Spring Clean Your Life

The practice of ‘spring cleaning’ your home can be traced back to ancient times, when everything in the house would be cleaned before religious occasions. After the long winter, the spring weather would allow doors and windows to be opened to let fresh air in without freezing its inhabitants!

Thankfully, modern cleaning products and household gadgets mean that we can maintain clean, tidy homes all year round. However, it’s still a great idea to give your house a thorough top-to-toe blitz once a year – and spring is the perfect opportunity!

Throughout life, we naturally accumulate all sorts of possessions that end up being shoved into cupboards, never to see the light of day again. All those unwanted Christmas gifts and clothes that no longer fit us, along with sentimental items that we feel obliged to keep forever.  Although it’s nice to keep memories, sometimes it’s time to face reality and admit that it’s time to let go. After all, will you ever wear that mini-dress again? Would you re-read all those old novels? If you haven’t used it in years, it’s unlikely you ever will!

Clearing out your cupboards can be immensely therapeutic – once you start, you might find you can’t stop! Sell all those unwanted items on eBay and you’ll be surprised how much money you can make from items lying around in your loft or garage.

Spring cleaning is not just about creating space – it’s important to regularly give your house a deep clean to remove accumulated dirt and germs. Freshen up your carpets with Spot Shot carpet cleaner to give your floors a face lift.

Make over your bathroom with Tilex spray to remove unsightly mold. Disinfect dingy toilets with Clorox toilet bowl cleaner and clog removing gel. A cleaner, fresher bathroom will instantly lift your spirits and encourage you to continue your spring cleaning throughout the rest of your home. While you’re in a cleaning mood, give your car the once-over with Armor All protectant.

Stock up on detergent and make the most of the dry weather by washing those cushion covers and curtains. These can accumulate dust but are often difficult to wash and dry during the winter. Choose a dry, windy day and hang your washing outdoors for a lovely fresh finish.

Spring is also a good time to fix those pesky jobs around the house. With a Helping Hand screwdriver you can cross all those little jobs off your to-do list.

Once you have finished scrubbing and polishing your house to perfection, ensure it stays smelling fresh with Febreze scented oil refills that alternate fragrances throughout the day, so you won’t get used to the same perfume. Keeping a fragrant atmosphere is especially important if you have dogs – visiting guests will love to be welcomed into a home that smells clean and fresh.

How to… Save money

Forget dieting and exercise – the top New Year’s resolution in 2013 was all about saving money. In these difficult economic times, we all have to tighten our belts and try to reduce our spending where we can. With redundancies and unemployment on the rise, it’s always wise to stash away some savings for those unplanned emergencies. There are lots of easy ways to spend less and save more, without losing out on quality of life.

Shop around

Many items, particularly electrical goods, are cheaper to buy online than in stores. But don’t leap in to click ‘Buy’ too soon – there are heaps of discount code websites that regularly advertise free promotion codes that can be used for major retailers. It’s always worth taking a quick look – you might end up with 50% off, or free delivery.

Buy in bulk

Household goods, such as cleaning products and toiletries, can be ordered online in large quantities to save money. You can take advantage of some great deals this way, as well as saving gas money from multiple shopping trips.

Make do and mend

Before you chuck something out, see if it can be fixed. Sometimes all it takes is a drop of multi-purpose oil or household glue to breathe new life back into an object. Furniture can be spruced up with a coat of paint or freshening spray. Carry a spare can of Fix-a-Flat in the trunk for those flat-tire emergencies and save on costly call-out charges.

Picnic time

Save money on eating out by getting your friends and family together for a fun picnic. Drive out to a scenic spot with a portable grill and enjoy delicious barbecue food without restaurant prices. Wrap leftovers in aluminum foil so nothing gets wasted – cold meats make a great sandwich the next day. For all those half-full soda cans at the end of the day, invest in some soda can bottle tops – a great little invention that makes an open can easier to transport or store in the refrigerator.

Get crafty!

The recent craft revolution means it’s fashionable to make hand-made gifts for your friends and family, instead of spending a fortune at the department store. Get the whole family involved in making fun crafty cards, painted pots, customized bags or home-made cupcakes. The results will not only save money but will also be a truly unique and special gift!

