WELCOME to That Practical Mom! Helping other moms simplify the everyday chaos of life. From realistic organization to attainable productivity to money-saving tips to honest motherhood.
WHO IS KALLIE? Hey! I'm Kallie Branciforte AKA That Practical Mom. I'm a teacher turned blogger turned RU-vidr (it's a long story). I live in Connecticut with my husband, our 3 kids (Miles, 5 and Finley, 3 and Tate, 1), and our French Bulldog Olive. For a lot of my life, I struggled with many things that I know many people do like: organization, keeping a tidy home, productivity, budgeting, and so on. Then I became a mom and it all became even harder! So I was on a quest to figure it out. Age and motherhood have taught me some really valuable lessons that allow me to be more productive, keep a cleaner home with less time, and live a more frugal life, and I love to share all that with you.
If you have hard water/ calcification in your toilet, pop a strong dishwasher pod in, soak for an hour, then use a pumice stone. This will soften and help lift that rock hard sediment on the bottom. May need to repeat a few times.
That's how I declutter first. Once I have my absolutely love pile, I move on to the useful and nice ones. Everything else goes.But, most important to note, there is a pile that appreciates over time. So, even if I don't wear them now, I know they will age wonderfully and increase in value. I have now clothes I bought over 20 years ago that are gems now. No way to replace in quality or style, and if you do, it would cost a fortune. So, learn to spot these pieces and preserve them really well. You'll thank yourself, me and your kids will also be very grateful later. P.S. if you wear something all the time and you have several of it, then keep a couple to wear and the rest keep for when you wear them out. Only do this with items that are your core style that you know you will just go buy more in the future.
I love how you are comfortable normalizing being real for for those of us who are regular folks… those dream rich people kitchens are beautiful but not realistic for the majority of us.
With that unused space on top of cups, someone suggested using tension rods as a quasi shelf . if you place the first one slighty higher , that could also store shoes in closet .
I've been using baby wipes to clean for the last 7 years. It makes the job quick & easy. If I want some cleaning scent I just stray a baby wipe with lemon 🍋 Lysol.
No, I wouldn't put my registration and insurance stuff in my trunk what if you get pulled over? You want quick access, the police do not want you going to your trunk for that stuff, not a good look you're saying you need to get out of your car. Fine the manual can go in the trunk, agreed, but not paperwork the police might need.
Fantastic hacks! I had a good laugh as you addressed so many little everyday irritations! The garbage bag falling in on itself, the grout pen and on and on! Thanks!
Do you wanna know a great trick a target lady told me? Well apparently if you bring your own bags then you actually get money for doing so Idk this works with self check out but this is what she told me
That really is the best glass cleaner on the market, in my opinion. It is amazing how clean and streak-free it gets things. Definitely going to try the shaving cream in the bathroom. I love the way shaving cream smells. Thanks for all the tips!
I just love these hacks & my favorite is the shaving cream! Put it on your clean mirrors, then they won't fog up when you bathe or shooter. ❤ Can't wait until your next video!
Great ideas. The only thing I would caution on is when applying those cord wraps on countertop appliances, if they get warm the cord wraps might fall off. I had that happen on one of mine.
My father-in-law passed away recently. I already tossed his shaving cream, but I still have some of the baby wipes we used in his care. Baby wipes for window blinds?! Where have I been my whole life?! Now I’m kinda looking forward to cleaning them! 😂
•Meat 🥩 as a condiment, not a main, as in soups or casseroles (yes, exactly why your grandmother made them so much). •Learn to make your own rolls & bread 🥖 Homemade loaf < $2. •Do shop sales & stock up. •Don’t buy processed food/frozen meals •Cut back on, or eliminate fast food •Beans & rice together are a complete protein •Use leftovers - don’t waste food •Shop farmers markets, freeze/can bulk •Search You Tube for other ideas
You really explain things beautifully! I struggle with organizing, i have adhd and a three year old. Things get so unmanageable. But your tips Really help! Thank you
I will never deliberately speed up my checkout just because there's a queue behind me. It's not up to me to make the queue move faster, and you often forget something or make a mistake if you're rushing. Mind you, I'd never take three small children to the grocery store, either.😬😂
Yes I hate this fabric bins anymore.. in my craft room I have been using them on my cubical shelf like yours I have now been slowly buying hard bins like wicker baskets with lids which has been hard to find at reasonable prices and sizes I need 32 omg lol & can’t be longer than 11.5 or 8 wide I also found some white plastic with the bamboo lids at odd lots they are beautiful but you get two for like 12 bucks uugh so it’s gonna take me awhile to gather all my bins the fabric have rip all down the side or the handles come off and all have misshaped and it looks awful thanks for the share I am in desperate need of the photo boxes
I love this! I'm going to put it in to practice this week. My only hangup is that I struggle financially as I am unable to work due to my health. So everything has a price tag on it in my mind, ebay etc, but things sell so slow it would take YEARS & YEARS to sell everything, but still knowing this I find it difficult to dump it a charity shop (most of the money made in charity shops goes on extortionate wages of the top employees!!) Anyway, I will try this.
