How can such a simple question be such a dreaded question?

The key to solving this daily dilemma is PLANNING. Creating a menu saves you time and money! You can plan your menu based on what is already in your pantry, fridge and freezer. Here are a few strategies to try:

1. Once a month cooking. This involves some serious planning, but you’ll reap the benefits. You plan meals for the month and prepare them over the course of a day or two and then store them in the freezer. Imagine only having to do dinner prep cleanup once in an entire month! There are some great resources available to make this method even easier, such as cookbooks catered to this method or websites such as this one.
2. Once a month meal planning and shopping. This is a method I’ve done in the past. Make a master list of all the meals you want for a month and then go shopping. (I prefer shopping on-line at a local grocery store that has valet pick-up—well worth the $5 fee when you have a large order.) I usually end up planning about 10 meals and then repeating them each once. With leftovers and meals out, having 20 meals planned a month is usually sufficient for my family of 6. I make the meals with the more perishable items early in the month. I also generally use freezer assembly techniques to double meals. For example, if I’m making chicken with a sauce, I double the sauce and a freeze half. The half that I freeze gets placed in a freezer bag. The freezer bag of sauce gets stored with the allocated frozen meat for that meal. Yes, I still have to cook the meat, but there is virtually no prep time–or mess! And since all the items are stored together, they don’t accidentally get used up. Also, the meal tastes more fresh because you’re not reheating it. Note: You’ll likely still find the need to for a few quick grocery trips for fresh produce and dairy, but you dinners will be covered!
3. Weekly meal planning. While the monthly planning definitely has it’s advantages, sometimes putting together the list can feel overwhelming. Instead, plan just one week at time. I have found that planning 4 meals a week is ample food for my family (again, factoring in left-overs, meals out, and the occasional “Spaghettio’s for Dinner!”). Each week, pair 4 meals together and create an ingredient list. Be sure to list ALL the ingredients you need, not just what you need to buy. A few tips:

Consider pairing meals together that have similar prep work. For example, choose 2 meals that require chopping onions and do all the chopping at once.
Also consider choosing meals whose leftovers can be recycled into another meal. I serve one chicken dish with egg noodles. I use the left over egg noodles for a beef stew later in the week.
Try to pick one recipe a week to double and freeze a meal. It’s great to have extra easy meals on hand for especially busy weeks or for having on-hand to offer a friend in need.

When planning the week, consider choosing one crock pot meal per week and 1 super easy meal (pizza, pasta, breakfast for dinner, grilled cheese and soup).

After 4 weeks, you’ll have 4 weekly meal plans that you can reuse! Why recreate the wheel? Label your first meal plan “A”, your second “B”, and so forth. Rotate the weeks and simply review your ingredient list and create a new shopping list!

Meal plans can be flexible. Since you’ll have meals for at least 1 week at time in your home, you can choose the meal from your list based on what you are craving or have time to prepare each day. Since I started planning meals, I’ve noticed feeling less stressed at 4 pm, my family eats healthier meals, and I’m saving money and time at the grocery store because I have a well planned week of food. I’m not buying those “just in case” items and I’m not making multiple grocery trips!

If you have a menu planning tip to share, please share it below!

Bon Appetit!

If you’ve seen store circulars lately, you know that back-to-school time is approaching.  Each ad is filled with storage solutions to maximize every inch of dorm space. With the vast selection of colorful containers currently available, now is a great time to get organized.  But don’t rush out to the stores yet!

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they are trying to get organized is to buy containers first.  When you buy containers first, you run the risk of either buying too many containers or not enough.  And since you haven’t assessed your storage needs, often you won’t buy the right product.

Start with the challenging task of sorting and purging, take an inventory,  THEN reward yourself with the fun part….the shopping.  Make sure you purchase all the matching containers you need at once, because the selection of containers available becomes much more limited after the back-to-school season ends.

The back to school season has had me reflecting on my college days.  As I browse all the dorm room essentials in store circulars, I’m reminded of a time when all of my prized possessions somehow fit into one car and I somehow squeezed them all into a small room, shared with a roommate who also filled the space with her prized possessions.

Sure, I had storage space at my parents where I housed the rest of my “stuff” and my seasonal clothing.  But everything I needed fit into the back of a mini-van.  These days it is a challenge to fit the kids and supplies in the mini-van for just one week at the shore.

