Updated to add: This giveaway is now closed. The winner is #31 Jessica!

Earlier this year I told you about a terrific 40 page menu planning e-book that you can receive for FREE when you sign up for the e-newsletter at Econobusters.

Today I’d like to tell you a little bit more about the Econobusters site and their fabulous monthly digests.  Econobusters is a fairly new blog that started this past January by a group of women whose purpose and passion is to empower and encourage keepers at home during this tough economic downturn.  They provide tips on ways to save, frugal ideas, do-it-yourself projects, meals that save time AND money, and so much more. What makes this site unique though is that it is hosted by a fictional character named Molly Green.   “Molly” is one smart gal too.  My goodness you just have to check out the site to get plenty of ideas and tips on everything from organization to decor to shopping and crafts.

In addition to daily posts on the blog, each month Molly also writes and publishes an e-digest that she offers for sale at the low price of $4.95 each.  These money-saving digests include more in depth discussions and articles on topics regarding frugal living.   Molly (and her helpful team of course) were kind enough to send me the September 2009 issue so I could see for myself how great these digests are and you know I have to say I was not disappointed.

Each month has a theme and September’s theme was all about frugal decorating.  Let me quote Molly herself:

“A lovingly decorated home is not about high price tags, debt, or keeping a set of design rules. It’s about pulling together pieces that work for your family, at a price you can afford, in a way that makes you smile . . .”
—Molly Green

I told you she was a smart girl

In this 33 page digest I enjoyed reading a variety of articles on many great money saving topics.  Here is a sample of what’s included:

• Begin with the Basics: Are you couponing yet? Maybe you’re not convinced that it’s worth the hassle. Listen up with a sensible, step-by-step introduction to why and how coupons really can help your family’s budget.  This is the first part in a series by Amy Howard that takes a good, close look at how a real family uses coupons for real savings. If you are tempted to shy away, you need to read this!
• On Sale This Month: Every little bit adds up! What items are usually discounted?  What should you stock up on? Find out now.
• Keeping it All Together: Creating a Home Décor Binder—Learn from Kris how to create and maintain your own three-ring binder that will save you time and money, and keep all of your pertinent decorating information in one place! Get organized to ensure that you have what you want when you need it and go on to acquire the fabulous results you envision.
• Feather Your Nest Frugally: How did Virginia help her son find and refurbish a solid wood dining room set for only $135? See this photo transformation!
• Pull up a Chair: There are plenty of interesting reasons to celebrate in September! What should you put on the menu? Get the recipes for Black Bean and Sausage Soup, Paul’s Cornbread, and easy-but-tasty 1-2-3 Cheesecake!
• Parenting that Pays: Todd Wilson, the funnyman of Familyman Ministries, shares a cartoon, and Molly shares some brief, but sound, advice on keeping your family’s decibel level lower. You can have a more peaceful home—within minutes! This advice alone is worth the price of this E-Book!
• Something Old-Something New: What do you have in your home right now that’s just screaming for a li’l update? One of Molly’s favorite bloggers, Tracey Buxton from A Cottage Industry, takes an old calendar frame and gives it a charmingly new 2009 look. Sometimes it’s all in the paint!
• Monthly Feature: Frugal Decorating—With the word count down and the picture count high, you’ll hear from three special guests then go on a “blog walking tour” visiting a dozen additional favorite décor bloggers. These are real women with real families living in real houses and creating lovely home environments on a realistic budget.

My favorite feature was the Something Old-Something New column.  I love love love to take something intended for one purpose and turn it into something new and fresh and totally functional.  That’s exactly what writer Tracey Buxton did with an old calendar frame.  I never would have thought to do this and kick myself now for not having picked one up at the thrift store the other day.  What did she do?  Well I guess you’ll just have to read the monthly digest to find out

One of you will get a chance to do just that if you win today’s giveaway though.  Molly is giving away a copy of the fabulous September issue in e-book format to one lucky reader.  Just leave a comment on this post answering the following question:

What’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving?

