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I don’t know about you, but we get all kinds of extra envelopes in the mail via credit card offers, donation requests, or for bills that we pay online. I’ve done everything I can to “opt-out”, unsubscribe, and sign up for paperless statements… but the envelopes still come!

And since I don’t like to waste paper, I’ve started using those extra envelopes to make grocery lists… and then I put the coupons for that shopping trip right inside the envelope.

It’s a great solution to keep everything organized by store… and it’s totally free!

Here are a few other uses for extra envelopes:

• making your daily to-do lists
• kids hot lunch orders/money
• allowances for each family member
• cash budget system
• storing extra receipts {one for each family member, category, or event}
• organizing restaurant coupons or menus {dine-in, fast food, pizza, delivery, etc}
• storing and organizing stamps and return address labels
• organizing small craft supplies {stickers, paper scraps, decals, etc}

What do you use those extra envelopes for?

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9 comments →

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.

Congrats to:

Audra (audrabredeweg@…)

Charlotte (charli914@…)

Sarah (sefendrich@…)

I will email you all to get your information!

Since the holiday season is RIGHT around the corner… and since I know many of you will be traveling over the next 6 weeks, I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce you to Flight 001 and a few of their amazing travel products that will really help to simplify your holiday travels this year!

I’ve been enjoying these products for awhile now, and only thought it was fair to give 3 lucky readers a chance to win a fun Fight 001 travel prize pack that will help you organize all the many things you need to pack!

1. Grid It Cocoon Organizer:

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As you can see by the picture below — the super slim Grid-It Organizer will quickly and easily organize all your technology. And speaking from experience, it will also organize toiletry items, make-up, and any other small accessories you need to travel with!

2. Rubber Tag Set:

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I don’t know about you, but I HATE the flimsy {and really ugly} paper luggage tags at the airport. I also hate wasting my time filling out a new one every time I use a different airline. So I’m absolutely thrilled with these super colorful, heavy-duty, Rubber Luggage Tags that allow you to quickly and easily identify your luggage… and will never get ripped off or ruined by water.

3. The STUFF Bag:

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Have you ever gone somewhere and had dirty clothes that you didn’t want to mix with clean clothes? Or muddy shoes that you didn’t want to put back in your suitcase? Or maybe you had some food items that you didn’t want to mix with your clothing. If so, then the STUFF Bag is just what you need!

It’s a small, lightweight bag that folds up for easy storage, but then unfolds to offer extra “stuff” storage whenever you need it.

I also have their WET SUIT Bag — which I’m thinking will be a very handy addition to our diaper bag

4. Fill + Fly Pump Bottles:

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Whenever I travel, I always try to pack as little as possible… so I don’t have to waste time checking my bags. But unfortunately, due to all the crazy carry-on restrictions, I’m usually scrambling to find small enough bottles to transport my “liquid” toiletries.

But I don’t have to worry about that anymore since I’ve started using the Fill + Fly Pump Bottles. I know they won’t spill, they are carry-on approved, and they already come in a heavy-duty zipped bag that is just the right size for airport regulations. So I can simply add my other liquid items to this bag!

Obviously Flight 001 has many more products that will simplify and organize your travel experience, but these are just a few of my favorites — and I thought you might like a chance to win them! 

The Giveaway:

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Today, three lucky Simple Organized Living readers will win a Flight 001 Travel Prize Pack that includes:

1. One Grit-it Organizer
2. One Set of 4 Rubber Luggage Tags
3. One STUFF Bag
4. One Set of 4 Fill + Fly Pump Bottles

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment. Where is the next place you plan to travel?

2. Like Simple Organized Living and/or Flight 001 on Facebook, and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did {or that you do already}.

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please visit the actual blog post to enter. Email entries, Facebook comments, and Twitter messages will NOT be counted.

Prize:

(3) Flight 001 prize pack as described above.

This giveaway ends at 10:00 pm on Monday, 11/21/2011 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I will use And the Winner Is to select the winning comments at random. Winners will be notified by email and noted at the top of this post. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize or I will choose a new winner. Please see my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you have. Good luck!

