Project Organization - Kitchen

My kitchen is the most cluttered room in my home.  I have way too many mixing bowls, every gadget known to man and a lot of items I bought off an infomercials.

 * Start with clearing as many things as possible off your counter tops, only leaving out the things that you use often. It makes a much cleaner look.  If you don't use your toaster every day, put it away in a cabinet.

*  Remove everything from the top of your fridge and clean.  Try to keep this clear if possible.

*  Go through your spice and food cabinets and throw out any food that has expired.  If it isn't expired, is unopened and you think you won't use it consider donating it to God's Pantry or another charitable organization.

* Go through your utensil drawer, chances are you probably have a lot of duplicates in this area.  If there are utensils that you don't use, pull them aside to give away or donate, throw away old discolored or broken items.

*  Go through your plastic containers and see if you have the matching lids.  If not, recycle, or throw away if not recyclable.  Look for broken pieces and discard.

*  Inspect all glassware and dishes for cracks.  Anything you run across that you think you will not use, give away or donate.

*  Think about how many baking pans, baking dishes, coffee mugs, glasses you really need.  Pull out what is not necessary and give them away or donate.  (Keep the holidays in mind when you are doing this because you use a lot more dishes then.) 

* While you have everything out of each cabinet, wipe them down inside and out. 

 * Your oven is a possible place to store baking stones or large pots (just don't forget they are in there and turn on the oven).

Also remember that if you can only do one cabinet or drawer a day that is more than you had accomplished the day before.  So don't beat yourself up over it, get done what you can when you can.  When it is finished you will be very proud of your accomplishment.

Below is a picture of all the food that was expired in my cabinets.  I made a ton of room and was able to make my cabinets more manageable.  This is in part to the fact that we rarely eat processed food now.  I wish I had noticed these things were close to expiring and I could have donated them.  Another reason it is important to go through and check your dates every 3 months or so.

Learning to Control Impulse Spending

Our friend over at Frugally Sustainable wrote a very nice post today on the clutter in our homes that I thought I would share with you.  She makes some very good points in understanding why we accumulate all of this clutter.  I wish I had adopted these principals years ago and could have saved myself a lot of money, time and space in my house.

 
 http://frugallysustainable.com/2012/01/day-8-learn-to-control-impulse-spending/#comment-1718

Melissa

Project Organization - Bedroom

Our bedroom was in serious need of reorganization.  Our closets and drawers were so full that there was no place for anything to go.  It ended up sitting on the dresser, chest of drawers, or washer and dryer.  (Keep in mind this is about the worst it ever got, it was after Christmas so cut me a little slack. :)

 

I started by using the rules we have talked about this past week and a few more.  I have always heard if you haven't worn something in the last two years, you never will.  Women always keep a lot of clothes, some from this size, some from that size because we always think we will get back down to that size one day.  Well I have learned either work to get back into that size or get rid of them.  If at this moment you are not working to get back into them, why hold on to them?  There are several questions you need to ask yourself,  "How many necklaces do I need?"  "How many pairs of shoes do I need?"  "If I don't wear half of these clothes, why am I holding onto them?"  What about books?  Do you have a lot of books that you have read but don't need to keep?  Maybe you have a friend that could use them. Or take them to the used book store for some extra cash.  So many of us keep things just in case we will need them one day.  When the truth is there is someone out there that you know that would love to have some "new to them" things.  One day I went through my shoes and eliminated about 15 pairs of shoes, flip flops, etc.  I posted on my Facebook page that I had some if anyone was interested and wore that size.  One of my friends saw that post and wanted them.  She was glad to have them and I was glad to make the room.  I wear about the same 10-12 shirts all the time, so why keep anymore than that.  It is just taking up room that I don't have.  

I went through the closet and eliminated the clothing that I do not wear and do not anticipate wearing, my husband did the same.  I went through my jewelry, shoes, purses etc.  One thing that was taking up space in my closet and my chest of drawers was office items.  So I removed those from the bedroom and set up a small office space in our spare bedroom.  I went through every drawer and got rid of things that we no longer needed.  I put them into piles: sell, give away, recycle, throw away.  It was amazing what I could get rid of when I really set my mind to getting it cleared up.  I just could not believe the room I made.  Now my bedroom feels serene and calm, not cluttered and messy.  It is one less thing for me to stress over.

Can you believe this closet transformation?  I just could not believe what a difference I made. 

I  found these decorative storage boxes at Michael's.  One contains my son's artwork and papers from school and the other I use to throw in the little items that would have normally been laying on the top of the chest.  It makes everything look much neater and not so cluttered.

