You Can Do It: 100% Realistic Budgeting Tips & Resources
Budgeting is one my least favorite subjects. One, because I am one of those right brained people who avoids math and numbers at all costs and two, because I was never taught how to make a proper and realistic budget. But as the new year rolls around we inevitably hunker down and try to crunch numbers and make a plan. Since it is not something that I have down pat, I have been doing a bit of research on the subject to help make this process finally click in my head and on paper. Tips: Be Realistic: Making your plan too strict on paper so you can feel good about buckets of imaginary money you're going to accrue in the near future isn't going to help you in the long run. Are You Leaking? The Little Things: The inexpensive dailies really add up. Make Substitutions: You don't necessarily have to stop doing everything you love. Go Old School: I think one of the most difficult things in keeping track of money is due to this cashless society we live in. Coupons: Not the clipping type? Resources:
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DIY + How To
An occasion for dispensing confetti doesn’t present itself too often, so why not do it with appropriate aplomb? As if we didn’t already know that black-and-white, bold graphics, and a dash of sparkle are a surefire route to a memorably festive visual statement, along come these confetti poppers—a DIY project — Continue reading Talk about a gem of a DIY project! This shimmering, beautifully faceted holiday ornament, which we discovered on the unfailingly industrious site, A Beautiful Mess, was fashioned at home with the help of standard craft staples: balsa wood, X-Acto knife, gold paint—and, yes, a dose of motivation which (we admit) — Continue reading We were immediately struck by the moody prettiness of this Christmas tree, only to find that we were fooled by a terrific home-made optical illusion—and the most artful no-fuss tree we’ve seen in a while. As illustrated on Almost Makes Perfect, the beauty of opting for this tree is that — Continue reading Oh man, it’s here.
Homework Desk Area
At my house, homework usually ends up at the kitchen table, and just about every night the boys have to move their homework so we can eat dinner. Well, that’s not my favorite thing (it feels a little “out of order” if you know what I mean.) Anyway, I had this empty space in my back entrance that was waiting for a little “makeover.” After a little thought, a walmart run and my dear hubby’s handiwork – the space was turned into a HOMEWORK AREA. The desk and bookcases are made from empty shelves that were just taking up space in the garage. The chair, I had kicking around (got it on sale from Ross, a while back.) The space works great and for real, my boys argue over who gets to do homework there.
belle maison
Children's Homework Message Center
Way back, almost a year ago now, I created this area in my back entrance for my boys. If you've been reading my blog for a while now, you may remember seeing this area. It's the post titled Homework Bulletin Boards. As much as I loved the area and the bulletin boards, I've wanted to update it for a long time. #1 - My boys come home with classroom newsletters each week, which are 8 1/2 x 11 paper size. #2 - I had printed out little mini-calendars to track their months. #3 - There was NO place to track their weekly schedule, WHICH is very important for me AND for them. #4 - When I first created this section in my back entrance, I only made 3 bulletin boards. #5 - I wanted to create something that I could have available in my Shop. So this here, is what I came up with: Here's a little closer look at the dry erase boards: The Child Message Centers are available HERE. I customized my boys' prints with a recent photo of each of them and their names. and so far, it's been working well. I Love.
Moving the Medicine Cabinet
Really, it was quite funny! Jen from IHeart Organizing posted on storing medication the EXACT same day that I did. I LOVE Jen's blog - always have, always will!! Jen's post had some great advice from pharmacist, Mellissa C. and more that Mellissa writes, which totally stuck out at me... Now, I was doing something right, by storing the medicine in the kitchen! In the cabinets above my wall oven. My new medicine cabinet is now in the cabinets above my Kitchen Command Center Desk. Here is my NEW medicine cabinet: This space works just great. The baskets are from the Dollar Tree I was excited to clear the space above my wall oven, because, originally I wanted my paper tableware to be stored in those cabinets.
Organization Inspiration: 10 Neat & Beautiful Closets
Previous image Next image Good closet space is key to living well in any size home. But just because it's behind closed doors doesn't mean you should let your closet become a mess. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. MORE CLOSET POSTS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:• Open Closets in Small Spaces• Roundup: Closet Solutions and Alternatives• Slow Home Space Planning & Organization: The Bedroom• Budget Basics: Cheap Closet Systems• Organizational Inspiration: Neat & Beautiful Closets• 20 Ways to Organize Your Bedroom Closet (Images: 1.
