Friday, October 28, 2011

Quick Takes Friday–The Money Beets

Here are five ideas, one of which I think is good enough to make me money and the other three are good enough to make someone else money. These are the “money-beets.” Bonus points for recognizing that quote.

First: Using Plexiglas as a modern day slate. This one I’m super proud of. Last year I started putting all of our worksheets (math, spelling, etc.) into plastic sleeve protectors and writing with a dry erase marker instead of using them as consumable workbooks or copying them which is likely more expensive then consuming them. This is a decent idea. But last week lighting struck and I took it to the next level! I got a piece of Plexiglas (out of an outdoor table) and laid it over the workbook and used it like a slate. I need to add a large binder clip to the top to steady it and need to cut a piece down to the right size but it’s a great idea. This saves you from having to rip out all the pages and put them in plastic sleeves (quite time consuming, especially if you reuse the plastic sleeves with new pages each term). Also, no time consuming erasing of each page at the end of the term, it has to be done right away. LOVE IT.

Photo Oct 27, 12 24 00 PM

Second: This one I shared here before but it’s worth repeating. If, and when, you get majorly backed up on laundry take yourself, a bag of quarters, load of the car and fill all the machines at the Laundromat at once. You will be done with weeks worth of laundry $20 and 2 hours later.

Third: Use diaper pins to pin three corners of the top sheet and bedspread of the kids bed to their fitted sheet. They can then make their bed no matter how little they are. AND the sheets and blankets are off limits for fort building which, I’m sure you know, is a huge mess-reducer. (I don’t want to ruin the fort-making fun though…I have a whole bin of old blankets and pieces of material for fort building. In the basement. Thanks you Ginny Seuffert (?) for the diaper pin idea.

Fourth: Bulk pregnancy tests. There’s no reason to go broke at the grocery store or pharmacy. Also, if you are in a hurry then the dollar store carries them too. Also, if you are near the time of your expected period there’s no need to wait until the “first morning pee.” Not that I have any experience with that.

Fifth: And if you get a surprise positive from that test you might in the market for a newborn size onesie that reads, “Phase One- it’s shorter then you think.” Thanks to Kristina L. for the last two brilliant ideas.

Visit Jen for other people’s Quick Takes.

6 comments:

  1. Ok. Your next baby is SO getting that onesie!

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  2. P.S. "The first rule in roadside beet selling is that you always put the most attractive beets on top. The beets that make a man think: I just gotta have those beets. Those are the MONEY BEETS." -Dwight Schrutte

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  3. O.M.G. Brilliant! I think I'm going to head to Menards asap and buy some plexiglass (variety of sizes for low prices there btw). I don't have school-age kids yet, but I can see my preschoolers drawing on the aSlate (a for Amish heh heh) with some colorful dry-erase markers.

    Are 4 and 5 your way of making an announcement??

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  4. ps those are excited question marks :)

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  5. Yeah, you got me wondering!?? Great post :) We buy preg tests in bulk for peace of mind, so I don't want to judge based on that. And I love the onesie quote idea :)

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  6. I was wondering the same thing as Betsy. I mean you did just go to Jamaica!!

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