But fitting everything into the car to go off to school was a challenge too.  The bare essentials were packed first, then each additional item had to be assessed as to whether it was “worthy” of the space it would consume.  My items were essentially assigned into “A-list” and “B-list” categories.  The end result was that I was surrounded by only things I needed and loved.

These days, keeping only the “A-list” items can be a challenge.  Having more space invites more stuff.  And without limited space you’re not forced to go through it all.  Before you know it your house is not a home, it’s a big storage unit.
When I organize my own home today, I strive to live by the principal of only surrounding myself with things I need and love.  I organize rooms first by placing the essentials in the space, and then assessing each additional item, asking “Do I love it?”.  I try to assess the feeling I have to each object.  If the item evokes negative feelings (guilt, regret, denial) I do not keep it.  Those “skinny” jeans remind me that 3 kids later, my waist has gotten bigger.  That gift from the office party reminds me of negative memories of a former boss.  A pretty picture frame from an old friend, is a reminder of an ended friendship.    They’re all gone, not making the cut.

When I look around my home, I want to only see only things that I love and treasure, and smile at the memories they trigger.  Life isn’t as carefree as my college days, but less stuff I own, the more carefree I feel.

Make it your New Year’s resolution to implement organizing routines!

Organizational routines allow you to slowly work on organizing your home without dropping everything else in the process. By chipping away at your organizing projects, you avoid creating “backlogs” of clutter and putting things off for “Spring Cleaning”, an overwhelming and frequently avoided task.

You can implement organizational routines simply by following my weekly Monthly Missions program. Each month we focus on a new zone of your home and each week we complete a different task. Commit to spending 15 minutes a day on the task. Or lump the time together and complete the task on a weekend. In 6 months you will have gone through your whole home. You may not finish each week’s task, but you will have made a dent in it. And that’s how your organized home will evolve.

If you have a big project you really want to complete, go for it! Those 5 years of photographs aren’t going to organize themselves! But don’t let these projects interfere with your weekly Set Me Free! projects. Otherwise, your photos will be organized at the expense of the rest of your home. If you have trouble getting it all done, hire a professional organizing company like Set Me Free! to help you.

Make your organizational evolution more fun by inviting a friend or group of friends to join in the Set Me Free! weekly program. Pick one day each week to “weigh in” with your friend or group of friends about your organizing progress by phone calls, emails, or visits. At the end of each month, go out and celebrate your accomplishments together! Share before/after pictures each month and award a toy shovel to the person who “dug out” the most that month! The recipient who receives the award get to pick how to celebrate your accomplishments the following month.

If your group has accomplishments you would like to share with others on this site, you can submit them to BeFreeWithMe@setmefreeonline.com .

Happy Organizing!

We’re a week into the New Year. How are you doing with your New Year’s organizing resolutions? Maybe you’re struggling because you didn’t define your resolutions. Perhaps you resolved that your house would be “more organized”, but know you just don’t know how to acheive that goal.

Here are some easy to measure approaches to help you meet your goal. Pick one goal and once you work it into your routine, add another one. Over time, you’ll see and feel the difference in your home and your life!

1. Straighten up 15 minutes a day!

2. If you work from home, are a stay-at-home parent, or are retired, make it your goal for you (and your kids) to be dressed and groomed by a specific time, like 9 am on weekdays! You’ll be more productive and will always be ready to run out the door when your friend calls for a last minute playdate or when you suddenly remember that morning doctor appointment. (This is my resolution, and it really came in handy today when I needed to meet the 9:30 deadline at the same-day dry cleaners! The kids and I were ready to go! No mad rush!)

3. Do one load of wash every day! (This includes washing, drying, and putting them away!)

4. Complete your Set Me Free! task each week.

5. Take the FlyLady’s advice and create a morning routine and an evening routine.

6. File your mail everyday.

7. Clean out your purse every week.

8. Clean out your car every week.

Remember, pick one task and build on it!

It’s Saturday morning and you’ve decided that you will finally organize your closet. It’s not a job that you’ve been looking forward to, but since you can’t find your favorite shoes, it’s time to get to work. A few hours later, the room looks worse than when you started. You feel defeated and completely overwhelmed.

Sound familiar? (Read on …)