Frugal Friday- Use what's in your kitchen

Find more Frugal Friday posts here.

One way to stretch your grocery dollars is to use what you already have in your pantry for some meals. Those odds and ends can add up to a few days worth of meals and extend the time before you have to go to the store again.

*We usually have eggs- do you know how many things you can do with eggs? Poached, scrambled, quiche, omelets- you get the idea!

*Pasta, can of chicken broth and frozen veggies= homemade soup

*Half a bag of salad mix, lunchmeat, boiled eggs, shredded cheese = cobb salad

*Leftover crudite (fresh cut veggies), soy sauce, rice= veggie stirfry over rice

You get the idea- what are some of the ways you use odds and ends to whip up dinner?

Happy Menu Planning,
Melissa, Multi-Tasking Mama

Works for Me Wednesday- Dryer Sheets

Here we are for another week of Works for Me Wednesday. Click here to join in the fun and learn something new from all the ladies posting their tips.

Today, I am going to share things I have learned you can use dryer sheets for, other than the obvious use- laundry.

~Use a dryer sheet (your favorite scent of course) as a sachet in your underthings drawer. Keep your unmentionables smelling fresh.

~Use dryer sheets (used) to put rice in, tie with a pretty ribbon and use as a wedding favor. Easy for people to open when it is time to toss the rice (or birdseed, whatever) We used this at my wedding (many moons ago), great way to recycle.

~Dryer sheets make good dusting cloths.

~Put a dryer sheet in the bottom of the clothes hamper (especially if you have stinky tween boys like me) and in the bottom of trashcans to keep them smelling fresh.

~Can also put a dryer sheet under the seat of your car as an air freshener.

Have you ever used a dryer sheet for anything other than laundry? Share your tip with me in the comments.
(photo credit www.clipsahoy.com)

Happy Organizing,
Melissa, Multitasking Mama

Menu Plan Monday

Weeks like this are the reason that menu planning in advance is so helpful! I do our menus 3-4 weeks at a time. We have a large freezer so it is possible for us to buy groceries that will last that long. The only thing we end up needing to buy in between monthly "grocery shopping" is milk and occasionally more fresh fruit/veggies.

I am laid up this week with a ruptured disc/pinched nerve in my back- let's just say OUCH is an understatement! But, my hubby is good to go for cooking dinner because all the ingredients for our menu are already in the fridge and the pantry. And,I always write the book/page # of any corresponding recipe so he doesn't even have to hunt for a recipe.

So, because I meal plan, the following is what we will be eating this week instead of hotdogs and take-out :-)

Monday- Shrimp Stirfry over brown rice
Tuesday- Whole Wheat Penne Pasta with tomato sauce, salad
Wednesday- Taco Salads (made with ground turkey)
Thursday- Pan fried Chicken Breast, homemade french fries, green bean
Friday- Beef Stew (in the crockpot), cornbread

So, what's on your menu this week? Have you found menu planning to be helpful? Let me know in the comments or join in the carnival fun here.

Works for Me Wednesday- Organizing Magazines

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Organizing magazines can be difficult. As a professional organizer, I recommend that you only keep the current month of magazines and catalogs. After that, tear out or copy the articles you are going to use in the future, place in a three ring binder and recycle the magazines (great for kids crafts, donate to a nursing home, etc).

The above is how I use a wine rack for my current month magazine storage. They fit well and makes the magazines part of our decor. You can also use a basket, a magazine holder (found at office supply stores) or use them as a display on the coffee table.

How do you organize your magazines?

Happy Organizing,
Melissa

Saving old chairs

Our dining room set (which I love by the way) is old. By old, I mean i was a flea market find for me so it was already used when I bought it. Which BTW is one of the reasons I bought it- I love furniture with character! However, the seats of the chairs were starting to look a little worn for even my liking.

So, I found these placemats at Kohl's on sale for .75 each. I bought six placemats, bought some velcro and I have chair pads the color scheme of my dining room, cover the worn seats and provide a little cushion for our bottoms all for under $15.00. That is chic on the cheap! Here are some pictures of my project:










So, what do you think? Have you any cheap decorating tricks to share?

Works for Me Wednesday- Color Coded Calendar

One thing that works for me (and has since I first became a homemaker) is our color coded family calendar. I am too cheap (I mean frugal) to buy the ones that have color coded blocks for each family member so I use my handy dandy highlighters. The important part is the color coding. Activities that everyone needs to attend are in blue, and then each family member has their own color.

This was really helpful when the kids were small, but it is even more helpful now. Our boys are tweens and involved in everything from basketball to chess club, youth group to cub scouts. The only way to keep track of who is headed where is to be able to quickly glnce at the calendar and know.

What works for you in keeping your family's schedule organized? Please share. And head over to Rocks in My Dryer for more Works for Me Wednesday tips!

Menu Plan Monday

At Organized Life by Design, we advocate meal planning on a regular basis. It is such a valuable and worthwhile tool in organizing your week, your kitchen, your grocery shopping, your budget and your time! And now with the launch of this blog dedicated to organizing and decorating your home, The Organizers (Melissa, Multitasking Mama and Kelly, Draznar's Diva) are excited to take turns sharing our menu plans with you each Monday and joining in on the fun at The Organized Junkie.

So,without further intro or ado, here is Multitasking Mama's menu for the week:

Monday: Chicken pasta salad, whole wheat bread sticks

Tuesday: (Crockpot) Pulled Pork Subs, homemade cole slaw

Wednesday: Hot Dogs in baked beans, whole wheat macaroni and cheese, stewed tomatoes

Thursday: Baked Chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans with onions

Friday: Homemade pizza (whole wheat crust), salad

What is your family eating this week? Join in the fun here.

Cheap and Chic Home Decor

Do you like the artwork in this picture? It started as a beach mat that I saw at a flea market and became the center for the design of an organizing client's home office/basement makeover.

My hubby is handy and helped me take a beach mat and make an attractive wall hanging. We took a piece of paneling, tacked the beach mat around it with attractive upholstery tacks and some spray adhesive and then used heavy duty twine for hanging. Total cost- $21.00

My client loved it and so do I. I love to decorate with thrifty flea market finds. Your home can be attractive while not breaking your family's budget. Need ideas? Just ask!

Happy Decorating,
Melissa

Toy Recalls of 2008

(photo credit: blogs.townonline.com)

Read more about recalled toys of 2008 here.

When going through your kids toys, purging what they don't play with anymore, to make room for all the new toys they received during the holidays be sure to check out recalls first. There may be toys in your kid's playroom or toybox that were recalled months ago and need to be thrown away, rather than passed on to the Goodwill or a younger child. See the link above for Parent Magazines article on the biggest toy recalls of last year.


Happy Organizing,

Melissa, Multitasking Mama