Organizing Things

I've been cleaning out around the house. I have many piles.

I have sold quite a few things in the last several weeks (thank you, craigslist!), but I still have many items left to go. I will eventually have a yard sale, but I'm waiting for warmer weather. Seriously, this is my dining room table full of stuff to sell.
This picture doesn't even show the stuff on the floor in front of the table!

It's mostly stuff from the baby phase of our life (when we had lots of double items, too). Other things are just not used, so they need to go. It's so wonderful to be de-cluttering our house and garage.

But, the reason for my post today is actually RECIPES!

As I have been cleaning out my house and just living life, my recipe collection has been haunting me.

I sold quite a few recipe books in yard sales before moving from Pennsylvania. So, my cookbook collection isn't that crazy. I will probably get rid of a few more in the months ahead, but right now that part is okay.
What's haunting me is a pile of recipe cards that are stacked up and lots of recipes torn from magazines.
Just look at the pile!!!

I have tried to think of a way to organize my recipes so it works best for my lifestyle. I really like having the 4x6 card in front of me by the stove. Our apartment had a magnetic backsplash above the stove and I would just clip the recipe in a magnetic chip clip. I loved it! I have yet to figure out a good thing here at our house.

Also, I was gifted with a very nice recipe book from some special ladies. You can slide your 4x6 recipe cards into the sleeves and organize them by category. I loved it (being able to fully see the recipe as I flip through them) and immediately took out all my 4x6 cards to organize. Problem--not enough pages. And, I can't find refills. (The only ones online are not very inexpensive. So, they're not for me!)

I've been scouring the web for recipe organization. You wouldn't believe how popular a topic it is!

I think I've come up with two options.

The first one came to me while I was shopping at Wal-Mart yesterday. Punch a hole in the top left corner of each 4x6 card and put it on a ring. Have a ring for each food category (I don't get too detailed on categories.)

The second one came today while I was browsing the web. Get a 3-ring binder and page protectors. Slide recipes from magazines or print-outs from the web in page protectors. Get some protectors with 4x6 photo holders and use those for my cards. Only drawback to this method is just how many cards I have and the fact that those photo sheet protectors aren't super cheap either (they are cheaper than the refills for the smaller book I was gifted).

Both these options will allow for expansion and are flexible. They both will allow me to remove my 4x6 card. The cards on rings will require all my magazine recipes to be written on a card--maybe. The binder would allow me to have a pocket page where I can slide recipes yet to be tried.

So...what do YOU think? Come on, my friends! Please, please leave a comment and a suggestion. Even if you just say "I like idea #2" or vice versa. Let me know you're reading. Help me get organized!!!

And, no posting is truly complete without a shot of adorable cooks!