Pantry and Stockpile Organization Ideas

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April 5, 2020 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Facebook, Frugal Living, Home Improvement, Instagram, Pinterest, Social Media Leave a Comment

Gathering a stockpile? Accruing a large stash of goods and products can leave you in a mess. We have some of the best Kitchen Pantry Organization Ideas and Stockpile Storage Ideas to get your home organized.

Pantry & Stockpile Organization

Consider this post just as much for me, as for you. We moved as soon as social distancing became a thing. I am talking about last day of school Friday. Monday, no school and closing on a new house. We consider it a blessing, as many places of work closed the week we moved but all of a sudden I found myself in a new home with no stockpile and starting from nothing.

Stockpile Meaning

If you know couponing, you likely are familiar with a stockpile. If you are new to shopping ahead – say in two week to month long periods, you might be becoming familiar with the stockpile meaning.

Stockpile. stock·pile /ˈstäkˌpīl/ noun. A large accumulated stock of goods or materials, especially one held in reserve for use at a time of shortage or other emergency.

I worked hard to diminish our stockpile before the move. Especially our stockpile of canned foods and fresh ingredients. Once I made a trip to the grocery store (on Tuesday) the shelves were pretty wiped clean. So I began the process of stockpiling, on a limited supply, with a brand new kitchen and pantry. Since I was at ground zero, I went to Pinterest to start right. This was my opportunity to organize a new home and began new habits of putting tings away properly and in their place.

Take my lessons on How to Stockpile from someone who has done her research starting at the beginning. These stockpile organizational tips I learned from step 1 doesn’t mean you can’t start or implement on year 20. Now is a great time for us to all hunker down and organize our home, pantry and stockpile.

Enjoy!

First up, we have a freebie for your pantry too. Download and save this “We’re out of…” free printable Pantry Organizer. Subscribe and look for a link and password in our inbox. The password allows you to access and download all of our free printables.

1.) Enter your email address HERE.

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Kitchen Pantry Organization Ideas and Stockpile Storage Ideas

If you have plenty of pantry storage (and even if you don’t) use the Dollar Tree to fill your space with Dollar Tree Storage Containers including glass jars and plastic bins. We share a lot of these ideas in our KonMari Dollar Tree Organizing Post. | Do It On a Dime

Use all your space and keep the bread intact! Use under-shelf racks in your pantry to hold easily crushable items that keep your counters free from clutter. (In our home, we actually put this in our cupboard with the plates.) | BHG

When stockpiling, use all the possible space you can. In this pantry hack, attach plastic sink caddies to pantry walls using Velcro Command strips. | Make Bake Celebrate

Speaking of using your pantry wall, try this. Pin your plastic bags to the wall inside your pantry. Not only will our bags be easily accessible but it will free up some space on your shelves. | Source

Use all your space with out loosing things . Pull out drawers will allow you to pack your stockpile in small spaces. See drawer options here. | Source

With stockpiling, it is important to keep ingredients fresh. Especially because you might find yourself opening a new oversize box but not using it entirely right away. Airtight Food Storage Containers are great for pantry organization as well as freeing up space. If you find yourself needing directions for your ingredients, use a label maker to add directions to the container. | Make Bake Celebrate

Utilize the corners of your pantries with a lazy Susan (or 2 or 3 or 100). Follow these step-by-step tips for a lazy Susan pantry idea. | Decor Chick

Instead of pilling cans on top of each other, spread them out with a rolling Can Storage Organizer Rack. This rack and stack on top of each other, as well, for higher shelves and more canned good storage. | Buy It Here

Get creative. Wall mounted magazine racks are perfect for vegetables likes onions, potatoes, and more! | Just What Am I Thinking

Adjustable shelves? Follow these Pantry Shelf Guidelines to see how tall to make an ideal pantry shelf for canned goods, spaghetti sauce, cereal and more. | Food Storage Moms

Ideal Pantry Shelf Guidelines

The following are approximate guidelines for the most ideal pantry shelf height.

Allow 5.25 to 7 inches for a shelf of canned goods.
Allow 8 to 10 inches for a shelf of baskets.
Allow 12 to 16 inches for cereal boxes.
Allow 12 to 16 inches for stackable Airtight Food Storage Containers.
Allow 14 to 16 inches for a 3-tier Can Storage Organizer Rack.
Allow 18 to 20 inches for larger items or items rarely used.

If you lack a basement or an over-sized utility or laundry room, the garage is going to be your best bet for stockpile organization from body wash, laundry detergent, toilet paper, cleaning supplies and more. You can find sturdy Home Depot Garage Shelves. Follow this stockpile organization tutorial on YouTube. | Be My Guest with Denise

Use a hall linen closet to store toiletries. You can use a clear shoe organizer for smaller health and beauty items. This makes them easy to see and reach. | Coupon Wizards

Your food stays fresh and easily accessible in a Pantry Food Storage Container with Handle. The handle makes removing it from the cabinet easy, and its lid ensures freshness. It holds over 6 quarts which is pretty large for storage! | Buy It Here

Want a way to store open chips without them falling over and opening? We love this pantry hack for hanging chips. | Source

Get organized. We have Organizational Printables to get other areas of your home in order. Pin to Pinterest.

Save a lot, organize a lot – We love the Dollar Tree Organizational Ideas. Pin to Pinterest.

WHAT’S TRENDING? Get inspired this Spring with Dollar Store Easter Decor.

