Category: Organize Your Stuff

Low-to-High Tech Solutions for your Menu / Coupon / Shopping Clutter

A friend recently asked “What should I do with the menus, coupons and special offers cluttering up my kitchen?”  We can all relate.  We keep these menus and coupons because we want to use them, how do we actually find what we need when it comes time to order / buy dinner or go shopping?

Here are some ideas to face this challenge!

  1. The Low-tech Answer: Use a binder with clear pockets or page protectors to corral your menus and restaurant special offers.
    1. Why? Having just one location to stash such items helps cut clutter, and makes it easier to purge the old outdated menus and coupons.
    2. In addition, keeping these items in just one place makes it more likely you will find what you need when you need it.  Imagine, a random Thursday evening and you’re jonesing for pizza or Chinese food.  Having the menu and coupons to your favorite restaurants in the same location makes dinner that much easier!
    3. Keep your store coupons portable, too.  I’ve used coupon holders, but I’ve realized I rarely use food coupons, so now I carry the useful ones in my handbag in a small clear envelope with my retail coupons (like office max/ depot, bed bath and beyond, etc.)
  2. The Mid-tech Answer:  I am moving toward non-paper coupons and offers, cutting paper clutter big time!  Try these techy but not too techy suggestions:
    1. Bookmark websites for your favorite restaurants and retail destinations.
    2. Also, subscribe to their emails, to receive special offers in your inbox. Create a folder in your in-box just for special offers, so they don’t clutter your inbox and so you can find them again when you’re looking for them (on your smart phone, in line at the store!).  And purge the oldest and expired offers periodically.
    3. I also have the Key Ring App, to scan my loyalty cards into my phone, so I always have the codes with me.
  3. High tech answer:  Make your Smartphone even smarter.
    1. Download the apps for your favorite restaurants and retail destinations. Start with the stores you know and love; for example, I primarily shop at Jewel (MyMixx), Target (Cartwheel) and Costco, so I have apps for those on my phone.  I have a new Meijer and Mariano’s near me, so if I was looking for new places to shop, I could download their apps.
    2. Honorable mentions from my Facebook Friends include Meijer, Target Cartwheel, Ibotta, checkout 51, CVS, My Mixx (Jewel), Snap, Saving Star and Fooducate.
    3. Sign up for push notifications for coupons and special offers on your smart phone (so long as you don’t get charged for texts) from your favorite restaurants and retail destinations.  For example, I receive multiple texts a week with special discount offers from Macy’s and Lakeshore Learning.
    4. Sign up for shopping apps like Coupon Sherpa and RetailMeNot, to receive coupons via your smartphone based on where you are.  And finally,
  4. Know yourself, and how you choose to shop.  I choose to go to certain restaurants or shop at certain stores based on needs and wants, not on whether or not I have a coupon.  However, if I’m going to a certain place anyway, receiving special offers while I’m there sounds like a great idea!

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions, and to LR for asking the question.  As is often the case, writing this blog article inspired me, too! I’ve added apps to my phone, specifically Target Cartwheel, Panda Express, Panera, Starbucks and RetailMeNot as I’ve typed this up!  Give one of these solutions a try!

A Better Way to Hang, for National Get Organized Month!

HANGERS:

Have I ever talked about Hangers?

023Since January is National Get Organized Month, I have worked on a number of closet projects recently, helping my clients organize their clothes and closets for the new year.  As I begin to write this, I have over $500 in hangers in my van, with a return order for one client, and Container Store order to install for another.

Using good quality hangers is worth the time and money.  Why?

  • Good hangers are better for your clothing than the disposable wire ones. They provide support and leave enough room on the closet rod for each item so your clothes are less likely to get crushed and wrinkled.
  • Good hangers put some space between your clothes. For example, a client invested in wooden suit hangers for her husband’s suits, and the width of the woods and curve of the hanger provide a little space between each suit, for protection and ventilation.
  • When used together, good hangers (heavyweight tubular plastic, flocked covered or wooden) create a great visual image when you open your closet. If you are a person impacted by what and how you see (most of us are), a calming visual in our closet can help us feel cool and confident as we get ready for the day.
  • Hanging up our clothes helps us see and use what we have better.

