52 Weeks to an Organised Home: Coupons and Post

Another challenge on my list is to sort out my coupons. This isn't too difficult becasue I don't have many. My printer isn't working so I can't print out any vouchers and most of the vouchers that come through my door are completely useless to me.

However, I do have my Tesco vouchers and the odd coupon I do keep hold of. I used to keep my coupons in my files but found I forgot about them, out of sight out of mind after all! So now I pin them to my pin board in the kitchen where walk past them all the time so I'll never forget to use them!

Another thing is to make sure you pop some in your purse. I have a few compartments in my purse where my coupons (mainly supermarket ones) keep nicely and don't get mixed up with my cash or coins- that's just annoying.

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Now, I tackled another task at the same time seeming as though the coupon one didn't require much effort! I have been bogged down by my mail for a long time. It's on the dinner table, it's near the DVD units, it's on the bookshelf heading towards the file where it should be stored neatly and organised...yeah right!

Until tonight that is. I got out my folder and gathered my post, sat in the front room with a cookie and made a concentrated effort to well, concentrate! Now my bills, bank statements etc are in their correct wallets in my folder and not laying about where I don't want them or need them. I also won't loose anything of importance!

I have also made myself a little postal box to go by the front door. if the postie comes and I am in a hurry then I can pop my post into the box and open it later. I can keep mail there that doesn't need to be moved just at that moment and I feel a whole lot more organised!

52 Weeks to an Organised Home: Recipes.

The next challenge on 52 Weeks to an Organised Home is to sort out my recipe books. I don't have a lot of recipe books but I had enough to making my upstairs bookshelf look overcrowded and squashed.

The first thing I did was to look through my books. I looked at the ones I use, the ones I never seem to use and then the ones that are not even mine in the first place! There were several that belonged to my  Mum so I popped them into a bag with some other bits I needed to return to her.
After that I placed the ones I never used into my big charity sack leaving me with a small pile of books.

Now, I had been wanting a shelf put up in my kitchen for weeks but the Other Half had been doing so much overtime (and is a lazy old so and so) that eventually I just put it up myself!
So, I now had a shelf for my smaller books which isn't a lot but as it goes (and luckily) it's the smaller books I use most often so they are now sat on my shelf which I finished off nicely with some homemade bunting, a postcard of cupcakes and my pink cat:

I do have a few more books on there!

My other books, now nicely slimmed down to a more sensible amount could be moved after I also donated some children's books we never read anymore. Once I had done that there was a whole spare space for my recipe books. Hooray! No more squashed paper backs!

Cupcake Mumma.

I Lost My Hamster, Put Up a Shelf and Other News..

It's been a good day today. Alright so my title doesn't really give off that vibe does it?

There we were merrily going about our morning when Other Half turns to me mid washing up and says 'why is Crunchie's cage open?' 'I have no idea....Oh no. The hamster isn't in there.' We had a mad dash around the house to hunt for Crunchie, we managed to get a few silent moments to listen for any russel of paper or bags, scratching of walls or floors. We didn't have much time as I had to leave for the nursery drop off and Other Half had to go to work.

Upon returning it was apparent the brief moment of total peace didn't end in the success of finding the hamster for Other Half. This became clear when I walked into the bathroom after putting Little Man to bed and saw a hamster ball with a handful of seeds and other hamster food in. Slightly across from this odd trap was talc powder leading to the space under the bath. How tempted was I to pop my little fingers on that!

We found the hamster this evening thankfully. He was under the stairs right at the back behind handbags, suitcases and baby carriers. He had obviously been there all day and had chewed through a bin bag full of wires and it would appear he had started digging a hole presumably in his desperation to be free. Anyhow, he was alive and my temporary visions of a dead smelly hamster lurking somewhere in my home are thankfully going to be unfounded.
Little Miss was over the moon to have found her hamster and I was pretty chuffed to have found him too after he wolfed down his food and drunk a load of water. That'll be a cage in need of a deep clean tomorrow!

Also you will see that I did indeed put my shelf up. It's a little wonky, it's not perfect (and it wasn't in fab condition before it went up can I add in my defence) the drill scared the life out of me, I had no idea what I was doing. In the end I hammered the screws in so this shelf is definitely not ready for my recipe books just yet. Thing is, now it's up Other Half has no choice but to sort it out and make it secure. I'm pretty proud of myself but I won't show it off until it's finished as part of my 52 Days project.

We also had library group this morning. It was bit thin on the ground but both my babies enjoyed their gluing and sticking (or crayon eating- so tasty don't you know?) I've caught up on my blog reading and my e-mails. I've even ordered my Mum her Mothers present which I cannot wait to give her next month.

To end I would like to say what a lush day it has been! A lovely way to end February.

Cupcake Mumma x

Lovely walk from school this morning

It's an extra lovely day when my 2 play so nice together.

Cheeky!

52 weeks to an organised home

There are no photos from last weeks Fridge sort out but i have indeed made a major revamp! Each item I buy from the weekly food shop now has a dedicated shelf in the fridge. In my old fridge the lower drawers broke which was a real bummer. I got a new one from my Mother in Law when they upgraded which was a great thrifty bit of saving and a great donation!

Now I have a usable drawer I have a new place for my vegetables and fruit I wish to keep in the fridge. On the bottom shelf I have decided to keep my orange juice cartons and anything similar. I then have yogurts on the shelf up. We each have our own yogurts which may seem a bit odd...We were buying Tesco yogurts 4 at 50p each and then we discovered Aldi could sell the same amount in the region on 1.70ish which is a few pence saving but I'm happy with that. Then i have my yogurts to pop in, 2 packs of dairy free and then Other Half has his selection which will depend on whats on offer (yogurt snob).

