FlyLady.net | Your personal online coach to help you gain control of your house and home

A Pet Emergency

Dear FlyLady,

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I could go into great detail about how much more peaceful our lives are now that clutter is gone and the house is clean & company ready 24/7. How our menus are planned and tons of money is being saved each week because we aren’t eating out. I can rave about being able to wash dishes in my always sanitized and shiny sink whereas before I never really trusted it. But today I want to focus on a different twist in FlyLand. Being ready for a pet emergency.

I was completely dressed to the shoes when our beloved dog became severely ill all over my bathroom floor. Because I was already armed (thanks Swish & Swipe) with a roll of paper towels and spray alcohol, I was able to immediately clean it all up and not have to even take one step to go find cleaner and paper towels. Since my shopping had all been done on errand day, I knew exactly where my new bottle of bleach was and my mop was already equipped with a washable pad. Since laundry was all taken care of, rugs could easily be thrown in the washer. Keys, purse, ID and debit card were right where they should be and since I had just looked over my planner (as I do each morning over tea or coffee), I knew exactly when heartworm prevention and flea meds had last been administered and when they were next due. I felt so confident in being able to readily give this information to the emergency vet (this is the weekend and our regular office is closed). Since bills were paid and all accounts were checked just two days ago, I knew we had money in the right place to pay for the emergency visit.

All of this may be no big deal to those who have been “flying” for awhile, but to a newbie of just two months of flight…it’s huge! Flying works and Flylady gets all my appreciation today.

A Texas Fledgling,
Cynthia

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Posted in testimonials Tagged behavior modification, flylady, get organized, routines, TestiFLY

November Habit #1 Menu Planning

by Testimonials

Dear FlyLady,

This month I get to work on my other fails because menu planning became my mission at the beginning of the year and now I am a master.

I, too, used to stare at the fridge in the afternoon, frazzled and wondering what the heck I could pull together. Then I came across a handy tool in a magazine and never again. (If I am allowed to tout another source, it was Real Simple).

This simple sheet not only had a column for determining what I was going to cook that day but also columns for the sections in the grocery store so I could right now the ingredients I was going to need and be more organized while shopping. The only problem is that their’s was for the weekdays and I wanted weekends, too. So I made my own (borrowing their cute little icons).

Every week on Friday night or Saturday morning, I sit down and start thinking about what we will eat that week. I think of what items I already have (ground beef? chicken?), and I hit my favorite recipe websites to see what I am interested in trying. I try to get one new recipe a week, which makes Mommy feel like she is not always eating the same old thing. What makes it even easier is that I keep all of my old plans – the most recent are on the clipboard that goes with me to the grocery store, and the older ones in a file, so I can access previous successes and the ingredients they need. Also, since sometimes life throws a curve, any meals from the previous week that didn’t get used are automatically filled in on the new sheet.

I enjoy the process and am wayyyy more organized about it now. I simply keep the clipboard by the fridge so that I know what is coming up. My pulling frozens out ahead of time success rate has vastly improved! The other part that makes it helpful is that I can always quick- print out a planner – if I come across a recipe I HAVE to try or have items I run out of that I need to pick up on the next run. I just jot a note at the bottom, and voila! I can forget it til the Saturday morning grocery run.

Just wanted to share some things that have definitely helped me tackle an old issue. Maybe they will help someone else. Now if only I could solve all of my other organizational problems!

Kelley in FL

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Posted in Habit of the Month Tagged flylady, get organzied, Habit of the Month

I Need Money Saving Tips for Menu Planning

by Ask Flylady

Hi FlyLady,

I am a new FlyBaby and have found a lot of peace implementing your systems. Thank you very much. My question is on menu planning. I have been menu planning for the past 3 month and have seen some great benefits with it. The problem is that since now I am going to the store for 2 weeks at a time, I am spending a big chunk of money all at once. I’m sure I’m saving money on gas and groceries and saving stress and frustration but I was wondering if there are some money saving tips you could give me.

