Thursday, January 14

HOW TO SAVE MONEY BY ORGANIZING

Organize and save money.  It’s that simple! 

HERE'S A GREAT POST FROM TAKE CONTROL ORGANIZING!

In today’s world, we all want to save money.  Putting just a few organizing systems in place in your home can achieve this goal! This will not only save you money, but you save you time.
1.  Create a system for your bills-  Have you ever paid a bill late, because you can not find it?  I have.  And it’s frustrating.. Have one place where all the bills go.  For us it’s a file on our desk that says “Bills To Pay”.  Go paperless- pay bills online, do automatic deposits, look at your options, ask your bank for details.
WE USE A DRAWER ON OUR DESK FOR ALL UNPAID BILLS AND I HAVE CREATED AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET TO TRACK THEM.  EACH TIME A BILL IS PAID, I HIGHLIGHT THAT CELL SO I KNOW IT'S PAID AND FILE THE BILL STUBS IN A FILE CABINET WITH FOLDERS FOR EACH TYPE OF BILL.  
2. Stop buying repeat items- being organized means knowing what you have and where it’s located.  This is especially true for the grocery store.  If your refrigerator and pantry are organized, then doing a quick inventory check before heading to the store will be easy.  Have an ongoing list for items you run out of it, again not forgetting anything but not buying what you don’t need.  I have found planning a weekly menu for dinners is a great saver of money.  I only buy what I need for those meals, no more wasted food.
I DO THIS TOO!  MEAL PLANNING IS A MUST!!!  ALSO, EVERYTHING IN MY HOUSE HAS A "HOME".  THIS WAY WE KNOW WHERE THE SCREWDRIVER IS AND WHETHER OR NOT WE NEED A NEW ONE!  STOCKPILING/COUPONING IS ALSO A GREAT WAY TO GET ORGANIZED!  WHEN YOU STOCKPILE YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT ORGANIZED OR YOU WON'T HAVE ROOM!!!  CHECK OUT MY OTHER BLOG FOR COUPONING DEALS! 
3.  Gift Cards- Have one central place for gift cards.  Many people forget they have them or loose them. You could use a special box, a drawer, a file, something so every time you receive a gift card it goes in there immediately. There is never any second guessing on where it could be.
 AND DON'T KEEP THEM IN YOUR PURSE OR CAR.  I HAD ALL OF MINE LAST CHRISTMAS IN MY CAR AND IT GOT BROKEN INTO AND ALL MINE AND MY CHILDREN'S GIFT CARDS WERE GONE. :(
4.  Create a budget- Know your money and where it’s going.  Know how much it costs to run your household and how much extra you have.  Knowing your money will help prevent buying unnecessary purchases.  And everything you do buy, think about it where it’s going in your home.  Every item in your house needs to have a place to live.
I SUGGEST TO EVERYONE THE DAVE RAMSEY FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY!   IT'S A LIFE CHANGING WAY TO LOOK AT MONEY AND YOUR BUDGET!  AND BEST OF ALL, IT'S NOT BORING!!!
5.  Sell your “Stuff” – There are many ways to sell your items.  Craigslist, eBay, consignment shops, garage sales.  Clean it up and present it well and you’ll make an extra buck or two.
Happy Organizing!

Thursday, December 31

A year full of organizing!



ringing in the new

Here's a GREAT post from Nickels-n-Dimes!!!


