People…I’m finally getting organized!
Pass the smelling salts, it’s true. I found this great household management site recently and it’s been working really well for us. I even wrote a ‘tip’ for my friend’s newsletter, Homeschooler’s Notebook. Since it’s already written up, I thought I might as well share it here on my blog, too!
I have recently discovered an extremely helpful site that I think would benefit many moms and families. I’ve tried so many different ‘organizing’ techniques and finally I’ve found one that keeps track of pretty much every household task and calendar without needing multiple systems to cover everything or being so complicated that I give up in disgust.
The best part is that it is completely free!! There is a paid upgrade if you want it, but the free account is working great for us.
The site is www.Cozi.com. You sign up your family and ‘attach’ each family member. Everybody has their own login to your family’s account and a shared password.
After you get everybody signed up, the fun begins. I’m still learning all of the features they have but here are some highlights:
- Calendar import from online calendars like gCal and Yahoo or Outlook (you don’t have to enter everything in again!!)
- To Do lists (one for each person’s daily chores, house repairs, school work, whatever you like!)
- Shopping lists (one for each store, person, however you organize best!)
- Menu planning (includes creating shopping lists from recipes!)
- Family journal
Every task or appointment gets assigned to all family members or individual members. Each person has their own color. The whole family can see the to do lists, calendars, etc. for the other family members, so everybody is on the same page! Whoever empties the last juice box can add ‘juice boxes’ to the Shopping List right at that moment. Tasks can be checked off as they’re completed. You can schedule recurring tasks (such as weekly chores). You can even import the FlyLady calendar for zones and daily to do list. Amazing, right?!?
You can use the site on your computer’s browser but they also have apps for iPhone, Android and Blackberry. There is also a desktop gadget for quick reference and access to the website. You can have reminders sent to your phone and/or your email. Forget your shopping list and you’re already at the store? Just send a text to Cozi and they’ll send your Shopping List to your phone! Including any items a family member may have added while you were out running your errands. You can also have your family’s weekly agenda emailed to each family member. You can even set up accounts for groups (homeschool support, co-ops, sports teams) that the members of those groups can access and coordinate with.
This thing is packed full of home management helpfulness! The people behind Cozi are Microsoft and Amazon veterans with families of their own. They’re busy. They needed a better way to organize their lives. So…they built it! How homeschoolish of them!
I encourage you to check it out. I’m astounded and thrilled that somebody finally put everything I need into one, easy to access and use system. And did I mention it’s FREE? Go. Try. Love.