Also access our Free Frugal Coupon Living Printables to help you find joy through embracing the chaos of motherhood more easily!

Stay in the know with daily deals, recipes, crafts, life hacks and seasonal content on Frugal Coupon Living. Receive this and more in your inbox.

Chewy.com Cat Food + Dog Food

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April 3, 2020 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Frugal Living, Online Shopping Leave a Comment

Chewy.com Cat Food and Dog Food | Online pet food delivery service with deals, coupons and free shipping.

In my lifetime of having pets, I never found myself in a position of needing an expensive cat food or such careful care and attention to a cat. This past year, we have gone through quite the challenge with our sweet orange tabby male cat. This medical issues created a very expensive surgery and a daily requirement of Hill’s Science Diet Prescription food. Through our challenges, we discovered Chewy.com Cat Food.

If you are looking for Chewy.com Cat Food or Dog Food, we have deals and cat food coupons to help you find an affordable Pet Food Delivery Service.

Chewy.com Cat Food

While Chewy.com delivery caters to both cats and dogs, this post focuses on cats as that was our personal experience with pet food delivery.

Cat Food Brands

Chewy cat food and treats have a large selection of top brands at low prices. Dry cat food and wet food choices include some of the best cat food brands. Shop Blue Buffalo, Merrick, Halo, Wellness, Taste of the Wild, Hills Science Diet, Friskies, Royal Canin, Purina Pro Plan, Instinct and their very own Stella & Chewy’s – a holistic and organic pet food option.

I personally use their Hill’s science diet prescription cat food. They make this prescription service incredibly easy. Upload a prescription from your vet or supply Chewy your vet’s name and number.

For us, it was Hill’s Prescription Diet c/d Multicare Feline Urinary Care for our cat’s needs. They called our vet to confirm we could purchase this cat food. This confirmation was done in 24 hours and my order was shipped quickly. You also can look into Chewy Pharmacy for free shipping on pet meds, as well.

Chewy Cat Food Deals

The reason I began using pet food delivery was because of Chewy.com’s low prices and promo codes. I was able to have the pet food delivered straight to my home and I began earning discounts for continuous auto shipping.

Is Cat Food Cheaper at Retail or Pet Stores?

One thing my vet, pet stores and retail stores could not offer me was delivery to my home, instant savings and a continuous cat food savings. In fact, what secret won’t your veterinarian tell you? How to save money elsewhere!

Actually, that was opposite for me. Once my vet assigned my cat prescription wet cat food, she recommended I look into Chewy.com for cat food coupons.

How to Save Money on Cat Food

Thankfully, I was lead in the right direction to show me how to save money on cat food. With Chewy.com, save 30% on your first autoship order plus get free 1 to 2 day shipping on orders over $49! Additionally, Chewy is not only convenient with fast shipping, you can money on continuous pet food delivery. Save an extra 5 to 10% on future cat food autoship orders.

Pet Food, Products, & Supplies

If you have a dog, cat, fish, bird, small pet, reptile or even a horse, look into Chewy.com for pet supplies, toys, food, products, prescriptions and more.

Take advantage of pet coupons and promo codes while shopping Today’s Deals at Chewy. Free shipping on orders over $49.

For dog lovers, follow our Dog Hacks and Tips. Pin to Pinterest.

How to Organize Family Household Chores

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March 28, 2020 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Facebook, Frugal Living, Instagram, Parenting, Pinterest, Social Media Leave a Comment

I cannot do it all and to get it done, I have to involve the kids and husband. Follow these hacks and tips for How to Organize Family Household Chores – timers, zones, music, charts, rewards and more!

How to Organize Family Household Chores

In the pass couple years, my “work” has exploded. I don’t mean business, I mean the responsibilities I hold. I learned, from friends, that would happen with older kids. There are more assignments, activities, responsibilities and more stuff. My bigger issue, though was there was also more kids. I had three kids in fourteen months. Yes, that is possible with twins. That took our family from a family of four to a family of seven rather quickly and I needed help. I had to involve my family to get things done.

Getting your family to help with household work doesn’t need to feel as though you are pulling teeth. Believe it or not, but there are methods out there that get your whole family involved! You don’t have to do everything yourself.

Make doing chores something the whole family gets involved in. Here are ways to how to get the whole family involved in Household Chores!

How to Get Your Family Involved in Household Chores

The more important jobs of the house shouldn’t only fall on mom. Of course, it’s easy to get frustrated when you feel as though your family isn’t helping you like you need them to. If you’re a busy mom and need some creative way to get the kids and husband to help with chores, I’ve got some ideas for you!

Set a Household Timer

Can’t get your family to help clean? Why not set a timer? Timers are great for getting something big done in a short period of time. When a timer is set, you don’t have time to get distracted. Plus, even the little ones enjoy having the time set. This is a cheap inexpensive way to get your family involved in housework.

Consider adding on our Daily Cleaning Checklist or Deep Cleaning checklist (found in our Busy Mom Binder). You can assign each person an area of the home (from the list) during this time.

A household timer let’s your kids know, something won’t last forever! Consider adding music during this time. It just makes it more fun.

