Jan 23 | Household Tips
If you love blush, eye shadows, eyeliners, and other cosmetic products, chances are you have a whole stash of them in your bathroom drawers. These items can quickly accumulate and take over, and if you are not careful, they can create quite the colorful, cluttered mess! This year, take control of your cosmetics and get organized. Not sure where to begin? Take a peek below at 7 ways to organize your cosmetics so you can always have what you need when you need it!
7 Ways to Organize Your Cosmetics
Make magnet magic
For compacts and container items like eye shadows, magnets can be your best friend. Add a drop of hot glue to the back of the compact and attach a magnet. Then, you can simply attach the compact to any metal surface where it will hang and be ready for you to grab!
Find a toothbrush holder
The holes in toothbrush holders are great for keeping lip liners and eye liners organized. Simply place the slender pencils in the holes and they will be at your fingertips when you need them. Some lipsticks and liquid eyeliners may even fit.
Hit up the dollar store
Your local dollar store will carry a variety of plastic bins sure to fit any drawer or cabinet. Measure for the size you need then grab a few. They are great for sorting items into and keeping the items you don’t want to mix separate. You can even label these if you wish.
Baskets can be beautiful
If you are short on shelf or drawer space, a pretty basket can make any countertop look sweet and functional. Find a fun basket and fill it with the cosmetics you use most. Then, leave it on your bathroom counter where it not only looks nice, but will be there when you are ready to get glam.
Give the old heave ho
Many times we hold onto cosmetics for longer than we should. Get rid of the clutter by tossing any old or outdated make up. This is not only better for your health, but better for keeping your space organized as well. A good rule of thumb is anything older than 6 months should go.
Tackle the clutter with tackle boxes
Inexpensive tackle or hardware boxes are great for keeping small items such as applicators organized. Gather your brushes, applicators, q-tips, etc. and tuck them neatly into a divided box such as one of the ones mentioned. It is a great way to keep them dry and organized.
Don’t neglect the back of the door
Hang a shoe organizer (the multi pocket variety) over the back of your bathroom door. The multitude of pockets make them great for keeping cosmetics organized as well as high and dry. Simply drop the items in the pockets and place a label on the front. Or, find an organizer that is clear. This is a great way to use up space that is often neglected.
See how easy it can be to keep your cosmetics orderly and organized? Give these tips a try and you are sure to conquer the clutter your make up is causing!
Jan 21 | Household Tips
By now, I’m sure you’ve found a few things that you’ll be parting with. Rather than taking everything to the thrift store, take a look to see if there’s anything worth selling. Maybe it’s a brand name jacket that you no longer care for, or an extra coffee table.
Why not try listing those items on Kijiji or Craigslist? Or my favourite way to sell something, in a local Facebook Buy & Sell group! I’ve had great success with selling some items I no longer need in these such groups. I usually have the item spoken for by the end of the day!
To find a Facebook group near you, simply search for “yourcity Buy & Sell”. For example, if I lived in Ottawa, I’d type in Ottawa Buy & Sell. You could also ask your friends; one of them is bound to be a member of one of those groups.
I find I can generally earn more this way rather than a garage sale, or, obviously, by donating everything to a thrift store.
Will you try selling something? Have you sold anything this way? Any Tips?
Once you sell something, you could put that money into your gift giving budget or your emergency fund!
If you’re on Pinterest, be sure to follow my organization board for interesting organization links!
You can now subscribe to get email updates for only the organization posts that appear on Simply Frugal! Head on over to this Subscribe to Simply Frugal page, then choose Simply Frugal – Get Organized. You’ll receive an email every time time a new post is available under the organization tag! (Note: You won’t receive more than one email a day)
Jan 20 | Household Tips
We’re headed to Mexico at the end of the week and I have a ton of stuff to do before we leave. I’m also a list maker, but I’ve been a slacker in recent months. I also find the more I have to do, the more I don’t do anything. Paralyzed by too much to do’itis’, if you will. 🙂
To keep my sanity, I’ve been making an effort to make lists again and I’ve been amazed at how much I’ve been able to get accomplished.
It really helps being able to see what has to be done and when. Not to mention the satisfaction of crossing things off as they are completed! ( I love to get things done!)
If you’ve been noticing some procrastination in your own life I’d like to encourage you to start making lists. If you have big, time consuming tasks, try to break them down into more manageable tasks that you can cross off one little step at a time. Keep going until you’ve completed your big task then give yourself a pat on the back!
Here are some tips to help you create a realistic To-Do List:
1. Determine your Priorities
Determining your current life priorities is the first and most important step to creating a to-do list that you can conquer. It’s possible to get a lot done in a day, but if the things you did accomplish aren’t anywhere near where your priorities lie, then they’re all done in vain. After all, how is signing up for an art class going to get you closer to your personal priority of finishing your business degree?