There is a Better Way to Hang!  Here’s What to Do:

  • As your professional organizer, I will always suggest reviewing your clothes and getting rid of anything you don’t need, use or love. This hanger project provides a great opportunity to look at your clothes and purge clutter.
  • Look around your home, you may already have some of the hangers you need. If not,
  • Invest in matching hangers: tubular plastic (cheapest), the snazzy flock covered one, or even wood (most expensive). This is one instance when I suggest you shop.  You can transition your clothes slowly to the new hangers, and spread out the expense.
  • Count your current hangers (after the review and purge!), and buy the new hangers you need and just a few more. Once all the hangers are full again, you have to purge before anything else can come in. And no cheating, you are only cheating yourself!
  • Another hanger tip I heard long ago suggests “At the beginning of a season, hang all your hangers from the back of the closet rod. Then, when you wear an item, hang it back up over the front. At the end of the season, you can see at a glance what really did not leave your closet this winter. Let those items go.”
  • Use different color hangers for different family members. In our home, my oldest son has green hangers, the middle has black, and the youngest has white. We parents have our own colors, too.  This makes sorting clean laundry a breeze, and helps us find what we need when we need it.
  • Invest in really nice sturdy wooden suit hangers for your coat closet. The matching wooden hangers create a pleasing visual image when a guest opens the closet door, and the wide wood keeps space between the items.
  • Break free of old wire hangers, and recycle them at your local dry cleaners.

Spend a little quality time in your closets this week, and perhaps a little time and money at your local retailer (Bed, Bath and Beyond or Target will have the hangers you need) or on-line.  Get a new view on hangers, and improve the state of your clothes, your closets and your brain!

P.S., a few additional thoughts posted a few weeks after:

Thanks for the great feedback! I have a few more things to add, about Kid clothes hangers:
  • Tubular plastic hangers (instead of the flock covered ones) are better for kids since they can easily slide their clothes off the smooth plastic.
  • No, you do not need to buy smaller child-sized hangers for your kids’ clothing. Save the money, and use regular ones since most baby clothes will fit even on the full sizd hangers, and if not, just fold the items over the pants bar on the hanger.  

National Clean Off Your Desk Day and The 80/20 Rule

Now The Real Work Begins!  Now it’s time to get down to business, and what better way than with National Clean off Your pile of mailDesk Day, the second Monday of January!  Think about it – Cleaning Off Your Desk makes room for motivation, clarity and focus.  What are your Goals for this year:  Clear the clutter; get a handle on your money and finances; read more; stress less; do / get a better job?  It all starts with cleaning your desk!

Let me (re)-introduce you to the Pareto Principle, a.k.a. the 80/20 Rule.  The Pareto Principle says 80% of what you need is in 20% of what you have. Say it a couple times out loud until it sinks in.  The 80/20 rule applied to Paper management says we need about 20% of our papers, and we can probably get rid of the rest.  As an example, a client returning from a trip mentioned collecting 2 inches of mail from her mail box, and keeping… 4 items.  That’s it.

Let’s clear that cluttered 80%, so we can work on the 20% we need to act on and keep.

Here’s What To Do:

Grab a recycling bin and shredder, a letter opener, and pen and paper.

Grab the first pile of papers on your desk, and get started. With the most recent pile of mail, open it all.  Yes, really, Standing at your work space (standing is better), open it all.