I do prefer to shop every 2 weeks but am willing to change that if I need to. I will take any help you have. Thank you again.

Fluttering in Georgia

Dear Fluttering in Georgia,

Just the fact that you are staying out of the grocery store for two weeks means you are saving money! There are lots of impulse buys at a grocery store. Why do you think they are designed with all the bright colors and end cap special deals? They are to entice you to add items to your cart. Here are some tips to help you save money.

Always have a grocery list and stick to it.
Do not go to the grocery store hungry!
Do not shop when you are in a hurry!
Take your time putting groceries away!

Let me explain why these tips help you save money.

(1) Sticking to your grocery list keeps you from making impulse purchases. Making this rule will help you. This is why I love for Robert to go shopping for our family. If it is not on his list, he does not buy it. I love and hate that about him, but I am getting used to it. I have to be very specific about what I want. Once I put carrots on the list and he brought home skinny pencil sized carrots in a tiny bag. I wanted bigger carrots for a pot roast. We still laugh about it.

(2) Going to the grocery store hungry means everything looks good and you place those items in your shopping cart. Your grocery budget is blown before you get down two aisles. Don’t do it!

(3) Going shopping when you are in a hurry means you will be grabbing a lot of precooked foods from the deli section. Unless you have a roasted chicken on your grocery list then stay away from those sections of the store. Go shopping when you are not pressed for time. I know people who like to shop at 9:00 pm. There are fewer people in the store and it can be a quiet time for you too.

(4) Buying food in bulk especially meats and not separating them into family portions sets you up for wasting food and space in your freezer. This about this! Buying two Boston butts and freezing them as they came from the market if going to take up a whole shelf in the freezer. If they are boneless you can slice them for pork steaks and put into 2 portion packages. If you have a family of four, then pull out two packs for dinner. If you want leftovers for your lunch then pull out 3 packages for your planned leftovers. Be sure to package them so they will not be freezer burned. Put them on your freezer inventory and make a plan to use them within three months.

If you vacuum seal them they can be kept much longer. If you use hamburger a couple of times a week; buying it in bulk can save money too. I brown my hamburger in my slow cooker with a cup of water. Then I let it cool and package into 2 cup packages for spaghetti sauce, my hamburger helper dinner, sloppy joes, tacos, and Mexican casseroles. I also like to make up meat loaves and hamburger patties when we buy in bulk. I always repackage all the meats unless I am using them within two days of purchase.

Here are some tools that I use to repackage my meats.

Vacuum sealer (Mine is a Foodsaver)
Ziplock Bags (I use 1 quart and 1 gallon sizes)
A roll of Freezer Paper
Masking Tape for freezer
Sharpie Marker

Having a plan for everything you put in your freezer will save you money. Marking a date on each package will will tell you when you froze the item. Then plan to use these items within the next three months. You can use your calendar to plan to use these items.

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Posted in Ask FlyLady Tagged flylady, menu planning, saving money

Time to Quit Whining

by FlyLady

Dear Friends,

I think it is time we had a heart to heart chat about what our perfectionism does to us and our homes.

We get so caught up in doing things the right way and this includes everything from disinfecting our homes to getting rid of our trash.

Let me start by saying that our homes are not landfills or hospitals.

When you allow your clutter to pile up because you don’t know how to dispose of it properly then this is your perfectionism causing you to
procrastinate.

Stop this now. Here is what that is doing to you. You are alienating your family by this clutter and perfectionism; all in the disguise of trying to save the world. This is going to sound awful but live with it because I believe this with all my heart. You can’t save the world if you are alienating your family and you. NOW there is a flip side to this coin.

When you release the clutter (and I promote recycling as much as possible); you can then set up routines that help you be selective in what you buy and dispose of items in a proper manner. Your home becomes a haven instead of a landfill.

If you don’t like this then please unsubscribe because I don’t want to read your complaints. I have more productive things to do. I want the clutter out of your home right now. Don’t get hung up on how to do it the right way. Bag it up and spend 15 minutes at a recycle center if that is the way you want to do it. Just don’t allow your perfectionism to pile on more than you can do.

