Getting Organized with a Command Center

I'm working on setting up new organizational "systems" for myself. My latest project was creating a command center. I opted to use the Martha Stewart wall manager system, available at Staples. {Note: I have not been asked to write this by any companies.}

I opted for 4 boards - a whiteboard, a cork board, and two accessory boards. The accessories I chose - two shelves, shelf boxes, drawers, inbox, small caddy, tall caddy, two clips, and two hooks. I also grabbed a pack of file folders and a dry erase marker set.

I love the ease of putting it all together. The boards unsnap from backside that attaches to the wall. The backside has a built in level and repositioning putty, making it so easy position exactly where I wanted it all.

Conquering the Walk-In Closet

I am absolutely in.love. with my new apartment. It's absolutely perfect for me and it's only 5 minutes from my school.

The coolest thing about starting over is that I was able to completely design/decorate/organize everything my way 100%.

I have a walk-in closet in my bedroom. It's fabulous for getting ready in the morning, but so spacious that it became a "catch-all" for things that I didn't feel like putting away. It ended up becoming more of a pain to work around than anything, leading to the perfect post...closet organization!

It took me two hours to fully clean everything out, sorting into piles.

chevron shoe organizer from Kohl's

jewelry tree from Gordman's; owl bank from JCPenney

I had so much stuff in my closet that I completely forgot I possessed. Those things were purged.

The chevron shoe organizer is something I bought from Kohl's. I keep things in the pockets like Command strips/hooks, batteries, pens/pencils/markers, etc.

Hopefully I inspired you to clean a closet, too! :)

Get Organized with Microsoft OneNote #WindowsChampions

Microsoft OneNote is a program I've been using on my computer for years. I used it in college to take notes in my classes. I use it now to organize information I may need when online or away from home, but want to keep secure. I keep some of my notebooks locked with a password for security.

The possibilities for organizing with OneNote are limitless! As the image above shows, you can easily plan travel within a notebook. For a free, travel notebook template, click here. With the new 2013 edition, sharing with others and syncing with your Skydrive account couldn't be easier. Everything can be done right in the program.

Planning a wedding? There's a template for that. Need a DIY home renovation notebook? There's a template for that, too!

The Send to OneNote Tool makes it easy to clip information from the web and paste it into any of your notebooks. Think - recipes, pictures, maps, directions, an article to save for later reference, and much more!

If you have a Windows 8 touch-screen PC or tablet with OneNote 2013, you can easily hand write notes or draw pictures into notebooks.

Microsoft Office 2013 is now available online for purchase. It is only compatible with Windows 7 & 8. I upgraded before becoming a Windows Champion because I'm one of those people who always has to have the latest Microsoft Office version. Usually I wonder why I do it, because it seems like not much changes. This time, I was so glad I did. I really, truly love the 2013 version. Everything runs easily and my documents look amazing.

Office 365 Home Premium is also now available. Try a one month trial for free. Students can try Office 365 free for 3 months. The OneNote app for Windows 8 or RT is available here.

Do you use Microsoft OneNote for organizing information on your computer?

Disclosure: I am a Windows Champions blogger and I received loan of a laptop and may receive other equipment from Microsoft to assist me in evaluating Microsoft products and services for my blogging activity. 

Giveaway: Spring Clean Your Calendar with Cozi {ends April 12, 2013}

Doesn’t it feel great when you take something that is a constant nag, and tidy it up nice and neat? Like the kitchen drawer where the scissors are, the hall closet, or the crates by the back door that are supposed to organize the kids’ gear – when these things are all cleaned up and organized, they are a big help, and it feels good just to see them in ship shape!

Did you know Cozi can help you feel that same way about your family calendar? With Cozi, you can organize your family’s appointments, routines, schedules and activities in one place, then add on your birthdays, meal plans, and even the daily weather report, and you’ve got a single go-to resource that’s easy to use and has everything you need to stay on top of daily family life. Now that’s a calendar you’ll WANT to look at every day!

