February is a great month for not only love but savings too. Here are some tips from Georgine-

Love is in the air in the month of February! Valentine’s Day brings out the best deals in flowers, cookies, and candy of course, but there are surprising specials on other types of gifts so you don’t have to stretch your wallet to its limit such as an Apple iTunes gift card is reduced by 15% from Best Buy. Don’t forget sexy lingerie, love songs and romantic DVDs are sure to please and fragrance is also a sure bet. Hallmark has a special coupon for a buy 1 card get 1 free, and how about a vase for those flowers? I’ve included suggestions that are discounted, but be sure to watch the expiration dates on Valentine’s deals as they are not necessarily good through 2-14.

Here’s an idea for when your box of Valentine chocolates is finished. Save the candy insert tray. Rinse it. The shapes and sizes will fit lots of clips, tacks, etc, neatly in your desk drawer.

In addition, February has President’s Day. On this long weekend you will find electronics, HD LCD TVs (still reduced thanks to the Super Bowl), home appliances, and digital cameras. If redecorating is in your future, look for furniture specials because the stores will be bringing in new merchandise.

In the grocery store, after the 14^th, look for chocolates and candy to be greatly reduced. If you are having a Valentine’s party after the 14^th you can make out like a bandit with the paper goods and decorations too. Also, in the food stores, seafood and steak will be on special as well as oatmeal! (I guess it’s heart-healthy)

Clearances will be everywhere to make way for spring and summer items, so be prepared. Keep  coupons on hand, check circulars, and look for online codes and you’ll be able to save all the way to June.

www.georginesaves.com

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/11180?utm_source=DFVegan&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=DFVegan

I agree with one of the comments that was listed with it. It needed something to accompany the tofu. What better than some broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, and onions. Just saute the onions for a few minutes then add the rest of the vegetables. Then all you do is add some salt, pepper and soy sauce. Once everything’s cooked stir in the tofu. I served with this with brown rice.

Here’s a photo of the stir fried veggies-

Cook From the Pantry Supply

If you’ve never been motivated to keep the pantry well stocked, now’s a great time to do some planning. Make a list of things you’d like to keep on hand and buy one or two items each time you’re at the store. If you stock the right ingredients it means you can always pull together a great meal with items that are just sitting on the shelves. Pasta, tuna, olives, dried basil, and Italian dressing can become a hearty pasta dish. A pizza mix can be put together in minutes and topped with whatever’s on hand. It’s even a great way to use up leftovers. Pasta and a jar of marinara sauce is one of the quickest meals to pull together. Stuffing can make chicken breasts and pork chops taste like you’ve been in the kitchen all afternoon. And packages of flavored rice mixes, like Spanish rice, and a can of red or black beans, topped with salsa and cheese, can be turned into tacos and burritos.

Check the Freezer
The freezer can be another place to keep ingredients for desperation dinners, especially when you pair them up with pantry staples. Fish is one of the fastest cooking foods and ideal to keep on hand. And one of my favorite standbys is potatoes. Frozen hash browns make a quick base for a quiche instead of pastry. Cook the hash browns so they’re lighted browned, press them into a quiche pan and top with your favorite quiche recipe and bake as usual. Plus, I always have some mashed potatoes stored in the freezer. Some are flavored with garlic, or caramelized onions, and some have chopped chilies. They take a few minutes to defrost and can be paired with just about anything from a simple cut of meat to veggie burgers.

Make Your Own Meal Kits
When you have some extra ingredients and some extra time, put together a few meal kits ready for speedy dinners. Cook an extra chicken, cube the meat and place it in freezer bags. It can be turned into things like chicken hash, or a quick potpie. Or even mixed with cheese and chilies for quesadillas. Another one of my favorite speedy meals is a stir-fry. Keep a package of homemade marinated chicken along with some chopped vegetables like peppers, onions, and carrots, and within 20 minutes you’ve got a really great meal.

Another quick meal I also like is Shepherd’s Pie, and if you’ve got ready prepared mashed potatoes it’s even quicker. Here’s my speedy version of the dish.

Heat about half a cup of chopped onions and carrots in a skillet; add a pound of ground beef or turkey and cook until the onions and carrots are soft.

Add some stock, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce and about two tablespoons of tomato paste and heat through. Put the mixture into a casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes.

