Write on the Refrigerator!

I was blessed by a generous, Christian sister named Beth. She agreed to share her great tip and article with us. Thank you, Beth!

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This is the absolute best tip I have run across, and it has helped me in more ways than one recently.

I may have mentioned this before, but when I was in college & house-sitting for my mom's best friend, I noticed that she had messages scrawled all over her fridge! She was using dry erase markers...ingenious!

As I became a full-time homemaker, and got tired of losing my grocery lists every week, forgetting to write things down because it wasn't always handy (or a notepad simply wasn't big enough), or watched the list "migrate" all over the house...I remembered this tip. I added a new thing to my grocery list: Dry Erase Markers! I found some at Target. The marks are removable with furniture polish (I use Murphy's).

Keeping my grocery list on the fridge has been a miracle for my family! My hubby & I always knows where to find it. I write something down AS SOON AS I think of it. I don't categorize needs from wants, different shopping locations, or categories of food. I simply made a heading "Groceries" and prioritize before I head out the door. I grab a pen & post it note, stand by the fridge, and with my budget in mind, I decide which items we need the most *right now*. I write those things down first. Then I decide which ONE location carries most of those items, at the best prices, and go there first. As I think of recipes I want to try, I write the ingredients I need on the fridge, too. It helps with meal planning, budgeting, & prioritizing, all in one step, and saves me TIME. After I come home from shopping & have put everything away, I erase the items I purchased from off the fridge. At the end of the budgeting period, if we still have money to spare, the un-erased items are up for evaluation! That part is really fun!

But, recently, it has helped me in an unexpected way. During the early part of my 2nd trimester, I experienced some depression. It took me a while to recognize it, but when I finally realized it wasn't going away, I spoke to my OB about it. Among other things, she reminded me to get out of the house, and be sure not to isolate myself. When I'm feeling this way, however, I can't think of anything to do...or I think too much & get overwhelmed.

One day, when I was feeling pretty good & energetic, it occurred to me: Capture some of this good energy for those down-days! So, next to my grocery list, I made a new list called "Ideas". On it, I included fun things to do with Jack, creative tasks I've been saving for a rainy day, and fun places to go (that don't require money). I can't say the list did it all...but I haven't experienced another "down" day in 2 or 3 wks!

Next, I made a list called "*Good Habits* :)". I'd accidentally ended up on the Maxwells' Titus2 site one day (but there are no accidents in the Lord's plan!) and read Mrs. Maxwell's article about Depression. Very timely for me. One thing she mentioned was to allow your routine to carry you through the day, when you feel like you can't do anything else. "What is my routine?" I asked myself. So, under this heading, I've written the following:

*Wash clothes every morning & Fold every night. [Even one load is a good habit!]
*Clean up kitchen after every meal. Turn on dishwasher when full.
*Pick up as you go along (toys, clothes, trash, clutter).
*Other jobs as needed. If you see it, do it.

These habits carry me through, and I really feel like I have routine & order in my household. As I've stuck to these habits, I've found "a place for everything"...well, almost everything. He's still working on me!

Next, I made a list of "Needs/Wants". These are long-term purchases/goals that don't belong on the grocery list. They don't get erased often, but when they do, it feels great. It's also a good place for curious family members to pick up gift ideas! ;)

These 4 lists take up only a small amount of space on the side of my fridge, so it doesn't look cluttery.

The next big idea (I also picked this up while on the Maxwell's site that day) is to write a short, child-sized Bible verse on the front of the fridge, to say as a family each day with the blessing! My almost 2 yr old has a great memory, and my hubby loves this idea, too!

Beth