  • Recycle immediately the ads.
  • Start piles for Common Categories, like these:
    • Bills to pay
    • Action Items (notes to send, reminders of phone calls to make, forms to complete and submit, etc)
    • Items to Read Later: magazines, articles
    • Errands to Run (coupons, receipts for returns, etc)
    • Papers To File
    • Tax Related Papers 2 years ago
    • Receipts
  • Recycle all the catalogs, but first tear off the back page off and set them aside.
  • Open every envelope, and toss / recycle / shred anything you don’t need for action or filing.  Recycle outside envelopes and inside inserts for your bills, etc.,
  • Set the bills-to-pay in their own pile, and the action items (same pile for me)
  • Grab a magazine holder and start a reading pile for your magazines and articles you plan to read later

Make some magic, and STOP MORE MAIL FROM COMING!

  • Low Tech: Call the 800 #s on the back page of the catalogs, and request to be removed from their mailing list.
  • Go To http://www.catalogchoice.org/, create an account and “Unsubscribe” from catalogs
  • Using your catalogchoice.org account, Get the Mail Stop app for your smart phone and get rid of unwanted mail in your mail box, too
  • Contact and create an account with the Direct Marketing Association,  http://www.dmachoice.org/, to get off of mailing lists and stop unsolicited mail
  • Another option is the Paper Karma app for your smart phone, to unsubscribe from mailing lists.
  • Unsubscribe from Magazines you no longer need or want, and digitize your subscriptions, so they come via email or on your IPad or Tablet.
  • Make a regular appointment to get to your reading pile (mine is early on Saturday morning for an hour or 2)

I’ve blogged extensively on setting up the actual Paper Management structure, the files and things, so please check out those, too, as you proceed to the next step:  http://colleencpo.wordpress.com/?s=paper+management

Here are related blogs, too, from past National Clean Off Your Desk Days:

You Can DO This!  Now get to work!

Back to Normal, Only Better. Because I am Grateful.

For me, this week has been about getting Back to Normal.  Normal, only better.

Because I am grateful, and gratitude makes everything better.

Gratitude is central to getting organized.

Gratitude elevates even the everyday stuff to Better.

Gratitude helps us prioritize our time and efforts around the people and things that we value most.

Gratitude for what we have makes us want … less.  Less clutter, less drama, less stuff.   Gratitude helps us get organized when we can appreciate the stuff we have and purge the stuff we don’t need.

You see, while I love Advent, Christmas and New Years, I am also relieved as they draw to a close. We will keep our Nativity up until the Christmas Season’s official end on Sunday, January 11th with the Baptism of Our Lord, but we are getting back to Normal in most other areas.

And I am grateful. This Season was wonderful, and then I had the flu for a week.  I am just so thankful for our wonderful Christmas, and now to feel better, to have my family healthy and happy, to be able to do normal things again.

Expected house guests motivated me to thoroughly clean my house and get to the grocery, then the guests cancelled their plans.  So my house is clean and fully stocked, and I am grateful for our home and health, and ready for our guests when they reschedule!

I worked over the weekend, first with a wonderful coaching client and then with a new client as we reclaimed her second bedroom.  I am so grateful for what I do professionally!

As I put away our Christmas decorations, I spent a few extra minutes purging the old and broken ones, and fitting everything back in fewer storage bins.  I’ll be grateful next December that I cleaned up the decorations.

The boys went back to school, so we all returned to better routines.

I backed up, cleaned off and updated my IPhone and IPad.  And I am so grateful for technology, for keeping in touch and running a business from home.  And for making the flu a little more bearable, with downloadable books on my Kindle App, and movies via Amazon Prime.

So life is getting back to normal, only better.  Because I am grateful for normal.  We always should be grateful for all that we have, but sometimes we forget.

Today and this week and this month and this year, it’s your opportunity be grateful and to get back to normal-only-better. Be grateful for you what you have.  Let Gratitude help you focus on the important parts of your life.  Wrap around all the good things, and make room for more by letting go of clutter and want.

Great and Easy Kitchen Updates Inspired By My Trip To The Container Store!

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a grand opening event at the new Container Store location in Chicago, at Clark and Roosevelt.  I am over-the-moon happy about having a location close to me, and the event was great – Live band, fabulous food and beverages AND the Container Store!  A few of my favorite things, to be sure!

