Bits and pieces...

The weekend used to mean killer parties, hanging out with friends and a couple days to pull yourself back together.

Now it's all about getting ready for the week to come. That also means doing things I never, ever, thought I would do. Yes, scary. Life is too chaotic to not be organized, so this blog I thought I would share a few things I do to make life a little easier.

In the kitchen- These tricks help make meal prep easy, so there's no excuse to whine and complain as you drive to Wendy's.

- - One cup of rice in a Ziploc bag. No need to measure, just dump a full coffee cup of water into a little pain, boil and dump the bag in. Simple. Also works with pasta.

- - Measure out trail mix (Bulk from Sam's Club) in little snack bags. They are handy for a purse, backpack or briefcase. Healthier than a Snicker's bar and cheaper than buying it out of a vending machine.

- - Cut up block cheese into small pieces and put them into small bags. This is much cheaper than buying string cheese and those thick slices in individual wrappers, or the bags of cubed cheese.

- - Yogurt parfaits are simple and easy for breakfast. I use disposable coffee cups, like the one's you get a Starbucks. Granola, frozen mixed berries and vanilla yogurt layered in the cup. The fruit thaws in the fridge and the little hole in the lid is a nice spoon holder until you get around to eating it.

- - Make about eight or 10 burritos, wrap them in parchment paper or foil and freeze them. Again, healthier and cheaper than frozen burritos and you can control what's inside. Two minutes or so in the microwave and they're ready - no oven required, which is nice in the summer.

- - Leftover English muffins convert quickly into mini pizzas. Stick them in a Ziploc and freeze those too. Microwave or oven - makes a quick weekend lunch.

Around the house- A few couple things that help me stay organized and make life a little easier.

- - I like coupons, but never had them together, and always would forget them. A plain envelope solved my problem. I put coupons in the envelope, and on the outside I write my list. I may even toss a pencil in the envelope so I can keep track of what I buy-and spend. When I get home I can transfer the coupons I didn't use to a new envelope, keep the coupons I'll use next trip, and toss any that will expire before I can use them.

- - I need prompted to remember rent sometimes, and even a school loan payment. To help me remember I write out four or five envelopes at a time, add a return address label and a stamp and hang them on a clip near my desk. That way all I have to do is add a check - and the visual helps remind me to pay up.