so I divide that schedule into monthly, seasonal, and annual tasks.

I put the most thought into the weekly schedule, as you will see. The daily chores are already habitual, so I don’t really need a reminder. The occasional chores can always be done later if necessary. But the weekly chores need to be done every single week, and if they’re forgotten or postponed, I really get behind.

That’s why this housekeeping schedule is so helpful to me: it fits my life and reminds me what I need to focus on each day in order to keep my home clean and running smoothly.

Daily tasks

Let’s start with the daily tasks. I keep my list short and sweet: wash the dishes, cook the meals, sweep the floor, and tidy. You could also list other chores like making beds and wiping down kitchen counters if you like.

Weekly tasks

Weekly tasks include laundry, ironing, vacuuming, meal planning, grocery shopping, baking bread, cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the bathrooms, mopping the floors, going through papers, and paying bills.

You might have other chores to add to this list, or do some of the listed chores more than once; I wash diapers twice a week in addition to the previous list.

You might need to clean bathrooms or vacuum more than once per week if your house gets a lot of traffic! I tend to vacuum as needed during the week, but keeping it on my schedule helps me to remember it when things get busy.

Planning your weekly schedule

How do you know which tasks to do on which days? Ah, that is the most important part of a weekly housekeeping routine! This is the deciding factor for whether or not you’ll stick to a schedule.

What works for me won’t necessarily work well for you, and vice versa. You really just have to keep trying until you find a schedule that makes sense to you and works with your life.

I’ve seen some schedules that tell you to clean one room per day. Well, that would be pretty silly for me to adopt, since our cabin has one main living space plus a bathroom!

Other routines break the housekeeping down into 5 or 10 tasks for each day. That’s fine for some people, but I would rather pick one large task and get it done, rather than rush around from one thing to the next all day.

Also, my days are not all the same. I plan one day per week to run errands and grocery shop, so I make that day intentionally light on housework. If your family is home more on the weekends, you might wish to make Saturday light on housework — or schedule chores for other people to help with.

Keep your schedule flexible, and be ready to amend it if the first attempt doesn’t quite work out. Trial and error will help you determine which tasks suit your Monday mood, and which ones are better for Fridays! 

Expect changes and stay flexible!

One important point to remember is that your schedule will likely change over the years. You don’t have to find a routine that will stay the same for the rest of your life! I’ve had a weekly housekeeping schedule posted in my kitchen for about three years, and I’ve already changed it twice. Things change. Just stay flexible!

One interesting tip I’ve heard is to save your favorite task for your least favorite day. That’s a curious concept to me, since I don’t have a least favorite day! But you can try that if you like.

I do save baking (which is my favorite task) until Saturdays, but that’s for practical purposes: I don’t want to bake on Sundays, and I don’t want to run out of bread by Monday morning when I’m packing my husband’s lunch!

This is what I mean when I say trial and error is the best way to learn. For years, I baked bread and washed the laundry on Mondays. But then my Mondays were too full, I rarely finished the laundry by suppertime, and I was stressed and grumpy by the end of the day.

If at first you don’t succeed, sit back and think about what’s not working. Then change things slightly, and try again.

Monthly Tasks

Which tasks should be done once a month? Ovens, refrigerators, and vacuum cleaner filters should be cleaned every month. In addition to those, I balance the checkbook, review the budget and expenditures, and tackle any mending that’s waiting for me. Some people recommend cleaning your washing machine every month. I clean mine about every three months, so it goes on my seasonal list.

Seasonal Tasks

These chores need to be done every three to six months: clean washing machine, wash windows, rotate mattress, clean pantry, organize cupboards, clean light fixtures, organize closet, and switch out seasonal clothing. If you have children, you will also need to switch out clothing sizes as they grow.

Annual Tasks

Spring cleaning is when I tackle such chores as cleaning window screens, washing walls, and cleaning carpets. You may prefer to do them at a different time, but they should happen once a year!

Housekeeping Schedule Templates

You made it to the templates! I had fun creating these pretty printables, and I hope you will enjoy them. There are two copies of the Weekly Housekeeping Schedule: one is blank, and the other is filled in with my own schedule as an example.

