The month of March celebrates the contributions women have made to history (or HERstory!), culture, and society.
In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the week of March 8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week. Presidents after Carter continued to proclaim a National Women’s History Week in March until 1987 when Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as “Women’s History Month.”
Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, each president has issued an annual proclamation designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” President Biden followed suit on February 29th, 2024 and invited citizens to learn more at WomensHistoryMonth.org.
I’m not the President of the United States but I invite you today to learn more about one group of women and two individuals who have made historic and ground-breaking contributions to the professional organizing industry. There are so many women I could have profiled. I chose these three (and a *bonus* fourth) because I felt they were pioneers in the field of organizing. Their work has had a remarkable ‘ripple effect’ on the professional organizing industry and on those who have benefitted from their knowledge and efforts.
Where to begin? At the beginning, of course!
The APO 5: The Founders of NAPO
It all started in 1983, when a small group of women who all offered organizing services gathered in a Los Angeles living room to exchange ideas. As trailblazers in a new and up and coming industry, they recognized the value of sharing their knowledge and becoming a support system to one another. They called themselves APO, Association of Professional Organizers.
Two years later, APO formalized by electing officers, who later that year would be named as the founding members: Beverly Clower, Stephanie Culp, Ann Gambrell, Maxine Ordesky, and Jeanne Shorr. In 1986, APO changed its name to the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO).
What came in the decades afterward is remarkable. Thousands of members. Education and professional credentialing. Publicity initiatives. International relationships with related associations both domestic and international. All stemming from a meeting in one person’s living room.
Below, is a short video created in honor of the 30th anniversary of NAPO. In the few minutes that it plays, I heard three heartwarming quotes that echo the sentiments of why we celebrate Women’s History Month:
“We were all like sisters in this together.”
“We were women helping other women.”
“What made it all work was that five women came together to form a once-in-a-lifetime team.”
Thank you Beverly, Stephanie, Ann, Maxine, and Jeanne for coming together to dream and work together to create an organization that enabled women (predominantly) to start and grow organizing businesses that help bring order, calm, and efficiency to their clients’ lives.
Julie Morgenstern
Julie Morgenstern is an internationally renowned organizing and time management expert, New York Times best-selling author, consultant and speaker.
In October 1998, Julie published her first book, Organizing From the Inside Out. In the book, she writes about how she had lived most of her life in a ‘constant state of disorder.’ That all changed when she had a baby and realized that if she didn’t get organized, her child would never see the outside of their home! Her daughter’s diaper bag was the first thing she successfully organized and she says that “it was truly the beginning of my path to organization.”
Julie began her business, TaskMasters in 1989 and soon thereafter created an organizing philosophy called ‘organizing from the inside out’ that focuses on one’s individual habits, needs, goals, and personality. She also invented an acronym for an organizing system now-famous in the organizing world called the S.P.A.C.E. system (Sort, Purge, Assign a home, Containerize, Equalize). I, as well as many other members of the professional organizing industry use this intuitive five-step system to help our clients get and stay organized.
I had the good fortune to train with and work for Julie at the very beginning of my career as a Professional Organizer back in 2001-2002. I learned many organizing and client management tips and techniques from her that I still use in my business today.
Julie was the recipient of the 2002 NAPO Founder’s Award and has continued to offer her organizing expertise on television, magazines, and in books on the topics of time management, workplace efficiency, and parenting.
Thank you Julie for creating an organizing system that makes the art of getting organized easy to understand and easy to apply to one’s own life. Thank you for trusting me with your clients as a professional organizing newbie and for sharing your knowledge and experience so that I, too could help people live an organized life.
Judith Kolberg
Judith Kolberg started FileHeads, her professional organizing company in 1989 and is credited with launching a field of professional organizing that addresses the needs of those who are chronically disorganized (CD). She founded the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, which later become the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD).
She has authored and co-authored books on the topics of ADD, Chronic Disorganization, Emotional Labor, Organizing in the ‘Era of Endless,’ and Disaster Preparedness–all topics related to the professional organizing industry. Even though I do not work with clients with ADD or Chronic Disorganization, I own a copy of one of her earliest publications, Conquering Chronic Disorganization. I was advised to add it to my professional bookshelf because the ideas, techniques, and examples in her book would not only help a chronically disorganized client, but would work for most people wanting to get organized. And those people who advised me–were right! My favorite strategy in the book is called: “Friends, Acquaintances and Strangers” which I have successfully used with my clients for years to help them declutter.
Judith is the recipient of the 1996 NAPO Founder’s Award and continues to be a future-focused trend strategist in the field of organizing.
Thank you Judith for your foresight and on-going dedication to our profession.
Bonus – Joyce Dorney
You may not recognize her name but if you’ve been ‘in the biz’ for a while, you’ll recognize what she created for our industry. Joyce Dorney was the Editor-in-Chief and the woman behind the idea of Organize Magazine.
I recall balancing my not-yet-toddler son on my lap while checking email one day in 2007 and there it was–a short note from a woman named Joyce who was starting a magazine about organizing. She had done a Google search and found me through an article I had written for my website (before I started blogging) on the topic of organizing on a budget. She was looking for someone to author the recurring ‘Organizing on a Shoestring’ section of the magazine and I jumped at the chance. Joyce gave me the opportunity to write for her ‘baby’ and I could not have been more grateful.
Although the magazine stopped publication a few years later, Joyce was a pioneer. She saw a need in the market and had a vision for filling it. She was quoted as saying,
“I looked and I looked and I looked and I looked, and it [a magazine dedicated to organizing] just wasn’t there,” Dorny said. “And kind of in this moment probably of insanity, a lot of people would say, I thought, well I could start an organizing magazine.”
It’s in that moment of ‘insanity’ when ideas are born and turned into reality. Thank you Joyce for your vision, your passion, and for bringing a magazine all about organizing to those of us in the professional organizing industry and to the general public.
Over the course of their careers, the NAPO 5, Julie Morgenstern, and Judith Kolberg have all won the NAPO Founder’s Award. The NAPO Founders’ Award “is presented to a NAPO member, or a group of NAPO members acting in concert, for outstanding innovation, inspiration, and creativity both within, and outside of, the field of professional organizing and productivity consulting.”
The achievements and contributions of these women will be felt for decades as the professional organizing industry continues to grow and flourish. Thank you NAPO 5, Julie Morgenstern, and Judith Kolberg, and Joyce Dorney for making organizing (HER)story.
It takes time as well as brain power to consider options, weigh pros and cons, and collect information. Decision-making can be stressful–you’re responsible for the outcome and your decision often affects more than just you.