Shop The Busy Mom Binder

Assign a Zone

A friend offered me this tip. Each child (depending on their age) had a zone of the house. For mom it as the kitchen and master bedroom. For dad it was the porch, patio and garage (and offer flow of the kitchen). For my oldest it was her bedroom, the living room and the dish washer. For my second oldest it was her bedroom and the shared bathroom. For some of my younger children it was the playroom and they could do that combined. Set a timer for 10 minutes and everyone gets to work daily for cleaning up their zone.

Don’t Expect Things to Change Too Fast

Your family isn’t going to automatically wake up on a Saturday and start cleaning. When it comes to family household work or chores, it’s going to take time to make these changes happen. Start implementing smaller tasks at a time.

Start by having your family help with one thing at a time.
Change things slowly and not all of a sudden.
Expect a little pushback from your family, they’re not going to love these changes at once.

Give it time for these changes to take place. You’ll be glad you didn’t go into this whole household chores thing thinking the whole family was going to jump on board right away. Lower your expectations.

Give Rewards When They Are Due

Kids who do chores shouldn’t necessarily get paid, but they can be rewarded. You don’t need to pay your kids with money to get them excited about doing chores. If you have younger kids, they may not even be at an age where they get excited about the money.

Find what really motivates your child and reward them with that. Rewards can be stickers, a favorite show, or even an ice cream treat. Our screen time tickets are very popular and might be the perfect fit for your child. Finding out what motivates your family will help save your sanity.

My Kids Need These Screen Time Tickets

Make it Fun and Not Stressful

If you are yelling at your family to help you clean, it’s not going to turn out well. One of the best things you can do for your family is to make it fun and not stressful. Think of housework like working as a team. The more you do together, the faster it will all go! Turn on the music and have a dance party while you clean.

Don’t Forget the Chore Chart

The chore chart may be an oldie, but it’s still a goodie. There is a lot of creativity in chore charts! In our our Busy Mom Binder you can download this detailed chore chart which tells kids HOW to clean their room so you aren’t busy hovering like the helicopter mom you don’t have time (or desire) to be. You could also make your own chore chart to personalize it to your home and needs.

The Busy Mom Binder to Fix Your Organizational Needs

Stick with It

As a mom, it’s easy to see that getting everyone to help you is harder than it’s worth. NOT. Don’t give up on this and stick with it. Hold your family accountable and they will come around. Consistency is key! Make them help you do it every single time.

You don’t have to nag, scream, or cry to get them to help! Stay positive and stay consistent and you’d be amazed at how much you can get your family to help.

Show Don’t Tell

While no one is going to come close to doing it HOW you like it done, you can still teach them your way. There is going to be a learning curve with anything your kids learn, however, they can still get it done.

Do the chore with them the first couple of times, so that they KNOW how to do it. Doing it this way means there are no excuses for them not knowing how to get it done.

How do you get your family involved in helping with household work? Do you have secrets to share about getting your family to do chores?

Our Pinterest community and I would love to see how this worked out for you. Share your chore chart. Leave a comment and/or add a photo here on Pinterest!

Get help with chores with many of the printables in our Busy Mom Binder. Pin to Pinterest.

You are busy! I get it. Take a look at these Busy Mom Life Hacks. Pin to Pinterest.

Homemade Dishwasher Tablets with Lemongrass

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March 24, 2020 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Essential Oils, Frugal Living, Home Improvement, Instagram, Pinterest, Social Media

These homemade dishwasher tablets offer a hint of lemongrass. They are an easy recipe to add to your kitchen cleaning supplies. These DIY dishwasher pods store easily in the kitchen and are frugal-friendly!

Homemade Dishwasher Tablets with Lemongrass

We have been cleaning like crazy. Isn’t that what you do when you are nesting at home? Maybe it’s spring, maybe it’s the added germs, either way, I am working hard on deep cleaning the home both naturally but effectively.

Sometimes everyday household products can be made with the simplest of ingredients. Recently, we made homemade dishwasher tablets using Lemongrass.

If Lemongrass isn’t your scent, also consider orange, lavender, or your favorite smell for the kitchen!

Homemade Dishwashwer Pods Ingredients

Only a few ingredients you might even already have in your home!

1-1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
3 tablespoons Salt
1/2 cup water
45 drops essential oils (we used Lemongrass)
Silicon Mold

Optional: We stored ours in a glass jar with a lid. I would suggest a glass jar with an airtight lid. I see many of them come with an adorable chalk label.

DIY Dishwaswer Pod Directions

Mix washing soda and salt together in a bowl.
Mix water and oils together and pour into dry mixture. Stir well.
Place a dollop of mix into a silicone mold and press firmly into the mold. Scrape away the excess with the side of the spoon.
Let set overnight/24 hours to dry. Pop out of mold.

To Use:

Place 1 tablet into your dishwasher soap tray and wash dishes as usual.

Visit our Spring Cleaning Hacks and Tips. Pin to Pinterest.

Love Essential Oils? We love our Homemade Lavender Linen Spray – Pin to Pinterest.

Also check out our Bath Bombs for Kids – Pin to Pinterest.

Also check out our Purple Peppermint Bath Bombs, Essential Oil Aromatherapy Playdough, Essential Oils for Students, Essential Oils for the Office, Essential Oil Water Recipe, Homemade Furniture Polish, DIY All Purpose Cleaner, Lavender Lemonade, Homemade Wrinkle Cream, Natural Eye Redness, 20 Uses for Thieves Oils, Homemade Vicks VapoRub, Tangerine Lip Balm with a Touch of Lime and Homemade Sugar Scrub using Essential Oils..

