Recipe holder

The other day I came across a very nice looking recipe book holder that sits on the counter and immediately thought, "Oh, I need that!" But I don't. I know I don't. I very rarely use a cookbook and when I do, I usually put it on my kitchen table because I don't have a lot of counter space. I also have this ingenious little device that I utilize almost every day. (The paper clip and paper, not the soup cooling on the counter, sorry).


I have paired the trusty clothespin with a box of paper I saved from the garbage heap. About two years ago, we had some things printed at work to be used in the warehouse. They were supposed to be printed on bright yellow paper, but the printing company got mixed up and did it on white. Two big boxes filled with half sheets of printed paper were going to be thrown out. My boss knew I wouldn't like it and asked me if I wanted them to recycle. And of course I did.

First, I paired the pages with a bunch of cereal boxes I had saved up and made some cut notebooks for Christmas gifts. Then I gave one whole box to my mom. She homeschools my sisters (3 at that time I think) and I knew she could use the scrap paper for a lot of different things. I have kept the other box and still have about 3/4 of it.

I recently discovered that these pages were a perfect size for recipes! If I find something I like that isn't in book I own, I write it on one of these pages and when I need it, I just clip it up to the cupboard, easy peasy. When not in use, these bad boys are stored via binder clip in the back of my calendar. This makes them easy to sort through for when I'm planning meals. I also keep blank pages there because you never know when you'll run across something yummy. I have been slowly converting all of my random sheets of paper over to this method and it has been making my life just a little bit easier! I used to use magnets on my fridge to hold the loose pages, but that's on the opposite side of the kitchen from my stove and my spice cupboard.

So, to sum up what ended up a long post. I have found a cheap and easy way to keep my recipes at eye level while also keeping paper out of the landfill! Now I just need to find a use for the rest of it!