Computer Desktop Organizer~

I've been doing quite a bit of digital scrapbooking lately and having such a great time!  I started about a week ago and love combining colors and textures into something visually pleasing.  

And now I can add a little bit of practicality in organizing my computer desktop with wallpaper!  Yay!   

Here's my basic layout for a computer desktop organizer.  

(click to enlarge)

I've added various headers to each frame and will set each folder in the proper place for organization.

If you'd like to download this I'd love to hear about how it works for you.  

  

You'll need to click on the photo while in blogger to enlarge it and download it to your computer by right clicking on it and clicking 'save as'.  Click on the file and open it in your photo viewer.  Right click on the image and then click on 'save as desktop background'.  

If the above works for you can you please let me know?  Also I'd love to know if there are any difficulties.  I'm not sure if it will work for everyone since screen resollutions can vary.

If you want to add text to the six frames there are many free online editing sites such as picmonkey and photoflexr.  

This desktop organizer is free, is not for sale or to be sold for profit in respect to the people who have so kindly shared free graphics, papers and elements on various digital scrapbooking sites.

Mondays~ 
I Should be Mopping the Floor 

Homemade Mondays
The More the Merrier Monday 
Motivate me Monday at Keeping it Simple
Making your Home Sing Monday
Tuesdays~
One project at a time at A bowl full of lemons
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Frugally Sustainable (first Tues of every month)
Wednesdays
Penny Pinching Party at The Thrifty Home
Thursday
Grace at Home at Imparting Grace
Creative Homeacre Hop
Friday
Flaunt it Friday 
Food Waste Friday
Fellowship Fridays
Feathered Nest Friday
Weekend Potluck at the Country Cook
Saturday
Pink Saturday
Show and Tell Saturday 

A Favorite Thing at Mockingbird Hill Lane Cottage

Women Living Well Monthly Link Up

Creating a Home Binder~ Daily To-Do List~ Part 1

There are a few thing that have made my life a whole lot easier and 

I'd love to share them here with you.  

There are so many organizing sites and apps that you can pay for and download.  There are also free sites that are awesome.  Some can become a bit overwhelming with info and some can't be adapted to meet each person's needs.  I've merged what works for me into what I use today and it's pretty simple!

I've made a (not so) fancy Cover Page for my Home Binder.  

I've called mine  "Lil's Home Journal' making a play on the famous "Ladies Home Journal" magazine

 

(photo courtesy of Ladies Home Journal)

The next list I make is a Weekly To~Do list of things.   This list might seem long but it only takes a few minutes to do these things. Two things I get done every week are change my sheets and a detailed wiping down of the floors in the main bathroom.   I might not get everything else finished in a week so I check everything off that I complete and finish it the following week.

No stress and no pressure with rotating tasks.

I'm not a fan of spring cleaning and his method has virtually eliminated spring cleaning for me.  My whole house can be cleaned from top to bottom in 2 months (1 month if I'm industrious and I'm NOT!)  but not including seasonal chores like yard maintanance, snow removal, etc.  

One thing is for sure!  I need flexibility!  When something is too rigid and I fall behind  and the mountain becomes insurmountable and I give up!  Simplicity and Flexibility!  I Like that!  

So, first things  first~  make a daily To~Do List!  If you need something done more than once a week then put it on this list  

Your list might look a little or a lot like mine.  So here's mine~  (with my commentary after each!) 

***Daily To-Dos***

Make Bed 

If I don't make my bed my entire bedroom looks like a mess.  I just take a minute and put my bed together.

Start Laundry/Turn Over Laundry 

Every morning I start a load of laundry and make sure it finds its way to the dryer.  I try to have it all dry, folded and put away before I go to bed.  

Empty all Trash 

I take out all the trash from the entire house and refill the receptacles with clean bags.

Kitchen Sink/Empty Dishwasher 

 Keeping my sink empty of dirty dishes, putting them away and keeping my sink sparkling is a great way start my day!

