New Year, New Organizational System

One thing I have struggled with is keeping on top of my cleaning. I have a busy schedule and often find myself behind on housekeeping. When this happens I tend to spend a whole night catching up, which is neither fun nor time efficient.

So, with the start of 2011, I am trying out a new type of system (Inspired by Jack's mom). I printed out a list of tasks I try to accomplish in a typical week and laminated it.

Then I taped it into the kitchen cabinet where I keep my office supplies. I go into this cabinet every day so I will see the to-do list regularly. I also put a dry erase marker in there so that I can mark the items that have already been completed for the week.

Hopefully by the end of the week everything will be crossed off! I'll keep you updated on how this system works for me.

January Eating from the Pantry Challenge!

FishMama over at Life As Mom is hosting a Pantry Challenge this month. The point of the challenge is to make the most of what you have, either by stocking your pantry, using items in your pantry, or whatever else you might need.

For me, this means clearing out some food from the freezer and pantry before they go bad. So, for the month of January I am going to limit myself to 50% of my grocery budget. Grocery money can be used for necessary items, produce, meat, and perishables. Any extra money left over at the end of the month will go into the home improvement fund!

I will keep you updated on my progress!

2011 Goals: Home Remodeling

This year I am structuring my goals a little differently. Instead of one long list of goals, I am going to separate them all by category. First up - home remodeling.

2011 Home Remodeling Goals
- Tile Backsplash for Kitchen
- Paint rest of house (dining room, hallways, living room, master bedroom)
- Replace light fixture in dining room
- Replace kitchen faucet
- Replace towel racks in all bathrooms

These are probably a little ambitious, especially because a few of these are above my skill level and probably will require that I hire a professional. But, whatever gets accomplished will be better than accomplishing nothing at all!!

I haven't set a timeline for these because some of it will depend on saving enough money for each goal. My plan is to pay cash for all of these renovations. I will update on progress as I cross things off the list!

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!!!