Organize It! Organizing Room by Room – 7 Simply Ways to Clear the Kitchen Clutter
It’s tough to spend a lot of time in your kitchen when you hate it, when you loathe opening a drawer for fear of what you will (or won’t) find or when tidying it up becomes the double chore of trying to quickly reorganize enough so you can squeeze the clean dishes in.
The trouble is that for most families, the kitchen is the hub of your home, where you spend three meals a day, prepare school lunches and snacks, and create special memories out of chocolate chips and cookie dough. So how do you tame that kitchen clutter so it’s not only the hub of the home, but the heart as well?
7 Tricks for Clearing the Kitchen Clutter
#1: Decide and then do it! – Even if every space in your home is giving you stress, a kitchen is a great place to start. It will become your oasis or your inspiration. Either way, it’s a good thing so decide you want to get organized, set aside the time and do it.
#2: Match your kitchen to your cooking style – Are you a baker that bakes every week? Then have a cupboard full of baking supplies. If you are an occasional baker (birthdays, holidays, etc), resist the urge to “save money” on the bulk size and buy only what you need. If you don’t you will be throwing away “dough” or worse yet, when you make the effort to make something special, it will fail because you ingredients are too old. Not sure how long you should be keeping items? www.eatbydate.com will have your answer.
#3: When in doubt, throw it out! – If you find something in a corner or a cupboard and don’t remember when you bought it, first check the expiry date. If none, throw it out. You don’t want to take chances with your family’s health
#4: Recycle food containers – Are you reusing the plastic containers in an effort to be environmentally friendly? This is one instance where the 3 R’s does NOT apply! Reusing containers that are not intended for reuse can introduce toxins, such as BPA, DEHP, styrene and so on. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
#5: Clear out the cookbook cupboard – Cookbooks can be our downfall – we tend to keep them because they were gifts or because they contain that one favorite recipe. More and more we are using the Internet or recipe apps so instead of cluttering up that cupboard, tear out your favorites and recycle or donate the rest of the book!
#6: Remember: Near is Dear! – Think about how you use your kitchen gadgets when you decide where to store them. Store dishes and utensils near the dishwasher. Cutting boards near the knives and your counter space where you will do the cutting. The one exception to the rule is cooking oil and spices. People often put them by the stove, which actually shortens their life. Keep them lower and away from heat and you will keep them fresher and longer.
#7: Stock up, but don’t stockpile! – Resist the urge to stock up for the apocalypse. Yes, it’s important to have a supply of non-perishable food in case of emergencies (or for those weeks when you just can’t get to the grocery store). The recommendation though is enough food for 72 hours, not 72 years. Trust me, as much of a deal as it is, you do not want to be passing on cans of tuna to generations to come.
Want more tips on simplifying your spaces and life? Visit LifeSimplicated.com or connect with me on Twitter or Facebook.
Organize It! Organizing Room by Room – Conquering Closet Clutter Chaos
Do you dread opening your closet? Do you wonder what exactly is in there? Is it time to bite the bullet and get it organized?
How to Conquer Closet Clutter Chaos
In the Master Bedroom…
Get Serious with Sizes – Unless you are saving it for a special occasion, such as maternity clothes, ditch the sizes that you do not want to be. If you are holding onto smaller clothes that you plan to get back into, there’s no use torturing yourself and pull them out and pack them away.
Feel It – Just because it fits, doesn’t mean you should keep it. Try it on and see how it makes you feel. If it doesn’t put a smile on your face, ditch it – there’s no use cluttering up your closet with clothes you are never going to wear.
Practice Ageism – If you haven’t worn it in over a year, seriously consider tossing it. Chances are there’s a reason you pass it by every time you step into your closet. If it’s because you can’t see it, decluttering your closet will fix the problem!
Invest – Custom closets used to be just for the uber rich. There are many options now that allow you to create a closet that works for you and your clothes. Adding custom storage solutions that fit your style and wardrobe with help keep you organized.
