Organize Your Recipes and Cookbooks in Five Steps

Have your recipes and cookbooks gotten out of control? Do you have good intentions to get them organized but get overwhelmed when you think about it? Imagine if you could put your hands on the exact recipe you are looking for in seconds! To help you achieve that goal, I've laid out the 5 steps to get your recipes and cookbooks organized using my STUFF System(TM).
Sort
Gather all your cookbooks, loose recipes and cooking magazines. Next, start sorting into piles - cookbooks, cooking magazines and loose recipes. Then, sort your loose recipes into piles by the type of dish (desserts, poultry, fish, meat, vegetables, appetizers, etc). Look at a cookbook to get ideas of possible categories ideas.
Take Out
Go through each pile and decide what you will keep and what you will let go. If you are limited on space you'll have to be more selective. If you use just one or a few recipes from each cookbook, consider making a copy of those favorite ones and pass the cookbook on or donate the books to your library.
If you have a collection of cooking magazines taking up lots of space, tear out the recipes you use or would like to try. Recycle the rest of the magazine.
What about all those loose recipes that you've printed from the internet and clipped from magazines? Do you have more than you'll every try? Toss any incomplete or duplicate recipes.
Utilize Your Space and a System
Look at your available space. Where will your cookbooks and recipes live? In the kitchen? On a bookshelf? In a cupboard? In the pantry? Avoid storing them on your countertops.
~ Ideas for Your Loose Recipes ~
Create your own recipe binder to store your loose recipes. You just need a 3-ring binder, clear page protectors and divider tabs. Lay out your binder just like a cookbook. You've already sorted your recipes into piles - use those categories to label your divider tabs. Then slip the recipes into the clear page protectors. The page protectors also protect the recipes from spills and are easy to wipe clean. Perhaps you can have a section devoted to your family's favorites or a section of new recipes you want to try.
Another idea is to use a portable file box to store your loose recipes. Label each hanging file folder with the categories and slip the recipes behind the appropriate tab.
You may prefer transferring recipes to index cards to store in a recipe box or small plastic photo albums. Here is an example of how I use small plastic photo albums for my favorite recipes. I love using this system because they are always handy.
Fill Containers
Containers keep like items together. Your recipe binder is a container. A recipe box is a container. See how this step and the previous step can go together? Be sure to label your containers.
Follow-Up
Once you have your cookbooks and recipes organized, you'll want to stay on top of them to keep it that way. Be picky about what you keep. If you try a new recipe and it just doesn't work for you family, there's no need to hold onto it anymore.
Think before you print and clip! How easy would it be to get those recipes again when you are ready to make them? When you do come across a new recipe on the internet or in a magazine that you want to keep, put it in your binder and on your menu right away.
If you get a new cookbook, is there another one you can part with? Consider utilizing your local library when you're in the mood to try out a new cookbook.
Make it Happen!
Now that you have all the steps, pick a date to start working on your recipes and cookbook organizing project. Do one step at a time. Depending on how much you have, you may have to schedule multiple sessions.
*Holiday Tip*
If you will be hosting or attending Holiday gatherings this season, start making your menus now. If you come across a recipe you'd like to try, make a note of it and where it is located.
*Gift Idea*
Compile your and your families' favorite recipes, print them so they look nice and compile them into a small photo book. Present them as a gift by itself or in a kitchen theme basket. My Mom did this for my brother and me about 6 years ago. We both cherish that gift of her favorite recipes that she used to make. Every time I make something from that book I think of her and the memories.

About the author: Paula Constable, professional organizer and speaker, works with families who want to make their daily lives easier through organization. She is the owner of Stuff 2b Organized, LLC and she brings understanding, support and solutions to help calm the busy lives of the families she works with.

As The Organizing Expert for Moms, Paula provides her organizing services both in-home and virtually. She holds her tele-classes and Virtual Workshop, Paper Organization for Busy Moms, on a regular basis.

How to Organize Mail

One thing that often gets overlooked when it comes to getting organized is postal mail. Although email has replaced snail mail for most communication there is still plenty of mail delivered daily by your postal carrier. People still like to keep that personal touch especially for birthdays and special occasions by sending cards or invitations. Most utility bills are still sent by post and of course there is still the old fashioned equivalent to spam known as junk mail.

Mail can quickly add up.

The mailman comes around at least five days a week just a few pieces of mail a day, if not dealt with immediately can soon become a mountain. If you set it aside to read at a different time you'll quickly have it scattered everywhere and that leads that feeling of overwhelm. If you put it in one place like your kitchen table it's not long before you have no place to even set a plate to eat. It happens that fast.