As I wandered the aisles with my savory appetizers in hand (how could I NOT enjoy that?!), I shared delight with other party-goers over cool gadgets and creative ideas. Perusing the Kitchen aisles, I realized I already utilize many of the great ideas and gadgets they were selling.

Since the holidays are upon us, and all the baking and cooking that come with them, here are some great gadgets I use in my own kitchen, maybe it’s time for you to try one, too!  Every one of these ideas costs less than $20 and has easy installation.

Magnetic knife strip:004

For 19 years, our knives sat in a wooden knife block on the counter.  This summer, in an effort to reclaim kitchen counter space for another computer work space, I installed a magnetic knife strip and got rid of the block.  I like the location, it’s right over my biggest work space, and using the vertical wall space cleared up work space.  It was inexpensive and so easy to install.  Score!

005Hung paper towel rack:

We’ve always had a hanging paper towel rack instead of a standing paper towel rack, to save counter space and eliminate the toppling that sometimes occurs with standing racks.  It’s installed over my biggest work space and next to the sinks, for quick clean-ups.

In-sink dish drain:008

I have double sinks in my kitchen.  Someday, I will spend lots of money, update my kitchen and get a really big and deep single sink that finally fits my baking sheets, but for now, we work with what we have.  And so, in one side of the sinks, I keep our dish drain.  This eliminates the need for a tray to go under it, plus it frees up counter space for work space.

DSCN2111Spice drawer:

Years ago, I dedicated a drawer to spices instead of a cabinet or counter space.  It may seem a surprising use for a drawer, but being able to see all the labels is invaluable, and makes cooking and prep that much simpler.  We make sure to keep our dish towels, cloths and pot holders to a minimum, so we have the drawer space to dedicate to spices.


Hanging Fruit Basket:DSCN2118

We have a three-tiered hanging fruit basket hanging in the window over the kitchen sink.  It keeps our fruit at eye level, as a reminder to eat more fruit!  In addition, it saves valuable counter space for food prep or work space by eliminating the need for a fruit bowl.  Think about it this way – look for any opportunity to use your vertical space for kitchen storage, to free up flat work space.

So, look around your kitchen this week and consider a few quick and easy updates to make this most-used room in the house work better for you!

I Bet Having A Robotic Clone Would Boost My Productivity

robot

Speaking with a client last week, we decided we need our own housekeeper to take care of stuff for us! But as I am unlikely to find an electronic Me any time soon, I need to accomplish my tasks as efficiently as possible!

I recently wrote about Finding Productivity in little bits of times (click here for the article: http://colleencpo.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/5-ways-to-find-productivity-in-little-bits-of-time/).  As I wrote that article, I recognized that several of the Errands / Tasks listed, “Post office, newspaper, library, make banking deposit”, could be completed electronically.  For example, I bank and pay bills online, receive subscriptions via my IPad and read books on my kindle.  Since then, I have worked to simplify my errands and tasks using technology.

Even before the Productivity article, we had eliminated a number of regular errands through technology or automation, and you can try these, too!

  • Our regular prescriptions come by mail in 3 month supplies.
  • Our vitamins and nutritional supplements come by mail every three months, too.
  • I upload digital photos to the Walgreens website and pick up the printed items in-store.
  • Since 2012, I shop for cleaning supplies and personal items directly with a manufacturer that is USA based, eco-friendly, cost effective and ships directly to me. (If you would like to hear more about this opportunity, I encourage you to call my friend Mary Damiani, 708-699-6538, who shared it with me.  She can help you understand the value, plus answer your questions.) I’ve saved time and money by NOT shopping in stores for these items! Once a month, I place my on-line order and my items arrive a few days later.
  • Last November, we subscribed to Amazon Prime through Amazon.com. We pay an annual fee but no shipping costs for Amazon.com orders.  The membership paid for itself by Christmas.  Now, instead of shopping in stores, I check Amazon – for example, my husband has been watching Amazon.com prices on a replacement electric razor, and ordered it during a sale last week, with free shipping, of course.