Don’t Forget Hubbie – Tired of your husband’s clothes piling up? Set him up with a closet that gives all of his clothes a home and they will be more likely to end up there.
In the Kids’ Rooms…
Sort and Stash – If your little ones are under two, we recommend having their next size of sorted and easy to see in the closet. The Samla line from Ikea work well because they are clear, giving you an at-a-glance view of what you need and more importantly, what you don’t need.
Put an End to the Piles – Tired of your kids just tossing their clothes in their closets? Maybe it’s your fail. Ask yourself: Can they easily reach the bars/shelves? Is the closet designed for their smaller clothes? We highly recommend modular solutions for younger/smaller kids. Shelving that grows (and more importantly shrinks) to their size is more likely to get used.
What to Do with Your Unwanted Clothes?
Consignment – Consignment stores only accept newer, under two years, and more higher end clothing. There are also the vintage stores that will take older, more unique clothes.
Donate – Look for local charities that will give your clothes new life and help someone in need. Organizations such as “Dress for Success” will take women’s’ professional clothes to help economically disadvantaged women get back to work.
Resist the Urge to Give Away – Unless it’s something absolutely fabulous and in perfect condition, do not pass on your fashion faux pas’s.
Need help Simplicating your life? Visit Cindy online at LifeSimplicated.com or follow her on Twitter!
Organize It! Getting Organized for Back to School – Do Your Organizing Homework and Be Ready for the Big Day!
It’s that time of year again: back to school! And whether you look forward to it or you dread it, it’s a time of transition, which in my books is the perfect time to get organized.
Chances are over the summer you forgot all about the last-minute lunches, the calendar chaos, the nonexistent school notices and birthday party bedlam, but before you get a harsh reminder of all the stuff that you looked forward to getting a break from when summer started, take this opportunity to get organized.
Answers to the 4 Most Common Back to School Organizing Challenges
Back to School Organizing Challenge #1: Last-Minute Lunch Making
Were you in the habit of making lunches in the late night hours or frantically slapping them together as the kids are dashing out the door? Lunches not as healthy or homemade as you would like?
You work hard to put a nutritious dinner on the table, why not save yourself time and embrace leftover lunches? If your kids have access to a microwave or dinner works cold, make extra servings and pack their lunch while you are dishing out dinner.
If your kids are old (or brazen) enough to reject leftovers, they are old enough to make their own lunch. Put them to work while you are making dinner. Set a few parameters, but don’t be too controlling. They gain the responsibility; you gain back the time – win-win.
Back to School Organizing Challenge #2: Calendar Chaos
There is the school calendar, after school activities calendar, play date calendar, work calendars and the ever so hopeful parent social life calendar. How on earth to you stay on top of it all?
If you are low tech, try large dry erase magnetic board. Use tape to mark out the calendar days. Use color-coded magnets for regular activities, like doctor’s appointments, teacher meetings, sports practices/games, etc, and use dry erase markers to write in the detail. Hang it near your front door or another place where your family congregates frequently.
If your family is high tech, share a family calendar through Outlook or Google calendar. Make it everyone’s responsibility to keep their calendar entries up to date. Remember that if you use a medium more fun for your kids (low tech when younger, high tech for older), you are more likely to get them to participate.
Back to School Organizing Challenge #3: “My Mom Forgot to Sign…”
Are school notices going missing? Are school items getting deposited all over the house?
Establish a “drop zone” either in your entryway or close to it. Designate a specific drawer or cubby for school notices or important school paperwork and give each child their own drawer or cubby for emptying backpacks before the contents get scattered throughout your home.
Make it a routine for you to check the notice drawer daily/weekly and put it on your child’s chore list to clean out their own cubby weekly. If you can, also designate a spot or hook for each child’s jacket and backpack.
These drop zones will not only keep things contained at the doorway (preventing stuff from piling up throughout the house), but with everything in one place, should also help you get the kids out of the house faster in the morning.
