School Supplies or more?!?

I have to be completely honest...School Supply season is my favorite! I can't make it out of Target without getting a couple new supplies! I feel that school supplies are a staple for everyone, and not just those that have kids in school. Plus when you can get them so cheap, why not stock up. So you are probably wondering why I need to stock up on them if I don't have kids in school...to stay organized!

Everyone always tries to get organized in January and set themselves up for the year, but I think this is a great time to restart, recharge, and get organized. During these awesome sales you can stock up on binders, notebooks, notecards, markers, highlighters, dry erase boards, planners, everything! Plus we are entering the most expensive part of the year...winter! You need to start thinking about how you are going to organize time, money, and life in general. School will be starting which means kids getting involved in more activities, then holiday seasons, gift giving, colder weather, higher bills...its all coming. So why not start planning it all now?

Here are a few items that I always like to stock up on and why:

PLANNER: I think that everyone should have a planner! Period! It is important to have one central place that you can put all of your events, appointments, and activities. One central guide book that will keep you on track and not in a constant late cycle.

HIGHLIGHTERS: I think these are important for keeping your priorities straight. I like to highlight my dates in my planner so I know when Nick works evenings vs mornings. To keep straight what are important appointments and what are just events available to attend if we have time.

BINDER: I like to keep things put together by keeping binders. They can be used for your monthly meal planning, organizing your recipes, keeping finances in track, or just to keep clutter together. I have my important binders for meals, coupons, and recipes...but I also have binders for fitness, home decor, crafts, and so on. I simply take pictures out of magazines that interest me and then three hole punch them into a binder. This way I can keep them in one spot, and get rid of a bulky magazine that I have already read through. With this I will also stock up on the clear plastic sleeves for additional organization.

NOTEBOOKS: I like to have notebooks around for easy notes, lists, and also for the kids to have access to. It is so much easier to make a list of whats for dinner that week and include the shopping list with a spiral bound notebook.

CRAYONS: Now these are not a necessity, but I usually can get a box of 24 for less then $0.50, so I like to have extra on hand. First because crayons are less messy then markers for kids, they are easy to pack for a car ride, and frankly kids love them. PLUS I like to use them for little gifts at valentines and Halloween too. We take broken crayons or ones that have been well used and put them in a special container. Then when a holiday comes up I can simply toss them in a themed silicon mold pan and melt them down. I use a glue dot and adhere it to a valentines or Halloween card. This is a hoot for the kids to make, plus then I can give a fun little gift that does not involve candy!

NOTECARDS: I am a notecard junky! I love to have them on hand for writing down recipes, they are great for little kids to write on and fit in any small container. They are also great for organizing lists. During the holiday time I like to add a name to the top of a card, then add the suggestions for gifts to the card. This way I have several ideas for each person I need to give gifts to. They are also great for flash cards for kids! Super cheap and very good at multitasking!


So although its "School Supply" season, I hope you look at the multitude of other uses and consider this "Organization Season"!