How many Coffee Mugs are too many? Decluttering and Organising Coffee Mugs and Glasses …

May 21, 2015

  Isn’t it amazing how some things accumulate without us even realising it! I’m pretty organised and generally feel in control of clutter but I was a little alarmed on the weekend, when I noticed the number of coffee mugs and glasses we had. I was really surprised that I hadn’t noticed before!   Mugs and glasses were everywhere:   one shelf of an overhead cupboard stored our everyday mugs and glasses   another shelf in a different overhead cupboard stored another 12 white coffee mugs that matched my dinner set (but were never used) … read more

Flat-Pack Freezer Meals … How to Make the Most of your Freezer …

May 7, 2015

  Do you freeze a lot of meals? I use my freezer all the time and it’s one of my favourite ways to save time. Whether you’re cooking for one or cooking for a large family, cooking large quantities of freezer-suitable meals means you can give yourself one, or many nights off cooking … and who wouldn’t enjoy that!   Other than cooking double batches of food, the real trick is to make the most of your freezer by maximizing every millimeter of space available and the simplest way to do that is to ditch as many containers as possible and embrace using zip lock … read more

8 Simple Tips to Help your Teens Organise their Makeup and Skincare …

April 29, 2015

  Ask any mother of a teenage girl if their daughter manages to keep their makeup and skincare tidy and well organised and, in most cases, you’ll be greeted with a sigh of resignation or, in severe cases, a wide-eyed look of near hysteria.   I know because I’m the mum of three girls and this has always been one area that we’ve struggled with. My girls (like most) love makeup and they all have huge collections that never seem to stay organised. The girls always seem to be in a hurry, with their makeup applied at the last minute and then tossed aside in a … read more

Sorting and Organising Dirty Laundry … A Reader Question Answered …

March 30, 2015

  Today’s post is the result of a reader question from Sally in Townsville, Queensland:   “Hi Mrs O, I need some ideas for my Laundry! I’m looking for some tips that will help me get better organised and spend less time in the laundry. Can you please HELP!!”   What a great question and I’m certain most of us share Sally’s frustration and would love to spend less time doing the laundry. Why? because most days it feels like an endless, thankless, overwhelming job that never ends! Can you relate to that?   So to make the job easier, to save time … read more

12 Clever Uses for Glasses or Sunglasses Cases …

March 26, 2015

  I love creative storage ideas … taking everyday items and finding unique and interesting ways to use them.   I wear prescription glasses as I’m shortsighted, in other words, I have trouble seeing distances and also have my sunglasses fitted with the same prescription lenses so I can see clearly when I’m out and about.   Once a year I get my eyes tested and, although my prescription is now fairly stable and hasn’t changed in the last couple of years, I usually get a new pair of my regular glasses and sunglasses as the old ones are often stretched … read more

Laundry Cupboards … Decluttered, Cleaned and Organised in less than One Hour!

March 4, 2015

    Despite the fact that I’m normally very organised, my laundry cupboard has definitely been in need of some tender loving care. I previously kept all of my laundry needs and products in a single cupboard, which had just been ignored completely and was totally out of control. It had become too easy for myself and other family members to simply toss things anywhere and here’s what it ended up looking like:     Slightly embarrassing but just keeping it real … time to regain control!   My laundry was actually not a bad … read more

How I Organise and Keep Track of my Prescriptions …

January 23, 2015

  One of my lovely facebook followers recently asked for some tips and advice on how to store prescriptions, so today I’m going to share the way I organise mine.   Once upon a time, I found it hard to keep track of my family’s prescriptions and I used to lose them all the time. It used to go something like this:   I’d go to the doctor (either for myself or the kids) and, if needed, grab a prescription I would go to the chemist straight away and get the prescribed medicine Then, if the prescription had a repeat for further doses of the … read more

