Organizing on a Budget

While the current economic state is still in recovery mode, I am in spring cleaning mode, so I thought that I'd put together a melange of options and ideas for organizing on a budget this spring. It is completely possible with some creativity and time!



Let's start with the kitchen since that's where I started my spring cleaning this year.

Stackable Bamboo Organizers



These are perfect for silverware, utensils or even your junk drawer or office drawer. As low as $2.99 at The Container Store - wow!

Mesh Packet Holder



I have to admit, here, that I had never seen this before! I love this idea and really think I'm going to get one of these. We all have single packets of this that and 12 other things in our pantry, but this is an excellent idea on keeping them together and organized. Nice job Container Store.


Silver Mesh Storage Bin



If only I had more of these! I've got a mesh storage bin like this in my pantry where I keep coupons, pens, pencils and post-it notes.

Cupboard Shelf



I have a couple wire shelves that I stick in my cupboards for extra elevated storage. They are wonderful! The best ones I have are in my bathroom cupboard and under the sink - they maximize space and promote the ease in finding your stuff.

Cabinet Organizers



If you have as many spices as I do - this is a great organizational tool for being able to find spices in the back of the cabinet.

Spice Jars



I love the idea of transferring store-bought spices into cute individual jars. These are adorable. And totally multi-functioning - you could use this easily as a multi-tasker.

Ceiling Pot Rack




This is a fantastic space-saving idea if you have an excess of pots & pans and not much extra storage space to give.

Let's move to closet and storage organization.

Over the door hooks




These are a wonderful space saving option for bathrooms, closets, storage rooms and kids play rooms. $2.99 from The Container Store is a great steal!

Over-the-door shoe organizers



There are tons of options for over-the-door shoe organization currently on the market. Here is Crate & Barrel's take.

Shoe Storage




Keeping your shoes off the floor allows for a clutter-free closet. This is a great solution to storing your shoes on the floor.


Sweater Bag Drawer



Don't have enough room in your closet for your winter and summer clothes? That's ok - grab a few sweater bags or containers and slide them under your bed with your seasonal apparel.


The Container Store is currently in Spring Organizational Sale mode - click here to find the closet location to you.

I happen to enjoy Crate & Barrel and The Container Store; neither company knows who I am or is in any way affiliated to Organized Ali. I write about products I use or would like to use.


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Great Organizational Christmas Gift Ideas

Anyone shopping for me this holiday can feel free to send some of these things my way! With the holidays in full-swing I figured I would share some gift ideas with an organizational touch. These are great for anyone. Anyone and everyone can always use things to keep them more organized, including me! Happy shopping! :)




Snapfish.com is one of my favorite websites. There are several fantastic organizational gifts that I would recommend here. For starters, I love their notebooks that you can create a personalized cover with any photo that you upload to your account; otherwise, there are a variety of calendars and notepads that make great organizational gifts too.

Post-it notes are perfect stocking stuffers! I love the idea of a great multi-pack of Post-its.

2011 Calendars - hello - everyone needs a calendar or two!

Oh boy... these next two could be a new favorite for me, Miss Menu Planner. This What To Eat and Planning the Menu pads from our friends at www.knockknock.biz is a great find.





Beautiful Vineyard Baskets from Pottery Barn




Is it weird that I am suggesting Glass Canisters from Crate & Barrel for a Christmas gift?
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/organizing-and-storage/food-storage/glass-canisters/f37054

No?

Well, what about OXO Pop Containers, also from Crate & Barrel?
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/organizing-and-storage/food-storage/oxo-pop-containers/f27738



This last one I would REALLY like for Christmas. This would go wonderfully in my den. And is much needed, I must add!
Bedford 2-Drawer File Cabinet from Pottery Barn
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/bedford-2-drawer-file-cabinet/?pkey=cfile-cabinets-storage




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Plan of Attack for Holiday Shopping

Black Friday (11.26.10) and Cyber Monday (11.29.10) are surely sneaking up on me this year. I have never once been to a Black Friday event - in fact, I steer clear of the mass chaos whenever possible. This year, however, I will be losing my Cyber Monday virginity and participating in some of the online deals. I am really looking forward to this because I am doing all (or most) of my holiday shopping online this year and certainly love to save a few pennies when I can. In order to maintain some order, I have some thoughts for preparing for either shopping holiday.



Step one: Christmas music is a must. Fine if you insist on waiting until the day after Thanksgiving.

Step two: Detail a list for whom you are purchasing gifts this year or what you are looking to buy as a gift to yourself. This would also be a good time to consider a budget to avoid going overboard when you get googly eyed by the sale prices.

