Gosh I really don't blog often enough. Things have just been super hectic with the house and trying to get everything straightened out! Today though, I went to Target to buy cat food and a ledger (to track the household expenses) and another file box to keep receipts and ended up coming across these super nifty little organization books called OrganizeHer. I ended up buying four of them and have spent the afternoon getting my receipts, contractors phone numbers and account numbers in order in them!
The paper trail in owning your own house is ridiculous. At the house my husband and I have been renting we only have four main household bills (Rent, Electric, City Water, Internet). Now at the house we bought we have:
-Electric
-Water/Sewer
-Waste Collection
-Internet
-Gas
-Home Owners Insurance
-Home Warranty Plan
-Security System
-Furnace Service Plan
In addition to the fact that I've had bills for the Furnace Repair, Electrical Upgrade, Plumbing Upgrade, etc etc.
Obviously, my husband and I do not have a mortgage (thank goodness) but we will have to pay Property Taxes at the end of the year as well. Also, we don't have a TV or any satellite/ cable set up of any kind- and haven't done so in three years. Personal preference.
Anyway- I organized all of my receipts and paid bills into file boxes (I'll picture those another time) and am hoping that these little organizers will help keep everything else in check:
And now a closer look at each!
First of all- this one is pretty much your run-of-the-mill daily organizer for the most part. It's divided into months/ days but each section is separated into Mine, Theirs, Meals which is pretty neat! In other words, if I had something going on I'd write it in the Mine section or anything my husband had to do in the Theirs section.
I really like the fact that there is a section for Meals though. I've been trying to get more organized as far as menu planning goes. I'll be fine for about a month and then I'll go totally off track! Menu planning is so important though when you're trying to stick to a budget! I'm usually pretty good about making grocery lists and sticking to them- but I feel this will help me stick to our planned meals more!
Next up, is a mini Calorie Tracker. This is so basic but it was cheap and I thought it was cute. I need to start counting my calories again because after losing a tonne of weight a couple of years ago, I've piled a lot of it back on! I want to get healthy again because Jon and I want to start trying for a baby. Yes it's official- we're trying for children! That's why I want to shift some pounds in a healthy way first to ensure I have the best chances possible of getting pregnant!
Next we have an Expense Tracker. The pen in the side wasn't included- I just shoved one in there after I filled out a few things pertaining to the house repairs and bills! I'll probably try and find a pretty pink or grey pen to match the book eventually. Again, it's very basic but very useful- it reminds me of the little books that used to come when you ordered a cheque book to track your expenses! Very cute!
And yes- I have spent a LOT of money this month- this is not a normal month by any means! Getting the house taken care of is VERY expensive!
The column on the far left is whether expenses are planned or unplanned- which I think is a neat feature! So far I've only had one unplanned expense this month and that would be the sewer overflow. Our home warranty covered most of it but I still had to pay a deductible out of pocket :(
Last but not least- an address/ contact book! The first section is pretty normal and straight forward- but it also has a section for Services where I've filled out all of our utilities with the contact details and my account number for each (I didn't take a photo of that because you don't need to know my account numbers! Unless you wanted to pay the bills for me!).
Overall though it's very cute. I hate relying on my smartphone to store all of my relevant billing information. In the last 3 years I've been through 3 phones- they've all either died on me or spazzed out in some way or another. Keeping a paper backup therefore is vital! You never know when your much loved technology will fail!
Overall- these are very, very cute products. They feel decent quality (not superb but not cheap) and I really like the colors/ designs of the front of the books.
I've made a pledge to myself to keep organized in my new house- these are part of the first baby steps!
I'm not saying that my old house was disorganized- it was always neat and I always knew where everything was at least but part of the problem was that due to lack of space and lack of storage areas became multi use (for instance, my husband's Marine Corps Documents, College Documents, Health Records and Car Magazines were all in the same section at the bottom of the bookshelf... which made sense to me in my strange mind, but not to him!). Now that we are moving to a house over 3 times bigger- I'm hoping we'll be able to get a lot more organized!
Moving on... next up- I wanted a hammer, a tape measure, some picture hanging stuff and pliers- and instead came across this for $29.99 which had everything I needed and more in it!
I've seen similar before- but for the price I figured I couldn't beat it! And with Pink Tools there is no way they can get mixed up with my husband's stuff. Again, for organization's sake it's important that I have my own in the house. He can keep his in the garage and do as he will with them! I'm pretty sure the quality on this isn't great- but it will be useful nonetheless. After I've used it for a while I'll let you know how it goes!
Finally- I thought I'd give you a quick bathroom update! I finished painting in both of the main floor bathrooms and they look so adorably retro!
First of all- the Master Ensuite in Gentle Dreamland Pink (to match the vintage commode although due to the lighting you can't really tell)
And then the Guest Bathroom in Swimming Sea Turtle Green (although it looks more blue against the green of the tiles!)
Bathrooms aside- I came across a fabulous Danish Modern sectional sofa- it is huge but perfect for my formal living room! I took a photo of it after delivery- but it's not where/ how it's going to be placed and arranged permanently. It's just there for now until the other furniture gets moved in!
Kitty Von Dee has already given it her seal of approval, too!
That's all I've got for now!
I am LOVING being back in St. Louis though- so much that I don't want to return to North Carolina at all! I know I have to- to pack and get my furniture... but ugh... St. Louis is so much better!
Until next time, Stay Glamorous!