Kitchen floors 

My kitchen floors are white and need to be done frequently.  If I could do them less I would!  I do them about 5 times a week so I put them on my daily list.

Quick Bathroom Cleanup

I take about 3 minutes a day to wipe my bathroom down.  I keep all of my neccesary cleaners in each bathroom  and wipe down, the sink, counters, and toilet before I hop in the shower.  After the shower myself or hubby (whoever takes the last shower) sprays it down and wipes it free of water.  It probably takes 3 minutes total.

What's Cookin'?

Every night I think about what I'm going to make the next day for dinner.  I make sure I have all the ingredients and take out meat to defrost if neccesary.   Everything is prethought and ready to go for the next day eliminating stress and last minute runs to get fast food and pizza.  Plus it's cheaper!  

Every morning I do what's on this list. It takes approximately 10-20 minutes to get this done, depending on how much laundry I have that day.   It simply makes my life go smoothly and I feel so much more organized and in control!   Your list might look different from mine since it's tailor made for your household.  

 I put mine in a binder in document protectors for easy access and check things off as I finish them.  I use an overhead projector marker that wipes clean with a damp cloth.   Even a hand written Daily todo list is a great help!

I'd love to know what's on your daily to~do list!  And I'd love to hear about your system too!  What works for you?  What doesn't? 

Mondays~ 

I Should be Mopping the Floor 

Homemade Mondays

The More the Merrier Monday 

Motivate me Monday at Keeping it Simple

Making your Home Sing Monday

Tuesdays~

One project at a time at A bowl full of lemons

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Rednesday 

Frugally Sustainable (first Tues of every month)

Wednesdays

Penny Pinching Party at The Thrifty Home

Thursday

Grace at Home at Imparting Grace

Creative Homeacre Hop

Friday

Flaunt it Friday 

Food Waste Friday

Fellowship Fridays

Feathered Nest Friday

Saturday

Pink Saturday

Show and Tell Saturday 

A Favorite Thing at Mockingbird Hill Lane Cottage

Women Living Well Monthly Link Up 

DIY~ Easy Drawer Organizer

Some might cringe at this and some might say it's most awesome!  ha!  I say it's most awesome!  

I love super streamlined drawer organizers from places like bed, bath and beyond... but the price is something I'm not too fond of.  I love me some youtubers that have serious money to organize and arrange every inch of their home~ but I can't bring myself to splurge like that.  ;)  

So I did a happy dance when I realized I could use the bottom of those milk jugs and juice bottles for organizing my drawer space. 

 Best of all~  it didn't cost a dime since I had everything and recycled!  Yay for recycling! 

I save my plastic gallon jugs since I make my own laundry detergent, homemade cleaners and like to use them for cleaning supply storage.  I've made scoops with the top and thrown the bottoms away... until recently... when I had an a-ha moment and used the jug bottoms for drawer organizers.  

I should have cut out all of my jugs like this~  but of course I eye~balled it and they are different heights and very crooked!    ;)  Next time I will heed my own advice! 

I found some non slippy stuff in my drawers so I cut out some and hot glued it to the bottom of the jugs to avoid slippage when the drawer is opened.

Voila~!  My much neater and more organized drawer! 

Use the other half to make scoops for the sandbox, flour, potting soil, dog food or whatever your hearts desires!  