Step three: Make sure to get a newspaper on Thursday because it will have all of the best deals for you Black Friday patrons (and probably a few surprise coupons as well).

Step four: If I was to plan a Black Friday trip I think I would probably start at a department-ish store or somewhere that has the majority of the gifts I plan on buying so as to kill as many birds with one simple stone.

Step five: Determine a plan of attack - what time will you arrive to your first store? What items will you plan on purchasing at each store? What time does each store open? When do the best deals begin and end?

Step six: Go to bed. Early. And set the coffee to start brewing before you get up. Make extra. Set out all of the coupons and random shenanigans you need to take with you on your shopping extravaganza.

Or if you're like me and will be doing your holiday shopping from your fingertips, grab some hot cocoa and peppermint shnapps, crank up the holiday tunes and put your pajamas on and...

*Make sure that you're registered for e-mail specials from your favorite retailers so you can begin preparing your plan of attack come Monday morning. If you are not receiving these e-mails - go to their website and look around to figure out where to sign up to be on the e-mail list.

*Browse the web for specials - figure out when the various retailers will be having their online holiday specials. Many will be on Cyber Monday, but some will also take place on Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, over the weekend, and even extending all next week. You need to know these in order to take advantage of the lowest prices.

*Instead of waiting until Monday to figure out what the deals are, create your Christmas shopping list and seek out to find what your retailer(s) of choice are offering and when. Be advised that like Black Friday Early Bird Specials, Cyber Monday shoppers need to pay attention to time frames on sales.

Happy holiday shopping!

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Get Organized for Back to School!

I absolutely cannot believe that it is almost the start of the school year. One thing I love about the emerging new school year is the back-to-school sales at the department stores, Target and the like, in addition to the Labor Day sales everywhere else. And, it means that the ski season is that much closer! I am no longer in school myself, nor do I have children; however, I do remember as a student how much I looked forward to preparing to go back to school.


The shopping was what I most looked forward to. I loved going shopping for fresh new clothes to prepare for the new school year, as well as stocking up on the latest school supplies to carry me into the next grade-level.

If your kids are in elementary school, chances are they will have a school supply list. Head to Target or your choice of "everything store" sooner rather than later for the best selection. School supplies sell out FAST! Make sure you bring the list, all though many Target's have teacher's supply lists posted near the school supply station. If you have older children or are a student yourself figure out what you will need for classes this year - how many different notebooks? Do you need a 3-ring binder for all of your class work? What about a planner or calendar? How is your stock of pens & pencils? Will you need a calculator for upper-level math courses this year? Do your teacher's require book covers (I suggest using a paper bag!)?



Back-to-school clothes. If you've got kids you should know the drill. They grow fast and need new clothes often. Trends change and they've got to look their best! Plan a "back-to-school day" with the kids (even better: plan a day with each kid separately for quality bonding time/less fighting between siblings) where you go clothes shopping, shoe shopping and school supply shopping. Make it fun for them and let the little one's have a say in picking out their own stuff.

Uniforms can be found at so many different outlets these days. I remember when I was in private school how I just loathed the uniforms I was required to wear! My mom had the (ugly green plaid) skirt hemmed so it wasn't quite so atrocious. If you have a growing child who is in a uniform, stock up early, as sizes tend to sell out fast as the school year approaches. Consider buying the size your child(ren) currently wears and the next size up so you are prepared when he suddenly grows out of his pants. The same should be true for shoes. Don't forget about gym shoes and gym clothes!



Does your state charge sales tax on clothing? Some states that do have a "free tax" weekend near the start of the school year. I only know this because I went to college in Iowa and they had a no-tax weekend right before school started. Look into this for a great incentive to go back-to-school shopping!

I think it's a wonderful idea to have a family pow-wow before school resumes to discuss the transition and the schedule changes. Bring a large calendar or dry-erase board to the discussion and talk about transportation to & from school, after school care, after school activities/sports/events, schedule a time for homework and reading each evening and don't forget to include family dinners and family fun nights! It's wonderful to have a schedule written out on a calendar to avoid miscommunications and missed activities. This way, everyone can see what's going on each day. I love color-coded schedules! Also, don't forget to lay out expectations for chores and household responsibilities at this family meeting as well (I love reward charts for kids) and build time into the schedule for this to take place.

Make sure that you/your kids know their bus schedule, class schedule, any arrangements for after school care, have parking passes obtained (if they can drive), have a check for school lunch in their backpack and have a water bottle and snack to take with them to school.


