Do you ever find yourself wandering the aisles of the supermarket dazed and confused? Is your budget out of control and you’re unsure on how to rein it in? Or have you ever walked the entire length of a large shopping centre ten times over… zig zagging your way around as you weren’t sure what stores you needed to visit. The answer to these problems may be as simple as using a shopping list.

The savings add up.

If you have ever looked at your spending, especially when it comes to groceries, you will be amazed at how much money is wasted. Planning your meals, portioning them correctly and not wasting any leftovers are a great way to save money. But starting this process with a list of what to buy is just as important. (check out my previous blog posts on How Meal Planning Can Help You and Using Leftover Food)

Christmas shopping is also a great example of when shopping lists are a must. Those bright flashy sale signs are a sure way to wast $50 or more on unnecessary items.

Some additional tips.

• If you’re an impulse buyer then maybe online shopping is for you.
• If you write a list and always forget to take it with you, then either take a photo of the list or just type it in your phone. Majority of us never leave home without our phones.
• Never go shopping when you are hungry!

It’s such a great feeling when you leave a store with all the things you needed. Even better when your budget is accounted for and there are no feelings of buyer’s remorse. Why not use those savings towards an end of year holiday with your family?

See you next time!

Mei x

For helpful tips, advice, humour and inspiration on getting organised, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media – click on the links below.

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Do you use a shopping list when you buy your groceries? Send me a comment as I’d love to hear from you 🙂

Don’t let the thought of drilling holes in walls and doors stop you from getting your home organised. Using an over the door hook can help you make use of the wasted vertical space on your doors.

That jacket that gets used daily and always ends up on the floor… Towels in the bathroom that don’t have the room to dry out properly… One of my most popular products in my catalogue range (the clever Play Pouch below) once packed up, needs somewhere to hang. These items plus more can benefit from a simple to install over the door hook.

Flexible storage solutions.

Sometimes a well thought out plan of organisation doesn’t always turn out that way. Attaching hooks to walls and doors can be a little too permanent for some people. Over the door hooks are the simple solution – plus they are a renters dream.

So many options.

Over the door hooks come in a variety of different types. There are ones that hook onto internal doors and are great for bags, jackets, towels, robes and more. There are ones that are perfect for smaller cabinet doors, some with baskets attached too. Great for kitchens and bathrooms. Then there are the cleverly designed over the door fully racked systems like this one (below) that have versatile moveable baskets. These are popular in pantries, laundries, wardrobes – actually, anywhere that has a standard internal door and is in need of more storage space!

So you don’t need to be a seasoned DIY’er to get more storage space. Using an over the door hook is the simple solution you can start using today.

See you next time!

Mei x

For helpful tips, advice, humour and inspiration on getting organised, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media – click on the links below.

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Do you use over the door hooks in your home? Send me a comment as I’d love to hear from you 🙂

With a large shoe collection, it’s so easy to forget what you have. And it can be even more difficult to find the best way to store them. Shoes can easily be damaged by dirt and dust, or rubbing up against each other. Storing them the right way will help keep them in the best condition.

But how can I best store my shoes?

For those favourite dress shoes that don’t get worn every day, I like to use a clear stackable shoe box. This keeps them looking their best plus the boxes are stackable, so they make great use of shelf space. To be able to see what I have at a glance, I take photos of my shoes and stick the image to the front of the box. Having the picture of the shoe on an angle helps to see not only what is inside, but will determine the height and heel type of the shoe as well. Super helpful for getting ready and trying to find the best shoes to match my outfit!

For the everyday type shoe, storing them on a shoe rack with one facing forwards and the other backwards, is the easiest way to see what the whole shoe looks like. The closest and easiest place to see and reach your shoes, should be where your everyday shoes are stored.

Too many shoes for your wardrobe?

Make sure you store the rest of your shoes in the way that they get used. For example, when winter boots or enclosed shoes are being used daily, then your summer sandals and thongs can be stored together, out of the way, till they are likely to be used.

Whatever size your shoe collection is, storing them back to front not only saves space but will save you time getting ready too! Save your money on by looking after the ones you have.

See you next time!

Mei x

For helpful tips, advice, humour and inspiration on getting organised, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media – click on the links below.

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How do your store your shoes? Send me a comment as I’d love to hear from you 🙂

There are many uses for compartment boxes that aren’t just restricted to the tool shed or for fishing tackle. I have them throughout my entire house storing various items. I really don’t know of a better way to store the little things?

Anything that is small and needs separating is perfect for a compartment box. These items make such a mess when they all get mixed up. You can waste valuable time looking for your things or you may even waste hard earned money buying more of the same.

The uses are endless.

• Batteries divided into their various sizes.
• Keeping lego parts separate.
• Craft items for everything from beads to embellishments.
• Sewing needles, threads and spools.
• First aid kits containing various band aids and creams.
• Smaller makeup items from eye shadows to lipsticks.
• Stationery items such as clips, pins, pens and markers.
• Earrings, rings and other smaller jewellery.
• Screws, bolts and nails.
• Fishing hooks, sinkers and lures.

A versatile storage container.

Clear compartment boxes with movable dividers are the best ones to use. Having them in the same size will enable them to be stacked as well. This is also a great way to use shelf space. Make sure you label what you have and you will always be able to locate what you want at a glance.

Compartment boxes are such a cost effective storage solution that there are no excuses to purchasing a few this weekend! Get tackling those messy areas you’ve been meaning to do ‘some day’. If you are too overwhelmed then start with one drawer or shelf at a time.

See you next time!

Mei x

For helpful tips, advice, humour and inspiration on getting organised, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media – click on the links below.

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Do you use compartment boxes in your home? Send me a comment as I’d love to hear from you 🙂

Do you have second or third servings of the leftover food from dinner? Are your pants getting tighter and your belt buckle has moved down a notch? Or worse, the dog gets the leftover food and now you’re spending a fortune at the vet and poor pooch has to go on a diet?

Planning, Portioning, Recreating.

Learning how to plan your meals (check out my blog post How Meal Planning Can Help You) and portioning your food right is a great start. But, the next step is learning how to reuse (or recreate) that meal into something that can be served again the next night or for another time. This is a massive time and money saver. Nobody has time to waste in a kitchen prepping, cooking and cleaning. And the money saved can add up quite quickly.

Common leftovers in my home.

I like to make up a big Asian salad which lasts a couple nights. One night we will have Asian style beef and the following night, Asian style chicken. I love to do a slow cooked meal such as pork or lamb. The slow cooker is filled and once I’ve shredded the meat it can be made into a number of different meals. If I buy a BBQ chicken then it gets used so many different ways. Served with roast veggies and gravy, additions to salads, wraps & sandwiches the next day. I even freeze leftover cooked chicken to reheat into hot chicken rolls or chicken enchiladas or gozleme’s… the list is endless of the meals you can recreate.

My top tips:

• Cook as much as possible ie if you’re a family of four and the meal can serve 8, then cook for 8 and freeze the rest for another time.
• Cut the portions sizes down a little further and add a bigger side salad.
• If you are a larger family then it’s still worth saving even a single meal. When you have enough single meals then your family can have a ‘Pot Luck’ style dinner.

And lastly, remember to store your food correctly, in the right containers to avoid contamination and label it with the contents and date.

See you next time!

Mei x

For helpful tips, advice, humour and inspiration on getting organised, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media – click on the links below.

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Do you use the leftover food in your home? Send me a comment as I’d love to hear from you 🙂