Archives for July 2016

4 Keys to the Perfect To-Do List

If you pick up your to-do list, does it cascade down toward your feet . . . and then keep unrolling all the way out of the room? If so, you likely have a “master to-do list” of which you are decidedly not the master.

The idea of a gigantic to-do list is to keep all of your tasks in one place. While that sounds good in theory, a master list quickly turns into a never-ending sequence of unconnected, disjointed tasks. Worse, those tasks eventually get lost in an ever-growing list.

Plus, how motivating is a gigantic list of things to do? How good do you really feel about tackling one item on a list of 50?

Throw out your confidence-crushing, massive list! Here are the 4 essentials to crafting a to-do list that gets things done! [Read more…]

In the Zone: The Secret to an Organized Home

Are you struggling to find the magic ingredient to create an organized and functional home?

Do you refrain from doing enjoyable activities because it takes too much effort to gather the supplies you need to do them?

Are you stuck putting things away because your family members don’t understand your system (or lack thereof)?

Enter “zones.”

Organizing your home into activity zones is one of the single most transformative things you can do to end the chaos. All that’s required is that you follow a fool-proof, two-step process: [Read more…]

Get Rid of the Junk

Need motivation to lose the clutter and advice on how to make it happen?

Crystal Paine on Money Saving Mom recently posted an insightful and practical article called “Get rid of the junk so you can experience more joy!” She shares a wealth of information on . . .

Why her family lives a “semi-minimalist lifestyle.”
The 5 questions she asks herself when deciding whether to keep something.
Why she’s freeing herself from piles of books.
Her 6 tips for cutting down on clutter.
How her family consciously chooses a rich life over a house full of possessions.
What you can do today to start shedding your clutter.
Resources for more great advice.

Head over to Money Saving Mom to read Crystal’s post!

The 5 Things You Need to Do While Saving for a House

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.

Saving for a house is both exhilarating and terrifying. Your home’s down payment will probably be the biggest check you ever write. How on earth do you save that kind of cash – month after month, year after year?

These five actions are essential to getting you the keys to your new place. [Read more…]

A Buffet of Organization Tips

Are you sick of the clutter and desperate to get organized? Instead of sifting through bits of advice here and there, drink directly from the fire hose by getting a ton of tips all in one place. Here we go! [Read more…]

Your Money in the Trash: How to Stop Wasting Food (Part 2)

This post is part 2 in the series Your Money in the Trash: How to Stop Wasting Food.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how you can stop food waste — and money waste — by making a meal plan, being realistic about what you eat, and making your food visible.

I even recommended some food storage containers that not only allow you to see your food as it happily awaits your return to the fridge but also double as dishes for reheating. Speaking of which . . . [Read more…]

Your Money in the Trash: How to Stop Wasting Food (Part 1)

This post is part 1 in the series Your Money in the Trash: How to Stop Wasting Food.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.

Is it refrigerator clean-out day at your house? You know that day . . . you dig through the recesses of your fridge, pull out forgotten-food-turned-moldy-science-experiment, and toss your unrecognizably icky food into the trash.

Most of us don’t like to handle stinky, bacteria-infested mystery foods . . . but we also hate to throw away money! That food in the dumpster was something you bought and possibly even something you spent time preparing.

Waste no more! It’s time to get serious about keeping your food — and your money — from winding up in the dump. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Stop Hiding from Your To-Do List

Happy 4th of July!

With any luck, you’ve got yourself a cool three-day weekend with some extra time for relaxation! Maybe you finally plan to do that nagging item that’s been sitting on your to-do list for ages.

We’ve all got at least one thing on our to-do lists (or one scheduled activity on our time maps) that simply never gets done:

You always have eight items on your list but can never get through more than four.
You have 30 minutes blocked off in the morning for working out, but it never happens.
You have a backlog of years of family photos that you’ve been meaning to organize forever.
You can never find the time to meet up with your buddy to play basketball.

What’s holding you back from finally crossing that sticky task off your to-do list? [Read more…]