An Organized Handbag

Do you have to rummage through your handbag to find your keys or phone, or perhaps a hanky? Maybe even your purse? You find screwed up old receipts, old pens, tissues, the lipstick you've been looking for, lolly wrappers, school notices, perhaps even unopened mail.

Handbags are  a bit like the spare room: a catchall where you stash everything but can find nothing.

With a little creative organisation and a few minutes you can have your handbag in tip-top shape, organised and tidy so you can put your hand on the things you need when you need them. No more rummaging for pens or keys or business cards.

You will need:
Your everyday handbag - make sure it is a nice size for your everyday requirements. Too big and it will fill with rubbish, too small and you'll always leave something you need behind.
3 -7 small make-up purses or pencil cases. They can be fabric, plastic, printed or plain, with a zip, button or velcro fastener.

How to Organise:

1. Your purse/wallet
Money - notes
Money - coins into the change compartment
Credit/debit cards
Driver's license
Most used rewards cards
Small calendar

2. Bag 1
Lipstick/lip gloss
Small comb/brush
Blush
Mascara
Powder - pressed/loose/bronzer - whatever you use
Feminine Hygiene
Mirror

3. Bag 2
Nail file/emery board
Small hand cream
Small scissors
Hankies
Breath mints/cough drops

4. Spectacle case 1
For sunglasses

5. Spectacle case 2
For reading/spare spectacles

6. Bag 3
Business cards - yours, hairdresser, mechanic etc
Library card
Club cards - Auto club, ambulance, health fund etc.
Seldom used credit/debit cards
Small calculator

7. Bag 4
Toothbrush
Small toothpaste
Wet wipes
Small sewing kit
Band-aids
Toothpicks
Small tape measure

You won't need to carry all these bags every day, but having them organised makes it much easier to quickly pack your handbag for the day or swap to another handbag.

What Does Your Pantry Say About You?

I snapped this photo this morning and forgot to take my recipes off the wall!

I come from a long line of food stockpilers. There isn't a woman in the family who doesn't have a fully stocked pantry. My mother has the reputation of being able to feed a small army at a moment's notice and I've been told my pantry could outdo Woolworths!

So what does your pantry say about you? If I were to take a peek, would I see canisters of flours, sugars, dried fruits and other baking needs? Would I find lots of different herbs and spices, just waiting to be added to cakes or casseroles? Are there canisters of beans, lentils, couscous and popcorn? Would I be able to tell the type of cook you are - a from scratch cook or a convenience cook - by your pantry?

Over the years the contents of our pantry has changed considerably. BC (before Cheapskates) if you'd opened the pantry door you would have seen four shelves, packed full of packets, tins and jars of food.

On the bottom shelf you would have found tins of braised steak and onions, tins of soup and perhaps tinned fruit. There would have been jars of pasta sauce and Chicken Tonight or Kantong sauces. You may have found the odd can of baked beans or spaghetti too. You'd see a Tupperware bread container full of packets of pasta and sauce or instant noodles, casserole bases, packet soups and instant gravy.

The second shelf held cereals and spreads. Lots of them. Weetbix, three or four different types of muesli, Nutrigrain, Coco pops and Fruity Bix. Next to the stash of cereals the jams were lined up: apricot, raspberry, strawberry, orange marmalade and ginger marmalade. Then came peanut butter (smooth and crunchy), Vegemite, Nutella, cheese spread and a couple of different Pecks pastes. Note the brand names - in those days I did not buy generic cereals or spreads and absolutely none of them were homemade.

Third shelf was what I called my baking shelf. A packet of self-raising flour, one of plain. A canister of white sugar and another for icing sugar. Then a packet of custard powder and Gravox. Lined up down the wall were the cake mixes - chocolate, buttercake, patty cakes, cheese cake and muffins. I did a lot of home baking - it just mostly came from a packet.

Fourth and top shelf was used for storage - it didn't hold any grocery items at all, just a load of empty containers.

Today when I look at the pantry I am still in awe at just how much it has changed. Gone are most of the packets and tins. These days the tins are baked beans, tomatoes, pineapple, peaches, pears and apricots. The jars are mustards -Djon, wholegrain and hot English.

You'd be hard pressed to find a packet cake or muffin mix in there. In fact I know you won't. Instead you'll see canisters of different flours (self-raising, plain, wholemeal, spelt, gluten, cornflour, pasta flour), polenta and sugars (white, castor, brown, raw and icing sugar). A canister of cocoa and one of desiccated coconut sit behind the big flour bins. There will be packets of noodles and pasta of various kinds.

Stacked in canisters are chickpeas, kidney beans, red and green lentils, Italian soup mix, regular soup mix and popcorn.

There are canisters of sultanas, Craisins, mixed dried fruit, glace cherries and ginger. Small jars of herbs and spices and a 750ml bottle of homemade vanilla extract. There is a big canister of rolled oats and two more with milk powder, skim and full cream. I almost forgot the white vinegar, a large 5 litre container. It's good for salad dressings and cleaning and did you know you can use a dilute white vinegar and water wash to clean vegetables?

