I was offered to test a product for a company called eCloth.

​They claim that you can clean your house (and car) with nothing but their eCloth and water only. No chemicals, wet wipes, dry wipes, window cleaners, dusting spray, paper towels and the like.

​Of course I was skeptical because my current cleaning regime doesn't do a good job either and that's with an all purpose cleaning spray, scrubbing sponge and then paper towels to pick up whatever the sponge didn't. Even after all that I can still feel a residue on everything.

​I was given two cloths:

I was super impressed!!!

The bathroom cloths got all the soap scum, toothpaste goo and hair easily off our bathroom sinks with ease. After washing the fixtures and the counters, I wiped them down with the polishing cloth and everything was shiny and I didn't feel any reside afterwards. I even cleaned the kids bathroom - two teenagers, a boy and a girl - with no trouble at all. 

What usually takes me about an hour for both bathrooms using a spry cleaner, a sponge and lots and lots of paper towels was done in about 25 minutes with the eCloth and water! Just wet the cloth, squeeze it out and just wash everything down, followed by the dry polishing cloth.

The kitchen cloth was as easy to use as well, wet with water and wash everything down. For the stubborn spots you just use the non-scratch scrubber in the corner.

So you can clean your house chemical free and they're proven to remove over 99% of bacteria (including e-coli & listeria). You'll also save money by reducing the use of paper towels and chemicals.  E-cloths come with a 300 machine wash guarantee giving you about six years to clean with the same cloth! That's a lot of savings!

So check out eCloth , their various social media sites, or join their e-mail list for their specials and promotions.

Sometimes ethical choices are hard. But when you can save the planet and save a buck at the same time, you know you've found a winning option. Luckily, going green and saving a little green often go hand in hand.

​Here are some simple steps you can take to manage the earth's resources and your household finances at the same time. 

Plant a Garden

Giving over part of your yard to grow vegetables and herbs is a winning plan on several levels. You'll save money on groceries and eat healthier.

You'll also save fuel, both by making fewer trips to the store and by having an area of your yard that doesn't need mowing. Add a small compost pile and you'll reduce your landfill and yard waste production, too. 

Pump Your Heat

A geothermal heat pump uses the consistent temperature of the earth to keep your home comfortable, which saves energy and money. The heat pump draws warmth from the ground to keep your home warm in winter and does the reverse in summer.

In both seasons, a geothermal heat pump keeps your home comfortable while using much less electricity than a traditional system, so it saves money and resources.

As a bonus, there are fewer emissions and the equipment lasts longer.

Dry Your Clothes On A Line

Clothes dryers are one of the most energy-hungry appliances in your home. In fact, your dryer is responsible for as much as 6 percent of your total energy usage — and your power bill.

It's not difficult to line-dry clothes, at least during summer months, and if you have a basement you can even line-dry indoors in winter.

You'll save a tremendous amount of energy over the course of the year and enjoy lower power bills as well. 

Cut Back on Red Meats

Did you know that agriculture accounts for 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and that livestock accounts for half of that? Even if you're not ready to become a vegetarian, skipping meat even once a week adds up to a huge reduction in emissions.

It will also save you money and improve your health. Although all food requires energy to grow and creates emission problems, Beef and lamb are the biggest offenders.

Fruits and vegetables are much lower in greenhouse gas emissions. Luckily for you, they're also cheaper and healthier.

Stop Buying Bottled Water

Those plastic bottles are an environmental disaster. It takes more than 17 million barrels of oil to produce the plastic water bottles that American consume every year. Then 86% of the bottles become litter or waste.

Bottled water is also 3,000 times more expensive than tap water. And if you think bottled water is somehow more "pure" than tap water, think again.

Regulations governing tap water are much stricter than those for bottled water. 


​It's not hard to find ways to improve your family's financial health while reducing your impact on the planet. Incorporate these changes one or two at a time and soon you'll be saving a ton of green and feeling really good about your new choices. 


​

What starts out as a regular garage for parking your car in most cases soon becomes a storage facility or a landfill holding all kinds of different garbage. By now the amount of piled up things in that garage space is probably unimaginable and you are in need of some magic spell to help you organize it properly.

