October Project: Results

I'd call my October Project a success. I found new systems that work for me (and that Chris can simply use as well) and got my clutter under control.

Want to see all of the posts from the October Project: Paper & Digital Clutter?

• October Project: Paper & Digital Clutter
• October Project: DIY Paper Pockets
• October Project: Conquer Paper Clutter
• October Project: Conquer Internet Digital Clutter
• October Project: Conquer Computer Digital Clutter
• October Project: My Favorite Paper Clutter Organizers
• October Project: My Favorite Digital Clutter Organizers
• October Project: Organizing My Loan Paper Clutter & a Free Printable

How'd you do? I'd love to hear your progress!

Giveaway Winner: $50 Erin Condren Gift Certificate

Chosen by the random integer generator at random.org, the winner of the $50 Erin Condren gift certificate is...

Congratulations to #73 - Alli (alli.mar...@gmail)! (Please check your email and respond within 48 hours to claim your prize!)

Thank you to everyone who entered! Come back tomorrow for the start of reader appreciation month with tons of great prizes being given away! =]

Last Chance to Enter the Giveway for the $50 Erin Condren Gift Certificate

Last chance to enter the giveaway for the $50 gift certificate for ErinCondren.com - it ends tonight at 9 PM (MT).

The 25 photo cards from Shutterfly giveaway (with 3 winners) ends tomorrow (November 1). This giveaway has low entries - so your chances of winning are high!

Happy Halloween!

Free Halloween Printable from Pick Your Plum

Pick Your Plum's deal of the day today is completely free!

Grab your free boo banner before the deal changes tomorrow.

Happy Halloween!

{source}

Free Printables: Documents Updated

The following free printables have been updated and can be redownloaded if you'd like...

wedding to-do list

school to-do list

labels to create

online deals purchased

editable blank checklist

Reminder: Both Giveaways Ending This Week!

I hope you're having a fantastic weekend! Just a quick reminder that both of the current giveaways are ending this week. The $50 gift certificate for ErinCondren.com ends tomorrow (October 31) and the 25 photo cards from Shutterfly (with 3 winners) ends on Tuesday (November 1). The Shutterfly giveaway has low entries - so your chances of winning are high! Good luck!

MacBeth Collection on Sale at Zulily

Back in July I post about my finds at HomeGoods. I bought a few metal storage containers that are made by HouseCandie, the knockoff brand of the MacBeth Collection. Today through Monday, Zulily has a bunch of awesome storage from the MacBeth Collection on sale (while supplies last). Here are a few of my favorites:

Sierra Santa Cruz Collapsible Trunk Organizer $12.99 :: originally $32

Zebra Window Box $11.99 :: originally $26

Apple Boudoir Classic Vase $9.99 :: originally $21

Apple Boudoir Trinket Tray $9.99 :: originally $17

Gumball Large Oval Tub $13.99 :: originally $36

Sierra Santa Cruz Storage Cube $9.99 :: originally $17

Friday Favorites: Fonts - Part 2

I often receive emails and comments asking what fonts I use. For the next few Fridays I'm going to share my favorite fonts and their sources, if available, with you. Some came on my computer and may not be available for free download online, but others I've found for free online and added to my PC myself. Need help installing fonts? dafont.com has a great FAQ for both Mac & PC users.

1. CAC Pinafore :: dafont

2. Century Gothic :: a-zfonts

3. CluffHMK :: fonts101

4. Desigers :: dafont

5. Green Pilloww :: dafont

Come back next Friday for the next 5!

October Project: Organizing My Loan Paper Clutter & a Free Printable

Love this post and want to see more like it? Each month through 2012 I will be tackling different topics and creating free printables to go along with the project. View the projects here.

I graduated from college in May of this year and Chris graduated in May 2010. We both have student loans out the wazoo. Not all of our loans are from the same company - some are private, others through various lenders from the government. Keeping all of Chris' straight for the last year has been a challenge, and now my loans start repayment next month. I've been keeping all of Chris' loan info in a binder and my school stuff has been in an expanding file. (Chris' was also like this until he graduated, then I got rid of the unnecessary stuff.)

