Make the Most out of Your Groceries

Shows like Extreme Coupon and have had me wondering how to get more bang for my buck on groceries. Unfortunately in Canada we don`t have all the same deals and coupons as the the USA but there are some things we can do to make the most out of our groceries. 

1) Take the time to plan 
Planning is the key! There is nothing like going into a grocery store without a plan of what you need. The items you want instead of the items you need then takeover your basket and before you know it you`ve blown your budget. To avoid these mishaps and others that will take the time to plan your shopping trip before partaking in it.

2) Know your prices
Many grocery stores allow you to price match, meaning that if you find an item cheaper in another flyer, simply show them the flyer and they`ll give it to you for that price. You can get the most out of your groceries by knowing your prices and ensuring you`re getting the best price for the food you`re buying.

3) Organize your kitchen
Knowing what you have in your kitchen, is half the battle of knowing what to buy. The last thing you need is to come home from a grocery trip to put your purchases away, to realize you`ve just purchased a duplicate of something you already have in your cupboard. Keeping an organized kitchen, will help you make the most out of what you have in it.

4) Get the most satisfaction 
Once you get your groceries home it is not the end of the story. If you`re not satisfied with your products many stores and companies have policies about returns to ensure that you are satisfied.

For groceries such as produce, deli meats or in-store bakery produce it is best to consult your store with any dis-satisfaction. Most stores will re-replace the item you are dis-satisfied with directly.
For packaged items such as cheese, dried goods, frozen foods, etc. that you are dissatisfied with contact the production company. You will find the customer service contact information on the package. Most of these companies will mail you a voucher or coupon for you to be able to re-purchase the product.

5) Check the boxes before disposal 
Many boxes contain contests or coupons that give you more bang for your buck for the price you pay for groceries. Double check the boxes before you recycle them to ensure you`ve gotten all the valuable pieces you could.

Whats In Your Purse

How many of us women get our daily workout by just carrying around our handbag? I know I do. We have so much stuff just thrown into these monstrosities, that we don`t even know what`s in them and we`re to afraid to find out. Here are some tips to help organize your purse and hopefully make them a little bit lighter. 

Only the Essentials 

Our wallets are one of the heaviest items in our purse, and for many not because they are full of money. To lighten the load try having two separate wallets. One for the pieces you use everyday such as your drivers license, health card and major credit card. Keep the other wallet at home with all the other non-essential cards. 

A slim key chain wallet is a great idea to help you only carry your essentials around, and provide a great place to keep the keys from getting lost. 

Adding Storage 

Most purses come with very few built-in pockets to store all the small things that you want to keep together, like cosmetics, or keep discreet, like feminine products. Because of this you often end up with stuff everywhere. Zipper pouches or small cosmetic bags are the answer. They help keep together all the products you have buried in your purse. 

That Beautiful Face Doesn`t Need That Many Cosmetics 

Toss the entire pharmacy supply of products you're carrying around back into your home cosmetics stash. There are so many travel size makeup products out there that will do the same job but take up much less room. Try one of the all in one compacts that incorporate all products into one case. 

Small Change = Big Money 

Empty spare coins weekly into a jar. After a few months take them to your local grocery store or bank and convert them into bills. You'll be surprised how much extra cash you had stashed and how much lighter your purse becomes. 

Remember the bigger the purse the more stuff you`ll keep in it and the more weight you`ll be lugging on your shoulders on a daily basis. 

Organizing for a Move

We`ve all done it at least once in our life. Whether it be away to school or upsizing the family home to suit the ever growing family. Myself, i`ve done it at least 5 times over the last few years. It`s the ever dreaded task of moving.

Do you really need that? 
Moving is the perfect time to evaluate your home and its contents to decide what is worth packing and hauling to the new location. If you have not used any items in the past year then chances are you’re not going to use them in the year ahead, so save yourself the hassle and get rid of it before the move. 

Be Realistic 
Know how much space your new living environment offers and decide how much you will be able to comfortably store. Make a list and sort your items by those that you absolutely must keep and start from there.


Get Your Sharpie Ready 
Labelling is the key to any move big or small.  Put only items from the same room in one box and label with the room and the specific contents. This makes it easier for those helping you in the move to put them in the exact location they need to be.


Sorting 
In order to try and function on a normal level during a move, group the most important items together / what your going to want to unpack first. For example in season clothes are going to be more of a priority to get to than out of season.

Happy Moving! 

Organizing On A Budget

Organizing and decorating doesn`t always have to be expensive. Here are some tips that will help keep the cost of organizing and decorating to a minimum.


The Dollar Store

Some of my favorite organizing solutions have come from the dollar store. Because it`s an everything store, you often come across other items that you can use in an organizing capacity such as baskets or vases that you may have never thought of for that purpose. They also have a great house ware section with everything from hooks to boxes that aid in every organizing conundrum, and all for a dollar!

Reuse and Repurpose 

Some of my previous posts discussed the reuse and repurposing of items such as frames, mason jars, glass bottles and many other items. Simple things that would otherwise be thrown in the rubbish can often be turned into organizational wonders and cost next to nothing!! 

Use What You Have 
Sometimes your best organizing solutions can already be found right in your home. Often moving furniture into another room gives it a brand new purpose. Here are some examples, but there are really endless possibilities.