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please confirm any information obtained from or through this web site with other sources, and review all information regarding any medical condition or treatment with your physician. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website.

Originally posted December 2016, Updated March 2020.

WHAT’S TRENDING? Get inspired this Spring with Dollar Store Easter Decor.

Also access our Free Frugal Coupon Living Printables to help you find joy through embracing the chaos of motherhood more easily!

Stay in the know with daily deals, recipes, crafts, life hacks and seasonal content on Frugal Coupon Living. Receive this and more in your inbox.

Work Life Balance Tips

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March 21, 2020 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Facebook, Frugal Living, Instagram, Parenting, Pinterest, Printable, Social Media Leave a Comment

Work Life Balance Tips – How this working mom creates quality time with family while balancing a career, spouse, the home and more! A busy mom… achieving it all… like a boss!

Work Life Balance Tips

I am not going to lie. Working full time and being present with family often feels like a juggling act with too many balls (and bills – wink.) I don’t always do it gracefully. While I’d like to be perfect at both, it’s not always possible. Below I share my tips for creating quality time with family while trying to balance a career to best of my ability.

“I think every working mom probably feels the same thing: You go through big chunks of time where you’re just thinking, ‘This is impossible — oh, this is impossible.’ And then you just keep going and keep going, and you sort of do the impossible.” Tina Fey

Grab the work-life balance that you’re aiming for or change the perspective from which you come! You too can do the impossible.

Get Up Early or Stay Up Late

I figured I would start with my least favorite time. I love sleep, but sometimes the solution is taking away part of something you love – just not all of it. Whether you work from home or you work outside of the home, it can be hard to balance it all. During an especially busy season, I have noticed that getting up earlier or staying up later (within reason) is a great way to balance life a little more. This allows you more time to do the extra stuff when the kids aren’t able to disrupt your productivity. While I would tell you I would rather stay up late to work, this is the truth. I am much more productive in the morning and I do not take away evening time with my spouse – the juggle of being present for everyone one.

Let Go of the Guilt

If you work full time, you don’t need to feel guilty about it. As long as you’re not working yourself to death, you should not feel bad about working and providing for your family. Letting go of the guilt is so important. You will not be able to move on to a good work-life balance if you don’t let go of the guilt of being a working parent.

How to Let Go of Guilt

The best way to let go of guilt is changing your perception of the situation. You feel guilty about working too much and not having enough time with the kids. Learn to turn those feelings around. Don’t dwell on the negative, less time with the family: dwell on the positive. Quality time when you are together and how you are providing for your family through work. Look at the blessing of having a job so you can give your family xyz – shelter, food, or even the added vacation. What is your long term goal with this income? Anytime I see myself going to that negative place, I quickly turn my perception around to let go of the guilt.

Schedule your Time

Stop. This is really the best advice I can give. Block schedule your time as much as you can. Create blocks of time throughout the day to get work done. If you can’t work for longer periods of time because you need to be present with your children, then this works wonders. Block scheduling allows you to work on what you need to get done, but in smaller increments. It makes managing a to-do list a lot easier. I also suggest you do not make a generic block schedule. Each block should be specific. For example, for my blog of work time, I don’t just write “work time.” In this block of time, I am specific about what I am doing.

If my block schedule for work is from 9 AM to 12 PM, on my to do list, my schedule might read like this.

9:00 – 9:20 – read and respond to emails
9:20 to 10:00 – compose email for blog audience
10:00 – 10:30 – repin post content
10:30 to 12:00 – write new post content

This time schedule helps me adequately fill my time without wasting time on tasks that are not as important or on social media. You can print our Daily Plan organizer in our Busy Mom Binder. If you are working from home with the kids, use our incremental time sheet for mom, baby and toddler. If you have a project coming up, our big goal planner will help you achieve your final project.

GET YOUR BUSY MOM BINDER

Incorporate the Kids

There are times I schedule my day and I don’t finish. There are times that one of my five children needs to sit beside me while I work. There are times, where I have asked the older kids for help. Call it an electronic hour and pass out the Kindles, the tablets, the game systems, etc. Let everyone “work” together. Hire one of your older children to do one of the mundane tasks you hate (for me, re-pinning content to Pinterest or editing spelling mistakes in a post.) There are times you have to work when the kids are around and you can do this successfully but involving them in their own electronic activity or promises of exciting activities when mom is done!

Don’t Over Do It

It’s impossible to create a good work-life balance if you have too much work. Sometimes you just need to scale back for the sake of your sanity. You are only one person, but you also have children. If work consumes your life, it will be impossible to create a work life balance that makes sense! Read how to let go of quilt above.

Do One Thing at a Time

Have you ever tried to do two things at once? You probably weren’t very good at it. When you focus on doing one thing at a time, you are going to do it better. Separate your tasks into what needs to be done and then do them, but don’t try and do everything at once. A well-balanced work life and home life happens when you are able to focus on one thing at a time.

Take Care of Yourself

Trying to be there for your job and then trying to be there for your kids will wear you out to no end. You have to take care of yourself. Your kids will see that you are run ragged if you don’t take the time to take care of yourself. Eat well, sleep well, and do fun things! What’s the point of a good work-life balance if you don’t take the time to take care of yourself? There is no point. It’s challenge to do, but try to get away from a couple days. Away with no kids and work. Even if it is a weekend stay-cation. Split the kids up with friends or have family visit for just a weekend.

