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How to Organize your eBooks

May 1, 2013 By Simply Frugal Leave a Comment

As you may know, the Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle Sale is on sale until May 4.   It’s an amazing package because the resources included are so helpful!  And you really can’t beat the price,  97 ebooks for only $29.97!

I thought I’d address one small detail you may be wondering about.  What exactly are you going to do with 97 new ebooks?  That’s a lot of books!  If you’re anything like me, you probably already own other ebooks, making your collection pretty substantial.

In an attempt to actually read the ebooks I purchase, I’ve found it mandatory to have them organized.

Here’s how I organize my ebooks:

  1. First of all, as soon as I receive the email to download the ebook(s), I do just that.  I download the book(s) right away.
  2. Once it’s downloaded, I sort each book by category on my computer.
  3. To do this, I created a folder with the library’s title (eBooks), then I created a folder for each category within the ebook library.  Here’s a screenshot for an example:organize ebooks
  4. In each category I’ve created, I’ll find all the ebooks I own relating to that topic.  As an example, here are some of the ebooks I have in my In the Kitchen category:inthekitchen
  5. Create as many subcategories as you want.  In my “Homemaking” folder, for example, I have subfolders for “Cleaning” and “Organizing.”
  6. I also created a folder called “Not Needed.”  These are ebooks that may have been part of a package, but they don’t fit into my life at this particular moment.  I may keep them for future use, or I may gift them to someone who can use them. (This is only allowed as long as I don’t keep a copy for myself.)
  7. Be sure to store duplicate copies of your ebooks on other electronic devices.  Computers crash unfortunately, so it’s important to store your ebooks (or other important files) in more than one place.  Some options are:  your spouse’s computer, a jump drive, or a file hosting website like Google Drive or Dropbox.  In the case of ebooks, you may also print each book to store in binders, if you like.

How do you keep your eBook library organized?

How to Read an eBook even if you Don’t Have an eReader

April 30, 2013 By Simply Frugal 2 Comments

Lately I’ve been posting quite a few sales featuring some great ebooks written mostly by fellow bloggers, including the amazing Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle! eBooks are becoming quite popular in case you haven’t noticed. :)   For those of you that may be scratching your head about the word “ebook”, here’s the definition from Wikipedia:

An electronic book (variously, e-book,eBook, ebook, digital book, or even e-edition) is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices.

While real, hard copy books are still my favourite,  there are quite a few reasons why I like ebooks:

  • They’re available instantly
    Sometimes I just want a book right away.  I don’t want to wait for it to arrive in the mail or have time to get to a bookstore.  Or, by the time my turn comes for a book I request from the library, it’s not applicable to me anymore!
  • They’re cheaper
    eBooks are almost always cheaper then a hard copy book, and I don’t have to pay for shipping!
  • They’re great for traveling
    No need to bring along several heavy books on vacation!  I also like the fact that I always have a selection of books to read if I’m waiting for an appointment.
  • They’re almost clutter free
    Aside from the device you use to read them (computer, smartphone, eReader) there’s no clutter involved in owning ebooks!  You can have an entire library of books in your bag!
  • They’re a way to support fellow bloggers
    When I purchase an ebook from a blogger, I know that my money is going directly to them to help them run their sites and support their families.

How exactly do you read an eBook if you don’t have an eReader?

Most ebooks that I purchase are in PDF format.  I really like this format because it allows me to read the books in several different ways.  Here are the options:

  1. On my computer
    This is my currently my favourite way because I don’t have an eReader and it allows me to quickly reference a book because I’m “always” on my computer. You can read any PDF on a computer, but if you prefer to read them using a Kindle app, you can download a free Kindle app for any device here, including your computer.
  2. Print them outI’ve never actually done this with an entire book, but in the case of an eCookbook, I’ve printed out individual recipes once we’ve enjoyed the recipe a couple of times.  I put these printed pages into my recipe binder, but if you print an entire ebook, you could put each book into it’s own three ring binder. Or, you could put several different ebooks into one binder if they’re of the same topic.
  3. Get them bound
    If you really enjoy having a hard copy, you may want to head to your local office supply store to have your ebooks bound!  This actually might be cheaper then printing them out yourself.
  4. Read on a Smartphone
    As I mentioned above, Amazon has several free Kindle apps for you to download making it possible to read ebooks on your smartphone (or tablet, or computer).  I have an iPhone so quite often I like to read while I’m waiting in the checkout line or at an appointment.  You can also send several different formats, including PDF, to your Kindle app via Send to Kindle.

Tomorrow, I’m going to tell you how I organize all the eBooks I own since I’m starting to have quite the library!

Do you read eBooks? Do you have an eReader, or do you read your them in a different way?

Organization Tip – Use Magazine Files to Store Plastic Bags and More

March 26, 2013 By Simply Frugal Leave a Comment

organized drawer

Have you seen this neat organization idea?  If you want to free up a drawer in your kitchen, use some magazine files and command strips to hold your tin foil, plastic wrap and more!