There's a box of wheat biscuits, a canister of bran and one of ricies. Next to them are containers of MOO KFC Mix and one holding the cereal crumbs for the next batch of Shake'n'Bake. Then you'll see a jar of Vegemite, a jar of honey and a jar of MOO peanut butter. Lined up next to the spreads are a bottle of brown vinegar, a bottle of white vinegar, MOO sauces (tomato and barbecue), a small bottle of MOO kecap manis and a small bottle of soy sauce.

On the floor of my pantry is a box for potatoes and onions. I keep the potatoes in a hessian sack; it helps to keep them in the dark, dry and still lets the air circulate around them. There's another one for sweet potato too. You might see a couple of pumpkins waiting to be cut up. Next to that box is a 4 litre tin of olive oil and a couple of bottles of EVOO. Then there are the bulk bins for rolled oats, flours and rice.

If a Spendthrift were to look into this pantry they'd probably say there was nothing to eat. For the Cheapskate it is a mini-supermarket, chock full of all ingredients to make hundreds of meals.

So what does your pantry say about you?

Keeping Track of the Food in the Freezer

Hannah was so excited when we arrived home on Saturday night. She could hardly wait to tell and show me what she had done on the Friday. And when she told me I was so excited I was like a bee in a bottle.

She had defrosted and re-organised the freezers!

Now I love my freezers. The big one is a 550 litre chest freezer, large enough to hide a body or two as I was once told. The little one is the one over the fridge. What I don't like is having to defrost and rearrange them. That chore is up there with ironing on my "jobs to avoid if at all possible" list.

The big freezer actually does hide a few bodies - of beef, lamb and chicken. This freezer is my main frozen food storage so it holds the roasts, steaks, diced meat, chicken fillets, whole chickens, chicken pieces, chicken wings, corned beef, legs of lamb, lamb chops, sausages, mince, packets of frozen vegetables, frozen stewed fruits, frozen berries (for jam), tomatoes (for sauces), diced onions, diced celery, diced and sliced carrots, sliced beans, pizza dough, pureed sweet potato, whizzed oranges for Whole Orange Cake, packets of rice, lentils, dried beans, flours, leftovers, heat'n'eat meals - all the things that won't fit in the freezer over the fridge.

The little freezer over the fridge holds bread, muffins, crumpets, pastry, spices, butter, nuts, coffee beans, lemon and orange zest, biscuit balls and cakes.

The small freezer is frost-free and easy to keep clean. Keeping it tidy and organised though is another matter. My family love to go digging for treats so there were times when it was a jumbled mess.  If you are not very careful a messy freezer means wasted food and wasted food means wasted money - the complete opposite of what we hope to achieve living the Cheapskates way.

The problem was solved easily. The top shelf is for bread, rolls, crumpets and English muffins. The bottom shelf holds everything else in ziplock bags, labelled with a sharpie. It's easy and efficient and keeps us all happy.

I've mentioned before about how I organise the chest freezer using "green" bags:

• Red - red meat
• Green - vegetables
• Yellow - chicken
• Black - roasts/silverside
• Pink - fruit
• Blue - sweets and pastry

Each bag has a label attached to the handles so I can see at a glance what it holds, especially as there are at least two of each colour.

I printed the labels using the Freezer Labels template, laminated them, then cut them out, punched a hole in the top and tied them to the bags.

The freezers are clean, frost free and tidy. I can see straight away how much I have of each thing and what needs topping up, which is a good thing because Tasman Meats have a great sale on this weekend and we can use more mince, chicken fillets and roast beef. Can you guess where we'll be on Sunday morning? 

Maximum Storage and Organization and it didn't Cost a Cent

Each of the four bedrooms in our home have built in robes with shelves but no drawers. So much space was wasted and it was hard to find items so off to my local supermarket and closest shoe store. These businesses happily gave me empty boxes.

 Before you go, measure the spaces, plan what items you want to store this way and select the required number of the same size boxes. i.e. 6 adult shoe boxes (all of the same brand so that they are sized equally). You don't want to waste time, energy and fuel in making a second trip.

Make sure you get shoe boxes that have a separate lid. This way you have the option of an open box which is easy to pull out like a drawer and it's easy to see the contents of the box. For seasonal items, you can simply place the lid on the box.

Kids' shoe boxes are great for small items like kids' underwear, hair supplies, kids' hats. Adult shoe boxes work well for underwear, socks, ties (rolled up like sushi), kids' t shirts, scarves.

Shallow and wide boxes from the supermarket are great for adult tops, caps, sports uniforms whilst deep, wide, sturdy boxes are perfect for jumpers and other bulkier items.

Fruit boxes with lids are ideal as they have greater airflow to keep your clothing fresh. The kids decided to cover the fronts of their new 'drawers' with cheap wrapping paper and to glue on hand written labels. I used double sided tape to attach my favourite scrapbooking papers to the boxes in our wardrobe to match my 'scrapbook paper' canvases over our bed.
Contributed by Julie

Storage Areas in Really Small Spaces

Everyone is all too familiar with bulky plastic containers that we continue to move from one place to another. First we put them in the garage and then they wind up in the laundry only to end up in a bedroom or the hallway or some other space that isn't really convenient.