Quality Time with Family

Remember I talked about how to let go of the guilt. When you work, you work and you are dedicated. When you are off work, it’s important to create quality time with family.

Hacks for Putting Aside Work to Focus on the Family

There are some hacks out there that can help you put away work and only focus on the family. You can’t have work on your mind 24 hours a day. Well maybe it is on your mind, but it does’t have to be in your hands on on your lap. You have to be able to put down the work and focus on the family without the stress and anxiety of work following you around.

Here are a few hacks to help you out!

Turn Off Your Phone

This is hard for me but I know my phone can be a huge distraction when it comes to work and family life. You can easily set aside work and focus on family by turning off your phone. Turning off the electronics in your life means that you get to focus on those around you and not what emails might be coming in. It also is a reflection to your older kids who are raised in an era with electronics and want to be just as connected as you. If you can put the phone down, it might show them they can put the game system down for a bit too.

Schedule Days Off

When you have a day off work, keep it a day off work. While it’s nice to be productive, you need these days off to focus on your kids and your family. Schedule days off and keep them days off! This will allow you to really set aside work and focus on the family. If that day off is not consistent, add it in your family command center. Have a calendar that shows the kids when that day off is. For my kids, they know that every Tuesday mom doesn’t work and we start the day at Dunkin’ Donuts. It is tradition and it gives them a day, other than the weekend, to look forward to. You could have a breakfast tradition or schedule other things like a visit to a museum, library day, an ice cream afternooon or even a family game night.

Perspective

Sometimes a nice hack for putting aside work and focusing on family is perspective. Know that your kids won’t be this age forever and you NEED to take the time to spend with them now. Although everyone tells you the days are long and the years are short, we don’t truly understand until the kids are grown and gone.

If positive quotes and mantras are hard for you to remember, put a post-it note on your mirror. I actually have a hanging art work at the bottom of my stairs that reads “Today is a Good Day to Have a Good Day!” I am naturally a negative Nancy (sorry Nancy) and this reminds me to focus on the good in each day. I have to read it every time I come down the stairs – which is many times a day!

Work-life balance does take some effort, but you can do this! While it’s not possible to achieve the ultimate work-life balance, you can make small improvements to eventually get to where you want to be.

What tips would you add to this list? Let’s share in the success of balancing family and work with one another!

Having trouble balancing your life? Feel like you are in survival mode? Our Busy Mom Binder will help you balance your work life and home. Pin to Pinterest.

The Busy Mom Binder – A Family Command Center Printable!

This post may contain affiliate links or ads. Read my privacy policy and disclosure policy here.

February 15, 2020 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Crafts, DIY, Facebook, Frugal Living, Hacks, Instagram, Parenting, Pinterest, Printable, Social Media 7 Comments

The Busy Mom Binder. Thirty-five printable pages that will reorganize your home, your kids and you! Consider this your family command center in one easy location, a 3-ring binder. Includes pages that can printed over and over to organize your weekly meal plans, cleaning, savings, grocery list, chore chart, notes for the baby sitter and more!

The Busy Mom Binder

I have been squatting on something. I have been so excited to share something new with you that I have been working on it (for what feels like) forever, I eventually finished with it and then I became too frozen to share.

Without further wait, here it is… The Busy Mom Binder!

This is a binder you won’t loose. It will be considered your home bible (lowercase). The place that holds all your answers and resources. A binder that you can reference frequently or lead others to reference when they have questions. You guys, it took us out of the struggle. Away from survival mode and it turned me back in to the old me I once knew – an organized woman in her home, within her family, and within her life! The woman before five kids!

Before the binder began, my favorite Busy Mom Quote actually came from a man (laughing), Ed Wiley was my spirit animal because he summed my life, best.

It’s so true, you guys. I am not sure what “it” is, but I assure you that whatever it is, it WAS NOT getting done. After our fourth and fifth children were born (twins), it was survival mode. Their first birthday party was even a survival theme. The party wasn’t for them, it was for mom and dad (my husband and I). While we didn’t hold a second birthday party, year two had us surviving, as well. Once they turned two, I felt like I began to re-organize my life… really, to reorganize our family’s life. Consider it my 2020 New Years Resolution (only I don’t typically make conscious resolutions.)

If succeeding at “it” is also something you want to do with one or one hundred kids, we have the perfect family organizer for your home. This organizer will help you achieve it, maybe not all of it, but a piece of it. The Busy Mom Planner includes organizers for the home, the family and even for mom.

I WANT TO SUCCEED AT IT WITH THE BUSY MOM BINDER

What the Busy Mom Binder Includes

I created three sections for the binder. These sections cover busy mom solutions for the home, for the kids, and of course, for mom too! It is your printable Family Command Center to organize your home.

Organization for the Home

This section covers your needs for the home.

Password Keeper
Weekly Meal Plan (with grocery list)
Monthly Declutter Challenge
Daily Cleaning Checklist
Less Than 1 Hour a Day Deep Cleaning Checklist
The Dishes are Clean/Dirty (dishwasher magnet)
Laundry is Clean/Dirty (laundry magnet or basket tag)
Daily Laundry Schedule (blank)
Daily Laundry Schedule (complete)

SHOP THE BUSY MOM BINDER

Organization for the Kids

Mom’s life becomes easier with a kids organizer. This section covers it all!