The question totally has nothing to do with anything but I thought I’d give you something fun to say rather than just “pick me”

Giveaway closes on November 14th at 9:00 pm PST.

PS:  If you are interested, you can read about all the past and present digests here.  You can also purchase digests through their Pick-a-Pack program which means you can select five digests for the price of four ~all five for $20.00!

I recently had the opportunity to review Debbie Jordan Kravitz’s new book, Everything I Know About Perfectionism I Learned From My Breasts:  Secrets and Solutions for Overpowering Perfectionism.  Debbie is someone I met quite some time ago through her blog, Virtually Organized.  She is a Professional Organizer, a breast cancer survivor and a recovering perfectionist.

I was anxious to read Debbie’s book because I too believe that I’m a recovering perfectionist.  It wasn’t too long ago that I would completely fall apart if something didn’t go according to my plan.  To say I was a control freak was an understatement.  Spontaneous wasn’t even a word in my dictionary because heaven forbid I actually do something without planning it to death.  It was terrible and I’m sure I wasn’t a lot of fun to live with.  But slowly over the years I’ve learned to let go of these exhausting tendencies and embrace the Plan B.  I’m going to be writing more on this in the months to follow.

I loved Debbie’s book so much that I wrote a testimonial for her and how surprised was I when I received the book to find it right there on the back cover.  So exciting!  Here is what I had to say:

“Everything I Know About Perfectionism” is filled with straightforward and practical advice.  It is further enhanced and made possible by the honesty with which Debbie tells her own story.  If you struggle with perfectionism and want to experience the freedom of living an authentic life, imperfections and all, this book is for you.  Discover how perfectionism can keep you from living the life you dream of, and how to overpower it once and for all.”

I asked Debbie to make my blog one of her stops on her book tour and she was kind enough to answer a few questions for me that I’m so excited to share with you today.  I know it’s a bit long but Debbie’s story is so inspiring and definitely offers hope to anyone experiencing the debilitating affects of perfectionism in their own life.  I hope you feel encouraged by her answers.  At the end you’ll find a discount code to receive 10% off the price of the book.

Hi Debbie, thanks for joining me here today.  As I read your book I was amazed at all the different ways perfectionism can manifest itself.  Tell me a little bit about why you use to consider yourself to be a perfectionist.

I was the stereotypical over-achieving, type-A, first-born child. I was highly competitive (mostly with myself) and would silently agonize over every mistake I made. When I was first married and starting my own family, I was determined to create a “perfect” life. I had huge expectations for myself, and when I couldn’t live up to these self-imposed standards I was left disappointed and overwhelmed with my perceived shortcomings.

And what did your breasts have to do with changing this behavior?

Well, it wasn’t so much my breasts as it was my experience with stage 2 breast cancer at age 35. In the blink of an eye, my sense of order and control was gone. I was at the mercy of my diagnosis, my doctors, and the disease. I faced a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction, chemotherapy, radiation, and a lifetime of medication. My very imperfect situation literally stared back at me in the bathroom mirror. It took a lot of introspection, but those imperfect breasts taught me many life lessons. Cancer became my “A-HA!” moment; it was the motivation I needed to finally sit back, take stock of my life and my priorities and realize that perfectionism was ruining my dream of a truly happy and fulfilled life.

I love that throughout the book you also include stories from others sharing how perfectionism played a role in their lives.  It really is a debilitating disease isn’t it?

Yes, it certainly can be. I was lucky to find some fellow recovering perfectionists with some amazing stories. Throughout my interviews, they discussed the reasons they developed their extreme perfectionism, as well as the countless negative consequences they experienced. Perfectionism rarely stands alone and is often intertwined with issues such as low-self esteem, procrastination, eating disorders, and mental paralysis.  Even chronic disorganization can co-exist with perfectionism, as more than one of my case studies revealed. Each interviewee also shared their personal “A-Ha!” moments, as well as their strategies and solutions for overpowering perfectionism.

