How Are You Getting Organized in 2012?

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Before I dive into this post with different organizational tips and sites, I want to share with you the email that I just received from reader, Suzan.

There is a website called FutureMe.org where you can write yourself a letter and send it into the future. I have sent myself a letter the last two years and find it is a great way to set goals, etc., and see if I have met them. All you need to do is have an email address to send the letter to and the letter is delivered there. You choose what day/year you want the letter sent to you. It’s absolutely free. Also, it’s a neat thing for children to do as they can set goals and see how many they’ve accomplished the following year when they get their letter.

So, what are you waiting for? Go write yourself a letter… I’m going to work on mine tonight.


Now on to the post…

How many of you have made a resolution to more effectively organize your finances and/or life in general this year? I am guessing that quite a few of you are looking to improve your organizational methods, as I have received many emails in the last few days regarding this topic. As a result, I decided to put together a post with some organization tools to help you get started. Please feel free to mention other organizational tools that you are fond of in the comment section below.

* FREE Coupon Savings Tracker Spreadhsheet
Head over here to download this spreadsheet for free (available for Microsoft Excel 2003-2007, 2010 or Open Office). Just go in and enter the information from your receipts and you can keep track of how much you are saving and how much you are spending.

* FREE Management of Daily Deals
Head over to Couptivate where you can organize the deals you buy directly from deal sites like Groupon, LivingSocial and many more. Check out this post for more information.

* FREE Downloadable Organize Your Life & Goals Workbook ($19 value!)
Head over to the Facebook page of Michele Connolly, the Get Organized Wizard, “like” her, click on the “Free Workbook” tab, and then follow the directions.

* FREE Downloadable Savings Tracker
Head over to The Coupon Project where you can download the 2012 Savings Tracker which will enable you to see exactly how much you are saving each month and year-to-date; you’ll even be able to set a grocery budget for each month and track your spending against your budget! Choose from an Excel or Google version.

* FREE Online Money Management Tool
Head over to Mint.com to create a budget, categorize your purchases and more – for FREE! Check out this post for more information.

*FREE Downloadable Calendars, Meal Planners, To Do Lists, and More
Head over to MommyTracked.com where you can download lots of free (and super cute!) schedules, checklists and more to keep you organized in style!

* Consider joining FlyLady for FREE
Join FlyLady and you’ll receive daily FLYmail with lessons that will guide you through babysteps to help you set up routines, get rid of your clutter, and put your home and life in order.

Join The Discussion

Comments 103

    • Celie

      I am addicted to that site!!! I highly recommend it to anyone who needs even just the tiniest bit of organization and simplicity in their life!!

      • Anonymous

        Lol! I just posted about this same blog, I didn’t realize you already shared because I hadn’t read the other comments(:

    • Nat

      OMG I love this website!!! Thanks for sharing

  1. Sallie

    I know it’s small, but I bought a few packs of Staples® #1 Magnetic Bulldog Clips and I clipped all of our winter hats and gloves to our magnetic back door. Now there is no last minute looking for these items or lost ones! It’s really helped now that we use them everyday!

    • Liz

      Nice idea Sallie!

  2. Heather J.

    I have a bag that I keep in my closet and anytime I find something questionable that I’m not sure if I need to keep or not, I throw it into the bag. When the bag gets full it goes to Goodwill! I am cleaning out and getting rid of so many unused things this way and it goes to a good cause.

    • Michelle

      That’s an awesome idea!!! Thank you for sharing!!!

    • Megan

      I do something similar. I have a box of stuff to donate like clothes and kitchen stuff and a box of stuff for “the other bank” which collects toiletries and other items that the food bank does not have. I put all my extras from couponing in there. I also have a box for specialty recycling stuff like an old phone, cell phone, DVD player that I can take to Best Buy to recycle (and get RewardZone points).

    • mirella

      Excuse me, but as far as I know Goodwill is a very profitable business now, so not really a good cause expect for the their billionaire CEO :(. I try to donate at shelters instead.