Cozi has premade to-do lists and checklists. I love the spring cleaning and vacation packing checklists. All you have to do is add it to your account and then it can be assigned to one person, or shared across the family. Other Cozi features are shopping lists, family journal, meal planning, and more. I absolutely love Cozi. It's a great tool for managing information among family members. All of the features can be set up for an individual or shared with other family members. They even have phone and tablet apps.

Prizes: Cozi is giving away one Kindle Fire HD (8.9”) to a winner selected randomly from all entries from all participating blogs. Cozi is also giving away one year-long subscription to Cozi Gold to a winner selected randomly from the people who sign up for Cozi through The Nest Effect.

Number of Winners: one for each prize

To Enter: You must sign up for a Cozi account through this link to enter the giveaway for both prizes. (mandatory)

Giveaway Ends: Friday, April 12. One winner will be chosen randomly for each prize by Cozi. They will send me the contact information for the winner of the prize and I will contact the winner. The winners have 48 hours to respond to my email to claim their prize.

Giveaway Rules & Disclosure:

• You must sign up for Cozi through The Nest Effect to win.
• The winners will be randomly chosen by Cozi.
• This giveaway is open to readers everywhere.
• This giveaway is sponsored by Cozi.

January 2013 Challenge {Home Management: Week 1}

By now you've surely heard about home management binders {or something similar - housekeeping, family, home notebook, etc.}. I'll show you how to set one up!

I think they're a good idea to have because they can help keep you organized. I use my {newly revamped} binder to keep track of all of the info I need at hand. I've blogged previously about all of my binders. I do have a bit of an obsession with creating them. Over the last year, my organizational methods fell apart with a lot of stuff that went on in my life. I think I overwhelmed myself with the methods I had in place. This year is all about simplifying. And simplifying means consolidating - which is why I revamped my binders...all into one.

Samsill sent me some binders to try out. My favorite - the DXL binder - is for heavy duty use. It's also larger than most binders, so my tabs and page protectors don't hang out of the binder. My other colorfully designed binders that I've used in the past were getting beat up, so I'm happy to have these new binders.

I used PowerPoint to create my cover insert and the category pages. I have a ton of colored paper that I got on sale from Staples two years ago, so I made the files black and white and just printed on the colored paper. I uploaded the binder cover and categories if you're interested in downloading {for free}. I included a few more options for wording on the cover and extra categories. There are 28 pages total.

The categories I went with are: important info, planning, finances, cleaning & organizing, home, meal planning, blogs, and businesses.

I have a snap folder that I punched holes in {myself} in the front of the binder. This is to hold any important things that need a temporary home - such as event tickets, membership cards, etc.

I used Avery Big Tab Dividers {with pockets} in my binder. I like the pocket dividers because they're wider than regular ones. Plus, I can stick things in the pockets if I don't have time to hole punch them.

Because I used the dividers with the pockets, I was able to use sheet protectors for my category pages. The regular sized dividers would be covered by the sheet protectors, making the tabs pointless.

Throughout the month I'll cover the contents of my binder, though this whole month will not be all about my binder.

So today's task - if you're interested - is creating a binder. At least create the main structure for it. I'll help you fill it up throughout the month. If you're not a binder person, you can create a filing system or notebook instead. Anything that works for you that you can organize important info with - even if it's electronic. Good luck!

Get Organized – #getorganized {Sponsored by eMeals}

Next week we begin a new year. With every new year comes resolutions. There are generally 3 major areas most of us choose to focus on each year - losing weight/getting healthy, becoming organized, and/or saving money. I admit, I jump on that wagon each year, too. I didn't last long in 2012 - it was a rough year all around. I'm choosing a different approach this year, which you will hear all about over the next month.

eMeals has teamed up with me again for 2013, and has tips that go along with those 3 general goal areas. Friday we focused on losing weight/getting healthy. Today we focus on getting organized. {My specialty!}

How much time do you spend going back and forth from the grocery store for the little things? Use this printable to solve the problem. This list with an eMeals meal plan is all you need for your weekly planning needs.

