Money & Organization

{My Erin Condren Planner 2014} Weeks 10-13

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Carol — 3 Comments ↓

Another month has flown by! March was a killer for me. We had so much going on that it left me dizzy sometimes. I just didn’t know which way to turn. That being the case, my planner pages were more functional than pretty. So, this was March.

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Last week we all, at various points, ended up with a horrible (truly horrible) stomach virus that is going around. Seriously, what a way to wrap up a really busy month. But we all got through it and I guess on the bright side, it’s behind us.

So now it’s April! And I actually had windows open today! And the kids will have their spring break! So hopefully life will slow down just a teensy bit.

Oh, I did get a very generous sample package from OnlineLabels.com last week, and I’ve been having a great time making myself custom labels that perfectly fit within the Erin Condren boxes. So expect a post on that soon!

If you are a new Erin Condren customer and are interested in ordering, you can use my referral link to save $10 off your first purchase (you’ll get a code via e-mail after you register).

{My Erin Condren Planner 2014} Weeks 6-9 PLUS a video!

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Carol — 2 Comments ↓

Life is crazy. Luckily, my planner keeps me in check, even when that means I don’t have the time to blog like I wanted. <<Ahem>>

Anyway! The first thing I want to share with you guys is a quick video I made. This video shows some of the changes I made to my planner (hacks, if you will) and how I have repurposed a couple of the sections. Maybe I’m weird, but I love watching YouTube videos that show all the different ways people use their planners. Here’s mine!

Here’s my February Monthly Spread:

OK, now back to the weekly spreads. Week 6:

Week 7. We were on vacation most of this week, so there really wasn’t a whole lot to keep track of, thankfully!

Week 8. As you can see, life started to ramp back up. I got my hands on the “Plan It” stamps from Studio L2E so I used a few of those stamps on this week’s spread. I tried my idea of recording something from the day on those lines at the bottom. I like the idea in theory, but so far I haven’t kept up with it.

Week 9. Didn’t really have time to do too much decoration/journalling/whatever last week. I felt like I was a little crazed, so it just wasn’t a priority.

If you are a new Erin Condren customer and are interested in ordering, you can use my referral link to save $10 off your first purchase (you’ll get a code via e-mail after you register).

not-so-organized

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Carol — No Comments ↓

I haven’t been doing so well on my big plans to get organized this year. The last two weeks have been crazy and I haven’t completed a single project. But I’ve got one in the works for this week: tackling my home management binder. It is in need of some serious updating. I’d love to get my hands on a velobind machine, but for now I’ll make due with my standard binder. I am going to make it a priority this week to spend some time going through my paperwork and figuring out what worked (and what didn’t) the last time I worked on this.

Check back on Friday for an update on my progress!

Read about the organizing projects of other bloggers and join in the fun at Organizing Junkie.

organization challenge: week 1

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Carol — 4 Comments ↓

Today is a snow day. Although there wasn’t much on the ground when we woke up this morning, the snow is now coming down steadily and I’m sure the roads are slick. A snow day beats worrying about whether or not the bus will make it home safely in case of an early dismissal! Anyway, with three kids running around instead of just one, I figured I’d start with a manageable organization task: re-organizing the kitchen “desk drawer” which had become a junk drawer. Check it out:

This is where we keep all the basic office supplies, but no one could ever find a pen or a pencil. And no wonder! They were hidden under all this stuff:

There were note cards with pretty designs of art prints that I ended up throwing away because they were dirty (from stray pencils and crayons). We had three staplers in there. Three screwdrivers. Who knows how many screws, nuts, washers, and nails? It was just so much junk that I couldn’t stand it. It probably took me about 30-40 minutes to whip it into shape. Aaah, much better:

I told the boys where everything is supposed to go, and I hope they don’t just start throwing things in there. This is one “hot spot” I really need to stay on top of, but having completed this one project is a huge load off my mind!
Read about the organizing projects of other bloggers and join in the fun at Organizing Junkie.

2011 goals: organization

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

Getting organized seems to be a continuing goal — something I’m constantly striving to achieve. And just when I have things in good order… BAM! Something (like a holiday and school vacation) comes along and throws my system all out of whack. And not that I’m blaming my little one, but a certain curious, active toddler doesn’t make things easier. At the moment I feel completely overwhelmed by all the projects I have going, so when I read about Laura’s year-long project, 52 Weeks of Organizing, I knew I had to take part in it. Small projects, manageable chunks, little by little… Yes, I can totally do this!

