wfmw - magic.

have you ever heard of magic erasers?

until i got married, i had never heard of them.

fmil introduced them to me.

and whoa.

seriously, they will clean anything.

they are the best things ever.  

on our bathtub, on the sink, on the wall.

anywhere.

i didn't know about them for so long.

so i just wanted to share the love :)

if you haven't tried them, give them a shot.

and see if they work for you!

[i am linking up over at We Are THAT Family for Works for Me Wednesdays]

*no, mr. clean knows nothing about me.  they are just that good, really*

wfmw - coupon binder.

do any of you coupon??

have any of you ever gotten frustrated and just given up?


because you end up spending more time clipping coupons than you do using them?

because you buy stuff you don't need because you have a coupon for it?

because you hate that stupid, accordian thingy that you always forget in your car?

or even when you don't forget it, you hate it because you have to take out all the coupons to sort through them looking for the one you need, while you're pushing a cart, and your pocketbook is falling off your shoulder while it's hanging wide open, and your husband is trying to hurry you along so you can get home in time to watch the duke pre-game, only to find the coupon and figure out that it's expired? [not like i know anything about this one...ahem.]

well, i'm with you.  promise.  i have the same problems.  i have started couponing fourteen-bazillon times.  only to get frustrated and stop.

so, today i'm going to offer you a tip that has made all of this so much more managable.

behold, the power of the coupon b.i.n.d.e.r. 

my friend julie sent me the link to a fabulous website [hip2save] and collin has opened my ocd eyes.


yes, it's a binder.
[and a cute one - which makes it even better!]

no more accordian action.  no more baggies full of coupons. 


it's organized by the aisles at the grocery store.  which makes the trip so much easier! [i used plastic dividers - so they won't tear].

and i mean aisles, not categories.

for example, in the [dairy] section of my binder there are orange juice coupons and pillsbury coupons and cookie dough coupons because that's where you find these items.  over near the eggs and cheese.  it's much easier because i don't have to dig through my broad category of "dinner/sides". instead i have more narrow categories so there is not as much to sort through.


and then, within the dividers....there are baseball card holders.

with all of my coupons folded nicely in each pocket so the item, savings and expiration date can be seen. 

it's wonderful. 
i'm serious.


don't close the browser!  i know you're thinking, this crazy gal has lost her mind.  but seriously, it works.  let me tell you why:

1. everything is more visible:  i can flip through the coupons and see each one without taking them out.
2. fits in the cart: the binder fits perfectly in the cart. there's no more craziness of trying to hold everything and look through the coupons and push the cart. 
3. i'm organized once i get to the register:  as i find the coupon i need, i pull it out and stick it in an envelope in the front so i'll remember to use it when i get to the register. 
4. it didn't cost a lot:  i was worried that setting this thing up would take more time and money than i would save by using coupons. but it didn't! i already had the binder and then i bought two packs of plastic dividers at walmart for $2.88 per pack. and i bought the baseball card holders at target [one pack for $4.99].
5. there's a routine: now that i've started, the upkeep is minimal. i have a system that works well and it's overwhelming. on sunday afternoons, while worker man and i are watching a movie, i flip through my book and pull out any expired coupons.  then, i clip my new coupons and insert those.  it's a mindless task, so i just do that while we watch a movie.  then, on wednesday nights, i look through the grocery store sale papers with coupon binder in hand.  when i come across anything that i have a coupon for that is on sale, i circle the ad and i pull the coupon out and put it in the 'harris teeter envelope' or the 'lowes food envelope'.    i also circle any good deals of things i want to get that week.  so, when i got into harris teeter, i have my binder, my sale paper, my grocery list i made from the sale paper and my envelope of coupons to use at harris teeter. [i still carry my binder in case there's something i find that i need/want and look to see if i have a coupon for it].

in my first trip to target, after completing my binder, my items rang up to ~$47.00.  After she rang up all of my coupons, I walked out paying ~$25.00.

definitely worth it in my mind!


you should go watch collin's video about her coupon binder to get even more great ideas!  you won't be sorry!!