Babysitter Notes
Notes for School
Toy Storage Bin Labels (3 pages)
Daily & Weekly Chores Checklist
How to Clean My Room Checklist
Kid’s Saving Tracker
Stay-at-Home Schedule for Mom, Baby & Toddler
Family Bucket list (blank)
Weekly Lunchbox Planner

SHOP THE BUSY MOM BINDER

Organization for Mom

Lastly, all things mom.

Daily Planner
Weekly Planner
Big Goal Planner
52 Week Savings Challenge
Spending Tracker
Debt Payment Tracker
Grocery List (blank)
Birthday Tracker
Emergency Contacts
Family Medical Information

I NEED THE BUSY MOM BINDER!!!

What Others Are Saying

I gave an audience of busy moms the Busy Mom Binder to test before bringing it live to you. See what others are saying about the Busy Mom Binder.

Sarah also added how aesthetically happy her eyes were – haha! Glad it was easy on the eyes, Sarah!

Need the Busy Mom Family Organizer?

Do you need this family organizer? It was my organization solution to getting my home out of survival mode. Before you pick up your copy of the binder, hear how it changed our home – a quote from yours truly!

Through the Busy Mom Binder I was able to structure my own to dos, inspire and teach my kids to do the same, and quickly direct my husband to one resource for the home – Our Family Organizer in one place. With this new game plan, I was able to get time back in my day, bring our family out of survival mode and accomplish it (whatever it is – wink)!

Do you need to accomplish it? (whatever IT is!)

Do you need to come out of survival mode?

Our Busy Mom Binder is your Home Organizer Solution!

Free Printables

Two of the thirty-five pages in our Busy Mom Binder are free today! Pick up our 52 Week Savings Challenge and/or Monthly Declutter Challenge today. Subscribe and look for a link and password in our inbox. The password allows you to access and download all of our free printables.

With all of these printables, by downloading you are accepting the terms that this is for personal, non-commercial use. Please contact Frugal Coupon Living with any questions. I am happy to share printables. When sharing with others, please lead them to my website instead of emailing them the file(s). It takes time, effort and money to put the freebies forth and I earn when you visit. Thanks for visiting and thanks for sharing with others!

I have a video and step by step instructions to show you how I print my PDF documents at Staples. After downloading, I ordered this binder twice from Staples and paid about $20 to have them print it for me.

Recommended Accessories for Your Binder:

There are a few optional accessories for your home organizer. You may want to laminate your toy bin labels. We have had this Scotch Brand Laminator for years and it has held up very well. I also used an Avery white 1.5 inch 3-ring binder with clear cover (in my video), though I would recommend a 1 inch.

Our Pinterest community and I would love to see how this worked out for you. Share your Busy Mom Binder. Leave a comment and/or add a photo here on Pinterest!

Visit our everyday Busy Mom Life Hacks. Pin to Pinterest.

How Does Instacart Work?

This post may contain affiliate links or ads. Read my privacy policy and disclosure policy here.

February 1, 2020 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Facebook, Frugal Living, Hacks, Instagram, Pinterest, Social Media, Store Deals 3 Comments

What is Instacart? Instacart is service for online grocery delivery. How Does Instacart Work? Customers select groceries from various retailers, a personal shopper will do their shopping and deliver groceries, often on the same day, when they are finished. How many hours could you get back in the day/week/month not grocery shopping? Read these testimonies to see how this Mom Hack could benefit your home and bring time back to your family.

As many of you know, I no longer do my own grocery shopping. When we jumped from 3 to 5 kids (twins, wink), I had to GLADLY let some responsibilities go and grocery shopping was one of them. In fact, this lovely Saturday afternoon, I am perfecting this informative post and simultaneously doing my grocery shopping – all from the comfort of my couch while watching a move with my older girls.

Who is winning, I am winning. My family is winning too!

I use Peapod Online Grocery shopping to order my groceries, but a few of you asked for suggestions because you did not have Peapod. Hence, What is Instacart?

… and why I might leave Peapod after writing this post.

What is Instacart?

Many of you may have heard of Instacart, but do you truly know WHAT it is? Instacart is a service that offers to do the grocery shopping for you. This is great for busy moms who just don’t have time to grocery shop.. or for moms who are not interested in the grocery store crowd.

I want to walk you through HOW this works so that you too can take advantage of this great service if you so desire.

Get Instacart Products You Love

The best part of Instacart is that you get access to the products that you love. You don’t have to scrimp on items that you hate because Instacart allows you to choose products you want. Shop for 1,000s of name brand products in your favorite retail stores – Whole Foods, Costco, Kroger, Publix, Wegmans, Aldi and more. Shop multiple stores at once in one delivery (more on that later.)

Same Day Delivery

Perhaps the most genius part of Instacart is that your groceries get delivered right to your front door. As a bonus incentive, that you don’t see many places, get same-day delievery. You can have groceries at your door in a matter of hours.

Save Time and Money

You may be wondering WHY Instacart would be a company you’d trust to do your grocery shopping. Most people choose Instacart because they get to save time and they get to save money. As I mentioned above, I save time because I can grocery shop from my phone app or computer while sitting and watching a movie with my kids. I also spend less time in the store buying extra things that were not on my grocery list or weekly menu plan.

How Does Instacart Work?