Be offer-savvy

Always look out for money-saving offers all year round. Buy summer holiday staples when they’re being sold off for half price during winter – they’ll keep for next year! Picking up gifts throughout the year is also a great way to spread the cost of Christmas and prevent a whopping credit card bill in January!

Pack your lunch!

Bringing your own packed lunch to work can save hundreds of dollars a year. Instead of buying your morning coffee from that trendy deli, buy a portable coffee cup and take your own – these savings will really add up!

Here’s another way to save money.. use the Discount Code: MADNESS on your next Stockn’Go purchase!

How to…Help others in their dreams

New Year’s resolutions usually focus on things we want to change about ourselves, but in 2012 the 8^th most popular goal was to help others achieve their dreams. This benevolent pledge is a surprising departure from the usual plans to lose weight or get fit. Perhaps it stems from the fact that we’re all so busy these days – we really want to give something back, it’s just finding enough hours in the day!

Helping other people will make YOU feel better about yourself, so everyone wins! The feel-good effect of helping others will be so rewarding that you might find this is one New Year’s resolution you might actually stick with! As motivational guru Les Brown once said, “Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours”.

The first step is to identify who you want to help – a friend or family member, or perhaps a colleague at work? It doesn’t even have to be someone you know personally – you can help people by teaching or volunteering for a charity.

Once you have decided how you’re going to help, get yourself a pad of paper and a stack of colored Sharpies. Organization is the key to success, so brainstorm some ideas on paper. Draw up a monthly plan with goals and milestones so you have a visual focus for your ideas.

If you’re helping your children or people in your family, use inspirational Post-It notes around the house to keep focused. If your partner wants to lose weight, you could write motivational diet tips and stick them on the fridge door to stave off snacking temptation, for example.

Get together over a coffee and have regular support sessions to review progress and celebrate achievements. Set manageable goals with treats for when each milestone is achieved, such as a new nail polish or luxurious body lotion. You could even surprise them with a beautiful gift basket as a boost to keep them going until they reach their goal.

One way you can help someone to achieve their dreams is by helping them to get organized. Stocking up on household essentials like toiletries and cleaning products saves precious time that can be better spent on pursuing dreams! Buying in bulk also offers great discounts, so all that money saved can be put towards the dreams fund!

Sometimes it’s the smallest things that can really help someone to achieve their dreams – offering to babysit their kids or giving a ride to someone without transport. Little things that may cost you next to nothing can make a big difference to that person’s life.

You might feel you have nothing to offer, but sometimes your support alone is enough – pursuing dreams requires determination and there will be setbacks along the way. Offering your shoulder to cry on and holding their hand through the thorny patches can make all the difference. It may be a rollercoaster journey, full of ups and downs – but if you believe, you will achieve!

Be sure to take advantage of our March Madness Sale and get and additional 20% off our already UNBEATABLE prices!!

Did you make a New Years Resolution this year to spend less money or save more??

According to StatisticBrain.com approximately 34% of Americans made that same resolution.  Spending less money is a great goal to strive for but many people don’t know where to begin.  So we came up with a few tips to start you on your way…

Do-it-Yourself

• Brewing your own coffee or tea at and taking it to go can save you over $500 per year
• Blow, style, color and curl your hair at home.  Over $100 at the salon or less than $10 per box at home
• Treat yourself to an at-home manicure and pedicure and save over $60 each time
• Pack a lunch, save over $10 per meal, and avoid the greasy fat filled foods that restaurants serve
• Invite friends over instead of going out for dinner/drinks
• Drink more water, not only is it good for you its FREE!

Make a Plan

• Plan meals and shopping outings around sales and discounts available
• Pre-cook meat and vegetables with little seasoning for easy on the go meals that can be customized with flavors as you go.
• Sign up for mint.com and start tracking your spending, plan a budget and save for retirement
• Plan activities for your children that don’t cost a lot of money, you might be surprised at how easily they can be entertained
• Get rid of unused or infrequently used memberships and subscriptions
• Buy used clothes, cars and other items whenever you can

Where else can you save money on all of your favorite products? At Stockn’Go of course.  Check out our Fragrance Sale and other great discounts going on now…

It’s hard to believe that fall is less than a week away… on September 22nd it will be “officially” fall! There are so many ways to spend your weekend, there are the things you HAVE to do and then there are the things you WANT to do.  So why not do both? Start your morning off with some household chores and then head out to spend some time with your family or friends.  Now that’s what I call making the most out of your day.  Below is a list of household chores that might need to be taken care of and then some fun activities that you can reward yourself with once the work is done.