i'm joining works for me wednesdays with kristen [WeAreTHATFamily].

wfmw - kitchen drawers.

do you live in a house with no pantry?



if so, i'm with ya. 

because we don't have a pantry either.  which has proven to be difficult. 

i've struggled with finding enough room to organize everything.  so, i enlisted my daddy for another one of my 'projects'.




we built some drawers. 

and it's been wonderful.  


they keep everything organized and they really weren't very difficult to build.  you could easily make some out of plywood and white paint.  then, just purchase some brackets from lowes for them to slide out on.


this was a great fix to not having a pantry.  and, i might just decide to add drawers on the other side so i'll have four.


hopefully if you don't have a pantry this could work for you!

i'm joining Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer for Works for Me Wednesday!

wfmw - high heels.

if you're like me, you hate it when your high heels start to wear out. 

you get frustrated because you feel like the shoe is just fine, but the heel is messed up.

the  nail is starting to show through.
you make that little, annoying, clicking noise [different from the regular] when you walk.
you know that you're going to have to get rid of the shoes, but you just can't do it quite yet.

well, last year i thought i was smart.

i found a place in the mall that would repair high heels.
it was fabulous.
i would drop off my shoes when i got to the mall.
shop around and come back an hour later.
pay the man $10 - $15.
and go home with like-new heels.

the only problems with this plan?

the mall close to your house [and where i live now] does not have a little store like that.
you don't want to pay $10 - $15 to get them fixed.


well, never fear!

a friend at work told me about these little things!

you can get a pack of 8 [four pairs] for $2.99 at target.


then, you get your fabulous husband to repair your heels for free.

using a pair of pliers, pull out the old nail.

insert the new tips.

and hammer them in.

and your heels are like new again!

and the best part? 

it only cost you $2.99.


and a blow pop sucker.

head on over to kristen's blog, we are that family, for more great tips.

wfmw - blog book.

for christmas, worker man and i gave his mom a book of her blog.  a {blook}.

once i... [i mean we] came up with this idea i began researching the best way to design the book and the best place to order it.  it was actually a lot more difficult to find information than i expected it to be.



i did remember coming across this post that was very helpful in getting a start.  i also e-mailed jmom, the author of lots of scotts, with questions.  she was extremely helpful.

because i had such a hard time, i figured it would be helpful to see a step by step on how to create your very own blook!  so, i'm going to give you a quick rundown on the way that worked best for me.


1.  i used blog2print to put the information in a book format.  

this part was very easy.  all you need to do is type in your website and it automatically puts your blog into a book.  then, there are some things you can do to personalize it.  for example, you can choose to include the comments from each post, whether to include the pictures, how the posts are laid out, etc.  

then, after you make these decisions, you order the pdf.  it was $7.95 plus tax.  the reason i ordered the pdf was that all the covers were ugly so i wanted to change the cover and order the actual book through a different company.

[blurb.com is another website that is similar.  but you download their program booksmart and you can arrange each page individually.  it seemed a lot more labor-intensive so i went with blog2print.]

the pdf is e-mailed almost immediately. 


2.  after i received the pdf, i edited the file in adobe.  i removed the cover page that i had to select in blog2print.  you will also want to remove the back page.  i didn't remove the back page for my mother-in-law's book so it printed as an extra page in the back of the book.  whoops!

front cover.

back cover.

3.  after resaving your pdf, you will need to upload it to a site that can print it.  i used lulu and was very pleased with the results.  i was able to select a plain black cover and add a picture and title for the front and a picture for the back.  the order was $65.93 for 181 pages.

i was very pleased with the results and i know my mother-in-law was as well.

she was also super excited that i asked her to come over at 7 am this morning so i could take a picture of her with her blook :)

i plan to also make one of these books each year to keep a record of my blog.  it is a great way of "scrapbooking" each year :)  well, maybe it's not a scrapbook....but it will work for me :)

 hopefully this post will help you with making your "blook".


