A list for a list

Here is something I've been doing for a while now. Since having children, I've found my brain truly doesn't work like it used to. (The word truly always makes me think of the movie Roxanne. You too? "Earn more sessions by sleaving." I think that was my sister's and my favorite part.) I've never been one to go to the store without a list, but now sometimes to create the list takes more brain power than I have. So, I created a list to refer to when I have an upcoming shopping day. This has helped me to forget less. I tend to make one big trip toward the beginning of the month getting as much as I can for that month. The trips when I haven't referred to the list are not as successful. For a while I printed the list off and referred to that; now I just pull it up on my computer.

Laundry

Paper towels

Toilet paper

Puffs

White vinegar

Cascade

Method dish washing tablets

Windex

Pinesol

Comet

Kitchen sponges

Gain

All

Downy sheets

Downy liquid

Dawn

Clorox

Shout

Biz

Trash bags 13 gallon

Freezer gallon

Freezer quart

Storage gallon

Storage quart

Wax paper

Foil

Plastic wrap

Diapers*

Wipes

Dog food

Cat Food

Hall Closet

Qtips

Cotton balls

Bandaids

Toothpaste

Toddler toothpaste

Butt paste

Aquaphor

Soap

Deodorant

Toilet paper

Liners

Tampons

Fridge & Freezer

Eggs

Milk

Butter

Yogurt

Cottage cheese

Shredded cheese

Block cheese

Cream cheese

Miso

Ketchup

Yellow mustard

Dijon

Duke’s mayo

Bread crumbs

Flax seed meal

Peas

Green beans

Corn

Bacon

Turkey sausage

Ground beef

Roast

Steak

Ground turkey

Salmon

Fish

Shrimp

Chicken breast

Roaster chicken

Lettuce

Carrot

Celery

Beer

Wine

Puff pastry

Tortillas

Pantry

Coffee

Tea

Green Tea

Herbal Tea

Quaker Oats

Sunbutter

Peanut Butter

Jelly

Salad Dressing

Olives

Pepper

Applesauce

Cereal

Raisins

Prunes

Dried fruit

Almonds

Walnuts

Nuts

Mini Nillas

Goldfish

Artichoke Hearts

Mandarin Oranges

Canned Tomatoes

Tomato Paste

Pasta Sauce

Honey

Wine

Beer

Splenda

AP Flour

WW Flour

SR Flour

Cake Flour

Corn Meal

SR Corn Meal

Vanilla

Chocolate chips

Onions

Potatoes

Apples

Bananas

Triscuits

Brown Rice

Mac& Cheese

Pasta

Chicken broth

Beans

*This list was obviously made a while ago. I need to update it, but wanted to publish the original first. I have things to take off and a few things to add.

Quick Tip

We have a deep freeze. I don't think we could survive without it. It stays full. Mostly of milk, meats, and vegetables. Though I recently bought about 20 pounds for frozen fruit from a church in a community near us. The sight of my freezer's contents usually overwhelms me, so recently I pulled everything out. I used small boxes (about the size wipes come in) and organized everything. Then, the most helpful thing I did was to make a list of everything in the freezer. I put squares out next to the items we had several of. As I pull something out, I check off the box. If it is an item I have a lot of, like 18 bags of corn, I just write a hatch mark out to the side. I always know how much I have. I'll have to make a new list every few months as I add more things and get rid of others. I clipped a pen to the shelf above the freezer so I never have to hunt one. Maybe this will help someone from going freezer crazy.

Pretty ribbons of blue

I read in a magazine a while back, probably Real Simple, that one way to help keep you linen closet organized was to tie a ribbon around a set of sheets and attach a pretty tag telling the size of the sheets. I thought that was a terrific idea. Until I gave it some thought. I don't have time to eat and go to the bathroom sometimes, and yet I am supposed to tie my sheets up like a pretty birthday present? Not only is that notion crazy, it's annoying.

Still, I thought about the end result and amended it. What I have started doing is folding one pillowcase and both sheets and putting them in the second pillow case. That way the set stays together but it takes no extra time to organize them than the actual folding, which you have to do anyway.

I hope I don't ever have the kind of life that affords the time to tie my sheets with pretty ribbons and I hope you don't either.

Oh what a little...

...chalkboard paint can do. In an effort to keep things in their proper place, I painted part of my pantry with chalkboard paint: the inset panels and the edges of the shelves. When I know I'll need to buy an item, I quickly jot it down on the designated area to the right. I also write quotes that mean something to me on one of the panels to the left. The bottom panels are open for the children to write on.
I painted the edges of the shelves with chalkboard paint. There I write down a guide to where things go. This has definitely helped me keep the pantry more organized. I feel like a have a better gauge of what I have and don't have. It is easier for me to plan my grocery trips, and I spend less time hunting mandarin orange segments because I know where I put them when I bought them.
I know these ideas are simple. I haven't reinvented the wheel. But I thought I would share some of them.

Organ A Za Shun

I am going to post about my strive to organize. Since the move is mostly behind us, I am trying to make headway toward having a more organized and seamless life. (Don't laugh; I can hear you laughing.) I know that, like everything else in life, it is a journey and not a destination. I will never arrive at a completely organized life. I can, though, take strides toward making things easier for my family and me. I find that my brain power has greatly diminished since these three extra people have come out of my body and into my life. I keep waiting to regain those 30-40 IQ points I feel I've lost. Until that happens, I need to rely on lists and schedules and labels and collections to help me get to the next day in one piece.

One thing I've done in our new house is to have an Extras shelf. This applies to cleaning and household materials. I have an extra of everything we use to clean on this shelf in the laundry room: sponges, garbage bags, Downy, Method dishwashing tablets, Baggies, etc. With three two-year-olds there is no dashing out to pick up Comet and laundry powder. To reduce headaches, I keep an extra of everything on hand. To ease the financial strain, I built my shelf of extras over several months. Now, when I consult my monthly shopping list (more on that later) I walk into the laundry room and see what is missing. If it is not there, I buy to replace.