To save even more time running errands, since July, I have tried these, and you can, too:

  • Set up my IPad to download books from my library.  It’s free, easy and I read more now than ever!
  • Fully embraced my PayPal Reader, so that I can receive client payments on my smart phone.
  • Downloaded my bank’s mobile app, but decided for safety sake not to make deposits from my phone.  I am, however, exploring how to deposit checks from my home computer.
  • Established a credit card for my business, so that I can use electronic transactions more.
  • Ordered items on-line for pick up in actual stores, like Lowes or Home Depot.  I don’t have to walk around the store and find what I need, instead its waiting for me when I arrive.
  • Downloaded apps for favorite restaurants to view menus, order food and / or organize special offers.

There are still some errands and tasks I have to complete in person.  Dropping off our dry-cleaning, getting a haircut, trying on clothes, getting my vacuum repaired.  But when I do run errands, I plan ahead.  I know exactly where the vacuum repair shop is located, or I make a haircut appointment so I don’t have to wait.

So, look at your errand or task list this week.  Imagine how you could simplify your list and your life by taking care of some tasks electronically!

Other great blog articles I read this week re Productivity:

http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/10/amazons-brick-and-mortar-store-shouldnt-come-as-a-surprise/

http://bennisinc.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/have-you-fallen-into-the-deadly-trap-of-time-management/

12 Answers to “Why Do I Have To Make My Bed?”

(Love this!  Originally posted in 2014, when my sons were 10, 14 and 16!)

Klimczak household, 7:30 am in a recent Thursday morning,Single_Bed.svg.med

“Why do I have to make my bed?”, the 10 year-old grumbles. “It’s just going to get all swirled up again tonight.”

He’s right, of course.  In my head, I say “I know, honey. I understand your frustration. I often rail inwardly at the seeming futility of housework – why do I need to clean the kitchen when we’re just going to mess it up again at dinner time?”

But this is not what I say out loud, of course. What I do say out loud is “because its time to make your bed. It’s what we do every morning. Then you need to put your dirties in the hamper so I can start a load of laundry”.

He sighs.  I sigh. He is right, but so am I.

As a parent, I need to encourage and cultivate habits of self reliance and responsibility with my kids.  On other mornings we have talked about why we clean our rooms and make our beds every day.

  • Because it shows we have pride in our selves.
  • Because it shows we care about our stuff.
  • Because it’s nice to slide into smooth, crisp sheets at the end of the day.
  • Because we never know who may stop by, and you don’t want to look like a slob.
  • Because it’s what we do.
  • Because it’s the right thing to do.
  • Because it will give me one less things to nag you about later.
  • Because I said so.

As a professional organizer, I tell him to make his bed because:

  • It’s important it is to create good habits and routines.
  • We all have chores to do every day.  Some chores are for survival, some for maintenance and some for progress. And if we do the maintenance tasks regularly, the other ones are easier.
  • Studies show how making your bed every morning helps you be more productive for the rest of the day.
  • Productivity comes more easily to those people who can find motivation inside themselves instead of outside

But come on, let’s face it. He’s 10, and that’s a little heavy for 7:30 am on a Thursday.

So the parent comes back, checks on progress, helps the 10 year-old finish the job he started, makes the bed-making a game with lots of pillow tossing and giggles, and models the right behavior.

Only you and I know that we do these things not necessarily because we want to, but because we need cultivate good habits and self motivation, in ourselves and in our children.

Because some day when he and I are both older, I won’t be there to nag him every day.

Because even these little things matter.

So, friend, go make your bed.

Taking National Preparedness Month to Work!

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Did you know?  September is National Preparedness Month!  The 4 steps, from www.Ready.gov, are:npm logo

  1. Be informed – Learn what protective measures to take before, during and after an emergency (from Ready.gov);
  2. Make a Plan – Prepare, plan and stay informed during an emergency (from ready.gov);
  3. Build a Kit – Build a Kit for disasters to be prepared (from ready.gov); and
  4. Get Involved – Find Opportunities to Support Community Preparedness.