if you have questions, i'll be glad to help.  feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail.  also, if you have made a blook and have any helpful tips that i didn't mention - or a different site that you think is great, leave it in the comments!

check out kristen's blog, we are THAT family, for more works for me wednesday tips.

wfmw - organizing pictures.

so do you have a total headache awaiting you when you click into your picture folder on your computer?

or do you even use a picture folder?


i know that i'm definitely guilty of saving mine all over my computer.  a folder on my desktop full of christmas pictures.  another folder in my 'documents' folder that i saved pictures in for a blog post.  some pictures saved in picasa.  some on iphoto.  some in the picture folder.  really just everywhere.

a mess.



well, during the last few snow days i decided that i was sick of seeing the "organize pictures" bullet on my todo list that has been there for the last six months.  so i broke down and organized them.

and honestly?




it was not that bad.


it all started when looking for a photoshop help book at barnes and noble.  i came across a small book about organizing pictures.  i didn't buy the book and in fact i just flipped through it but during flipping through it i pulled out one little piece of advice.



organize your pictures by month and year.  and keep a calendar.



i know your thinking whaaat?




how am i supposed to put pictures from mother's day, aunt edna's ninety-eighth birthday, ellie mae's birth and our trip to myrtle beach all in the same folder.  along with the everyday pictures.  that's a ton of pictures.  and my ocd wants them all to be in individual folders!


well, believe me.  i had the exact same thoughts.


[except i don't have an aunt edna or an ellie mae.  but we do go to myrtle beach and i did have an aunt mabel - she was my favorite, by the way.]



so, that got me thinking about what would be the best idea for my pictures.  i mean, if i was going to do this - i wanted it to be done right.



especially since it had been on my todo list for the last 6 [plus] months.
[okay, you got me - maybe since 2008 but whatev, okay?  don't judge.]



okay, so....on to the real reason i'm writing all of this.

i did it.  i organized all of my pictures based on month and year.  after going round and round i decided that would be the best way.


now, the suggestion is that you organize based on month and year and then you keep a calendar so that you can look back to 2008 and find what month you took your trip to washington, dc.  except it would be waaay better to keep an online calendar.  like a google calendar.  because then you can search for the event you are looking for and it will pull right up.  so you don't have to look through all of 2008 and try to decipher your reading in those tiny little blocks in your 2008 planner.  if you can even still find your 2008 planner.  


which i can't.  

so, because my ocd kinda went a little bizzerk, i decided to make an excel file that kept track of each month and year.  [thank you fmil for the idea].  there are columns for events, trips, projects and photography.  so then, when i'm looking for my sister's junior prom i can look in my excel file and i'll know what folder to look in.


and now, i've backed them up by putting all the folders on my external harddrive and shutterfly.  and i'm also going to make cds of the pictures.  [again, don't judge - my ocd is a little overwhelming].  


so hopefully 10 years from now i'll still be using the same method and i'll be able to find all my pictures.


i know this may seem crazy, but i think it's going to work for me.



if your pictures are already organized, i'd love to know what system works for you.

click on over to Kristen's blog, We Are THAT Family, for more great tips!

kitchen.

are you looking for a little kitchen makeover without having a huge remodel on your hands?

well, i have just the idea for you!

when worker man and i were painting the kitchen before we got married, we took all the doors off the cabinets and repainted everything.  well, while the doors were off, we started to like the idea of what it looked like without the doors.

sooo, we decided to leave the doors off the cabinets that held our dishes and paint the back of the cabinets the same color as the walls.

it really would be such an easy project for the weekend!





and it definitely works for us since all of our dishes stay organized.

we have loved it.



so, my suggestion?  live on the edge!  take the doors off a few of your cabinets and go wild!  you won't regret it, promise!

head on over to Kristen's blog, We Are THAT Family, for more WFMW tips!

wfmw - quick craft clutter control.

So do you have a space that really is just cluttered?

Not really a whole lot that you can do about it?

Well, I do.

My sewing area is just a mess.  I try to keep it organized but it's hard.  Plus, I don't have a craft space, so I have to leave all of my stuff set up in the guest room.

