Citrus-Scented Vinegar Spray

Cleaning products may not be the most expensive item in the house, but if there's a less expensive way of doing something, I'm all for trying it!  The use of vinegar for cleaning is certainly frugal and effective, plus it's natural and non-toxic.

I keep a spray bottle of half vinegar, half water on my window sill in the kitchen to wipe down the table and counter tops after use and use the same spray on fruit and vegetables as a quick produce wash.  I use distilled/white vinegar to descale the coffee maker and to clean and freshen the dishwasher every 2 months or so; however, it has been a while since I used vinegar to clean the bathrooms.

A month or so ago I was reading one of my favourite house keeping websites, One Good Thing by Jillee, which discussed making scented vinegar to clean with.  I loved this idea and the pictures on this website are so fantastic!  (I will learn how to take the same quality of pictures some day.)  

Simply fill a jar with leftover lemon or orange peels... I actually used clementine peels... fill with distilled/white vinegar and wait 1-2 weeks for the oils from the peels to be released into the vinegar.  Jillee recommends heating the vinegar which expedites the rate of this process, so I'll have to try this next time.  I poured the scented vinegar through a sieve into a jug, then poured it into the spray bottle. I did not dilute the vinegar with water as I wanted to maximize its germ-killing power for cleaning the bathrooms. 

Does vinegar actually kill germs? According to everything I read online, the answer is yes. According to this very interesting and informative article, the simple act of scrubbing effectively kills bacteria.  Add to it vinegar and hot soapy water and you have a germ-killing powerhouse in your hands. 

I use a microfiber cloth to clean with, which also picks up bacteria within its fibers.  The toilet bowl I scrub with a worn dish sponge, then discard it after use. 

Perhaps you're concerned your house will smell of pungent vinegar after using vinegar to clean with.  The scent does last about a half hour, but my girls didn't mention it, nor did my husband notice it when he came home from work a little while later, so it probably wasn't too bad.  I, however, noticed how very clean my bathrooms looked and am very pleased to say that I will continue to use vinegar - scented or not - to clean with.

How We "Spent" Our Weekend

I have to admit - it's been a challenging week.  First thing Monday morning at the gym, my weak side got the better of me which, in the end, has caused me to realise, once and for all, that I need to work hard to overcome this.  This weakness is affecting my loved ones, but with the Lord's strength, this "mountain" shall be moved.  I know this is completely vague, but please know that I've been struggling with this for as long as I can remember, but I have faith that the Lord can take this affliction away from me.  

Later Monday morning my sister-in-law said good-bye to her fiance, who she has been with for over 20 years.  His somewhat unexpected passing caused Jeff and me to think about "what if...?"  Though we have a will, is it up to date? We still need to get the appropriate amount of life insurance; though we have some, it's not enough to sustain us should something happen to one of us. Also our "Important Documents" folder hasn't been updated in at least 2 years.

Monday evening a bad cold came on suddenly leaving me feeling achy and having a deep cough on Tuesday.  Thankfully the achiness only lasted a day, but the tiredness and coughing continues.

Thankfully our weekend brightened despite the draining week we've had.  After taking 3 days off from the gym, I returned on Friday but only really had the strength and stamina to walk on the treadmill for half an hour.  I did the same on Saturday morning plus shoulder exercises while listening to The School of Greatness Podcast by Lewis Howes, who interviewed Tererai Trent.  I have never heard of her before, but she is an inspiration to achieve the impossible.  I'm so glad I got to the gym both mornings; each morning I asked myself what I CAN do, which was the treadmill, and better than having stayed in bed and not done anything. I'll be back to my usual spinning and abs classes tomorrow morning thankfully.

Oh, I did squeal silently with delight when I found £1 at the gym - just to add to the other two 5p coins I found earlier in the week! Ka-ching!

Saturday morning we headed to Enginuity, a science-based museum near Ironbridge.  Of course, I wouldn't pay the £32 entrance fee - no way!  Thankfully we were able to use the annual passes from Jeff's work which they ask a £5 contribution for.  Gladly!  Of course, there's the £3 parking fee to pay as well, but for an indoor family activity on a cold, rainy morning, £8 isn't too bad.  We went home after a couple of hours for lunch, but of course, driving into Ironbridge to one of the nice cafes or restaurants along the River Severn did cross my mind!   

