Virginia's Toolbox

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”    –  William Morris In the spirit of spring cleaning, I've created a fun 30-day declutter challenge for myself! This is a quick and easy way to get rid of some extra clutter around the house to make your house tidier, your life easier, and your mind clearer. I've been working on minimizing my possessions for several years now, and streamlining the items I own has truly increased the quality of my life. One day I will make a post about tips for letting go of items, but for now, we can start with the basics!  I've arranged the days into different zones - apparel days are together, kitchen days are together, etc. Some things seem very split apart, but I made up the sheet with the idea that I didn't want to burn out and quit early. Going through every item of clothing, or every dish in your kitchen in one day is not realistic for the majority of us.  Besides just wanting a ti...

"There is food for everyone on this planet, but not everyone eats" - Carlo Petrini Did you know that the average family in the USA throws out $1,600 worth of groceries every year? That's more than $408 BILLION dollars in one country alone! I'm certainly guilty of finding wilted spring mix and moldy bread laying around. I wanted to find a way to keep track of everything I have on hand to be able to remember it all and plan meals around what I've already got. I came up with this super simple PDF solution that has been helping plan meals, save money, and reduce waste. It's also great for those times when you're too tired to think about what to eat, and end up turning to takeout instead. I keep my fridge inventory in a plastic page protector so I can make it reusable with a dry erase marker. Things like produce, dairy, and meat go into my perishables section, and I always take a look when I'm planning my meals. I also have a spot to jot down healthier snac...