Buying Expensive

Clutter isn't always old and junky.  Sometimes it is extremely expensive.  We store items that are "too nice to wear,"  "too fancy for this meal," "someone might steal it if I take it out in public," etc. 

Buy items that are of good quality, but that you won't feel the need to store most of the time for fear something will damage them.

Put Things Away

Having more people around for this winter break from school is wonderful!  I have noticed trends, however.  Some people keep all their items together and you never could trace them to where they've been in the house.  With certain others, you can find evidence of their day throughout the house:  a half-drunk cup of tea here, a book there, shoes in the corner, a phone on the counter, etc. 

It got me thinking that half the battle of staying organized and decluttered is putting things in their places immediately.  Yes, a place for everything and everything in its place...but it's more than that.  If possible, put things away when you set them down.  Items won't pile up and you will always be able to find what you need.

Pantry Decluttering

My pantry is a disaster.  I told my daughter our goal this week is to organize it.  People cannot find what they need, which is a sure sign of disorganization.  One suggestion I read for keeping a decluttered pantry is every time you unload groceries, stop and straighten what's already in the pantry.  Remove excess packaging, throw out unneeded or old items.

That is fine, but first of all I need to take the time to organize it.  There have to be some little bins and things to help!  I will try to photograph the before and after project.

Add More Closet

I recently read an article on organizing.  All the ideas were great for moving your stuff around and keeping it in an organized way.   Unfortunately, only one suggestion was to box up unneeded clothing to give away.  The purpose of this blog has been to make people aware that organization in a home is relatively easy if there's not so much stuff to organize.  Getting rid of excess is key to organization. 

That said, I've added a photo of a closet showing a way to give you more storage space (IF indeed you need that many clothes!)  The double bar and the shelving unit help add storage space. 

Out With the Old, In With the New

As you find places for your Christmas gifts today, keep this saying in mind:  "Out with the old, in with the new!"  If a gift can replace something old you had, put the old thing in the give-away bin today.  Do not keep both.

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy your celebration today!  If you receive a replacement for something you already own, you can put the old one in the give-away bin right away.

Errand Running

When I'm working, I often consolidate errands into one trip.  Since we are out of school on break, I have no time constraints.  The past two days,  I have realized how much time can be wasted running an errand here, an errand there.  Simplify your life by grouping errands and not running out every time you think of something.

Simplify Socks

One day when I was probably 10 years old, I was playing at a friend's home.  Her mom called from the other room, "Girls, you need to help with the clean socks!"  My friend rolled her eyes and led us into the dining room.  To my utter amazement, the dining room table was piled high with socks to be matched!  (This family had nine children...it's a LOT of socks.)  My memory stops at that point, most likely blocked by the pain of sorting the mountain of socks into pairs.

I read an idea to help simplify the sock matching situation.  Buy a mesh bag, commonly used for fine washables, for each member of the family.  Each person can put his/her own socks into his/her bag.  On laundry day, wash and dry the socks in the separate bags.  It would take training for your family to do this, but the time it would save matching assorted socks would be worth it, as well as not being blamed for missing socks!

Children's Rooms

I am amazed at the number of people who comment on how horribly messy their kids' room are kept.  They throw up their hands and talk like it's a rite of passage and there's nothing that can be done.  (Sort of the attitude of disciplining kids nowadays...but that's for another blog sometime...)

Let me get on my soapbox for a moment.   If the child has less, there is less to keep organized.  A couple suggestions on this one follow. 

• For little preschoolers, box up toys into separate boxes and only bring out a certain amount at a time.  The rest are stored out-of-reach for a month.  After a month, bring out the stored box or boxes and pack up the current month's toys.  The kids rarely miss the stored stuff, but are excited and actually play with it when it comes back.
• Consider less for birthdays, Christmas.  Typically, children are excited at gift one.  Gift two might draw as much interest.  Beyond that very far, selfishness and grumpy attitudes can surface.  They often then go outside and play with sticks or play with the box!   I used to ask parents not to bring gifts to my kids' birthday parties in the early years.  (They only had two or three before age ten.)  It made it easier on the guests, my kids didn't get a lot of extra stuff they didn't appreciate, and it just made it easy for all the kids to have fun.  Of course, one mom asked me if gift-giving was against my religion.  
• Even in teen rooms, there is so much stuff, it often doesn't fit!  We used to go through periodically and box up items that didn't have daily use, and gave away used clothing, books, old stuffed animals, etc.  The less they have to find places for, the easier it is to stay neat. 