What do you think is the most common negative consequence of perfectionism?

One common thread among all of the recovering perfectionists in my book is the regret we feel for everything we missed out on as a result of perfectionism. Perfectionists don’t typically take risks because we like to be able to ensure a successful, perfect, outcome. So we don’t try things we aren’t guaranteed to do perfectly. Being a perfectionist can hold you back from stepping outside of your comfort zone, trying new things and living a fulfilled life.

Are the symptoms always negative or are there some ways being a perfectionist can benefit us?

Although each recovering perfectionist I studied experienced very debilitating consequences as a result of being a life-long over-achiever, each one was also able to pinpoint many benefits, too. For example, in their youth, all of them were good students and a few even graduated from Ivy League schools. Several of the interviewees were accomplished athletes, too. It wasn’t until they took control of their perfectionism and learned to leverage its positive influences, however, that they were able to not only reach even greater success, but be satisfied with their accomplishments, as well. By finally learning to mitigate the negative impact of out-of-control perfectionism these people reached a level of personal success that was never possible to their former selves. Several are now successful business owners, and all of them are confident, accomplished and, most importantly, satisfied.

Is it possible to take the good without the bad?

Yes! The difference between a recovering perfectionist and a chronic perfectionist is awareness and control. A recovering perfectionist is aware of the negative consequences of his actions and consciously chooses to avoid such dangers. We do not let perfectionism take control of our life, but rather use all the benefits while dismissing the negatives. Now, I wish I could tell you that perfectionism is something I no longer struggle with, but the fact is, it’s a part of who I am. But my imperfect breasts have taught me that I am bigger than my perfectionism. I am more powerful, more persistent and more determined.

To read about so many women and how they conquered their perfectionism is really inspiring and you offer many helpful and practical solutions on how to do this.  Can you share your top five tips for overpowering perfectionism?

1.  Don’t try to banish perfectionism from your life, but rather accept that it is a part of your personality. Learn to distinguish the difference between “excellence” and “perfect” and decide for yourself what that means to your life.

2.  Fake it till you make it.  Try emulating the behavior of people you know who seem to be satisfied with “good enough.”

3.  Arm yourself with an anti-perfectionism mantra (mine is simply “I am NOT a perfectionist anymore!”). Whenever you feel perfectionism creeping up on you, chase it away with your silent, or not so silent, chant.

4.  Extend beyond your comfort zone and try something new. Approach this new adventure with no regard as to whether you succeed or fail.

5.  Step outside of perfectionism for one day and do something out of character to desensitize yourself to the uncomfortable feelings of imperfection (leave the dishes in the sink overnight, wear mismatched socks, go to the store without make-up on).

I love your mantra “seeking simplicity in all that you do”.  This is something I am always trying to achieve as well.  How has it made a difference in your life?

As a perfectionist, I would over-complicate things unnecessarily. Plus, I’ve always been a “got to do it ALL” type of person and I just couldn’t say “No” to new responsibilities. Now I aim for simplicity; saving time on the daily grind of keeping a household and business together so there is more time to spend on the things I enjoy. Taking the simple route has dramatically reduced the everyday stress in my life. Forgetting about “perfect” organization and instead striving toward being organized enough has made a huge difference, too. Simplicity also helps to reduce procrastination, because it is much easier to approach and complete a simple project, rather than an intricate, over-complicated ordeal.

Why did you want to write this book?

This book actually started as a post on my blog, www.VirtuallyOrganized.com. I really just wanted to share with my subscribers the lessons I had learned about the benefits of overpowering perfectionism. Soon after, I was asked to contribute a chapter to someone else’s book on how I simplify life. When the book fell through, it was actually my mother who suggested I write my own book. My fear of failure started to creep up and I dismissed the idea right away, but it wasn’t long until I decided to take my own advice, reach outside my comfort zone and go for it. I hope that I can help others discover a life outside of perfectionism, too, and possibly serve as an example of how you can take adversity, such as my breast cancer, and turn it into a life-changing “A-HA!” moment.