Before I forget, we added £49 this week to the girls' university savings fund by selling our once-beloved Little People castle and princesses to our dear friends, a pair of boots and a large bundle of 2-year-old clothes.  There's still so much left to sell!  I'm still contemplating whether to spend the time and effort to tag items for the next NCT Nearly New Sale in March; I've done so many, many times before, but just not sure it's worth the time and effort.  The day I spend volunteering at the sale is always fun though!

Last night, Jeff and I hunkered down to watch a WONDERFUL movie called "Lion".  The DVD was kindly lent to me by my coworker, so cost me nothing.  It was another reminder of all the blessings in my life.  Have your tissue box ready for this one, but I HIGHLY recommend watching it.

This morning we went to church, came home for lunch, Skyped with my mom and step-dad, then took the girls to a fun birthday party at the school.  You may be wondering what we spend on presents for kids from school.  It varies, but somewhere in the region of £5 per gift, which may also include a bag of sweets.  We have a "gifts for others" section of our budget that we contribute a bit to each month.  

On the walk home from the party, Subway tempted us to come inside, but thankfully we didn't have any money on us and I knew we had leftover bolognese waiting for us at home.  (BOR-ING!)  Not really, but Subway sure sounded good! 

This evening I baked 6 chicken breasts to use for lunches and dinner on Tuesday evening, as well as a meatloaf to have with sweet potatoes tomorrow evening.  I wanted to not only get ahead with meal prep but also save electricity by baking them at the same time.  While these baked, Jeff and I compared our February budgets to make sure we're "on the same page" with our finances - it's sooo important to be working together!

One more frugally bit to leave you with this evening.  When I have tea left over in the tea pot from making cups of tea, I let it cool slightly and pour the remainder into a glass, top it up with a bit of water and chill it in the fridge for a cool iced tea the next day.  Delish!   

Simple Gifts

Do you know the song "Simple Gifts"?  If not, listen to it here. I sang it at some point in elementary school and it has stuck with me.

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,

To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.^[4]

I have been blown away by simple gifts this week.  They have come in all forms: time spent with friends, cups of coffee, hospitality, offers to help babysit the girls, a Yankee candle(!!!!) and thoughtfulness.  Anyone who knows me well know that I am not a tangible gift kind of person.  In fact, my top love language is quality time - I discussed this in a blog I wrote in February.  Time spent with someone is the best gift... ever.  Do you know what I also love about this?!  It's quite literally PRICELESS.

This week was slightly different than other weeks; I seemed to be inundated with gifts!  It began on Sunday afternoon when I met with a friend who I hadn't seen in at least a year at Costa.  We caught up over a cup of coffee she paid for with a gift card she had been given.  A gift from a gift!  I'm really looking forward to the next time we catch up, and if it's at Costa, I'll treat her to a cuppa with a gift card (that I bought at a discount, of course!).  I offered to give her the gift of my time and hopefully talent to help her with something, but I won't say specifically what (if that's ok).

Early Tuesday morning I received a text from a friend. She had "a little something" for me. A little while later, she dropped a gold-tissue-paper-wrapped gift off.  She said that she had read in my post from last week (I think) that I love Yankee candles... and she had three and thought she didn't need all three and thought that I would!  Yes, inside was a Christmas Yankee candle!  How incredibly thoughtful!

Tuesday was also my husband's birthday.  He gives me the gift of laughter every single day.  He gives our family his constant love and devotion.  Ok, I'm getting a bit sappy... but I love him.  Jeff likes to keep things even simpler than me... which I don't always embrace!... but I know he appreciates having a yummy dinner and a couple of presents, so that's what we gave him. I must admit though that I went all out and cooked him steak instead of the usual "celebratory" meatloaf for dinner... I know, fancy... right?!  The girls and I baked him a ginger birthday cake that they loved decorating.

I started a second batch of vanilla extract on Wednesday.  My first batch turned out really well and there's something very, very lovely about opening a bottle of very vanilla-ey Vodka (yes, I take a whiff every single time) knowing that the matured extract was made by me.  Aaahh!  I've given a couple of small bottles away this year, which has been fun and will likely do the same again.  What was even more fun was telling my friend on Sunday that I had bought the vanilla pods that we were going to share - I bought 10, so 5 each - and that she didn't owe me anything because a) she had given me some lovely nutmeg, cocoa powder and homemade raspberry jam in October and it was my turn to reciprocate, and b) I actually used credit from our PayPal account that I had earned from purchasing something through a cashback website earlier in the year, so I didn't really pay for it.  A gift that keeps on giving!