Christmas is over.  The gifts are unwrapped and bank account is drained of the Christmas gifts funds.  There is not much need to shop in the coming month of January.  It’s more of a time to regroup and come up with your strategies for the next 12 months.
The sequence of financial “events” (for lack of a better term) in our home consist of the following:
  • January – a time to explore your financial goals and set it in writing.  If you don’t make goals and don’t write them down, it’s incredibly too easy (take it from me) to get side tracked therefore making absolutely no progress in achieving the things you wanted to accomplish by year’s end.
  • February – check out those clearance sales!  This is the time that stores start to pull out those summer clothes and yes…bathing suits!  It’s also a wonderful time to cash in on some HOT clearance deals to prepare for next winter.
  • March and April – This is when we start looking out the windows and see the beauty of spring coming upon us!  This is also when I start to get the hankerin’ to start getting my hands dirty in the mulch.  This past year was incredibly unorthodox for me in the sense that I did not spend the amount of time working in the yard as I had in years past.  This year, I plan on getting back to normal and getting the yard in tip top shape!  This takes some money for mulch, flowers, etc, so plan for this!
  • June, July and August – the kids are out of school, vacation season is in full swing as are fun outings that take some cash to make happen.  If you are a vacationer, look for deals.  I think that you will still be able to find some good deals in regards to travel and if not, a “staycation” is always a fun way to do things in your own area that you otherwise would not.
  • August is also a time of BACK TO SCHOOL!  We all know that if not planned properly, this can be a HUGE expense!  I am betting though that if you are reading this and other blogs, you knew where to go for the cheap supplies to help soften the burden of sending the kids back to hit the books.
  • October and November – for us these are months of again getting to decorate the yard with Halloween and / or fall decor.  This is also a time of getting out to more fall festivals and as anyone that hits these types of events will know, the cost of these can add up rather quickly if you are not careful.  Look for free events or events that offer lots to do for little out of pocket.
  • November and December – There goes the bank account!  The holiday shopping season has hit and really, do I need to say anything more?  One way to soften the load is to pick up things throughout the year when you can get a great deal.  Hold onto it until Christmas and make it a gift that is sure to make someone on your list happy!
There are going to be expenses (there always are) that pop up unexpectedly.  There will be auto repairs (UGH!), medical bills, a home repair costs, etc that throw your numbers out of whack.  Even the best of planners get sidetracked with these things.
Other events such as the loss of a job can really derail your best thought out intentions.  It’s because of these things that we all need to sit down with a pen and paper (or computer!) and get to work.  Put your plans, goals and budgets into writing as it may help you stay on track and can leave you feeling relieved at years end that YOU DID IT!  You accomplished your goals!
I am wishing you luck with all you hope to accomplish in 2010!

Stock up on Wrapping Paper NOW!




One of the couponing blogs I read daily (www.couponingtodisney.com) brought up a great money saving and organizing tip!  Wrapping paper!  It's everywhere from Walmart to Lowes and Home Depot right now for 75% off and more!!!  She says she's scored several rolls for around $.75 each!  So why not be organized and think ahead and stock up while the prices are really low!  Then you won't have that dreaded Christmas Eve trip to the store to get those presents from Santa wrapped!  Heck, for that matter, find some that's not specifically Christmasy, like polka dots or stripes, and use those all year for birthday parties and such!!!

Wednesday, December 30

Time to take down Christmas Stuff...

Well, we will be doing ours this weekend.  Here's a few tips for organizing those Christmas decorations...

1. Use red and green tubs to store them in so you know exactly which boxes have Christmas stuff in them!
2. Throw away any broken items BEFORE you put stuff away!
3. Donate any unwanted items.
4. Wrap all breakables in newspaper or I use my Christmas dish towels and table clothes! Then next year, I pull out all the decorations and just throw them in the wash and put them out too!  Makes for free "green" wrap!
5.  Call and find out when heavy trash day is for the live Christmas trees.
6. Have a box for forgotten items.  I know every year, we find a piece or two straggling after all the big boxes are put up. 
7. This is a good day to "super clean" your house too!  Get a fresh start!
8. Make a plan to get organized in the new year!!!  Get my ebook (12 Weeks to an Organized Home) over on the right and in 12 weeks or less, your WHOLE house can me organized!!!

Wende

Tuesday, December 29

The Hit List!

Here's another GREAT post from Take Control Organizing!!!

Take Control Organizing



Posted: 28 Dec 2009 02:40 PM PST
Last week when I was sick, I wrote a post about having a Master To Do List available.  A place for you to get a handle of the many things to do.. a place for you to check off as you completed each task!  I must confess, typically I did this either on my computer or  just on a piece of paper…
Until now…

Shortly after I had written that post, I was reading a blog post ( Helping You Get “To Do” Done Better: Free Applications Every Small Business Must Have!) from my dear friend, Megan Strand.  In her post she references Pete Wright.. Another dear friend of mine and the mastermind behind this website!  Megan and Pete introduced me to The Hit List!
Wow… What a fantastic tool!  Anyone who has a list of things to do, which we all do, can use this!  It’s a fantastic way of organizing your to do’s by projects with sublists, due dates, everything you might need.  I really like the feature of having a folder for things you want to do but are on hold right now.  It’s a great way to keep your thoughts, ideas, and tasks all in one place!  You can focus on what’s due today or work ahead on other projects.  There are different kinds of tags and smart folders, which I am still trying to figure out.  But so far … so good!  I absolutely love this tool!
The best part it is FREE to download in its beta edition.
I highly encourage you to check it out.. and if you have any tips on the tags and smart folders, please share… I am still trying to figure that part out!
Happy Organizing!