How I Organised my Gift Wrapping Supplies …

January 21, 2015

  I’ve always been fairly organised but in my younger days, I used to get caught out when it came to presents. Special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries used to creep up on me and I’d find myself running around at the last minute to buy gift wrapping paper, ribbon and cards from the nearest newsagency. This used to cost me a small fortune not to mention cause me heaps of frustration. I eventually decided enough was enough and got myself organised with a supply of all these items and the savings were massive.   Instead of paying $3 – $4 (and … read more

How I Organise my Christmas Wrapping Paper …

December 28, 2014

  Now that Christmas is over, it’s time to pack away all the wrapping materials that you’ve used to wrap and decorate presents/gifts. Things like ribbons, string, baubles, cards and gift tags are easy to store because they are small enough to pack neatly into a plastic box or crate. Wrapping paper on the other hand is a little more challenging because of its size.   This is also the time of the year that I tend to stock up on wrapping paper at hugely reduced prices … sometimes up to 90 % off. So although it’s a great way to save money, now you have to … read more

Tips for Storing and Organising Herbs and Spices …

December 4, 2014

  For the record, I couldn’t survive without my herbs and spices. I use a lot of fresh herbs like coriander, lemongrass and parsley and I grow my own basil but I also have a huge collection of dried herbs and spices, which I use when I cook.   When I renovated my kitchen, I tried to consider where everything would be stored once it was complete and I wanted to find a great solution to how I would store my herbs and spices. In a previous kitchen, I had stored these in wire racks that were attached to the inside of cupboard doors and that worked really well. … read more

Christmas Planner … Free to Download …

November 30, 2014

  Christmas is such a wonderful, magical time of the year and the best gift you can give yourself is a holiday season that’s prepared, organised and stress-free. So, to help you do this, I’ve created a Christmas Planner and the best news of all is that it’s ABSOLUTELY FREE.   I started using a Christmas Planner many years ago and have spent a lot of time creating lists and worksheets to help me get organised. It has proven to be a valuable resource that eliminates frustration, keeps me on track, ensures I stay on budget and keeps everything sorted in a … read more

How to Organise Travel Documents …

October 31, 2014

    Going on holidays and travelling is a great way to see the world and escape from everyday life. So, if you’re lucky enough to get away, it’s important to have all your information and travel documents well organised so you can access them quickly and easily. Nothing’s worse than having to dig around in your bag looking for airline tickets and passports when you’re trying to check in at the airport or hotel or, worse still, losing some important document.     I usually carry a large bag or backpack when I travel so I can store … read more

Decluttering and Organising Magazines and Newspapers …

October 17, 2014

Most days, life is crazy and super busy. Working, cooking, cleaning and looking after the family, can leave us with very little time for ourselves. So when I do get 5 minutes of “me” time, I love to sit down with a hot chocolate or cold drink and a magazine … just a little bit of time to wind down, put my feet up and relax. However, as a result, I had accumulated quite a few piles of old magazines that I’d stored on different shelves and in cupboards around the house … old magazines that hadn’t been touched for years and were simply taking up valuable … read more

How to be a Tidy Cook in the Kitchen …

October 3, 2014

  I do agree, cooking can be a very messy event! And when I hear people say “I hate cooking!” what they often mean is they hate the mess and cleaning that comes with cooking. But to be honest, cooking and cleaning go hand in hand. So here are some of the things I do to help keep my kitchen clean when I’m baking or preparing dinner.   Start with a clean kitchen. Nothing makes a kitchen messier than a kitchen that’s already a disaster before I even start, so I like to start with clean benches. I take a few minutes to put things away and wipe down the … read more

4 Great Ideas for Organising Baking Trays and Racks …

September 27, 2014

Storing the trays, racks and things we use for baking can be a bit of a challenge. Mostly they end up stacked in an uneven pile in a cupboard. It’s difficult to keep tidy because everything is different sizes and it’s frustrating when you want the item on the bottom of the pile. Sound familiar?? So when I renovated my kitchen about 8 years ago, I put a lot of thought into what would be stored in each drawer and cupboard and I definitely wanted a solution for my baking trays, muffin trays, cake tins and oven racks. Ideally, I wanted to stand them up so they could … read more