Well, before you start looking through some old spell books, perhaps you should check out these few tips that might help you get your garage in order:

1. Clear It All Out
​
As much as this seems difficult or perhaps impossible you need to start somewhere! The first step towards a properly organized garage is completely purging it from top to bottom.  Do not stop until every little object is out of that garage area.

When you have managed to clear out the  space, you will need to clean it thoroughly from all the piled up garbage, dust, stains and other residues.

Once your garage area is squeaky clean you now can proceed to step two.

2. Decisions, Decisions

By now you probably have your whole driveway covered in all kinds of different things, from garden tools and toys to clothing, heavy chemicals and who knows what. Before you start putting everything back, you will need to make some crucial decisions and some of them will involve parting with a few things.

Go through every item and ask yourself “Do I REALLY need this?”. Think about how much you use certain things; how much value they hold for you but try to rid your garage from all the excess stuff. Think about donating to charity or even reusing and repurposing certain things into new ones.

3. Divide and Conquer

After you have significantly reduced the amount of things you are going to keep (hopefully) it is time to get planning. Think about the purpose of your garage space and what you are going to use it for. Is it going to be just a space for parking your car? Or is it going to serve solely as a storage facility? Perhaps you planned on adding a workshop.

​Whatever you have decided it is crucial to make a detailed plan and divide your garage area into specific zones. Once you have specified the spaces you are going to use and their purpose it will be much easier to continue with the organization process.

4. Use ALL The Available Space

A useful trick that will help you get the most out of your available space is learning how to make use of your whole garage. This means focusing your mind on utilizing not only the floor space but also all of your walls and even your ceiling space. It is a simple trick that can save you a lot of time and effort.
 
5. Install Storage Units

There are tons of DIY projects that can help you equip your garage with the needed storage units like installing wall shelves, racks for garden tools, pegboards and cubbyhole shelfs.

Also, adding some lockable cabinets and hanging ceiling racks is a good way to add more storage space.
 
6. Sort It Out

Lastly, you need to sort and label all of your things. See-though containers, boxes and jars should all have labels on them. Color coding is also a good idea to differentiate between certain objects. A rolling tool rack and plastic tool boxes are also an essential part of garage organization.

​Perhaps one of the most dreaded and also avoided responsibilities in the world is clearing out that garage space and making some kind of order in there. Well, these 6 tips will help you organize your garage in no time and create a functional and practical space for you to use any time.

With the job market still struggling with a 5% unemployment rate, it can be hard to find a steady full-time job.

​You might have to consider alternate ways to work and earn  money, here are 6 of them:

1. Using Apps

Some Apps will pay you for using them. What you can earn varies but it may be useful to do in combination with other alternate earning methods.

Such Apps as: GigWalk, Field Agent, Easy Shift, or Moonlighting may bring in some extra money that you may need in between other jobs.

2. Sell Your Services on Fiverr

Selling services such as website design, logo creation, writing resumes, creating pictures or videos, paint or draw pictures, and a million other things you'd do for $5. Five dollars might not seem like much but offer a variety of different services and "extras" will add up. Check out Fiverr for other ideas.

3. Sell Your Crafts on Etsy

Are you good at making crafts? Consider setting up your own shop on Etsy. Anything from greeting cards, paintings, jewelry, sewing and needlecrafts and the like. You can set up your own prices and time frames. 

4. Become a Lyft Driver

If you have a reliable car and live in a good size city, becoming a Lyft driver might be a good idea. Earnings vary from city to city, but the average earning is about $19/hour. Again you can set your own hours here and work in between your own errands.

5. Become a Freelance Employee

If you have skills such as design, development, coding, editing, administrative work, and pretty much anything else, you can find work on such websites asUpwork, Freelancer, or Guru.

Sometimes the competition is strong on these sites, but if you're talented it may not be a problem. You may have to start small and gain a reputation first, or you can consider joining a "team" on these sites.