HOUSEHOLD CHORES FOR THE FALL

1. Clean out gutters

2. Rake laves

3. Replace batteries in smoke detectors

4. Replace summer bedding with winter quilts and comforters

5.  Pack up summer clothes and bring out the fall/winter colors and warm sweaters

6.  Get chimney and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected

7.  Close up pool, put patio furniture away

8. Trim back bushes

9. Put away lawn mower and start up snow blower

10. Install storm doors and windows or install heavy curtains over large glass doors and windows to keep the heat in

FUN FALL ACTIVITIES!

1. Enjoy the not so chilly weather while you can by your favorite lake, ocean or river, with long walks and camp fires.

2. Go apple picking, not only is apple picking a nice way to enjoy time with family and friends but you get fresh air and even fresher fruit out of the deal!

3. Take a hike – you’ve probably heard this over and over every fall but do it for real this time! Not only does a good hike up a mountain provide you with fresh air and exercise but you can turn it into a science class for the kids or even better yourself.

4. Hit up some of your local fairs, festivals and farmers markets one last time.

5.  Take a bike ride – just saying that I can feel the cool breeze hitting my face, the sun glistening and my blood flowing.

6.  Make fall crafts or cook some fall treats!

FALL BACK ON SAVINGS WITH STOCKN’GO – get 15% off your first order!

A weekly chore list helps you keep your home organized and clean, if you wait until you can actually see the dirt the task at hand could take you days rather than a few hours.  Do yourself a favor and keep on top of your household chores.   Below is this weeks checklist that may serve as a great reminder for household chores that you may conveniently forget!

Only a few weeks to go and the kids are back in school… are you prepared? As a busy parent you may often rely on lists to keep you organized, with that in mind Stockn’Go has decided to help remind and motivate you each week with a new list of things to do.  This weeks checklist is in honor of the kids going BACK TO SCHOOL! A bittersweet moment for most. Print out, or even download and modify the list below to be sure you are ready for the big day!

Downloadable Checklist (template from Microsoft Office 2007): Back to School Checklist

Don’t forget to check out the Stockn’Go Back to School section for great deals on school supplies!

Alternative Uses For Household Products: A Series.

We all know that Dawn is the “grease getter” when it comes to washing dishes, but did you know that there are over 20 other uses that Dawn dish soap can be used for? The more research I did, the more I was amazed at how many household chores can be cleaned up using Dawn.  Needless to say, Dawn dish soap has just been added to MY grocery list!

What DAWN can do for you…

Kill Fleas – did you also know that just one female flea will produce 20,000 eggs in a period of only three months? Gross! Give your dog a bath with Blue Dawn Dish soap and the fleas will wash away.  The best part is that since fleas can still linger around the house you can wash sheet with Dawn, the woodwork, counter tops, floors, pretty much the whole house can be flea-liminated with Dawn!

Kill Ticks – ticks are notorious for being the varmint that never dies.  But apparently Dawn will bring them down.  Either bathe your dog in Dawn water, apply a drop of Dawn directly on the tick if it is attached or down the Tick in Dawn once you have removed from your pet.

Kill Lice – here is a recipe I found that can be applied to kids or pets infested with lice: 6 oz of Dawn dish detergent, 2 oz white vinegar, and 2 tablespoons tea tree oil.  Mix the ingredients together, put on hair ten minutes, comb through with metal lice comb, rinse and condition.

Use as an Ice Pack – fill a strong zip-lock sandwich bag with Dawn dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be re-frozen many times.

Relieve Poison Ivy – poison ivy spreads through the spread of the oil within the blisters. Washing the affected area with Dawn helps dry up the fluid and keep it from spreading.

Manicure – soak your fingers in a dish of pure Dawn and it will soften your cuticles and remove the natural oils (so polish will stick) from your nail beds at the same time!

