The first 5 little things are organization related. For me, clutter and mess in the house seem to lead to a cluttered mind. However, I just can’t spend a week organizing a single room without everything else in the house getting backed up. Besides, the thought of sorting out some spaces, like the spot where I have my grandma’s stuff to go through, all at once is just completely overwhelming. Just one little cleaning out task a week is really easy to do and leads to 52 things being sorted by the end of the year.

1. Throw out or donate something when you get something new. It is so much easier to just get rid of one thing than to have to do a huge sort out. Since I only started this recently, I’m doing the sort outs, too, but at least I’m not adding more stuff to the already sorted rooms!
2. Organize one drawer. I never seem to have time to do a whole bureau, but one drawer is doable. It just makes me feel good to know the stuff in that drawer is in order.
3. Open one container or bin in the storage space, art studio or craft room and sort the contents. I had a disorganized jumble of scrapbooking stickers I did this with. I know it seems like a really small task, but you wouldn’t believe the frustration reduction! I also did this with a bureau literally filled with lace and trim from my grandmother and ended up with an empty bureau, a big bag for the thrift store and a few small organizers of usable trims.
4. Give everyone a basket. I used to literally spend an hour every week rooting out someone’s missing hairbrush, comb, or wallet. Now, everyone has a basket for that easily misplaced stuff and I’m down to about 15 minutes of looking for misplaced stuff a month.
5. Put incoming mail in a basket. I don’t know why people think mail should go on the washer, the hood of the car, or the top of the television set, but they do. Having a mail basket means I don’t need to hunt down the mail when someone “helps” me by bringing it inside!

The second 5 little things are health related. Ready?

1. Exercise at the bus stop. I get in a lot of miles pacing at the bus stop. (
2. Put carrots into fruit smoothies. We make our own smoothies with bananas, strawberries, carrots and a dollop of light whipped cream. The kids don’t even realize they’re slurping up some veggies.
3. Plant your vegetable garden right in the topsoil bags. There is an article in Mother Earth News that tells you exactly how. So far, I’m seeing good things. Lots of little peas and radishes are poking up.
4. Use less oil or butter and more apple sauce in recipes. It doesn’t work for all of them, but it does work for a lot of recipes.
5. Change the air filters on your furnace at least once a month when it is running and right before and then right after you start the furnace up for the season. (Good air quality in the home should be on Martha Stewart’s “Good Thing” list.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Tropicana Trop50 blogging program to be eligible to win 6 free Juicy Rewards points and a $30 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Trop50 Little Things for Happy, Healthy Living1000 Little Things for Moms from Trop50

Want to join the Tropicana Juicy Rewards Program? Here’s a code for one Juicy Rewards point (worth up to $5 in savings) to get you started: TWMOM-READR*.

*This one-time use code is valid for new accounts ONLY. Must be entered within 6 hours of creating your account. Limit one new account bonus code per new account. All accounts must be created and all codes entered by May 7, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST.

This leads me to my top five ways to save money while shopping for holiday gifts.

1. Make a list and stick to it. If you hear yourself saying, “Oh, this would be perfect for…,” walk away.
2. Don’t worry about being fair or spending the same amount on everyone. It will stress you out and it isn’t what Christmas is all about anyway. Close is okay.
3. Add up material costs before deciding to make presents. DIY isn’t always cheaper, especially if the first few projects don’t turn out right.
4. Shop summer sales. I get almost all of my toys well before Christmas. In fact, this year, I only bought two things for Christmas since November 1st, because all the rest of the gifts are already neatly stowed in the cabinet awaiting their turn on the wrapping table.
5. Choose a store with the best sales, shop and go home. If you jump from store to store and aren’t incredibly disciplined, you’ll add a few extra things to your cart at each location and end up spending a lot more than if you paid three dollars more for item one and seven dollars more for item two at the first store and called it a day.

Do you like to blog about saving money over the holidays? If so, you, too, can enter for a chance to win a Staples gift card in the TwitterMoms and Staples blogging contest. Just want to start shopping for deals? Check out the Staples holiday savings page.