      • Sara

        You may not want to make assumtions. May people use “Goodwill” as a universal term for charity, kind of like pople say “Band Aid” instead of adhesive bandage, and “Q Tip” instead of cotton swab.

        I do, however, agree that Goodwill is not the best choice of charitable causes.

      • Cayla

        Everyone has their preferences. Goodwill is closer to my heart than some other places because they employ individuals with special needs, a category that my son falls into.

        • francoise

          Goodwill’s CEO turned around a thrift store empire that used to be a smelly mess (remember Goodwill in the 80s?). Last year in Portland, Oregon alone Goodwill provided 35,000 people with housing, job training, and other assistance. Whether their CEO’s compensation package is over the top is a matter of personal opinion and is certainly debateable, however, the sheer amount of good Goodwill does in its communities shouldn’t be overlooked.

        • Marie

          Ditto, my son is 19 and works for Goodwill and has special needs. If it wasn’t for their work/training program he probably wouldn’t have a job. They need any and all donations they can get. It is a great thing to donate to your own local store in your community. That is how they can afford to employ people like my son and stay open.

  3. grannypl6p

    Iam going to spend just 15 minutes a day to either clear out a drawer, or closet space, or one of those dreaded boxes still in the garage.

    • Liz

      Good idea. I have told myself I’m going to do this too. You really can get a lot done in 15 mins when you set the timer and go at it 🙂

    • Rachel

      A few days ago Moneysavingmom.com posted a wonderful calendar of decluttering/organizing ideas that only take 10-15 minutes each day. I am going to follow that for some structure.

  4. Megan

    I get a Moleskine hard cover planner/calendar every year (I wait until after Christmas so I can get it 50% off). I sometimes slack on it, but find that if I look at it every night before bed and every morning when I wake, I stay on task better and don’t miss appointments. I also make my to do lists in the book and find it extremely helpful to clear the clutter from my brain. I think that actually writing stuff down is more helpful for me that just typing it into a program or on my phone etc.

  5. mj

    Pinterest has helped me set organizing goals, get new & fresh ideas and to stay excited about them with different DIY projects, tips and hints.

    • Amber R.

      Same here thats how I found I heart organizing so many of her ideas are on there!

      • Celie

        I also found IHeartOrganizing through pintrest, as well as other great sites!!

  6. couponmommt

    I’m taking a week off here soon to spend cleaning and organizing my disaster of a house.

    Anybody got any clever suggestions for storing the tons of artwork my preschooler brings home all the time?

    • April M.

      I saw a post somewhere that suggested you take a pic of your child holding the artwork and make a scrapbook out of it. That way you can throw out the artworks you don’t want to keep and still have the memories.

      • heather

        I scan my children ‘s stuff in. Then will put each year on a cd

        • Jaden

          That is a GREAT idea! And you can share the artwork with your family, too!! Just a bummer that I don’t have a color scanner… lol!

    • Jen

      I buy accordion file folders for all of the artwork and school papers that I just can’t part with, then at the end of the school year, or before the beginning of the next year, I go through and purge some of the things, because I have realized you can’t keep everything. For really special things, I used old shoeboxes and made “memory boxes” for my kids so that they can put special things in that they want to keep.

    • Sallie

      We tape them up all over the closet doors (inside and out) around the house and mark the date. Then when it’s full, we go thru, pick the best and have a folder in our file cabinet for those and we keep them rotating out that way. Our kids LOVE showing people their artwork and getting to pick where the newest one goes!

      • Sharon

        What do you use to tape them up? We put stickers and other stuff on our doors when I was a kid, and those doors are trashed, in terrible shape. I don’t plan on moving anytime soon, but I don’t want to ruin my doors either. 🙁 I’ve taped stuff up on a couple doors, but I wonder what is the best tape to use – maybe painters tape? But the blue tape would distract from the artwork. :/

        • Jaden

          Roll the blue tape into loops and then stick to the back- it’s like double sided tape 😉 Then you can have it stick, not ruin your doors, and still not detract from their artwork!