Degrease Hair – no matter what the cause of greasy hair; if you haven’t showered in a few days, have shampoo buildup, or your kids smeared butter, lotion or petroleum jelly in their hair, a shampoo using Dawn can be used to lift that grease right out.

Pre-treat Laundry – maybe Dawn should be called the “stain lifter”?! Apply a drop of Dawn on any oil based stain such as lipstick, grease, butter or cooking oil and the stain will lift right out.

SPRAY BOTTLE METHOD: Combine a drop or two of Dawn in a spray bottle with water and you can use this solution for all of the following tasks: repel ants (spray countertops/cupboards), houseplant insects, cleans windows, clean bathroom and kitchen counters and sinks, remove pet stains from carpets, clean grease from appliances, patio furniture, blinds, glass and painted surfaces.

To clean your tub and/or shower using the spray bottle method add white vinegar to a spray bottle, heat in the microwave and then fill the rest of the way with Blue Dawn. Mix well, then spray on your tub and shower walls. Allow to sit for a few minutes and rinse away. It will melt all the gunk, slime, sludge and other stuff that builds up including a bathtub ring.

BUCKET METHOD – this is for bigger tougher jobs, where Dawn is typically combined with other ingredients and followed by a bucket of water.  The Bucket Method can be used for the following:

Wash Driveway – To remove gasoline or motor oil stains on your driveway, use a kitty litter such as Worlds Best Cat Litter to soak up excess oil and then pour the mixture of Dawn and a bucket of warm water followed by a scrub broom to remove excess motor oil from the pavement.

Un-clog Toilet - A cup of Dawn detergent poured into a clogged toilet allowed to sit for 15 minutes and then followed with a bucket of hot water poured from waist height will clear out the toilet.

Clean Automotive Tools – Remove grease from your automotive tools by soaking them in a bucket filled with warm water and Dawn mixture.

Mop Floors -Use only a drop or two of Dawn in a warm bucket of water to clean ceramic tile and no-wax/linoleum floors

Last but not least… DAWN SAVES WILDLIFE! Dawn dish soap is used by Wildlife Rescue organizations to clean up animals effected by oil spills.  According to the International Bird Rescue Research Center, Dawn effectively removes grease but does not cause harm to the skin of the birds and the solution is gentle enough to not harm the sensitive areas around animals’ eyes and feathers.. It’s also biodegradable and contains no phosphates.

And because Dawn has so many uses… Stockn’Go has decided to sell it by the case! Keep some for yourself, give some to your friends and family… they will love you for it and think you’re really smart when you tell them all the things you can do with it!!

CLICK HERE TO BUY ME NOW!!!

Down comforters are the best part of every bed, but the big downside of ‘down’ anything is when it comes to getting it clean.  Most down comforters state “dry clean only” on the tag, but the cost to dry clean a comforter can be almost as much as you paid for the darn thing.  So how can we avoid the cost of dry cleaning without ruining the feathers and fluffiness of the down?

Try these at home cleaning instructions…

1. First make sure your washing machine is large enough to fit the comforter you want to clean, if it is, then go ahead and throw your comforter in the washer machine as you would any other load of laundry, but put it in by itself.  If your washer is not large enough then if might be best to go to the laundromat and use one of the oversized washer’s there.

2. Wash on gentle cycle using a small amount of  mild or all natural detergent.  If you only have regular detergent that is fine but use it sparingly as too much soap or harsh chemicals can strip the down and make for a very sad looking comforter.

3. One the wash cycle has run you can remove the comforter and place it in the dryer on low heat.  It is best to use dryer balls in your drying cycle as they will fluff the down comforter and prevent it from having that flat, matted look.  If you do not have dryer balls, tennis balls will do the trick!

4. It will take hours to dry your comforter at low heat so be sure to check on it periodically, take it out and fluff it to make sure there is no moisture left in it and that the feathers are not flattened.

5. Once it is completely clean and dry put the comforter back on your bed and Wah-lah! You just saved yourself AT LEAST $40 bucks!

IMPORTANT – make sure your comforter is completely dry before placing it back on your bed, to prevent the growth of mold.