“Home economics” is typically a class that teaches skills such as cooking or cleaning which are useful in the home. The Mount currently does not have a home economics course, and many students believe it would be helpful to developing minds. 

A lot of students and young adults generally don’t know how to live independently. Some of the teachers and upperclassmen at Mount had some advice for growing up that scales from cleaning tips to tips about raising children. 

Always have white vinegar. 

Senora Hoffmann’s tip is to always have a bottle of white vinegar. She sounds almost like a real commercial saying, “you don’t need to spend money on windex”, and “it disinfects, it’s natural, and it cleans like no other product on the market.” Definitely do not own a home without some white vinegar.

Take a shower if you feel bad.

Mr. Fabrey keyed in on something more psychological. His tip was to take a shower if you ever feel badly about everyday life. Depressed, angry, nervous, sleepy, surprised; however you may feel, a shower can cure it. 

Let your children live outside the box.

Deb from the cafeteria said if you let your children live outside the box and have high standards for them, they will become good people. Letting them decide who they are will allow them to blossom naturally. 

Save money like Jesus would.

Mrs. Furletti, a theology teacher, preached for less materialism and unnecessary spending. She brings the tip “both as a mom and a theology teacher”, so she has multiple perspectives. She claims she understands her kids need her to buy more but, “Pope Francis teaches us to not have this throw-away culture, to buy less, to be less consumeristic.”

Have a signature meal and take accountability.

Mrs. Beren, the Dean of Students, had two tips. The first is to have one good meal you know how to make well and never forget it. The second tip is to take accountability for your mistakes and learn how to fix them. This advice is more general, but very helpful for living alone or when you make a mistake. 

Always be yourself.

A wise teacher, who wishes not to be named, had one grand tip, which everyone can learn from, and that is to always be yourself and to never settle for less. All Mounties are smart and responsible girls, who all deserve to be treated with respect.

Put baking soda in the fridge to remove odors.

“It will help neutralize the odor,” said Clara Pagano ’24. Nobody wants to deal with a smelly house, so grab some baking soda to solve your problems.

Create a weekly cleaning schedule.

Mrs. Macpherson is all about cleaning and all about organization. She believes in cleaning schedules and said, “If you don’t you will be overwhelmed with how much you have to clean”. She also gave examples and said, “Monday can be laundry day, Tuesday can be cleaning the bathrooms”. Make that schedule!

Use hydrogen peroxide on blood-stained clothes.

Saanai Jones ‘24 said that hydrogen peroxide gets blood out of any clothing item, which is difficult to remove. She was at work the other day and stained her shirt, but she said  “I was like ‘Oh how do I get this out’, and hydrogen peroxide did the job”.

Using baking soda and vinegar will unclog any drain.

Ellery Williams ‘24 advised that putting baking soda and vinegar down a clogged drain will magically unclog it. Anytime you have a clogged drain, just mix up some baking soda and

vinegar, and no more clogging!