It is hard enough to get us moving in a positive direction. I don’t what you to put up more roadblocks to stop your progress.

Now for the hospital aspect of our homes. We don’t want our homes to be hospital clean. Today I am going to give you a surprise mission to disinfect your switch plates. You lots of options. We don’t care how you do it. Use Lysol, soap and water, alcohol and water or bleach water. It doesn’t matter just do it! In the amount of time that it takes to complain about what to use, you could have done it. Quit complaining or shall I say whining and get off your frannies and do the mission.

Why is it that your first reaction when we don’t do things your way is to complain. We tell you to adapt to fit your family and what you do. This same attitude is what keeps us stuck in our clutter and CHAOS. We don’t care how you do it just that you do it.

I want you to FLY and if you spend all your time whining then that won’t happen. We are your biggest cheerleaders. This is all about our perfectionism. The perfectionism of telling us we are wrong is just like your mother telling you that you are not cleaning the right way. We love you and we want you to be happy and healthy. This is all that surprise mission and my musing is about.

FlyLady

FlyLady here; Go download your free Holiday Control Journal.

New 2026 FlyLady Calendar!

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Posted in Morning Musing Tagged clutter, flylady, get organized, perfectionism, whining

Be Optimistic

by TestiFLY

Hi there,

I’ve recently come back to the FlyLady way after years of trying to do it on my own (though some stuff still stuck during my ‘years away–my husband still uses the term ’27 fling boogie’ 🙂 ). I know that “I don’t have time” is a common excuse, but for me, it’s actually something I try to tell myself sometimes–I tend to be optimistic about jamming too much in before leaving, resulting in me being chronically late. I’m tired of being ‘the late person’ and part of changing that has been to tell myself ‘I don’t have time to do that before I leave.’

Well, this evening I was trying to get dinner on the table and get us ready for a Girl Scout meeting, and I still had to shower after being outside. I glared at the sink of dishes (I know, I know, I try for shiny but don’t always get there during the day) and thought to myself, “I don’t know if I have time to wash them all, but I do have time to work on them for 15 minutes and that will be better than nothing.”

So I set a timer, and seven minutes later the dishes were done, so I went ahead and made the biscuits to go with our soup and wiped down the counters before hopping in the shower. We were even early to our meeting. Turns out we can do a lot more in 15 minutes than we think we can. I’m just not sure why it took this many years (I first found you in college, so it’s been at least 15 years, if not more) for it to sink in.

Thanks for all you do, and for still being there when I decided to try your way again!

Helena

FlyLady here; Go download your free Holiday Control Journal.

New 2026 FlyLady Calendar!

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Posted in testimonials Tagged babysteps, behavior modification, flylady, get organized, routines, TestiFLY

October Habit #31 There Is Not A Quicker Way

by Testimonials

Dear FlyLady;

Well I learned the hard way why not to take out too much stuff.

I had been reading another system and am here to tell you it didn’t work for me!!!!

They said to get all of one category of things out at once and then we could organize it or at least see what to keep.

So I did, now I have a huge mess, piles of papers everywhere!!! Way to difficult. Don’t try this!

Hope to spare you all the pain. Flylady works, just keep on working it. There is not a quicker way without creating a huge mess.

Thanks to Flylady and her whole team

FlyLady here: Just do one little pile at a time!

FlyLady here; Go download your free Holiday Control Journal.

New 2026 FlyLady Calendar!

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Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! Justin has been slashing prices again! Last Call to Save over 50% OFF!

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Posted in Habit of the Month, testimonials Tagged flylady, get organized, Habit of the Month

11 Steps to a Clean Car

by Ask Flylady

Dear Friends,

Paper clutter invades every area of our lives. One of the last places we conquer is the paper clutter in our cars. Sometimes it is so bad that we are too ashamed to let anyone ride with us.

Most of the clutter in our car is from things that we don’t think we have time to deal with. You know the trash from the drive-thru, receipts from gas stations, and lots of school papers. As with everything we need a routine.