On the 3rd shelf is the cheese and meat section. We buy some ham, a huge block of mature cheese and soft cheese for the children. Little Miss also likes Billy Bear and sometimes we'll buy little cheese treats which are nice snacks. They can all be kept together.

Top shelf is for anything else, butter we stock up on because supermarkets have phases of running out of my dairy free butter and as I like baking I don't wish to run out! I have some hummus up there at the minute as Little Man has learnt to get in the fridge, hummus fingers aren't my idea of fun!

I cleaned up every shelf and the door which holds my mayonnaise, milks, alcoholic free wine, eggs, garlic (seems to last longer!) and any medicine that needs holding in the cold. Now it's all neat and tidy I will take the same approach as my cupboards and clean weekly after a food shop.

This week sees me tackling my recipe books. I don't have a dedicated space but maybe this could be my opportunity to get Other Half to pop a shelf up? I do have loose bits laying around and an almost empty book so If I have the time I shall sit down and transfer my scribbles into my recipe journal.

Hope you're doing as well with organising your home. Hannah x

52 Weeks To An Organised Home-Week Two Results

Oh so I was a busy girl this last week and I'm set to be even more busy again this week thanks to a challenge I'm taking part in called '52 Weeks to an organised Home'. So far it is working. Week 2's challenge was to sort my cupboards...pots and pans, plates and bowls, junk cupboards, cutlery draws, 'that draw' and anything in between!

If you go here you will see my before pictures and a little write up behind the mess. This week I bring you my results. There is one cupboard which isn't featured because it was made so empty by my ruthless clearing out it was pointless in wasting an image!

Draw number one is my cutlery draw. Yes it still possibly looks a bit messy to some but it's actually about as tidy as I will get it! Little Miss and Other Half are always getting their hands in this draw and messing it up which is most annoying! This however is improvement!

Ahh that looks SO much better! I have found some rather jazzy glasses in a store around the corner for the little sum of 99p so I will get them tomorrow. I have got rid of roughly 4 mugs and 2 or so glasses which no longer had a 4th to complete its set. I'm aware I have a lot of bowls but they are ideal for the children, the Kellogs ones are very old and a set..Although I'll admit the Christmas one could be put back again!

Another cupboard I am pleased with. I did not photograph this one before as I forgot about it. This is my medicine cupboard which was before medicine/random food packets/crap and I'm pleased to say that is no longer the case! I have re located my baby milk, all my medicines are organised from those which are used most often with those which are used least often moved to the back. Luckily there was nothing out of date or unused so I don't have to make a trip to the chemist..phew!

This cupboard now has all my baking equipment inside it. I have my bowls at the back, my measuring jugs and cutters (which were previously strewn here there and everywhere) my blender for baby food and a random dish that was too nice to give away! I had a larger one which had some chips in I managed to part with. I also have moved my baby bottles to this cupboard too which was a better alternative than muddling up my mugs and glasses!

And finally for my birthday I got given a lovely cake dish which came in a sort of canvas like box. I got rid of the bottom because all it was was labels and nothing else but the top was this lovely cupcake design which I couldn't part with. The space above my oven has been annoying me for a while and now it is filled! This also means my serving dish has a home and I will remember to use it. 

You'll have to excuse the wall colour it is a due a new coat of paint!

I haven't got around to doing my second draw at present because I got rather caught with birthday prep so I may have to do this tomorrow!

So there you have the results of Week 2! Week 3 will see me tackling the food cupboards...This shouldn't be too hard as I have a good look through every week and base my weekly meals on what I have in the house, a good tip by the way for those who want to cut food costs!

Right until next week, Hannah X

PS How are you getting on?

52 Weeks To An Organised Home-Phase One

Right, time to get my shame on. I have decided to post a series of photos that will show you my fellow readers how disorganised I have become (who knows, maybe i'll make someone feel good about themselves?) So here's to my weekly challenge that I will probably start tomorrow evening as I had a bad sleep the other night which seems to still catching up with me!

This here is the cupboard for glasses, bowls, cups and plates. It's all a bit mismatched which I dislike. Baby milk is there for convenience, bottles don't stay in there long enough to annoy me too much but what I do dislike are all my mugs. There is more than this some don't even have all 4 to a set anymore..Much the same for my glasses...Look at those wine glasses! They're huge. My father-in-law to be gave them to us 2 Christmas's ago but we're not big wine drinkers..still just in case!

The under sink cupboard of embarrassment! I have had my stuff in that bag since I moved here a year ago....Lazy. As you can imagine it drives me nuts, I don't really find anything quickly and my daughter's paints are hiding..somewhere there anyway! This should probably be priority number one!

Here we have a junk cupboard, not intentionally but a junk cupboard none the less. There are several pots that don't belong to me, there is a coffee maker that isn't mine, a spare toaster 'just in case' and some cake decorating supplies all of which have been shoved together with little care or thought.

Top draw in my opinion could be worse (you should see my Mums'-sorry Mum) I think it needs a clean and a little tidying up. How many people can keep it perfectly tidy? Answers on a postcard please.

2nd drawer I have no excuses for. Buried under there are tea towels I got for my birthday from Other Half as yet unused, purses, pens, batteries and various other amounts of rubbish which all needs to be removed asap.

I have no words for the baking cupboard other than..What the hell is going on in there? Nah I haven't baked in a while!

Caught Little Man red handed raiding the saucepan 'drawer' (remember the loose term?)

See..not a drawer at all! Ideas welcome!!!

So that's what i'll be doing this weekend, please wish me luck and if you have any ideas feel free to mail me or leave a comment!

Hannah

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