My husband built these simple shelves for over the door frames in our bedroom.  I also added an over the door hanger so that I can hang scarves, robes, belts etc so that they are out of the way.  I added a basket to the door knob on the back of the door, to store small items in there.

Funny story about the closet clean out.  I found a bag with cutest snowman and an ornament that I must have bought and forgotten about.  The ornament had a date of 2005 on it, so I have had it in that closet for 6 years and did not know it.  I have cleaned it out a few times, but never saw the bag.  It pays to organize!!

Project Organization - Laundry Room

My washer and dryer area never seems to be neat and tidy.  They are located in my back hallway without doors to cover them. When someone comes through my house and goes out my back door, this is what they see.  I always try to keep it neat, but it just never seems to happen. 

So I decided to give this area a little make over.  I moved larger items to a closet.  I have
been searching for storage baskets and most I saw were $12.00-$15.00 a piece,when you
are buying several it gets kind of pricey.

 

I found these great square, collapsible storage baskets at Kmart for $2.49 each.  They have a lot of colors to choose from. They also have a handle on them so they are easy to pull down.  I put my homemade detergent in the jar in the middle of them.  The sunflower container on the side is for my lint, since there is no room for a trash can.  Now everything is still there, it is just hidden away and looks much neater.  (Which adds to my peace and happiness)


6 yards of fabric is all it took to make these curtains to conceal everything.  I am not a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination, but they were simple and easy to make.  I didn't even have to follow a pattern.

I put the curtains on a shower curtain rod and they look great.  I can leave them closed when not in use and I added tie backs on the wall for when I am doing the laundry.  This was an inexpensive makeover and made all the difference in that normally cluttered area. (Also we moved the track lighting from the kitchen to this area and what a difference that made.)

Extra Storage Ideas:  Since my house is lacking in storage areas, I needed to create some storage that didn't take up a lot of space. My back hallway is very small, I added these cabinets a while back.  I bought these at Target, but I have seen them several other places.  What is great about these is that you can buy one piece at a time and add to it a you need more and mix and match what pieces you would like to have.  Vertical is the way to go in small spaces.

Project Organization - Sorting

Wondering what to do with the things you are trying to get rid of to make everything more organized?

 Give Away      Throw Away       Sell  

Before getting started sort using piles, bags, or boxes:


1.  Sell:  Would you like to make some extra cash on the things are are getting rid of?  Craigslist, eBay, put up a sign on the bulletin board at work, newspaper, used book stores, consignment stores (clothing, accessories, and home goods). 

**Be careful when selling items to people you do not know.  Meeting them in a public place is always better than allowing them to come to your home.


2.   Give Away:  friends, family, church, daycare, http://www.freecycle.org/, Goodwill, Salvation Army, group homes.  There are teenage group homes that would love some makeup to play with, purses, necklaces, things to decorate their rooms.  Men's group homes could use some aftershaves, socks, warm shirts, bed sheets, books.  Daycares and churches could use toys, books, DVD's, clothes.  What about a young married couple just starting out could probably use some of your kitchen utensils, dishes or pots and pans that you have duplicates on. What about a Fire Station?  (My husband is a fireman :)  They have kitchens and could probably use a new bowl or some "new to them" silverware.




3.  Throw Away:  Anything that you can't recycle, give away, or sell.

4.  Recycle:  newspapers, magazines, paper, plastics and glass with the recycle symbol on the bottom, electronics.  Also look into what you could re-purpose.  Make a basket to store items out of plastic grocery bags.  http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-basket-out-of-plastic-bags/



5.  Put away:  Can some items can be stored in another closet, in the attic or in the garage?


Just today we took about 20 books to the used book store and got $10.00 for them.  Of course my husband bought my son a book with that money earned, but I was glad to trade out 20 books that were just taking up space and one new one that I didn't have to pay for. Good Luck!

Project Organization - Preparing to Sort

Ask yourself  "What is my ideal living space?" 

Photo courtesy of www.bhg.com

Do you want to be able to sit down and eat something at your table without having to move a pile from here to there?  Do you want to sit in your bedroom and feel calm and serene instead of looking around at the piles of clothes that need to get put away?  Is your living room ready for company that may drop by unexpectedly?

Our goal is to start to live every day with the peace of mind (and soul) that results from having your home exactly the way you want it - where YOU are in control of your stuff, and not the other way around. Things will start to fall into place in every area of your life when you de-clutter your surroundings.

De-cluttering doesn't happen overnight.  It didn't appear overnight and solving the problem won't come that quickly either.  Don't expect to be able to take one day and get it all done that day.  When you don't complete everything you set out to do, you will want to give up.  It is an ongoing, continual process. 