Now that you know a little more about Instacart, you may be wondering how it would work if you were to use it. Perhaps this is the most amazing part of Instacart is that it’s so easy! Follow along as I teach you how Instacart Works.

The companies that Instacart works with include Kroger, Whole Foods, Aldi, Costco, and any companies that are local to you. There is a small fee associated when you use Instacart. When you first sign up with Instacart, it’s free for 14 days. So it gives you two weeks to test it out. For me, that is at least four grocery runs in a two week period. That gives me four opportunities to see if I like this grocery delivery service.

How Much Is Instacart Express?

There are different delivery fees associated when you order through Instacart. The fees are based on how soon you want your groceries and peak hours. These delivery fees range from $3.99 to $9.99. Think delivery feeds are dumb. We can erase them. Join the Instacart Express membership club, which can save you a lot of money in the long run and will give you free delivery on order over $35. Instacart Express is $99 per year or $9.99 monthly. If you divide $99.00 by $5.99 (per delivery), you will get your money’s worth in about 16 deliveries. For me, that is as little as 5 to 8 weeks.

Free Two Week Trial of Instacart Express

Benefits of Instacart Express

Free deliveries on any and all orders above $35 (typically $3.99 to $9.99 for non-Express)
No surge pricing – save even more during peak delivery hours
Reduced service fees (typically 5% for non-Express)
Shop from multiple stores and still get free delivery on the whole order

Consider it your Amazon Prime of grocery shopping.

Are Prices Marked Up?

Because this is a company and companies need to make money, it’s important to note that in some cases Instacart prices are marked up. You are not paying the exact price from the store, you are paying the price that Instacart offers. So if there is a sale that week, it might not be noted on the Instacart app. Instacart does, however, have their own Instacart coupons – so take a look at those closely and maybe meal plan around what you see is on sale.

There is an easy way to check price differences for yourself. Order on Instacart and see your bill, then the following week, shop with the same list in your grocery store. How did you find the prices compared? Decide if that difference is worth your time and energy. Did you find yourself buying more in the grocery store when you were physically in the store? These are all things to consider.

Convenience of Shopping

It’s easy to see that a lot of reasons people use Instacart. It’s very convenient! You may find that this is a very convenient way for you to shop and save time and money.

I found it best to quote a friend I interviewed for this post…

I used Peapod and loved it but one day my delivery window wasn’t available, so I switched to Instacart Express because of the quicker delivery window. I also like that I can order from multiple stores. I almost always order as much as I can from Aldi and the rest from Wegmans (usually for gluten-free and other items I can’t find at Aldi). Aldi saves me money and Wegmans provides the items I can’t get at one store. It is nice being able to shop at two stores and not get charged extra! In 60 order, I have saved 99 hours at the grocery store. That is 99 hours I get back with my family or doing personal things.

How long would it take you to shop at two grocery stores? How many hours can you get back NOT going to a grocery store or two? What would you do with that returned time?

Her testimony of shopping two stores at one time almost has me canceling my Peapod membership!

Friendly Instacart Shoppers

Another reason people use Instacart is that the shoppers are friendly. Someone else is going to the store and shopping for your groceries. They are driving them to your home and dropping the groceries off. If you want to make income for grocery shopping for someone else, you can also sign up for Instacart Shoppers too and earn money while shopping for someone else.

Download the Instacart App

This grocery delivery store isn’t just in big cities though, it’s also in some small towns across the USA. You can easily download the Instacart app and grocery shop right from your phone, just enter your zip code. If you’re into saving time and money, then downloading the app is a smart move! You can grocery shop when you have downtime. It’s pretty awesome!

Get Started with Instacart Today!

Instacart Contact

If you have issues with the Instacart app, deliveries, orders or want to get the Instacart Express best price, use the Instacart Contact.

You can visit https://www.instacart.com/help to report a problem or get the Instacart email. You can also call…

Instacart Customer Service Phone Number 1-888-246-7822

I hope this helps you understand Instacart and how it can benefit you and your life. You may find that Instacart is truly the best thing that’s ever happened to you. Let me know if what you like about this grocery delivery service and if it benefits you. I love hearing from your own personal experiences!

I hardly ever go to the grocery store and use Peapod to get our groceries from store to home. Take a look at Peapod Online Grocery Delivery. Pin to Pinterest.

Learn more about or try out an Amazon Fresh Trial. Pin to Pinterest.

Peapod Grocery Delivery – Order Groceries Online

This post may contain affiliate links or ads. Read my privacy policy and disclosure policy here.

January 24, 2020 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Facebook, Frugal Living, Instagram, Pinterest, Social Media, Store Deals 3 Comments

How Peapod Grocery Delivery works, why online grocery shopping benefits our family, and how to get free delivery with exclusive Peapod promo code.

Peapod Grocery Delivery

Although grocery shopping can take a lot of time and energy, I have found a way around all of this. As many of you know, I do not grocery shop anymore. I use a grocery delivery service to help me keep groceries in my house. The end result is that I get more time with my family, which I love. I also save money, which I also love…. obviously, Frugal Coupon Living!

If time with your family and saving money is something you covet, then ordering groceries online might be for you too!

Peapod Grocery

A grocery delivery service that may just change the way you live your life is called Peapod. You can grocery shop from anywhere and get it delivered when it’s right for you. It’s easy to shop, schedule your delivery, and then get your groceries delivered to your home or scheduled for store pick-up.

Follow along as we “unbox” Peapod to see if it’s something you can benefit from.

