Really helpful, encouraging book by the two creators of Becentsable.com. The first half or so is about how to start couponing to save money while gradually building a stockpile of items your family uses. It's NOT all about how to stock up on Hamburger Helper, though. Their families do not eat a lot of convenience food and even have some gluten-free eaters.

The last half is about saving money on clothes, restaurants, travel, etc. and includes the recipes they use to make their own cleaning supplies (cleaners, laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent). The tone is not preachy and the authors are up-front about all the mistakes they made while trying to figure this all out.

This was a really helpful read. The author has you identify what situational or mental obstacles are keeping you from being organized. She also has you think of what DOES work (ie my laundry baskets) and why, so you can apply what that says about your habits and personality to other areas of your home.

Her main point is that you may see these organizing systems that look super impressive in magazines or other people's homes, and you may have decluttered down to nothing, but unless the system you come up with appeals to YOU and the way you do things, it just won't work.

Note: The 2nd edition came out in 2004 but still seemed dated--many references to things like where to put your TV Guide, etc. It was kind of cute.

Sweet, sometimes-sad story about two sisters named Sadie and Zuzu who move to Salt Lake City, Utah with their dad and not-wicked stepmother (their mom died when Zuzu was born). The girls discover a journal in the attic, written by a girl named Helen who lived in the house during the influenza epidemic of 1918. As they get more involved in Helen's story, Sadie, Zuzu, and their new friend Bella try to figure out what happened to her and her family.

Had never heard of this 1952 book by the author of the Miss Piggle-Wiggle series, but I can see why they re-released it. Will appeal to fans of The Boxcar Children or The Penderwicks, and the illustrations (by Mary GrandPre) and story-of-mistreated-but-plucky-orphans-who-make-good might even work for some Harry Potter fans.