The truth of the matter is that these bulky storage containers are good for certain things, but for the most part not for our every day lives. A really good storage system is necessary for every room of the house – not just to overstuff and trip over later, but to control the clutter and keep our lives organized.

One of the hardest places for storage is in the bedroom. Typically, you will find only one wardrobe with a “his” and “hers” side. And we all know that is never enough.

Placing small dividers in top drawers is a great way to store more for your space. Having these dividers forces you to fold your personals in a smaller way and fit more.

Under the bed is another great way to store things like winter jumpers or out-of-season items. You can fit a variety of shapes or sizes and even one long under the bed storage container.

An often forgotten space ideal for storage is the top of a dressing table or chest of drawers. By having individual compartmentalized containers on top of your dressing table, you'll alleviate tons of clutter and have everything you need from makeup to jewellry at your fingertips.

The headboard to your bed can also be a really cool place for storage, even if it is just for your books, magazines, or papers. You can build or create a headboard that can hide all that messy paperwork. Those headboards with built-in bookshelves and reading lamps that were so popular in the 1950s are making an updated and very stylish comeback, and for good reason - they work!

If you have stairs leading up to your bedrooms you have storage space just waiting to be put to use. Get the advice of a professional carpenter. This particular craftsman may direct you to toward incorporating storage underneath the stairs where none existed before or even underneath each individual stair. While this may seem like an expense at first, it will never need revisiting and will last forever. It is an investment well worth investigating. The space under the stairs makes an excellent larder or linen press, or even a small library, depending on how you utilise it.

When we think storage in the garage, we think shelving, or cubby space. Looking up to the ceiling is one of the best storage spaces for really small spaces. Most people overlook how much room they have for storage up in their garages. By creating storage space in the ceiling of the garage, you can store those seasonal items such as your Christmas tree easily and effectively.

In our garage Wayne has rigged up a pulley system and a couple of platforms. We store our camping gear on one and things we don't use regularly but want to keep on the other one. They're easy to pull up and down when we need to and they make great use of otherwise wasted space.

With a little ingenuity, you will find storage spaces for really small spaces. Using every centimetre of space will help you keep your home clutter-free.

Putting it all in order

I've been collecting things since I was a child. It started with a stamp album, some stamps and a few First Day Covers for my seventh birthday and it's grown from there.

When I was thirteen I was given an old tin  of embroidery cottons and some stamped linens to embroider. They had been my great-grandmothers and they were the start of my love of embroidery. That love led to me collecting patterns and designs and instructions, mostly from magazines and newspapers. I'd see a pattern I like and tear it out and stick it in a scrapbook.

When I was in my twenties I started collecting recipes. Same sources: magazines, newspapers, old recipe books, scribbled notes from my mother and her friends. And I'd stick them in a scrapbook.

I also started to collect hints and tips and ideas on homemaking. Ideas for ironing or flower arrangements or how to decorate a Christmas tree (and one day I'll follow those instructions and have a fairy tale tree). And I'd stick them in a scrapbook.

All this was well before the days of the Internet. The magazines were bought by my great-aunty Madge, given to my Aunty Hazel, who read them and passed them on to Mum. When Mum was finished with them I was allowed to rip them to shreds. Iconic Australian magazines: Women's Weekly (which was weekly back then), New Idea, Woman's Day and Family Circle. Family Circle was my favourite, it had the best recipes and crafts. New Idea came a close second.

These scrapbooks inspire me to make a home.

Why am I sharing this? Because my scrapbooks are falling apart. I need a new way to keep my clippings in order. I could scan them and store them on a portable hard drive (and I probably will) but that seems a little clinical and well, too modern for my taste. I could bookmark webpages I want to come back to, and there are sites like Pinterest for storing my favourite pages, but I still need to trawl through all the stuff I pin or bookmark to find what I want, and it is time consuming and frustrating.

The alternative is to put them into new scrapbooks, 2013 style scrapbooks. This appeals to me.  I like having a hard copy to read, to hold, to flick through for inspiration. I like the idea of having pages where I can write notes and new ideas or variations to recipes or patterns for the future. And I like that perhaps one day I'll be able to pass my scrapbooks on to Hannah, so that she can flick through them and be inspired to make a home.

The old style scrapbooks I used years ago aren't around anymore, and as I've found they don't last all that well, especially with constant flicking. And they're a little ugly truth be told. I like pretty things.

So over the next few weeks, or months, or even possibly years, I am going to make new scrapbooks for all the clippings I've used over the years that I've come to love and rely on. I think I'll use the same style of journal that I use for the garden. It's hard-cover, with lovely soft lined paper but rather dull. I can pretty them up with a gift wrap cover and some labels and they won't cost much - about $1.50 each.

