Organizing Series

First of all, I apologize for a very quiet week around here last week. I was sick with a nasty cold all week. I was feeling better this weekend and planned on catching up but my husband hijacked the computer in order to get some homework done. He went to bed early tonight so I've reclaimed the computer for now.

I've decided to start a mini series on organization. For those of you who know me, you may be wondering why I'm qualified to write on this topic. My house is a wreck most days thanks to my wild and crazy preschooler. I know the concepts to get the house in order and some days work hard to get it there, but most days our house very much has the lived in look. If you will look close though, you can see where I've been trying hard to stay organized.

In the first few weeks our youngest was around, I had a lot of time on my hands while feeding him. I picked up a few organization books and I learned a few new tips, along with being reminded of some oldies but goodies. I plan on posting one tip a week that either I've been using or I've recently come across and plan to implement. Some will be quick and easy and some will require a little more effort.

I challenge you to work on the tip that week and eventually, we will all have a more organized home and life. Along the way, feel free to share your tips and tricks so we can all learn from each other. Stayed tuned as the first tip will be in tomorrow's Tightwad Tuesday post.

Food Friday: Citrus Broccoli

This is an easy way to make broccoli and is perfect for company because it tastes like you spent more time on it than you did.

Citrus Broccoli

1 1/2 lbs fresh broccoli
1 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp grated orange rind
3/4 cup unsweetened orange juice

Trim off leaves of broccoli and remove tough ends of lower stalks. Wash broccoli and cut into flowerets. Arrange broccoli in a vegetable steamer over boiling water. Cover broccoli and steam 3-5 minutes or until crisp tender. Transfer to a serving bowl and keep warm. Melt margarine in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add orange rind and orange juice; cook, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Pour sauce over broccoli.

Serves 6. 58 Calories, 1.4g Fat, 10g Carbs, 3.6g Protein, 44mg Sodium

Home Depot: Do-It-Herself

Home Depot offers some great free classes but many people do not realize not all classes are for the guys. They also offer classes geared towards kids and women. Home Depot has a class for women on kitchen updates coming up on September 24. What women wouldn't like their kitchen updated? Click the box to sign up for a class in your area. Even better, invite your friends and have a fun girls night out learning something new.

Tightwad Tuesday: Coffee Tip

Since having kids, I have come to rely on my morning cup of coffee to get me going. To be honest, it isn't the caffeine that gets me going, it is the 5 minutes I take to sit and enjoy my coffee before tackling the day. I actually usually make half caff but I look forward to that cup every morning.

I get compliments all the time on my coffee and it is because of a little secret - I add cinnamon to the grounds before I brew it. Just a shake or two on top of the grounds adds such a wonderful flavor. A relative who used to own a coffee shop once told me to add a dash of Sweet n Low too and it would cut the acidity.

Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy a delicious cup of coffee and five minutes of rest before tackling your next project.

Food Friday: 5 Cup Salad

Cooking doesn't get much easier than this. This dish used to show up at every family potluck. My mom resurrected it a few years ago and it was a nice walk down memory lane. For added color, used colored marshmallows.

5 CUP SALAD

1 cup coconut

1 cup mini marshmallows

1 cup mandarin oranges

1 cup pineapple chunks

1 cup sour cream

Mix together and chill overnight.

Setting Goals

It is hard to reach the finish line if you do not know where you are going? Many of us wander through life with no clue where we are going. The easiest way to get from point A to point B is with goals. Here are a few tips on how to write attainable goals:

Look towards the finish line. Decide what your ultimate goal is and put a date as to when you would like to achieve that goal.

Break it down. Now, break down the goal into smaller goals and assign dates to them also.

Write it down. Simply keeping the goal in your head works for a few, but writing it down can be very powerful.

Keep it in front of you. Display the goal(s) in a place where you will see it at least once a day.

Evaluate often. Sometimes life gets in the way and we realize our goals are not attainable. There is no need to abandon them though, simply evaluate them and see how they can be changed to fit the current circumstances.

Goals can be for anything from paying off a debt to losing weight to getting a promotion at work. I currently have two goals that I am working hard towards obtaining. There are many others in life I would like to accomplish, but these are were my effort is at right now. The first is weight loss. I would love to be one of the lucky people who give birth and suddenly the weight just falls off. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people. To keep me from getting frustrated I created a date I would like all of the weight to be off. I then worked backwards and found milestones in between that I can be working towards. It has made a huge difference because I'm working on 5 lbs at a time, rather than the whole thing.

The other main goal I'm working on is building my Tupperware business. I started the business to make a little extra cash for spending money but when I lost my job at the end of May, Tupperware became my job. I'm having a blast at it but I have to run it like a business, not a hobby, to make any money. I am days away from making my first goal of becoming a manager. I have monthly goals laid out for myself from now until the end of the year. At that point, I will re-evaluate and see where I would like to go from there.

Both of these goals are written in detail on notecards and are sitting in front of the sink in my bathroom. I look at them every morning as I get ready. I even sometimes add to them or mark off the smaller goals as I reach them.

I challenge you today to work towards achieving at least one of your goals. Write it down and follow through. Feel free to post back with your results.

Tightwad Tuesday: Coupon Organization Tip

People tell me all the time that they would like to start using coupons but it is just too much work for them. The best tip I can give is to organize your coupons weekly, instead of letting them pile up. When I do this weekly, it usually takes less than 30 minutes to clip the coupons, organize them, and pull together my grocery list. The times I put off my coupon organization for a week or two, I really regret it because it takes a lot longer.

Also, once a month I clean out my coupon binder and get rid of anything that has expired. It is much easier to find what I need when I'm not searching through a bunch of expired coupons.