The third template is for occasional housekeeping tasks. I keep this posted to remind me what needs to happen each month or season. As you can see on my weekly schedule, I try to complete one rotating task each week on Thursdays, since that day tends to be light on housework.

My weekly schedule isn’t exactly the same as the old rhyme at the beginning of the article, but it’s pretty close! Here’s my amended routine: 

Have fun filling out your own housekeeping schedule! I hope these templates help you to organize your household tasks and feel more confident in your housekeeping!

Happy homemaking!

~Kimberly

You’ve just made a 5-star meal complete with an amazing main dish, perfectly matching sides, and a show-stopping dessert to finish it all off. Everyone loved it, but now you have a fridge full of leftovers. It all tasted so wonderful and fresh the day you prepared the meal, but then what happened?

Sometimes people are reluctant to eat the same thing twice in a row, and sometimes you don’t have enough leftovers to make another full meal for your family.

You don’t want to just throw them out, but what to do? Even the best home cooks sometimes run out of ideas or motivation when faced with a bunch of leftovers.

Why does leftover food go to waste?

None of us purposely let our food go to waste. So why does it happen so often? There are many possibilities: buying more food than your family will use before it goes bad; using only part of your food instead of all of it; cooking more than you need for a meal; failing to store food properly; and unwillingness to eat leftovers are just a few reasons.

The first two reasons have to do with planning ahead. Let’s take a look at how better planning can help save food from being wasted.

Don’t buy too much food.

This sounds kind of crazy, doesn’t it? I’m envisioning someone going to the grocery store and loading up her cart full of fresh fruits and vegetables, then going home and realizing she can’t eat all of it before it rots.

But that would never happen, right? Maybe not to that extreme, but many of us do find ourselves with limp or rotting produce once in a while, despite our best efforts.

If something is on a good sale, it’s hard not to buy it, even if you don’t have a specific plan for it. Now, I’m not saying you should never take advantage of sales on perishable food, but do so prudently: come up with a plan to use or preserve the food within a week BEFORE you load up your cart.

In most cases, you can freeze or can perishable food if you won’t be able to eat it all before it goes bad. Just make sure you have the freezer space or canning jars before getting too excited over that super sale on peaches!

Prevent food waste when cooking

Do you find yourself throwing out a lot of food scraps? Carrot and beet tops, potato and onion peels, and skin or bones from meat or fish are all commonly thrown out.

Composting is great, but you can go a step further. Before you pitch them, think about how you might be able to use these nutrient-rich parts of your protein and produce.

The leafy green parts of many root or stem vegetables are edible, and are a great source of many vitamins and minerals. Rhubarb is one notable exception: the large leaves of this plant are so high in oxalic acid that they’re poisonous to humans. But beets, carrots, celery, chard, and many others are perfectly safe and may be prepared in a variety of ways.

Instead of tossing the skin and bones from meat or fish, save it and make bone broth! Broth or stock is nutrient dense, and prevents food waste at the same time. I keep a bag in my freezer for odds and ends of carrots, onions, and celery. When I have a chicken carcass or some bones for making broth, I dump in the frozen vegetable parts and water to cover, and let the pot simmer all day.

Love Food Hate Waste has many more ideas about how to use every bit of your food and prevent food waste.

Don’t cook more food than you will eat

Sometimes, cooking extra food is a great idea-when you plan for it. But if you routinely have a serving or so of each meal left over, that’s where the problem starts. The leftovers get wrapped up carefully, then gradually pushed to the back of the fridge, right?

I’ll be the first to say that it’s hard to know exactly how much your family will eat. It varies by the day, by the meal, by their moods… and what about unexpected dinner guests? Also, you can’t just alter every recipe to produce the exact amount of servings you need.

Okay, so you can’t plan an exact amount of food for each meal. But this is still worth thinking about if you’re trying not to waste food.

Here’s an example. If you know there’s a particular meal that your family likes, but it’s hard to use the leftovers, then maybe you should plan that meal for when you have guests over.

Or if you’re trying a new recipe and you’re not sure how your family will take it, consider halving the recipe and making it in an 8×8″ pan instead of a 13×9″ pan. You can always make the full amount next time if they like it. Better to end up with an empty pan than half a pan full of food nobody liked!