Currently, my life priorities include:
- maintaining a loving relationship with my husband and daughter
- keeping our home somewhat tidy and clean
- staying healthy
- running a blog
- keeping in touch with close friends
With those priorities in mind, I know there are several things that don’t have to go on my to-do list. I don’t have to get that cool craft done that I saw on Pinterest because crafting isn’t a priority. I don’t have to vacuum under the couches because I’m okay with keeping a somewhat clean home (not perfect). Reading a book all day long while my husband and daughter are left to their own devices is not being loving towards them.
2. Start with the Necessities
Now, it’s nice to have the bed made every day, but is it actually a necessity? I would think getting showered/dressed and food on the table would be more crucial to getting your day going. Do you have a bill payment due? That’s a necessity that must be put on your list.
3. Add a few “Meatier” Things
Once you have the necessities on your to-do list for the day, if you still have some room in your day, pick a few things that would be nice to accomplish. Maybe you’re working your way to a tidier kitchen. Well, today, you can clean out one or two drawers. That will get you a step closer to a cleaner kitchen! Or perhaps because you’re trying to stay healthy, you could try out a new recipe that you saw and you know your family will appreciate your efforts at baking something new (for example).
4. Keep it Short and Sweet
There’s no point in adding 92 things to your to-do list each day. While it would be awesome if you could get that much done, you’re most likely only going to succeed in overwhelming yourself. My typical daily to-do list looks something like this:
- Shower/get dressed (yes, I have to add that to my list :P)
- My daily cleaning task
- Finishing a blog post(s)
- Making breakfast/lunch/dinner
- Taking Sienna to whatever activity we might have that day
Are you a list maker?
Jan 20 | Household Tips, Money Saving Tips
The following is a guest post by Liz from Sturm und Mom.
As a Mom of six kids, I rely on hand-me downs to stretch my budget. But sometimes an item doesnʼt get “worn out” enough by the time the last child has outgrown it. And what about the oldest — where can I get hand-me-downs for her? The solution: childrenʼs consignment stores!
Consignment stores are gold mines for the de-cluttering Mom. Buy and sell all types of childrenʼs gear: clothing, toys, footwear, swings, strollers, high chairs, books, tapes — in other words, the works. They are an fantastic place to get barely used childrenʼs clothes, often with the tags still on, for a fraction of the price.
Consignment stores work by selling gently used items for you, and keeping a portion of the price (usually around half.) Unlike thrift stores, they pre-screen and organize all the merchandise into a shopper friendly format, making them a super go-to resource for the frugal parent.
Here are some tips to make your consignment shopping and selling, something youʼll be doing again and again.
Research your Store’s Policies
Before you bring your items in, either phone or drop by to see what your local storeʼs policies are. For some stores you need an appointment, and others are drop in. Find out if they pay you up front for the items they take, or after they sell. Most stores have a limit on the amount you can bring in at one time, and the type of items they will take, so check ahead to avoid aggravation and a wasted trip.
Bring in Great Condition Items
Make sure the items you want to sell are clean, in good repair, freshly washed and folded (if clothing.) If itʼs been washed so many times that you canʼt read the tag, itʼs not suitable for consignment. Time your items to correspond with the seasons (bring in summer things during the spring, not November.)
Find Out of Season Clothing Easily
Camping trip in August and no warm sweaters that fit, or swimming birthday party in February but the swimsuitʼs bit the dust? Consignment stores are great places to get out of season clothing in a pinch.
Shop with a List
Come shopping with a list. Donʼt undo your savings by buying what you donʼt need.
Check Consignment First
I donʼt know how many times Iʼve ended up paying full price, only to find the exact same thing on consignment for significantly less.
Check Back Often
My experience has usually been that consignment stores have a lot of what I am looking for in stock, but not always. Supply can vary from week to week, so check back and donʼt get discouraged.
So, attack those kid piles! Your local consignment store is waiting and ready to turn your bursting drawers and over-flowing toy box into some money for your pocket.
Liz is a Mom to six kids 10 and under, who is always trying to get her dollars to go further, and do things better. Her hobbies are cooking, reading and crafting. She blogs about motherhood at lizsturm.wordpress.com.
Reposted from January 2012
Jan 18 | Household Tips, Links Worth Sharing
Here are the interesting links I came across on my travels around the web this week! Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Jan 18 | Household Tips
I’m quite pleased with my accomplishments this week! Although I was surprised to see that the closets in Sienna’s room didn’t need much work because I’ve been diligent in trying to keep them tidy!
I did however, manage to find a ton of clothes to donate from our closet and dresser! I was being quite ruthless.
Here are the clothes I’m getting rid of, minus a few jackets and shoes that aren’t pictured. I’m actually trying to sell them on a local Buy & Sell site!
The picture I took of the closet was horrible quality, but you can trust me that is emptier and tidier now after refolding some things!
I actually had to dig a few things out of the boxes storing Sienna’s outgrown/out of season clothes because we’re headed to Mexico next week!! Woo hoo for warm weather clothes!
How did you do with your projects this week?
Up next during my January Organization endeavor:
- File/shred paper work
- Organize the kitchen cupboards
- Organize/purge the hot water tank closet
I’ll have another update for you next Saturday, January 25, 2014.