There will be room for my notes of course. I can see at a glance that MOO buttermilk with vinegar is good for a quick mix, but to get good buttermilk a real buttermilk starter works best. And that using 2 tablespoons of ground ginger is just as good as freshly grated in the ginger syrup we love to add to soda water in summer. My notes also remind me that warming the vinegar for the shower cleaner helps it emulsify into the dishwashing detergent without creating a huge bottle of froth.  It's the notes that make these scrapbooks so very valuable.

But the very best thing about my scrapbooks is that I can see there are still hundreds of great ideas I've tried over the years that I can share with you. Ideas that will hopefully inspire you to make your own herbal shampoo or try a simple sunburn remedy.

And when you've tried them perhaps you'll be inspired to start your own journal of clippings and notes, either in pretty notebooks or in neatly organized files on your computer.  Clippings of hints and tips and recipes you've tried and loved that you want to keep to use now, and keep to pass on to future generations.

Independence Day

Hannah has pink, AJ has blue and Tom has green - they came from Officeworks and are under $6 each

Our gorgeous daughter Hannah has just celebrated her 18th birthday (and it was a lovely day, spent with her friends and family and a "cool" party, so I was told, to celebrate).

When each of our kids have turned 18 I've given them an extra present, just from me. I hand them an expanding file, in their favourite colour (blue for AJ, green for Tom, pink for Hannah) that holds all their important documentation. They are adults now, and they can look after their own paperwork (with a little help from Mum and Dad when necessary).

Today I handed Hannah her folder.

In her folder I put:

•  Her blue book with all her vaccination records etc. in it
•  School reports from Prep to Year 12
•  Special awards, ribbons, certificates
•  Her birth certificate
•  Her current bank statement/s
•  Her tax information
•  The details for her mobile phone (handbook, receipt, warranty etc.)
•  The details for her computer (receipt, warranty etc.)

This morning, we went to the bank and sorted her bank accounts (making sure she is sole signatory, getting savings and everyday transaction accounts up to date and so on).  She also applied for a Mastercard debit card so she can do her own online shopping and leave my card alone :)

Next we went to Medicare to get her off my Medicare card (I keep the kids on my card until they turn 18, they've all had their own card since they were 16) and made sure Medicare had banking details for her.

When we finished at Medicare we went to the Post Office and picked up an application form for a passport and started the application process.

Finally we came home and made an appointment with our family solicitor for her to make a will.

Turning 18 is a big deal, and the party is just a small part of it.

When I hand over their expanding files, each one of my kids has accepted it with excitement. It's a right of passage into adulthood. They understand that I'm letting them go, that they are now responsible for themselves. And they know that their Dad and I will always be here to offer advice and help if it's needed and wanted.

This morning I handed Hannah her file.

My baby is independent.

"Living" in Your Car

In today's modern world, many of us spend so much time in our car going from work to errands to carpooling kids, that it is essential to organize our vehicles as well as our homes.

· After a thorough cleaning out, set up your car as a traveling home office. Keep some extra water bottles, pens, paper, snacks and spare change in your car. Again, the dollar store is a great place to pick up organizers in all shapes and sizes although ziplock bags and ordinary Tupperware style containers you already have work well too.
· Keeping a file folder in your car for receipts as you travel along will help tremendously at the end of the month. By keeping receipts, tracking exactly how much you are spending in your Spending Plan categories for petrol, drive-through meals and coffee etc.
· Once your car is neat and tidy, just make sure that everyone else on board helps with the maintenance of your system. Teach little children to take their books, bags and toys inside with them when they get out of the car (you can teach big kids to do this too!). Make sure you aren't carrying stuff you don't need and don't use the boot as a storage unit - empty it after shopping and make sure you take out whatever it is you put in it as soon as you can.

3 Tips and Ideas to Streamline Your Life

Running your home is comparable to being a manager of a major corporation. There is a head of household who is responsible for the running and maintenance of its family members, much like a supervisor is responsible for the safety, happiness, and overall performance of his or her employees.

In order to get your family members to be productive, there are several techniques and tools that must be implemented and used for the family as a whole to run efficiently and correctly.

Chart Up the Chores

On a Sunday evening, perhaps after dinner, sit down with your family members and bring your chart with you in order to organize your week as a family and a team. Doing so during dessert or ice cream will make this task less painful and more productive. Decide on who is going where and how they will get there. Incorporate carpooling into the equation and do not forget to delegate.

For families with younger children, using a chart system with stars and stickers or even a small monetary token will give them a sense of pride and a desire for accomplishment. By utilizing a chart, no one can say that he or she didn't know something was his or her responsibility. Place the chart on the fridge if there is room. The refrigerator is one of the surest spots in the house where it will be in full view.

Note the Date

If you like, you can keep the chart only for chores and tasks and use a magnetic calendar with a dry erase board for keeping count of appointments and meetings. By delineating your chart for tasks and chores and placing your calendar with play dates, meetings, and dental appointments, you create a clear, concise, and separate view, not only of what needs to be done but also where everyone needs to be.