Back to School Organizing Challenge #4: Birthday Party Bedlam
30 kids in a class, 15 kids on each sports team plus the kids in the neighborhood. If you start to add up the birthdays and the time it takes to shop for presents and cards (not to mention they money), it is easy to see how birthday party’s become a source of stress!!
Get your kids involved in making cards versus buying them. Either with paper and scissors or with one of the online services such as American greetings or Send out Cards. Not only will these cards be appreciated more, but it will also save you the time and money from having to pick them up from the store.
Designate a gift closet or drawer and keep it stocked. Kids tend to gravitate to similar interests, so take advantage and buy multiples in different colours/styles/types, especially if they are on sale. Be careful to not buy too far in advance as we know the tastes of our little ones can change quite quickly.
Engage other parents. Chances are you are not alone in your frustration. Brainstorm ways to make birthdays easier – like homemade presents, donating to a cause or having experiences rather than stuff that only piles up. Stop competing to be the “coolest” parents and work together to give your children fun and meaningful birthdays without creating stress and more work that no one has time for.
Got more organizing questions? Follow @LifeSimplicated on Twitter and ask (or visit www.lifesimplicated.com)!
Organize It! Organizing Room by Room: Winning the Living Room Battle – Create a Multi-Functional Space for the Family
Does your living room feel more like a battle zone where the war is waged over who gets control of the space? You want a grown-up space free of toy clutter and sticky messes. Your kids want a space to be able to play unencumbered with their favorite toys.
The trouble is your kids want to be (and play) near you, even if that is exactly where you want their toys to be. Instead of trying to banish kids (and kid toys) from your living room, why not find a way to integrate them into the space while maintaining the appearance of an adult-only space?
How to Create a Multi-Functional Space for the ENTIRE Family
With a few design adjustments, a set of clear rules and a consistent clean-up routine, it is possible to create a multi-functional space that works for the entire family:
#1: Source Sneaky Storage – Integrate storage solutions that looks like furniture into your space. Think ottomans with built-in storage, storage cubes that double as side tables and coffee tables with pull out drawers. Consider bins over drawers for small children who tend to dump and pile and run the risk of pinching fingers in closable storage.
#2: Limit the Number of Toys – Allowing toys in the living room doesn’t mean turning it into a toy room. Keep bedrooms and playrooms as the main storage centers by limiting the number of toys that live in the living room at any given time.
#3: Set the Rules for Appropriateness – Designate “Yes” and “No” play items. Give plush toys, puzzles and books the “Yes” nod and gooey crafts, hard edged toys and anything that bounces a definite “No”. Remember, the idea is to maintain a space that is easily tidied up and maintains the semblance of adult-only.
#4: Rotate Toys to Maintain Novelty – Rotate toys into the living room toy storage to maintain novelty and prevent new toys from being dragged into the space due to boredom. Because you have limited the quantity of toys, replacing the old toys with new toys from the playroom should be easily done. And by new, we don’t mean “brand new”. It is amazing how a toy that has been in a drawer or closet for a month or two becomes “new” again.
#5: Create a Pick Up Routine – Teach your kids to respect their toys and family spaces by creating a pick-up routine either immediately after play or before bedtime. If clean up is a battle, focus discussions on the kid’s benefit of having room and permission to play in this now shared space.
Consistency is the key! Not having to spend your adult-only time cleaning up and instead get to sit down and relax is your reward.
Need help Simplicating your life? Visit Cindy online at LifeSimplicated.com or follow her on Twitter!
Organize It! Organizing Room by Room – Give Daddy His Space On His Day
I often get asked if the gift of organizing is a good idea and as a rule I say, “No.” Most often those asking this question are the male half of a relationship equation. Generally the surprise gift of organizational services is kind of like a booking your loved one a trip to fat camp – yes, we might need it, but it is not something we want wrapped in a bow.