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142 comments →

Over a year ago I showed you everything that was in my purse.

And while I’m still using the exact same purse, the contents have changed a bit… and would you believe that it’s even MORE organized! 

Yup, I just recently came across a new company, Invite L, and they specialize in really classy organizing products and tools {so of course I instantly fell in love with them!} Oh, and you might just want to pay attention because in a few weeks, you’ll have an opportunity to win a bunch of their amazing products

The Bag-In-Bag:

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One of my favorite products is their Bag-in-Bag — or basically a small bag/purse with a bunch of organizing pockets. These bags are big enough to fit all the basic necessities, but small enough that they easily fit inside most bags, purses, and diaper bags. So when it’s time to switch purses, all you need to do is take the Bag-in-Bag out of one purse/bag and put it into the other.

SO simple!  

I’ve been using this adorable {and super functional} green Felt Bag-in-Bag for the last few weeks, and I can’t even tell you how much I’m loving it! 

I’m already thinking how great it will be in a few short weeks when I’ll be toting around a big diaper bag everywhere I go. Now I can just slip my bag-in-bag into the diaper bag and I won’t have to carry a diaper bag and a big purse!

I also have this really fun Dual Bag-in-Bag which has even MORE organizing pockets… and padded compartments for technology items like cameras, iPads, ect.

I could see the Dual Bag-in-Bag being my favorite travel accessory from now on! 

Planners:

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If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that I’m absolutely obsessed with paper planners. I HAVE to write everything down and I really want to be able to see a full week and month at a time so I can accurately plan my schedule and my daily to-dos.

Well recently, my daily planner broke… so I was in the market for a new planner, but it had to be one that could start in October, not January {which was REALLY hard to find!}

Thankfully, Invite L. has a huge selection of planners and agendas that are totally customizable!

I’m currently using their Agenda, which allowed me to start on any day of the year and organize each day, week, month, and year!  I love that there is PLENTY of room to write out the activities for every single day and extra room for notes, or all my to-dos at the bottom.

And not only is the Agenda totally functional, it also fits perfectly inside my Bag-in-Bag AND is the most lovely shade of yellow. I feel happy just looking at it!

Take a closer look at the image on the right — do you see how EMPTY my planner is??? That’s because starting in November, I’m pretty much declaring myself on “maternity leave” from my organizing business… which means WAY less appointments, meetings, etc.

Oh I can’t wait!

Colorful Masking Tape:

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The last product I want to tell you about is Invite L’s really fun line of colorful masking tape. Their tape comes in different widths, colors, and patterns and I actually use it in place of labels – because it just looks so much nicer!

Of course you could use this tape for anything you would use normal tape for as well… and just think of what a fun addition it would be to holiday gifts, homemade cards, envelopes, or as any type of label!

These are some of my favorite Invite L. products — not only because they are so fun and attractive, but also because they are super practical and functional. What a great combination!

Hopefully I made you drool a bit over these fun organizing tools, because I’ll be back in a few weeks with a really fun Invite L. giveaway!

In the meantime, I’d love to know how YOU would use the Bag-in-Bag.

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11 comments →

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.

Congrats to Laura: laura.reed17@… I will email you to get your shipping information!

It’s Labor Day weekend, and what better way to celebrate than with a fun giveaway that will help you to get a little bit more organized!

Yesterday, I showed you our garage makeover and mentioned that the long weekend might be just the time to tackle one of the bigger projects on your to-do list. We used A LOT of elbow grease to organize our garage {and our laundry room later that day} but we also got some help from Unger Industrial Hang-Ups and their amazing line of cleaning products.

What I love about the Unger Products:

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Obviously it doesn’t take much for me to fall in love with great cleaning products… however the Under Products take “great” to the next level!

Unger not only produces amazing cleaning products that are 100% washable and require NO chemical cleaners, they also designed them in such a way they they are space-saving, and totally clutter free {bonus!!}

For example, all the different mop and broom attachments fit on the same pole. So while there is a huge variety of poles, you only NEED one. Plus, all the poles fit nicely on the 5-bracket Hang-Up {pictured above} so everything stays neatly organized and off the floor.

