apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Let users add tags to tips to organize them. This will make it easier for everyone to find things later.

Another tip: emulate your grandmother and do set chores every week on the same day. Get your friends to do the same so you can commiserate. Here's the traditional schedule with my modifications:

Monday -- Washday -- Drop off laundry or dry cleaning
Tuesday -- Ironing -- Pick up laundry or dry cleaning
Wednesday -- Sewing -- Home repairs or projects
Thursday ~ Marketing -- Sweep and mop
Friday -- Cleaning -- Farmer's market
Saturday ~ Baking -- Social and cook
Sunday ~ Meeting and Rest -- Social and rest

Jeez, Shannon. You're scaring me -- My friends would do an intervention if I suggested devoting this much time/mental space to chores. To the extent I have a schedule it's:
Monday: Oversleep and arrive late to work. After work, go to the gym and then out for dinner and/or drinks with friends, maybe some theater.
Tues - Friday: Repeat, except gym attendance declines precipitously.
Saturday and Sunday: Hang out, read, go to a museum or gallery, maybe gym, see theater/music, have dinner/drinks.
Laundry, marketing, home repairs, etc. are squeezed in where possible, ignored otherwise.
But great if it works for you -- I'm sure your house is much cleaner and you probably don't have to buy new socks every so often because everything is in the hamper!

@SCK--Don't get me wrong--it's aspirational!

ok, this is probably not that original ... but when your panty hose or knee-length hose gets a run, tie one end off and stuff the center with chips of your favorite bar soap (i looove sandalwood soap). tie off the other end and stick the lil sachet in amongst your clothes. hidden, of course, since it will not be that attractive (who has time to make a sachet out of ribbon and a handkerchief?). i've never done this before but it seems like a good idea.

One year I made sachets for everyone on my list from lavender I'd grown in my garden, made from vintage handkerchiefs and tied with ribbon. It didn't take any time at all.

In regards to Shannon's suggestions I spoke to my mom about a similar thing this past weekend.
Saturday: Vacuum & Mop, Laundry.
Sunday Evening: Iron all clothes while watching a DirectTV pay-per-view movie. Also, clean & polish shoes.

There's no way I can afford to send out my clothes for cleaning.

thanks, deborah! you're right... i was just thinking lazily. :-p

I'm on SCK's schedule as well.

Added bennies: scent of working with the lavender, pleasure of shopping for vintage hankies in antique/junk stores & fleamarkets...

Horray for SCK's schedule. I not only buy new socks every so often, but entire outfits. And re-start my dryer every morning to "iron" an outfit enough to wear to work. :o)

Actually, in response to Stephanie's comment, buying a steamer changed my life. Not so great on cotton blouses, but fantastic for everything else. It pretty much eliminates the need to have neatly folded anything, which is great for me since I inevitably mess up my drawers frantically looking for something to wear first thing in the morning while trying to drink my coffee.

Easiest sachet of all: toss a box of Yardley English Lavender or Yardley Oatmeal (it's almond scented) into a drawer. If you have tissue paper, open the box, wrap the soap in tissue paper, tape it shut, and toss it in the drawer. When you run out of hand soap, rummage in your drawers and extract your "sachet."

My grandmother would actually make gorgeous little lavender sachets with satin cloth and a little applique, and she'd make a fresh batch every year! I never mentioned the soap technique to her.

Heather Leaf - you missed a step ----
Step One - wash stocking before adding scent.