Learn how to store food properly

Does your lettuce go limp before you can use it all up? You might be storing it the wrong way. If you tend to store all of your fruits and vegetables the same way, there’s a good chance some of them are aging prematurely. Take a little time to learn the best storage technique for each one, and you will be surprised at how much longer your produce stays fresh.

In the limp lettuce example above, try putting it in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes to crisp up the leaves again. Then wrap the head of lettuce in damp paper towels and place it in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. Wrapped this way, it should stay fresh for weeks.

Here are some more ideas for keeping your produce fresh longer:

• How to store strawberries so they last longer (The Spruce Eats).

• Jill at The Prairie Homestead has some great ideas for storing root vegetables when you don’t have a root cellar.

• Lori at Our Heritage of Health explains how to store apples all winter long.

How to eat leftovers

Most people don’t have a problem reheating their favorite foods or finishing off last night’s fruit salad. But some leftovers just don’t look very appealing. Others are strongly flavored, and don’t blend well when you add them to soups or casseroles. What are some tips for learning to eat your leftovers?

• Sooner is better than later. The longer something sits in your refrigerator, the less likely you are to find it appealing. Try to eat leftovers within a day or two after you make the meal.

• It’s okay to ditch the sauce. If you have leftover meat or vegetables that are covered with a highly seasoned sauce, rinsing the sauce off makes it easier to use in some other dish with different flavors. (I know, I know, this involves wasting a little food; but if that sauce is keeping you from eating the leftovers, it’s better to save some food rather than none.)

• Make them pretty. Designate one meal per week for reheating leftovers. You can lay them all out in fancy dishes, line them up buffet style, whatever floats your boat.

Cook with leftovers in mind

One of the barriers I sometimes face with using leftovers is that the leftovers are unexpected, which means I don’t have a plan for them. Now, I like to plan my meals once a week, so that I don’t have to worry about what’s for dinner every day.

I usually leave a blank space in my meal plan for leftovers at least one day per week. Sometimes, however, I have more leftovers that I expect. But if I’m strictly following my meal plan, those leftovers just get pushed to the back of the refrigerator and forgotten.

To prevent this from happening, I try to plan my meals with leftovers in mind. If you know roughly how much your family eats at mealtime, you should have a good idea of whether or not there will be leftovers from a particular meal.

That’s great to keep in mind, but you can take it a step further and actually plan for those leftovers. For example, if you’re roasting a chicken with vegetables for Sunday dinner, why not plan for chicken soup later in the week?

When you plan ahead for leftovers, you can estimate which foods you’re likely to have left over. This is important so that you can make sure to have the right ingredients on hand to turn those leftovers into another appetizing meal.

Leftovers in the Freezer

If you end up with a lot of leftovers after a meal, think about whether or not you can freeze them for later. Many people like to cook extra so they will have enough to freeze for another meal later. I know I definitely appreciate the days when all I have to do for supper is pull a meal out of the freezer and heat it!

Some meals that freeze well are: chili, soups and stews, casseroles like shepherd’s pie or lasagna, taco meat, seasoned (or not) shredded chicken, beef, or pork, and cooked beans. Those are all foods I find very handy to have in the freezer!

Another way your freezer can help with leftovers is by storing those odds and ends you’re not sure what to do with.

Instead of keeping a half cup of cooked veggies in the fridge until you get around to using them (a.k.a. until you forget about them and find the container a month later), why not designate a freezer bag or sturdy container for leftovers in the freezer?

You can slide bits of leftover meat, vegetables, and cooked grains into it when you don’t have a specific plan to use them. When the bag is full, thaw the contents and make soup or a casserole.

Conclusion

If this sounds overwhelming, just start slowly. Using leftovers instead of throwing them out can become a habit, but it might take some getting used to.

Meal planning can be a big help when you’re trying to form this new habit. I have some great resources and ideas for meal planning here!

If you would like some specific suggestions for how to cook with leftovers, see this list of ideas for transforming your leftovers.

I hope these ideas inspire you to be more creative in how you think about leftovers!

~Kimberly