Mondays~ 

I Should be Mopping the Floor 

Homemade Mondays

The More the Merrier Monday 

Motivate me Monday at Keeping it Simple

Making your Home Sing Monday

Tuesdays~

One project at a time at A bowl full of lemons

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Rednesday 

Frugally Sustainable (first Tues of every month)

Wednesdays

Penny Pinching Party at The Thrifty Home

Thursday

Grace at Home at Imparting Grace

Creative Homeacre Hop

Friday

Flaunt it Friday 

Food Waste Friday

Fellowship Fridays

Feathered Nest Friday

Saturday

Pink Saturday

Show and Tell Saturday 

A Favorite Thing at Mockingbird Hill Lane Cottage

Women Living Well Monthly Link Up  

Salad in a Jar

Have you seen the Salad in a Jar frenzy on Pinterest?    Many times I buy salad makings and then never assemble them due to time laziness and then the ingredients go bad.  I bought a head of romaine, a cucumber, some baby tomatoes and green peppers for an easy Salad in a Jar.  I plan on adding some crunchy nuts and cheese when the hubs and I eat dinner together later on.   I'd really like to experiment with this and add some chicken, garbanzo beans, boiled eggs and sprouts as well.   And I can see Asian, Cob and Caesar salads with this easily!  Picnics... Office gatherings... traveling... in the car...lunch on the go... picnics....  So many options!

I thrifted the Mason Jars for 1.50 yesterday and so glad I was able to get them!

***Update***
I've bought a whole box of Mason Jars and have prepped as many as 6 for the week~  one for each day for hubby and I.  On day 5 the salad was still crisp.  I did splurge and buy a cheapo salad spinner so I think that helped too.  The pop on the top of the mason jar was pretty loud when I uncapped it.   I've had NO salad waste and we've ate healthier every day this week since doing this!  Yay!!!

Please forgive my remodeling in the sidebar lately!  I've also had alot of drafts in queue that needed major re~editing and I hit publish on accident.  I HATE when that happens!  I've also been trying to add a hover Pinterest button to my photographs but am having difficulty so thank you for your patience!

Have a wonderful day!

Linking up at many of these GREAT blog hops!  

Mondays~

 

Motivate Me Monday!

Tuesdays~
Linda @ Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

 

 Wednesday  Wow us Wednesdays

(http://www.thethriftyhome.com)

Thursday

Friday

 

5 Cleaning Supplies I keep in my Bathroom

I've finally got all stocked up with the 5 things neccesary for my daily Swish and Sparkle in each bathroom.  I was getting a little tired of carrying the cleaning supplies from upstairs bathroom to guest bathroom to basement bathroom so streamlining is putting a great smile on my face since it makes everything so much easier!   Oh~  and I found the small spray bottles at a beauty supply store and they are great quality and take up very little space!  

So... here are my 5 things~!

1. Homemade Glass Cleaner~

I've even added a drop of blue food coloring!  Love that!

2.  Homemade All Purpose Cleaner

3.  Powdered Abrasive Cleaner 

I've not made the switch to a natural abrasive cleaner yet, so until I do, this meets our need.  I buy the cheapest that I can find which, in this case, was generic.  

4.  Lysol Concentrate Disinfectant

I've gotta have Lysol for disinfecting!  I use it for my daily Swish and Sparkle where I wipe down the counters and the inside and outside of the toilet.     One bottle of Lysol will make 9 gallons of disinfectant cleaner~  a definite bargain!  

5.  Cleaning Towels

We've gone paperless and haven't used paper towels for about 2 months.  These are cheapo washcloths that were purchased for showering that quickly made the jump to cleaning towels because they started fraying.  Since we're doing our best to live a frugal lifestyle,  we've tried to do everything the cheapest and most effective way possible.   

I hope to post more about my Daily Swish and Sparkle soon!  

Organizing~ How much should it cost?

I've had this brewing in my mind and heart for a while...  How much should 'organizing' cost? 

I've seen many bloggers and vloggers go 'all out' in organizing and spend a TON of money on getting their house in order.  While that might be fine for them,  I just don't have the expendable money to buy hundreds of dollars in organizer doo~dads even though honestly I'd LOVE to!     Sometimes it can be disheartening to watch those videos because we feel that we have to have certain tools to be succesful.  I disagree entirely!  I am not saying that I haven't spent any money but I am trying to be as frugal as possible.  I think that organizing can cost NOTHING or NEXT TO NOTHING.   The main purpose of being organized is to help us better manage life, our finances, and help identify potential savings opportunities.  Organizing helps us save money!