It all starts with being in a hurry. Imagine that! We rush our lives away. We run late, get in the car and can’t wait to get to where we are going. Then we are in another big hurry to get out of the car. That is when we leave everything in there. That is why our cars smell bad.

We try to cover up the smell with deodorizers, but nothing smells better than a clean car. When was the last time you cleaned out your car and gave it a good washing. It was probably before you had to go on a long car ride with your family. How long did it take you?

How can we keep our cars clean?

1. Friday is our day to clean out our cars.

2. Every time you fill up with gas. I like to fill up when I hit a half of tank of gas. I am always vigilant while I am pumping gas. I keep my keys in my hand and my car is locked.

3. After the gas is pumped; I take a minute to grab any trash and throw it away.

4. I take my time and use my purple rag and a rubba sweepa to clean my windshield and mirrors. I drive a truck and it is hard to reach the middle of my windshield.

5. I also keep a rubba scrubba to sweep off my floor mats.

6. Put a Post-It Note on your dashboard to remind you to throw away the trash and clean your car.

7. With your car clean; you can run though the car wash. I did that today when I filled up. You can also do a quick wash at home with MultiWand and a water hose.

8. Keep a trash bag in your car. Then you don’t have any excuse to not keep your trash corralled.

9. When you get home; completely empty out your car. Everyone grabs something to take into the house.

10. Take your time getting out of the car. I always attach my keys to my purse and gather up my things.

11. It is OK to make a second trip to the car.

So you see keeping your car clean is easy when you slow down and take your time. When Friday rolls around it is your day to focus on your car. This will keep you safe!

Are you ready to FLY with a Clear Car Smile on your Face?

FlyLady

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Posted in Ask FlyLady Tagged car, clean, flylady, get organized, paper. clutter

What is Standing In Your Way?

by FlyLady

Dear Friends,

We are so used to walking into our kitchens at 6pm and standing in front of our refrigerators and waiting for inspiration. Most of us by that time of day have lost our creativity when it comes to cooking. Having a plan is just like picking your clothes out before you go to bed. You don’t have to think in the morning. It makes getting dressed a piece of cake, but if you haven’t done laundry, it’s hard to pick out clothes. So, what comes first the chicken or the egg.

Here are the steps to getting your dinner on the table.

1. Wednesday – Clean out refrigerator to see what needs to be used

2. Wednesday – Make your menus for next week and grocery list

3. Thursday-Saturday – Go grocery shopping to get food into the house.

4. Before Bed – Check calendar for menu and pull item from freezer and put in refrigerator.

5. Morning Routine – Do some prep work to get dinner started/fill crock pot and turn on.

6. Afternoon Routine – Finish cooking, set the table, ring the dinner bell!

When someone gets home they don’t have to think about what to fix. All they have to do is check the calendar to see what has been planned. This is easy if the ingredients are in the house.

I have a couple of “Go To” meals in my wheelhouse(pantry). One is like a hamburger helper.

Hamburger Stroganoff

1 pound of ground beef. (I use my precooked ground beef with chopped onion)
1 large bag of wide egg noodles.
1 can of Campbells Golden Mushroom Soup
1 8oz tub of sour cream or 8oz package of cream cheese.

Boil water and cook dried noodles according to direction on the package. Heat up or cook your hamburger and onion(optional). Add the sour cream or cream cheese (whatever you have on hand). Mix in your cooked noodles. Serve it garnished with grated Parmesan cheese, a green salad, and garlic bread if you have it.

I will share my other “Go To” recipe later. It is my favorite.

Knowing what’s for dinner is half the battle. The other half is having a stocked pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. Make it easy on yourself by keeping your “Go To” ingredients on hand. When you plan your menus and go buy the groceries to prepare the meals; you are going to be so happy and save lots of money! As my son’s grandmother Elizabeth would say, “We won another one!”

FlyLady

Watch till the end because the Hamburger Stroganoff Recipe is at the end.