Sprinkle them with chives and parsley, bake at about 350 degrees until everything is heated through. It’s great served with green beans or peas.

Soup and Sandwich Time
No one ever said dinner has to be meat and two vegetables. Soups and sandwiches can make a satisfying meal. Start with a tomato-based soup and add things like cheese, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips. It pairs well with a garden wrap, made from a tortilla and filled with avocado, tomatoes and Monterey cheese with hot peppers. Or even a BLT with a twist…use some sun-dried tomatoes. Another great combo is a roast beef sandwich and French onion soup. One product I really like to use in sandwiches is the new Hellmann’s Dijonnaise, a creamy Dijon mustard that’s fat free, but yet really adds some zing to just about everything it’s paired with.

I often buy veggie burgers but last year decided I’d save money by making my own. After many futile attempts that produced burgers that either had no taste or fell apart I decided I needed some expert help. I searched for books at the library and came across one called Veggie Burgers Every Which Way. Seems I wasn’t the only one in search of the secret to making the perfect burger because there was a long waiting list fo this title. I finally checked it out two weeks ago and tried the Pub Grub burger which I have to say didn’t fall apart and tasted delicious. I thought I’d contact the author Lukas Volger to see if he’d be interested in sharing some tips with us and one of his recipes. So here is Lukas and his Thai Carrot burger for this week’s Meatless Monday feature.

Be sure to check out his  wonderful Web site at http://lukasvolger.com/ And I’m definitely going to buy this title to add to my cookbook collection.

Budget Smart Girl (BSG)-Tell us about yourself and how you became interested in creating veggie burgers?

Lukas Volger (LV)-I always liked veggie burgers, particularly when I was in college and first experimenting with vegetarianism. The frozen varieties and those cheddar-draped ones at 24-hour diners only satisfied me for so long, though, so over the years I came up with a few recipes. Then, my friend/editor Matthew Lore, who’d eaten my veggie burgers, posed the idea to write a veggie burger cookbook a few years ago. And so I threw together a little proposal, spent a year waist-deep in them, and the rest is history.
 
BSG-When did you write your book and what will readers find in it?

LV-I wrote it over 2009 and 2010. Readers will find 32 different veggie burgers, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. I’m a farmers market junkie, so these burgers are pretty heavy on the fresh veg and emphasize a “whole foods”-based approach: beans, grains, fresh vegetables… Not too many processed ingredients. 
 
BSG-You have another book featuring veggie entrees, how did that come about?

LV-That was so much fun to write–Veggie Burgers was fun, too, but in a different way–because it really reflects the way I eat day-to-day. Vegetarian Entrees that Won’t Leave You Hungry is a celebration of what goes into the vegetarian center-of-the-plate: weeknight-type meals that are hearty and nutritionally balanced and super flavorful, with a good empahsis on classic techniques and, again, the whole-foods based style of eating. I wrote it because as much as I like to cook, I’m often wishing I had a few more vegetarian entree recipes under my belt. And I know so many vegans and vegetarians who eat those frozen soy nuggets, or cheese and bread, or any other minimally fortifying snacks for dinner because, in our “meat, side dish, side dish” culture of eating, they haven’t yet figured out how else to do it.

BSG-What are some of your tips for creating great veggie burgers? I know some people find them dry and tasteless?

LV-I always say that the purpose of a veggie burger is that it tastes like vegetables. When I develop a veggie burger recipe, I work backwards from the vegetable. So I put a Zucchini-Almond Burger recipe in the new Entrees book and it’s genesis was: I have a bunch of zucchini from my CSA, how can I work this into a veggie burger? I had some almonds lying around (which, by the way, are so complimentary to zucchini), some basil, I used an egg and breadcrumbs as a binder… and there you go. That’s how I did most of the veggie burgers in the book—here are some carrots, or here’s an eggplant, or I have this container of cooked chickpeas, how can this become the basis of a veggie burger?
One tip that I’ve found really helpful in attaining a good texture is the stovetop-plus-oven approach: sear the burgers in a frying pan, then let them finish cooking in the oven. This way you get a flavorful crust on the outside, and they cook through and firm up really well in the oven. It allows you to use fewer breadcrumbs in the mixture (breadcrumbs, I’m sure you know, are a wet blanket to flavor) which is crucial to getting bold, clear flavor in the end.