You can buy family calendars, with a spot for each member of the family. Or you can search online and find one that suits you. I like the family calendars, and even though the kids are independent, we all write our dates on the calendar just so everyone knows who is where when. It really helps with organizing family get-togethers and events.

Practice Time Management

Organizing your time cannot be stressed enough. In order to streamline your life, you must pick a certain day of the week for certain chores and stick to that schedule. Creating a schedule is imperative to streamlining your life.

For example, choose Monday to be the day in which you make all phone calls and do all paperwork. Choose Thursday afternoon for your food-shopping day. This way you avoid the crowds and cut your food shopping time in half. Schedule in Saturday early morning for your basic cleaning and Friday after work for your banking run. Whatever chore you decide to do on whichever day is irrelevant. What is imperative, however, is that you pick a day for a particular chore and stick with that day. After a few weeks, it will become second nature.

Charts, calendars, and organizing your time are the three most productive ways to streamline your routine. Streamlining your routine means you can enjoy more of the simple things in life.

There Has Never Been a Better Time to Get Organized

Organization is a four-letter word for many people, right up there with budget and saving. It’s viewed as a restrictive life or an unrealistic approach. Yet when you’re organized it actually provides freedom. Organization can give you more time, money, and peace of mind. The organized life is a simplified life. It allows you to spend more time and energy doing what you love.

There is a perception of an organized life being regimented and controlled, and boringly routine. Not so! Being organized allows you to do the things you need to within a reasonable timeframe, leaving you free to enjoy the rest of your time doing the things you like to do.

What Do You Organize?

There are many areas of your life that can be organized. They include but aren’t limited to your:

* Health goals
* Financial goals
* Daily routine
* Household tasks and goals
* Career goals
* Schedule
* Children’s schedule
* Time
* Hobbies and passions
* Personal documents
* Your space

How Do You Organize?

There are different types of organization for various parts of your life. For example, you’ll organize your wardrobe differently than the way you’ll organize your personal financial documents or the pantry. However, most people, believe it or not, have an organization personality. Take some time to determine how you like to organize things. Do you prefer labels?  I like to use labels and defined areas. To accomplish this I have a labeler (bought during the Officeworks January sale) and use baskets and drawer inserts to keep things sorted and in order. Are you visual, preferring colour codes and photographs? Start thinking about how you like to organize before you create a comprehensive system.

Make a Commitment

Make a list of the areas of your life that you want or need to organize. Prioritize those areas so that the most important area is listed first. Make a commitment now to start checking items off of that list. Create a date that you want to have an area organized by and a plan to achieve it. For example, maybe you have organize your personal documents listed first. Decide when you’re going to have that organization accomplished and what you need to do to make it happen. Then just do it!

Follow Through

Organizing something is only the first step. The next, and most important step, is to follow through on your organization system and to sustain it. For example, if you spend an entire weekend organizing your wardrobe but then you just throw your clothes into the cupboard any which way, you’ve wasted a weekend. Commit to following through on your organization system. Hang things up as soon as you take them off, put clean laundry away as soon as it comes off the line, make sure washing is put in the laundry basket every day. If you are unable to follow through, figure out why. Chances are the organization system you created doesn’t fit your needs or personality, so change it.

Use Organization Tools

One of the best ways to create an organization system is to use handy organization tools. Mind maps and checklists are easy to use and quite effective. You can use mind mapping to brainstorm and plan your organization systems. Checklists can be created to make sure you don’t miss a step. In fact, there are lots of useful organization checklists that you can download on the Cheapskates Club website. Checklists that help you take charge of organizing your finances, managing your time, even cleaning your wardrobe.

Keeping Track of Books, Movies and Music

It's nice to have a collection of books to read and DVDs to watch and CDs to listen too, and it's a great idea to share them amongst friends and family; it's a very frugal entertainment. The problem with sharing is that it is very hard to keep track of them to make sure they are returned.

One way to be sure they'll come back, or at least the Lendee will know who to return them too, is to put an address label on each item and for DVDS and CDs, one inside the case.

Then, keep a note of who and what you lend in a notebook or on your computer so you can follow up.

It's no guarantee you'll get the item back but with your name and address on it there really is no excuse.

A Running Inventory on the Side of the Freezer

I find when I am busy, I don't very often have time to check through the freezer for what is already in there before going shopping - which means I often double up and purchase things I already have! (And if I'm honest, I also really hate this job, especially in winter, because it makes me feel cold!)

So, last night, after yet again buying things I already had (and noticing that the DH and teenagers hadn't eaten the frozen leftovers for snacks/lunches as planned) I came up with a plan.

I grabbed a whiteboard marker and on the side of the fridge listed everything that I had stored in the freezer. I have listed in categories (meat, ready made, leftovers, fruit and veg, breads and pastry) and have noted how much of each (e.g. bread loaf x 2, whole rabbit x 1).

Then, whenever anything is added or removed, we will just update the list on the side! This will save time, money at the supermarket, as well as the 'there is nothing to eat' argument often had with teenagers! Just make sure you use whiteboard marker so that it can be wiped off again (and maybe test in an inconspicuous place first).

