Grocery List (FREE Printable)

Our family fridge + freezer can only hold a week's worth 
of food. It's a year old pre-loved unit previously owned 
by friends. Back then, I couldn't get why they needed to 
upgrade to something bigger. Ahh, the things you learn 
when you actually use something. Let's just say  we can't 
have too much of anything.  Extras just take  up valuable 
shelf space.

If I could only share one home/budget organizing tool 
with you,  it would definitely be our Grocery List. It's
been a lifesaver to us. No second guessing what needs
to be bought. 

The Grocery List I'm sharing has a "classic" design.
It's a no frills black and white item. H can easily use
it as there's no eye candy involved.

The Grocery List is editable. If you can, arrange it
according to the layout of your supermarket. Remove
items that you don't buy. Add items that you can't do

without.

The Grocery List can help you stay on budget. I do
a quick estimate of our total bill before we go shopping.
If I think we've gone over the budget, I put a question
mark or cross out back-ups. We use a calculator or 
mentally compute while shopping. If there's a special,
we can add or remove something to accommodate it.
So far so good, we usually stay within budget +/- $10
when we use the Grocery List.

Click here to download your copy of the Grocery List.

I hope this Grocery List will be as useful to you as it
has been for our family. I'd love to hear how it works
out for you.

* Oops, just caught myself there. This really is a 
Grocery List  LOL :)

Hello February 2013!

Whoa, that went fast. Yep, we're now at February!

How does one sanely manage 2 kids (3y.o. + newborn) while homeschooling
and working from home? Inquiring minds want to know...

Nope, we're NOT having anyone come over to help, nor getting help, nor sending
anyone to childcare.

Ahh... here's to better planning, organizing and executing :)


Photo credit

FREE Organizing Printables for You

I'm always on the look out for new ways to organize my life. Some people will not
"get it". After all, I just stay at home. In reality, life as a wife, work at home mom
and homeschooler can be quite the balancing act.

Here are some great FREEBIES I've come across:

Ginny of Organizing Home Life is giving away for free Home Management Binder printables.
It's going to be an interesting 31 Days of home organization ideas!

Kathy of Cornerstone Confessions is also giving away for free her All-In-One-Notebook
printables. Subscribe to her blog and she'll send over the link to you.

Pardon me for rushing off again.

Things have really been BUSY! In the last month or so we've managed to find and shift into
a new home. Next on the agenda, last minute preparations for the arrival of a new bundle
of joy! And yes, we do intend to celebrate Christmas this year!

Setting Up a Home Management Notebook System

Sometime during my first year of marriage, I ran across Simple Mom's Home 

Management Notebook System. I didn't think much of it then as it was just H 

and I. However, now that we have a toddler in the family, there's a real need 

to be more organized with the way we manage our home. 

In a nutshell, a Home Management Notebook is a home version of a work 

planner. It's most useful for:

- Work At Home Moms: there's the challenge of getting work done at home

- Homeschooling Moms: the home has to function as the kid/s' school too

- Large Family Moms: the home seems to need more organization when there's 

  more than 1 child around

- Busy Moms: the moms who manage multiple projects at any given time  

- Organizing Junkies: for those who want to do things just because 

If you're interested in setting up your own Home Management Notebook 

System, here are some free resources that can help get you started:

* Simple Mom has great articles and free printables

* A Bowl Full of Lemons has an inspiring reader challenge

* First Day of My New Life provides a useful list of printables  

* Design Finch also provides free printables

The family's big move is now set. The storage box sitting by the door is a physical 

reminder that big changes are on the way. I pray that I can continue on with my 

work at home set up; but I am keeping myself open to all the opportunities of my 

new home. If you haven't guessed yet, setting up a Home Management Notebook 

System is my current mental and emotional blankie. Better and brighter days up 

ahead!