» keeping it simple

SMEAD Review

Tricia — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:55:20 +0000

Back to school and organization go hand in hand. I admit, at times I get overwhelmed when it comes to organization. All the homework, notices, projects and anything school related when multiplied by four adds up to a lot of paper. I was beyond happy when the opportunity came up for to review some items from SMEAD.

SMEAD has been around for over 100 years helping to keep home offices and businesses organized. It all started with a need of something better than rubber band and loose string to holding filing envelopes closed. Charles R. Smead came up with idea for a filing envelope that had a metal clasp on each end to keep it closed. When the company began making file folders back in 1933, SMEAD made about 1,000 a day. The folders were tabbed and folded by hand. Now they make anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 an hour!

I was sent the SMEAD Stadium File Organizer and the Super Tab File Folders to review. The SMEAD Stadium File Organizer easily stands up on your desk. It expands and is extra wide. I like that I can fit papers and folders in it with no problem. The organizer is tiered so you can see everything clearly. There are 12 pockets that can expand to hold over 900 sheets of papers. It even came with labels so I could get started on becoming organized right away. I could sort in alphebetical order, by the months of the year, or make up my own because there was even some blank labels. I found that once I decided how I wanted to sort everything, it was easy to start filling the Stadium File Organizer up. I think this is a quicker way to keep what I need within reach.

I was also sent a pack of the Super Tab folders. I was able to notice the difference right away. The label area is 90% larger which I really like. On regular folders it is hard to fit in a lot of words. In the past when I have wrote more than one or two words, it was all pushed together and difficult to read. With the Super Tab folders there is enough room to write whatever I want. There are 24 folders in the pack. It came with a variety of different colors including blue, purple, pink and green. I am loving the larger tab, it is a huge improvement. When looking for something I can actually “glance” and see it. That definitely saves a lot of time. I have already labeled a few folders so I will be ready when school starts back. I know there will be lots of papers sent home that first week of school. Now I have the perfect spot for them all!

Connect with Smead at:

for tips on getting more organized and making your work easier.

You can get organized and buy your own SMEAD products at stores like Amazon and Staples. The Stadium File is $19.88 and the Super Tab folders are $12.96.

I was provided with the free Smead products for review purposes. I was also given a $20 Target gift card to share my honest opinion.

Springpad and a $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Tricia — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 22:52:06 +0000

Man a personal assistant would be nice. Come on you have to admit you have thought about it. Someone to help you keep track of all the stuff you need to remember and do. I can just imagine how nice that would be. But money is just not being delivered in truckloads to my house so this is really out of my price range. So of course I have to look for other methods to help me become a little more organized.

Well recently I was reintroduced to Springpad. I signed up for it quite a while ago and somehow forgot about it. I need some type of help getting organized because I have stuff everywhere, so I thought why not give it a try again.

Springpad is basically a way to to help you keep track of your books, movies, recipes, restaurants, bookmarks from the web, task lists and products for free! It is really easy to use. Setup is painless and you can sign up using your Twitter or Facebook account. There is even a app for it so I added it to my iPod Touch. It was simple to add stuff with just a touch that are near me or with just a simple word search. I am not sure which i like better, using the internet or my ipod, but I do like having options. I am a options type of girl.

If you have not used Springpad you just might be surprised at what you find. There are quite a few applications that you can use to help you out:

weekly meal planner
movie tracker
blog post manger
people I meet
my kitchen pantry
notebooks
weekly chore manager
emergency list
plan your day
wardrobe tracker

I honestly believe that Springpad can help in taking the step in the right direction to become more organized. Everything is in one place, anyone can use it, works on the internet, mobile phones and iPod, and it’s free. Feel free to follow me on Springpad, http://springpadit.com/1stopmom. Also check out the Springpad blog, there are lots of great tips and cool stuff to check out. Of course they are on Facebook and Twitter as well.

Thanks to the great people from Springpad I get to offer you guys a giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card

How to enter:

In order to be entered into the giveaway, you must create your own (free!) Springpad account. Then spring,or save, something on your wish list–it can be anything from a book to a pair of shoes you’ve had your eye on. Each item you spring works as a raffle ticket, so the more things you spring the more chances you have to win! Then enter your Springpad username (like so: http://springpadit.com/YOURUSERNAME) in the comments section so we can track what you’ve saved. Only leave one comment with your Springpad url. The winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card to go towards that item.

Rules

There is only one entry per person. This giveaway ends April 16, 2010. It is open to US residents only. The winner will be contacted via email.

Springpad is providing a gift card for me as well as for the giveaway. The opinons in this post are solely my own.

Trying a different approach

Tricia — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:10:59 +0000

Last year, that still sounds funny to say, I had a really big problem with my email. I sign up for so many different things that it immediately became overwhelming to say the least. I would just scan it and look for something that “might” be important. I would worry about deleting the spam later. Surprise Surprise! That did not work out at all. So I am trying a different approach this year and I hope I can stick to to. When I check my email, I immediately delete it or move it to a folder for later. And get this, I even named the folders so they won’t get lost!! Already it is working because I have found some pretty important emails deep within my spam folder.

Children and artwork

Tricia — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:30:26 +0000

When my oldest first started daycare I saved everything she ever did. Every little drawing or art project. I always planned on organizing it later. Well it’s later, about 12 years later. The only thing is now it is not just Jazz’s work, but the other 3 kids as well. Can you even imagine the pile I have? Well I have decided to be productive and finally get this stuff in order. I read somewhere last year online about taking pictures of your children’s artwork with your digital camera. That way you can make up a disc or upload it online and it will not get ripped up or torn. I did my first batch and it turned out great. I plan on uploading and sorting them online so family can enjoy all the beautiful artwork too. Kayla(5) really liked seeing her art on screen. I hope when I am all done all the other kids will like the idea too.