There are a few exceptions to this rule. One being when our partner asks for professional help and two, when the space that needs to be organized belongs to a man. The reason is men feel less judged when they are offered organizing assistance. So if you are stumped for what to give Dad for Father’s Day, take a look at his “man spaces” and see if the gift of an organized space is right for him.
How to Give Daddy the Gift of Organization
#1: Pick the Project – What “man” space is currently not up to par? Is it the man cave in the basement? His home office? The garage? Last year, I reorganized our garage for my husband after hearing him sigh, “Someday I would actually like to be able to park my car in the garage.”
#2: Make the Plan – Do you want this to be a surprise? If so, how will you get Dad out of the house to do the work? Does dad have a business trip coming up? Has his buddy mentioned a weekend fishing trip? Don’t get all hung up on having the big reveal actually happen on Father’s Day – Dad will love it whenever it arrives!
#3: Get Help – Although Dad may often give out A’s for effort for the ugly tie gift or the handmade card, let’s not give him a half done room. Rally the troops. Get the kids involved, get help from a friend or if you have the budget, hire a professional. Dad deserves it, doesn’t he?
#4: Get Rid of Your Crap – At least in our household, Dad’s spaces become the dumping ground for other projects. Think shoemaker’s kids syndrome. The first work you need to do is rid Dad’s space of your stuff. Find another home for it, get rid of it or find a way to minimize it so it doesn’t clutter up the joint.
#5: Resist the Urge to Throw Out His Crap – Unless there are things that Dad has specifically identified as something he wanted to ditch, don’t throw away his things. Old pizza boxes aside, the last thing you want is to ruin the gift with Dad’s realization that you have thrown out his favorite whatever.
#6: Man Up the Storage Solutions – Chances are the space will need some storage solutions. No “pretty” keepsake boxes allowed. Take your cue from Dad himself. Is he rock and roll, sporty sporty, lumberjack or minimal man? Pick a style that reflects what he loves, not only will it be functional, but he will appreciate that it is all about him.
#7: Go the Extra Mile – Take the project to the next level by showcasing something he loves and perhaps enjoys in his “man space”. Does Dad have a box of memorabilia from his favorite team that is collecting dust? Trophies or medals from his own achievements? Mementos from a favorite trip or hobby? Coveted tools that don’t have a home? Whatever it is, a “manly” display case giving these items a place of honor in the newly organized “man space” will give your project that extra WOW factor and show Dad just how much he is appreciated.
Wishing every Dad a very Happy Fathers Day!
Need help Simplicating your life? Visit Cindy online at LifeSimplicated.com or follow her on Twitter!
Organize It: Organizing Room by Room – How to Organize those Messy Mangy Mudrooms
Instead of calling it a mudroom, they should call it what it really is: an everything room. Let’s face it – the mudroom is the favorite dumping ground for everything that comes into or goes out of your home because it’s conveniently located right where you come and go.
Because it’s a high traffic area, that’s all the more reason to make certain you have the right storage systems in place to handle the daily drops. Nothing is worse than trying to haul in a load of groceries while juggling a purse, diaper bag and a grumpy toddler and tripping over the overflowing clutter.
Tips on How to Organize those Messy Mangy Mudrooms
#1: Manage the Mud – Whatever the season, chances are your shoes are going to bring mess in with them. Place cleanable plastic trays in the bottom of your shoe storage so all you have to do is take them outside and hose them down.
#2: Set the Rules – Teach your kids (and the big kid) to remove dirty footwear, hang up coats, and unpack backpacks before stepping further into the house because chances are if they get more than a few steps inside, the dirty shoes and coats are going to be flung everywhere.
#3: Personalize Storage –Designate a storage area for each member of the family. Ideally each member would have his or her own cubby, but even labeled hooks is enough to help family members keep track of where their stuff goes.
#4: Hang Hooks High and Low – If you want your kids to hang up their coats (and of course you do), hang hooks high AND low to allow little ones to reach them.
