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Get Organized Now! BINGO! Organizing Printable!

It's a new, quick, easy, fun way to get organized. Each GON Bingo! card lists 24 easy organizing tasks you or your family can accomplish. Get five in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally and you get to select a reward from the rewards list. Kids love to play too!

To access and print it, visit:
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Happy organizing and enjoy some GON BINGO! organizing fun!

Maria Gracia

P.S. Please forward this newsletter to friends and family so they, too, can access this resource. Thank you for spreading the love!

A GON Reader Asked:

Hi Maria,

I love your newsletter. It's the only one I read and I always get something useful from it. Thank you for your commitment!

My question is about leftover food. I've actually gotten to the point that my fridge is constantly packed with food that never gets eaten, and then gets thrown out. When my kids were little, this never happened. These days, at least one to two out of seven days a week, my teens announce...last minute...that they're going out with friends. This is after I've purchased the food and cooked for the family.

Plus, my family is not good about eating leftovers. They say they can never 'find' them in the fridge and have no idea how long it has been in there. I guess they're right in a way. I get frustrated and just shove the food in there, and only get the motivation to clean the fridge out when something begins smelling funky.

Anyway, this question is beginning to sound like a lot of problems...LOL...and I don't expect you to solve them all, but do you have a few tips for me?

--Katie M., Honolulu, HI

P.S. I swear to you that I'm organized in every other area of my life!

Maria Gracia Responded:

Hi Katie,

First, I know what you mean about teens. My daughter is 17 and she also sometimes announces, last minute, when she's going out with friends. Teens are notorious for last-minute, made-in-the-moment plans. Here are a few ideas that will, hopefully, help ease your frustration and stop the volume of food being wasted:

1) Designate a fridge shelf for leftovers. When leftovers are on every shelf of the fridge, pushed behind other items, they're not going to be found easily and often ignored. When you have leftovers, label them with a) what it is and b) the 'eat by' date. This way, your family knows exactly what they're choosing and if it is still fresh enough to consume.

2) Plan a 'leftovers' day every third day of your meal planning. So, your schedule would look like this:

Day 1 New Meal
Day 2 New Meal
Day 3 Leftovers
Day 4 New Meal
Day 5 New Meal
Day 6 Leftovers

When eating leftovers is part of your weekly meal plan, those are simply what you serve when you sit down to eat those nights. (Feel free to 'fancy up' leftovers or make them into something else if you so choose.) If, for some reason, there aren't enough leftovers to eat on those particular nights, serve those leftovers with an addition, like a hearty salad or soup, etc.

3) Make use of your freezer. When cooking, keep in mind if what you're making is a good candidate to freeze and reheat for another day. If it is, when your kids announce that they're not eating home, just as you're putting the final touches on dinner, you can take their portions and freeze them for the next day.

4) Consider meals that don't end up in tons of leftovers. Not every family loves eating leftovers...just in general. So, try cooking meals, and portions, that don't end up in tons of leftovers that never get eaten. Cook enough for that meal only and hopefully most of it will be eaten in that sitting. The idea is to end up with no leftovers, or a very small amount that can be eaten for lunch the next day. Plus, most families buy way more food than is necessary. Think small healthy portions, and serve those with a salad.

Of course, and I'm sure you're already doing this, encourage your teens to work on not 'surprising' you last-minute because it's just common courtesy. I always tell my daughter that I want her to have many opportunities to have fun with her friends (after all, they're only teenagers once), but to try to be mindful regarding how last-minute plans are affecting others. These gentle reminders help (a bit) in my house. Raising kids is a journey and an adventure for sure!

Hope this helps a bit!

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'At the end of the week, my husband and I do a leftovers dinner, where we have to use whatever's in the fridge. It's sort of a game.' (Lake Bell)

I'd love to hear from you.

I LOVE GON reader mail! Whether it's a comments, suggestions, or just a note to say hello, REPLY to this email with a short note.

And remember...there's no better time to get organized, than to Get Organized Now!

Warmly,

Maria Gracia
Get Organized Now!
getorganizednow.com

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