BSG-You also have a web site dedicated to your book and cooking. What will visitors find there?

LV-Lots of recipes! My website gives me a way to regiment some of my writing and to experiment a little. Many recipes in my books have earlier versions on the website. There are also some wild cards. I just did a big thing on afternoon snacks, or, when Vegetarian Entrees came out, I put up an “Ultimate Vegetarian Dinner Party Mixtape” as a way to celebrate.

BSG-My readers are always looking for ways to save on food. Do you have any tips of your own?

LV-Farmers markets and CSAs! Everyone needs to be shopping at the farmers markets or belonging to CSAs as much as they can, especially those of us in urban areas that have such easy access to them. The quality is the best, and it’s the easiest way to eat locally and seasonally without having to think too hard about it. And it’s cheap. Also, if you can find a store—usually a health-foods store or a co-op—where you can buy in bulk, that’s a great way to get better quality for lower cost. (In my neighborhood in Brooklyn, there are so many little “botique” grocery stores where a little 12-ounce bag of precious garbanzo beans costs something like 7 dollars. It’s ridiculous.) Generally, for the best prices and quality you have to be willing to compromise on convenience, go out of your way a bit. That’s my experience, at least.

BSG-For the Meatless Monday feature can you give us a good recipe for a veggie burger to try?

LV-I would offer that Zucchini-Almond Burger, but there’s no zucchini glut this time of year. My Thai Carrot Burger is a favorite of mine. It’s got lots of flavor and an excellent texture.

Thai Carrot Burgers

 This recipe calls for just a small amount of peanut butter. You’ll need to use the natural, minimally processed kind that is made to order with a peanut butter machine at some grocery stores. If you are accustomed to Skippy, you’ll find that natural peanut butter is alarmingly dense, and that its natural oils collect at the top of the container. Be sure to store natural peanut butter in the refrigerator. If you can’t find it, buy something that is as unadulterated as possible (organic, low-salt, definitely no sweeteners). Red cabbage slaw goes nicely with these burgers, either as a side or served directly on the burgers, as does julienned cabbage that’s been tossed in a bit of rice vinegar and salt.

 Makes four 6-inch burgers

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 bunch scallions, including 1 inch into the dark green parts, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated

1 serrano chile pepper, finely chopped (seeded or not, depending on your personal heat threshold)

4 cups grated carrots (about 8 medium carrots)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

¾ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

Juice of ½ lime

¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro

½ cup toasted bread crumbs

 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Heat a large lidded sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When hot, add the scallions and cook just until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile pepper and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in the carrots, salt, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the carrots are soft but not mushy.

3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg whites, peanut butter, and lime juice. Stir in the carrot mixture and the cilantro. Fold in the bread crumbs. Let sit for about 10 minutes, allowing the crumbs to absorb some of the liquid. Adjust seasonings. Shape into 4 patties.

4. In an oven-safe skillet or nonstick sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the patties and cook until browned on each side, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the burgers are firm and cooked through.

 Prep and cook time: 45 minutes

 Recipe from Veggie Burgers Every Which Way: Fresh, Flavorful and Healthy Vegan and Vegetarian Burgers—Plus Toppings, Sides, Buns and More, copyright © Lukas Volger, 2010. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment, LLC.

Fashion-

The Sweetest Valentine

Whether your relationship status is red hot or not so great right now doesn’t mean you can’t create a lovely Valentine’s Day for yourself.

How does a little retail therapy sound? You’ve heard that old saying the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, but it’s a huge color this spring. Without breaking the bank, keep your eye out for one of the hottest hues in spring apparel which is bright green. The best shade to spot is one similar to the green on a stoplight or Gumbi. When you’re out and about, look for handbags, pants and tops in green to add a perfect pop of color to any outfit.

 A mani/pedi is one of those rituals that is an instant stress reliever the second your toes hit the spa water. And don’t forget the rolling massager down your spine as you relax in the recliner. If you can’t make it to the nail salon often, choose a long lasting spring polish like sheer pastels or soft neutral tones.

If you love roses, but don’t have a special someone this Valentine’s, grab a bright pink bouquet for your room. Afterall, bright pink is a way hotter color than red this spring anyway. One way to lighten the mood is to keep an eye out for this spring’s must have pastel color pallete. Some examples are Sea-foam green, ultra-light lilac, baby blue. You name the pastel shade and stores are stocking spring attire in it.

