Manual Organization

I must confess: I've done this one before, but I think it bears repeating. Anyway, if you're like me you have dozens upon dozens of manuals. And they are allll over the place. I really needed to get them organized and in one place. So I created the Big Binder.

I only have 3 tabs: Kitchen, because lets face it, half the crap in there is for kitchen stuff. Household, for everything not in the kitchen ie: iron, vacuum, etc and Outdoor/Pets for weed whackers, outdoor fire pit, etc and the one pet thing I have a manual for, a dog bed. What? Moving on.

Just using protector sheets with the top opening, and viola a very big but semi organized binder. We buy something new that comes with instructions or a manual, I know exactly where it goes and it's not in a drawer somewhere!

Happy Organizing!

Wendy

Is it really August?!

I must confess: I wish I had more time to blog right now. I've been working full time, but it's a temp position, thank God! Can't wait for it to be over! I'm getting way behind on so many things, and I don't like it. So, I'm always looking for shortcuts. The ones I want to share today are to make my life easier. The first one is about ironing. One of my least favorite chores, but in my opinion, has to be done so we don't look like ragamuffins. I read this years ago and it really works. Line your ironing board with tin foil, then put the cover on. It reflects heat from both sides to help cut down ironing time. Whoo-hoo!

My ironing board and my dog Lola!

The second is making a big binder for all those manuals and instructions, that you might need for that random appliance some day. I used to keep them in a filing cabinet, but damn, they took up a lot of room! And if you give an appliance away or sell it in a yard sale, you have the manual right there! Now when hubby says 'have you seen the manual for xyz?' I tell him to check the big binder. What I don't keep in there is any manual that stays with the house, stove, microwave, etc. Nothing worse than taking those with you if you move!

I made mine with a 3 inch binder and page protectors. And, of course, 

I had to make it pretty because I'm anal like that.

Regular page protectors.  I put everything for that appliance in the same sheet, manual, warranty, etc. 

And you can use both sides for easy viewing!

Ah, summer is almost over, and so is the job. Looking forward to fall and freedom! LOL!!!

Wendy

Closet Organization

I must confess: I am a clothes horse. I love clothes and always will. As most people my closet space is limited so sometimes I have to be creative in storing items. Recently I realized that my tank tops were taking up WAY too much space and I really needed to do something. So I took all 64 tank tops and folded them up and put them in a couple of bins. This freed up a lot of space, not to mention hangers, but then left me with another problem, where to put the two bins. I solved one problem and created another. But I'll work on that one later. I was truly amazed at how much space I have now! 

Before picture

 Bin one complete: this one holds the tanks that have the built in bra

 Bin two complete: this one holds all the layering tanks and there is a layer underneath!

 Closet after

I know, it still needs works, it's a work in progress.  Maybe I'll call the girl from my favorite show 'The Amanda's'.  She is an organizational QUEEN and I must bow down to her amazing abilities!

Happy Organizing!

Wendy

(Not an) Extreme Couponer or Couponing for Good

I must confess: I am a couponaholic. 'Hello my name is Wendy and I'm a couponaholic'. 'Hiiiiii Wendyyyyy' Seriously, I've been cutting coupons since college. Back then I lived on campus and had a dining pass. But I cut coupons for the things I kept my dorm room, chips, yogurt, soda, etc. and since then, I've blossomed into what a lot of people are now calling Extreme Couponers. I watch the show and as a couponer, I'm embarrassed by what they do. Clearing a shelf of 110 bottles of mustard is just ridiculous. The problem with the extreme couponing show is this, the stores these people are shopping in are breaking their own coupon policies, just for the advertising. That's why its call Extreme. I coupon because it can save me hundreds on my grocery bill. By saving money, I can afford to stay home. By staying home I can pick and chose the contract jobs that I want to work when I want to work them. Do I go the store and buy $850 worth of groceries for only $15, absolutely not. But if you do it right you can save 50% on your groceries without tying up 8 shopping carts, spending 10 hours at the grocery store and renting a u haul to take it all home. If my local grocery store is having a BOGO on pasta sauce and I have coupons, you bet I'm going to stock up. But my family of two is not going to consume all of it. Half of it goes to one of two places: my friends and/or family members who are struggling to make ends meet or my local food bank which provides food for over 2000 families per month in my county. That's 2000 families, not 2000 people so I can only imagine how many people that really is. Couponing does not have to be difficult. If you can get organized, and save some money, why not?! I've gone from an envelope of coupons to a small file folder of coupons to a binder of coupons (pictures of my binder below). Each week I sit down and go through the fliers, see what is a good deal and make a list. Each store has it's own envelope. I put a sticky note of what I'm going buy on the envelope and put the coupons inside. I always bring my binder when I go to the store for unexpected, unadvertised specials. But this way, I'm ready and can just pull out the envelope, hand over my coupons and it's done.

You ask: 'but Wendy, I have 3 kids, a husband, a full time job and a house to take care of, how could I possibly find time to coupon?' That's really easy. If you live in the South check out www.southernsavers.com, she does ALL the work for you. Except cutting the coupons, you still have to do that part. If you live in other parts of the country, check out www.couponmom.com. It's a start! So go get those savings!!

My pretty coupon book, I have a lot of scrapbook paper, so I use it when I can! 

 My coupon dividers, can be found at any office supply store!

 

I have my coupons divided up even further in each section. I use trading card sheets, they can be found at any office supply store as well. 

The envelopes I use for when I go shopping.  Makes it easier to have them all together before I get to the check out!

Below is a list of suggested coupon categories: 

Baby

Baking

Beverages/Snacks

Bread/Breakfast Cereal

Canned

Cleaning Supplies

Condiments/Dressings/Marinades

Cough & Cold

Dairy

Frozen

Meat

Misc

Paper/Plastic

Pasta/Rice/Sauces

Personal Care

Pet Care

Some people prefer to organize by aisle of their favorite grocery store. Find what works for you!

HAPPY COUPONING!!!!

Wendy

Recipe Organization

I must confess: I love recipes. I rip them out of magazines, print them from websites, collect them from friends and family; even taken pictures of them from magazines in waiting rooms (it would be rude to rip it out, right?) So over the many years I have collected hundreds of recipes and just threw them in a box for future use. Sounds great right?! Wrong, I have never gone through that box to look for something new. Recently I filled the box up and could not fit any more. It was time to do something about it. So I purchased a binder, some pretty file folders, some 8.5x11 in scrapbook paper and some heavy duty sheet protectors and come up with this, and I LOVE IT! Now I just reference my binder and try something new! Sometimes they work out, and I keep the recipe. Sometimes they don't and I either tweak it to our taste or ditch it. No more recipe clutter! YAY!

Here are the categories (in no particular order) that I have for my recipe book, use them all or only the ones that pertain to you!

Crock pot – I use my crock pot at least 3-4 times a week. I love that thing!

Beverages

Breakfast

Appetizers

Salads

Sides

Soups

Beef

Poultry

Pork

Seafood

Pasta

Vegetarian

Sauces and Dressings

Breads

Desserts

Misc – I use this for conversion charts, freezing tips, substitution guides, grilling tips, etc.

Below are the results from my efforts, that I'm really proud of, yay organization!

 I used an extra file folder to go all crazy and make my book cover pretty.  

I cut the file folders basically in half, used a 3 hole punch and reinforcement circles to make the tabs. Using my label maker to make the, well, labels.

I used heavy duty sheet protectors (not the non-glare kind) and scrap book paper to make each page.  I did not glue or tape down the recipes in case I end up not liking it, its easy to get rid of and it makes it easier to rearrange the recipes since they are cut from magazines, they are all different sizes.