I've also received offers from three friends to help with the girls due to having to work a few days while the girls are off school.  It's seriously so amazing to receive this gift of help and time so I don't have to worry about what to do with the girls those few days.  Friends' hospitality is another fabulous gift, especially after a long day at work when she serves you a comforting plate of absolutely delicious plate of potato pancakes and cream sauce.  A little TLC goes a long way!  Cups of coffee or tea are also very appreciated and Brits do this soooo well.

Yesterday, I gave myself a gift... the gift of quiet time in the car, listening to Frank Sinatra singing Christmas music while sipping a cappuccino from Costa that I got for free through the Wuntu app while my daughter slept in her car seat.  It was soooooo peaceful. I could have done something else in that time, but I didn't. Except for a few scrolls through the Facebook app, I just sat there in enjoying the peace and quiet... until it got too cold and I had to wake Brenna up to go inside the house.

This morning we were blessed by fresh snowfall. Now, I'm really not a big fan of snow, but we haven't experienced a real snowfall in years... maybe since we lived in Germany, but seeing the Winter Wonderland around us was simply beautiful.  My friend and I squealed with excitement as we ran out of the gym this morning... ok, it was mostly my friend 😉 The girls got the chance to build Frosty in the garden this afternoon and, while Ellen got to attend a Christmas tea party with her friends, Brenna and I took a walk together in the crunchy snow in the dark.

Jeff gave up a couple hours of his time and LOADS of energy to clear a large section of our street to help us and our neighbours drive up the street should it turn to ice overnight and/or snow more over the weekend.

During this time of giving, consider that gifts don't have to be expensive, just thoughtful.  Gifts come in all shapes and sizes.  Since giving reflects the condition of your heart, I want to encourage you to take the time to recognize the gifts you are given and also the gifts you could give to someone.

How I "Spent" My Day - McDs Sticker, Nectar Points and a Tiny Brownie

My day was pretty normal - gym in the morning, kids to school, work, kids from school, home.  I missed out on about 68p at the gym that someone had left on top of the shelves when, for a brief second, I felt insecure about my "weird" status as I was walking out with my friend.  Ugh! I should have just picked it up.  Darn it!  

So my normal day got a bit more interesting - in terms of my "finding the pennies" hobby/ mindset/ lifestyle when I was walking to my car after work and found litter *gasp!* next to my car - it was another McDonald's coffee cup with the loyalty sticker STILL ON IT!  Jack pot!  I secretly high fived myself.  The sticker completed Jeff's coffee card, so he can get his free coffee the next time he goes to McDs.  Caring is sharing, right?!

When we got home from the school run, I discovered that Mr Postman delivered a Nectar card promotion containing a coupon for 800 bonus points, worth £4 on my Nectar card.  Yaaayy!  More on my Nectar points in a bit.  

I wanted to have a meat-free, low-cost meal this evening and the solution was egg fried rice. It ticks the boxes for protein, carbs and veggies, as well as being very inexpensive.  I hadn't ever made egg fried rice before, but it turned out really well having followed this recipe. I used frozen mixed veg rather than chopping up fresh veggies - I boiled them first while the rice was cooking - and actually got to use an unopened bottle of oyster sauce that I bought a couple of years ago and didn't end up using (and it was just fine, by the way).  The girls enjoyed this meal, and even asked if we could add some prawns to it the next time we have it.

 

Are you wondering what's in the glass? It's iced tea "made" from last night's leftover tea in the teapot.  Why pour perfectly good tea down the drain when I can drink it cold another time?  Sooo good.

So it's Nectar Double Up Week at Sainsbury's!  This happens twice a year - once in November and once in the summer.  You can swap Nectar points for vouchers worth double the value of the points in a handful of departments, such as toys, entertainment, clothing and wine.  £5 worth of points can be exchanged for a voucher worth £10, exchange £10 for a £20 voucher, and £20 for a £40 voucher.  We save our Nectar points to mainly use during these double up events because they're such a great deal, especially considering the points were mostly free in the first place.  Find out more by visiting your local store (I've just looked at both the Sainsbury's website and the Nectar website and there is ZERO information about this on their websites - that's not good advertising!) I ended up buying some DVDs, a super cute My Little Pony dress costume for Brenna and toys for both of the girls for Christmas and walked out having spent £8.55 for £88.56 worth of stuff.  These won't even affect our Christmas budget, as the points were free.