Move a dresser into a living area to store books,  movies or other odds and ends in your living space. 

Simply add a narrow countertop onto of two dressers to create a desk or makeup area. 

Move an old dresser into a hallway as a storage unit.
Simply taking out the drawers and removing the inner hardware can turn it into a bookshelf to!

What`s On Sale 
Over the past few years I`ve seen the openings of stores that specifically sell storage solution items. Some items are unique but others are the exact same things sold in the big box stores for 50% more of the cost. I suggest going into the storage specific stores to have a look at what they suggest for your organizational inquiry, but then head to a big box store (or even the dollar store) to see if you can find the same item for cheaper; which often you can! 

You did what with that?

I thought I would keep on the recycling theme and speak of recycling items into things that you may have never thought of. It helps save some space in the landfill and creates a new wonder for your home!  

I drank that bottle for my art project 

For all you wine lovers in the audience, why not make a cork board out of all your old corks. Take an old frame and as you finish your bottles of wine glue the corks in a grid pattern against the back board. It makes for the perfect to hang photos, notes or other household paper clutter. 

Shoe Hangers for more then shoes

Between the bathroom, kitchen and laundry room cupboards who knows where all your cleaning products are when you need them. Why not use up the space behind the door to store all your cleaning products by purchasing an inexpensive shoe holder that hangs on the back of the door. A shoe hanger for more then shoes? Who would have thought! 

Put a little spice in your bathroom 

Inexpensive spice racks from Ikea or a home store are the perfect size for cosmetics to help clear off the bathroom countertop. 

A new use for an old chest 

An old chest can be the perfect place to keep all your files and other important information organized. Simply run a rail or piece of doweling down either side of the chest to provide a place for your hanging folders. Inserting some cork along the lid can provide another organizational option. 

A hanger & shower curtain rings 

A simple hanger and shower curtain rings can turn into the perfect place to hang and store your scarfs or belts. Try it! 

A palette table 

Simply adding some inexpensive legs and glass top to an old palette can give you a new artsy coffee table. Who would have thought! 

Peering through the glass 

An old window frame can become the perfect place to hang your previous memories. 

Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose

Some of the best organizational tools may be right in front of you and you don`t even know it. Repurposing items can be the key to your next organizational job. With a little bit of elbow grease who knows what they could turn into!

(1) Glass Bottles or Jars 

Spray paint old mason jars in a funky design to store and hold all your beauty, makeup or bathroom supplies. 

Even attach them to a plank or wood that can then be hung on the wall. 

Just by adding some labels to old glass bottles, they can become the perfect storage for cooking or baking items.

With a little bit of paint, any old glass jar can be the perfect cute storage solution. 

(2) Aluminum Cans

Turn old aluminum cans on the side, which makes for the perfect storage solution in a home office or front hall. 

Attach the cans to a piece of plywood to create an art area for the little ones of the house.

Think about adding a piece of wallpaper or a coat of paint to the cans to tie them into any part of your home. 

(3) Baskets

Why not hang baskets on the wall for storage and free up some floor space! 

(4) Frames

Take the glass out of an old frame and string some twine or wire across, to make the perfect place to hang necklaces, earrings or other jewelry. 

Remove the glass and screw in some hooks to create  a place to hang your keys. 

Insert a sheet of lined paper in an old frame and use as a dry erase board for memos or shopping lists. 

(5) Pots

Decorating old pots big or small, can make for storage solution in a bathroom, bedroom, living room or home office. Even consider them in the kitchen by the sink to hold your  sponges or other washing items. 

What`s at the back of your closet?

Your closet can look like this! 

The changing of seasons brings about the perfect time for cleaning out and reorganizing that cramped overstuffed closet that we all have. A closet is probably one of the hardest organizing tasks to tackle, so i`ve summarized my top 5 tips for tackling your closet 


(1) Empty it! 
The first step to organizing your closet is to take everything out. With all this "stuff" create 3 separate piles; the first for the keepers of in season clothing; the second for the keepers but out of season clothing; the third the pieces that have outstayed there time in your closet that your ready to donate. The general rule of closet clearing is to get rid of anything you haven’t worn in a year or two along with any items that don’t fit you any more. 


(2) A wardrobe for all seasons 
The best way to make your closet more functional is to pack up seasonal items into storage bins that you can tuck away into less accessible places until they are needed. One of the most unused spaces in a bedroom is underneath the bed. This can be a great place to store these seasonable items in inexpensive plastic containers made for these unused spaces. 


(3) Group It 
Organize the clothes that you are keeping into categories: work wear, casual wear, formal wear, etc. Then, within each category, group all the tops, pants, skirts and dresses together. The final step to this is to group like colored items together. 


(4) To hang or to fold 
Strategically decide what to hang and what to fold. This is largely a personal decision but can be dependent upon how much space of each you have. If you find you don`t have enough of one or the other the hardware store has some inexpensive solutions to adding another bar or some stacking storage shelves. 


(5) Unify 
What you’re using to organize your closet can be just as important as what’s in it. Stocking up on the same style of hangers helps create a cohesive look and can save space. 


The best tip I can offer is not to get overwhelmed. Once you`ve hauled everything out sometimes it looks like the task maybe more then you can handle, but trust me once it`s finished you`ll be happy you did it! Take it one step at a time.