How Much Does Peapod Cost?

When making an adjustment to your home, like the way you grocery shop, it is important to understand the services fees. Delivery fees are a part of Peapod, but they are very reasonable fees. The minimum order size is $30. Service fees cover the cost of you being able to get your groceries delivered right to your door.

For orders of…

$100 and up, there is a $6.95 fee
$75 and up, there is a $7.95 fee
$30 to $75, there is a $9.95 fee.

However, if you are a regular user, you can erase these feeds with Peapod PodPass.

Peapod PodPass

There is another option. Because I am a Peapaod PodPass member, I pay one price for unlimited pick-up and deliveries. With each delivery, I get a delivery fee credit of $6.95, so as long as I spend $100, my grocery delivery fee is covered.

With this online grocery delivery membership plan, I typically have groceries delivered 3xs a week as it isn’t a challenge for me to fill a $100 grocery cart – you? When my cart total is low and I want to hit that threshold, I typically add coffee (or another nonperishable staple) to my cart. This PodPass service is similar to Amazon Prime and costs me $119 a year.

It is important to note, you do not have to be a Peapaod PodPass member to get Peapod groceries delivered. You can pay the delivery fee mentioned above, if you would like.

Peapod Grocery Aisle

If you are going to order from Peapod, you may want to know what types of items that Peapod carries. Peapod actually carries a lot of items that you find in the store, here are the items or grocery aisles that are available:

Fresh produce
Quality seafood
Quality meats
Organic choices
Natural choices
Store brands
Meal kits
Specialty products
Alcoholic beverages
Health and beauty
Pet care
Household products
Paper goods

The grocery list pretty much covers the same grocery aisles you would have in your own local store. When I need an item that is available in the store but not online, I simply make a request and I have seen that item show up in the online store.

You can filter through the options available through Peapod. No matter if you’re looking for organic produce or weekly specials, you can find it all or something similar.

Are Peapod prices the same as in store?

Yes and no. I have compared and sometimes the store has better prices. Additionally, there are different sales. Sometimes online is better. However, I have found if there is a price different, online vs in-store, it doesn’t wave the benefit I get from using the online grocery delivery service.

My suggestion to you is to create the same shopping list two weeks in a row. One week, shop online. Another week shop in the store. What was your price difference? Is that price difference worth the at home delivery? For me, it was. I might have been spending a couple more dollars for the convenience and time with my family.

How Peapod Grocery Delivery Works

Your first step to sign up for Peapod Grocery Delievery via my referral code. This exclusive Peapod Promo Code will give you the following benefits…

$25 off your first order of $75
No delivery fees on all orders of $60 or more placed in the first 60 days

Peapod Promo Code Discount
While the $25 off is lovely, I loved that no delivery fees on all orders placed in the first 60 days. I ordered groceries over and over and over again… making the most of my referral code.

After you are signed up for Peapod, download the app through the Google Play Store or through the Apple Store to order at any time. Then the magic will begin, order groceries from anywhere you can access your phone, wi-fi, cell service, you name it! I have even ordered groceries to my house from another country. This was great when my husband and I traveled to India but we had the grandparents at home. I could send them what they needed!

Enjoy delivery on your terms. You can have your groceries delivered the next day or even the same day, depending on the area in which you live. Get your groceries delivered by a professional.

Why I Love Peapod Online Grocery Ordering

I personally use Peapod Online Grocery Ordering because it works wonderfully with my schedule! I do not personally grocery shop, which is why I rely on Peapod to help me out. I like to say that this grocery delivery service helps save me time and money. Plus I do not forget things.

I save time because I am not in the store. I save money because I am not buying things I see on display. I only order what I need, which is awesome! And let’s not forget that I can order all day long. I just keep adding items to my cart as I think of things throughout the day and then I submit the order when I am ready.

This gives me more time with my family, which is why makes me super happy! More time with my family is what truly matters in the end.

About saving money. Sometimes the items are a few cents more. I am okay with this because I am saving money. How am I saving money? I am buying less. I am buying what my family immediately needs. I am not ending up at the grocery store hungry, filling my cart with three containers of OREOs and a bag of chips.

If it isn’t apart of my meal plans, it doesn’t get added to my cart. That saves me money: it also saves me calories – no?

Peapod Customer Service

“Hi Peapod!” It’s the choral expression my three boys give when greeting Peapod multiple times a week at the door. The drivers are friendly and professional and are always very engaging with my boys. I have had no problem in my 9 months of using this service.

It’s important to know that Peapod has a 100% satisfaction guaranteed. If you are not happy, Peapod is always great about making sure it’s right. You can call or email Peapod about problems with your order.

Peapod Phone Number

It’s very easy to contact Peapod. The Peapod customer service phone number is

800-573-2763

You may call 6 AM to 10 PM, Monday through Sunday. If there is a long waiting list on the phone, they will allow you to leave your number and call you back.

I love that Peapod is focused on customer service and making sure you are happy in the end.

Have you ever used Peapod Delivery Service? What did you think about it?

Peapod Promo Code Discount

Try Instacart where you can order groceries from many locations at once! Pin to Pinterest.

Test a Amazon Fresh Trial too! Pin to Pinterest.

When I do grocery shop, you can believe I have this mommy hook to help me! It is one of my biggest and best used mom hacks. More in my Life Hacks Post. Pin to Pinterest.

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