Contributed by Claire, Maryborough

Organize Your Freezer with these Freezer Labels

One of the jobs I was able to cross off the to-do list last week was defrost and re-organize the freezer, and I was very glad to get it done.

Keeping a freezer organized, especially a chest freezer, can be quite a feat, especially when it is almost always packed tight.

To help keep my freezer neat and tidy, and to stop food getting lost and ruined, I use "green" bags and cute little labels I made using the computer.

The bags are different colours according to their contents:

• Red - red meat
• Green - vegetables
• Yellow - chicken
• Black - roasts
• Pink - fruit
• Blue - sweets and pastry

On the handle of each bag I've tied a label. They are tied on so they can easily be moved to another bag in the future. You could staple or stitch them on if you want something more permanent.

I printed the labels off onto an A4 sheet, cut around the shape and laminated them in business card sized laminating pouches (because I already had them). You can cut them out and then space them onto an A4 laminating pouch, run them through the laminator and then cut them out (or go to the expense of buying business card sized pouches, but why would you?).  Once they have been laminated punch a hole in the pointy end, slip through the twine or ribbon and they are ready to use.

Use this free template to make your own freezer labels (look under the Tools and Guides section).

1.  Download and open it in Word. 
2.  To add an item to a label click in the centre and type into the text box.
3.  To change the background colour of the labels click on the label and then choose a new fill colour.
4.  Print, cut out and laminate. Punch a hole through the point of each label to attach to freezer items.

Corral those passwords

It's just a modern world we live in and one of the things we all have in common in this modern world are passwords. We have passwords for our email accounts, bank accounts, memberships, our computers, credit cards and dozens of other everyday things in this modern world.

Keeping track of all those passwords is difficult and can be very time consuming and frustrating if you find one day you can't remember a password or PIN. Using the same password for all your accounts may seem easy, but it's not really secure. You should change your passwords routinely (once a year is usually often enough).

So how do you keep track of all these passwords (and other login information). One simple way is to keep them on index cards, one for each account. Another simple way is to use a blank address book with tabbed alphabetical sections and record them in their. You can create a file on your computer and keep them on spreadsheet. There are even electronic password keepers (do a Google search, there are lots) that will keep everything safe for a monthly fee.


Whatever way you choose to store your passwords and PINs remember to keep it secure in a safe place.

How to stock your pantry

Your pantry, when properly stocked, can be a real lifesaver. It can become the place you turn to when you don’t have any meal options at the ready. It can also be ideal for quick baking projects. And a well stocked pantry means healthy meals are quick, easy and inexpensive.

I come from  a long line of pantry stockers. There was no chance we'd ever starve growing up. My mother's pantry was always full and she could whip up a meal with just two minutes notice and not even blink. She still has a fully stocked pantry and unexpected visitors aren't a problem.

So when we were married it was just normal for me to fill the pantry. Of course back then it looked a little different to what it does nowadays. You would have found boxes of cake and pudding mixes. Jars of pasta sauces and Kantong sauces. Packets of noodles and sauce and rice-a-riso. Boxes of biscuits and tins of soup. It was full of very expensive food with limited uses.

These days you'll find canisters of flours and sugars, jars of dried fruits and nuts, bottles of homemade sauces and jams, herbs and spices, baking powder and bicarb soda, vinegars and bags of potatoes and onions with pumpkins resting against the wall (the other veggies are in the fridge). It's still full, actually overflowing, but of inexpensive staples that can be used to make just about recipe I can find. It's a much better value pantry.

It makes me happy to hear that the old fashioned type of pantry is making a comeback, especially as food prices rise and the grocery bill puts a bigger dent in a family's Spending Plan.  It's not a hard thing to do, and it doesn't have to be done in one huge shop, you can stock your pantry slowly over a few months. As you use up the single purpose ingredients replace them with those that will do double, triple, or even quadruple duty.

It won't be long and you'll have a pantry full of staples and you'll be able to make just about any recipe you come across too.

There are essentially three steps to stock your food pantry. They include:

Step One – Defining Your Pantry Space

How much space do you have? Some homes come with a readymade pantry. In other homes you have to create your own pantry. In our home there is a walk-in pantry in the kitchen, well the door opens into it and I have to take a step to reach the shelves. I also have a 5 shelf unit and a double door cupboard in the laundry to supplement the limited space in the kitchen.

If you have to create your own pantry, consider using simple solutions. For example, you might buy a dresser at a garage sale or pick one up on Free Cycle.  You can also create a pantry with a few standing wire baskets. You might convert a shelf in the linen cupboard into a pantry.

Your pantry doesn't necessarily have to be in, or even close to, the kitchen. If you have space in a spare bedroom why not use it? Or perhaps you have space for a cupboard of shelving in the garage?

Anywhere that is cool, dry and pest proof will do.