Well, here's how it has looked for quite awhile.

When my mom and grandma came to stay for a night not long ago, I really didn't want this space to look so cluttered.  But, I didn't have any place to store all the stuff under that table.  Plus I didn't have time to make anything or reorganize the mess into cute baskets.  Not to mention, no matter how organized it looks under the table, everything is under an ugly, rubbermaid table.  Useful? Yes.  Cute?  No.


So, I had some extra fabric laying around and decided that it might work...














Ahhh, so much better.






So, moral to the story, using some extra fabric to cover a table works for me!


It's cute, quick and practically free!

WFMW!

Disclaimer: Of course, I finally write a WFMW post and then realize it's supposed to be backwards this week. So, my backwards WFMW question is: How do you plan out your weekly menu? We always end up have a couple of good meals and then some nights where we don't really eat supper, we just have a snack or a bite of something here and there. Remember it's just two of us, but still...I would love to have a plan for supper every night. I'm just having trouble finding something that will work for me!
-------
Okay, now on to the WFMW post I wrote about something that really does work for me!


So a few months ago I found a great gift for my sister’s birthday.

I chose my prints and the frame that I wanted, got to the check out and it was over $270.00!

Just ordering the prints was going to cost over $150.00.

Umm, my gift envelope hasn’t seen $150.00…ever.

So, I decided I would make my own.
With a twist.

I totally forgot to take pictures of the supplies beforehand but here’s what you’ll need:

-6 (or however many letters you plan to use) 4x6 frames (We used the cheap ones from Walmart) = $1.00 each
-1 small curtain rod - $9.99
-4x6 photo paper (I already had it)
-10 ft. of 5/8” ribbon = ~$4.00
TOTAL = $19.99

Now for the steps:

1. Take pictures of all the letters you will need. They’re everywhere. Promise! (Examples: “S” – an s-hook, “E” – the profile of a stoplight, “A” – a ladder)

2. Print photos. I used a photo printer but it would be just as easy to print them at Walmart or Walgreens or wherever. The photos look best as black and white or sepia.

3. Drill two small holes in the top corners of each frame.


4. Thread ribbon through the holes in each frame. It’s best to thread a loop on both sides and tie the ends together on the inside so the picture and glass will cover the knot. Then thread each frame on the curtain rod.

6. Add the pictures and hang.



My sister loved it and it looks great in her bedroom!


Creative ideas for birthday presents definitely work for me :)

WFMW.

So, I haven’t actually tried this yet which technically isn’t a Works for me Wednesdays. But, since I’m not technical and I’m hoping it works for me, I figured I’d throw it out anyway!

At work, four of us have decided that we are going to do a “Christmas Club”. We are going to start buying Christmas gifts NOW. I know that might seem a little crazy and irrational we we’ve got a plan! Here’s how it works.

We’re going to go every 2 weeks (it may change to only once a month) and buy one gift for someone. And then again, 2 weeks (or a month) later we’ll buy another gift. Even if this doesn’t take care of everyone on our lists, it’s at least a start. We’ll have about 10-20 gifts bought that we would have been stressing over at the last minute.

Now, my initial reaction was, "Oh that's a fabulous idea". Then, on second thought, I started wondering if maybe this would not be as productive as I’d imagined. I started worrying that I would buy a gift for someone and by December they would have already bought it for themselves OR they wouldn’t want it anymore and I couldn’t take it back because I bought it 8 months ago!

But, I’ve decided it will be great! I’m going to buy gifts for the easiest people and as Christmas gets closer and closer, I’ll work to find things for the people that are more difficult to buy for. I going to be buying gifts for my grandma, and aunts, etc who will be easier now and buy for my parents and brother and sister (who are more difficult and more specific) will be better to wait on.

I’m so excited about starting this. I know that it will be easier on the budget and the stress levels :)

I’ll keep you updated when we start!

Works for Me Wednesday!

Update: I accidentally linked this as "go bag" but it's really "fitness at lunch". Sorry WFMW gals!