It’s easier to not make a decision. But that doesn’t work in real life–especially when it comes to getting organized. If you want your home to be an organized space, it’s vital to start exercising your decision-making muscles!
Barbara Hemphill, a pioneer in the field of Professional Organizing says…
“Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions.”
If you take a moment to think about that statement, it makes total sense.
Picture your kitchen countertops, your dining room table, your clothing closet and other areas of your home that may be cluttered. Bills, kid toys, old socks–have you been making decisions on those items or avoiding them in the hope that you’ll wake up one morning and the necessary decisions will have been made for you?
Maybe you’re putting off making decisions on items in your home because…
– you need more information or guidance before deciding.
– you need to ask another person for permission first.
– your decision may hurt someone’s feelings.
– you’re busy, you don’t have time, or it’s too emotionally taxing to think about it clearly.
By not making decisions, your belongings stay where you’ve placed them and will become clutter. They’ll keep your home cluttered and keep you stuck. Making a decision will ‘unstick’ you and move you forward.
The easiest way make a decision about physical items that are cluttering up your home is to make those decisions as easy as possible to make. Keep it simple–especially in the beginning.
How to start simply and easily? Use three words: Keep, Toss, Donate. Pick a category–shoes, books, toiletries, donation requests (or whatever is causing clutter in your home) and apply those three words to making decisions on items in that category.
Don’t think about decluttering a category or a space in your home any more deeply than that at this moment. Don’t think about where an item will live or where it should be donated to. Don’t think about how you’ll get it to the thrift shop or whether or not it will fit in your cabinet, drawer, or closet. Just look at the item you need to make a decision on and ask Keep? Toss? or Donate? Start there.
That’s your first decision–Keep, Toss, or Donate. Making that basic decision is the first step to clearing your clutter and moving you and your home in a less cluttered and more positive direction.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your clutter, take a deep breath and repeat out loud, “Keep, Toss, or Donate.” That’s the only decision you have to make right now–Keep, Toss, or Donate. If it helps, make it your organizing mantra! Write it on a post-it. Make it your laptop’s screen saver–whatever works for you.
To help you visualize those decisions while decluttering and keep your decluttering process organized, I’ve created a free downloadable ‘Keep-Toss-Donate’ printable for you to use. Designate three spaces (or bins/bags/boxes) in the area you’re working in–one will be for the ‘Keep’ items, one for the ‘Donate’ items and one for the ‘Toss’ items. Use the printable ‘Keep’ ‘Toss’ and ‘Donate’ tags to clearly designate your spaces and decisions. You don’t want to accidentally donate your trash or trash your donations!
Start with the easy stuff–junk mail, pens that may/may not work, old clothes and shoes. As you practice using your decision-making muscles, move onto magazines, sheets and towels, and seasonal clothes. Use “Keep, Toss, or Donate” as the first step toward making space in your home for items that you want, use, and love.
What? It’s time to send the kids back to school? Already?
Are you sure? Because I’m still enjoying the warm weather and not having to pack lunch boxes–how about you?
OK. Time for a reality check. School starts this week for my kids. Others across the country began weeks ago and have already submitted their ‘What I Did Over Summer Vacation’ assignment.
As we all know, it’s important to start the school year off on the right foot. Freshly sharpened pencils, a positive mindset, and solid sleep habits are first-rate ways to get the year in motion. An apple for the teacher couldn’t hurt…
If you’re feeling stressed just thinking about everything you need to do to keep you and your kids organized throughout the school year, take a deep breath. There are basic organizing principles that can help you simplify and streamline what needs to get done and help you and your kids get an A+ in ‘Organization’ for the school year.
One of these basic organizing principles is known as ‘Give Everything A Home.’
Everything that comes into your home and already exists in your home needs a place to ‘live.’ The concept may sound overwhelming, but if you think about it–most of what you own already has logical homes. For example, your clothes live in a closet, your toothbrushes live in the bathroom, and your wallet lives in your handbag.
Establishing ‘homes’ for your belongings helps you to easily locate them when you need them. As the back to school season begins and as the school year progresses, you and your kids are going to need to find and access school-related items quickly, efficiently, and sometimes (for the kids) independently.
Here are some tips and solutions for giving everything ‘back to school’ a ‘home’ in your home:
What needs a home: Papers
Create a Home for School-Related Papers
Since my eldest started kindergarten a decade ago, the amount of paper that comes home from school has been drastically reduced. But, even with schools using email, texting, and the Remind app to communicate with parents and reduce paper usage, papers still come home and still have to be read, filled out, and dealt with. Beware! Papers like to multiply like rabbits when left on a kitchen counter or dining room table!
Solutions:
• Designate a ‘home’ for papers that parents need to review and designate a ‘home’ for papers dedicated to each child. This could be a shelf, a set of stacking inbox trays, plastic drawers, or shoeboxes–whatever works for your space and budget.
When they come home from school, have each child place papers to be reviewed in the ‘parent’ spot and when the parent is finished processing the papers (permission slips/book orders/money collection) they are then placed in the ‘child’ spot. The child then takes those completed papers and puts them in their folder/book bag to take back to school.
Bonus tip: For papers that need to be referenced often during the course of a school year (school holiday schedule, class lists, etc.), consider placing them in a binder or folder and designate an easy-to-access ‘home’ for the binder or folder to live in.
What needs a home: Kid’s Artwork
Create a Home for Artwork
First, it’s scribbles on paper. Then, finger paints and leaf rubbings. Soon, the artwork becomes 3-D and it’s living on your dining room table. And in the entrance way. And all over the floor in your kid’s room.
Solutions:
• Determine where your children’s artwork will ‘live’ before it even starts coming through your door. What space works best? Your child’s room? The refrigerator? A mudroom or hallway space? Knowing in advance where the artwork will ‘live,’ makes it less likely for it to take up residence across your dining room table. Decide where the artwork will live and reserve that space for that purpose.
• Create space limits for displaying and keeping artwork. Will it be displayed on the front of the fridge? An eye-level shelf in the family room? Will it be stored in a portfolio folder? A clear bin in your attic? Let the size of the space determine the amount of artwork you can display and store.
Too much artwork and not enough space to put it on display? Have the kids select what they want to keep–this improves decision making skills. Photograph much-loved 2-D and 3-D pieces and create a small printed or digital photo album of their work.
• Create time limits for displaying and keeping artwork. This can be determined by how much artwork is coming through your door multiplied by the number of children you have. Work with your child(ren) to figure out how long they would like their art displayed before giving up the space to another work of art or another person’s work of art. A week? A month? Until the next piece of art comes home?
