It's time to post yet another WFMW tip. This week, I've decided to go for a bit of humor. I need to lighten things up because it's proving to be a really rough week thus far.

So, do you want to know how to get your spouse to do the dishes without nagging? I have your answer!

Go buy a Bosch dishwasher! :)

I kid you not, since we bought this dishwasher a couple of weeks ago, Oronzo has been downright eager to do the dishes!

The other night, when we were discussing what to make for dinner, he wanted to go with the option that created the most dirty dishes so he could fill up the dishwasher! How crazy is that?

This dishwasher is really neat. It's got lots of bells and wistles, adjustable wracks, attachable extras to keep your silverware from falling off, and to keep small parts in place. It has an internal heating element so if a small part were to fall to the bottom of the dishwasher, it wouldn't melt.

Best of all, our dishes have never looked so sparkling clean! We used to have to wash our dishes to wash our dishes, using the dilapitated dishwasher that came with the house we bought 2 years ago. Now, we throw in our dishes with only scraping off the chunks and it really works!

One of the huge selling points for Oronzo was the fact that it's one of the quietest dishwashers on the market. It's so quiet that if it weren't for a built in red laser, we wouldn't know it was running! Hooray!

Granted, this dishwasher isn't the cheapest on the market, but it's worth every penny that we saved for the past 2 years to purchase it (we paid with our debit card, not our credit card)!

So getting my spouse to do dishes by purchasing a Bosch works for me, maybe it'll work for you. To see what works for others, be sure to check out the other links at Shannon's, the creator of Works-For-Me Wednesday!

My past WFMW entries:

the Plate Method
free steak seasonings/marinades
bargain shopping tips
My-Calorie-Counter
free customized ring tones
party favor basket
10 ways to make brushing fun!
Crayola Twistables Slick Stix
kids car organizer
stop urban legend emails
send credit scores soaring
foolproof extra creamy cottage cheese
stainless steel ball whisk
Uses for your child's wagon
10 Reasons Why Parents Should Not Spank
Love Sweet Love
travel tip
free children's printables
calendar labels
Strawberry Spinach Salad
mesh laundry bag uses
12 lbs 'til Christmas
toddler healthy eating techniques
reindeer puppet
Grocery Game website
No Fear Shakespeare
list of age appropriate children's chores
linking within comments
baptism gift
creating blogger categories
alternate use for pot rack
cake decorating tips
unique way to stay connected
cake baking tip
comforts of home while traveling
quenching the thirst of your little one
pie crust made in bulk
hot chocolate kicked up a notch

Labels: my toys, Oronzo, product review, Works-For-Me Wednesday

For a while now, I've been trying to win an iPod nano from all the different bloggers out there who are giving them away. I've never owned an iPod before and I thought it'd be neat. My husband's had an iPod for a while now, he bought one of the original 5 GB iPods when they first came out, and he has always enjoyed it.

Since I've had no luck winning one, my beloved husband (who spoils me rotten) presented me with a new, hot pink iPod nano when I walked in the door from work yesterday afternoon! I absolutely love it!! He also got me a clear protective case for it because he knows I have a tendency to drop things far too often.

Before he gave it to me, Oronzo installed the software on his Apple computer and showed me how to pull .mp3 files from that computer and transfer them over to my iPod and then how to delete them off of my iPod when I wanted to change my music list.

This 4 GB iPod will hold about 1,000 songs. I was amazed at the volume of music Oronzo has in his collection. I skimmed through the songs, albums, and artists and it didn't take me long to find about 1 GB worth of songs and transfer them over.

So, here's specifically what I love about this iPod nano:

1) Sleek style- it's thin and light. I can stick it in my pocket or in my purse and not take up much space.

2) Excellent sound quality- the headset that came with it is wonderful. I've got Crazy by Gnarls Barkley blasted right now and I'm jamming as I type this. I'm not disturbing anyone else in my household, including my sleeping toddler.

3) Capacity- this 4 GB iPod holds far more music than I'll ever need at one time!

4) Accessibility- the menu makes it easy to maneuver around and I can quickly find music by artist, song, or album.

5) Color- I love the hot pink color that Oronzo got me. I would've liked the neon green color as well.

One drawback, I do wish there was some type of belt clip that I could purchase so that I could keep it more secure while I'm riding my bike or just taking a walk. I've noticed on the ipod nano accessories portion of the Apple website that I could purchase an armband or even a necklace of sorts but I'd rather have the option to buy a belt clip, like I have for my cell phone. Oh well, I guess I'll live.

Okay, now I'm curious. What music do you have playing on your iPod? Any recommendations for me?

Labels: my toys, Oronzo, product review, spoiled rotten

We're living in the lap of luxury! Okay, maybe not quite, but it sure feels like it since we purchased these...

After much searching and a bit of patience, we found these 2 leather recliner rocker chairs on sale for only $300 each! A local furniture store was having a 50% off sale!

We just had these chairs delivered yesterday. They're so soft and comfy. As I sat reading a book in mine, I felt like I had scored the best chair in Barnes and Noble or Starbucks, only better because I was in my jammies and was enjoying the warmth of our fireplace! In fact, I must admit I feel asleep in my chair last night as I was reading my book.

Want to hear the best part? We purchased these the right way...by saving our money (Christmas gift money, a bit of money from Oronzo's contract jobs, etc) and paying cash, rather than charging it.

We visited several furniture stores, testing out chairs and watching for sales, as we built our chair fund up to $700. It took us several months, but we were patient.

That patience and discipline paid off! It felt so good to walk into the furniture store, find the chairs we liked and tell the salesman we'd take 2, and no thank you we didn't need the financing option, we were paying cash! And we have a bit of money left over to purchase a nice end table to put between the 2 chairs, if we can find one we like.

Oronzo and I haven't always been so disciplined. We bought our fancy refrigerator by taking advantage of a 12 months interest free offer. So, we got the refrigerator before we paid for it, then spent the next 12 months paying it off. We've also used our credit card to purchase things when we didn't have the money needed at the time. Then we stressed about paying off those items with interest.

It felt so very satisfying and rewarding to pay cash for our chairs. And the wait and anticipation has made us appreciate these chairs all the more. We're proud of ourselves for our financial responsibility!

Oronzo and I are making a determined effort to change our spending habits from buying before we can afford it to saving up until we can buy it. Instant gratification isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Waiting and saving is so much sweeter!

Now, we begin saving for a new dishwasher. We're going this weekend to shop around and get an idea of what we like and how much we'll need to save up for one.

When's the last time you were able to pay cash for a somewhat major purchase? What was your purchase?

Labels: family, financial responsibility, my toys, Oronzo