I'm a magazine addict. If weekend breakfast is at home, my set up usually consists of a bowl of muesli with yoghurt, a pot of green tea and a stack of the latest food and home magazines. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending how you look at it, I don't have room to keep them all so I have to regularly cull. I used to cut out the recipes and other bits and pieces that I wanted to remember and store them like this then give the magazines away to family and friends.
It was a great system but every time I wanted something I had to flick through the whole book looking for it and often get distracted by the pretty recipes. Plus, the people I gifted my magazines too when I was done were left with missing pages.
Enter my very most favourite new app - Evernote. I might be way behind the times with this but I am in love with this app. Now all my clippings are stored electronically so there's no need to rip out the pages. All I do is take a photo (or scan with another app - JotNot), add a title, any notes I want, some tags and file it away.
It's not limited to magazine clippings either, I also uploaded all the very special hand-written recipes I was given at my bridal shower (this one's coming to the blog next week). Adding to the app is super easy and just like Pinterest, you can add a button to your toolbar and clip recipes straight from the net too.
Got some chicken in the fridge you want to use up? Just select chicken from your tags and it will show every recipe that uses chicken. In the supermarket and mince is on special? A quick scan of your app and you can find your saved mince recipes.
It gets better though, it even has functionality to search the scanned items. How cool is that?!
You can display everything in a list or as little tabs with images so you can see everything at a glance.
It's not just limited to recipes. I store my receipts, bills, documents, emails and basically anything I want to store that I want to be able to find quickly and easily. It syncs across my iPad, iPhone and mac so I can view and add to the files on whichever i-thing I happen to be using. It's also backed up online so you can access everything wherever you are.
The free version is great but the storage is a bit limited. I upgraded to the pro version for $9.99 a month and it pretty much has unlimited storage.
If you're still on convinced, watch the clip below for the official Evernote overview.
Disclaimer: I have zero affiliation with Evernote I just really really love it.
CHRISTINE says
Can you give me an example of how you would label and tag the following:
- a webpage containg a recipe for
banana bread
- a photo of a fire pit that I'd like
to consider creating myself
- an article on the "best of"
skincare products
Would you include them all in one "notebook"? How do you label and organize your notebooks?
Claire says
Hi Christine. It completely depends how you like to organise things. You could have them all in one or separate into something like recipes, skin care and home stuff. I go into more detail about how I use evernote in my recipe collection ecourse if you'd like to check it out. http://clairekcreations.com/trc
Nic@diningwithastud says
What a great idea! I need to do this with mine. I can free up some bookshelf space lol
Claire says
It's fantastic Nic. So handy and easy to use!
Stephanie @ henry happened says
holy cow, you may have changed my life! (seriously, I'm not kidding) I'm a total magazine hoarder, with bits & pieces ripped out everywhere. I can't wait to try this!
Claire says
Stephanie it will change your life!
Linda says
I'm so behind on what's new...I've not heard of this at all! Love it though as just like you I'm forever tagging or cutting out magazine recipes and then, sadly, throwing them out cuz I just can't keep them all!! This is great, thanks so much for sharing!!
Claire says
I found out about it when I read the 4-hour work week and I've been using it ever since. It's so fantastic!
Marianne says
I have used Evernote for about a year now, I have never used the total monthly free storage though, so am still on the free side of the app. I am a recipe and knitting pattern addict so this is heavenly for me! I have a Kindle Fire and can access my Evernote from it, with the other apps available I no longer have to print things out, can just set the Kindle on the counter and read the recipe and make wonderful dishes from my favorite bloggers!!! Talk about a breeze!!!!! (also have an app for knitting that lets me access my PDF's and can mark on it without having to print out the pattern!! Same with recipes, if I make subtle changes (we don't care for mushrooms and I have dairy allergies) I just write in my substitutions and bammm it's saved!!!
Love your blog!!!
Claire says
Isn't it fantastic Marianne?!? I've even used to it cull my recipe book collection. I had quite a few books that I only liked a couple of recipes in. I scanned them and donated the books. More space for me and a book for someone else. There are just so many uses for it!
Thank you!
Hotly Spiced says
This looks like a great system and it would sure help me to get organised. I have so many magazines and I can't throw them out because in every one there's a recipe I'll need 'one day'. Just today I was scratching through my collection looking for a recipe I knew was there in amongst the thousands of stacked magazines. Took me forever to find it. I need evernote! xx
Claire says
Get it Charlie it's great! You can trial out the free version at least.
Jo Smith says
Thanks for the heads up, Claire. I've looked at Evernote before but wasn't sure how useful it would be. Now I know! My favourite recipe app is Paprika- it's a blank database and very easy to add recipes from online. The only downside is you do have to retype the handwritten ones.
Claire says
I absolutely love it Jo!
You can use it for so many things. You can even create notes and add tables and colours and fonts. It's brilliant!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
My husband keeps telling me that i need to get onto Evernote!! OK now I'll have a look into it :P
Claire says
You seriously do Lorraine it's fantastic and so easy to use.
Jess says
Ooooo, I am not at all surprised that you have a great solution to the recipe clipping problem, but I'm so glad you shared it. This looks fantastic!
Claire says
It's so handy Jess and easy to use.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
Someone told me I should be using Evernote weeks and weeks ago and I still haven't done it. I need to get in gear. :)
Claire says
Do it Maureen!