How to Cook Bulk Ground Beef

FlyLady here; Go download your free Holiday Control Journal.

New 2026 FlyLady Calendar!

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Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! Justin has been slashing prices again! Last Call to Save over 50% OFF!

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Posted in Morning Musing Tagged basic weekly plan, Chicken, egg, flylady, go to meals, menu plan, shopping

Full Circle

by TestiFLY

The Home Blessing Hour saved me today!

Dear FlyLady,

I have been flying for over a year now. However, I was never been able to accomplish the home blessing hour. I think I managed to only do it once so far. But today for some reason, I decided to go through it and do the vacuuming, dusting, mopping on every surface of the house. I did take more than an hour, of an overall 3 hours, but this is because I haven’t done the whole house in a long while and I sat and rested between each step. But I was determined to clean the house today using the home blessing hour concept. I did vacuum in the middle only. I did wet the mop using soapy water and mopped quickly. I did empty the garbage, and I did dust using a wet chenille cloth very quickly. I constantly reminded myself to just do it as fast as I can and not stress about it being perfect.

At the end of the day, I received a phone call from an old friend that I haven’t seen in a while. He said he was stopping by in about 1/2 hour. I looked around and grinned with a big smile since the house was clean and tidy. I only had to clear out a few hotspots and wipe some of the counters clean in the kitchen and the house was company ready.

I consider it divine intervention that I did decide to follow the weekly FlyLady routine today. I felt that it was divine inspiration that told me to bless my home, and my family today.

Thanks so much for being a huge inspiration for all of us FlyBabies.

FlyBaby C. from Canada 🙂

FlyLady here; Go download your free Holiday Control Journal.

New 2026 FlyLady Calendar!

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Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! Justin has been slashing prices again! Last Call to Save over 50% OFF!

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Posted in testimonials Tagged behavior modification, flylady, get organized, routines, TestiFLY

October Habit #30 Getting Rid of Mount Shredmore

by Testimonials

Dear FlyLady,

I never thought (but always hoped) the day would come when I would be able to write you a testimonial. I’m still fluttering, still figuring out my routines. I love my shiny bathroom sink and mirror, maintained daily with your lovely purple rags, and I’m finally swishing daily. I’m learning and appreciating the value of Babysteps and Do it Now, with two active young boys. Planning ahead is my main stumbling block and I recognize that when I fail to plan, my week starts to fall out from under me and this affects my mood and my family. But I’m starting to see and feel more peace in my life – a bit at a time – thanks to your kind, persistent messages.

What I’m really writing to share is how I finally got rid of my mount shredmore. Well, The kids (DS 6 and DS 2) and I are putting up our decorations. We bought a package of those adorable little orange plastic bags with pumpkins to hang in our trees. We decided to fill them with shredded paper. I shred, and the boys stuff the bags. The bin of paper went fast. Then, when we brought the bags outside to hang up, my older son put them on the drive in front of my DMom’s car. She didn’t see the bags, and ran over them. My son teared up as we heard most of the twenty bags pop. My mom felt so bad, she went right out (with DS) and bought some new pumpkin bags – plus some white bags! In the meantime, I managed to fix most of the original bags with clear tape. So now we have sixty bags to stuff. Two days later, we have at least half of the bags filled and tied… And my nearly four-year-old mountain of shredding is quickly dwindling away. Oh wait, I think I have more stashed in a closet somewhere that I can shred tonight. <grin>

If there’s any shredding left after the bags are filled, I plan on sticking some shredded paper to the outside of some cardboard boxes and making some “hay bales” to go next to our scarecrow.

Thanks for all you do and all the gentle encouragement you give. God bless you and your team!

Georgina in Toronto, Ontario

FlyLady here; Go download your free Holiday Control Journal.

New 2026 FlyLady Calendar!

Get yours now! We have them in stock! Thank you for making this happen!

Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! Justin has been slashing prices again! Last Call to Save over 50% OFF!

The FlyShop is Closing Soon!

Posted in Habit of the Month Tagged flylady, get organized, Habit of the Month