    • Amber R.

      I picked this up from I Heart Organizing, I have a small file box for each kiddo with sections for each grade in school. The school grade dividers have a spot for that years school pic and show what teacher they had. It’s working out wonderful for my kiddos so far!

      • keliann

        I love I Heart Organizing and did the same thing for school stuff. It works great!

    • Billie Zinke

      We staple all the artwork on one of the basement playroom walls. When the wall gets full we take it down and I pick a few of my favorites to put in their keepsake bin. Then they each pick out a few to give to the grandparents. The rest get recycled.

    • couponmommt

      Wow I did not expect that many responses! Thank you all for your suggestions! I’ve never had much success with scrapbooking. I’m loving some of these clutter-saving ideas.

    • Mandy

      my son’s preschool uses pizza boxes to collect their artwork and projects each year. it’s big enough for the odd-sized stuff and fits under the bed perfectly. you can save an old, clean pizza box or you could go to a pizza shop and ask for one. most will give you one for free or a small charge. i just recommend getting a corrugated cardboard one, more sturdy. also, you could string up yarn or something similar around his/her room and use clothes pins to hang up his/her favorites–displays artwork and doubles as decor! i’ve also seen an idea of getting a few inexpensive frames to hang somewhere and rotating favorites. and lastly, to piggy back on April’s idea, take pictures of the work (with or without the child) and make a photo book when there’s a cheap/free offer out there.

  7. Kari C

    That is so Funny I use that picture from Pottery Barn that you posted as my inspiration to get organized. I am trying to put together something close to that picture in my kitchen so I want it to look nice but not cost a fortune like it does at Pottery Barn!! If anyone has a place to get nice quality boards like the picture let me know! or how to get deep discounts at pottery barn :-).

    • Jaime

      Hobby Lobby has a nice assortment of boards to play around with. They are in with the mirrors and such usually. They also go 50% off quite often!

  8. Leslie

    I’m with MJ. I LOVE Pinterest! I use it to sift through and gather great ideas from others. I’ve got lots of organization ideas on my Pinterest boards which are located here if anyone wants to take a peek or request an invite: https://pinterest.com/msnmgmom/

    I’m committed to completing one Pinterest project each week day.

  9. Jenny

    Fly Lady is the BEST! I have saved my sanity using her site, books, and methods! 🙂

  10. Angie

    Anyone know of an iPad app for coupon savings tracking?

  11. abbner

    To much clothes has become a huge problem in our house so I (as i’m getting caught up on laundry) as I’m folding /putting away have a pile for everyone in the family but have an extra pile to give to goodwill.helps me to purge as im doing laundry instead of trying to go back in the kids room and go through everything again.

    • Amber R.

      I do the same thing! Although I end up having to purge their room once in a while because the clothes that doesn’t fit obviously doesnt get worn so it doesnt come through the laundry!

  12. klromano

    I’ve set alot of goals and decided to blog about my progress. I read Colin’s bio and how blogging about saving helped her change her habits, I’m hoping blogging about organization helps me with mine! I’m hoping to connect with other people and share ideas and inspiration!!

    • francoise

      Blogging about your progress in hopes that it may serve as a motivator, or even an accountability tool, is an excellent idea! Thanks!

  13. NewMommyConfessions (@NewMommyConfess)

    That’s really neat! I definitely like the idea of sending myself an email and get it sent to me at some point in the future. I desperately need to start organizing too!

