Day 44: Haphazard Coupons, NO More!

If y'all did not already know, I am a BIG fan of Etsy (the website with TONS of handmade goods and products). I look through this site practically everyday, and I am never disappointed! I am ALWAYS finding such neat and clever things!

One of the items I stumbled across the other day was a coupon organizer. Now, when I was a kid, I was constantly cutting out and organizing coupons for my mom. I thought it was fun! She had a coupon organizer, but it was a boring, tan-colored, velcro-close thing. It was handy for holding coupons, but that was about it.

And I had not really thought about coupon organizers until I saw this item on Etsy in a "store" called "Grandma's Little Lilly."


At first, I just put this little cutie in my "favorites." But then, as I looked at the growing mess of coupons, savings cards, restaurant freebies and other items, I figured I should go ahead and invest in a handy little item to tidy up my purse... and to organize all my coupons (so I could actually use them!)!

So.... here is the organizer I bought. It's such a cute fabric, and it came with little tabs and labels for just about anything you could imagine!


And here it is with my coupons, all in alphabetical order!

Now my purse is clutter free, and I can find what I'm looking for when I'm at my favorite grocery store or restaurant!

Oh, and as an added bonus, the organizer has a button-closure, so you can actually attach it to your shopping cart for extra ease of use! Here is a photo I "borrowed" from Rhonda's Etsy shop to show you its usefulness!



Now, THAT's neat!


BTW: To get to Grandma's Little Lilly and check out the coupon organizers and other neat stuff in this Etsy store, just click here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/grandmaslittlelilly
(These are great for YOU and make super gifts, too!)

Day 43: The Copycat Strikes Again!

My loyal "Neat Get Neater" blog follower (and sister-in-law... and perhaps soon-to-be-self-proclaimed "neat freak"?!?!) has done it again! Inspired by a post on organizing bathroom drawers, she went straight to work on her OWN!

She states: "...after I saw your blog I thought MAN I REALLY need to tidy [the bathroom drawers] up...so last night I did just that. I found all these great drawer organizers at Target and I went to town."

So, for a little inspiration for the rest of y'all out there in bloggy world who have yet to organize your untidy bathroom drawers, here are her BEFORE and AFTER shots!


Great use of all those containers! Amazing how neat and tidy everything gets! :) (Neat freaks everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief!)



No more rummaging for stuff! LOVE it! :) (More collective sighs from the neat freaks!)


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 42: Forget About the TOP of The Fridge...

...have you seen what's underneath and behind the refrigerator!? EEEwwwww!

I was recently inspired to clean behind -- and under -- our refrigerator after seeing a little tip in the May edition of Real Simple magazine on this dirty (but necessary) job (see pg. 209)! So, if you have at least an extra 15 minutes, then this might be a nice thing to tackle (it not only helps keep things clean and dust-free, it can help keep your refrigerator in shape, too!).

*BTW -- it's recommended to do this at least twice a year! OOOPS! How about once every 3 years.... since that's how long we've been in this house!

So.... here is what I discovered when I gently wiggled my fridge back and forth out of its little spot in our kitchen. YUCK!

(NOTE: Real Simple warns you to unplug the appliance and be very cautious not to disturb the water hose, if you have an ice maker!)

Then I grabbed my Swiffer and mopped up all the loose dirt and grime. I then used a damp cloth to finish cleaning the floor and the back, sides and top of the fridge. You can use a brush attachment on your vacuum to get a really good clean (or to help clean a really big mess). I did not take this extra step today since the Swiffer caught just about everything! Also, I did not unscrew the back plate to get to the refrigerator coils. I did, however, clean out the plate and wipe off all the debris. (Apparently there is a special tool called a "refrigerator-coil brush" just for cleaning the coils on your fridge. But I don't happen to have one of these.... do you!?!?!)


The hardwood floor looked pretty good when I was done, so I did not have to take any extra steps to de-gum it! But if your floor looks bad, Real Simple suggests a solution of 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1/2 gallon warm water for most surfaces (but NOT for tile or stone).

Now, THAT's neat!