Small Space Organizing

By Melissa Tosetti

I am a big fan of small houses and often write about the subject.  Just some of the benefits of small houses include: 

  • Small mortgages
  • Small utility bills
  • Less cleaning
  • Less opportunity for clutter which has a way of expanding to fit the size of its environment

Admittedly, living in a small home does have it's challenges - like a lack of storage space.  Although the goal is to keep the accumulation of "stuff" to a minimum, the vacuum cleaner still needs a proper home.  Small homes can easily look cluttered if there isn't a place for everything and everything isn't in its place.

Small Space Organizing by Kathryn Bechen is the answer to the storage issue.  Bechen takes you room-by-room and offers easy to implement solutions for maintaining a well organized home.

In addition to being filled with ideas, she also includes plenty of resources at the conclusion of each chapter.

Much of her advice goes beyond storage, creating unique decorating opportunities like: 

  • Remove front doors of one cabinet and create your own coffee bar by housing your coffeemaker, cups and coffee there.
  • If you have room, paint an old dresser and use it as a kitchen island.  The drawers can hold dishtowels and cloths and you can mount your own paper towel holder and hooks for cooking utensils on one end. 
  • Lean an old wooden ladder against a bathroom wall to hold towels and add a bit of architectural interest.

For many years I've been putting into practice one particular tip she offers for the kitchen:  Buy large clear glass jars with lids for storing things such as rice, beans and cereals.

I use Mason Jars in a variety of sizes.  I can easily see when I'm running low on an item and my beans, pasta and rice no longer have the opportunity to break out of their containers and spill everywhere.

Small Space Organizing is a book that will remain in my personal library and be referred to again and again.  Consider picking up a copy for yourself.  Implementing the tips will transform your home no matter what its size. 

 
Day-to-Day Financial Education
The Savvy Life is a financial education company whose purpose is to provide clients the day-to-day financial education they did not learn from parents or in school.  This education is provided through articles, books, classes, seminars and one-on-one coaching. 
 
Money Affects Everything
The Savvy Life teaches personal finance from a lifestyle perspective because money affects everything.  It affects where you live, what you eat, what you wear and how you spend your free time.  Effective money management is about so much more than contributing to a retirement account or buying an item on sale. 
 
The Savvy Life Philosophy
We work with clients to create a strong financial foundation by implementing savvy day-to-day habits and routines.  We then introduce The Savvy Life Philosophy which is to save money in the areas that are not as important to you so you can focus your spending on the areas that are important to you. 

The Savvy Life and Financial Advisors
The Savvy Life teams with financial advisors to offer their clients help plugging financial leaks and streamlining spending through classes, seminars and one-one-one coaching.  One of the main goals of all interaction with advisors’ clients is to find additional money through savvy living to focus on their wealth building and retirement efforts.  
 
Testimonials
Roman Quisol, Ameriprise Financial
I want to thank you for presenting last week on my telecast.  I can see that your message of getting more from what we have (cashflow) fits well with our financial advisory practices.   You could save our clients more money every year and which means they would be keeping more in their portfolios to grow and hedge against inflation.  I would love to incorporate your services with mine to enhance the overall client experience.  
 
 Kim Sherman, Bridging The Gap Coaching Client
If you try and spend frugally but don't know where all your money has gone, if you don't have enough money left for groceries and gas at the end of the month, or even if you just want to hone your financial goals and skills to take that much needed vacation, consider purchasing the book, Living the Savvy Life.  For a complete overhaul of your financial situation, The Bridging the Gap Program is well worth every penny.
 
Melissa Tosetti and her program have changed my life. Though my husband and I bring home enough money each month to take care of our family of five, somehow groceries were always scarce. Our emergency savings account was merely a pipe dream, and our credit card debt was climbing. After all, the dog had to eat and I had no cash in my pocket. I cringed writing checks for random purchases such as buying books at the school book fair; there was never any money in our account to accommodate spur of the moment decisions.
 
A creature of habit, I dreaded the thought of shopping at deeply discounted stores and constantly clipping coupons to save money and live frugally. Quite the contrary- Melissa's plan harnesses a "savvy" lifestyle, not a "cheap" one. With her relaxed demeanor and common sense guidance, Melissa has encouraged me to make simple changes- changes that have allowed me to have consistent money in the bank for groceries, begin an emergency savings fund, a Christmas Club account, a vacation fund, pay down our debt, and have extra money left over in the checking account for unexpected purchases- all within 2 weeks of beginning her program.
 