There are usually two reasons that so many of us hold on to the clutter that takes up so much space in our homes.  (1) because we might need it one day or (2) it holds some sentimental attachment for us.  In an economy that has been struggling it would normally make sense to hold on to these things in case you need them. But I would look at it more like, "will I possibly need this in the next 5 years"?  Chances are in the next 4-5 years you would tire of whatever it was anyway.  Also think, "How much would it cost me to replace this?"  If you use a hole punch once every 10 years and it only costs 97 cents to buy one, why would you hold on to it for 10 years?  There are so many things I have held onto that I may use one day and I have NEVER used it once.

Sentimental attachments are another story.  We all want to keep our grandmother's blanket or mother's jewelry to remember how special they were to us.  But if we have something from everyone we have loved in our lives our house would be taken over by our stuff.  Let's try to think differently about the things we keep that are sentimental. You really need to take out some time to ask yourself many questions like, "Does this mean anything to me" or "what memories does this item hold?"  When we hold onto items because they remind us of something, we then need to ask, "Do I have to have this to remember this time or event?"

1.  Is it a useful item?  Does it serve a purpose?  Blankets, baskets, jewelry, dishes, clothing

2.  If it isn't useful, how much space does it take up?  If it is a few pieces in a jewelry box, that doesn't take up much space.  If it is a large trunk taking up space in your closet, that is a different story.

3.  Regarding the items taking up a lot of space, ask yourself "Do I have to have it"?  Does someone you know need it more, maybe someone in your family that would like to be reminded of the loved one that it came from?

4.  Ever thought about taking pictures of the items and putting them in a photo album and then getting rid of the actual items?  This way you can look at them and remember the loved one, special event or memory, but they aren't taking up space at your home.  But also, we need to remember that when you get rid of an item with sentimental value, you're not losing the memory you're just losing the item that is cluttering your home.  When getting rid of sentimental items, make sure you are 100% sure you are ready to part with it before letting it go.

I have a hard time with the sentimental attachment.  Just today I looked at my bouquet from my wedding.  My husband and I got married 11 years ago this June.  Why do I still have that?  I made it myself and was very proud of it.  Also, it is from the day I married the love of my life.  I have lots of pictures with the bouquet, why do I need to see it sitting in my spare bedroom?  It is time for this to go, it doesn't mean that my wedding didn't mean anything to me.  It is just that having an orderly house is really important to my well being.

Project Organization - Getting Started

Happy New Year!!

Are you like me and you feel like your house is in a constant state of chaos?  If not, congrats to you!  You don't need to read this post.  :-)  If it is however, know that you deserve better and this is the year you are going to get it organized!  I thought we could do it together because it is always better with a friend.  January is a great time since the weather outside isn't so great and we are indoors a lot more than summertime.  We live in an old house and don't have very much closet/storage space so it seems like nothing gets put away and now it is taking us over!

Does your house look like the picture below?  Things sitting everywhere instead of put away out of sight?  Clearing out those storage areas is a must!!

Picture courtesy of Ask.com

 Here are a few tips to get us started:

1.  The hardest part is getting started. Once you get going and get something accomplished, it will be easier to keep going. You will find that it isn't that bad, and you will start rolling on from room to room in no time.

2.   A lot of time isn't required, but making use of the idle time you do have is important.  Even if you can only work 5-10 minutes, that is more than you had done before.  If you are on the phone with your friend or parent, why not go to the kitchen and go through one drawer while you are talking?  Or if that person is a talker.....three drawers. 

3.  Going through one room at a time works best for me.  I always start with the room that I spend the most time in. Once you feel really good about the area you are in the most, it is easier to move on to the next room.

4.  Make a to do list for the room you are about to begin in while you are watching TV or sitting in traffic on your way home from work.  I would not start the to do list for the next rooms until you have completed the first room.  You do want to overwhelm yourself!

5.  If you find you don't have enough time to work on this project, find something that you can give up to free up some time. 30 minutes of TV or Facebook time.  We can all find 15-30 minutes a few times a week somewhere if we are really committed to making our home feel more like a sanctuary than a yard sale. 

6.  Last but certainly not least, reward yourself as you finish each room.  Have that really great piece of hot fudge cake, an item you have had your eye on, or make a flower arrangement for that room.  Something to mark that milestone and reward yourself for a job well done. #celebratethesmallvictories

Okay, are you ready to get started?  Leave a comment below and tell me what room you are starting in.

Blessings,
Melissa