• Create an ‘exit strategy’ for the art (you parents of preschoolers know what I mean….). Will it be photographed and kept? Mailed to Grandma? Will it be photographed and tossed? Yes–your trash receptacle may at some point become a permanent ‘home’ for your children’s artwork.
Bonus tip–Don’t throw artwork away in front of your budding artist!
What needs a home: Library Books
Create a Home for Library Books
Raise your hand if you or your kids have accidentally mixed library books in with the books in your home. I’m raising my hand, too! (Yes–it even happens to Professional Organizers).
Solutions:
• Create a specific home just for library books–a simple way to prevent school and town library books from accidentally co-habitating with other ‘like’ books in your home. That ‘home’ may be a shelf, a container, a basket or a designated spot in a closet. Wherever that spot is, put a label on it that says ‘Library Books’ so everyone can see it. When books are brought home from the library, place them here first. After reading them, return them to this spot. When they’re ready to be returned, you’ll know exactly where they are.
Speaking of returning books…
* Bonus tip–Make a note in your calendar of the day books are due back to the library. Make another note one week in advance of that date. Knowing the due date means not having to pay a ‘late book’ fee!
What needs a home: School Supplies
Create a Home for School Supplies
Have you gone shopping for school supplies yet? Not just for the supplies the teacher would like for the classroom–I’m talking about the ones you need in your home. Yes–those purple glue sticks, crayons, packages of loose leaf paper, and poly folders–they will need a ‘home,’ too.
Solutions:
• Designate a space in your home for the storing of basic school and office supplies your kids may need for the year. For quick access, this spot should be close to where they do their homework. The supplies can live in one central location or each child can create a ‘home’ for their personal school supplies in their room or close to where they prefer to do their work.
• For small items like erasers and paper clips or items in multiples such as markers and crayons, use containers that act as smaller ‘homes’ to keep these items grouped together in the space, bin, shelf, or drawer designated for school supplies.
Bonus tip – Take inventory of school supplies at the beginning of every month. You’ll still need glue sticks and sharp pencils in May and June!
Give the ‘Give Everything A Home’ principle a try. Soon you’ll begin to see just how manageable the school year can be when you give everything a home. And if it works well for school, just think how well the ‘Give Everything A Home’ principle would work in other areas of your home and life…Hmmmm…
Wishing you and your kids an organized school year!
As a Professional Organizer in business almost nineteen years (!) I have heard the above declarations more times than I can count. I’ve recently coined a phrase I offer to my clients when they feel like it’s all too much:
Starting ‘small’ is the solution to dealing with clutter. De-cluttering a whole room is overwhelming. Starting small by focusing on one teeny-tiny part of that room is more manageable.
Starting ‘easy’ helps us to build our de-cluttering ‘muscles.’ ‘Easy’ items are usually ones with little-to-no sentimental or monetary value. The decision making process takes barely any brain power when we start with the ‘easy’ stuff. Once we’ve trained our decision-making muscles on the easy items, we’re better equipped to make the tougher decisions later on.
Are you familiar with the phrase, ‘The shoemaker’s son has no shoes?’ Well, sometimes I’m so focused on organizing spaces for others that I don’t focus on organizing my own! Case in point–my kid’s linen closet. OK, really it was one shelf in the linen closet…
I have two kids and they share a linen closet where I store their sheets, towels, extra blankets, and any medicine/first aid items they may need or require. When I only had one child, the shelves in this linen closet weren’t as full. Now that there are two of them, there’s A LOT more stuff.
The sheets, towels, and blanket shelves were under control but what was not was the shelf I had dedicated to my kid’s medicine and first aid items. For the first few years, I had a couple of tubes, bottles, and boxes of things that I could find easily. Then after kid number two arrived, the shelf started filling up. I could still find what I was looking for but I would sometimes accidentally knock things over and cause an unwanted ‘domino effect’ resulting in a disorganized mess.
Full disclosure–this is what it looked like:
Forget about the fact that it looked cluttered when I opened the door to this closet. Visually, it was unappealing (and appalling!) to me. I needed to block off time in my calendar to organize this spot. I knew decluttering a linen closet shelf wouldn’t take me long–I just had to create a plan and stick to it.
It was time to take my own advice to start small, start easy–just start. And get the job done…
I followed the 5 steps to getting any space in the home organized–created by Professional Organizer Julie Morgenstern in her book, Organizing from the Inside Out. This is the 5 step method I use with my clients when organizing any space in their homes. It works every time!
Step 1: The Sort
I took all items off the shelf and placed them on a nearby staircase. I sorted them by type and for the most part found that they fell into four categories: First Aid, Medicine, Nose, and Teeth. I also created a category of ‘Expired’ and ‘No Longer Used.’ to be dealt with during the next step.
Step 2: The Purge
Once I sorted all the items, it was easy to see what could be purged. Expired medicine was dealt with in an ecologically-friendly manner and boxes were flattened and added to our recycle bin. Papers were filed, garbage was collected and added to our household trash. I was left with only the things my kids presently use or would need in the future.
Step 3: Assign a Home
This step asks the question, ‘Where are the post-purge items all going to live?’ I knew they were going to live on this shelf in the linen closet so this step was pretty easy to breeze through. After the purge, I placed each grouping of the remaining items back onto the shelf by category until I could complete Step 4.
Step 4: Containerize
I was certain I wanted to use some kind of drawer system to store the medical/first aid items. Quick and easy access to meds and first aid supplies is key when your child is wheezing, sneezing, or bleeding! I measured the height, width, and depth of the shelf and took to the internet to locate a product that would work.
A brief search led me to the Small Tint Stackable Storage Drawers from The Container Store. They were colorful and just the right size to fit two-stacked one on top of another on the linen closet shelf. Lucky for me, I live in driving distance of their location in Paramus, NJ so I hopped in my car and set out to get one step closer to completing my small and easy organizing project. I chose blue and orange because my boys like the NY Knicks and tolerate the Mets because their dad is a life-long fan.
I brought the drawers home, filled each drawer by category, and placed them on the shelf. Organizing success!
Step 5: Equalize
(also known as Maintain)
This is the step that comes after the organizing is done and systems are in place. Every so often, depending upon the how often you use the items, it is necessary to do what’s called ‘maintenance.’
In this case, every few weeks, I peek in the drawers and take inventory on meds, flossers, band-aids, and lip balm. I straighten up other items on the shelf such as shampoo bottles and hand sanitizer and make room for anything new that my kids have started using (deodorant–yikes!). Decluttering a linen closet shelf or any space in your home won’t take long if you keep up with maintaining it!