I did have a quick nosey at the reduced sections in the store and found a bottle of Sainsbury's lotion reduced to 50p and this tiny gluten and dairy free chocolate & coconut brownie reduced to 10p.   This tiny brownie was tiny... tiny... only a few bites worth.  I cannot imagine paying £2.00 for this tiny little jar of brownie, but I thought it was worth a try for 10p.  I have to admit, it was very good - I heated it up in the microwave for a few seconds.

So, that's how my money-saving mindset worked today.  I hope I've encouraged you to find some small ways to save, too!

How We "Spent" Our Day: Child's Play

Today was basically a kids' day - swimming, McDs and a soft play birthday party.  Yay! Right?! Earlier this week, we gave the girls the option of going swimming - which they've been asking to do for about a couple of months now - and going to the cinema.  The cinema would have been cheaper, but it was their choice this time.  I'll let you in on a bit of a Bolton budget secret - we budget £20 per month for "play".  A friend asked me recently whether this is enough.  It is for our family, for the most part, anyway. We are finding, however, that our girls are reaching the age that they are no longer free and we actually have to pay for them... bummer!  

We've been going swimming at the same pool for years now, but recently they increased the price for an adult to swim 50% - from £5 to £7.50 each.  Now that Ellen is 5 we have to pay £5 for her, too.  So what used to cost us £10 for the family to go swimming, now costs £20.  Grrr... Jeff even rang around to other pools, but there were either swimming lessons going on, the pool didn't permit non-members access or it would have been actually more expensive.  So, off to our usual pool we went.  It is a lovely place... clean.... and very few other people...plus there's a Jacuzzi that I always take advantage of.  I like to think of it as a cheap spa break... as long as I drown out the sound of the girls' voices talking to me... the... entire... time.  Never mind.  We did end up swimming for an hour and a half.

We also treated the girls to McDonald's on the way home. Of course, it wasn't spontaneous and it fit into our "Restaurants" budget.  We ordered two Happy Meals, 2 Big Macs, 2 medium fries and a "festive" coffee.  It cost us less than £10 for all of us to eat at McDs.  I must say... I was pretty impressed with myself.

The Happy Meals were the usual price £2.79 each.  Jeff and I each had a Big Mac and medium fries for £1.99 having used two receipts with codes; a thoughtful colleague of Jeff's actually gave him two receipts with the codes from the online feedback surveys that we could use today.  

And what about the large "festive" coffee?  It was free.  Imagine my excitement when I finally had six stickers to fill the coffee card above.  And no, of course, I didn't buy the six coffees to get the stickers... okay, I did buy one coffee in July... I found them... on cups... on the ground.  Eeeewww?!?! "Lauren, that's really weird."  Yep, I'm weird... so what.  I also pick up loose change... and the £5 note on the ground on a recent short stay in London... so what's the difference?  Not much.  I've actually tried to fill a card the past two years and haven't been successful, but this year I finally achieved my goal. YES!  I was even more excited that I could use this free coffee card on a fancy, whipped cream-topped coffee.  I did share it with Jeff, in case you were wondering.  I also asked for a cup of water, rather than paying for a Coke. So, there you go... McDs for a family of 4 for £10. Not bad.  

I spent a few couple of hours baking this afternoon - peanut and chocolate granola and cinnamon streusel pumpkin cake.  I added a couple of spoonfuls of this granola to natural Greek yogurt and Brenna loved it.  Mommy win!

Later this afternoon, we had a fun time at a friend's birthday party which took place at a indoor play area.  We spent £1 on a ride-on game that Brenna then abandoned halfway through.  

All-in-all we had a fun family day.  Totally worth the £20 to go swimming and the £10 for lunch at McDonalds.  Now that we've spent the allocated £20 in the play category of our budget, we may not be able to spend money on "play" until December, but that's ok. I'm sure we'll find other way to have fun for free!

We Made Money with Baby Oleg!

 

Ssshhh!!! Don't tell my girls... but the Baby Oleg dressed as Olaf they've been cooing over on TV... we've just sold it on eBaby for £24!  Yep.  Sorry, girls, what you don't know can't hurt you... and as if you need another cuddly toy!

