Category Archives: Organization

Addicted to To-Do Lists

Posted on March 16, 2010 | 4 Comments

For those who know what an organizational freak I am, I love to buy bins, and I love to make lists.  It’s kind of embarrassing to admit but I’ve spent lots of time surfing the web for free printables.  I really love the idea of Simple Mom’s Daily Docket.  It helps you focus on the MITs (most important things) everyday, it reminds you to think about what’s for dinner early in the day, and there’s a spot for keeping track of how much water you drank today.  Oh and it’s a to-do list too.

Here are a few other places for awesome free printables:

  • Great looking to-do lists, menu planners, checklists at Organized Home.  All the printables go into a Household Notebook.
  • Print a daily schedule or a budget form at Buttoned Up.
  • Customize and print your own planner and many other things at D*I*Y Planner.
  • Find a long list of printables for your Home Management Notebook at Organizing Your Way.

Do you have any websites to add to the list?

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Posted in Organization

Never enough counter space!

Posted on January 15, 2010 | 1 Comment

After my recent post, “Organization“, Detlef shared a fantastic idea that his wife Nancy came up with.  To help keep their kitchen counters clear and decluttered, they installed Ikea’s “Rationell Variera” shelf inserts upside down underneath their cupboards.  This product is intended to be placed on a shelf, typically inside a cupboard.  According to the Ikea website, it “adds storage space for glasses, bowls, spice jars, etc.”  The shelf even has holes already, making it perfect for installing upside down.  AND when placed upside down, there is a lip on all four sides which would prevent things from sliding off the shelf.  Brilliant.  As you can see in one of the pictures below, it comes in two depths and they are priced at $5.99 and $7.99.

Here is how it’s intended to be used:

And here is how Detlef & Nancy use it:

I can think of so many places where I could increase storage.  Inside my kitchen cupboards, in my pantry, in my washrooms cupboards…

Detlef, you should consider submitting your idea to http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/.  It’s a blog dedicated to  modifying Ikea products into inexpensive custom solutions for various needs.  They’d love your idea!  Here are the top Ikea hacks of 2009.

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Posted in Organization, Shopping

Grocery Shopping Tips

Posted on January 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

Last year, I took a good look at our expenses.  Our top three monthly expenses were 1) mortgage payments, 2) childcare, and 3) groceries.  Was I ever surprised to see that groceries were that high up on my list.  So my resolution this past year was to continue buying more or less the same stuff as we always have, but just at a cheaper price.  I finally realized I was paying a huge premium for convenience.  It was time for some savvy shopping! 

Savvy Shopaholic’s Grocery Shopping Tips

1.  Make a top-20 list:  Search your kitchen cupboards and fridge to create a list of the top-20 products you buy most frequently.  Research the standard unit price for each item and keep notes so you can spot a good sale when one comes along.  Stockpile: Keep an eye out for excellent sales or coupons for your top-20 items then stock up on them.  Watch for regular sales:  Some items go on sale on a cyclical basis. Watch for these patterns and buy enough to hold you over until the next sale. These tips were part of a recent  Ottawa Citizen article.  I save up a bunch of toilet paper coupons and when I see a sale for $4.99 for 12 double rolls of Royale toilet paper, I stockpile!!!  Yeah I know, I’m a geek.

2.  Use coupons: Now don’t go crazy and clip every coupon because you’ll get overwhelmed and not use any coupons. I organize my coupons in an inexpensive and portable photo album ($1-2) that stays in my purse. I buy items when they are on sale and then apply the coupon. Sometimes you can even get your items for free this way! Unfortunately there are not many great coupon sites in Canada.  Here is a popular one, save.ca.

3.  Check out flyers before you hit the stores. Now don’t drive all over to get your groceries, but if for example you see a certain meat on sale (one of the bigger ticket items when it comes to groceries), or if it’s an item that can be stock-piled like toilet paper, then consider doing an extra trip or do your shopping there that week. You can get a summary of grocery deals around town here, or you can review flyers in detail here.

http://scarlett.redflagdeals.com/mommy/grocery-roundup/

http://flyerland.ca/

4.  Plan ahead: Prepare a menu around food that you already have in your fridge and pantry. And if that’s not motivating you then at least make a meal plan for the week and write the groceries you need rather than buying what your stomach wants once you get to the grocery store. Check out my previous post for a free downloadable meal planner & shopping list.

There are lots of tips out there. These are just the ones I implement personally. Gotta start somewhere. Do you have a tip or two to share?

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Posted in Organization, Shopping

Organization

Posted on January 6, 2010 | 8 Comments

Yup, I’m on a major organization kick.  Happens every year during the Christmas holidays — I have this overwhelming need to get organized before the new year.

I’d love to share some ideas.  Let’s start with one of my favourites, my spice drawer.  I use half height mason jars with plastic lids which are labeled with my trusty label maker.  Great access for measuring spoons.

Here are some more ideas:

Measuring kit – Instead of going back to the drawer numerous times to get out a teaspoon while making cookies, just pull out the measuring kit, use what you need and put it back when you’re done.

Line the tops of your kitchen cabinets with newspapers or wax paper and change them once a year.  Greasy dust is just plain gross to wash out.

In my upright freezer, I have labeled plastic bins to segregate different meats (beef, chicken, pork, seafood).  This keeps things organized and it also makes it easier to keep track of what you are low on.

Put together a homework kit for the kids with pencils, erasers, rulers, calculator, scissors, etc.  Keep in mind that sometimes it’s worth it to duplicate your supplies (for example keep scissors in the kitchen and in the office and in the homework kit)

Buy cheap sets of measuring cups and put one whole set into your flour bin, another set into your sugar bin. No need to even wash the measuring cups, just throw it back into the bin it came from.  Or alternatively put the most commonly used size in each bin:  1 cup for flour, 1/2 cup for sugar, etc.

I read a suggestion to make a sandwich kit which you keep in the fridge. The bin has cold cuts, cheese slices, mustard, mayonnaise, butter, etc.  When making school lunches, just grab the bin from the fridge and have everything you need with just one trip to the fridge.

Buy food storage containers of different sizes but with a common lid so that you can easily match them.  Put all your lids in a single bin.

Put together a mail kit with envelopes, stamps, return address labels, and a pen.

Here is a PDF of a great article from Style At Home [July 2005], “Organizing 101 – Tips to help you keep track of small objects“.

Do you have any organizational tips to share?  Please add your comments!

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Posted in Organization