 If you’re going on a date for Valentine’s day, it may sound cliché but a red dress never fails to impress. Or a red and pink outfit incorporating color blocking might make you the most fashionable date in the crowded over-priced restaurant. Here’s to a sweet, relaxing heart filled Valentine’s Day.

 Makeup-

Makeup Trends for Spring ‘12 in Full Bloom

As spring is just around the corner, it’s nice to have an occasional glow on sunny mornings. What’s on the menu for makeup this spring? If you want a glow to show off a very subtle tan or just add a bit of color the best facial tanner I’ve discovered is Temtu’s bronzing system from Sephora. It’s an airbrush tan you can easily apply to your face and then wash your hands when you’re done. It’s truly one of the most natural tans I’ve ever artificially applied to my face. It’s a nice formula that doesn’t make me break out or streak.

 Bright neon shades are everywhere which I’m sure you’ve noticed already. Feel free to try neon lipstick eye shadow, or nail polish. Choosing some strategically placed neon accessories is a serious style “Do” this spring. If you add a neon clutch, handbag, bracelets or watches you’ll be on a personal best dressed list.

I’ve discovered applying makeup is about 20% easier when I have my eyebrows in order. Check out Youtube videos on how to shape and pluck brows or go to a pro to get waxed. There are so many amazing options and eyebrow specialists in cities who know exactly what they’re doing to get you those movie star brows. Or at least something close to them and with Awards Season in full force, who doesn’t like to watch the stars on the red carpet and feel a little star power as well. Well groomed eye brows frame your face and actually can cut down on your morning routine if you have blond brows like me and get them tinted. It eliminates the pesky task of ‘filling in’ your brows in the AM.

 Here’s to a fresh dip into Spring fashion and cosmetic trends. Now, if the warm weather could just get here a little sooner so we can break out the sundresses.

 http://www.savvyspice.net/

And the following recipe also contains nutritional yeast which is optional. I  use it and buy in the bulk bins at the local. You can also purchase it online.

Here’s the link to truRoots if you want to learn more about the product and they have some recipes too.

http://www.truroots.com/Default.aspx

And here’s the link to this Monday’s recipe if you want to try it.

http://www.meatlessmonday.com/quinoa-chili/

And finally some photos I took as I made this recipe-

Chicken Pringlers 

INGREDIENTS

·   2- 6.38-ounce cans of  Pringles (BBQ, Honey Mustard, Xtreme Blastin Buffalo or any of your favorite Pringles flavors)

·   2 pounds of boneless chicken breast or chicken tenders, cut into 1 1/2” nuggets

·   2 cups of skim milk or buttermilk

 DIRECTIONS

1.   Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle.

2.   Place nuggets in milk.

3.   Puree the Pringles in a food processor, and pour into a large sealable plastic bag. Place two or three nuggets at a time in the bag and shake to coat.

4.   Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, and place the well-coated nuggets in a single layer. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. 

5.   Remove and let stand, uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes to crisp.

Crispy Fish Nuggets

INGREDIENTS

·    2- 6.38-ounce cans of Pringles Salt & Vinegar flavor

·    2 pounds cod fillets, cut into 1-inch cubes

·    2 cups of skim milk

DIRECTIONS

1.   Place nuggets in milk.

2.   Puree the Pringles in a food processor, and pour into a large sealable plastic bag. Place two or three nuggets at a time in the bag and shake to coat.

3.   Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, and place the well-coated nuggets in a single layer. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. 

4.   Remove and let stand, uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes to crisp.

Loaded Twice-Baked Taters Appetizers

INGREDIENTS

·   2 – 6.38-ounce cans of Pringles Loaded Baked Potato flavor

·   1 1/2 cup skim milk

·   1 egg

·  1 slice of cheese

·   Dried chives for garnish

·    Bacon bits for garnish, optional

 DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F.

2.   Place one 6.38-ounce can of Pringles Loaded Baked Potato crisps in a food processor and puree until well crushed.

3.   Add milk, egg and cheese slice into mixture and puree until well mixed.

4.   Take Pringles from remaining can and place 48 crisps on a cookie sheet with the curve of the crisp and sides facing down.