We comparison shopped and purchased this year's car insurance through comparethemarket.com.  I am not necessarily endorsing this website, but it is very smart to use comparison website when it's time to purchase new insurance.  For a limited time comparethemarket.com is giving customers who purchase insurance through their site the choice of either a Baby Ayana dressed as Elsa or a Baby Oleg dressed as Olaf.

We chose the Baby Oleg because at the time, Baby Olegs dressed as Olaf were selling for more on eBay than Baby Ayanas.  Baby Oleg did take a few weeks to arrive, but when he did, my husband immediately listed him on eBay without the girls ever knowing.  A week later someone out there bought Baby Oleg for £24!  That £24 is going directly into our "Home Expenditures" category on our budget, since that really needs a boost at the moment after we bought our older daughter her new bed.

Not only did we get the best-priced car insurance saving £94.09 over last year's and Baby Oleg that made us £24, we also get the Meerkat Movies app that gives us a voucher code for 2 for 1 cinema tickets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Hey, if you don't mind going mid-week to the cinema, it's a cheaper way of going out to the movies!  We used this twice in the last couple of months (we bought insurance through comparethemarket.com sometime last year, too) saving about £10 per visit to the cinema.

I actually didn't start out this blog post with the intention of talking so much about comparethemarket.com.  My intention was to show you that sometimes there are ways to think outside the box when it comes to making and saving money.  Twenty-four pounds isn't a huge amount of money, but it has helped to boost our "House Expenditure" category on our budget and hasn't added to the stuffed animal/cuddly toy mountain in our girls' rooms.  Another way we thought about selling Baby Oleg is by asking ourselves how much we would pay for Baby Oleg at the toy shop... if at all.  I definitely wouldn't buy him for £24, but if we had kept him, that would have been £24 lost. 

I'd love to challenge you to think about the money-making items in your house.  Is there anything collecting dust, something that you don't love or your children no longer love that could make a few "bucks"/"quid" by selling?  We are currently in the process of slowly de-cluttering our house... and it feels soooo good!  Please leave a comment if you've sold something in a similar unconventional way as we sold Baby Oleg.  

Love Is in the Air! (Or Whatever.)

Love is in the air, but how best do you express your love to your loved one?!  With a stuffed sloth, of course!  NOT!!!  Seriously, if my husband were to spend any amount of money on this stuffed sloth to say "I love you" on Valentine's Day or not, I wouldn't be happy.  I'm trying to understand how anyone would seriously think this would make a great gift... or the sloth key ring, sign or mug.  Seriously?!?!

Ok, I'm finished having a mini rant... almost.  Everywhere I turn there are advertisements for Valentine's meals for two at restaurants, say "I love you" with expensive jewelry, overpriced gifts at the supermarket such as ceramic popcorn buckets for a date night at home, and overpriced bouquets of red roses (that will die within a week).  I'm not trying to completely offend everyone who chooses to express their love to their loved one with gifts, but what I want to point out two things.  First, as my husband loves to point out, he doesn't need a holiday to tell me he loves me; he tells me this every day and in many ways.  Second, what if your loved one doesn't hear "I love you" with gifts, like me?

You may be wondering, "Lauren, what do you mean that you don't hear "I love you" with gifts?"  The very popular book The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman explains that there are 5 ways in which people express love to and accept love from their loved ones, not necessarily with a gift (although that is one of the love languages): words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch. In short, words of affirmation are those such as, "Honey, thank you for washing the dishes", "You are such a wonderful husband." Quality time is simply spending time with your loved one without distractions, such as a quiet meal together, taking a walk, a catch up over a cup of coffee. Receiving gifts is just that, receiving a gift, but it doesn't have to be pricey, just thoughtful. Acts of service is simply doing something for your loved one, such as completing a job for your loved one that he or she has asked you to do or that you know he or she doesn't particularly love to do.  Physical touch also doesn't need much explanation and, yes, men tend to have this as one of their love languages.

Oh, and you likely have two love languages in which you can most identify with.  "What's yours, Lauren?" Acts of service and quality time.  I feel very loved and appreciated when someone does something for me and when I simply spend time with my friends and family.  Gifts are fine, they're ok, sure.  Thanks very much... ok... next.  Because of this, I'm not the best gift giver, which is why I completely stress out when it's someone's birthday or Christmas.
                               
