The Answer

I've found a happy place on the internet. I'm adding OrganizedHome.com to my link list at left. I was wandering around checking all the great links I find in my monthly O - Oprah magazine. Two featured websites relate to meal planning. They are mealmixer.com and relishrelish.com. They look great and offer free trials but there's a subscription fee. I marvel at sites that charge subscriptions - my web expert friend Lundy long ago realized that web advertizing revenue eclipses any subscription/download fees you might charge. And if you build a great site, they will come. Most folks know that newspapers and magazines don't make money from subscriptions, but from the ad revenue. That's why the fall fashion issue of Vogue is bigger than the old Sears Wishbook! That's also why you can find amazingly cheap subscriptions that barely cover the postage if you look around - Amazon had some great deals at the end of December - I think I got a year of Marie Claire for $3.

Back to the great website: OrganizedHome. It has everything you could want. My current wish is for organization, specifically to cut the clutter. There's an article there that describes 5 different mindsets that contribute to a clutter problem. The frightening thing is that all 5 describe me! They are: 1) The Hoarder ("This might come in handy some day"), 2) The Deferrer ("I'll think about that tomorrow"), 3) The Rebel ("I don't wanna and you can't make me"), 4) The Perfectionist ("Next week, I'll organize everything perfectly"), and 5) The Sentimentalist ("Oh, the little darling").

Oh, my goodness - it's humbling when you see yourself in writing. I started today by gathering lots of great eBay stuff (part of my problem - oh, this might be worth something one day - they didn't even cover that in OrganizedHome!) and taking it to RightClick - a great little place near my home. They sell the stuff on eBay and keep 35%. Only problem is, each listing has to exceed $50. None of my stuff qualified, natch. And it's the wrong season for barely used football equipment. My short term plan is to take everything to the attic with the intention of going through it methodically, regularly, but with the reality being that it'll stay there until Mack and I die and Evans has an estate sale and totally random strangers are sifting through my underwear drawer.

Enough of that. Check this great site - it's full of info, forms, ideas for FREE!! There's lots of good content. I plan to lurk around there - maybe even more than my beloved Pioneer Woman! She won the bloggie awards, by the way. No surprise!