DIY: Magnetic Spice Rack

Don't forget to enter the giveaway! Now enjoy this guest post by my wife!

DIY Under-The-Cupboard Magnetic Spice Rack

After over a year of Coach Kyle working on this blog, he finally let me--his wife!--guest post.  (And don't worry, I don't call him Coach).  He asked me to share a tutorial with you that has helped us save money and stay organized in one small aspect of our home--the kitchen.  Specifically, the spice cabinet.

For a while, we were looking for a new solution to storing spices.  We had a ton of spice jars thrown onto a lazy susan in a corner cupboard, but it just wasn't working.  It was hard to find the spice I was looking for, and I ended up doubling up on some spices in error.  Not only that, but we found out how cheap spices can be at Winco, where you can buy them in little bags and put in your own containers at home.  We needed to figure out a way to do that!  After some looking around online (mostly on Pinterest), we combined multiple ideas and tweaked them just a little bit to suit our home and needs.

Materials:
Baby food jars  (saved from months of feeding our 1 year old)
Strong magnets (We got ours at Joanns)
16 gauge strap (strip of metal with screw holes) (Cheap at Home Depot)
Chalkboard {or any other} paint (again, from Joanns)
Chalk/paint pen
Goo Gone or similar adhesive remover
Painter's tape

1. Clean and wash your jars.  We ripped off the label pretty easily, but we needed Goo Gone to get rid of the remaining adhesive. Put through the dishwasher as many times as necessary to convince you there are no remaining mushed peas and squash to taint your spices.

2. Tape your jar about halfway down around the sides.  This way, you have enough room to write the name of the spice, but can still see the colorful spices all in a row.

3. Paint the lower half and bottom of the jars. It will take several coats (at least, it did for us) and you have to let it cure and then condition it if you're using chalkboard paint. Just use the instructions that come with it. You can paint your lids too, if you feel like it. When everything is dry, remove the tape. That's always my favorite part.

4. Use a very strong glue to affix a magnet to each lid.

5. While waiting for the magnets to set, screw the 16 gauge metal strap into the underside of your chosen cupboard, or use Liquid Nails if the screws will interfere with your food storage.

This is what we used, but any magnetic strip of metal will work.

6. In the meantime, fill your jars with spices. Write the name of the spice on each jar.  I used chalk originally, but every time I picked up a jar the chalk would wipe off.  I switched to a paint pen and was pleased with the results.

7. Stick up your jars!  The magnets are strong enough to hold the jars--we have encountered zero problems so far.

Our spices are neat and in alphabetical order, of course.  They are easy to locate and grab. And I think they look cute out in the open!

Thanks for reading! It's been a pleasure to share this tutorial with you.

Keep on keepin' on!

Mrs. Coach Kyle)

Suggested Use of the VLC Blog

We have this new lineup on the Vaughn Life Coaching Blog, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on how one might get the most out of it. My vision for this blog is that it will become a form of life coaching for former clients, future clients, or anyone who wants some guidance/entertainment, but doesn't want to jump right in to one on one coaching. Here are some guidelines for each day of the week that will help make this vision possible.

Motivation Monday - This day is for getting pumped up and excited for the week. You can read the thought, story, or tidbit I've posted and think about your goals for the coming week and how you might build and maintain your enthusiasm. Alternately, you can watch an episode from the first season of Seinfeld.

Q&A Tuesday - This is the day I answer your questions! Feel free to read and learn from other people's questions and experiences, or you can submit your own question. This prevents me from only focusing on the same topics over and over again, allowing me to focus more on your needs. No matter what question I answer that week, try to find something that applies to your goals. Alternately, you can watch an episode from the second season of Seinfeld.

Wild Card Wednesday - Wednesday is for things that may not fit in the other days. Things like videos, art, stories, poetry, reviews, special announcements, or rants. Evaluate the progress you've made on your goals and see if the wild card post gives you any ideas on improving your goals or setting new ones. Alternately, you can watch an episode from the third season of Seinfeld.

Sticky Note Thursday - You've worked hard, so take a break today and enjoy whatever nonsense I've written or drawn on a sticky note. I cannot guarantee it will be funny, but laughing is good for you, so you should do it regardless. Alternately, (and perhaps preferably) you can watch an episode from the fourth season of Seinfeld.

Fix it Friday - The new home of the Ten Minute Fix. Doing good things doesn't have to take as long as we think. That's why we post ideas of activities and projects that only take ten minutes. You can always spend more time if you have it, but spending just ten minutes will be enough to make a significant difference. So, read the ten minute fix and give it a try today, this weekend, or next week. If you feel the ten minute fix doesn't apply to you, check out the archives or redo one you particularly enjoyed in the past. Alternately, you can watch an episode from the fifth season of Seinfeld.

The Weekend - No new posts, so you can check out the archives, evaluate your progress, work on your goals, and plan for the coming week. Oh, and you should have some fun! It's the WEEKEND for crying out loud!

With your help I would also love for this to become a community where people can share ideas and grow together. It all starts with participation. Leave comments, "like" Vaughn Life Coaching on Facebook, submit your questions, and email your stories and experiences to kyle@vaughnlifecoaching.com

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes

This is THE video for getting pumped up. Enjoy!

Review of Mint.com

Wild Card Wednesday is finally here! Today is the day I post reviews, videos, poetry, rants, interviews, projects, or whatever else strikes my fancy. Today I chose to do a review of an online service I think is fantastic.

What is it?
Mint is online financial software that collects information from all your bank accounts, loans, credit cards, investments, etc... and puts it all in one place so you can easily see a detailed snapshot of your finances. You can also use the budgeting software to pay off debt and set savings goals.

Cost
It's absolutely free! None of those sneaky trial periods or watered down service. Everything is free. It's paid for through unobtrusive advertising that stays in the background and never interferes.

Security
It's just as secure as online banking, and even more so since it's a "read only" version of your finances. Full account numbers aren't listed and money can't be moved around. You have to sign in with the actual financial institution to do any type of transaction.

Why I Love It
It's online, free, and  pretty. Oh yeah, there's also the whole "it's incredibly useful!" thing too.
I love to see charts showing what I spend the most money on.
I get email alerts if I go over an area in my budget.
I can set goals and track my progress with savings.
The ads are actually useful if I'm shopping around for a new bank account.
It's simple to use.

Some Cons
In the beginning I had some trouble getting Mint to communicate with my bank. A quick visit to the "Help" section cleared it up though.
It's not good at predicting what type of expense my debit card purchase was. I often have to go back and change "pharmacy" to "groceries". I like to go over my purchases anyway, so it doesn't bother me that much.

I just love www.mint.com and I think you should check it out if you haven't already. I'm not even getting paid to do this endorsement! But, people at mint, if you decide you want to pay me for it, I'd be more than happy to remove the previous sentence.