It's essential to have things archived and stored away.

Is this you? Then it's time to take control. Have a special place to put your mail as soon as it gets into your home. You don't need to file it right away but it's a good practice to do this at least once a week or else it will start to accumulate. Many people think it's okay to throw away bills but that isn't true. Credit card statements should be held onto for up to 7 years. All of your financial records are essential to prove that you aren't doing anything wrong or illegal. Another thing is that if a company says that you didn't pay a certain bill there is not way of proving that they are lying unless you have the paid bill to back you up. Many people trust the fact that the companies have a copy but they don't understand that you can get hurt if the company turns on you or if they lose the records. Don't think that they can't lose the records. Not every company is organized. You may have misconceptions about how long to hold on to bills.

Keep track of how much you are spending.

Another great thing about keeping your bills is to keep track of how much you are consuming. It's a fun goal to try to go down on your energy consumption. Learn to turn things off when you are not using them. Paying online offers you an added benefit of having the record easily accessible when you need it.

Keep the junk mail under control.

If you are going to enter the clearinghouse sweepstakes, fill it out the form, save the stub and send it off. Have a folder or transparent envelope to put these stubs. Sales fliers are really unnecessary unless you truly have your eye on something. If it's not a product that you normally buy, you probably won't use it this time either. If it's a freebie or a great deal, put it with your grocery list and use it next time you go to the store. Go through your coupons and throw away all of those that have expired. Don't hang on to too much "stuff" since it depletes your energy and takes your time.

What about cards and letters from friends?

If you're sentimental, put them in a box, name it "precious memories" and store it in a safe place. Don't forget to take this box out once in a while together with a friend or family member to reminisce and think about the great memories and fun times.

By taking these steps, you'll quickly reclaim lots of surrendered space from useless paper in your home.

By Ginger Myers

Here's a post where you can learn how to organize office files to have a happier and stress free life. You can also learn how to organize your homeschooling classroom furniture in creative ways.

Organize Now: Organize Your Kitchen In 24 Hours

The kitchen is often a gathering place for friends and family to not only eat, but talk about current events and life in general. It’s a place to post notices on the refrigerator about chores and things to do during a busy day. It’s sometimes a place to feed pets and keep a collection of kid art, bills, assorted papers and magazines.

In fact, the kitchen can become a gathering place for lots of – junk.

Have you forgotten what your kitchen looks like?

Well, if you have, it’s time to dig through the clutter and get things organized so that you and your family can enjoy your kitchen again like it was meant to be enjoyed.

Before you can get organized, you need to decide what kinds of activities you want to use the kitchen for besides cooking and eating.

Do you pay bills sitting at the kitchen table?

Do you or any family members do craft projects in the kitchen?

Are the kids doing their homework in the kitchen?

Is it used for casual reading?

When you host parties, are guests allowed to roam freely in the kitchen?

These are all things to consider when deciding how your kitchen space will be used. Actually, your kitchen can accommodate all of the above activities, but you must organize things so that each activity doesn’t conflict with anything else you’re trying to do in there.

Grab some boxes or plastic bags and begin removing each item, section by section. You can label the boxes or bags i.e. appliances, bills, books, crafts, knick knacks, etc.

Now take a good look at the space and figure out how you want to arrange your kitchen into stations that can keep things neat and efficient. The first station, should be the cooking station. Appliances that you use frequently should be put within easy reach. Stuff you don’t use too much should be stored.

Utilize all of your storage space. Maybe you can purchase some dividers and racks to add to the space you already have in your cabinets. Figure out as many ways as possible to increase your storage space.

Next, if you pay bills in the kitchen, get a letter/bill organizer and place all of your current bills in there for safe keeping. This will help you keep track of what bill you owe and when you need to pay it. All older bill related paperwork should be filed away in a filing cabinet or thrown out if no longer relevant.

Likewise for crafts and things. Any loose craft items should be stored inside of a container or box. Pull items out and work at the kitchen table, then store them when you’re done.

If the kids normally do their homework at the kitchen table, keep supplies like pens, pencils, and paper handy in a separate container or box. Label it clearly so that the kids know where to find it. They should also put their supplies back when finished.

If you have a small place, the kitchen is often a gathering place for friends and party guests. You may want to invest in a rolling cart where you can easily store party beverages and utensils – that way you won’t have to clutter up your nice kitchen in order to entertain guests.

With the right organization, your kitchen can be a place to cook good meals, and also a multipurpose room that is warm and practical.

by Nikki LeRoi

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