  14. Celie

    Sometime last year when you posted about getting organized a reader suggested a site called http://www.springpadit.com and I checked it out, and I now use it to organize EVERYTHNG!!! The gist of it is you get to make different notebooks, and inside those notebooks you can add notes of what you want to remember, or an appointment or task, movie, book, RECIPE, SHOPPING LIST, basically endless possibilities.
    I have a notebook that I use to keep track of my weight loss, kinda a personal blog in a way. I write down what I’ve been doing, thoughts on the torturous process of adjusting to a new lifestyle, progress reports, and then I can use that to look back on and see how far I’ve come. That’s how I keep myself goal-oriented. I even set one up for different yoga exercises and flag what I really want to try next.
    I have a notebook for things I’m expecting in the mail (which is gigantic thanks to this site!!), I have a big ol’ recipes notebook where I put all the recipes I stumble on in neat and organized, and through there I can even add the ingredients to a shopping list, and next to the ingredients I list if I have a coupon for it or the best place to buy it. I keep a running list of all the rewards sites I belong too which includes the username, a password reminder, when I request payments, when I receive em, and anything else that would be of use to remember.
    Definitely worth checking into, and even checking out their youtube videos to see how you can custom-tailor it to fit your needs.

  15. Amber R.

    My goals this year are to finally lose some weight! Doing Zumba its been kickin my butt but its so much fun! Also getting my home organized though. I plan to focus on one room a month and do one project a week to help get and keep something in that room organized. In addition to all that I hope to have my youngest potty trained before summer :/ wish me luck!

  16. Amber R.

    Totally off subject but I figured I’d mention it since we’re talking about organizing school work. I found a post on pintrest about how you buy your child “Oh the places you’ll go” book by Dr. Suess and secretly have each teacher sign it through the years. Then when your kiddo graduates give it to them as a graduation gift!

    • MommySpendsLess

      I LOVE this idea!and I heard it in time to implement it – thank you! So often I hear about ideas for my daughter a little too late.

    • Deedee

      That is too cool! Thanks for sharing your idea!

    • Jaden

      I really love this idea!! Especially because my Dad gave me that book when I graduated high school so it holds a special place in my heart already. I think she already HAS the book, too! Thank you, love it, I’m going to pin it to my pinterest RIGHT now!! 😉 And my daughter starts elementary school in the fall so this is perfect timing! 🙂

  17. Jessica

    the coupon tracker is amazing! I entered all of my receipts from december and January
    spent: $76
    save:$698
    This is what every couponer should have!

    • Shannon E

      What is the coupon tracker? Do you have a link to where I can get it? Thanks!

  18. KG

    I need something to store my kids dvd’s in. I want something that will allow me to take the cover off the dvd box and put it in a binder or something easier for my kids to go through. I am sick of piles of dvds on my floor! Any ideas?!

    • e

      I just use a regular old CD holder (the square ones that hold 4 to a page. I cut out the front part of the cover with the picture/title and stick it in front of the DVD/bluray. I freecycle the cases. I figure they probably won’t sell as well in the future without the case, but oh well, I can’t keep everything! This method works really well for us, we have it alphabatized (er, spelling). When we get a new one I just stick it in the back and every few months or so I go thru and reorganize them, putting the new ones in their proper spot.

      • Amber R.

        Awesome idea my kids have a ton of DVDs and their over running the top of their dresser! Thanks for the tip e!

  19. babysmama

    I am starting with organizing my menu planning, which will in turn help me organize my savings. I wrote about it today…how to feed a family of 4-6 on under $100 a week. http://www.trenchesofmommyhood.blogspot.com

  20. Heather

    can you use those (coupon trackers spreadsheets) on a MAC.

    oh how i want my windows machine back ;(

  21. Melissa

    What a fabulous list of organizing links plus fabulous comments and even more helpful links and suggestions by Hip2save followers! No wonder I love this site! Thank you Collin and everyone else!

  22. Tammy

    I learned a trick from my best friend. Growing up her mother had a rule when you received new clothing, you had to donate a like item which you no longer used or needed. Example: 5 new pair of jeans for Christmas…five pair donated to someone. I started that last year. It keeps my children’s closets manageable and makes me feel good by donating to others in need.

  23. Karen Lotter

    I just went back to work last year full time. Cant believe how much goes by the wayside. My solution is to pick one project a month- put it in my planner on the first and the15th. This usually works, (I figure, geez its only one thing a month, painting a room, cleaning a closet.) I can take 30 days to complete!!

