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Save on Groceries with a Kitchen Inventory

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Did you go over budget on groceries these last two months? That’s easy to do with holiday baking and entertaining family and friends. Odds are you have leftovers or your pantry is bulging from extras that were not consumed.

Why not take a Kitchen Inventory? A Kitchen Inventory lends itself to meal planning and is a good way to put feet to your New Year goals of healthy eating, watching finances, or spending more face time with family.

Let’s get started then!

1. Grab a pad and pen. Divide your paper into five sections: Refrigerated (fresh) Food, Dry Goods (canned and boxed), Frozen Foods, and Expendables (spices, leavening, oils). If you want to get fancy, EHow has instructions on making a computer inventory here. Just don’t make this harder than it is, OK?

2. Make a list of what you have on hand in fridge, freezer, and pantry, checking “use by” dates as you go. Throw out any bulging cans!

3. Put a star by:

Fresh food more than a week old (like those baby carrots you swore you would eat instead of cookies and candy)
Canned goods/boxed foods more than a month old
Frozen food more than 2 months old
Spices/seasonings more than 1 year old for ground, 2 years for whole.

4. Brainstorm meals that will use only what you have on hand, especially the starred foods. Think soups, stir fry, casseroles. Recipe sites that allow you to search by ingredients can help. These are a few of my favorites: recipe.com, allrecipes.com, RachelRay.com

5. Make a grocery list including only the staples (bread, milk, eggs) you go through regularly and specific ingredients you will use in the next 5-7 day’s meals.

Yes, making the inventory takes time, but this process gives back to you! What you will save: time wondering what to have for dinner, money you can put toward any holiday charges hanging around your neck, space in fridge/pantry for fresh ingredients.

Do this exercise once a month to truly gain is control over your kitchen storage spaces, your food consumption, and your grocery bill. You are your manager. Would you hire yourself?

Posted in Home Life, Time Management | No Responses »
Tags: focus, get organized, get started, organizing, planning, storage

Declare War on Time-Consuming Clutter with Action Zones

Friday, January 6th, 2012

Does your struggle to be productive at work and at home feel like waging war with yourself and others?

Perhaps it makes sense to perceive that struggle as a battle ground. You are the commander. You are waging war on several fronts – special projects, ongoing skirmishes, and supply logistics. You have a map of the terrain (the floor plan) and know what your resources are: equipment, personnel, and supply lines.

To win the battle, you must match trained personnel with specialized equipment and ensure that needed supplies are available for immediate use. In other words, you want to have all the components needed to engage the enemy to come together in the same place at the same time.

I’m sure you have decided (as I have) to work on a certain project only to spend 20 minutes or more gathering all the varying pieces of information, supplies, and equipment before you can begin. Whether that is finding your mixing bowl in the kitchen, asking yourself “Where did I put my 3-hole punch this time?”, or just trying to get the kids out the door in the morning, it is time-consuming as well as frustrating!

The answer is to designate action zones.

First make a decision that you are going to start now! The time you spend in planning for efficiency will be returned to you tenfold.
Brainstorm. Ask yourself what activities you actually DO in the room/area you are organizing. Perhaps the question should be – what activities do you ideally want to do there!
Assign specific areas in the room, or zones, to similar activities. Try to limit each room to 2-3 zones. In an office you might have action zones for:
- Communication Central – your desktop and shelf above
- Reference library – bookshelf and file drawer
- Action/Projects – credenza with In/Out boxes and incline sorter for specific activities/projects.
Place equipment and supplies within arm’s reach in the appropriate zone for each activity.
- Filing – extra hanging files, manila file folders, labels
- Enjoying media – TV, Radio/CD player, VCR/DVD player, CD’s, DVD’s, and remotes, of course.
- Paying bills – computer, bills, calculator, check book, stamps, address labels
- Baking – measuring cups and spoons; mixing bowls; baking pans; spices, extracts and leavening agents
- Getting in the car – keys, diaper bag, shoes, coats, hat, gloves & backpacks

Now that you have the stage set for control over each new project, all you need are the trained personnel. Is that you or do you have employees, friends, or children you can delegate the task to?

The beauty of action zones is that whoever is assigned to that battle will have all the tools necessary to succeed! That will save you time in both set- up and in wages paid.

You may find that once you know where everything is to get started quickly, you are raring to take on that project yourself, right now. You are the commander and it is an easy victory!