You may notice that I did not add any labels to the outside of the bins. I tossed the idea around but since the drawers are translucent, it’s fairly easy to see their contents without opening the drawer. As my kids become more independent and access the items on their own, I may choose to add labels. But, for now I like how seamless and colorful it looks when I open the linen closet door.
Not every organizing project has to be on a grand scale for it to make a positive impact on your life. Some are as small as a drawer, a shelf, or a corner of your desk. Even organizing your wallet, your car’s glove compartment, or a bucket full of batteries can save you time, money, and space. Regardless of the size of the project, block off time on your calendar, follow the five steps, and start. Start small. Start easy. Just start.
What small and easy organizing project will you start this week?
If there’s one thing I hear over and over from my clients and others, it’s that one of the most challenging parts of getting organized is starting. Many people don’t know where or how to start. And we all know what happens when you don’t know where or how to start. You.Don’t.Start. (Insert sad face here)
I want you to start! And I want you to succeed. But there are a few steps you’ll need to take before you can even begin to contemplate setting an organizing project in motion. Don’t toss anything in the trash. Refrain from buying cute bins and baskets. Read on.
In order for you to get organized and stay organized, it’s necessary to ask yourself two important questions.
What is my WHAT?
and
What is my WHY?
Yup. Ask yourself those two questions. And grab either your phone or paper and pen to help you remember your answers. Let’s start with ‘your WHAT.’
Your WHAT = What do I want to get organized?
Is it…
-your clothing closet filled with multiple sizes?
-your basement filled with thirty years of accumulation?
-your overstuffed file cabinets?
-your overstuffed kitchen cabinets?
Coming up with answers to ‘What is my WHAT?’ is the easier of the two questions to answer. Your WHAT is the part that is usually easy to determine because you come in contact with it all the time in your home. You see your WHAT on a daily or weekly basis so it’s easy to name. Write it down.
Next, consider your WHY.
Your WHY = WHY do I want it to be organized?
also know as…
WHY do I want to get my ‘WHAT’ organized?
This is the more challenging of the two questions. Asking yourself WHYrequires that you dig deep for answers. The answers may not be simple ones and may require the examination of past habits and patterns as well as the reflection of past decisions and choices. Pay attention to your feelings and take time to understand them. I know–easier said than done. But, being honest with yourself and your struggle to get organized will benefit you short-term and in the long run.
Let’s get back to figuring out your WHY…
WHY do YOU want to get organized? You might say…
“I’m tired of running late because I can’t find the clothes in my closet that fit me. I want to organize my closet in order to be able to get dressed in less than ten minutes. I want to look good and feel good and not start my day off stressed out anymore.”
or…
“I’ve been spending a lot of money in credit card late fees. I want to create an organized bill paying system so I can pay my bills on time, stop wasting money, and eventually raise my low credit score. I can’t save for a down payment on a house if I’m letting money slip through my fingers. I’ll never be able to buy a home if my credit score prevents me from getting a mortgage.”
or…
“I’m exhausted from always running to the supermarket at the end of my work day. I want to organize my kitchen cabinets for meal planning. I don’t want to do the ‘5 o’clock scramble’ anymore! Knowing in advance what my family and I are eating for dinner will save me time and money and may even help me eat more healthily and lose weight.”
Whatever your WHYis, write it on a post-it and hang it somewhere you’ll see it often. Make it your screen saver or your phone’s wallpaper. Keep it on a card in your wallet. Don’t lose sight of it. During the organizing process, you might feel stuck, frustrated, or overwhelmed. Go back and look at your WHY.
Your WHY will focus you and keep you on track to complete your organizing tasks.
Your WHY is there to remind you WHY you’re working hard to get organized.
Your WHY will motivate you to move forward towards your personal organizing finish line.
Just by knowing your WHAT and your WHY, you’re ready to take the next step on your path to a more organized life.
What is your WHAT and what is your WHY?
Click the image below to print a *free* worksheet to help you think about more than just your WHAT and your WHY!
This blog post is the fifth in a series of posts designed to teach you how to meal plan during times of crisis and in your every day life (post-coronavirus). If there was ever a time to consider practicing the Art of Organized Meal Planning–it’s now.
We eat every day–many times a day. When we’re not eating, most of us are probably thinking about food. When I dream about food, those dreams usually consist of mouth-watering meals and decadent desserts that I have not shopped for, prepared, or cleaned up after. When I need to think about food, it’s more like what I’ll be cooking every night for a week, what produce is on sale at my local market, and what recipe can successfully use up the leftovers in my fridge.
If I chose to keep all that cooking, recipe, and shopping list knowledge in my head, my brain would probably explode!
As I mentioned in my first post in this Organized Meal Planning series, it’s important that you use your brain for generating ideas–not as a storage device. Planning out your meals on paper or a digital device takes the everyday decision making out of your brain and places it outside of your head. This ‘write-it-down’ system is especially helpful if you’re in charge of feeding a family or you have food-related needs to consider such as food allergies, diabetes, or a low-sodium diet. Even if you’re only in charge of feeding yourself, it’s still a worthy idea to write down the food-related knowledge you need to reference on a daily or weekly basis.
For the purpose of meal planning, I’d like to discuss three types of meal planning knowledge to be organized:
A lot has to happen before walking into a supermarket. We need to think about what foods we like to eat and when we want to eat them. We need to see if those foods are in our pantry and take a close look at what foods are languishing in the back of our fridge. How can we keep all of this information from turning into a food knowledge jumble?
Lists, lists, and more lists!
Lists
Why do people use lists?
Lists:
• help us to remember things
• declutter our brains
• reduce anxiety
• bring order and organization to our efforts (including meal planning)
What are some types of lists that would help take Shopping Knowledge out of your head?
• What I’ll Be Cooking this Week list (7 days of dinners or whatever # of days works for you)
• What I Need to Buy Next Time I Go to Trader Joe’s list
• What’s on Sale at Whole Foods this Week list
And the Big Daddy list: The Everything-I-Need-to-Buy-for-the-Week-at-the-Supermarket Shopping List
I would advise against trying to remember everything you need to buy when you head to the supermarket–even if it’s just a few items. Write them down on paper or in your phone–your preference. This is not the time to be testing your memory. Creating lists will keep you organized and ready to shop. The fewer trips you need to take to a supermarket, the better–virus or no virus!