  24. Connie

    Does anyone know how to get more done when you are sick? I have fibromyaligia. It can make me feel down not getting stuff done. My diet seems to have a big effect on me. I am trying to do like a paleo diet. Hope it is ok to post this here. Thanks. I love Hip2Save!

    • semiextremecouponer

      Hi Connie. I am a Registered Nurse and also have Fibromyalgia and major back issues. I recommend setting a timer for 15 minutes. Alternate 15 minutes of chores with 15 minutes of rest. I find I have the most energy in the mornings so I plan my day accordingly. Also, find recipes that you can prepare the ingredients ahead of time and throw them together at night when you’re more tired. Hth

      • Connie

        Thanks! Will try that. Also I do often find I don’t have enough energy to do a whole dinner. So I think preparing some stuff for it ahead of time would help a lot. Sorry to hear you are also sick. Best to you.

    • shawna!!!

      Hi Connie,
      i too am a nurse like the post from @semiextremecouponer and i have Lupus with Fibromyalgia, i was diagnosed over 10 years ago. The recommendation of 15 minutes at a time has done WONDERS for me. On my bad days, 15min may be too much, ACCEPT it and start again the next day. DO NOT beat yourself up, i HIGHLY recommend (Collin put it in her post) https://www.flylady.net/ There are weekly missions we do and i must tell you, i started a year ago and my life has completely changed. When the house looks good enough to allow company over without notice (you gotta know what i’m talking about right?!? People just pop over.) EVEN when i’ve had a flare for a week, the house looks put together…it is more than a GREAT feeling! Try it! Best of Luck to you!

      • semiextremecouponer

        Thanks Shawna!!! I was going to try try flylady.net (actually just cleaned my kitchen sink :))

      • Connie

        Thanks also Shawna. I had to come back to see where to post lol. Yes, I know what you mean. I want my house to look like that! Ready if anyone would drop by! Best to you too.

  25. Erika C.

    This is so perfect for me. Thanks! I have decided to take on the organization of our home one drawer at a time. It’s just too overwhelming to think about everything on at once. I’m even taking before and after photos 🙂

  26. Lorelei

    there is also a free website: lemon.com where you can digitally store all your receipts! They give you an email so you can just forward or send your online shopping receipts straight to that email and the site will organize it by category and everything. Also, if you have a smartphone with a camera, they have an app that you can download to take pictures of physical receipts which they digitize within a few days so all your receipts can be kept in one place! 😀

    • Lorelei

      You can also manually enter in receipts if you prefer 🙂 I don’t have a smart phone, so I usually just manually enter it in.

  27. mirella

    Does anybody use a meal planner like for example foodonthetable.com ? Dinner is a big deal for us and I am wondering if those sites are worth the money? I will appreciate any suggestion or recommendation. THANK YOU!

    • Amy

      I have tried a few different meal plan sites over the years but find myself always going back to paper. What has worked the best for me is to plan out a week’s worth of meals pulled from favorite recipes/cookbooks and write up the full shopping list (like I had nothing on hand). Then, I’ll glance through the list on shopping day and jot down what I really needed to buy at the grocery store.

      It takes a bit of time at first but after doing this for a few weeks, you’ll get to the point where you can just grab one out of the drawer and have a weeks worth of meals with grocery list all planned out. I found myself cooking up the same meals frequently anyway so this let me add in some new recipes, keep family favorites, but space things out so you’re not eating the same thing every week.

    • Jaden

      It is funny that you ask this question because I just posted a NOVEL of a comment down below about PlanToEat!! I absolutely love the site and have had it for about two months now… even at full price of $55 a year I would say it’s worth it, it is saving me a lot of time and also saving me money because I don’t have to keep running out in the middle of the week to grab something I left off my handwritten list by accident! If you want more details, check out my comment below… And there is also a free 30 day trial on their site if you wanted to check it out first, just remember to add it to your calendar so you cancel in time if you decide it’s not worth it for your family! 🙂 Hope that helps!