I’ve been using these products for the last few months to clean everything from huge home renovation messes to normal daily cleaning, and am beyond impressed with the function and quality of every Unger product.

So are you drooling yet?

Good, because you have a chance to win a HUGE set of these amazing Unger products!!

The Giveaway:

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1. one HangUp 5 Bracket
2. one 4’-8’ / 2 Stage Extending Pole
3. one 6′-12′ / 2 Stage Extending Pole
4. one 48″ Pro Water Flow Pole
5. one 10” Soft Brush with Squeegee
6. one set of Microfiber General Purpose Cloths {6 cloths total}
7. one Microfiber Dust & Wash Mitt
8. one pack of Microfiber Kitchen Sponges {4 sponges total}
9. one Cob Web Duster
10. one Dust & Scrub Plus
11. one Swivel & Sweep
12. one 14″ Window Cleaning Combi
13. one Dryer/Vent Brush

This is an amazingly huge giveaway and I just know you’ll love all the products as much as we do. 

Enter to Win:

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Simply leave a comment telling how you would use your Unger products to help simplify and organize your home and life.

You can also get ONE extra entry by posting the following message on YOUR Facebook wall: {and let me know that you did}

Enter to win a huge set of Unger cleaning and organizing tools over at Simple Organized Living: http://ht.ly/6jK2S

Buy Unger Products:

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You can purchase the full line of Unger products at any of these retail locations.

This contest is open until Wenesday, September 7, 2011, at 10:00 pm EST. ONE winner will be selected at random and announced later that week. Please read my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you might have. I received a complimentary selection of Unger Products for review, however my love of cleaning products and all opinions are my own!

131 comments →

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.

Congrats to Kim: howellfarm@… I will email you today to get your shipping information!

Here is Kim’s simple organizing tip — LOVE IT!

Each year I create a folder on my computer with the school year. I then scan all the artwork and projects my kids bring home. At the end of the year I can make a picture album.

As you may have guessed by now, I’m a pretty big fan of simple, organized living! I love learning about and implementing ideas that will help me {and all of you} to simplify and organize every aspect of life.

My friend Laura over at I’m an Organizing Junkie shares my obsession with simplicity and organizing in her new book “Clutter Rehab 101: Tips and Tricks to Become an Organization Junkie and Love it“.

And while I pretty much love any book that talks about clutter control, time management, organization, etc. I REALLY love this little book because Laura breaks everything down into SIMPLE, bite-size chunks that anyone can manage — yes, even you!

Every page has a different quick-tip or idea to help you get more organized {there are 101 tips in all} and the book is almost pocket size, so you can take it wherever you go!

Here are some of my favorite tips from the book:

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#9. Never leave a room-empty handed.

#30. If you don’t like something, change it or stop complaining.

#55. Store stuff where you use it.

#62. Embrace Plan B and let go of perfection.

#97. Don’t put it off until later.

Obviously the book elaborates on every one of those tips — but I don’t want to ruin it for you!

So if you want to get your hands on this invaluable little book, you can purchase it from Amazon.com.

OR…

You can enter to win a free copy right here!

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All you need to do is leave your own clutter-busting tip in the comment section below — I know you have at least one!

This contest is open until Monday, July 25, 2011, at 10:00 pm EST. ONE winner will be selected at random and announced on Tuesday, July 26. Please read my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you might have. I received a complimentary book for review, however all opinions are my own!

82 comments →

Welcome to my Huge Birthday Giveaway Celebration!!

Instead of receiving gifts this year, I’ve decided to give YOU an opportunity to win a bunch of awesome products I currently use and love.  I’ve partnered with 26 amazing companies to offer 26 different giveaways for my 26th birthday. There will be multiple giveaways every day from June 13-18 — so make sure you come back!

You will be able to find all 26 Birthday Week Giveaways here — just keep scrolling down to view them all.