Recipe Knowledge
I have been cooking for many years and have collected more than my share of recipes. No matter how often I’ve cooked certain meals, I still haven’t completely memorized any of them. I always refer to a recipe when I cook. Here are three ways I keep my recipe knowledge organized:
Paper recipes
Grandma’s handwritten apple pie recipe, a recipe ripped out of a magazine, and a print-out of your favorite Julia Child recipe all need a home–a place ‘to live’ while waiting to be used. In the organizing world, we call this place to live a ‘container.’ A container can be anything from a ziplock bag to a basket to a bin. Since printed recipes are flat, storing them in a ‘container’ that organizes paper is a smart idea. A few examples:
• A two pocket folder if you don’t have many paper recipes
• A poly paper sorter for a few different recipes across many categories
• A recipe box for recipes written on index cards
• A binder with plastic sleeves for many recipes across a variety of categories
It’s time to cook! Take the recipe out, use it, then return it back to it’s folder, sorter, box, or binder. Next time you’re planning to make Grandma’s apple pie, you’ll know exactly where to find the recipe.
Cookbooks with post-its
One would think that the abundance of recipes found on the internet would eliminate the need for the traditional cookbook, but people still buy and use cookbooks. I have a bunch and reference them often. For quick and easy retrieval of your favorite recipes, use post-its to mark the pages you wish to refer back to. No need to search the index or table of contents every time–you’ve got the page and recipe marked off. Paper post-its work perfectly, but if you’d like something sturdier, try writeable tabs that can be repositioned.
Pinterest
OMG, Pinterest. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
When I first started using Pinterest, I mostly looked for and curated articles about organizing. Then, I noticed there were also recipes appearing in my Pinterest feed. Lots of recipes. Recipes for family dinners, holidays, food allergies, school lunches, and more.
Early on in my admiration for Pinterest, I realized that I could create ‘Boards’ not just for topics in organizing, but also for the recipes I thought might work for me and my family. It was then that I realized Pinterest could be a valuable recipe organizing tool. At first, my Pinterest recipe board titles were pretty vague such as “Recipes – tried” and ‘Recipes – haven’t tried yet.” Now, the titles are more specific which makes it quicker and easier to find the recipe I’m looking for.
Part of the beauty of using Pinterest to organize recipes is that the recipes you want to save don’t always have to come from the Pinterest platform. Let’s say you just read an article on BuzzFeed about 5-ingredient dinners or you just watched a show on the Food Network and wish to save one of the recipes without printing it out. Most recipes found online have a ‘Pin It’ button. Click the ‘Pin It’ button or hover over and click on the main image for a clickable Pinterest logo to appear. This will prompt Pinterest to open and ask you what board you’d like to save the article/recipe to (If you have a Pinterest account, try it out on the graphic at the top of this post…).
If you appreciate Pinterest even half as much as I do, I think you’ll find it to be a fairly effortless way to organize recipes you discover online and on Pinterest.
Planning Knowledge
Meal planning takes more time and effort than most realize. Here are a few ways to keep all of your meal planning knowledge organized and ready when you are:
Evernote
Much like the above-mentioned Pinterest, I have the same feelings of love and affection for Evernote. It’s a note-taking app that stores every piece of information you could ever need to keep track of and retrieve for yourself or others. Before I started using Evernote, my brain was a whirling dervish of details and data and my surfaces were dotted (more like–covered) with post-it notes.
How has Evernote revolutionized the way I organize my meal planning knowledge? Two main ways…
• Everyday dinners
• Holiday meals
Everyday dinners
I have about 30-40 different meals I make for dinner and rotate them over a series of 4-6 weeks. Keeping a list of them in Evernote frees up space in my brain. Organizing the meals by categories that are helpful and meaningful to me cuts down on the time spent thinking about what to cook on a particular day. One category is food type (poultry, meat, vegetarian), one category has to do with occasions (easy meals for busy afternoons with kids) and one category is for the food allergies we monitor in our household (meals with no allergens, meals with one allergen, etc.). When I’m meal planning dinners for the week, I open this file and my choices based on my family’s schedule and what’s on sale at the market are right in front of me.
Insert *sigh of relief* here…
Holiday Meals
Since we renovated our home over four years ago, we have taken on the hosting of more holiday meals. All of my notes, links to recipes, seating arrangements, and shopping lists are in Evernote. They are listed individually by holiday by year with a post-mortem included so I have a note of what worked and what didn’t. This has made hosting the holidays infinitely easier. No more trying to remember how many pounds of chicken I bought for twenty people. No more wondering what recipe I used for the Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole. It’s all in Evernote.
Insert a ‘happy holidays’ *sigh of relief* here…
Meal Planning Apps
Have you ever considered using a meal planning app? There are meal planning apps for families, for those with dietary restrictions, those who need a little help in the kitchen, and those who wish to connect with food bloggers and ‘foodies.’ If you think a meal planning app will help keep you organized, check out the information in the articles below. You just may find one that works for you!
I’ve been meal planning and cooking for my family for years. I know what dinners my family enjoys (they’re all listed in Evernote!) But, like I’ve said above–I can’t hold the list of dinners I cooked last week or last month all in my head. I don’t always remember the last time I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner or how many times we did ‘take-out’ in a month. We are a food allergy household and I find it helpful to know what I’ve served for dinner and when.
That’s where my meal planning notebook comes in handy. Since the beginning of coronavirus lockdown, I started using a spiral notebook to track what I cooked for dinner. I wrote the days of the week down the left side of the page and next to each day, jotted down what I cooked for dinner that night. At this point, I have pages and pages of what I’ve made for dinner for the past five months. Having this information at my fingertips has saved me time and mental energy at meal planning and list-making time. As I plan meals for the week ahead, all I have to do is turn back a few pages to see what I’ve prepared and when I’ve served it. This has made meal planning so much simpler for me at this time. I appreciate the fact that my brain has room to think about what’s most important right now–staying safe.
Ready to make lists, take inventory, and plan for shopping and eating? I know you are!
What shopping, recipe, and food planning knowledge will you take out of your head and organize today?
This blog post is the fourth in a series of posts designed to teach you how to meal plan during times of crisis and in your every day life (post-coronavirus). If there was ever a time to consider practicing the Art of Organized Meal Planning–it’s now.
*Note – This is not a Sponsored Post. I’m blogging about a ‘cool product’ that works for me. All words, photos, and opinions are my own.
My kids are fourteen and ten years old now but I remember a time when they were little and I carried around A LOT of stuff for them. I owned a stroller with a large basket so I would have plenty of space to store extra diapers, toys, snacks, and anything else we would need when away from home.
There are a million and one products marketed to new parents but one that I found to be most useful was TheMommy Hook. David Abels, dad of three and the inventor of The Mommy Hook, knew that he and his wife could not be the only parents that couldn’t push a stroller, keep an eye on a child (or two), and carry a multitude bags at the same time. In 2006, The Mommy Hook was born and millions have been sold worldwide. I remember hanging everything from a diaper bag to shopping bags to whatever I needed handy for my young children from that giant hook on my stroller’s handle.