  28. nancyjo

    We love pinterest also if time is short I only look thur ” hip2save” aka the hubs calls it …NOT HER GRANNY MONEY site LOL I just love it (: and pinteest I also pinned H2S along with hundereds of smart folks like us couponcuties. nancyjo

  29. Betsy's Third

    My goal is to continually be organized, so with that in mind I joined Clever Container. They have lots of great organizational products. Check us out at http://www.clevercontainer.com

  30. Marcie

    I actually do donate to our local thrift store here called Deseret Industries or DI for short. They have an attached employment center and are always helping people get jobs and training them and usually the first job they get is at the DI if they don’t know how to do anything else. So, by donating, I am helping people be employed that really need it. I also know that when when they have items that sit for a while they bundle it together and send it for free to people who really, really need it. So by me donating, everyone wins- including me and the warm fuzzy feeling I get by doing it.

    • Carrie

      Me too!!

    • Jennifer Rabins

      Me, too!

  31. Melanie

    I have just recently started a blog about trying to simplify my life. This includes getting organized, getting rid of a LOT of stuff, and just making day to day life with 2 little boys (soon to be 3) easier. My blog is:
    http://www.158daystosimplify.blogspot.com

    The blog helps keep me accountable each day.

  32. Morgan

    For anyone that is curious, the daily wall system pictured above is from Pottery Barn and it is awesome! I would suggest it to anyone who is tired of following the never ending paper trail of invitations, schedules, etc.

  33. Amy

    If you are looking for a tool to help organize household chores, lists or even bigger projects, I highly recommend the https://www.homeroutines.com/ app. I bought this last month and love it! Hubby has no excuse now about not helping since the app syncs to iPad/iPhone/iPod.

    I was really feeling overwhelmed with housework and this app really helped me stay on top of things.

    Another app I like is called Next Thing (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/next-thing/id361249228?mt=8) . I use it for my To Do lists, but it lets you organize by day, month, or year.

  34. Danielle

    I started using LearnVest. It’s an awesome way to organize my budget and it tells you exactly what’s up. You can link your bank accounts in safe way using https as well as loans and other things like that. It’s awesome!

  35. Crystal

    I take tons of pictures of my kids and just life in general, and sometimes I would go weeks without downloading them. Then I’d download 100’s at a time and it would take forever to go through, edit, and upload to Shutterfly. Also I’m a blogger and I’d go forever between posts or post about events weeks later simply because I didn’t have the photos ready to go with the post.

    This year I am trying downloading pics every night that I take pics, even if it’s only a few. So much faster and I don’t feel so overwhelmed. I’m doing a photo a day project and each day I choose one of my pics, move it to my Project 365 album and make sure it’s dated and titled. Today I took 4 pictures and it took me less than 5 minutes to get them downloaded, edited, uploaded, and organized. I hope to make a Project 365 photo book and I’d like to at least once a month go through and make the pages for that month. Also I make a quarterly photo book of our family pics and my new organization will really help with that, too.

  36. Kara

    I am looking for a good way to organize Legos. My son just started getting into the Lego sets and received a few for Christmas. I would like to keep each set together and store them so that it is easy for him to use. I also have a 3 year old I don’t want in them. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!!

    • Crystal

      I put each set in a big ziplock bag, complete with instructions, and then I put them all in a plastic bin with a lid. I keep it on a higher shelf in the toy room so that my 5 year old can reach it, but my 3 year old can’t.

    • Heather

      depnding on the size of each set, i use the plastic shoe boxes or sweater boxes to store kids toys in. the come with lids, makes easy for stacking.

      i have one that i put the toys or puzzle peices in a ziplock bag the put the bags in a box.

    • MA

      Fishing tackle boxes come in all sizes. My grandson loved that idea for his.

  37. Rebecca

    Anyone want to send me a pinterest invite?? poutyforyou@yahoo.com I’d so appreciate it!!

    • Lara

      I just sent you an invite!

  38. INEZ FOREMAN

    Hello,
    I love love love the wall with all that organization where did it come from.
    I want to order it now.
    Please tell me.
    Thanks,
    Inez

    • mommyspendsless

      Pottery Barn

  39. Lyn S

    Love the iheartorganizing link! Thanks to everyone who mentioned it!