Wednesday, December 23

Christmas Traditions

Creating Holiday Traditions!
Posted: 22 Dec 2009 10:51 AM PST
One of the things I love about the Holiday season is remembering the past!  I love going to my parents house and seeing christmas ornaments on the tree that I created as a child!  Or talking about Christmas memories we shared as a family during different times in our lives.  The smell of homemade sugar cookies cut out like Christmas trees with green frosting and red hots as ornaments!  All of these things and more mean Christmas time to me…
Now that I have my own family and Christmas is a big deal around here with 2 small children, it’s been really fun for my husband and I to create new traditions for our family.  But we do this in a simple way, a way that is not stressful for anyone. Because really what is tradition?  It should be something done as a family, everyone having fun, and creating lasting memories! And in our house they do not have to be expensive ravish gifts or dinners, no actually quite opposite in fact…

Here are some of our traditions in our family….
1.  We drive around the neighborhoods and look at all of the Christmas Lights – listening to Christmas Music of course!
2.  We bake cookies for Santa and leave them out with a glass of milk and carrots & apples for the reindeer!
3.  Everyone gets to open one gift on Christmas Eve.
4.  We attend Christmas Eve Church Service.
5.  We watch several different kinds of holiday movies and TV shows from the day after Thanksgiving through New Years.
6.  We make Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows.
7.  I dedicate one day to baking and make plates for family, friends, and neighbors.
8.  My sister, my mom, and I go Christmas Shopping one night together and enjoy a nice long dinner together.
9.  All the gifts from Santa are wrapped in different wrapping paper.
10.  Each person unwraps one gift at a time.  So we can really see and appreciate what each person has received.
What do you do to make lasting memories for you and your family?  Share your ideas … I am always open to new ideas and creating new memories!
Happy Holidays!

Here's some of our Christmas Traditions:
1. Shelf Elf:  The Shelf Elf comes out around Thanksgiving and watches the kids each day and then reports back to Santa every night!  He's hiding in a new place every morning and the kids love going and looking for him when they wake up!
2. We have Kelly Cookie Day! That's a tradition my hubby's family started years ago! The first weekend of December the family gets together and we bake all sorts of cookies all day.  Each family ends up going home with dozens and dozens of cookies!  The kids get to decorate sugar cookies with tons of frosting and sprinkles too!
3.  We go to Auntsie's house on Christmas Eve!  The kids love going over there and they get to open presents from other family members too!  We eat, chat and open presents and the kids all wear their jammies!
4. Now I think this one is the best one!  We go and cut down our own Christmas Tree!  We go to a great Christmas tree farm every year and see Santa, ride the train and take the hay ride out to the fields and we search and search until our tree picks us out! The kids love running up and down the rows searching for our tree and then we all agree on the perfect one, cut it down and load it on the wagon.  We bring it home and decorate it while drinking hot cocoa and listening to Christmas music!

Whatever your holiday traditions are, making memories that last are what count!  We take tons of photos and have albums dedicated to those activities so we can see how the kids have grown from year to year!  Christmas is such a fun time of year!
Wende

Tuesday, December 22

New Couponing Blog

This was supposed to be a blog about organizing and it's turned into where i post my couponing deals!  so, i've moved all my couponing adventures to my new blog: www.thecouponingdiaries@blogspot.com

so come on over and keep up with all the great deals i find!

Sunday, November 22

get your turkey organizing on!

It's Time to Thaw!

(thanks's to who said nothing in life is free!!!) 

This is your friendly reminder that it is time to put your Turkey in the fridge to thaw for Thanksgiving.
When thawing a turkey in the refrigerator, there are several variables to take into account:
  • Plan ahead: allow approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds in a refrigerator set at 40 °F.

Refrigerator Thawing Times

(Whole turkey)
  • 8 to 12 pounds..........1 to 2 days
  • 12 to 16 pounds..........2 to 3 days
  • 16 to 20 pounds..........3 to 4 days
  • 20 to 24 pounds..........4 to 5 days

Tuesday, November 17


wow! i haven't been on in a while!  i've been busy filling orders for my other site and haven't had time to blog!!!

here's my latest conquest!

kroger was having (i think it ended today) great sale on cereal AGAIN!  we are so stocked up on cereal now, i probably shouldn't buy any more, but when it's free or close to it, i can't resist!

kroger gave you a $4 instant rebate (took $4 off your order) when you bought 4 of the participating items.  i bought:
4 boxes of cheerios $2.50ea and i used (2) $1 off 2- 4x$2.50= $10 - $2q's makes them $8 ($2 each box) AND got $4 off at the register, so they were $1 ea!!!