I’m starting by making a list of — you guessed it — the 52 organizing projects I plan to tackle in 2011. Off the top of my head I know I want to work on my craft cabinet, my bow-making supplies storage, the “junk drawer” in the kitchen, my desk, the Tupperware cabinet, and my closet. I don’t think I’ll have any problem reaching 52, LOL!

What about you? Do you have any organizing puzzles you want to solve this year?

staying organized

Posted on February 19, 2010 by Carol — 3 Comments ↓

When I was waiting to register Noah for kindergarden yesterday, another mom remarked that she didn’t know how I did it with three kids. And truthfully, though there have been hurdles to overcome, generally the leap from two to three children has been easier than one to two. I do give my husband a lot of credit for being a tremendous help. Although I’m nowhere near sane, I’d be a lot crazier if he wasn’t so awesome. But I think one of the keys to keeping things together is having a good household notebook. I am sure a lot of you already have one and I think it really makes your house run smoother. I’m in the process of revamping mine. With the piles of school papers from both boys getting out of control, and having to check e-mail messages or my cell phone every time I needed someone’s number, I realized it was time. Remember: the notebook works for you. You don’t work for it.

I’ve overcome the urge to buy lots of pretty new office supplies and I’ve made due with what I’ve found around the house. I repurposed a binder that was a coupon binder in a former life (an example of something that didn’t work for me), and I’ve scrounged around for page protecters, dividers, folders, and other things I’ve needed. I always enjoy taking a peek at other homemaking binders, so maybe next week I’ll do a video entry showing you mine. Maybe someone will get a good idea from it! 🙂

Week’s Eats

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

This month has not been an easy one so far, as far as cooking goes. It seems that since the beginning of the month, the entire family has had some form of stomach flu, cold, cough, you name it. I’m really getting tired of it! So while I was shopping yesterday I tried to be thoughtful and plan out my menu since I had the luxury of time and solitude. Here’s my plan:

Sunday
B: Oatmeal or cheesy toast
L: Hot dogs
S: Taste-test of sugar cookie cake
D: Homemade pizza (chicken and veggie for us, pepperoni pizza for the boys), salad, sugar cookie cake for dessert

Monday:
B: Bagels with cream cheese
L: Chicken quesadillas
S: Slice of ham or turkey wrapped around string cheese
D: Cube steak with mustard sauce, baked potato, broccoli

Tuesday:
B: Cereal & fruit or yogurt/granola
L: Turkey-bagel sandwich, fruit salad
S: Veggies & ranch dip
D: Tacos

Wednesday:
B: Scrambled eggs or frozen waffle & sausage, fruit
L: Grilled cheese sandwich, tomato soup
S: Yogurt/cereal
D: Meatballs & sausage (Crock Pot) with spaghetti, salad

Thursday:
B: Cereal & fruit or Yogurt/Granola
L: Leftovers
S: Cheese & crackers, grapes
D: Turkey chili, cornbread, cole slaw

Friday:
B: Eggs & toast or cheesy toast
L: Tuna melts, soup
S: Yogurt & fruit
D: Baked macaroni & cheese, salad

Saturday:
B: Pumpkin waffles, bacon, fruit
L: Leftovers
S: Cheese & crackers, veggies
D: Date night (???)

These are all family favorites. I’m feeling worn out and can’t handle anyone complaining about what’s for supper. For more menu ideas, head over to Organizing Junkie.

Freezer Cooking

Posted on March 19, 2009 by Carol — 2 Comments ↓

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have a goal of having at least two weeks’ worth of dinners in the freezer, ready-to-go, as well as some breads and muffins. I’d rather prepare the stuff myself rather than rely on convenience foods because, well, it’s a lot cheaper and healthier! Some of the things I plan on making and freezing are:

– London Broil in marinade (just defrost & grill)
– chicken breasts in Italian marinade (again, just defrost & grill)
– chili
– stuffed pepper soup
– brown a couple pounds of ground turkey to save time when making tacos
– baked oatmeal
– banana bread
– raspberry muffins
– cook & freeze a couple pounds of bacon for sandwiches, salads, etc.
– beef & bean enchiladas
– Swiss chicken
– meatloaf
– twice-baked potatoes
– homemade pre-made pizza (maybe 1 pepperoni and 1 BBQ chicken)

