I have a handful of household favorites. Appliances, cleaners, services, etc, I will cut corners wherever possible to make my day easier. I’ve tried a lot of things over the years and have come to appreciate a handful of really great things.

My Oreck vacuum. It is light, fairly quiet and has a hypoallergenic bag that filters out a lot of dust. That is important with asthmatic people in the house. It wasn’t cheap, but it’s been worth every penny because it actually gets used! The big, clunky canister vac I had before it sat in the corner a lot because hefting it out and around the house to clean was like wrestling a gator!

Schwan’s frozen food home delivery. I don’t think we’d eat some nights without Schwan’s! Every other week a nice man comes to my door and brings me meat, veggies, ice cream, pizza, easy to heat meal kits, even juice concentrates and popcorn! They often have free dinner offers when you’ve been referred by a friend, so if you’d like to try them out, drop me a note via the ASK button and I’ll send you an invite. You can check to see if they deliver in your area at their website. (schwans.com)

Tide with bleach alternative liquid. I’ve tried a lot of laundry detergents and this is one I will stick with forever. Normal dirty stuff gets clean when washed. Really dirty stuff gets clean when soaked. Even the permeating smell of throw up will come out when soaked in tide overnight! Along with this, I am a big fan of Ultra Downy Advanced. It makes the clothes soft, nice smelling and really does keep things from wrinkling!

Air fresheners with little fans. I won’t say any brand names here because I think they are all pretty good. The first time I tried one I was amazed at how the smell, which never used to fill the room, not only filled the room but also wafted down the hall and into other rooms! I’m less impressed with the puffy thing, but the kid’s think it’s fun to watch.

Clorox Clean Up cleaner with bleach. I have 3 sons and a bathroom with white tile and grout. Bleach is my friend! A friend showed me this spray in my kid’s bathroom and I was really impressed at how clean it got the surfaces and how the whole room smelled better for days afterward! It not only cleans the surface dirt and drips but it really kills the germs and the stinky smells!

Tivo. If you already have one, you know what I mean. If you don’t have one it’s almost impossible to explain how it will change your life for the better. (Again, if you’d like a referral code for a coupon, drop me a note! I am happy to share the Tivo Wealth!)

Scotch Brite disposable toilet brushes. I found these little guys hiding with the mops, not with the other new toilet brush gadgets. The soap works, the scrubby part works better than the flushable brand and the ‘pop off to toss’ design is pretty fun to use. It’s not flushable, but it’s cheaper than the other brands and it works better than my old toilet brush.

Maybe sometime soon when I am syndicated and famous like Oprah, I’ll be able to give away free samples to all my subscribers, but for now I guess you’re all stuck checking these out on your own!