If you’re unfamiliar with the product, learn more about it here.
I own three Mommy Hooks plus a mini one that must have come packaged as a bonus.
OK–you’re probably thinking, ” What does all this have to do with getting organized for meal planning?”
I’m so glad you asked. Here’s my story…
Before the schools closed in mid-March due to the coronavirus, I had a feeling that we would be heading into some kind of lockdown situation. My husband and I took a deep dive into our pantry, fridge, and freezer, then made shopping lists, and split up to hit 4-5 different markets in our area in the span of a few days. I went into meal-planning mode and planned out our meals so I wouldn’t have to go to a supermarket or rely on delivery for a while unless absolutely necessary. I went three weeks straight without food shopping–only using what I had in the house to feed my family.
With four people continuously home and continuously eating for three weeks, it was eventually time to head to the supermarket. Trying to avoid crowds, I ventured out in the late evening to my local 24-hr. ShopRite. Since I hadn’t food shopped in almost a month, my huge order overflowed my shopping cart at checkout. Even with carrying some of the bags on my arm and pushing the cart to my car, a few bags fell off and some cans and boxes got dented. As I stood in the parking lot, exhausted from shopping under coronavirus-conditions at midnight, I knew there had to be a better way. It was in that moment that I remembered The Mommy Hook.
I hadn’t used one in years but I knew that it was exactly what I needed to ensure my trips to the supermarket were easier and more organized. I thought, “If it could work on the handle of a stroller, it could work on the handle of a shopping cart!”
Even though I hadn’t used a Mommy Hook in about six or seven years, I located them, dusted them off, and placed them with my recycle bags to take with me on my next food shopping trip.
Fast forward three more weeks. Time to do another big late evening shop at ShopRite. I brought two Mommy Hooks with me and at checkout, placed 3-4 bags with ‘like’ items on each–light stuff such as chips, pretzels, and bread products, and hooked them to the handle of my shopping cart. Easy-peasy! I got some strange looks from people but I didn’t care. I breezed out of the store, pushed the cart to my car confident that this time, nothing would fall out. I unhooked the Mommy Hooks from the shopping cart handle and placed both with the shopping bags still attached to them, straight into the front seat of my car. When I got home, I grabbed each hook and brought the bags of groceries into my garage.
So.Much.Easier.
Remember–I was doing all this around midnight–when you’re tired, everything needs to be easy!
But, The Mommy Hook isn’t just for use on the way out of a supermarket. You can also use The Mommy Hook on the way in to the supermarket. Clip it to the handle of your shopping cart and hang your recycle bags from it while you’re shopping. If you’re buying as much as I am lately, you need all the space in the cart you can get!
Mommy Hook features:
• Made from lightweight but heavy-duty aluminum
• Soft foam rubber grip prevents slipping and sliding on a shopping cart handle
• Soft foam rubber grip can be grasped comfortably as a handle
• Large enough to hold many grocery bags at once
• Fits most shopping cart handles
Mommy Hook benefits:
• can be used to organize bags of ‘like’ food items together
• creates more space for groceries and bulk items in the main section of a shopping cart
• can be used as a central location for anything you need to access quickly while shopping
Price: from $7.99 – $9.99 depending upon where you buy it.
Worth.Every.Penny.
Years ago I purchased mine at BuyBuyBaby in New Jersey but a quick Google search showed me that they can be purchased at Target, Walmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, and of course, Amazon. If you’d prefer to shop local, check stores in your neighborhood that cater to babies and young children.
Think The Mommy Hook would work for you as one of your organized meal planning tools? Let me know in the comments section below!
This blog post is the third in a series of posts designed to teach you how to meal plan during times of crisis and in your everyday life (post-coronavirus). If there was ever a time to consider practicing the Art of Organized Meal Planning–it’s now.
Do you have a mantra?
A mantra is a statement or slogan that is repeated frequently. It’s often a positive phrase used to motivate, encourage, and inspire yourself or others to achieve a particular goal.
You may have a personal mantra for meditating, feeling empowered, or for living your life. You may even have mantra or two to help you get through this pandemic we’re currently living through.
But, do you have a mantra for meal planning?
I’ve been ‘head chef’ of my household for almost twenty years. That’s twenty years of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, holiday meals, brunches, and the occasional barbecue. Since going on lockdown in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, I’ve done an inordinate amount of meal planning and cooking. Three meals a day plus snacks for my family of four has kept me (and our dishwasher) very busy. I’ve mostly stuck to ‘crowd-pleaser’ meals and familiar foods to help make this time in our lives dare I say–more palatable.
The more time I spend in my kitchen, the more I find myself repeating a few food-related sayings. I say these phrases so often, they’ve become my meal planning mantras. I sometimes even hear my husband and kids repeating them!
BTW…While I was composing this blog post in WordPress, my 10 year old son walked into the room. He looked at my desktop screen and the image quotes below and asked me what a mantra was. After I told him, he looked at me and said, “Mommy you say ALL of these–a lot!”
Here are my top three favorite meal planning mantras for crisis time or any time:
MANTRA #1: Cook Once. Eat Twice!
Many of us are spending more time than usual eating at home. That’s a lot of meals–especially if you are feeding a family day after day, week after week (and now month after month).
I have been saying Mantra #1 for years. It brings me great joy to cook once and eat twice. It’s a major time saver to not have to prepare each component for each meal every day! The ‘cook once and eat twice’ philosophy requires thought and meal planning but not a lot of extra prep time.
A few ways to ‘cook once and eat twice’ during crisis time or any time:
• Cook enough of a protein at one time for two different meals. For example, cook enough chop meat to be used for tacos one night and bolognese sauce a few days later. Make roasted chicken for dinner and shred the leftover chicken for chicken tortilla soup to be eaten over the weekend.
• Cook enough for two complete meals. Take out those large pots you use at holiday time and double your recipes!
• Use a crockpot. A crockpot makes a ton of food. And you can ‘set it and forget it’ while you’re spending your time working, cleaning your home, keeping your kids occupied, and of course–meal planning.
Think about it: What foods would you like to ‘cook once and eat twice’ this week?
MANTRA #2: Keep it Simple with Kit Meals
If you’ve been a fan of the Food Network for over two decades like I have, you’ve watched a whole lotta cooking shows. One show from 2005 that inspired the above mantra is called ‘Cooking Thin with Kathleen Daelemans.’ It wasn’t just an in-studio how-to show demonstrating low-calorie recipes. Chef Kathleen helped ordinary people with food challenges and taught them about meal planning, goal setting, and gave them tips on cooking lighter. One tip I recall and use in my home is the basis for Meal Planning Mantra #2.