So awesome!  Thanks for stopping by Debbie and sharing your story with us!

From the sale of every book purchased via the link below and by using the code FYB in the donation code area, Debbie will donate $2.00 to an organization called Feel Your Boobies on my behalf and in honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  FYB is an annual campaign focused on their mission of utilizing unexpected and unconventional methods to remind young women to “feel their boobies”.

Debbie is also offering orgjunkie readers a 10% discount on her book.  All you have to do is use the Add to Cart button below and your 10% off is instantly applied to the regular price of $19.95.

Donation Code (FYB)

Is perfectionism something you struggle with?  How does it hold you back from leading the live you want to live?

As many of my readers know organizing my photos has always been an issue for me. I really struggle with this. I suppose a lot of it has to do with the huge amount of pictures I take and then because of that I get completely overwhelmed with the whole editing, printing and filing process. The more pictures that get backlogged on me the more stressed I get and then the more I procrastinate the project. It’s easy for me to ignore because I’m not tripping over my pictures on a daily basis, they are tucked away on my computer. Out of sight, out of mind as they say. It’s definitely a viscious cycle that is for sure.

I’ve heard people talking about photo books for awhile now but they sounded complicated to my simple mind and I seriously didn’t want another thing confusing me. In January though I had the opportunity to check out Inkubook, an online photo book publishing service. A service that I absolutely fell in love with.

Love, love, love Inkubook! Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let me tell you why. From start to finish the process was so EASY. So easy even I could figure it out!

First thing I did was sign up for an account, which is free, and it allows you to play around creating books and having fun yet with no obligation to buy ever. Sweet! I decided to do a 2008 Christmas album and clicked on “start a new book”. The next screen gave me two options and this is where I really started to get excited.

The options were:

or

Start from scratch ~ feeling adventurous and creative? Build your book from start to finish.

Gee I wonder which one I picked?? Option #1 of course because I like simple and that sounded simple. And was it ever. All I had to do was select my theme (Contemporary Christmas for me) and upload my pictures (I had about 86 pictures) and then just sit back and wait while Inkubook did all the work. In about 10-15 minutes Inkubook chose the picture size and background pattern for each page and varied it up so each page was different. And because it puts the pictures in in the order you uploaded them they were all in the right sequence. I am not kidding you when I say how blown away I was by this. When the computer was finished doing it’s thing, just like that I had a beautiful book with lovely holiday patterned and colored background pages.

At this point I was given the option of making any adjustments I saw fit to either picture placement and size or to the layout and backgrounds. I could also add text if I wanted to. I only needed to move a couple of pictures around and it was super easy to do although to be honest I did run into a little snafu with my cover page. I decided I wanted to change the picture on the cover but when I tried to do it I could only get a tiny picture and of course I wanted it to fill the whole page.

I must admit I panicked for a good couple of minutes before, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a button that said Live Chat. Live Chat, ya right, that’ll be the day. I clicked on it and a chat box came up. I wrote hello in the box and sat back thinking I was going to have to wait awhile before anything happened. To say I was a little skeptical would have been an understatement. Would you believe someone immediately typed back hello to me. It was so quick I assumed I was corresponding with a computer but as I explained my problem and this friendly “computer” chatted back with me I realized I was in fact talking to a REAL LIVE person and not only that but she fixed me up lickety split and I was back on my way. Holy smokes how’s that for service!

When my book arrived in the mail I simply could not have been more pleased. It is a stunning hardcover book filled with pages and pages of amazing pictures printed on archival-quality silk paper.

The price for a book with 86 pictures? $43.95 which works out to about 51 cents a picture. But keep in mind that these pictures aren’t all 4×6 size. I have some 4×6, some 5×7 and some full page pictures included plus I don’t have to buy an album on top of that. It’s done. Done as in once I get the book I don’t have to do a single other thing to it except enjoy it!

