I discovered something totally fab last week.   It is called Lemon.  You might think that I have rediscovered the amazing powers of lemon.  I adore lemons!  I enjoy lemon in my hot water with fresh ginger in the morning.  I have never tried a lemon dessert that I did not like.  However, the lemon I fell in love with this time is completely different…it is for receipts and organizing… And it is quite appropriately related to our Boot Camp project for this week.  Lemon is a receipt management tool!

I cannot say it better than the way Lemon describes itself: “Lemon collects all of your receipts, paper and digital, into one simple and secure place, so you can be organized and know exactly where you’re spending your money. Lemon works by connecting all the computers, phones and tablets that you use daily, allowing you to send all of your receipts to one place and then access them from any other.”

There are two ways in which you can save your receipts to Lemon:

- email a receipt from an online purchase to your account@lemon.com

- snap a pic of your paper receipt (even if is quite long) with your smartphone or your iPhone and the free app will do the rest of the work for you.

Once your receipts are saved to Lemon, you can tag expenses by categories.  So, if you wanted to know how much you spend on groceries per month or the amount of your monthly budget going towards expensive lattes, Lemon will have the answer.  While the most important features are totally free, if you want to be able to generate reports, export data, or upload unlimited receipts, you will need to upgrade to a $9 per month or $50 per year option.  However, most of us will benefit greatly from the basic free version.

Try it out!  You might be able to shed receipt clutter, get better organized, and feel more in control of your spending.  Who knows, you might find it “refreshing!”

Have you discovered an app or a program that is helping you get more organized?  Tell me!

Want to start off the new year on the right foot? Having the right day planner is one way to do so. If you are a paper and pen type person and appreciate the routine of writing things down AND you are in the market for a new day planner, read on.   Here are my top five picks for 2012!

The planners had to meet the following criteria:

• Contain weekly views
• Be relatively light
• Look chic

SO, my top five choices are (in no particular order):

ELP Simplified Planner – A spiral bound, 8×10 agenda perfect for someone managing many obligations.  It is clean, fresh and just pretty. In addition to the weekly views, it contains monthly calendars which, is helpful for those who like to see the whole month at once.  It is the priciest of the bunch ($55), but you have got to think of your planner as an investment.

8 Days-A-Week Planner - This planner’s brightly coloured and cheerful cover will make you smile, and so will its price of $18.  It is 7×9.5 and is ideal for someone who is NOT consistent with planning, calendaring, and listing as it is undated.  So, what if you missed a week and just were not in the mood to be organized?  It happens to all of us at some point.

Sarah Pinto’s Weekly Planner – This compact spiral bound planner is just 5×7; it is destined to fit into your purse easily.  It comes in a few different choices of preppy covers.  The $20 price is right too!

My Agenda – This is a 7×9 bound beauty of a planner that is designed for the biggest multi-taskers on planet earth – MOMs.  I love that it is covered in stain-resistant fabric that feels almost like leather.  It features monthly views, weekly views and, most importantly, provides space to plan for each child in the family. $43 is expensive, but I find this baby quite comprehensive and ideal for busy parents. Right now, you can score a discount on this product, see below.

Erin Condren’s Life Planner – This is the planner of my choice for 2012.  You can personalize the laminated cover and even use pictures of your family.  It has monthly and weekly planning pages and plenty of blank pages throughout for your notes.  I love that the weekly pages include a special column for writing down goals and primary to-do tasks.  I am also a huge fan of the plastic zipper pouch inside, where you can keep your checkbook or stamps or address labels or anything that makes sense to you.  This planner is also 7×9, but is probably the heaviest of all of the above.  It is $50, but I really think it is quite fantastic.

Do you use any of the these planners already?  Do you have a fave?  I am also curious what people like to use to plan out their daily lives.

I cannot get enough of Etsy!  If you have not heard of it, Etsy is the marketplace for everything handmade, and some vintage merchandise as well.   If you are in the market for some organizing products, I recommend you take a look on Etsy, as you will find a mix of new and old products you might not be able to locate elsewhere.  The price is usually right too.  And their selection is varied.  The feeling of supporting small businesses worldwide is priceless!

Some Etsy finds that I think are fab…

1.  Roll Top Secretary – This is one shabby chic beauty in blue.  It would be the perfect addition to a desk or a great bill-paying station.  Oh, the possibilities!

2.  Bulletin Board - I have a weak spot for bulletin boards.  This one is an elegant lady, perfect for pinning on necklaces and earrings or important paperwork.

3.  Vintage Silver Plated Toast Rack – The toast rack can be converted into a mail sorting station.   Functional and chic!

4.  Chalkboard Vinyl Label Stickers – Almost no organizing project is complete without labeling.  These babies are great for all kinds of jars, toy storage bins, and so much more.

5.  Felt Purse Organizer – Are you constantly losing things in your purse?  This organizer will tame your purse clutter.  Love that they come in various sizes and cool colours.

6.  Chevron Fabric Storage Container – These containers are versatile.  Perfect as a diaper caddy, for toys or a small selection of books to keep by the bedside.

Who else adores Etsy?!  Tell me about any of your recent Etsy finds.

It was love, well almost, at first sight.  And I don’t want to keep it to myself.  I am totally in love with a little app called Teux Deux.

Teux Deux is a free browser-based to-do list making program.  It is great for making daily to-do lists that you can take with you wherever you go with the help of their new iPhone app.  Although the iPhone version costs $2.99, it is worth every penny. It is simple to use, pleasing to the eye, and super clever.  What I love most about it is the roll-over of unfinished tasks from one day to the next and the automatic syncing between the work you do in the browser version and your iPhone.

If you are not yet familiar with this app, you need to check out Teux Deux.  Who knows, you might fall in love too.

My philosophy is that one should never invest in organizing tools before the important initial stages of sorting, purging, and assigning a home are complete.   However, who said you can’t seek a bit of inspiration by looking at them!  Here are some of my faves right now:

1.  Acrylic desktop file – $24.99, The Container Store Who said that papers have to be stored in a filing cabinet?  This portable filing container is small and pretty enough to be on your desk or kitchen counter.  I have one of these and love it!

2.  Orange desk set – $19, Poppin Spice up your work space with these stylish desk accessories.  Perfect for your writing instruments, paper clips, and post-it pads.

3. Bigso™ Stockholm letter box – $9.99, The Container Store Store your kids’ artwork or family photos in these durable and beautiful storage boxes.

4. Signature pattern binder – $24, Russell & Hazel I use binders for anything and everything: from storing my recipes to keeping my warranties organized.  I would use this nice one to organize my home management binder (see more on that here).

5.  Weekly schedule pad – $30, Erin Condren.com A great tool for planning out the week for you or your whole family.

6.  Gallison accordion organizer – $9.50, See Jane Work Is your wallet or purse overflowing with sales receipts, gift cards, or coupons?  Keep them in this little accordion organizer instead.

Are there any organizing tools that have caught your eye recently?