For what it's worth, I think a rotational system with associated rotational harvesting is a good idea, BUT... one would have to have the room for all of the bins. This is an excellent concept for mathematical modeling. That is not to suggest that such modeling would represent broad-scale reality, but rather that one could get an idea of the elements that would need 'focus'. For example: If you wanted to start your rotating system with 26 'bins', and you wanted to harvest on a two-week interval and you wanted to start harvesting in 2 weeks after start up, you would need 26 lbs of worms. That's a lot of worms. At $25 per pound - a common rate for a pound of worms - that's $650 start up costs just for the worms. If on the other hand, you wanted to start with one pound of worms, but end up with 26 bins, each with one pound of worms "working", then you would have to take the surplus from the first bin and put it in the second bin. If you got half a pound of worms in two weeks from an initial one pound, it would take four weeks to get the second bin to 1 pound of worms. (However, since you'd be adding worms at two weeks from the first bin, the time to get to one pound would be shorter. However, since you were only harvesting at two week intervals, you have a "discrete" component, and your rotational cycle would be constrained by that discrete component.) Then, you'd have two bins, each with one pound of worms producing half a pound of worms every two weeks so the third bin could have one pound of worms only one week after the second bin had its one pound of worms. THEN, the fourth bin would be started, and once it was 'cooking', you could start adding multiple bins at each two week interval. Hence the mathematical modeling comment. As with all models - mathematical and otherwise - there are critical elements. The most important of which are: 1) "initial conditions" - like how many bins are you starting with, 2) "production per unit time" - like the half a pound of worms per week. 3) "harvest of surplus" - how many are going to be harvested - not put back in the system - per interval of time. And so on... Again, I'm NOT suggesting that the output of such a model would represent reality for every wormer, but rather that the exercise could inform one of the significant components and, once those factors were known (empirically), what would happen in the system if/when hose factors were changed. Such a model would likely have a very narrow scope of application as there are so many factors that effect worm production. Unless one was willing - and able - to reproduce the exact conditions and procedures under which the model was developed, it is unlikely that the model would 'translate' to other locales and "systems". The original post was quite some time ago, and the topic has drifted a bit. Shouldn't this be a new thread? Paul

I was also careful to put things away as soon as I used them, wash dishes immediately and just straighten up as I walked around my house as part of my daily life. Exactly. The neater you can keep it every day, the easier it will be. The thing I'm most scared about is if the house is still on the market come summertime (my husband is a teacher and has off during the summer), my husband will be responsible for making sure the house is in top shape if we get a call for a showing! I'll have to make him a list of things to check before the showings. We get 2 hours notice, and I give mine credit, he's pretty good about getting ready in under 2 hours. They always seem to call when we let our guard down. We do it together, so far it's been on Saturday's when we have stuff going on.. my teenage daughter will be home, her room is never the neatest. We'll also be working in the garden / outside when they call, another was when I was finishing up painting the kitchen after we'd put in new counter tops, thankfully I had 24 hours notice on that one. What you'll want to do is go over it with him so that he knows what to do. Every single thing off the counters~not even the coffee maker~NO dish towel hanging on the oven handle, and NO dishcloth over the sink~those were my pet peeves. I threw everything in the dishwasher. If I was a buyer, the things I am tempted to open are dishwashers & ovens. lol Knowing this, I never stash stuff in either and about the only thing I will stash in the washer / dryer is laundry. Everything goes in the cars. Not sure if I sent you the link to the model of our new house.. here's the kitchen if you look close, under the microwave, there is a coffee maker, in this one they are displaying a cook book. We have the very same coffee maker they have displayed in another model home, and since it's a $100 piece of garbage, I can't unplug it to put it away every day because the clock is going & hard to set. I just bought a few props, some nice coffee mugs to go with it, hoping I can arrange everything to make it look nice. Our house will be on the market next week, and never having going through this before, I'm assuming I would make sure everything is straightened and cleaned each night so all I have to do in the morning is make our bed and clean up the bathroom before we both leave for work. Is that about right? Anything else I need to do in case people come look at the house while we're at work? Anyone have a system that works well? TIA! The kitchen & bathrooms are the biggest. As was said, do dishes regularly. I also try to keep up on laundry. The bathrooms are always decent, if I know there's a showing I make sure mirrors are clean, showers don't have any (body) hairs (this is the same for the floor, especially if it's light) and the toilet is clean, even lifting the seat. I can't tell you how many houses I walked where there were hairs & a nasty toilet (won't go into detail) Once a week I will have my son run the vac. He has off during the week, so I plan the dusting / edging around that. I try to sweep every day. Heavy cleaning (bathrooms) is on Sunday when I have help. Mopping is usually done Mondays when everyone clears out of the house. I will also go around and put any personal items away, this is including my calendar.

This has never been a problem for us. Last year was the first year we had ANY outdoor decorations. I never understand how people have time for that sort of thing  No kids? No jobs? No kids and no job? Kind grandparents to watch the kids? Lots of money to pay someone else to do it? Last year we (I) bought wreaths to hang on the windows and a few strands of lights for the front walkway. Taking the decorations down in a timely manner wasnÂt a problem. One by one all the wreaths fell off. By Christmas Day, I think we had ONE left. (Of course that one had to be pried off!) Apparently the command hooks that I bought werenÂt strong enough for the wreaths. IÂll have to regroup this year. Taking down the strands of lights took a little more effort, mainly because while removing the lights I found BAGWORMS on my weeping Japanese maple! So after removing the lights, I stood out in the cold with a pair of hand pruners and a plastic bag and meticulously snipped every last blankety-blank bagworm off my tree! I hope no-one throws stale candy canes at me, because I'm sure I didn't take down the globe lights until mid-January. We put up the decorations when we can, and we take them down when we can. Sometimes they are never put up. (We've had at least one Christmas with no tree.) Sometimes they are slow to come down. (One year my tree stayed up until March hence the reason I didn't put it back up the next year. I managed to put the tree UP during my maternity leave then couldn't figure out how to get it DOWN while working full-time with a newborn.) We have no set schedule or rules. We usually travel to be with family on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Spending time with family trumps decorating (or undecorating) any day. Nin

I used to bake when we were super poor and had no money. I found baking really inexpensive. I baked all the time for my children so the supplies were almost always on hand. I would bake cookies and bread, and one year I made chocolate covered cherries (I don't recommend it: they take FOREEEVVVER!) I even made Turtles, but over cooked the caramel so they were a little rock hard. hahahaha I even made little sled ornaments out of popcicle sticks. I keep meaning to make them again, they're so cute everyone loved them. But now? I don't have the time, nor the energy to make home made gifts. Besides, todays generation does not appreciate the home made things as much as we used to. I grew up with almost everything home made: my mom cooked from scratch (hardly 0 processed foods growing up), she baked everything (we never ate cookies from Christie), and mom is a seamstress so the vast majority of my clothes were made by mom. She also knitted so I had a lot of home made knit sweaters. I honestly don't know anyone who would appreciate them anymore.