The last thing that I want to touch on is that my book is thin which means it takes up way less space on my shelf than a photo album would holding the same amount of pictures. This is perfect for me as I’m fast running out of room on my photo album shelf.

Finally if anyone is interested, Inkubook is offering free shipping right now to residents of the US until the end of February with the code LUVFREESHIP. Also once you have an account set up you’ll be notified of any future promotions going on which is nice.

Check it out ~ it’s fun, easy, beautiful and FAST!

Did I mention I love Inkubook?!

Updated: The winner is The Austell Family!

I have always tended to be more concerned about the functional when it comes to organizing and not so much the fabulous. It wasn’t until I started reading Aby Garvey’s blog, Creative Organizing, that I realized that those two things can in fact go hand in hand. Aby inspires me not with expensive organizing solutions but inexpensive ones that have been “touched up” with simple organizing supplies.

So when given the opportunity recently to read Aby’s new book, The Organized & Inspired Scrapbooker, I jumped at the chance.

Overwhelmed by creative clutter? With 26 years of combined experience, professional scrapbooker Wendy Smedley of Simple Scrapbooks and professional organizer Aby Garvey of simplify 101 will guide you through the process of creating your very own organized and inspired workspace. Overflowing with tips, quizzes, projects, and inspired scrapbook spaces, The Organized & Inspired Scrapbooker will help you define your scrapbooking approach and discover how to organize your stash in ways that support your hobby. Plus, you will learn from the beautiful spaces of Stacy Julian, Renee Pearson, and other inspiring scrapbookers.

This book is by far the most beautiful book I have ever read. No kidding, the pictures are bright, colorful and just plain stunning. I was blown away. I’d love to just cut them all out and use them as art but that’s probably not what Aby had in mind

The content is equally as delicious. Now to be honest I gave up scrapbooking in albums years ago however what I do enjoy doing is scrapbooking other things like composition books, pictures, gifts, etc. The nice thing about this book is, regardless of what kind of scrapbooker you are, it aids you in creating a functional AND fabulous workspace (no matter how big or small) designed to meet both your vision and your goals.

The more aware you are of the reasons you scrapbook, the easier it is for you to navigate through all the choices you face: which photos to use, which products to buy, how to organize your stuff, what stories to tell, and so on. Identify what truly inspires you and drives you and it will become your ultimate filter, laying the foundation for everything else. You can easily eliminate clutter by cutting out the supplies and ideas that get in the way of what you really want to accomplish.

Doesn’t that sound exciting?! The book then goes on to help you do just that and even comes complete with a workbook (found in the pocket on the inside back cover) to help you pull it all together. You’ll fill out short quizzes that will inspire you to create real and lasting change in your scrapbook space!

Section 1 ~ walks you through the eight components of a scrapbook and offers specific organization and storage solutions for each element

Section 2 ~ gives you an up-close look at the workspaces of a few successful and productive scrapbookers. Plus you’ll learn how to select and incorporate the right organizing strategies for your space and your lifestyle.

Section 3 ~ you’ll roll up your sleeves and get to work on inspiring projects for your workspace. Instructions to make the following are included:

Album Labels
Mini Quote Book
Photo Checklist
Mini Artwork Display
Journal Kit
Inspiration Statement Board
Magnetic Tin Labels
Seasonal Photo Box and dividers
Get-out-of-a-Rut Jar
Workspace Design File

The Organized & Inspired Scrapbookeris indeed inspiring with it’s step-by-step instructions and amazing visual impact which literally provides you with hundreds of organizing solutions in pictures for all your scrapbooking needs. From an organizer’s point of view I definitely can’t recommend this book enough.

And I’m so excited that Aby has offered to giveaway a copy of her book to one of you as well. Please leave a comment on this post before Monday, July 28th, 6:00 pst for your chance to win. Please also make sure you leave a way for me to get in touch with you. Thanks and good luck!!

