˚challenge˚ It Will Make you Happy!

Do you ever just feel blah? Like you need a little pick-me-up?

Try cleaning the fridge. Preferably right before you go grocery shopping.

Do you want to see my before and after pictures? It was bad. Really bad.

So I took everything out, including the shelves and drawers, and wiped them down with a solution of water and vinegar (about 1/4 c. vinegar in a gallon of water), using baking soda as a scrub when needed. And trust me. It was needed!

Ah. Much better!

My clean fridge made me so happy that I mopped the floor. Really!

So the challenge? Clean your fridge.

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˚challenge˚ Plant Something

Oh how I love garden tomatoes. If I only had a plot of land that would work, I would plant hundreds of tomato plants (okay...maybe not hundreds) and eat them all day long (this is true). Instead, (with our blessed apartment living/no garden plot place) we decided to plant a few tomato plants in pots, along with some basil.

I feel like a little kid when I water them everyday. Something about helping things grow just makes me happy.

Hopefully our little collection will grow, but first we need to procure some more pots.

So the challenge is to plant something and watch it grow. Vegetables, flowers, grass. Just something. 

And enjoy it!

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˚organizational challenge˚ The Never Ending Paperwork

Let's be honest. Paperwork is a doozy. It's never ending and annoying. But, when it is organized, life is so much better. Mr. Candid used to make fun of the fact that we had a filing cabinet. Now, when he asks where something is, he just smiles when I tell him to check the filing cabinet. 

I have recently found the best method of filing for us, but every once in awhile I have to doctor it a bit. 

Here is the before: (Not too bad right?)

Here's the action: (this is definitely a project for nap time if you have little ones)

And after:

A couple tips: 

If you have a lot of receipts or information regarding a specific topic, use labeled envelopes so that all of the info is easily accessible in one place: 

I like to have broad categories for the larger green file folders, and then subcategories for the manila folders. I have a "spending folder"...

That contains manila folders labeled important receipts, budget sheets, and coupons.

You will need to have a few folders for your taxes (I think you need to keep 7 years worth):

And a miscellaneous folder is okay, as long as you actually know what is in it:

 Don't let the bottom of your manila folders look like this. It makes all of your papers stick up over the labels. 

Instead, use the little folds at the bottom to flatten them out like this:

And lastly, get rid of as much junk as you can! You might be surprised at what you saved that you thought you needed. Be sure to shred the docs with important info on them. 

And when you are done and the Mr. asks you where something is, you might get a little smile out of him when you say, "In the filing cabinet". 

Happy Organizing!

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˚dejunk challenge˚ Just Five Things

I live in an apartment that is about 825 square feet. It is worlds larger than our previous 500 sq. foot apartment. But regardless of the size of your abode, dejunking can always be done. Trust me. One easy way to make your house/apartment/tent feel larger is to decrease the amount of (excuse my French) CRAP that you have. So, the challenge this week:

Find 5 things that you can donate/sell/trash/giveaway.  

Want to know what I found? 

1. An old snowflake candlestick holder that hasn't seen a candle in about a year. 

2. A Christmas tree skirt that I will never use.

3. A wood Santa that was painted by my sister-in-law when she was probably 7. (Don't worry, I know she won't be offended because she is the one that suggested that it needed to go.)

4. The cover to an amp that we don't even own.

5. Three textbooks

So go find five things that you don't need, and get rid of them!

Then let me know what you got rid of.

Happy Dejunking!

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