I'm beyond thrilled and am finally sleeping through the night... no more 3am nightmares of how to make it through the end of the month on a consistent diet of noodles and tomato sauce. My family deserves better, and I'm grateful to Melissa for helping me provide that for them; I have an air of confidence knowing that our family's finances are stabilized. I'll be more grateful in December when I have cash to spend on Christmas presents instead of having to whip out the plastic card.
 
No matter your situation- large or small family, plenty of finances to work with or a shoestring budget, Melissa can help. Finances spiral so quickly out of control. Take that first step today- contact Melissa and gain permanent control of the way you live your life- make yours a "savvy" life.  
 
Tami Anderson, Bridging The Gap Coaching Client
I reconnected with Melissa earlier this year because I needed a great sounding board to check in on my financial strategy.  Investment advisors give you one piece of the puzzle but I wanted someone to look at the whole picture in the context of my life priorities and goals and let me know where I was tracking well and where I could make changes that would help me better achieve both short and long-term goals.  Melissa was incredibly knowledgeable gave concrete recommendations and, most importantly, kept my goals in mind vs. just one-size-fits all advice.  The investment was well worth it and I plan to check in with Melissa as my circumstances evolve and change to make sure I am still on track.
 
 
A Savvy Grocery Shopping Tool

By Melissa Tosetti

When an item goes on sale at the grocery store, our primal money saving instinct kicks in and we get an overwhelming desire to “stock up”. This unfortunate instinct is what creates the syndrome of having 30 cans of corn collecting dust in our pantry.

Keep in mind that most items go on sale on a six week cycle.  Unless something is offered at an extraordinarily great price, pick up only what you need for the next six weeks. Sales can lure us into overbuying.  Remember: your pantry is inventory.  If your inventory isn’t moving, then it's money sitting on your shelf.

One of the best ways to figure out the difference between regular prices, sale prices and really good sale prices is to create a Price Book. Keep the average prices and the sale prices of your regularly purchased items there, so you know when a sale is a true deal.  Include the “per unit” price as well, so you can more easily compare different sized containers.  This is especially useful when comparing between big-box stores and regular grocery stores.

The other day I was at our local Safeway and saw that Gatorade was on sale for the unbelievable price of $.49 per bottle when the usual sale price is $1.25.  Although we may only drink one bottle of Gatorade a week, I walked out the door with 10 bottles.  I doubt I will see it on sale for that great of a price again.

Excerpt from The Savvy Life Newsletter

 
Savvy Day-to-Day Money Management - Class
Date & Time
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
7:00 pm-9:00 pm
 
Price
$35 per person/couple
 
Location
Unity Church of Palo Alto
3391 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto, CA 94306
 
Take control of your day-to-day finances and enjoy life to the fullest.
  • Habits & routines that make managing your finances easy.
  • How to save 15% - 20% of your income.
  • How to create and implement an automatic debt reduction plan.

Register at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2876211827

 
Savvy Shopping For Your Kitchen

By Melissa Tosetti

This week, The Savvy Life's personal shopper Mandy Kendall is focusing on your kitchen. Some of the items she picked are essentials while others will add an affordable touch of elegance to your table.

I'm especially excited about the J.A. Henckels knife set she featured.  Ask any chef and they will tell you the one tool worth investing in is quality kitchen knives.  I purchased a Henckels set six years ago and still love them. 

To see all of Mandy's picks, visit her Savvy Kitchen Essentials page. 

********

Each week, Mandy finds the best deals from Shop.com that fall in line with The Savvy Lifestyle including items for the Home, Food, Wardrobe, Beauty, Travel and Entertainment.

What I love about Mandy is that she “gets it”.  She is a long time reader of The Savvy Life and understands the nuances of living savvy.  She recognizes that Savvy Women want classic, quality items at affordable prices.

Like eBates, there are major benefits of using Shop.com including great deals, cash back, e-gift registry and more.  Registering with Shop.com is simple:

1.       Start by visiting www.shop.com/mandykendall. 

2.       Click on Sign In at the top of the page, and follow the New Customer prompts.

3.       Be sure to visit The Savvy Life’s Trend Shop each week to see the new items Mandy has picked out exclusively for you.