How to Organize All your Ripped Out Magazine Pages

March 12, 2013 By Simply Frugal 1 Comment

organize magazine pages

Looking for a way to organize all your ripped out magazine pages?  Visit Make Life Lovely to see how she did it!

Spring Cleaning that Won’t Take over your Life

March 4, 2013 By Simply Frugal Leave a Comment

spring-cleaning-broom

The weather has actually been quite spring-like around these parts so I guess it’s almost time to air out the house and do some spring cleaning!

I came across an article on Oprah.com called Spring-Cleaning That Won’t Take Over Your Life: 8 Hours, Start to Finish that you may find interesting.

I wish I had an entire day to devote to cleaning, but I think this would also work well if I did one task a day for eight days.

How to Organize your Pantry

January 30, 2013 By Simply Frugal 1 Comment

pantry

With organization month wrapping up here in the next couple of days, I thought I’d do a round up of pantry organization links!  Having an organized pantry will save you time and money in the long run.  After all, you won’t be spending as much time searching for an ingredient or spending money on an item you already have (but couldn’t find).  I’m hoping you’ll gain some ideas for pantry organization in your own home with these links!  I know I’m inspired!

General Pantry Organization Ideas:

Small-Space Pantry Organization:

Free Pantry Printables:

Three Ways to Organize Recipes

January 29, 2013 By Simply Frugal 3 Comments

organize-recipes

Are you struggling to find a way to efficiently keep your recipes organized?  You most likely have cook books, random sheets of paper, index cards and magazines lying around with your prized recipes.  But, when it comes time to actually cook something, you have to dig through all your books, papers and magazines to find the recipe you want.  It doesn’t have to be that way!

Here are a four different ways to help keep your recipes organized:

Use Index cards

You could take the time to copy all your recipes onto index cards.  Or you could tape the ones from magazines onto the cards (then ditch the magazine to help tackle your paper clutter!).  Organize them alphabetically or by category in a recipe box like the one pictured above above.

Use a Binder

Make use of a three ring binder and sheet protectors.  Simply place recipes you’ve printed, cut out or received from friends and family into the sheet protectors.  Organize them by category then once it’s time to cook or bake, remove the recipe from the binder to have beside you while you work!  The sheet protectors also double as a “splash guard”.

Use your Computer

Type, download, or scan your recipes, then again, organize them by category into a bunch of files right on your hard drive.  As I mentioned in the post about taming paper clutter, an online program such as Evernote, may help you to organize recipes as well.  Or if you’re using Pinterest, pin all your favourite online recipes (or ones you’d like to try) for visual reference!  The only problem with using your computer is, when you want to use a recipe, you have to set your computer on the counter (only if you have a laptop, of course) or print out the recipe.

Using a couple or all of these recipe organization ideas may work best for you.  I currently have some recipes on index cards, in a three ring binder and on Pinterest.  This is what’s working for me right now.  Although, I’m going to take a look in stores to see if there are any photo albums or recipe binders that would work for me to put all my index card recipes into.  I wouldn’t mind doing away with my recipe box!

What works for you when it comes to recipe organization?  Do you have any tips to share?

5 Ways to Use Egg Cartons for Organizing

January 26, 2013 By Simply Frugal Leave a Comment

I know I said I’d only have 5 days of organizing ideas using objects that you likely have on hand already, but egg cartons have so many uses, I had to share!

desk-organization

Use an egg carton to organize little office supplies, like paper clips.

baby-socks

Organize baby socks in a visual manner using an egg carton. (or use the carton to give socks as a gift.)

ornament-storage

Use egg cartons to store Christmas ornaments safely.

sewing-kit

If you only have a few sewing items, store them in an egg carton by creating a little kit!

jewelery-organization

Organize your jewelery using egg cartons!

I’m sure there are a ton of other ways to use empty egg cartons.  Care to share your ideas?

5 Ways to Use Shoe Boxes for Organizing

January 25, 2013 By Simply Frugal 1 Comment

Both cardboard and plastic shoe boxes are super versatile when it comes to organizing.  Here are 5 ideas on how to put them to use in your home!

socks

Use a shoe box to hold little baby socks, accessories and shoes in a dresser drawer like I did!

ribbon-organizer

Organize your ribbons and create an easy dispensing system with a cardboard shoe box!

ornament-storage

Create a DIY Christmas ornament storage box using a shoe box!

freezer-organization

Plastic shoe boxes are a great way to organize your freezer.

changetable-organization

Organize your change table by using a few boxes.

Free Printable – Meal Planning: My 21 Meals

January 24, 2013 By Simply Frugal Leave a Comment

21meals

This week’s free printable from ListPlanIt.com is My 21 Meals.  This will help you to keep track of your favourite 21 meals to help make menu planning a breeze.

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