Chef Kathleen often spoke about how keeping a pantry filled with healthy foods would support a healthier way of eating. She would pull items off the shelf that worked together to create a healthy meal and referred to them as ‘kit meals.’ I started using that phrase more often after I had children. Having to come up with fairly healthy dinners without using much brain power (sleep deprivation will do that to ya) led me to create ‘kit meals’ for my family. A box of fish sticks with a box of mac and cheese and a steam-in-bag of mixed vegetables was a ‘kit meal.’ A package of chicken cutlets, one lemon, a bag of Trader Joe’s kale and a box of Near East Toasted Almond rice was a ‘kit meal.’ As long as I had all of the components to the kit meal and a way to keep on top of my pantry inventory, I could feed my family simply and easily. Thanks, Chef Kathleen!
Think about it: What kind of ‘kit meals’ could you make for your family?
MANTRA #3: The ‘L’ in Lunch Stands for Leftovers
Of the three meal planning mantras, I think this one is my favorite. It’s also the most recent one I’ve come up with. If I’m not running errands after working with a client, I come straight home and eat lunch. So as not to waste food, I try to make sure I eat leftovers at lunch time.
At the moment, I am not working with clients in their homes. I am in my own home eating lunch with my family every day and going food shopping as infrequently as possible. In an attempt to make sure none of our food went to waste, I created Mantra #3. It’s actually a take-off of a mantra I’ve chanted to my children over the past few years:
“The ‘M’ in “Mommy’ Does Not Stand for MAID!”
It’s a great title for a children’s book. I’ll keep that in mind when I’m not so busy meal planning…
To prevent food waste, I have been managing the leftovers in our home for the past few months #likeaboss. During the early days of lockdown, I would stand in front of the refrigerator and tell my family that if there were leftovers in the fridge, they had to be eaten for lunch. That’s when I would say (OK–yell) “The ‘L’ in Lunch Stands for Leftovers.” I think if my family put a dollar in a jar every time I repeated this mantra over the past few months, we’d have enough money to pay off our mortgage. It has gotten to a point where my husband and kids won’t think about making something for lunch without looking for leftovers first!
When planning your meals, consider cooking enough to have extra servings for leftovers. Even if there’s one portion of food left from dinner, that’s one meal someone can eat for lunch.
Leftovers: Plan for them. Eat them. Don’t forget about them!
Think about it: What leftovers can you eat for lunch tomorrow?
Tell me! What are some of your favorite meal planning mantras?
This blog post is the second in a series of posts designed to teach you how to meal plan during times of crisis and in your everyday life (post-coronavirus). If there was ever a time to consider practicing the Art of Organized Meal Planning–it’s now.
With most of the country required to adhere to ‘stay at home’ orders, it’s just not practical or safe to be running out to the grocery store on a whim for today’s lunch or dinner. It’s time to start planning out the meals you prepare for yourself and your family. In my last blog post, I discussed the benefits to meal planning and shared my seven step system for meal planning success.
Ask anyone who has been meal planning for awhile whether they think it’s worth doing and I’m sure a majority would agree with a resounding, ‘YES!’ Meal planning saves you time, money, energy, and stress. It automates the process of what you and your family will eat every day. Three times a day. Not including snacks. That’s a lot of thinking about food that your brain doesn’t need to do on a daily basis! Meal planning prepares you with fuel for your body and brain and in unpredictable times such as these, meal planning will keep you safe.
To assist in keeping your tummies full, your brain less stressed, and your health in check, I’ve gathered some meal planning do’s and don’ts to help you reach your meal planning goals:
Organized Meal Planning Do’s and Don’ts
General Organized Meal Planning Do’s and Don’ts
Do pick a day of the week to do your meal planning. Many people choose a Saturday or Sunday but it doesn’t matter what day you set aside for meal planning as long as your meal planning gets done.
Don’t worry about meal planning on the same day every week. Just make sure you meal plan before leaving for the grocery store.
Do start small, start easy, and start where you are. No one learns to meal plan for a week at a time overnight. It takes practice, know-how, and desire.
Don’t become overwhelmed with meal planning. If you’re new to the concept, start by meal planning for one day. When you become more comfortable with meal planning, try doing it two days a week. Baby steps eventually reap big rewards.
Do your meal planning when your energy levels are at their highest. You need a good amount of brain power to meal plan successfully.
Don’t meal plan when you’re tired, frustrated, or hungry!
Do inventory your pantry closet and cabinets before buying more food and household goods.
Don’t forget to check your fridge for any foods about to turn green. ‘Almost-green’ food items can be turned into a meal with a bit of creativity.
Organized Meal Planning During Crisis Time or Anytime Do’s and Don’ts
Do block out at least one hour for the task. In the first post in this series, I discuss the process for meal planning. It takes time to check your pantry, look at recipes, and make your list–I promise you it will be time well spent.
Don’t rush through the meal planning process. Meal planning will save you time, money, stress, and energy. Giving meal planning the time it requires for success will make your life easier when you go to prepare meals and feed your family ALL DAY LONG. EVERYDAY. For the UNFORSEEN FUTURE…
Do choose recipes/meals that members of your family enjoy eating. This is a stressful time already. Planning and preparing what I call ‘crowd-pleaser’ meals keeps family members happy and willing to eat leftovers!
Don’t deprive yourself of certain indulgences if they are in your budget. Our bodies crave certain foods–even more so in times of crisis. If a more expensive cut of meat or a cake from your favorite bakery will make you or a family member happy, then plan for it.
Do check your store circular for sale items to build a meal around. Meal planning from the sale circular is a tried-and-true money-saver!
Don’t cook many meals that require expensive or ‘for-one-recipe’ ingredients. Save these recipes and ingredients for a time when the economy is more stable. You’re going to want to celebrate when this is all over, anyway!
Do plan out at least 3-5 days of meals with a week’s worth being optimal.
Don’t run to the supermarket every day. At the time of writing this, we are still being advised to leave the house for essential items as infrequently as possible. For this reason alone, it is imperative to jump on the meal planning bandwagon and make it a part of your weekly routine.
Do check your calendar before planning your meals for the next few days. Maybe you have a late afternoon Zoom meeting on Thursday or an early evening birthday drive-by on Sunday? You’re going to want to plan for quick-cook or easy-to-serve meals for those days.
Don’t think your calendar is just for jotting down events and reminders! Write the meals you’re cooking in your calendar to keep track of what you’ve cooked and when. You’ll know exactly which Tuesday you made tacos and which Sunday you chose to indulge in take-out. No need to strain your brain thinking about what meals you’ve prepared in the past–it’s all in your calendar.