Since I'm in charge of paying the bills, I needed a system that was going to work for me. Here's what I came up with...

This is the binder Chris' stuff used to be in.

Everything is tabbed by the lending company. I labeled the tabs with my label maker.

I decided to switch to a prettier binder, but kept the same tabs, just adding more to the back for my section.

This is the pile of loan bills I received in the mail on Monday. Yuck.

Due to the nature of the papers inside the binder, it wouldn't make sense for me to take pictures of everything and blur everything out. So trust me when I say that transferring everything from an accordion file to a binder (in this case) has made my bill paying life so much easier.

I just keep the binder stashed with all of my other important stuff on my desk. I'm thinking the spine of the binder needs some vinyl love. Ya know, something cool like "loans"...lol.

And I promised a free printable. Here's the loan repayment log I created and have filed out and placed in the beginning of each section of tabs. This makes life so much easier and allows me to see the total going down over time...motivation I guess I'd call it. This PDF file is editable (you can type into it) if you save it to your computer (you can't edit it in Google Docs).

loan repayment log

where i'm linking up this post

It's Back at Plum District: Erin Condren Gift Certificate $25 for $50 -- EXPIRED!

This deal has now expired. Hope you snagged one!

Missed the past two week's Erin Condren gift certificate deals? Today through tomorrow Plum District will have $50 ErinCondren.com gift certificates for $25 (while supplies last).

Things to know:

• The sign up page says you'll get a $5 credit if you sign up through me...so let me know if it does or not please. I will receive a $5 credit if you sign up through me (after you make your first purchase). Any credits I receive I WILL purchase more gift certificates to giveaway. (I have 8 gift certificates from previous deals at Plum District, One Kings Lane, and Zulily. I am currently giving one away - the giveaway ends October 31.)
• Use coupon code fabulous at checkout (on Plum District's website) to save 10% on your purchase. (Thanks Shekae!) 
• Cannot be used on iPhone cases.
• You can buy up to 3 gift certificates.
• The gift certificates can be stacked at checkout. (Life Planners as Christmas gifts?) 
• Cannot be used on shipping or taxes.
• The gift certificate expires on January 24, 2012.

Giveaway: 25 Holiday Cards from Shutterfly - 3 Winners! - CLOSED!

This giveaway has ended and commenting is closed. Wanna know who won? Click here to find out!

Even though Chris and I have been together for almost 8 years now, I wanted to send a special holiday card since this is the first holiday season we've been married. I knew for sure I wanted to use a wedding picture as well. Back when I graduated in May, I created thank you cards with a graduation picture through Shutterfly and was just so thrilled with how they turned out. The quality was incredible and they shipped quickly.

When Shutterfly asked me to take part in their holiday card promotion, I didn't even have to think about it. I was absolutely thrilled to participate! Browsing through the card selection took some time and ended up being a comparison shopping hour. The nice thing about the card selector on Shutterfly is the "refine your choices" sidebar. This made things so much easier. After browsing and trying out a few samples with my pictures, I knew I wanted a flat card with only one picture and a 5x7 size. Here are the samples I'm really digging this year...

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

You can search by Christmas cards or holiday cards. Because I'll be sending my cards to people of many different beliefs/religions, I decided to choose a holiday card rather than Christmas specific. After narrowing down my choices by using the "compare cards" feature, I asked Chris for his input on which card to go with and which picture to use. It was just too hard for me to choose. We both decided that Jazz, our dog, should be included, so we added his Christmas picture to the back. (haha) Creating the card was super simple - I just put in our names and added the pictures. It's that easy.

