Living in a 350 square foot apartment in Boston leaves you with little to no room to store your belongings :( The space is VERY limited, and I'm always trying to think up new ideas to organize everything without it looking cluttered and messy.

The kitchen alone only has 2 drawers and 4 cabinets (including the one that holds the sink). Where am I  supposed to put all my stuff?!

We use one of the drawers as a "throw all" that houses everything from tape measures, screw drivers and hammers to scissors, notepads and pens. We don't have a garage or a coat closet to store these necessary tools, so we just toss them in this drawer in the kitchen.

Let me tell you what, if I would have taken a before picture, you would have been disgusted! We had everything shoved into that drawer! Napkins, trash bags, tools… EVERYTHING!

SO! I emptied all of the contents out of this tiny 12"x19"x2" drawer and started fresh.

...boring…

Lined it with some cute, bright and happy craft paper…

Filled the drawer with acrylic containers to use as organizing dividers.

…and then filled them! 

The best part!

I did what I could to keep it as neat and orderly as possible without it looking too cluttered, and I am loving the splash of red from underneath.

I was able to fit everything that I wanted to into this drawer and am pleased with the outcome!

I used other smaller containers to help corral flashlights, batteries, nails, hooks and other randoms, and was able to perfectly slide the paint stirrers and hammer right on the side. 

Score!

FIVE ON FRIDAY

How is everyone's first Friday of the year?

Linking up with these 4 ladies again to share with you my Friday thoughts!

-ONE-
Has everyone made their New Years resolutions?
If not, or if you're looking to add another one, be sure to try the 52 week money savings challenge!

Each week of the year, you save that much in dollars, so that you have a total of $1,378 saved by the end of the year!

Find all the templates and instructions here.

-TWO-

I have officially made and posted my 30 BY 30 list!

Join in and make a list of goals for yourself!

So far I have already completed one! My polar plunge!

-THREE-

You can't beat this walk to work!

I am loving this snowy weather!

I woke up yesterday morning around 6am to find a fresh coat of powdery snow! 

Absolutely beautiful!

Definitely makes the walk to work (and everywhere else) 10x better!

-FOUR-

New Years was great!

My Dad picked me up in Boston and we drove over to the Atlantic City area to be with family!

Nothing beats our Dutch traditions!

Oliebollen (fried dough with apples and raisins served with powdered sugar), Pannenkoeken (Dutch pancakes with bacon, cinnamon apples, and raisons cooked in)

cards, and family!

-FIVE-

I don't know if this is something that goes any farther than the East Coast, but has anyone else heard of Alex and Ani bracelets? It is especially popular in the Boston area, and I only just learned about them when I moved here in August.

Everyone I work with wears them, my roommate wears them, everyone I see in the city has them.

Basically, they are like charms to a bracelet, except you collect the bangles and wear them altogether. You can wear just one, you can wear a couple at a time, or you can wear 10 to 15, or as many as you can run up your arm. 

I think they're really fun, and are a great way to accessorize your outfits, as well as collect charms that you like!

Thanks to my roommate my one and only sponsor I am quickly adding to my Alex and Ani collection!

She bought me the Boston skyline charm for my birthday, and then she bought me my birthstone charm and a compass charm for Christmas! It's so fun to add to the collection!

I think I'm going to run on over to the Garden and snatch up the Celtics and Bruins charms since they are only sold there! FUN FUN!

Have a great weekend!

Polar Plunge

A couple days ago I shared with you my 30 BY 30 list that I put together!

Well folks, I think it's safe to say that I can cross one of those bad boys off of my list!

For New Years this year, I was talked into a polar plunge! 

Every year, some of my family members dare to take the jump into the river (close to Atlantic/Ocean city) and frantically swim back to the ladder. This year, my younger cousins wanted to give it a whirl! They are much braver than me. Once I mentally built up enough confidence, and dragged my butt outside we all plunged into a freezing bath.

Thankfully, we were lucky enough to score a sunny thirty degree day!

It felt so good when I got back out of the water.

Who would think 30 degrees would be warm?

Quite a day to go swimming on January 1st in Jersey.

Hello 2014!

HELLO 2014!

I guess it would only be right if I would list off to you my New Years resolutions.

Half of them are the same from last year since I never actually did them.

Find a gym, get a membership, and get toned!

