I have a confession to make, one that I am honestly embarrassed to admit: my roommates and I went eight weeks without vacuuming. Trust me, it was as disgusting as it sounds. But this weekend one of my roommates and I battled the grime and took our apartment back from the brink of utter filth.

One of the most challenging aspects of living with roommates is negotiating who is responsible for cleaning what. This year my roommates and I would bring up cleaning, but no decision was ever made about responsibilities. After cleaning up nearly everything last year, I refused to do so again this year (thus the eight weeks).

But working together this weekend the two of us had our apartment absolutely spotless in an hour and all we used was castile soap, a touch of baking soda in the tub, and three microfiber cloths. For a step by step guide to effective, cheap, and easy cleaning check out my previous post.

Dorm Cleaning 101

1. Make an agreement with your roommates. Even if they are willing to live in a dirtier place than you or it’s uncomfortable to bring it up, you will both be happier if you lay out expectations and reach an agreement before you can’t see each other through the dust and trash.

2. Set up a weekly cleaning schedule or routine. You don’t have to have one massive cleaning montage all at once. Instead plan ahead so you only spend a few minutes each day to keep everything in good shape.

3. Make cleaning fun. We blasted the music and danced the dirt away.

4. Have a plan of attack. No good general (or housecleaner) could ever win the battle if there wasn’t proper planning and consideration. Don’t mop the floors and then clean your counters or you will ruin all of the hard work you just did (same goes for not cleaning the toilet and then your sink). Consider a top down, least to most disgusting, approach.

5. No excuses. Everyone is busy, no one has time. Get over it and get your hands dirty. Ten to 15 minutes can do amazing things to clear your head and make you more productive when you are finished.

Was the last fruit you ate stuffed into a piece of pie? Can you even remember the last time you ate a vegetable? Does your empty refrigerator echo back the growl of your stomach?

In less than a week California will decide with Prop 37 if companies need to tell consumers if they have genetically modified organisms in their products.

In other words, the law would require companies to tell you whether or not the food you are eating was genetically manipulated in a lab or made the old fashioned way. GMOs are politically and culturally charged. Small farmers are often trapped into lawsuits with large corporations like Monsanto over rights to the genes of the plants they grow by choice and inadvertently. In addition, little research has gone into determining the health and safety of the GMOs.

When you look at who is fighting the funding (read large corporations including Pepsi and Coke), the choice is clear. Support the consumer’s right to know what they are eating and continue to pressure companies to use whole, healthy foods.

Want to know if you are eating GMOs right now? There’s an app for that.

I’m waiting to depart for a short weekend trip, and the amount of stuff that surrounds me is appalling. Did I really need the last pair of shoes? Why do I have more shirts than days? Not only is it annoying to be carrying so much stuff with me, but if everyone is doing the same thing, imagine the extra weight and space we are taking up.

For more information or see the other cool colors these highlighters come in, visit Stubby Pencil Studios.

*This post is not sponsored, although I did receive them for free (from a coworker).

I mostly used magazine cutouts, but you can really use anything.

Now my previously plain white wall is an encouragement to remember what I am working for and to achieve my goals.

Three and a half years ago I bought the iPhone 3GS and it revolutionized my life. When I was in awkward or boring situations I could pull it out and avoid talking to other human beings or engaging in the world around me. I could check my email the second I woke up, fall asleep to people I am not even friends with status updates, and challenge my multiple personalities to epic Tetris battles.