Posted in Featured, Home Life, SOHO Small Office/Home Office, Time Management | No Responses »
Tags: disorganization, efficiency, efficiency. organizing, get organized, get started, organizing, planning, productivity, reference files, strategy, stress, time

Product Review: Packing and Grocery Checklists

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

I love these ready-to-use checklist pads! They were perfect giveaways for my Moms Summer Series listeners.

You get 60 sheets that save you little grey cells and loads of time NOT WRITING your list over and over.

These are available at The Container Store for $6.99 each. Buy 2 of each and wrap a set for that friend’s birthday!

All Out Of Checklist Pad

Make your grocery (or take with you on vacation!) list as you go with this pre-made checklist.

Frequent purchases are listed under major shopping categories so you don’t have to write those staples every time.

Magnetized so you can post on your refrigerator and everyone can add to the list.

Pack This! Classic Checklist

Read through the list and mark what you want to pack. Then check off each item as you assemble what you need.

Now you don’t have to rack your brain wondering what you are forgetting! Let the checklist remind you.

Go back to revise your list after each trip until you have it down to a science!

Posted in Featured, Product Review | Comments Off
Tags: efficiency, get organized, organizing products, planning, simplify, time

Getting That Project from To Do to DONE!

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

My husband, Jeff, is a Project Management Professional (PMP). He oversees Information Technology (IT) projects for the State of Ohio.

You and I are project managers, too. Without thinking about it, we go through certain steps to make sure something gets done on time. Sometimes we miss a step, the project falters, and we are scrambling to catch up. Perhaps we can learn some tips from the experts.

First, let’s make sure we agree on what a project is. This is the short definition in Project Management for Dummies by Stanley E. Portny, PMP:

A project is a temporary undertaking performed to produce a unique product, service, or result.

In plain English, that means:

A project has a beginning, middle and an end with specific start and end dates.
The result or product is well-defined and measurable.
Resources are necessary to complete the project (ex. people’s time and effort, money).

There are 5 steps that constitute a complete project cycle. Let’s walk through the steps and apply them to a summer project. Say, for example, you want to take a trip to see the Grand Canyon.

Initiating – Starting the project by clarifying needs/desires, expectations, budget, who will be involved.~~ Decide you are actually going to take that trip to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon. Invite
people to go with you, ask what else they want to see. Estimate how much the trip will cost
and whether you can afford it.
Planning – Working out details on what is involved (scope), resources available, timing, and what can go wrong. Decide who will do what and when in order to be done on time.~~Check out airfares to see where and when you will fly out west. Plan how long you will stay based on available resources. Map out what you will see and where you need to book overnight stays. Look at the extended forecast for an idea of what to pack. Think about what could go wrong and plan for contingencies.
Executing – Taking action; work as a team.~~Book flights, rental car, hotel rooms. Have mail and papers held. Pack suitcases, get spending money and meet at the airport at the appropriate date and time. Delegate some tasks to make other traveler(s) feel invested in the process.
Monitoring/Controlling – Tracking performance to stay on time and budget.~~While vacationing according to plan, be flexible to account for unexpected delays or expenses. Adjust your itinerary accordingly to stay within your budget and get to the airport on time to come home.
Closing – Get approval on final results. Do a post-project evaluation to acknowledge what did well, lessons learned on ways to improve.~~Pat yourself on the back for checking that wish off your bucket list! Jot down a few notes on what you will do differently next time.

My Request to You

Take a piece of paper. Identify one project you are thinking of starting or are in the middle of.

Write the 5 steps on your paper. Next to each one, brainstorm what tasks/actions will be needed.
Assign a start and an end date to your project. Then work backward asking yourself, “When will I have to get this particular task done in order to finish my project on time?”

You will be amazed at the solid plan you end up with! Call this your “skeleton” and flesh it out as you walk through each stage. Don’t you love having a plan on paper so you don’t have to waste brain cells rethinking all the time? Now, just do it!

Posted in Featured, Personal Development, Time Management | Comments Off
Tags: get started, howto, planning, project management, strategy

Jerry Seinfeld Had a System

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

In the organizing profession, we are always talking about systems for managing paper, reducing clutter, and making use of time efficiently. In following up, an organizer will make sure the systems put in place are compementing the client’s personality and lifestyle.

