Tips to Keep Your Bathroom Organized Without Being Cluttered

The bathroom is quite often the smallest room in the house, and often the most cluttered. It can be a challenge to find any extra space in the bathroom, so sometimes you have to think outside the box. There are a few creative ideas that can help squeeze more things into a small space. Evaluate the amount of storage space that you have. Do you have a cabinet? Countertop? A closet? Just the area under the sink? There are many options for maximizing these spaces.

Start by going through all the medicine cabinets and drawers and throw away anything that is out of date, including old makeup. This frees up some space to reorganize your things, as well as getting rid of things that are no longer safe to use.

When you reorganize your drawers, you can add organizer trays. These keep things easy to locate in the drawer and from rolling to the back. Put the things you use most often at the front, and the larger or lesser used items toward the back.

Adding shelves can provide more storage. There are shelving units that are specially designed to go above the toilet. These are perfect for soaps, shampoos and other bath supplies. Nice baskets can help keep things more organized and look better on the shelf. You can also stack extra towels and washcloths on the shelf.

Cleaning supplies are usually stored under the sink. This area easily gets cluttered and forgotten about as the door gets shut. Instead, try getting a cleaning caddy to keep everything on. They have places for spray bottles, sponges, rags and other supplies. You could even store the supplies with the other household cleaning supplies, leaving more space under the sink for other things, like extra towels and paper products.

By adding hooks to either the back of the door or the wall it helps keep towels, robes and clothes up off the floor. It also helps prevent towels from piling up and getting mildewed.

Countertops are often cluttered. The key is to only have the minimum of things on the counters. If there is something your entire family doesn’t use all the time on the counter, find a new home for it. If you have enough drawers, give each family member their own drawer to put their things in, instead of leaving them on the counter.

It may be a bit more difficult to keep the bathroom organized than some other rooms, since everyone uses it. However, if everyone helps keep their own things in order, it will make it that much easier.

Organization Tips for WAHMs

Do you have piles of papers on your desk? Is there a stack of receipts shoved in your drawer? Do you ever find yourself looking for a phone number that you just know you wrote down somewhere? If you are suffering from a lack of organization, here are some suggestions on how to tackle it.

It is no secret that having a disorganized work area is counter productive. By getting organized – and staying organized, you will be able to get more work done in less time.

If you are computer-friendly, you may be familiar with the program Outlook. You can use Outlook to keep track of your emails, your daily schedule, your to-do list, client phone numbers and email addresses and more. You can even synchronize your MP3 player to Outlook and keep all of your info with you wherever you go!

For those that are not as technology advanced, you can still get organized by using old-fashioned paper products. If you do not have a planner, get one! There are many kinds of planners to choose from, in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Find one that fits your needs and use it to keep track of doctor appointments, school meetings, your work schedule, etc. Set up a client database to keep track of phone numbers, emails and other information. You can do this by getting some 4” x 6” index cards and a recipe box.

April 15 is a day that many Americans dread – it is the due date for your taxes! An easy way to keep track of recipes is to get a hanging file folder and 12 manila envelopes. Have one envelope for January, one for February and so on. During the month, throw all your receipts in the corresponding envelope. When the month is over, tally up your receipts and write it on the outside of the envelope. That way, when tax time comes, most of your work will already be done.

By taking some time each day to “take care of the little things” you will stay organized, feel less stressed, and get more work done!

Money Saving Grocery Shopping Tips

Everything is getting more expensive today. From gas to groceries, our hard-earned dollars are challenged to stretch further. Now, we may be able to ride a bicycle around town if we can’t put gas in our cars. But, we have to eat. There’s no getting around that. So, we have to find ways to spend less on groceries while still getting the things that we need to feed ourselves and our families. Here are six money saving tips to try the next time you go grocery shopping.

1. Clip coupons. They put those in the newspaper for a reason. If there are new items you want to try, use a coupon to get it at a discount. If you like it, you have saved some money. On the other hand, if you don’t take a liking to it, you didn’t pay full price. For me, coupons save an average of ten or more dollars per visit. That’s money in my pocket that I can put towards gas for the car.

2. Buy more staples than prepared foods. It is easier to buy a box of macaroni and cheese, but is it more economical? A large box of macaroni and a block of cheese will make more servings for your family than one box of prepared macaroni and cheese. The next time you go shopping and pick up a box or bag of an already prepared item, ask yourself if you can make that at home for less. If you can, then put that item back in favor of less expensive staples.

3. Buy in bulk. Consider the food items that you use most often. Cereals, meats, vegetables, condiments, juices, and paper products can be bought in bulk usually at a lower price at food warehouses like Costco, BJ’s, and Wal-Mart. If you have a coupon, you’ll save even more money.

4. Don’t shop when you are hungry. This is a definite no-no. Shopping on an empty stomach means that you will pick up more things than you need. You are more likely to pick up that bag of chocolate chip cookies or that box of donuts when the growling gets underway.

5. Take a grocery list with you. This is another protection against picking up things that are too costly. Check your cabinets and the fridge to see what you need and write them down. Remember, the goal is to stick to the list as much as possible.

6. Shop at the same stores. This is more of a frustration reliever. In a new store, you spend most of your time looking for things and walking up and down every aisle, which oftentimes leads to forgetting an item or two. Going to the same store each time makes you more familiar with the prices so you can estimate your bill as you write your grocery list.

Rising prices don’t have to mean a lean dinner table. There are ways to make your food dollar go further and if you take the time to implement the ideas listed above as well as others of your own, you’ll see savings each and every time you shop.