    My New Years resolution was to meal plan. This website helped a ton and I’m loving it! https://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/menuplanning.htm

    A few months back I started making a weekly checklist to help with housework and other odds and ends that I was always forgetting. Its flexible b/c I can pick what I want to do that day, but I can see at a glance how much I’ve gotten done and what I need to do yet.

    Another goal of mine was to journal…but I hate writing…so I subscribed to https://ohlife.com/. They send you an email every day (asking “How did your day go?” or something like that), you reply to the email, and they upload them to a secure site that you can go to anytime. Awesome!

  40. HnB4life

    Where did the picture of the desk and organized office space you posted here come from? I really like the ideas and would like to see where I can get those products. 🙂

    • Carin

      I think they were from pottery barn. I remember looking at them beginning of last year.

  41. Brenda D

    In regard to the Goodwill vs other charity donation organizations…check to see if your local hospital has a thrift store managed by hospital auxillary/volunteers. I work at a hospital that has a very successful thrift store. Some of the profits are used to support a car seat program. Any of the 1,800 new family delivering at our hospital can purchase a new Graco Snugride 5-22lb car seat for just $20 or a car bed (for premie/under 5lb infant) for free. For those who are not able to afford the $20, they pay what they can. Ask what projects are financed by the profits; you may be pleasantly surprised! And happy organizing.

  42. Jaden

    This isn’t free BUT! totally worth it if one of your goals this year is to be more diligent about meal planning and saving money on groceries!!

    My husband bought me a membership for my birthday and I have LOVED it so far! It’s http://www.plantoeat.com and costs $55 a year at full price, but I have seen it go on sale quite a few times since I joined (I was kind of bummed because it was down to $15 for the year on Black Friday, my birthday is November 2 so I had just missed the sale!) so I am sure you could find a pretty good deal if you searched around.

    Basically you input recipes URLs from across the web- most recipe websites’ recipes will import with no problem- and then it pulls them into your account. You create a meal plan based on the recipes you have there, and then you go to the shopping list section, enter the applicable dates you want, and it creates a shopping list for you from your meals! Then you can check everything you already have in your pantry and remove it from the list, and voila! In about an hours time you have a few weeks worth of meals planned, the recipes handy, and everything you need is on your shopping list (plus, no extras unless you add them yourself ;D). You can even go so far as to add everything you have in your pantry (I know this would take a while for some of you with big stockpiles, lol!) and then it will automatically “know” that you have those items so you don’t have to manually remove them from your list. You can ALSO just click “cook from pantry” if you are having a night where you haven’t had time to go to the store and it will try and find a recipe that you have everything for already!

    Sorry this was long winded, but I have really found this site to be AWESOME and I am hoping it can help some other people too! And for recipes that won’t fully pull in from the URL, there is even a “bulk import” option where you cut & paste the info into their template, so it still saves you a lot of time over writing down/ typing in the whole recipe… an added bonus is that now I don’t have a TON of random recipe printouts cluttering my kitchen table/ desktop at home since I was able to easily save them all there, where I won’t forget I have them and will remember to use them! SERIOUSLY! LOVE http://www.PlanToEat.com!!! You can get a free 30 day trial if you check out their website, too- here’s some more info and the page you can sign up, just remember to add it to your calendar so you can cancel in time if you don’t want to keep it 🙂 https://plantoeat.com/recipe_book

  43. Crystal

    Does anyone know if they’re is a money saving/coupon app for tracking your spending and savings for iPad? I really want to track but I am addicted to my iPad and too lazy to go to the “BIG” computer..lol

  44. Megan Henderson

    I am definitely going to sign up at Mint.com! I also need to buy a medicine cabinet for our new home and I want to find some neat ideas for organizing my bedroom closet.

  45. Jessica

    I am checking out Mint.com now! Thank you for all you do, Collin! You have helped me and my family save in so many ways!! 🙂

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