Thursday, December 21, 2006

How I organise my wallet


This is how I organise my wallet.



On the left I keep my cash/ debit cards – one is my personal bank account and the other is the business bank account.

The middle section has all my benefit cards from the stores – you can see Ster-Kinekor and Clicks sticking out. I also have my Fanatics card from Exclusive Books and in the pocket underneath, there's an Edgars cash card, Dischem and Mr Price Home.

On the right, my driver's licence is in the see-through sleeve. And then my 3 credit cards, each for a different purpose – one for groceries, one for any other household stuff that's not groceries and one for general spending. Now just before you jump to any conclusions, I use these as debit cards as I never buy on credit.

You can see I have a pen clipped there too – it fits perfectly.

Then the pockets...
  • The cash goes in the first one.
  • Any gift vouchers go in the zippered section – Clicks, Exclusive Books, etc.
  • And right at the back I keep my receipts until my weekly Budgeting Update day when they get removed.


The coins go in the zippered ouch at the back and my business cards go in the flap behind that. (If I get any other business cards while out, they go in my diary and then straight into Outlook).

Hope this helped you.

How do you organise your wallet?

Monday, December 18, 2006

Dec 2006 - organising challenges


Here are this month's challenges

Week 1 - Baking stuff, pots and serving dishes
It's the first week of December!

Organise all your pots and baking stuff so that you're ready for all the cooking and baking you'll do later this month.You don't need two sets of measuring cups or spoons. If you have some old muffin pans, you can use them to plant seedlings or organise a drawer.

If there are serving dishes you've had for 5 years but never use, cook or bake something in it (casserole/ lasagna) and give it away as a present.

Take charge tip - Double up on some baking recipes and give the baked goods away as gifts. Arrange biscuits or muffins on some plates you don't like any more, cover with cling wrap, tie a red bow and there you have it - an inexpensive, useful gift.


Week 2 - Put up decorations and the Christmas tree & finish wrapping gifts
Decorate your house and put up the Christmas tree. Hang Christmas cards from a piece of string or attach to the side of your wall unit.

Finish wrapping your gifts and writing out gift tags. It's always a good idea to keep a few spare gifts around in case someone pops by and you don't have anything for them.



Week 3 - Finalise your menu and finish buying food
This is more important if you're hosting Christmas dinner.

Finalise your menu. If you'd like people to bring a dish, phone them now. Check your pantry and buy last-minute ingredients and drinks. Download your shopping list at http://takechargesolutions.org/downloads.html

If you're having Christmas dinner elsewhere, make sure that you know what the host wants you to cook.

Merry Christmas!



Week 4 - Sort out your planning tools



All these challenges (plus more) have been packaged into an e-book called Organise your Home. Get your free copy now.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Ali's organised closet


Here are some pictures of Ali's beautifully organised closet.

These are the summer clothes. Notice how the clothes are arranged by colour, with white and black on the sides, and the colours in the middle. I love how you can see everything at a glance, even the shoes. I'm sure she doesn't "forget" that she has any clothes or shoes because there are no piles.



In this photo, look at how the space on the doors is used well. This kind of space is often forgotten and, like in this case, is so easily made useful.
There are 5 hooks on each door for her jewellery (by the way, Ali also makes jewellery - if you go have a look at her site, you'll see her gorgeous stuff)


And here are her winter clothes. She uses a shoe organiser in this cupboard because you can see the space is less due to the bulk of the winter clothes. Even the kitten is comfortable here!


I was thinking how to introduce Ali to you but I think I'll let her do it herself. This is excerpted from her blog profile.

21st Century Nomad (currently putting down some roots). In April 2005 I left my job, friends, and family in the US and moved to Mozambique to work as a consultant. Some Brazilian friends of mine (including one who is now my boyfriend!) started a business here and invited me to take part as a fundraiser and grantwriter. We all used to live together in a small town called Chimoio, but now my boyfriend and I have moved to Maputo where we have a flat of our own. This blog is the story of my adventures, starting in Austin, passing through Rio, and ending somewhere in Africa.
Go visit her blog and remember to check out the jewellery.
Thanks for sharing your space with us, Ali.

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