So, in conclusion for this lengthy edition, don't give in when society says kids' rooms will always be a mess.  Take some action to train your kids.  Same with teens.  You ARE the parent, it IS your home, and you can help train your teen to declutter and keep a neat room.  His/her spouse someday will thank you.

Shopping Lists

Lists motivate me.  They also provide a structure so I don't have to think and carry around reminders in my head.

•  I have my master Christmas card list that I keep from year to year.  It can be tweaked to add or delete, but it is there and I needn't rack my brain every busy Christmas season. 
• On the inside door of my baking cabinet, there is a shopping list of everything I stock.  If I'm going shopping, I can quickly glance at that list to see if I'm out of an item.
• I have a cleaning list for chores to do every day that spreads the joy and keeps the house clean without last minute rushes
• There is a list of cleaning supplies that again can seen at a glance before going to the store
• My most often called numbers are also posted inside a cupboard by the home phone

I would suggest taking some time to make master lists and post them somewhere you can find.  It truly saves mental energy in the long run.

Routine in the Morning

Routines help you stay organized.  There can be a morning routine before you leave for work or if you are home so that things aren't left undone.  Lorie Morero, of clutterdiet.com, suggests "DEW." 
D stands for dishes.  Clean up the kitchen and start the dishwasher. 
E stands for eating.  Plan your dinner by putting out meat to thaw, starting the crock pot, etc. 
W stands for wash.  Put a load of laundry in before you leave.

This routine, combined with the evening one, will help you stay on top of your household chores and simplify your life.

Jewelry Box

I used to love playing in my grandmother's jewelry box.  All the "jewels" and lovely settings let me imagine and play fun princess games.  As adults, it's easy to forget about what we have in our jewelry boxes.  Often, there are pieces we would never wear again.  Look in that spot today to declutter.

Wrapping Paper, Bows, Ribbon

As you are wrapping gifts this season, are there any rolls of ugly paper you have just hung onto because it is wrapping paper?  Have you chosen to use it in the past few years?  Throw it out.  How about "saved" wrapping paper from others' gifts that has been folded for years?  Throw it out.  If it's nothing we'll use because we don't like it or it's too creased to look nice, get rid of it. 

Morning Routine

Are your mornings crazy?  Does your child's teacher jot you a note letting you know your son hasn't brought his workbook from home all week?  Do you habitually forget things?  Working full time as a wife and/or mother is truly difficult.  There are so many things to juggle.  Even if you are a stay-at-home homemaker, there is often more to juggle because of involvement with volunteerism. 

I have found that routines save me, most days, from being crazy in the mornings.  Before bed, I lay out my clothing for the next work day and pack up my bookbag.  My purse and keys are ready to go as well.  Taking a 5 - 10 minute walk through the house, picking up things and putting them in their spots lets me wake up to a neat home.  Making lunches the night before is also handy (that's my goal...not there yet.)  Routines can definitely simplify your life.  Try to make them a habit.

Yard Decor

Yes, I realize it is the middle of December, but I am still raking and bagging up leaves.  During the few minutes of daylight that I'm home in the afternoons, I was trying to rake up a section of the back yard and came across my favorite birdfeeder.  It was made of twigs, covered in moss.  I've had it outside for a couple years.  Looking closely, I saw rotted holes.  When I went to move it, the handle fell off.  It was time to throw it away. 

We often forget about clutter outside our homes, in the yard.  Is there any old, dead potted plant sitting outside?  How about a dilapitated birdhouse?  Look with a critical eye today and see if you find anything.