Organized Meal Prep and Cooking Do’s and Don’ts
Do review your recipes before heading to the store. Write all ingredients on your shopping list to ensure you’ll have what you need when you start cooking.
Don’t think you can keep it all in your head. Recipes, ingredients, family favorites–take that information out of your head and write it on paper or in your phone/tablet. Use your pantry or cabinets as storage space–not your brain!
Do consider doubling your recipe or making a bit extra while you’re cooking (if you can). This will save you time in the future when you’re looking for a quick lunch or an easy-to-reheat meal for the family.
Don’t let leftovers go to waste! Not eating leftovers is a waste of money as well as the time it took you to cook it. Organize your leftovers on one side of your fridge or at eye level so you don’t forget about them.
Do plan to cook with fresh vegetables within the first few days of bringing the home from the supermarket. Unless they are a hearty vegetable like squash, carrots, or onions, there’s the possibility that your veggies will wilt or become mushy if not used quickly.
Don’t forget that frozen vegetables have similar amounts of nutrients as fresh. They are often harvested when they’re at their freshest. So, go ahead and buy some for your freezer. They’ll be there when you need them.
Meal planning may seem challenging and time-consuming but like any other task, the more you do it, the easier it gets. Remember to start small, start easy, and start where you are. Your meal planning efforts will become effortless in no time.
Which set of Do’s and Don’ts do you think you’ll find most helpful? Leave a comment–I’d love to hear from you!
Here’s what I know for sure about the month of November: Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of the month and The Container Store Stocking Stuffer catalog is going to be delivered to my doorstep!
I’m lucky to live a short drive away from The Container Store in Paramus, New Jersey. I can do more than just drool over the catalog–I get the chance to see, feel, and experience these Stocking Stuffers at the store.
Since researching for the post I wrote back in 2016, I’ve come to see that the Container Store Stocking Stuffers are less about organizing and more about cute, kitchy, helpful, and the borderline absurd. So, for the season I just roll with it. The Container Store will get back to focusing on organizing products in January and so will I…
For the 2019 edition, I’ve divided the Stocking Stuffers into four categories: Organizing, Functional, Fun, and Why? Just Why?. Grab a pad and a pen–one or more of these may work as stocking stuffers for your family and friends!
Taco Tuesday (or tacos any day of the week) is BIG in my house–my nine year old loves them! But, it isn’t always easy stuffing them and keeping them from breaking or imploding. These holders make filling, serving, and eating tacos easy. They are dishwasher-safe and stack one inside the other (how organized!). And cute packaging, too–always a nice perk when giving a gift. I’m going to be buying these and trying them out at my dinner table. They come in red, blue, green and pink–with my husband and two boys in the house, I’ll probably be asked to use the pink one…
A basic organizing principle I teach my clients is, ‘Give Everything a Home.’ A ring usually lives on one’s finger but if it’s nighttime, wash-the-dishes time, or let’s-make-meatballs time, you’re going to want to take it off and have a temporary home for that ring so you’ll know where it is when it’s time to put it back on your finger. The Umbra Ring Holder comes in Llama, French Bulldog, and the ever-popular Unicorn. I’m partial to the Llama–great especially if you wear multiple rings. Maybe they should have made a giraffe?
I ‘heart’ the OXO company. They make products that are ergonomically comfortable, sturdy, and make people’s lives easier. If someone you know eats at their computer often or their keyboard is a dust magnet, this cleaning brush would probably be well received in a stocking. Looking at my keyboard (and knowing how often I eat in front of it), it wouldn’t be a bad idea if I got one for myself!
So cute! Makes me hungry just looking at it! Perfect for all ages but I think kids (and adults) wouldn’t mind cleaning their glasses or phones if they had a cloth like this to do it with. Also comes in Pepperoni Pizza, Cinnamon Roll, and Lemon Slice.
No more frayed charging cables! They fit over a cord plug in the exact place where charger cables can show wear and tear. Works with iPhones lightning cables for iPhone 5 or later. They’re all cute but I’m partial to the bug-eyed chameleon…
Even though I’m allergic to wine, I do serve it and cook with it–I would definitely use these in my home. They come in handy for entertaining and for BYOB restaurant dinners. Made of easy-to-clean and easy-to-stretch silicone with witty wine-related messages written on the top. Know someone who likes to drink wine? I think you’ve found a stocking stuffer for them! Definitely an over 21+ kinda stocking stuffer…
Great for car rides or to keep in a purse or back pack for when the kids are getting antsy–this will keep them occupied. Recommended for ages six and older. There’s a wooden stick with a sharp end included. If you know your child can be trusted with it–great. If they’d prefer to use it as a weapon against a sibling or playmate, perhaps this isn’t the best stocking stuffer for them…
If someone you know likes unicorns and has to keep their hair dry in the shower sometimes, this is the stocking stuffer to get them. Comes in Flamingo and Duck styles, too. The last time I mentioned a shower cap in one of my stocking stuffer roundup posts was back in 2013–way before the resurgence of the unicorn’s popularity. Can you guess what animal appears on it? Check here to see if you guessed correctly!
I don’t think I’ve ever had the thought while I’m showering, “Boy, am I thirsty! I wish I had a drink in here.” But, for those of you with a quench for more than just water while getting yourself clean, this would make a good stocking stuffer. As the description states, PLEASE use cans or plastic–do not use with a drinking glass made of glass!
Can someone tell me why these make a good stocking stuffer? What message does this send to the recipient? Just because they’re small does NOT mean they should make an appearance in anyone’s stocking at holiday time–IMHO. They’re 2 oz so they work well for travel–keep one in your toiletries bag and pack it for your next trip. These sprayers got a bunch of 5-star reviews so they must work but please–don’t give it as a gift unless you know the person really wants it. Please...
The rest of the Container Store’s Stocking Stuffer Collection can be found on their website. With 146 to choose from, there’s bound to be something for everyone on your shopping list. Happy shopping!
Which one of this year’s stocking stuffers is your favorite?
A blog by Professional Organizer Stacey Agin Murray bursting with cool products, 'gotta-tell-a-friend' ideas, and a whole lotta organizing know-how. Learn more...
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About Stacey
When you grow up in a 5’x12′ bedroom, you learn to organize pretty quickly! I chose to take that knowledge and turn it into a business helping people find what they need when they need it. I’m also the author of The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook–a book that offers wedding thank you note-related organizing tips and how-to’s plus 101 unique sample thank you notes (what bride can’t use that?).
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