I find it imporant to recognise my loved one's love languages when I accept their expression of love.  My mom loves to send cards for every occasion, and I love that she loves to do that, and I know she is saying "I love you" with that card.  But I also know that she'd rather tell me that she loves me in person but can't always because she's thousands of miles away.  A dear friend of mine lives in Ottawa, Canada and loves to receive and give gifts and I know that.  However, luckily my husband doesn't love to receive gifts... and he definitely doesn't love to give gifts!  He, like me, feels loved by quality time.

If you're sweating over how to express your love on Valentine's Day in a couple of days just keep in mind that your gift doesn't have to cost a lot.  It doesn't have to cost anything!  Make breakfast or dinner for your family. Draw a bath for your wife.  Watch your husband's favourite movie with him (oh no! maybe I shouldn't have suggested this one!).

I've been trying to think about how to sort-of celebrate Valentine's Day with my family.  I've decided to simply have a nice meal with my husband and daughters on Tuesday.  I may give them a Lindor truffle or two... which is one of my favourite gifts ever... and they love them, too.  My husband made heart biscuits this weekend with the girls (I know, I was shocked, too!)... and that's perfect: quality time with the girls (I was at work), act of service because they had been asking to make cookies and almost free.

Use Jars to Help Save Money

I love to use jars to organise every day items such as coffee, marshmallows, rice, seeds, pens, markers, cotton buds.  Simple products simply look prettier and more organised in a jar.  Of course we're more attracted to products in pretty packaging than less expensive products in plainer packaging and marketers know this!  They whack up the price of products just because it's in more attractive packaging, not necessarily because the product the package contains is worth the extra amount.  Did you know that a huge part (perhaps around a third) of the price of an item we pay for is simply for the packaging?

Watch the Vlog about this here:

As a part of my money-saving mindset, rather than keeping products in their original packaging, I purchase and empty less expensive items into jars to make them appear more appealing.  For instance, I save about 80p by buying Sainsbury's Basics raisins/sultanas compared to the normal store brand raisins.  When we have hot chocolate at home, my kids love to put the mini marshmallows on by themselves; it's nicer to have a jar of marshmallows on the table, than a crumpled, hard-to-stick-your-hands-into package of marshmallows.

I don't pay directly for any of my jars, rather I clean out jars from pasta sauces and condiments by putting them in the dishwasher and letting them dry completely.  If the label or all of the glue from the label doesn't come off in the dishwasher, peel off the label and rub vegetable oil over the glue.  With a little elbow grease, washing up liquid (dish soap) and an old tooth brush, the residue should come off.

When I fill a jar with an item that has cooking instructions, I simply cut out the cooking instructions from the package and stick it inside with the item, such as the red lentils.

Another benefit of having items put in jars is that it's simply easier to find in the cupboards hopefully resulting in being able to find items when you need them rather than having to re-purchase them when you do your shop.

Items that can be stored or organised in jars aren't limited to food stuffs nor do they even have to be put in the cupboard or pantry.  Since they look pretty, if you're limited on drawer space, like me, then using jars can be an attractive way to display other items, like I do my pens, markers and scissors.  Of course, they need to be kept out of the reach of children just in case.


I'd love to know what you use jars for.  Please leave a comment on the blog below or on the Finding the Pennies Facebook page.

Hooked

I love using free things to organize, like shoe boxes and jam jars, but have you realized how awesome and totally useful clip hangers are?  "But where can I get these free, totally awesome and useful clip hangers, Lauren?" Answer: on shoes and boots that don't come in boxes!  So, I'm not suggesting you take these clips without permission (i.e. stealing), but if the next pair of shoes you buy comes on a clip hanger, ask politely to keep the hanger.

Soooo many letters come home with my daughter from school, and somehow, we are supposed to keep track of all of these papers in an organised fashion. I've come up with an almost free way: use a clip hanger to keep the papers together.

Now, the reason that it's an almost-free solution is that I use a Command Strip wire hook (that I bought!) hung on the inside of a kitchen cabinet next to important school dates and the school lunch menu.  Everything's in one place!  Nice and tidy... and inexpensive.

Another way I've used a clip hanger is to hang up my rubber gloves on the inside on my cleaning cabinet with the help of another Command Strip wire hook. This way they aren't just laying folded on top of the shelf somewhere.  They have a home... again, nice and tidy.