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Preparing for a Trip to the Grocery Store

There are many right and wrong ways to tackle your weekly, daily or even bi-weekly trip to the grocery store. I like to think that my way is the right way, but I guess that's up to the judge. Like most things I get myself into I take the time to plan ahead and make sure I am prepared to go to the grocery store so that I don't forget anything or miss out on a great bargain.

I am new to the world of coupons at the grocery store and don't find myself utilizing them too much. I buy a lot of meat, produce and dairy which is hard to find coupons for - I just look for the grocers sale. One of my newest and biggest secrets of grocery store success is to plan out your meals based on what is on sale at your grocery store. Instead of spending extra on chicken during the week it's not on sale, I stock up on it during the week that it does go on sale. Check out the grocer's ad in the paper or mail and search their website too. If you can find a use for coupons definitely check out some coupon websites and buy a Sunday paper. Roughly 80 percent of coupons are found in the Sunday paper.

Since you're planning your meals based on what's on sale, that means you have to plan your meals ahead of time. When I get the grocery store ad I pull out my recipe books to search for some great meals to prepare. I always plan ahead what I am going to cook for the week just because it makes grocery shopping easier since you are bound to have the ingredients the recipe calls for.

Keep a pad of paper on a magnet on your refrigerator or keep a grocery list somewhere that you can access at the blink of an eye in your kitchen to write things that pop into your head when you open the pantry. My refrigerator has a really neat grocery list stuck to it. The note pad already has the foods written on it, I just check it off when I run out or think of something that I need. It's really fast and helpful to have on the fridge. It also makes shopping easier because it is broken down into category based on the layout of the grocery store.



Before you head to the store, do a quick inventory of your refrigerator and pantry. Don't forget about looking in your spice or baking cabinet either. Get in the habit of adding things to the grocery list that you are running out of, but are not quite empty yet. One thing that sets me apart from others is that I foresee running out of something before it happens. Before I use the last of something I almost always have a backup on hand. You don't want to be in the middle of making cookies and run out of butter or flour, just like you don't want to have a full dishwasher in dire need of being run only to find that someone used the last of the dishwasher detergent without letting you know.

So, grab your list and your coupons and head out the door!

As an aside: there's a great cooking show on the Food Network (Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals) that I watch sometimes for tips on how to plan my meals ahead of time by cooking ahead of time. The chef shows you that you can cook say, double chicken to use for two separate meals instead of cooking chicken two separate times in the week. She shows you how to prepare yourself in advance for the busy weeknights.

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Holiday Shopping Made Easier

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is shopping. I love walking around and looking at all of the holiday decorations, seeing the ornaments, and feeling the holiday spirit in the air. While most people put this off until the day after Thanksgiving (or worse, Christmas Eve) I usually start thinking about what to get people for Christmas at the first sign of fall. My holiday stress level is very low because I plan ahead and prepare for the holiday season.

The timesaving tricks I have mastered for holiday shopping are so simple. Usually by September I have created a gift list with the gifts I am giving to my family and friends. After I do some comparison shopping (usually online) I make a note of the store the gift is sold in and how much it costs. Then I use my gift list as my plan of attack for which stores I need to hit. Like I said, this is really easy. Instead of going to the mall empty handed with the intention of "spotting the perfect gift" you go to the mall with a plan and you will leave the madhouse sooner, and probably have more money in your pocket by having prepared your gift list ahead of time.

Many department stores offer complimentary gift wrapping on purchases made in their store. To cut down on your time spent wrapping gifts, consider dropping your gifts off to be wrapped while continuing on with your shopping elsewhere. For stores that don't have gift wrapping services, many do offer free gift boxes with your purchase. Even if you aren't buying a gift, consider taking the box - you never know when it could come in handy down the gift wrapping road.

Grocery shopping is not on my list of favorite things to do. It's time consuming, tedious, expensive and seems to happen too frequently - especially around the holidays. If there is one grocery store trip that you prepare ahead of time and make a list I suggest that you make that trip during the holidays. Generally your list is longer, more encompassing and much more specific than at any other time of the year since many people entertain or bake goodies for friends and loved ones. It is just as necessary to have a game plan to go to the grocery store as it is to go to the mall. Prepare your list (include quantities, of course), get your coupons ready, and plan ahead by creating your meals ahead of time and around what is on sale that week. Need holiday recipes? Look online, ask your family and friends for suggestions, read the paper, check out your grocer's recipe collection, or look on products in your pantry for recipes.

Happy holiday shopping!

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