Woman's Work Wednesday - Bedding Laundry

Bismillah

The single most easily accumulated laundry category in my life is bedding.

We have big beds. My daughter's bed is a Queen and ours is King. The spreads and comforters are HUGE.

At this point we have about 2-3 sets of bedding covers for each bed and 4-5 sets of sheets for each. It was fast becoming a storage nightmare.

So here's my solution:

Invest in these bags.

I have smashed down items under beds, in the garage and even on the attic stairs.

Pick a number!

My magic number is two and three. My daughter has three sets of sheets in rotation. My husband and I are only allowed two because of the sheet size. This makes me have to keep to a strict ''strip and wash'' habit.

Recently, I started this habit of folding and pillow casing each set. It's helpful for my space constraints.

Of course, mine look NO WHERE near this neat, but they are more compact and easy to store this way.

Also, I saw this video that teaches how to fold a fitted sheet alone. I don't remember how I learned but was amazed how many people didn't know how. Hope it's useful.

The Return To Writing Creatively

The last 13 years of my writing life have been as a journalist.

I report stories and I research topics for radio. Strictly the facts, simply stated. For radio, my well stated opinion of those facts.

The journalism rule, has become a grind.

*insert long yawn here*

My soul is fed by well crafted stories. Non-fiction, fiction, memoir...I love reading them and wanted my turn writing them.

2015 is about returning to the things I love.

More reading, more writing are near the top of this list.

Below is a list of some great authors and their work that has fed my soul in past few years.

My inspirational word for 2015

...is ''polished''

pol·ished  (pŏl′ĭsht)
adj.
1.a. Made shiny and smooth by rubbing or chemical action.
b. Naturally shiny and smooth.

2. Having the husk or outer layers removed. Used of grains of rice.

3. a. Refined or sophisticated: polished manners.
b. Having no imperfections or errors; well-executed; flawless: gave a polished presentation to the board.

Clean inside and out. Neat at home and abroad. Reliable and dependable. Sharp in appearance and technique.

That's me in 2015. I'm aspiring to be the manifestation of ''polished''.

How I Coupon - Mini-Review of Coupon Clipping Service

Couponing can be time consuming.

Researching. Storing. Shopping. Calls in advance to check stock. Clipping, filing and organizing coupons.

I started couponing in 2013, the old fashioned way. Buying newspapers, clipping coupons, checking websites for deal tips and purging hundreds of unused coupons each month.

By 2014, I had a ''coupon angel''. Someone who had access to the coupon inserts that were thrown away at the hotel he worked in. He would bring me 30-50 of each insert each week. Whoa!! Way too many to handle, I was always trying to give them away.

As a Muslim with dietary restrictions, most items that have a coupon out are not useful for my family. So I'm wasting money to buy whole papers and losing time trying to keep it all organized.

My 2015 Routine:

1. I picked 2 stores to focus on. Kroger and CVS. They are convenient and over the years, I have had the fewest problems couponing there. Between the two stores I can find most things that my family needs and Kroger gives me fuel points to save on gas. I have filled up twice this month and based on my points I got 40 cents and 20 cents off each gallon.

2. I have the reward cards for both stores. Both are registered online with my email address so I can be notified of special coupons and deals. Also, I can load digital coupons onto my Kroger card from the app or my computer. I load anything that we buy, even if occasionally, so that the coupon is there if I need it and it just expires if I don't.

3. I go online to sale preview sites like www.forthemommas.com, www.krazycouponlady.com and www.krogercrazy.com. About 3-4 days before the next sale, I can browse the upcoming circular for items I'd like and what coupon match ups there are.

4. Then, if possible I print the coupons from the linked sites they send you to. Or for paper coupons I use www.thecouponclippers.com. I takes just 2-3 days for me to get coupons to my house from Florida. They have been reliable and affordable.  Or I ask my local coupon friends for the coupons if they aren't using them.

On average, I save 30-45% on my weekly groceries and I have a pretty strict $100-120 a week budget for my family of 3. The budget is for food (we're home all day, so all meals for seven days), toiletries, paper goods, EVERYTHING. Anything I buy at CVS is through sales and ''rolling Extra Care Bucks'' so I pay less than a buck on many items.

I grocery shop once per week. And limit myself to one EXTREME COUPONING deal a week.