Lazy Susans

Three very good friends of mine are named Susan, and they are anything BUT lazy.  It's sad that a device has such a name.  But...it does, and it's a very handy gadget to help you organize.  If you can find one small in diameter, it can hold many of your sauces such as soy, vinegar, worchestershire, etc.  When you reach into a dark pantry or cupboard, you can just twirl it around and find what you need.  All the sauces can be in one spot.  I also use one for many of my spices and herbs.  Tupperware used to sell little modular containers for spices that all fit on a lazy susan.  It is so handy to just spin that and find what I need.

As you simplify daily, look for ways to better organize what you have left!

Spring Cleaning!

I have decided that spring must have arrived because so many of my friends on Facebook are posting about cleaning out basements, master closets, etc.  The consistent overtone is, "How did we accumulate all this stuff?!" or "Now my basement looks worse than ever.  You can't even tell I've done anything!"

I've said it before and will say it again, you often need to make a mess to clean a mess.  Don't be afraid of it.  Sorting is a great method for cleaning spaces and if you dive into an entire room or closet, you'll have to spread out.  Just have three piles or bins:  keep, give away, throw away.  Keep plugging away at the clutter.  Over a period of days, you will be proud of your accomplishment!

Direction: Freezer

Today I will just direct you to an area where perhaps you can grab an old item and get rid of it.  The freezer can have all sorts of old stuff lurking in the depths!

Toiletries

This is a confession day.  While searching a storage cupboard today, I came across a tube of "foot spa" cream.  It's great stuff, and half of it is gone, but the confession comes in that a student gave it to me in 2003.  I guess the thought was I would use it up since it was such a superior product.  Eight years later, it has outlived its shelf life. 

Keep a sharp eye out for toiletries that you haven't used in a  l o n g  while.  It's OK to get rid of it and simplify.

Tourist Traps

Before having children, I could never justify paying $.75 in a machine to smash a $.01 penny at tourist places.  You know,  you put a penny in the slot (as well as more cash) and somehow, like a speeding train, the gadget smashes and irons out the penny, leaving an imprint in the copper of the tourist destination.  Sometimes in a moment of weakness, I would let my children try it.  So today, I came across two smashed, oval pennies.  One says "World's Only Corn Palace" and the other "Rainforest Cafe'."  What do you do?  It seems wasteful to throw away the copper, but my decor doesn't really allow for displaying the smashed pennies. 

We have recycling places for scrap metal.  I could take it there (someday!) or just toss them.  I won't fall for the sweet, innocent, "Please, Mom?" again at those penny smashers!  A souvenier photo of my loved one next to the Corn Palace will be sufficient in the future.

Clothing Closet

I keep going back to the closet because it's amazing what stays in there that is never used.  A sweater I haven't worn all this winter went into the box for Goodwill.  Keep checking your closet.  That's a prime spot to find unneeded items and decluttering there will help you simplify your search for outfits in the mornings.

Little Bits of Paper

It may become a thing of the past with  the surge in technology, however, for now, little bits of paper can add to our clutter:

receipts, coupons, reminder notes, etc.

They pile up and I have this nervous feeling like I have a lot to do whenever I see the piles.  There are ways to get rid of the little pieces.  For coupons, my son bought me a wonderful accordian file that is small and fits up in my cupboard.  I can grab it before I leave for a store and inside are all my needed coupons and gift cards, gone from the counter and filed!  A similar little file could be used for receipts.  Always write the product on the receipt first so it's easy to find if needed.  Receipts can also be stapled to owner's manuals and filed in a file cabinet.  Put reminders into your phone or computer to pop up, or write the thing to remember on your calendar, eliminating the need for paper notes.  The time you save by having all your paper in a proper place so you can locate it within minutes is amazing, plus your refrigerator, desktop, and counters remain neat and easy to clean!