​6. Become a Freelance Writer

If you have a good command of English and have a way with words, you may consider becoming a freelance writer.

You may need to start out working for a content marketing site such as BlogMutt to gain experience. (Don't forget to enter my name in the Referral box when you sign up).

Earnings from freelance writing can vary from $5 up to $100 or more per article. A good  way to get started is reading this list of websites that will pay you to write.


Being a remote, or home, worker has a lot of benefits: create your own hours; save money and time without the office attire and commute; work from anywhere; and considerably less stress.  

On the downside it can mean an inconsistent schedule; working odd hours; unsteady income; and burnout. Here's a great article by TopTal on watching out for & what to do about burnout.

Having an alternate job may work for some people and with some lifestyles but may not be for everyone. These options may also suit people wanting a little extra work on the side while they work full-time too.

Alternate employment working from home or abroad is a valid option when regular employment is hard to come by, or isn't feasible for your situation.

​

The 13th Challenge is:

"Your Commute to Work or School"

My commute to work consists of:

1. Waking up everyone and sending them out the door to school and work

2. Going into the Kitchen to make coffee and breakfast

3. Checking e-mails and social media on my iPad in my living room chair while I eat and drink

4. Walking over to the kitchen table to the laptop.

5. I'm now at work.

​Ta Daaa!

​With gasoline prices slowly on the rise again and summer approaching, we’d all like to know how to save money on gasoline.

1. Drive Less Often

This is a no-brainer, just drive less often. Whether it’s planning ahead so there’s less trips to the grocery store, or taking public transit, walking or biking to nearby places.

How about a carpool to work instead? The less often you drive your car, the less gasoline you’ll need to buy.

2. Buy Gasoline at Certain Times

Buying gas on certain days and at certain times will help catch that good price before it goes up. Usually the best time to buy gasoline is early mornings, before the manager checks the competitor’s prices and adjusts theirs. 8 to 10am is the time to do it.

Also the best day of the week is Wednesday - right before the weekend hikes.

3. Drive Smarter

Learn to drive smarter. Drive slower and more consistent, brake less, and downshift on steep hills. This avoids using more gasoline as driving at 55mph can give you up to 21% better mileage than at 70mph.

Also plan your routes better to find shorter ways to your destination.  

4. Avoid Certain Gas Stations

Avoiding some type of gas stations will save you money. Those right next to interstates tend to be priced higher than those in town.

Also “branded” gas stations charge higher than the independent ones.

​5. Use Apps
​

6. Maintain Your Car

Keeping your car in good running condition will go a long way in using less gasoline. Dirty air filters and old oil makes the engine work harder thus needing more gas to keep up.

By the same token, having good tires and maintaining good air pressure helps with gas mileage as well.

7. Stop Idling

Whether you’re waiting for someone or are stuck in a drive-thru lineup, turn the car off. Idling just burns up fuel, especially if you’re running the air conditioning as well.

An hour of idling your engine uses up about 0.2 to 0.3 gallons of gasoline. Which is about .45 to .65 cents (using today’s National average of $2.22).

You may think that you won’t idle for an hour, but think about the times you do: idling at the ATM; the drive-thru; warming your car up; waiting for your kids after school; and so on.

8. Use Reward Cards

Using a Fuel Reward Card will add up gallons with your everyday shopping.

You can get 5 cents of gasoline for every $50 spent on groceries, eating out, and the like. That’s about 15 cents off your next fill-up on about one week’s grocery trip.

9. Check your Gas Cap

Making sure your gas cap fits snuggly helps ensure that gasoline won’t evaporate more rapidly than usual, especially on hot days.

This also prevents dirt and other contaminants from getting in and damaging the fuel system.

10. Get a Different Car

Lastly, think about getting a different car. Not just to a better fuel efficient model, but one that better fits your lifestyle. Have the kids outgrown the baby carriers and booster seats to trade in that large mini-van for a sedan?

​Following these ten easy tips will go a long way to saving gas and keeping more money in your wallet.

Tracy,
​​​ ​​"One finds limits by pushing them" ~ Herbert Simon