#5: Create Deposit Zones – Without a deposit zone, stuff will get deposited throughout the house. Instead of everything bin that just ends up a messy jumble, create specific deposit zones. For example, designate a drawer for unopened mail, a note drawer to file notes from teachers, a craft drawer for any school artwork and so on.
#6: Label Bins – Use labeled bins to store items like hats, mittens, sunscreen, bug spray and anything else you typically need as you are rushing out the door.
#7: Use an In/Out Box System – Designate one of your storage bins as an in/out box for anything that you bring in or take out of the house, such as the favorite toy for show and tell or items to be returned to others. If possible, create one for each family member.
#8: Establish a Weekly Routine – Without weekly attention, your mudroom will quickly lose functionality. Every week clear out the deposit zones, and re-establish any systems that have gone amuck.
#9: Stay on Top of the Seasons – Transition seasonal clothing out of the mudroom and store in the garage, storage room or basement until it’s needed again. Remember, your mudroom is not a storage room, it’s a functional space for making it easier for you to come and go from your home.
Need help Simplicating your life? Visit Cindy online at LifeSimplicated.com or follow her on Twitter!
Organize It! Recycle, Freecycle or Sell – What to do With What You Don’t Want
Where most people fail in their attempt to get and STAY organized isn’t in their lack of good intentions, their motivation to right size, or even in finding the time to tackle what can be a challenging project.
The reason many organizing projects fail to deliver on the promise of a decluttered oasis is due to a lack of strategy for what to do with the things you no longer want. Instead of marching unwanted items straight out the door, people get stalled on what do with them, letting them pile up in garages and storage rooms where they can slowly creep their way back into your home!
Recycle, Freecycle or Sell?
Start your organizing project by deciding what you are going to do with the things you no longer want. Your choices are recycle by donating to a charity that will put them to good use, freecycle by giving them to someone who will repair or reinvent them or sell to someone who will appreciate getting a useable item for less than the cost of new.
Recycle Things that are Functional and in Working Order
Donating unwanted or unused items to your favorite charitable organization that will use or sell them often makes it easier to let go of things because your items will be put to good use and benefit others.
Call first to find out what types of things they will take as these organizations tend to have limited storage space or specific needs to support their charity community. Ideal items include electronics, furniture, clothing and linens. Do not donate broken items thinking they can fix them as most organizations do not have the manpower to fix things and will end up using their limit budget to pay for junk removal.
If your local Salvation Army or Women’s Shelter won’t take items and hauling away large pieces of furniture is a challenge for you, find a removal service that will both haul away and donate items to charity for you.
Freecycle Things that are Broken (but Fixable) or that Charities Don’t Take
Freecycling is perfect for the broken, but fixable items that charitable organization won’t take or quirky things that artists or crafters use to make their new creations. The benefit of freecycling over throwing away is it extends their usable life and prevents them from cluttering up landfills.
Examples of things that are suitable for freecycling include fixable things like electronics, furniture, and appliances. Even things like old tiles and glass can be given new life by artists in your community. When in doubt offer your items up, what may no longer be valuable to you, may be incredibly so for someone else.
Freecycle by placing a listing in your local classified paper, Craig’s List or Kijiji, or on a specific freecycle site with a description and “Free to a good home” or “For the cost of shipping” listed as the price.
Sell Things that are Gently Used and Valuable
Selling the items you no longer want is a good way to recoup part of your initial purchase price. You win with a de-cluttered space and $$ in your pocket.
A good rule of thumb is list bigger ticket items that are in-demand like strollers, baby carriers, and furniture on sites like Craig’s List or Kijiji and sell smaller items like clothing and small toys at swap sales or a garage sale.
When determining a price, check what the current model is selling for and set your price at about 50% to 60%. If it’s a brand new, never been used item, consider asking for 75% to 80% of retail, specifying that purchasers are saving on tax and shipping on top of a discount. When in doubt do a little research and find out what similar items are being advertised for.
Need help Simplicating your life? Visit Life Simplicated online at www.lifesimplicated.com!