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

As you know organizing is a passion of mine so I’m sort of embarrassed to admit that up until I started my blog I had never read an organizing book. I had no idea so much organizational goodness existed. Now one of the perks I have is the opportunity to review some of this goodness for you. The book I’m discussing today is called The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized by Christian author, Karen Ehman.

I’m not even going to beat around the bush on this one. I LOVED this book! This is not a book that talks down to you and makes you feel completely inadequate for not being organized. Not. At. All. Reading this book is like chatting with a girlfriend as she lovingly and gently shows you how to efficiently take care of the “have tos” so you have more time for the “want tos” – unhurried time with your husband, your children, your friends, and your God.

Karen’s step by step approach to organizing not only gives you practical guidance on how to de-clutter your “stuff” but more importantly your life including schedules, commitments, priorities and routines. Karen covers it all in this book, she even has a whole chapter devoted to taming the paper clutter and another whole chapter dedicated to menu planning which is so important.

Here is a complete list of the book’s table of contents:

1. Being Organized Means Being Prepared
2. Finding Your Organizational Personality
3. Kicking Out the Clutter
4. Maximizing Efficiency in Every Room
5. Combating Overcommitment
6. Taking Control of the Clock
7. Putting Paper in Its Place
8. Menu Planning and Shopping Strategies
9. Now You’re Cookin’! (recipes, yay!)
10. Maintaining Your Home’s New Order
11. Taking It Home, Making It Yours

I loved how she included a chapter on the maintenance part of organization. This is so crucial to any organizing success and I agree with Karen when she says “don’t fall for the myth that once you organize your home, it will stay that way forever”. Organizing is definitely an ongoing PROCESS that requires you to regularly re-evaluate and re-adjust your plan according to the season of the year or the season of your life.

I recently had the opportunity to ask Karen some questions that I’d like to share with you now. Karen’s answers are in purple.

Your book is so great and such an encouragement to women. What made you want to write a book on organizing?

I was actually hesitant to write a book on organizing. The last thing women need is a “My home and life are perfect and here’s how yours can be too!” book. Often organizational books actually make women feel discouraged because, if they aren’t living the same style life as the author, the methods they tout won’t work. So, I decided that if I was to write a book, it would be one that would take into account personalities, lifestyles and children. Then it would walk women through how to set the bar where they’d like and to come up with a plan of attack that works for them.

Your teenage daughter’s words of wisdom are sprinkled throughout the book. She seems very organized herself. You describe her as a formerly messy kid turned mostly tidy teenager. Can you explain how this transformation came to be?

Well, first I tried screaming, yelling, grounding, threats…all to no avail. She was a pre-teen girl with lots of “stuff”, stuff she liked to display. Her room was off of our living room and I grew tired of the piles and junk. She grew tired of me nagging all of the time. And she felt that when I attacked her stuff, I was attacking who she was as a person. We came to a compromise and bought some cool baskets, and bins where she could stash her stuff. And, I also pulled a makeover on her room for her 13th birthday–totally retro and lime green and orange. It motivated her to want to keep it looking nice. Since then she has grown into a very tidy and organized girl!!

In the very first chapter you mention that being organized boils down to being prepared. Can you tell us why?

Life seldom happens the way we want it to. When we prepare in advance for what thing may occur, we can meet the challenges in a calm, collected way. Having a meal in the freezer for a friend who gets sick, taking a tote bag to the orthodontist’s office filled with note cards, stamps and our address book so we can catch up on thank you notes, having you child’s medical info handy for those ER visits etc.. I really think that being prepared is much more important than being neat!

In your book you encourage women to avoid getting overwhelmed in their organizational efforts by focusing on just ONE area for a few weeks or months. Only once they have formed new habits in that area and the skills have become part of their regular routine should they move on to tackle another area. I couldn’t agree more with this and am wondering what one area you feel women should concentrate on first and why?

I say tackle your piles and de-junk your home first. It will motivate you and give you a sense of calm. Then you can tackle other areas such as managing your time, planning your meals, shopping, laundry routines, etc… When our surroundings are de-cluttered and in order, we can think clearer.

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