The kitchen is one place that needs daily TLC. Counters need to be wiped down daily. The microwave needs to be cleaned each week. The pantry needs to be purged every month or so. To stay on top of these tasks, use a chore list as a reminder. Simply put the list on the fridge of what needs to be done on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to keep your kitchen organized and clean.

Why consider organizing with a weekly meal plan? Save time, save money, and live your life without spending every day after work at the store, picking up dinner.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by eMeals. Graphics in this post have been provided by eMeals.
eMeals is a meal planning service that creates budget friendly menus for you, based on your family's needs - this includes eating style, family size, and favorite grocery store. Each week, your meal plan is emailed to you, complete with simple and creative family-friendly recipes. Each entree includes a suggested side dish as well. Along with your meal plan, you receive a detailed grocery list, organized by section and coordinated with the weekly sales at selected stores.
eMeals is also recommended by Dave Ramsey. 
Save 15% on an eMeals subscription with coupon code newyear.

Finances & Home Information Binder: Debt, Savings, & Home Information

Miss the first two posts? Click to read: Bills & Calendar :: Budget, Income, & Business Expenses

Disclaimer: Don't take any of my "finance" related posts as expert advice. I'm not claiming to be an expert. Eh, I'm far from it actually. This post...and the few that are coming up next...is purely for me to show you how my husband and I handle our finances. We're a financial mess, but this is how we organize it in style.

{Due to not wanting to blur out all of our financial info, I'm just going to show you screen shots of the forms I used, where applicable. I'll use actual photos where I can.}

The sixth section is for tracking debt. Boo. Who likes debt? Not me, but unfortunately we have quite a bit. Thank you, student loans.

debt repayment plan

This sheet comes first and is simply for quick reference of our debt snowball.

credit cards overview

Credit cards are truly the worst idea ever for a college campus. It should be illegal, the way they stand around, handing out flyers for free sandwiches, pizzas, blankets, etc. - all if you go to a fast food place or wherever and sign up for the credit card. So sketch. We're almost done with our credit card disaster.

credit card repayment log

Love this form. Keeps me motivated because I can see the payoff happening each month. Just keep logging...and paying.

student loan overview

Welcome to my biggest financial disaster ever. You wouldn't even be able to fathom the amount of student loan debt Chris and I have together. It's nauseating, but we're determined to pay it off ASAP. The best way to do it? By being organized, of course!

student loan repayment log

Again, this form informs and motivates.

 

The seventh section is savings.

savings log

I have one of these forms for each savings account we have. I track monthly additions to each account and am motivated to add, not take away, as I see the current balance increase each month!

yearly savings

This form serves as a quick overview to see how we're doing, overall, on our savings goals.

The eight, and final, section is home information.

important account numbers

Kind of self explanatory. I keep all of our bills and utilities phone numbers and account numbers on this form.

home services

This form includes all services for our home, such as water, gas, electric, landlords {we live in an apartment}, etc.

insurance policies

I list all insurance policies here: medical, dental, life, auto, renter's, etc.

membership information

All membership info all in one spot for easy renewing.

vehicle maintenance checklist

This form helps me remember when our next oil change is due! =]

to-do list

To-do lists are so versatile. I have them everywhere, so why not in my binder as well?

I hope you enjoyed reading about my new Finances & Home Information Binder. It's only 9 days into July, and I feel like I have a clear vision of where our money is going so we can get our debt paid down off!

If you're wondering where you can get such amazing forms like these, let me tell you. I spent the last two weeks working on a new set with this new font. Maybe not new, new, but new from what I usually use. It's called GeosansLight. This whole set, called fiances & home information set, has the same usual colors I use, but this new font