Organized Home

The tax man cometh, and cometh soon! Do you know where your tax records are?

Chances are, they're swimming in a stack of paper ... somewhere.

Rafts of paper flood into the average home each day. The mailbox discharges letters and bills and bank statements. Briefcases explode with professional journals, pay stubs and calendars. School backpacks unload children's artwork, meeting notices and sports schedules.

Paper clutter costs money, time and stress. A missing permission slip derails the entire family on the way out the door. Hide-and-seek bills lead to late payment fees. Lose the roster, and it's back to the Yellow Pages each time you need to contact the soccer car pool.

Without a plan for paper management, a household can drown in a rising tide of paper. Take back your time with these simple tips to pull the plug on paper clutter.    More »

Ah, summer! Baseball and sunshine, lemonade stands ... and back to school?

Yep. Summer or not, it's time to think about ways to save money shopping for back-to-school clothing and school supplies. Because retailers are poised to begin back-to-school promotions the instant Independence Day fireworks cease to glow, savvy shoppers begin planning now to get the most for their back-to-school dollar.

Hang onto your wallets! With the rise of "back to school" as a two-month marketing exercise for retailers, coupled with cash-strapped school districts placing more of the supply burden onto students' families, it can be a tough job to get the kids outfitted without breaking the bank. Try these school shopping tips to save money, time and your sanity when shopping for back to school:    More »

Getting organized! For many, that phrase is synonymous with "Buy Me!" Savvy retailers know that "Get Organized Fever" breaks out at predictable intervals, and tailor ad campaigns to capitalize on the desire to create an organized home. Too often, professional organizers hear the cry, "But I can't afford to get organized!"

No doubt about it, there are many marvelous products on the market to help achieve better home and personal organization. But getting organized doesn't necessarily require spending money.

Try these tips to get organized without becoming a spendthrift:    More »

Is your family looking to lower spending at the supermarket?  Armed with a menu plan and a shopping list, you've taken the first steps toward establishing a grocery budget and are paying less for food.

But for many, the process isn't a happy one.  Mornings aren't the same when a favorite coffee blend is replaced with a generic grind, while the family is getting mighty tired of downsized dinners.  Sure, you're saving money--but are you getting the most food value for what you spend?    More »

Frugality: a noble value. Trouble is, if you've got a disorganized nature, the frugal life can seem daunting. How do tightwad friends remember all those prices, bargains, shopping bonanzas? Is the warehouse mega-pack a true bargain? When is a sale a sale?

Fight back with a powerful weapon from the frugal arsenal: the price book. First publicized by Amy Dacyczyn, author of [amazon 0375752250 inline], a price book is a power tool for tracking prices, products and sales.  

Keeping a price book recording price variations over time--and between different merchants--establishes a target price and sets out sales cycles for products you buy regularly.     More »

Imagine a genie, a butler, a secret servant at your fingertips. Someone who remembers everything: when your kindergartner got his last round of immunizations, the name and number of that other Mom in the soccer carpool, what your second cousin named her latest baby.

Someone who whispers into your ear, like the nomenclatores of ancient Rome, reminding you of who and what and where in every transaction of your life. 

Every home manager needs this informational paragon, but no one has to scour deserted beaches for a jeweled bottle. This secret servant is called a planner--and every home manager worth her gym socks needs to have one.     More »