Step Two – Defining Your Needs

What do you commonly need when it comes to pantry staples? For example, do you like to bake? If so then you’ll need baking basics like flour and sugar. Do you like to eat ethnic cuisine? If so then plan to have rice, noodles and spices in your pantry. Make a list of the foods you commonly eat and enjoy. Also take note of those times when you say, “I wish I had….”

The most common pantry items include, but are not limited to, the following:

· Flour - self-raising, plain, wholemeal, gluten, rice
· Sugar - white, brown, raw, castor
· Beans - kidney, borlotti,
· Grains - couscous,
· Rice
· Pasta - spaghetti, twirls, shells
· Canned items: tomatoes, beans, soups, fruit
· Oils - EVOO, sunflower, peanut
· Vinegars - white, brown, balsamic
· Spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, mixed spice, paprika, cardamon, corriander, tumeric etc
· Baking supplies: baking powder, bicarb soda, vanilla extract, chocolate, chocolate chips, coconut
· Dried fruit - mixed fruit, apricots, raisins, sultanas, craisins
· Nuts - almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts
· Onions
· Potatoes
· Garlic
· Condiments: mustard, sauces, mayonnaise
· Jams and honey
   
Step Three - Creating Your Systems

Once you have a list of items to buy for your pantry and you have a defined space it’s time to create a system for organizing it all. Now there are several approaches you can take to create your organization system. They include:

Readymade storage accessories: You can find tons of handy storage and organization accessories at specialty stores. Lazy Susan’s, can racks, spice organizers and bins and boxes all help you keep your pantry organized and your food fresh. These items, however, can be very expensive.

Personally I am happy to use Tupperware or Decor containers I've picked up at the op shop or from garage sales to hold packets etc. I also have a shallow container on the condiment shelf and all the sauce bottles etc sit in it. It just helps to keep the shelf clean and is to pull out and wipe over when the bottles drip (as they do when you have kids in the house). 

Make sure, if you choose this route, to establish a budget and create a plan for the items before you purchase them.

DIY storage: You can also create your own storage solutions. For example, jars and food containers can be recycled to store your pantry items. A simple example would be to use old peanut butter jars to store dried nuts and/or fruit. You can use paper towel rolls, cardboard boxes and other household items to create a system for organizing your pantry.

Labels: A label maker is a wonderful thing but not absolutely necessary when it comes to organizing your pantry. You can make labels quite easily on the computer, using sheets of sticky labels or by printing onto plain paper, cutting them out and taping them to the canisters. Labels are essential for identifying the contents of your pantry but they come in handy to keep it organized too. You can simply define certain areas of your pantry for certain items. For example, you might have a “baking” area, a “grains, rice and pasta” area and so on. You can then use boxes or dividers to help keep things organized. Of course once you've labeled the zones in your pantry you just have to teach everyone in the house to actually put things back in the right spot!

Identify your space, make a list and then create a plan. Once you have everything in order, it’s time to head to the supermarket or bulk food store to stock your pantry. Have fun and enjoy the freedom a well stocked pantry can provide.

Save space and stay organized

If you have a very small wardrobe and limited drawer space, store clothes that are not in season in order to save your wardrobe space for needed items. I use large black garbage bags to line cardboard boxes I've picked up from supermarkets over the years to store out of season clothes.  I line the garbage bags with tissue paper to protect my good clothes while they are in storage. Tuck some lavender sachets or cedar balls into each box to keep everything smelling fresh and ward off pests, then stack them on the top shelf of your wardrobe or in the attic as I do. If you store them in the attic, be sure to label the boxes so you know exactly what they contain, it makes it so much easier to find what you need the next season.

The agony of a lost purse

My mother called me on Friday morning, she'd lost her purse. Understandably she was distraught, more so because this is a woman who in her entire life has never lost anything.

It wasn't the money in it (although there was a lot, she'd just drawn her housekeeping for the fortnight), but the cards. So many cards, for all manner of things. And each and everyone of them had to be cancelled and re-issued.

We spent hours on the phone, calling the bank, Centrelink, Medicare, the Library and a dozen other places to get new cards issued.  Thank goodness she keeps good records, she had all the cards listed in a little notebook, with the oh-so-important details for each one. I shudder to think how long those calls would have taken without those details. She was even able to provide the security/identity answers for each card that required them!

I keep a list of our cards and the details, but this little incident really shook me up. When I finally made it home I counted just how many cards I have in my purse and then, after I'd picked myself up off the floor, found the list and updated it.  When Wayne came home I did the same thing with his cards and suggested the boys might like to update the list in their folders too, not that they have quite as many cards as we do but if they were to lose them it would be painful.

These are the cards I had in my purse:

3 x various bank cards
1 x Flybuys
1 x Ambulance
1 x healthfund
1 x Medicare
1 x Costco
1 x RACV
19 - yes 19! X store loyalty cards! - how I've come to have so many I have no idea - most of the stores I haven't been in for years.
1 x Diggers membership card
1 x drivers licence

That's 30 cards! No wonder my purse was so heavy!  I've culled most of the story loyalty cards, now the back of my purse clips shut easily.

