Home Organization Apps

We love to be organized.  It was one of our goals this new year.  If you are looking at some new ideas for home organization, learn about these great apps that can help you achieve your goal.  These apps can help with everything from budgeting to grocery shopping.  You can learn more at Apartment Therapy.

Perfect Your Budget with YNAB

YNAB stands for "you need a budget." And let me just say: You do. You can read more of my thoughts in Basics of a Household Budget that Works. It was actually through your comments on this article that I finally decided to give YNAB a whirl. It is AWESOME. Everything I wished my previous program would do, YNAB does — and then some. It is seriously life-changing and I really really wouldn't want to be without this program. (The app is a way to enter items on the go, which will sync with the full-feature software on your computer.) The software is a $60 one-time fee, with optional paid upgrades when they are available. Worth every single penny and will pay for itself in the first month. (Tip: It's free for college students.)

Conquer To-Dos with 2Do

Though I tried many others that might be more popular (like Wunderlist), 2Dohas worked best for me. There were certain features, like being able to attach hand-written notes created with the stylus of my Samsung Galaxy Note 3, that made 2Do a good fit. I've also found that when it comes to deciding what goes on a to-do list versus on the calendar, this works: time-dependent items like appointments and due dates go on the calendar while non-time-dependent items like booking an appointment or mopping the floor work best on a to-do. Weekly cleaning tasks for The House that Cleans Itself are indeed stored in 2Do. Unfortunately, it looks like the developers are tapering off support on the Android version, though a brand new iOS update has been released. Looks like I'm in the market for Android to-do app suggestions...

Meal Plan and Make Grocery Lists with Plan to Eat

Speaking of saving money and time — I want to shout from the rooftops aboutPlan to Eat. (If you've been around me at all in the month since I got it, you've been subjected to my spiel about how great it is.) Plan to Eat does it all when it comes to every aspect of with meal planning: recipe storage and sharing, putting meals on the calendar, and generating a shopping list. There's even a "freezer" feature that enables you to keep track of freezer meals. You can change quantities of every recipe, you can save entire menus to use again, you can even keep track of how much various meals cost! Adding recipes from online is as simple as the click of a button. Plan to Eat is $40 per year and unquestionably worth it.

Conquer Paper Clutter with Evernote

Evernote can be used in so many inventive ways, but I mostly use it to store informational stuff rather than keeping it physically. My daughter's kindergarten daily schedule, flyers about summer camps, even coupons are "filed" in Evernote, and only take up virtual space. The best thing about it is that I can find the information when I want it! Tagging makes searching on Evernote powerful. Built-in OCR (optical character recognition) capabilities even let you search textwithin an image. This is technology making our lives easier at its finest. So even if I threw an image of a Best Buy receipt into Evernote and I forgot to title or label it, a search for "best buy" will yield what I'm looking for because the name of the store is on the receipt. Regular Evernote is free; premium is $5 a month.

Limit Your Linens

Are you going out to buy new linens soon?  Before you go to the store, take a peak at what you have to decide about your purchases.   Here are a few questions to ask yourself when looking in your linen closet.  Keep reading and you can learn more at Apartment Therapy.

Some things to consider when you're going through your current stock of linens or when you're going to buy new ones:

• Do you need the same number of washcloths as you need towels? If you only use 1 towel for every three uses of a washcloth, then you probably don't need equal numbers of them. Or, if you don't tend to use a washcloth at all, why let them pile up? Repurpose them in the kitchen or as cleaning rags or get rid of them!
• Do you need a giant bath sheet? Bigger isn't always better, and while some people love the idea of a giant terrycloth blanket after a shower, others prefer to use a smaller towel or several smaller towels (that hair towel can come in handy sometimes) to get dry. Think about which you prefer and don't give into the default idea that a bigger towel necessarily means more luxury.
• Do you like duvet covers, or are they more trouble than they're worth? I tend to love duvet covers; they can instantly alter the look of a room, and there are so many beautiful options. My partner, on the other hand, can't stand to change duvet covers, and we'd end up going too long between bedding changes simply because he dreaded changing the cover. If you hate a chore that much, figure out a way around it. We now use washable comforters, and there's just as much color and much more cleanliness.
• Do you sleep with a flat sheet? Personally, I hate sleeping with a flat sheet because I always seem to end up tangled in it. After living in France for a while and loving the fact that the flat sheet isn't standard practice, I've started trying to buy my bedding separately. And if the set you love comes with a top sheet, then donate it and pass the flat sheet to someone who will use it.
• Do you need absorbent kitchen towels? Dish towels are often cute and affordable, but I don't understand the thin, non-absorbent material that many of them seem to be made of. If you use your towels more for decor or for low-absorbency tasks like hand-wiping, then go for a lovely, thin option. But if, like me, you also want your towels to do mop-up or dish-drying duty, then buy the types of towels that can handle the job. Or, repurpose all those washcloths or hand towels that you may not have been using in the bathroom!

Kick Your Caffeine Habit

What is your morning routine like?  For many people, the first thing they do is make a pot of coffee.  However, are you trying to kick your caffeine habit in the new year.  You do not need to go without your favorite taste of coffee to get rid of the caffeine. Here are four alternatives to try this year.   You can learn more at The Kitchn.