Here are a few tips for organizing that cost nothing (or next to nothing) and go a LONG ways~

Clutter~ get rid of it!   This is the biggest deterrent in having an organized home.   I can't stress how important it is to declutter!!!   It might take a year OR MORE to get your home entirely decluttered and even after you are finished, it will be something that you have to keep up on a daily basis.  Try doing 15 minutes a day~  it REALLY does work!    Clutter is equal to Chaos and getting rid of it really does so much for our well being!

There are a few great questions to ask yourself about those items that you suspect might be
clutter but don't want to part with.

Do I love it?  (If you don't get rid of it!)

  Do I use it frequently enough to justify keeping it? 

Have I used it in the past year? 

Does it help me feel more peaceful?

I can't stress enough how much more I am at peace since the clutter is GONE from my life. 
It is completely liberating!!! 

Take a Picture~ Another thing I do is take a picture of my rooms.  There are SO many things that I MISS when I look at my rooms because I am used to what I see in everyday life.  But when I take a picture I am able to see with new eyes.  I recently took pics of underneath my kitchen cupboard and wasn't aware of the stain on the back of the sink wall.  But having that in a picture made me sit up and take notice how bad it looked.  Pull out your digital camera and take a picture of all the rooms in your home.  Even the garage and basement and wherever your 'stashing' area is.  A picture is worth far more in helping us see things that we normally don't see!  (It even helps in decorating!) 

Reuse~  I've made my own homemade laundry detergent and could have bought a fancy schmancy container with a spigot on the end to easily pour it in a cup every time I do laundry. 
Instead I chose to save that money and recycle the containers from the Dole Juice we love to buy.  They are thick plastic and can be reused many times over.

Saving cereal boxes and cutting them down to make dividers in drawers for silverware is easily done at no cost. 

Go Thrift Store Shopping~  I love Thrift Store Shopping!  There are some things that I do buy retail, but everytime I go retail I am usually in sticker shock!  I have found wonderful things thrifting that are great in keeping me in my budget.  It takes determination, patience and sometimes just being in the right place at the right time, but it is so worth it!  There are gems waiting to be found!

Don't go Thrift Store Shopping~  I know!  First I recomend Thrift Store Shopping and now I say DON'T go Thrift Store Shopping!  In trying to be frugal and maintaining a clutter free home,  I REALLY try to be choosy in what I buy.  It's so easy to justify a purchase only because it is a few dollars, but those add up quickly and I soon can have a closetfull/house full of J-U-N-K. 

While thrifting, I keep myself asking a variation of the questions listed above while I shop.
Will I truly love it? Will I really wear it?

Will I use it/wear it frequently enough to justify buying it?

Is it timeless or a fad that is shortlived?
Will it boost my self-confidence when I wear it?
Does it flatter me or make me look less than great?

If I display this in my home, will it help me feel more peaceful or just add to the chaos?

So, there you have it!  Organizing can cost as much, or as little, as you want it too! Before spending money, I'd focus on the clutter and take it from there.  Or at least keep spending at a minimum. 
It really is a wonderful journey that is so liberating!

 I hope you've enjoyed this post!  It really has helped me by putting it in writing!

Sharing at The Thrifty Home.   

Under the Sink Organization

We have limited space underneath our kitchen sink so bringing the most used cleaning items to the front is definitely helpful for a quick wipedown of the sink or a swish and swipe of the bathroom! 

I found an old tension hanger in the basement (that we're cleaning out!) and decided to put it to work. I've put the spray bottles hanging on the rod making more room for other things to be within an arms reach.

Yes, I do need a new one because this one is bowed in the middle but you get the gyst. 

Isn't that a great idea? 

Sorry about the water damage under kitchen sink.  It really is clean and needs a coat of paint!

Just keeping it real folks.  Keeping it real!

Sharing at The Thrifty Home.