I started a new job and there is a new thing that is really working for me.

Ya know how it's hard to get to the gym? Especially after you get home. There's typically no going back out to the gym to work out. Well, there is a gym at work and there are fitness classes there too. Everyday at lunch a group from the office (the group is essential for accountability) heads down to the aerobics class. We are able to get down there, work out HARD for 45 minutes, shower and get back upstairs in an hour.

It has honestly been the best thing for me. I feel so much better and don't feel stressed to come home and find time to work out. I would suggest this to anyone who has a gym at work!

It definitely works for me!

Financial Peace...

Worker Man and I started a Dave Ramsey class during the beginning of February and let me tell you, it is DEFINITELY working for us! There are many things about the class that work for us but I’m going to touch on a few of them that have really set us on the right track.

Dave Ramsey has seven baby steps to financial peace. We are only on the second baby step and it will take years to complete the program BUT the first step was critical; not only for our finances but also for our marriage. The first step is to put $1000 into an emergency fund. Now, this may seem like a strange step one but in order to achieve the second baby step (becoming debt-free except for your mortgage) it is imperative that you have some money set aside in case of emergencies.

Now, why did this work for our marriage? Well, Dave says that women have a security gland (figuratively) that causes major pain when there’s no money. But, when a woman realizes that there is money and that there will be food on the table and a warm house the security gland loosens up and you don’t even know it’s there. This is so true for me. When I see $1000 sitting in a savings account, I feel a lot better about us using as much money as we can to pay off debt.

Also, NO MONEY FIGHTS SINCE WE STARTED! Such a blessing.

The second thing that has worked for us is a zero-based budget. You can get it on his website for free.

The concept is that you will have every penny of your income spent on paper each month before it actually comes in. His reasoning behind this is that it is important that you control your money rather than your money controlling you. You will know how everything will be spent and you will plan that out before there’s “too much month left at the end of the money”.

Lastly, we use the envelope system. So, we take money out at the bank at the beginning and halfway through each month. We divide it into our envelopes (groceries, out to eat, clothing, entertainment, gifts) and we only spend what money we have in our envelope during the two weeks before we “refill” it. It such a simple way to keep track of how much you’re spending in each category. It also makes you spend less because it has been statistically proven that people spending cash tend to spend less money than people using a card. Typically 12-18% less! So, when your money runs out, it’s out until next month.

Many people think that this may be a little over the top but it’s really works for us!

Works for Me Wednesday!

You know when you are about to head out the door and there's like 14 million things you need to grab before you leave for work?

Well, I have a "go bag" that works for me. There's nothing special about the bag (well, except that Teeter and her family gave it to me for graduation) but what's special is the purpose of the bag. The bag hangs on one of the hooks right beside our door.

When we get done watching a movie from the RedBox (that'll have to be another WFMW post) I go ahead and throw it in the go bag so the next morning it's already there to take back. Along with that is any mail I need to take to the post office, anything I need to return to FMIL or someone at work, and anything I think about the night before that I need to take to work the next day. The next morning, I grab my go bag and throw it in the car. This way I have everything I need in the bag. No more late charges on movies or forgetting to send mail.

It's not some fabulous secret, but it works for me :)

Works for Me Wednesdays!

I’ve never been a great card-giver. For birthdays I’m always the one that gives a present without a card. Number one, I hate to spend $5 on a Hallmark birthday card that’s just going to be thrown away. And, number two, I never think to go out and stock up on cards...so I have to buy one on the way to the party.

When I married into Worker Man’s family I was introduced to the most brilliant idea. His mom gives each of her daughter/daughter-in-laws a Hallmark box from Costco. This box is filled with cards for every occasion but they’re not the lame-o cards that normally come in a variety box. They are like, awesome cards. There are always a lot of 3-D cards and pop-up cards and all kinds of neat stuff. Each year, she will buy them at Costco and replenish our supply. It definitely works for me!

Jump on over to Shannon’s blog to read lots of other WFMW tips.