On my list now are:

• My driver's license
• Medicare details
• RACV details
• Bank details
• Healthfund details
• Ambulance details
• Costco
• Diggers
• Myer
• Spotlight
• ABC Shop
• SPC Shop
• Koorong

Obviously not all of them are finance related, but they are the cards that are most important to me and that are used regularly, so the details for each one are listed. If I ever need to cancel or replace them it should be as easy as a quick phone call.

If you don't have a record of your  cards may I suggest that you take a few minutes this afternoon and make one? I've uploaded a Card Log into the Printables for you to download. All you need to do is copy the details off your cards into the relevant columns and then file it safely away.

Hopefully you'll never need to use it, but if you do have to, it will make a distressing time a little easier.

Four simple steps to de-cluttering

Getting organized and de-cluttering can seem overwhelming, especially if you have a lot of clutter to clear. Breaking each job down into these four simple steps will help you de-clutter your home and your life, saving you money, time and energy.

1. Pick a room, area, or desk drawer to declutter. Pick a single, specific area. The linen cupboard, your bedroom, under the laundry tub or even the top of your desk or the kitchen junk drawer. Be specific with the de-cluttering zone.
2. Remove everything out of the space. Empty the drawer onto a bench or the floor, take everything off your desktop.
3. Go through the pile item-by-item.  Ask yourself  "Do I really need it?". If yes, move it back into the room, putting it away where it should be.  Remember, a place for everything and everything in it's place.
4. If no, put it into one of three piles.  Have sell, donate and recycle piles. Put the things you don't want, use or love into one of these piles. When you have finished sorting, pack each pile. Put the donate pile into the car to drop at the op shop next time you're out. Put the sell pile into the garage ready for your garage sale or to go on eBay. Put the recycle pile into the recycle bin or take it straight to the recycling depot at your local tip.

Divide and conquer

When it comes to saving money, being organized is a key feature. If you can't find what you need when you need it you'll end up spending money to buy more. When you already have the ingredients or item that's pure waste.  A simple and easy way to keep your belongings organized is the divide and conquer method. For example in the kitchen put your plastic utensils in one holder and your steel in another. Keep drawers organized with simple dividers (you can make them out of cut down cereal boxes).  Use non-skid liner in the bottom of drawers to keep dividers and loose utensils in place (you can get it in rolls from a $2 type shop).  Recipe books should be in the kitchen, children's books in the family room and reference books in the office or study. Create zones for your belongings, keeping like items together.  If you don't have room for separate zones, keep like items together and create mini zones within that space. Then when you have finished using something make sure it always goes back to it's correct place and you'll never waste money buying  something you know you have but just can't find.

School Holidays and De-cluttering

School holidays started here on Monday and Hannah and I had great plans. We were going to sort through all the Christmas decorations and tidy them up, donating what we don't need any more and putting any we thought could be recycled aside to work on over the next few days.

Well it's true, the best laid plans of mice and men just seem to go by the wayside. It was cold, our first really cool day of the year so neither of us wanted to get up. I had to, AJ still had Uni and had to be dropped at the bus stop, but Hannah stuck her nose from under the covers and promptly buried it back down again. She stayed in bed until after 11am - a very long lie in for her.

Which meant that we didn't get the early start on the decorations that we had planned.  And by lunchtime I was already busy with other things, including trying to work out why the forum was running slow and working on my book. 

The Christmas decorations were put aside for another day, perhaps over the weekend.  Instead we chose a smaller de-cluttering and organizing job - the craft cabinet. In our hallway stands a large, cedar tall boy. It's very old, over 150 years, and while it doesn't quite go with the rest of the furniture in the house I love it.  We inherited it from Wayne's Great Uncle just after we were married and over the years it's had many uses. It was in our bedroom for a while, but it's really too big. Then it was in the dining room and I used it to store the table linens, placemats, cutlery and so on. Now it's the craft cabinet and it is perfect for this job.

Unfortunately it was in a bit of a mess. We've done a lot of crafting lately and not everything was put away properly. And there were lots of little bits of paper, ribbon, odd stickers, felt and so on all over the place. We took each drawer out and emptied it onto the floor, sorted the rubbish, stuff to donate and things to keep into piles, then vacuumed the drawers. Then, to freshen the cedar, I gave the inside of each drawer a light rub over with some fine sandpaper and of course vacuumed them again.  Now they smell fresh and the bugs and creepy crawlies should be put off.

After sorting through everything we had a small bag of recycling, a rather large bag for a school teacher friend to use in his classroom.  He spends a fortune on craft materials for his class, out of his own pocket, as most teachers tend to, so every little bit helps and I'm more than happy to think that he'll be able to use the paper, ribbon and stickers in the bag. Everything else was sorted and put neatly back into the drawers.

Now the craft cabinet is tidy, I think I'll tackle the wrapping box. But not today, it's time for a cup of tea and some knitting before bed.

*It's too dark in the hall right now for a photo of the drawers, I'll take one tomorrow.