First thing in the morning, I am nothing without my steaming hot mug of coffee. Truth be told, you’d have to pry it out of my hands to get me to give it up! However, I have a one mug-a-day limit — any more caffeine throughout the day starts messing with my mood and sleep, and the acid isn’t so great for my tummy either.

When I want the warm, comforting sensation of a cup of coffee without the acid and caffeine, I reach for one of these four substitutes instead. Here are the brands I’ve tried and enjoyed — they're in regular rotation in my house, perfect for quelling my afternoon coffee cravings.

1. Teeccino

Teeccino is the sweetest of the coffee substitutes I've tried, and in my opinion, the tastiest as well. Carob is the first ingredient, and there are dates and almonds in here too. It's not overly sugary, though, and at just twelve calories per 8-ounce serving, it's an indulgence I'm happy to partake in. They've got many different flavor varieties in both loose and single-serving packaging. Hazelnut is a familiar favorite, while Maya Chocolate has a hint of chile heat.

2. Cafix Crystals

Cafix Crystals look just like freeze-dried coffee crystals, but they're made from a mix of barley, rye, chicory, and sugar beets. The flavor is not particularly sweet, tasting mostly of roasted, toasty grains.

This is the quickest-brewing of any coffee substitute — just pour boiling water in with the crystals, stir, and you've got a piping hot drink in seconds. It's easy to add more or less of the product depending on how concentrated you like your brew.

3. Ayurvedic Roast

Ayurvedic Roast touts its health benefits as well as its coffee-like flavor — it contains Ayurvedic herbs Ashwagandha, Shatavari, and Brahmi. The flavor profile is similar to Cafix, but fresher and more aromatic. This makes sense, as it's a less processed product — the grains and herbs are simply roasted and ground.

It takes a little bit more effort to prepare this coffee substitute — you can steep it like loose tea for a medium-bodied beverage, or boil it in water for a more viscous brew. Either way, it's got a nice, toasty flavor, and I've enjoyed both the French vanilla and unflavored varieties.

4. Art of Tea Chocolate Monkey Rooibos Fusion

Rooibos tea isn't really trying to be like coffee, but this blend is far more robust than a regular cup of herbal tea, so I think it deserves a special mention! Art of Tea's Chocolate Monkey Blend has a complex, intriguing aroma, with additions of dried apple and banana, cacao nibs, and pink peppercorns for a pop of spice.

This brews up more like tea than coffee — it's lighter and more translucent than any of the straight-up coffee substitutes mentioned above. I like it on its own, or with a little honey and almond milk for an extra treat.

Clean Your Apartment in Minutes

Do you ever get the text or phone call that says you will have unexpected company in five minutes? Check out these great tips on how to make your house appear clean even when you do not have time. You can learn more great apartment tips at apartment therapy.

So you get a text message that tells you company is dropping by and they're only 10 blocks away. Don't panic. Take a deep breath, now panic and check out these 5 tips for making your house appear clean in a flash. That's right, I said appear. Who has time to really clean in 10 blocks?

1. Clean the Three T's: Toilets, Tabletops, the Television. What? The television? Yup! Most living rooms are centered around your tv and the amount of dust that hangs on it, your netflix stack and dvd box set pile that's off to one side could be tell tale signs of why the rest of your house isn't exactly spotless. Plus if you sit chatting in the living room, you'll be staring at it wishing you would have moved it. Toilets and tabletops are a bit more self explanatory, but important none the less.

2. Stash with Efficiency: When company drops in we've all been in a situation once or twice where things get tossed in a basket and shoved in the spare bedroom or closet. It's a quick solution, but it can be done with more efficiency so you can find your stuff later on. Add things to your basket according to the room they go in. That way when company leaves, you can remove the items easily without making 100 trips across your house or apartment to put things where they belong.

3. Pet Hair: Even if you have a sparkling clean house, if your sofa is covered with a layer of dog or cat fur, it suddenly looks less tidy. Keep a rubber glove or your favorite pet hair busting product on hand to knock it all down in a few sweeps.

4. Dishes Be Gone in Seconds Flat: Please don't judge me for this tip. Admitting that I've done it more than once is punishment enough alright? So here goes. Put your dishes in your oven. Wait, what? If you pile your dishes in the sink then it looks like you threw them all in there at the last minute as everyone knows you can't really wash dishes in that manner and you'll still look like a slight slob, even though you have clean counters. Instead, grab a baking sheet and stack like items together and slide them in the oven. They'll slide right back out, be prestacked and ready to be washed so you can recover from the guilt you just gave yourself for following through with this tip. Side note: don't preheat your oven... even by accident... until they're removed.

5. Spend 5 Furious Minutes on Your House Everyday: Isn't that cheating? We're talking about last minute company here, not preparing all week long for them to come! True, but think about how much you can clean in those few minutes before they arrive. 10 blocks isn't much. With traffic and parking and walking up your stairs, 5 minutes is a safe estimate. Bring that panic to your life every day and clean with the same intensity for just 5 minutes and your house will always look better for it. Plus, you still have time to watch Raising Hope without telling yourself you'll pick up on commercials.