Want to see what I ended up ordering?

front

back

I am so excited to receive my cards in the mail, even though it's not even Halloween yet. =]

If you're looking for an idea for a Christmas gift -- especially if you have kids -- consider creating a photo book for family members. When I have kids I'm going to create photo books every Christmas to give to Chris' and my parents. I've ordered a few photo books from Shutterfly in the past and have never been disappointed. The color is beautiful and vibrant and the books are well made and durable. (To view a photo book I made a few years ago for my mom, click here.)

Shutterfly has been nice enough to give three readers each a coupon for 25 free holiday cards.

It's super simple to enter:

• You must be a follower (through Twitter, FB, GFC, or RSS/email) of The Nest Effect to win (I will verify this if you're chosen as the winner).
• The winners will be chosen by random.org.
• Please make sure your email is either linked in your profile or on your blog OR that you include it in your comment. If I can't find your email address, I can't contact you as the winner.
• Giveaway ends November 1 @ 9 PM (MT).

Mandatory entry:

• Leave a comment on this post (not Facebook and no email entries) answering the question:
• Visit Shutterfly's holiday or Christmas card selection and leave a comment telling me the name of one of the card designs you love.

Optional entries (leave a comment for each extra entry):

• be a "liker" of The Nest Effect on Facebook
• follow The Nest Effect on Twitter
• subscribe to updates via RSS or email
• share this giveaway via Twitter or Facebook (there are links at the bottom of the post to do so) -- let me know how you shared

Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Shutterfly. Everything written in this post is my own honest opinion. I received free holiday cards to facilitate my review.

Good News! Update on the Job Hunt...

If you've been following me for the last few months then you know how I've been job searching since April. I had 8 interviews at elementary schools with no job offers. After school started I began substitute teaching, which wasn't really working out because there are so many people without jobs who ended up subbing.

Last week I interviewed for a preschool position at a local community center. While it's not within my licensure, I've worked at a preschool in the past, so I have experience with early childhood. I wasn't offered the job that I interviewed for, but was offered another job at the center. Finally, I'll have a steady income. (yay!)

I'll be working Monday through Friday in the mornings and in the late afternoons with two different jobs at the center. Luckily I have 3 hours off in the middle of the day to come home and blog or do whatever else I need to get done. No worries -- I'm not giving up on The Nest Effect. I love it way too much. =]

Other good news...

If you're not sick of Erin Condren yet...I have a total of 6 more gift certificates I will be giving away throughout November. I am so excited!

I'll also be giving away editable printable sets from my Etsy store next month. And I'm in the process of making a holiday planning set -- which I'll be giving many away of next month... aren't you so excited!?

Erin Condren Gift Certificate $25 for $50 on Plum District - EXPIRED!

This deal has now expired. Hope you snagged one!

Missed the past two week's Erin Condren gift certificate deals? Plum District emailed me and gave me the inside scoop this weekend, letting me know that today through tomorrow they will have $50 ErinCondren.com gift certificates for $25 (while supplies last).

Things to know:

• The sign up page says you'll get a $5 credit if you sign up through me...so let me know if it does or not please. I will receive a $5 credit if you sign up through me (after you make your first purchase). Any credits I receive I WILL purchase more gift certificates to giveaway. Right now I have $10 in credits. (I have 5 gift certificates from previous deals at One Kings Lane and Zulily. I am currently giving one away - the giveaway ends October 31.)
• Use coupon code fabulous at checkout (on Plum District's website) to save 10% on your purchase. (Thanks Shekae!)
• You can buy up to 3 gift certificates.
• The gift certificates can be stacked at checkout. (Life Planners as Christmas gifts?) 
• Cannot be used on shipping or taxes.
• The gift certificate expires on January 24, 2012.

Quick Tip: No More Wasted Hand Soap

Do you use Bath & Body Works Moisturizing Hand Soap and get frustrated when reaching the last inch of the soap...and it won't pump out?