5.    With a very small spoon, place a rounded scoop onto each crisp and sprinkle with dried chives and bacon bits.

6.   Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Slow Cooker

Even when they went out of fashion I still used one. I now have two and thinking about adding a third one. I’ve used mine from everything from making mashed potatoes to apple butter. Most of the time I rely on them for soups and stews. They’re not expensive to buy, cost efficient to run, and once everything’s placed inside you can walk away and forget about it. I can’t think of an easier way to get dinner on the table.

Bread Machine

One of my favorite indulgences is artisan breads. Problem is they cost a lot and the prices are rising (no pun intended). One of my New Year resolutions was to start making my own. One I especially love is cheese bread. This past weekend I made a cheese and onion bread. They’re not that expensive to buy, and like the slow cooker, when everything’s added you can leave it unattended. Check out garage sales because I see them a lot. Seems people buy one and don’t realize just how great they are.

Food Dehydrator

And speaking of cheese and onion bread. The onions  I used were dried Vidalia onions I’d bought when they were in abundance and hence cheap, and used my food dehydrator. When you don’t have time to can this is a lifesaver. This summer I dehydrated strawberries, onions and peppers. At Christmas when I bought a box of oranges, I dehydrated those too and will be using them in brownies. Once again check garage sales and also thrift stores for this appliance.

Food Saver

I call this a life saver because once again if you don’t have time to can or have leftoevers you can’t eat before they go bad, this machine comes to the rescue. They’re coming down in price and a couple of models you can buy at supermarkets. I’ve used mine to store homemade TV dinners, soups, fish from warehouse stores, and even items I’ve purchased from bulk bins.

Food Processor

Last one on my list, and probably the most expensive of the bunch depending on what brand you buy, the food processor. I use mine for homeade dips and spreads like hummus which I think is overpriced at the store. I also use it for things like bean burgers rather than mash the beans by hand.

These are all items that I feel save you money and time. Have them in your kitchen and you’re more likely to make your own foods. You’ll rely less on processed foods that are not only take a chunk of your budget but they’re not that great for your health either.

Budget Smart Girl (BSG)-Tell us about yourself, how you became a vegan and how the cookbooks came about?

Lindsay Nixon (LN)-I’ve followed a plant-based diet for 5 years, but I don’t identify as a vegan. About a year after I adopted a plant-based diet I started blogging. There weren’t many vegan cookbooks on the market back then and the ones that did exist weren’t really healthy focused (lots of processed sugar, white flour, gobs of margarine and oil, plus weird, bizarre ingredients) so I started posting pictures and recipes of my meals online — just in case there was some other person like me out there that wanted healthy, easy plant-based meals. Never in my wildest dreams did I think anyone would read my blog, or that it would get so popular that it would lead to a book, which became a bestseller, and led to a second and now a third book.

My cookbooks are an extension of what I wanted to create with my blog: easy, no fuss healthy recipes that are plant-based and use common, inexpensive, everyday ingredients. I wanted to prove that eating healthy was easy, approachable, affordable, realistic and delicious. 

BSG- What will readers find in the books?

LN-Recipes — lots of recipes! Plus some cooking tips and tricks — and pictures! 

BSG-Besides being a healthier diet, can people save money eating vegan foods?

LN-Oh absolutely. I cut my grocery bill in half. Vegan staples like beans, rice, seasonal fruits and vegetables cost a fraction of the price for animal products like meat and dairy.  There have been weeks where I spent less than $50 to feed a family of three adults and 2 dogs (the dogs get home cooked meals)… and we buy organic.

 Then there are other savings — going plant-based “cured” my sister’s allergies, so she is saving hundreds, if not thousands, by not having to buy medication or go to her allergist for shots. I pretty much eliminated my migraines, so I’m off that medication, which was about $7 a pill, AND I was taking 2, sometimes 3 a week.

 BSG- What are you tips for beginning vegans, or even those people who want to eat vegan a few days a week?

LN-Take it a meal at a time. Focus on all the foods you can have, not the items you’re choosing to leave off your plate.

Attitude is everything. Have a positive attitude and you’ll have a positive experience.  

BSG-I like some of the fake meats but the prices have risen a lot in the last few years. Any tips for places to buy them, like online? Or how about making your own. Is that easy or not something most of us can do?

LN-I have recipes for making your own faux meats and cheeses in my cookbook which are much cheaper and much healthier. We don’t really eat much fake meat or fake cheese — for one, it’s not really available to us and two, it’s not really healthy. Healthier than animal products? absolutely, but not as healthy as whole foods. 