Stocking Stuffers

My hero, Lori Morero of clutterdiet.com,  has a wonderful organizing idea for stocking stuffers.  Label a paper lunch bag for each person for whom you buy stocking gifts.  As the holiday season progresses, keep all these lunch bags open in a box.  You can easily drop in little goodies as you purchase them.  The other advantage is it is obvious at a glance how they are filling up, and  you don't get to Christmas Eve realizing that Sue has LOTS more than Ted.  When you stuff the stockings, she suggests just folding up the bags for next year and keeping them with your Christmas decorations.

Tote Bags

Through the years, I have received a wonderful assortment of tote bags from conferences.  They are sturdy, have nicely embroidered labels, and come in handy for carrying lots of books, shoes, pool items, etc.  However, how many can one store and use? 

Today I put a few in the bin for Goodwill.

Damage = Decluttering

Unfortunately, after flooding, fire, or other natural disasters, people have to throw out things from the damaged rooms.  I wonder if they really miss some of the items.  Of course there are the treasures that can never be replaced like photo albums, but I wonder if they fill up their rooms as full?

We had some water in our basement this week after a lot of rain.  Nothing was permanently damaged, but having to move furniture and things around got me looking more critically.  We're now planning to sell a large desk we no longer use.  It will free up some space. 

Do you have too much furniture?  Move things around a little and see if you could get rid of something.

Two Camps

In talking with a fellow declutteror (?) yesterday, I thought about two different camps we fall into.  One is the hotel room preference; another is the Grandma's attic preference.  Some fall between these two.

I am the hotel room, with a few warm fuzzies around.  My friend is the Grandma's attic.  She recently downsized to an apartment, and it felt stark and cold until she was able to unpack memorabilia and warm memory decor onto shelves, dressers, etc.  Neither of us is wrong.  Clutter is when there's too much stuff you don't like or use lying around, impeding productivity of the household.

Keep your favorite memorabilia and decor, but get rid of the extra junk.

Books

I put two books in the box for Goodwill today.  I've meant to read them for years, but know I probably won't (self-help books).  The bookshelf is a continual site for decluttering opportunities!

Sheets and Towels

I recently read on clutterdiet.com some advice I wanted to pass on.  She suggested that each bed have two sets of sheets.  One set on the bed; one in the wash or linen closet.  You really don't need more than that.  In order to keep an clutter free linen closet, get rid of extras. 

Towels should be folded the same way (whichever way you like) and stacked to look orderly and decluttered.  If some are deemed rags and get mixed up, take a laundry marker, make a large X on the rag, then people will know they are for cleaning.

Counters

I enjoy watching "House Hunters."  It is amusing to me to hear the couples comment, "Oh, this kitchen is so small!" when it's much bigger than my own.  When the woman claims there's not much counter space, I mentally tell her, "Get things off the counter and you will have plenty of work space!"

I like a clear counter in the kitchen...ask my family.  Appliances are stored elsewhere; I have Tupperware stackables for my flour, sugar, etc. stacked in a cupboard; I refuse to have a microwave taking up space on the counter (yes...a little over the top, but I have my standards!)  I have always had enough counter space to bake or cook.  One more reason to keep a clean, clear counter:  it gives you a peaceful feeling when you walk into the room.

How much is stored on your kitchen counters?  Try to find other homes for the items and keep it clean and decluttered so you can easily do your baking this season!

Christmas Decorations

If they are coming out this week, as you put items on the tree or around your home, weed out any you don't like much anymore.

Entry/Exit Doorways

In order to keep things in this area decluttered, each day:

• return shoes to closet or bedrooms
• any errand items go into car
• clear out mail/newspapers
• hang up coats, bookbags, etc.

Pantry

Each time you bring home groceries, put them away, then quickly straighten what's there.  Scan to find items that have been unused, and toss.  Remove excess packaging and recycle.  This will keep your pantry current and organized.

Ways To Keep Up an Organized Home

For a few days, I'm going to highlight some key areas to monitor in your home to keep it organized.  Daily inspection of these areas/items is important and only takes a few minutes.  It cuts down on the time spent organizing, and keeps clutter at bay.  Thanks to clutterdiet.com for the great tips!

Every day:

Closets:  hang everything up.
Shoes:  put away in their places
Dirty Clothes:  put in hamper or basket
Clean Laundry:  put away in proper drawer