Menu plan, week of 1/3/2011

One of my 2011 goals is to really step up my menu planning. I've dabbled with menu planning a bit in the past but haven't been consistent about it. I have found that when I plan a menu I eat healthier, waste less, and spend less money so all in all it seems like a pretty easy way to stay on track with some other goals.

The system that seems to work best for me is to have a general guide of meal possibilities for the week instead of specifying what will be eaten on each day. My schedule can be quite variable so I can't be too specific!

So - on to the plan!

Dinners:
Veggie Spring Rolls
Curry Chicken

Lunches:
Peanut butter sandwiches
Leftovers

Breakfasts:
Oatmeal
Granola Bars
Fruit

Snacks:
Chocolate Pudding
Fruit

Beginning of 2011 Purging!

Happy New Year to my faithful reader(s)! Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for posts about my 2011 goals. I have some big ones that I am hoping to tackle so this could be an exciting year!

I am happy to start this year by getting rid of some clutter. I am still working on purging but I am happy with my progress so far.

Here is what is currently in my donation pile:

2 skirts
20 pairs of socks
1 pajama set
1 jacket
3 belts
3 sports bras
3 bras
8 sweaters
9 pairs of pants
5 scarves
25 shirts
1 bookshelf
1 pair of shoes
1 exercise mat
1 hat
1 blanket
3 dish towels
1 pot holder
1 stuffed animal
2 vases
28 books
2 frying pans
1 baking dish
1 decorative plant
1 package of 12 christmas ornaments
2 water bottles
1 plastic 2-drawer storage thing.

Grand total: 128 items!

Not too shabby if you ask me!! I should have at least 1 additional donation in the coming weeks. It probably won't be as big as this one, but every little bit helps in getting rid of the clutter!!

Declutter - part 4

The decluttering continues! Another area I have trouble with is my under the sink storage. It isn't a huge space and there are some obvious things that need to be there and I struggle with finding a balance between what needs to be there and what can go somewhere else.

Here is where I started. I keep my cleaning supplies, garbage bags, dish detergent, light bulbs, and other misc. household/cleaning tools.


I started by taking everything out and quickly discovered why organization is a great tool. Remind me not to buy sponges, dish detergent, or dishwasher soap in 2011 - I think I have plenty. These items have since moved to another storage location because I am not using them at the moment and will be able to keep track of them easier from now on.


Anyway, after taking everything out, I assessed what needed to be there, what should be stored in other locations (laundry stain remover belongs in the laundry room!) and what could be tossed.

I ended up with this:

Everything I use often is within easy reach and I don't have to dig around to find dishwasher soap, etc. Overall this system has been working very well for me!

Stay tuned for more organization related updates

Declutter - part 3

I haven't been posting much, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy! I have been on a serious organization/decluttering kick recently. Here are some updates on my progress.

I tackled the linen closet recently. Basically everything in here is used so I wasn't able to get rid of much but I was able to get it all looking a little more put together.

Here is the before shot:



The linen closet is actually across from the stairs so it is hard to get a picture of it. This was taken from the staircase with my arms reaching over the wall. Yes, these are the efforts I go through for you my faithful blog reader(s)!

So one thing I have always struggled with is the dreaded fitted sheet. I can't fold it. I generally make a decent effort to fold and then about halfway through I give up and sort of roll it into as small a package as possible. As evidenced by the photo, it looks messy and takes up more space than is necessary.

So step 1 in linen closet was to figure out how to fold that darn sheet. So I turned to google/you tube and found this. I agree with the blogger that it may be a little dramatic to claim that "one of the biggest challenges you will face in your life is how to fold a fitted sheet," however, it is definitely up there in annoying/difficult household tasks.

So I watched the video and went to work. And believe it or not, I actually folded the fitted sheets. It felt like a huge accomplishment. I actually am looking forward to doing laundry again so that I can fold another sheet (is that weird?)

Anyway, with that accomplishment under my belt I went to work on organization and purging. I got rid of 1 blanket and 1 hand towel and went through my toiletry stash to find some items to include in my donation to the food bank.

Here is the end result:


Much better! I am committing to keep this closet in order because it really makes me feel put together when I open that closet and see everything ordered so neatly. If nothing else is clean in my house, this closet will be tidy!!!

I wash my soap.

There, I've said it. I wash my soap bottles....regularly. Today as I was cleaning my kitchen (and consequently washing my soap bottle), it occurred to me that this could be considered odd. But seriously, I just hate that the soap gets some dried soap on the outside and gummy in the cap.

The good news is that you don't need to use soap to wash your soap bottles - the soap is already on the bottle.

Anyway, I felt the need to get that off my chest.

Declutter - part 2

Another area where I seem to have trouble staying organized is my pantry. I like to stockpile to reduce my grocery budget but sometimes it results in having a little too much stuff and thats when stuff goes bad and is wasted. Getting something inexpensively is no deal if it goes bad before you can eat it!

So as part of my decluttering/organizing, I decided to tackle the pantry.

Before













After - much better


Please someone remind me the next time I buy pasta that I basically have enough to support Italy at the moment. All pasta deals must be donated or ignored until I can get through what I have.









The second motivation for cleaning out my stockpile is that I adopted a family for Christmas and wanted to include some groceries with my gifts. So after going through everything, this is what I set aside for this family. How exciting is this? This is why stockpiling is a good idea! All of these items I got for free or significantly reduced and so it isn't a huge deal for me to share. YAY!

Declutter - part 1

I've been trying to simplify my life and get rid of clutter and things that I am just not using. I'd much rather have less stuff to clean and know that the stuff I got rid of is getting used by someone else. No need to keep stuff hanging around when others can use it!

In conjunction with this decluttering, I've also been focusing on cleaning and organizing - 2 of my favorite activities! Yep, I'm a dork.

But seriously, I just love a clean and organized house.

This weekend I took on the task of cleaning out my shed. Since I moved into my house in April, the shed has been a dumping ground of misc. items that I didn't want to deal with or didn't know what to do with. This had to end.

Exhibits 1 and 2: The mess


Notice how the shed is so FULL of stuff that you actually cannot step foot in it. Now, it isn't a huge space but there is no need for this mess.




So I bought some shelves and got to organizing.





Exhibits 3 and 4: The Result



SO much better! Notice how you can see the floor. This is where my bike goes. Now I don't have to keep it in the dining room. Bonus.