BSG-What are some of your favorite budget friendly vegan foods and meals?

LN-Just about every recipe in my new cookbook costs less than $5 to make — and even the recipes in my first cook are really inexpensive.  

BSG-Is there a recipe you think we’d enjoy making for one of our Meatless Mondays?

 LN-Quick Burgers, here’s the recipe- (note from BSG-I tried these and they are delicious, really quick to put together and inexpensive, what could be better?)

Quick Burgers | makes 4

I developed these burgers in a hotel room: they’re quick, easy and require very few ingredients. (In fact, except for the beans and a seasoning packet, I sourced all the ingredients from the complimentary “breakfast bar”). I make these burgers any time I need a super fast meal or I’m really low on ingredients.

15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp onion powder (granulated)
1 tsp garlic powder (granulated)
1/3 c instant oats

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside. In a mixing bowl, mash black beans with a fork until mostly pureed but still some half beans and bean parts are left. Stir in condiments and spices until well combined. Then mix in oats. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into thin patties with your hands. Bake for 7 minutes, carefully flip over and bake for another 7 minutes, or until crusty on the outside. Slap into a bun with extra condiments and eat!

Chef’s note: If you only have rolled oats, chop them up in a food processor or blender so they are smaller and more like instant oats. Rolled oats left whole tend to make the burgers fall apart.

Per Burger: 109 Calories, 0.5g Fat, 17.6g Carbohydrates, 3g Fiber, 2.2g Sugars, 5g Protein

 Biography

Lindsay S. Nixon is a rising star in the culinary world, praised for her ability to use everyday ingredients to create healthy, low fat recipes that taste just as delicious as they are nutritious. Lindsay’s recipes have been featured in Vegetarian Times, Women’s Health Magazine and on The Huffington Post. Lindsay is also a consulting chef at La Samanna, a luxury resort and four-star restaurant in the French West Indies. You can learn more about Lindsay, purchase her cookbooks, and sample some of her recipes at http://happyherbivore.com/

I’m not sure what it was about the store that drew me in every month but I felt compelled to go check it out. However, the outcome was always the same. I’d come out empty handed and disheartened because being organized was obviously out of my budget.  Always one for a challenge, I took note of the items in the store. I looked around to find things that were either free or low cost to help organize my home and office.  Here are some of my favorites and most of them you either toss out or can find at garage sales or thirft stores-

Egg Cartons

I often use these for starting seeds in spring but they’re also perfect for desk tops, hobby and craft areas. and even the workbench for storing nails and bolts.

Spice Jars

I’m terrible at throwing things away even if I have two of them. I got a new spice jar rack and just hated to get rid of this one. I turned it into a neat little organizer for my office housing elastic bands, clips, paper clips etc. Best thing is it spins around for easy viewing and use.

Wine Racks

Yes, they keep your wine bottles neat and tidy but I bought one from a garage sale for a $1 and use it for storing magazines.

Leftover Food Containers

Sometimes when I buy something at the store I know the empty container will come in useful. These are some of the items I use for everything from housing craft items to sun dried tomatoes to homemade cleaning products.

Produce Bags

One Christmas I found myself with lots of the orange net bags that citrus fruit is sold in. Now they store most things in the garage, like these tennis balls. I have one for golf balls too. I know lots of people put pet toys in them. Best thing is if they get dirty you can hang them up and run the hose over them. And I know a few people who keep them near the bathtub for their children’s bath toys.

It Used to Be Something Else

Whenever a major appliance bites the dust I always think about what can be salvaged for organizing. I used the bottom rack of a dishwasher for my gardening tools. It keeps them upright, clean, and I can see everything at a quick glance.

I use the small plastic containers from an old refrigerator for storing small packets of food items like dressing and taco seasoning. It’s easy to put them in the cupboard and flick through everything in minutes.

The main thing is to be creative and keep looking around for items that would make the perfect organizerfor your particular needs.

If you’re looking to buy a few store bought organizers now’s the time to do it. Just like diet and exercising most people make getting more organized on their resolution list and hence all the big sales.

And here’s a great organizing site I stumbled upon last month-http://getbuttonedup.com/

And if you need to write things down to get organized, check out these free planners-

http://www.productiveflourishing.com/free-planners/