3 boxes of cookie crisp $2.50ea and i used a $1/3  3x $2.50= $7.50 - $1q = $6.50 (2.17 ea box)
and
1 more box of cheerios $2.50 - $55q = $1.95
$1.95+6.50 = 8.45 - $4 off again at the register making it $4.45 for four more boxes!!($1.11 a box)

then the yogo's were part of that same deal, but you could only do 2 deals in one transaction, so i did 2 transactions.
they were also $2.50 a box and i had  (4) $.50 off coupons that double making them $1 off. so that made them $1.50 each, $6 total - $4 at the register= $2!!! that's $.50 a box!!!

another good one was the adolphus rice!  they were 10/$10 and i had $ .75 q's!  that made them $.25 each!!!
the pancake mix was $.45ea and the meds were being clearanced (that's what i went in for because i have a kiddo with a fever today)!  the "tylenol" chewable (kroger brand) was $.89!!! and the jr one's were $1.12!!!

my first transaction was $22.20 with $20.46 in savings
and the second one was $6.51 with $14.28 in savings!!!  not bad for running in to grab some fever meds!

all the q's i used today were ones from the paper except the yogo's.  those were printables here

if my little buddy feels good enough tomorrow, i will run to target to try the nivea lip and lotion deal!  (it's about half way down that page)

add your coupon conquests here!!!

Friday, November 6

organizing your stockpile

well, with all the couponing i've done lately, there's an extreme need over here to get my stockpile organized!  with 15 boxes of cereal and 50 rolls of toilet paper, you HAVE to be organized, or you won't know what you have, what you are out of or where it all is!!!

i'm lucky because i have a pretty large pantry.  i do wish it was a walk in pantry, but it's got shelves all the way up to the 9 ft ceiling, so i have lots of storage room!



i keep over stock up there. cereal, chex mix, juice boxes and so on...






then i use these white baskets for loose items. chip packs, granola bars and so on. i have several of these in there on the lower shelves for the kids to reach. my kids seem to think that if the basket is full, they have to eat everyone of them, so i only unload 1 or 2 boxes of items at a time.



i got lots of tuna this past month, so when i was at the store, i noticed the display boxes.  i bought 10 at a time, so i just stacked them in the box and the cashier just put the whole thing in my bag. it's great for storing those tuna packets!!!


i also stack all my cans, like items together with the labels facing out. think grocery store here! that way i can see what i have and when we are running low. 

here's my "snack" basket for the kids. one is filled up with large packs like pretzels and goldfish and the other one has granola bars and fruit snack packs in it.  they are within easy reach for the kids when they get home from school!

i stack all my toilet paper under the downstairs bathroom counter.  we don't keep anything in there (except for the downstairs cleaner), so i FILLED it up!!!  i also gave the kids 2 four packs for their bath and the master has some stacked in it's cabinets too.

i need to stock up on paper towels and paper goods this month, but under a cabinet in my kitchen that's in a corner and is REALLY deep, i'm storing paper goods.  otherwise, it's too deep for anything and we've never put stuff in there before!  i have baggies, paper towels, trash bags, and my glade candles in there right now!

i'm getting a good supply of laundry soap now too.  i also have a 5 gallon bucket of homemade detergent on top of my washer that has lasted us for more than 6 mo's!  my laundry room only has one shelf above the washer/dryer, so i'm staking stuff.  i hope to add more shelves soon!

and last but not least, the bathroom supplies!  i LOVE baskets, so i have one in there and all my other items lined up.  it's under my master bath cabinet since that's the most used bathroom in our house.  it's getting pretty full, so i am planning on cleaning out the linen closet in our playroom.  it only has kiddo games in it right now, so i will find another place to store those and fill it full of toiletries and paper goods!

if you get creative, you'll find tons of room even in a tiny house!  under bed storage boxes are great for toilet paper!  do you use every shelf in all your closets???  who says groceries only have to be stored in the kitchen???   look around and i'll bet you'll find tons of room!!!