Giveaway #16: “Thirty-One” Organizing Bags

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Have you heard of the Thirty-One brand, company, and products? Its popularity is growing like crazy and everywhere I go I see more and more “Thirty-One” bags!

Thirty-One is a Christian company {based on Proverbs 31 from the Bible} that offers a HUGE assortment of gorgeous purses, bags, baskets, totes, wallets, etc. etc.  {You should probably just check out their full catalog!}

They also have tons of awesome {and reasonably priced} organizing products

My cousin, Nina, is a very successful Director with Thirty-One Bags and she has me hooked on the Organizing Utility Tote. I absolutely LOVE it — and you should see everything I can carry around with this tote!

I’m actually planning to use this tote as my diaper bag… but there are so many other possible uses like: cleaning supplies, scrapbook supplies, file folders, computer bag, picnic or beach bag, sewing supplies, etc. etc.

So you can imagine how excited I was when Nina offered to include my favorite Organizing Utility Tote in my birthday giveaway week! But she didn’t stop there, she also added a couple other must-have bags. And of course, they’re all a matching set!

The Thirty-One Giveaway Includes:

{exact items are pictured in the top image — blue floral pattern}

1. Organizing Utility Tote

2. All-In-One Organizer

3. Mini Zippered Pouch

A Thirty-One Spring/Summer Catalog

Nina is also offering free embroidery on one item for anyone who places an order over $31.00 — just use the code: SIMPLE when you check out!

You can order directly through the website, but you’ll only get the discount if you place your order with my cousin – Nina DeGroot:

Phone: 616-862-8086

Email: ninadegroot31@gmail.com

Enter to Win!

Simply answer the question below by leaving a comment on this post. You can even gain bonus entries for doing each additional item listed below (just make sure that you leave a comment for each one).

REQUIRED ENTRY:

• Leave a comment — How would you use these Organizing Totes?

This giveaway is open to US residents only.

BONUS ENTRIES:

• Subscribe to Simple Organized Living via email or RSS

• Follow Simple Organized Living on Facebook or Twitter

Just a reminder that any comments left on Facebook or Twitter will not count for my birthday giveaways, and you must provide a valid email address to be considered.

All giveaways during my birthday giveaway week will close on Monday, June 20, 2011 at 10:00 EST. The winners will be selected at random and announced via a full blog post on Tuesday, June 21. I will also notify all winners via email.

424 comments →

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I often find that after a long, Holiday weekend away from my “regular routine”, it’s more difficult for me to buckle down and get back on track.

Can you relate?

Dave and I got SO much accomplished this weekend and crossed a bunch of things off our very long to-do lists. However, this morning, I just wanted to keep painting and working on different house projects because that’s way more fun than my normal routine!

It’s so easy to simply forget about the mountain of dirty dishes, the piles of dirty laundry, the stack of papers on your desk, etc. etc. and tell yourself that you’ll get to them “later”.

Even for me — someone who is almost always motivated to clear our clutter — it’s surprisingly easy to just let it sit.

Need Some Motivation?

If you’re feeling the same way, here are a few great blog posts from around the web… and I KNOW they will help motivate you to get back on track after a long weekend or family vacation {they certainly worked for me!}

1. Do ONE Thing at a Time: The Secret to Getting more Done — this one is from me

2. 10 Things to do Every Day to Stay Organized — Life…Your Way

3. 8 Ways to Find Motivation at Home — Simple Mom

4. 15 Clutter Busting Routines for Any Family — Becoming Minimalist

5. Just Get Started — I’m an Organizing Junkie

6. Tips for Dealing with Procrastination — Life…Your Way

7. Seven Reasons and Ways to Get Organized for Summer – Simplify 101

8. Reduce Clutter in 30 Minutes or Less — I Dream of Clean

9. Simple Tips to Stay Organized — this one is from me too and it includes a free printable!

Hopefully that’s enough inspiration and motivation to get you back into your “normal routine” and back to being productive.  Just remember that getting started is always the most difficult part. If you get started, it’s very likely that you’ll also finish!

So what will you accomplish today?

3 comments →