We should have positive and useful conversations in our homes, families, workplaces and community to prepare for emergencies BEFORE the emergency actually occurs. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need to plan for emergencies, but as wonderful as our world is, it is not Ideal.  And so, emergencies and disasters may happen.  But family and community members of every age benefit from having and knowing the plan to activate in the face of an emergency.

I have written about NPM in the past, click here for information:  National Preparedness Month: Get your Kit

This September, I want to talk about preparedness in the workplace.   We spend up to 60 hours a week (or more) at our work place, or more than ½ of our waking hours.  It makes sense to have a plan for emergencies at work.

I work from home, or in other people’s homes.  We have preparedness plans for home, but I have one for my travel and organizing time, too.  Examples of my preparedness plan for my “workplace” are habits like:

  1. Keeping my cell phone fully charged;
  2. Carrying an extra charging cord, first aid kit and non-perishable snacks in my car;
  3. Keeping my car keys and phone on me at all times; and
  4. Keeping my gas tank always above a quarter of a tank.

There are lots of options for office workers, too.  A client who works in a high-rise building in downtown Chicago has an emergency kit in his desk, supplied by his company and building management.  I researched other kits on-line, and they may contain items such as:

  • a bottle of water and non-perishable snack (management comes around and refreshes these every year);
  • a foil emergency blanket;
  • a signal whistle and crank flash light; and
  • a small first aid kit, face mask and a pair of latex gloves.
  • My downtown client’s kit is in a small soft sided cooler bag, and other kits I have seen are in string backpacks or fanny packs.

If you don’t have a kit provided by your employer, please consider creating your own kit or a kit for a loved one, and keeping it close at hand for emergencies.  You can include any of the items mentioned above, and add others based on your own situation, for example, one kit that I researched included a poncho.  You can also buy pre-assembled workplace preparedness kits on-line or at most office supply chain stores.

Let me encourage you and your family, workplace and community to get involved and get prepared.  Focus on Preparedness now so you can focus better on everything else later!

Refresh and Restart For September

Recently, a friend – a fellow mom and business owner – wished me a Happy New Year, and that is really how I feel about September.  The schedule change, the life transitions, the brisk weather – I always feel renewed!  Use this time of renewal to clear mental and real clutter, and get a better handle on your time management, just like our students do!  Here’s how:


Re-Commit to Good Routines.

I love summer, but all facets of my life, personal and professional, benefit from Back-To-School consistency with waking and bed-times, meal times and nutrition, and more structured workdays.  Use this new season as an opportunity to return to routines that work, or tweak your routines and make them work even better!


Go to bed.  No, seriously.  Go to bed.

This is an uphill battle for me most days.  As a parent, I daily try to convince my teenagers to listen to their tired bodies and go to bed, instead of staying up late just because they can.  And personally, I wish I could say I get enough sleep, but sometimes I don’t. Most nights, I’m in bed at a reasonable hour, but some really great books have kept me up lately!  This week, now a little colder and darker outside, I will listen to my own tired body, close the book or IPad, and hit the pillow earlier.

We think better, work better, feel better and act nicer when we are well rested. Go to bed.

Remember the care and consideration you spent on that First Day outfit? 

September is a great time to take a look at your wardrobe, and make a few changes!  Cooler temperatures and Autumn colors have us shuffling through our closets in search of something to wear.  Take time to clean summer clothes, review and purge accordingly, and put them away into seasonal storage on a high shelf or in underbed storage. Shop in your closet for surprises (those great scarves I bought last Spring), and favorites. Refresh your wardrobe without leaving the house or spending a cent.

Re-new friendships and strengthen relationships!