What exactly do we mean by a system? One dictionary definition for system is “orderliness, the use or result of careful planning and organization.” Orderliness is definitely a desired result, but a better description of the system an organizer means is “a way of proceeding, a method or set of procedures for achieving something.”

Jerry Seinfeld had a system. His neighbor, Kramer, found he was spending too much time in the shower and asked for Jerry’s advice. Jerry said he could take a shower in 10 minutes flat. He had found a procedure that worked for him.

Think about it for a minute… do you reinvent the order that you wash body parts each time you shower, or do you proceed on autopilot?Are you pretty sure that when you are done, you have achieved the desired result? Is dirt and bad smell gone? CHECK! Is skin clean and good smell back? CHECK!

You just followed a system, a certain way of proceeding to get the job done.

The beauty of a workable system is:

1. The system can be documented and repeated.

2. One planning session yields desired results over and over, saving time over all.

3. A system followed consistently becomes easier as skill increases and habit kicks in.

Kramer did not have a system that was working for him, he questioned the amount of time he was taking and could have used the advice of a professional (Jerry) to become more efficient. If you saw the episode, you know that didn’t happen. I think Kramer could have used a professional organizer.

Posted in Featured, Home Life, Just for Fun, SOHO Small Office/Home Office, Time Management | Comments Off
Tags: efficiency, personality, planning, simplify, system

Ask NOT What Organizing Can Do For You…, Better Yet DO Ask!

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Perhaps intelligence can lessen the consequences of ADD tendencies? Maybe, maybe not. My father labeled me a “scatterbrain”, but I was able to excel in school and in my first jobs. The real challenge in my life began when I became a military wife and eventually a mom of four. To survive, I was forced to develop systems that would guide our home life as well as our packing and moving 11 times in 20 years.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, my family began to experience the added turmoil of cancer diagnosis and treatment, anorexia, mental illness, and death of parents. I trust in a big God, but had to tell Him, “This is really too much, Lord!”

Although I was not thrilled with these situations , they have stretched me and given me an added measure of compassion. I know what it is like to feel buffeted by situations you can’t control, to feel helpless and hopeless. I also know that to do what I can no matter how little that is, is all that is required of me. Small actions taken consistently can produce extraordinary results!

My desire for you is that you…

Get clear about what you really want. What is that? Do you want to be able to find what you need when you need it, to have only furniture sitting on the floor, to enjoy a calm retreat at the end of a busy day, or to finally get rid of paper piles… what is it? In other words, why are you reading a post about organizing?
Know why you want it. Be specific. How will that result improve your life? What will it allow you to do? How would that feel?
Stop allowing the past to dictate your future.
Eliminate the physical and mental clutter that is holding you back.
Make room for something new in your life – a new vocation, volunteer effort, or creative pursuit.
Be realistic about where you are now.
Dare to dream about where you want to be. Expand your possibilities.
Do not be a victim, or a survivor, but be ready to thrive.
Let go of those things and attitudes that are blocking your success.

Once you have taken an honest look at where you are and have decided you don’t want to stay there, allow me to be a part of the solution. On my home page, you can request the F.R.E.E. 60 Tips to Organize Your Life. Use that as a quick guide to de-clutter, take control of your time, and save an hour a day.

You will find that taking those small positive steps will increase your self confidence. That begins a ripple effect that makes you want to take the next step and the next – rather like painting your living room and then seeing that your old ratty couch doesn’t fit anymore.

Let me know what tips you decided to take action on first. I want to be able to cheer you on. As the L’Oreal commercial says, “You are worth it!”

Posted in Downsize / Move, Featured, Home Life, Paper Management, SOHO Small Office/Home Office, Time Management | Comments Off
Tags: ADD, ADHD, efficiency. organizing, family home, get organized, get started, motivation, organizing, planning, simplify, time

Banish Holiday Stress

Friday, November 6th, 2009

The holidays are a great time to connect with family and friends, relaxing and strengthening ties. There are also extra pressures that can cause stress and frustration.

The trigger could be money, “How can I afford this gift?”; family relationships, “Not another family meal hearing Uncle Ned’s medical history!”; or still painful grieving, “We always held the holiday get togethers at Grandma’s; it just won’t be the same without her!”

Click to continue »

Posted in Featured, Home Life, Time Management, Tips and Tricks | Comments Off
Tags: get organized, get started, giving, holiday, organizing, planning, priorities, stress