Those ideas are just off the top of my head, but they’re tried & true recipes and things I’ve successfully frozen before so I know they’ll be eaten. I think I’m also going to steal Jess’s idea of freezing some calzones (she mentioned it in the comments section of my last entry). That’s an awesome idea! Naturally I’ll be focussing on my nutrition and trying to eat healthfully since I’ll be nursing and trying to lose the baby weight at the same time. I can guarantee I’m not going to feel like heading to the gym and jumping on any ellipticals for a while, so I need to stay away from the junk food and make sure I have plenty of nutritious, easy to prepare, yet tasty food on hand. I think that’s going to be the challenge! At least it will be summer and grilling season, so it should be easy enough to at least throw a steak or some chicken breasts on the grill and have that with a salad. (Oh, I can’t wait for our CSA to start back up!) I figure that it can’t be too bad — after all I made it through the last two times and everything worked out just fine!

Double-Digits!

Posted on February 28, 2009 by Carol — 5 Comments ↓

25weeks_picnik It’s hard to believe that I’m just days away from the last trimester! Next Sunday will officially begin my 90-day countdown. I snapped this shot in the hotel mirror while we were on vacation. I figured since I was dressed up, I might as well take advantage! I feel enormous, but everyone keeps telling me that I look small, so who knows? At any rate, I figure now is a good time for me to start looking for good deals on things like diapers and wipes. You know me — I’m always hunting for the best sale! I’d like to have a decent stockpile before June so there won’t be a need to run out to the store because we’re out of diapers.

I’m also starting to think about stocking the freezer with meals to make those first few weeks easier. By the time the baby arrives, our CSA will be in full swing, so I know we’ll have fresh veggies, but now is a good time to start packing away some dinners, snacks, quick breads, etc. I already have the book, Don’t Panic — Dinner’s In the Freezer! and it’s great! I’ve made several of the recipes in there and they’ve all been good. I’m considering getting Don’t Panic–More Dinner’s in the Freezer: A Second Helping of Tasty Meals You Can Make Ahead since the first book is so good. Although I’ve also thought of getting Dream Dinners: Turn Dinner Time Into Family Time with 100 Assemble-And-Freeze Meals. (Dream Dinners is also a chain of prep-your-own-dinner establishments, and the book is written by the women who started the business.) Maybe I’ll just get them both since I do like having meals ready-to-go. I don’t want to waste time, though, because I know the last couple of months fly by and I don’t want to be stuck with nothing to eat, especially since I’ll really have to take it easy after my c-section! Do you have any favorite freezer meals (aside from lasagna and enchiladas)? I’d love to hear what they are!

Home Organizers

Posted on September 30, 2008 by Carol — 6 Comments ↓

I love organizing. And reorganizing. So over the last week or so I’ve decided to update my household organizers. OK, I guess the knitting one doesn’t really count as a “home organizer” per se, but having all of my Internet patterns printed and filed sure beats my previous system of disorganized bookmarks in my Web browser. Naturally the first thing I wanted to do was pick out pretty paper for the covers. Easy! Especially since Michael’s had a sale last week. Then I bought a bunch of dividers at Walmart. I can never find what I want there, though. I thought the dividers would probably be near the pens and pencils, right? No. They were next to the shipping boxes. Of course, that makes perfect sense! [/sarcasm].

At any rate, I did find them and buy some. The only bad thing is that they are smaller than my pages which kind of defeats the purpose of dividers. Sigh. They’ll do for now, though. It was a huge task working on my recipe binder, but I think it was really worth the effort. Not only did it cut way down on a mountain of magazines, but now I might actually be able to find recipes quickly! I’m still finishing up the Household Organizer, but at least now all the take-out menus, warrantees, and things like that are stuck in it. Next week I’ll finish it up. The School Binder is pretty self-explanatory. I made it last year (though I just got around to the pretty paper 🙂 ). I keep a copy of the school calendar, communications with the teacher, receipts for extracurricular activities, etc. It has come in handy so many times!

I do have one more organizer, but I’m thinking of writing an entire post about soon: my coupon binder. Since I started playing the “drugstore game” in January, I developed a need for an efficient coupon system. My index card box just wasn’t working. I’ve been using the binder system for a little over a month and I’ve found it to be worth the time investment of filing everything because finding the coupons I need, and culling expired ones has become so simple!

What kinds of systems (if any) do you use for home organization or coupon organization?

Category Archives: Money & Organization