(I haven't seen the inside of a gym since forever)

Organize and keep better track of every single receipt

Sleep! Get more of it! Aim for 9 hours, get 8 hours… every night!

Increase my GPA by maintaining at least a 3.5 each semester

Complete another year of the "52 Week Money Challenge"

$ave, $ave, $ave!

Try to meet some of my 30 BY 30 goals!

What are your 2014 goals?

2013 in Review!

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE!!

I hope everyone had a splendid year!

Here's my twenty thirteen in review!

Started the year out right with two of my three siblings in KY. N was in Africa… 

Celebrated the matrimony of L's sister!! Her January wedding was absolutely beautiful!

Traveled to the Dominican Republic with my mom for a medical missions trip!

 Earned my Associate of Science - half way there!

Visited Mackinac Island with family!

 Moved to Maine for the summer!

…and enjoyed every minute of it!

 Moved to Boston!!!!

 Attended another A7X concert! Love this band!

 Cheered those Sox on to that World Series Victory!

What a fun time that was!

 Took my first official Duck Tour!

 Turned 21! …as did L!

Adopted my FIRST fur baby!!

She's a beaut!

…and a weirdo

Experienced my first Christmas in Boston!

Finished the year up on some beautiful Vermont slopes with my new ski bunny!

Cheers to the New Year!!!!

Happy New Year!

-Kaylie

52 WEEK MONEY SAVINGS CHALLENGE

Update 12/30/2014: I just posted pictures of each of the charts for you to download if Google Docs does not work. Hope this helps! -Kaylie

Update 04/24/2015: I have been receiving a handful of inquiries as to where to find a jar similar to the one I used. This one found on amazon is very similar!

Looking for an easy way to have an extra $1,378 in your pocket next Christmas for all those December expenses!!?

I invite you to try the 52 week money savings challenge!

I completed this challenge this past year and was able to have plenty of money in the bank for Christmas and then some… I'm talking over $700 left over to do with what I please.

It's very quite simple and extremely basic.

Here's the name of the game!

Each week of the year, you save that much in dollars!

Week ONE: You save $1

Week TWO: You save $2

Week THREE: You save $3

Voila! By the third week in January you have already saved $6!

You keep doing that all the way through the end of the year so that come December you have cash in hand and are ready to shop!

…ORRR… maybe you're saving for a HOUSE, a TRIP, a WEDDING, or a CAR… ANYTHING!

Come and join the money savings fun with me and let me know how you do!

Want to make your kids save to? Have them save in quarters, either in 25 cent or 50 cent increments!

Print out these templates and paste them onto a jar!

I want to save in One Dollar increments!

I want to save in 50 Cent increments!

I want to save in 25 Cent increments!

I want to save in One dollar increments Backwards!

I want to save in dollar increments bi-weekly!

I want to save in dollar increments monthly!

Start your savings adventure NOW!

P.S. If you want to read some updates from my savings challenge last year… I have some posts here, here, and here!

Happy New Years!!

Kay

30 by 30

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and is enjoying the very last week of 2013!!

Starting January 1, 2014 I am going to start checking things off of my 30 x 30 list!

I always see people that have these, and being huge list maker myself, I find it a great way to make and meet bigger goals in life!

Granted I have NINE years to complete this list… it's never too early to start!!

Most of the 30 goals that I set are larger and will take time to achieve…

(via)

Here's the run around! (In no particular order)

1) Earn a bachelor of science in biology

2) Pay off my undergrad loans

3) Run a half marathon

4) Run a full marathon

5) Go to grad school

6) Adopt a fur baby dog

7) Go to New Years Eve in NYC

8) Vegas it up!

9) Buy a car

10) Hike Mount Washington

11) Plan a canoe/kayak trip town the the Saco River

12) Take a cruise to Bermuda (since they dock in Boston! -so close!!)

13) Meet A7X in person (please, oh please… back stage passes!)

14) Go scuba diving

15) Visit Alaska

16) Visit Hawaii

17) Get a professional job doing something that I love!

18) Get married

19) Buy my first house

20) Start a family

21) Learn a second language

22) Swim with the dolphins

23) Maintain a healthy lifecycle

24) Save up an "emergency account" that will keep me floating for at least 1 yr

25) Take a road trip from coast to coast

26) Go to a drive-in movie theater

27) Flip a house

28) Take a polar plunge

29) Complete a triathlon

30) Take another missions trip!

What's on everyone else's 30 x 30 list!?