Enter to Win! 
Once you've registered, send Mandy an email with "I'm a Savvy Shopper" in the
subject line and you will be entered in a weekly drawing for a $50 Restaurant.com certificate. 
 

 

 
The Month of February
 
I really, really hate sounding cliche' but, I can't believe it's already February!  In fact, we're a full week in!  How did that happen?
 
The first month of the year was packed with speaking events and radio appearances.  As for March, I'm booked to speak at 10 separate events which makes January look like a tea party.  In contrast, February is beautifully balanced with both work and fun events.  I'm going to fully enjoy it in anticpation of March's crazy calendar.
 
February Calendar
 
February 11th - Coach Erika and I will be at the Baby & Kidz Expo in Pleasanton promoting the FFIT at home program.
 
February 12th - Paul and I plan to knock out a home project then take Dante out and play.
 
February 14th - Guest speaker at the Sorpotomist of San Francisco dinner.
 
February 18th - February 20th - A much looked forward to staycation including a day trip to Bodega Bay.
 
February 25th - Fight Day at Fearless - An open mat event with Mixed Martial Arts and Western Martial Arts fights.

###

 
Online Money Detox
By Melissa Tosetti
 
Do you need an online money detox?  Do you feel like money is uncontrollably slipping through your fingers?  That may be exactly the case.  The Internet is a wonderful tool for paying our bills and ordering online.  However, it is very easy to forget the items that are automatically being deducted from your account.
  • Print your bank statement for the last three months and review it.  Look for items that are unfamiliar and call (there is almost always a number on your statement) to find out what it is.  If it is a service you no longer use, cancel it.
  • Are you still going to the gym?  If the answer is yes, great!  If the answer is no, use the fact that you are paying for a gym membership to start working out again, or cancel the membership.  
  • Go through and look for any other auto deductions that you want to cancel and cancel them.  Don't wait until you get billed again next month.  Cancel them now.
Of the auto deductions you want to keep, write them all down along with the dates they are deducted and put the list with your bills.  When you go to pay your bills, add the auto deductions to your bookkeeping system for that pay period.  This will help prevent those terrible surprises when money disappears from your account.
 
 
10 Affordably Romantic Valentine's Day Ideas

  1. Write a love letter and mail it to your significant other – even if you live in the same house!
  2. Make a No Utensils Dinner at home.  Spaghetti could be an adventurous dish to serve.  Don’t forget the candlelight.
  3. Skip dinner and go out for a glass of wine and dessert at your favorite restaurant.
  4. Make chocolate truffles together.  
  5. Leave love notes where they will be found throughout the day.
  6. Make their favorite homemade treat and ask a friend to deliver it to them at work.
  7. Bundle up and go stargazing together.
  8. Re-enact your first date.
  9. Find a beautiful journal and start a memory book of your favorite times together.
  10. Frame a photo of the two of you and give it as a gift.

 
Savvy Shopping For Your Home

By Melissa Tosetti

The Savvy Life's personal shopper Mandy Kendall has gathered luxurious and affordable items that will turn your home into a cozy retreat.   From candles and comforters to velvety throws, the items she's picked will create ambience and warmth and may even help reduce that heating bill.

I especially love this shawl wrap for just $16.95.  With that shawl, a cup of coffee and a Sherlock Holmes book - I wouldn't move from the couch for hours!  

To see all the items Mandy has picked, visit her Savvy Life Home Comforts page. 

***

Each week, Mandy finds the best deals from Shop.com on essentials that fall in line with The Savvy Lifestyle including items for the Home, Food, Wardrobe, Beauty, Travel and Entertainment.

What I love about Mandy is that she “gets it”.  She is a long time reader of The Savvy Life and understands the nuances of living savvy.  She recognizes that Savvy Women want classic, quality items at affordable prices.

Like eBates, there are major benefits of using Shop.com including great deals, cash back, e-gift registry and more.  Registering with Shop.com is simple:

1.       Start by visiting www.shop.com/mandykendall. 

2.       Click on Sign In at the top of the page, and follow the New Customer prompts.

3.       Be sure to visit The Savvy Life’s Trend Shop each week to see the new items Mandy has picked out exclusively for you.

Enter to Win! 
Once you've registered, send Mandy an email with "I'm a Savvy Shopper" in the
subject line you will be entered in a weekly drawing for a $50 Restaurant.com certificate. 
 
 

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