I always loved going back to school because it meant I got to see my school friends more regularly.  We can learn from this as adults, too!  It is always a good time to reach out to a friend.  Whenever you find yourself wondering about someone and how they are, reach out!  And I mean via facebook, email, texting or a greeting card, in addition to the obvious “call them”!  Wouldn’t it be nice to know someone is thinking of you?  Your loved ones feel the same way.  Connect!

Out with the old, in with the new.

Out with the old:  It’s also always a good time to clear clutter!  This week I dropped off a couple of bags of donations, arranged donation of some old cell phones and cords, and sold used items on-line.  I cleaned out, cleaned up and made some space.

In with the new:  I love back-to-school for new gear and gadgets, but I don’t really need anything right now.  I did spend my morning clearing memory, installing updates and cleaning up my tech.  That’s all new!  And it feels great!

Learn something new.

Keeping up with your kids on a new technological gadget?  A language? A musical instrument? A cool new app, or a new way of doing something?   You-tube, google or your local library are all great places to imagine and explore new skills!  In addition, I already have a lot of new information right in front of me – I am working through my professional reading pile:  here’s irony, I have two time management books next on my pile, guess I need to find some time to read those!

With the new season comes meetings and events and an influx of new ideas to process and act upon.  It’s energizing!  Learn something new all the time.

How will you choose to embrace the new season this week?  Let’s Go!

Our Food Was All “Some Assembly Required”… Or “How I Spent My Sunday Afternoon”.

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We are all back to school and routines now.  The calendar is full and busy, but manageable. I have to admit, though, the 013extra-long holiday weekend last week messed me up in one area – Dinner.

Don’t misunderstand me – an extra-long weekend is always a good thing!  I just felt unprepared for the week.  We had plenty of food, but as I discussed with my teenager, everything was “Some Assembly Required” food.  We often survive busy school nights on weekend left overs, so we got into trouble when there were NO weekend leftovers!

So I tried a new strategy yesterday, menu planning on a larger scale than ever before.  Considering this week’s menu plan and the contents of my kitchen, I wrote down 11 food items to make in one Sunday afternoon.  Here is the list:

  • Oatmeal-butterscotch-dried cherry cookies, for lunches and for care packages for two beloved college students004
  • Banana bread, also to eat and send away, and to use up the overripe bananas in the freezer
  • Peach and plum crisp, for Sunday dessert005
  • Hard boiled eggs, to peel and have on hand for snacks and quick breakfasts
  • Tuna salad – all protein for me for lunches this week
  • Egg casserole, for the high-schoolers to heat up in the morning before school
  • Bread crumbs, for the meatballs and to have on hand
  • Meatballs, for a new recipe later in the week
  • Pork Roast and broiled potatoes for Sunday dinner
  • New recipe, Cheddar and Bacon bread, because let’s face it – you can’t go wrong with cheese or bacon!
  • Browned ground beef, for taco casserole Tuesday.006

What I learned from this process:

  1. I enjoy cooking, and I’m so glad I dedicated some time to making delicious, convenient and nutritious food for all of us this week. However….
  2. Five hours in the kitchen was a VERY long afternoon, and then there were still dishes to do after dinner. Next time I will cut back on my expectations and the allotted time.
  3. Start with clean counters and an empty dishwasher. The clean counters are obvious, but the empty dishwasher would have saved me clean-up time.
  4. Line up everything needed on the counter, with recipes, pans and ingredients, to make sure you have everything you need.
  5. Make double batches. A double batch of anything is no more trouble than a single batch.
  6. In addition, double up your prep. I used my Cuisinart and chopped onions for 3 recipes all at once. Not one tear shed!  I used my food processor to shred 2 pounds of cheese and to pulverize the bread into crumbs, too.
  7. I will ask for more help, either with cutting / chopping, or with clean-up. 
  8. I am already thinking about what to make the next time I do this, probably in a couple of weeks.

007If your weeknights are busy, considering cooking meals on the weekend to eat during the week.  Make your plan, lay out your supplies, crank up your favorite Pandora channel and get cooking!