I have no idea if the newer bottles still have this issue, but the old ones (like the one pictured) definitely does. I had this happen this morning and remembered something I learned when I used to work at BBW a few years ago. You can add a little bit of water to the bottle and shake it so it mixes with the soap. This makes the soap thin enough to get "sucked" by the pumping of the bottle. If you add just enough water to liquify it, it will still have the same consistency as usual and won't be too watered down.

No more wasted soap!

Friday Favorites: Fonts - Part 1

I often receive emails and comments asking what fonts I use. For the next few Fridays I'm going to share my favorite fonts and their sources, if available, with you. Some came on my computer and may not be available for free download online, but others I've found for free online and added to my PC myself. Need help installing fonts? dafont.com has a great FAQ for both Mac & PC users.

1. Angelina :: dafont

2. AR Cena :: fontzone

3. BaaBookHmk :: fonts101

4. BlackJack :: dafont

5. Budmo Jiggler :: dafont

Come back next Friday for the next 5!

Giveaway: $50 Erin Condren Gift Certificate - CLOSED!

This giveaway has ended and commenting is closed. Wanna know who won? Click here to find out!

To wrap up the paper and digital clutter project for this month, I'm going to giveaway one $50 ErinCondren.com gift certificate. (This is the first of FIVE giveaways for a $50 Erin Condren gift certificate. The other four will be given away next month.)

It's super simple to enter:

• You must be a follower (through Twitter, FB, GFC, or RSS/email) of The Nest Effect to win (I will verify this if you're chosen as the winner).
• The winner will be chosen by random.org.
• Please make sure your email is either linked in your profile or on your blog OR that you include it in your comment. If I can't find your email address, I can't contact you as the winner.
• Giveaway ends October 31 @ 9 PM (MT).

Mandatory entry:

• Leave a comment on this post (not Facebook and no email entries) answering the question:
• How do you deal with paper and/or digital clutter in your home?

Optional entries (leave a comment for each extra entry):

• be a "liker" of The Nest Effect on Facebook
• follow The Nest Effect on Twitter
• subscribe to updates via RSS or email
• share this giveaway via Twitter or Facebook (there are links at the bottom of the post to do so) -- let me know how you shared

Disclosure: This giveaway is not sponsored. I purchased the gift certificates from One Kings Lane and Zulily at half price from account credits I received when my awesome readers signed up and purchased through my referral link (thanks to all of you who purchased).

Gymboree, Crazy 8, & Lands' End - Need Coupon Codes?

I have unique (can only be used once) coupon codes (for use online) for the following:

20% off your entire purchase :: expires November 30, 2011 GONE!

20% off your entire purchase :: expires November 30, 2011 GONE!

$10 off $50+ (regular priced merch) with free shipping :: expires November 15, 2011

If you want one of these coupon codes, please comment on the post, letting me know which one you want. I'll email you the coupon code - first person for each will get them. If your email address is not linked to your Google account or not included in your comment, then I'll have no way to contact you.

I got the coupons from magazines I received but won't use them. Why let a good coupon go to waste? I'm pretty sure the Gymboree and Crazy 8 coupons can be used on sale and clearance items.

My New "Office"

{I apologize for the terrible lighting for all of these pictures. There's only one window in my living room and the sun never shines directly in, so I unfortunately live with terrible lighting every day. lol}

Last week I decided to take over the kitchen table and make it my "office". We don't use it for it's food-eating-purpose. (We eat on the couch, watching TV...every night. Terrible for my back.) And now that I've turned it into my workspace, we no longer pile everything on the table when we come in the door.

Creating this workspace has been amazing. It's so easy for me to sit here and make crafty things, work on my computer, and deal with home management stuff all in one place. Everything I need is in once place now, easily accessible for me.

Eventually I plan on adding fabric around the bottom of the table so you can't see all of the junk we're storing underneath (soda, water, toilet paper, paper towels, paper shredder).

And one thing I really love about my new space is that when I sit back and look up(ish), I see our wedding guest fingerprint tree. Love, love, LOVE it. =]