Holiday Cards & Photos: What Now?

Now that the holidays are over what do you do with all the cards & photos you’ve received?

First of all, I am giving you permission to throw these away. Really, it's okay to throw away photos and letters. Get rid of those that are not significant for you.

For the photo cards that are keepers, decide how you want to store these:

* Put them in an envelope marked with the year and store them in a file or memorabilia box. Use photo safe products to preserve photos.

* Scrapbook them or hire someone to do this for you.

* Scan them and store them on your hard drive or burn a disk, then toss the paper copy.

Holiday cards can be reused to make decorations or gift tags. Senior centers, day care centers, and a plethora of other organizations accept donations of holiday cards. Just google “holiday cards donate” to find an organization that would appreciate the cards.

Remember, save only what you will refer to again in the future.

Forget Perfection - Relax & Enjoy

We’ve been busy preparing for a celebration: shopping, decorating, wrapping, baking, & sending cards. Christmas is almost here. Take a look at the items still on your “To Do” List. Which ones can you skip this year? If it hasn’t been done yet, maybe it can be skipped. Circle only those items that have to be done and cross out the rest. Of the circled items, can any jobs be delegated to others? Can you buy cookies this year instead of baking? Can you hire a teen to wrap gifts? Ask for help.

Enjoy what you’ve done this holiday season and don’t fret over what didn’t get done. Remember, the holidays are not about having everything perfect. They are about celebrating, relaxing, and enjoy family & friends.

Makin' a List, Checkin' it Twice

We’re in the midst of holiday preparations. Now’s the time to check your list and update. What still needs to be done?

Shopping – for gifts, for entertaining, gift wrapping supplies, holiday cards

At home - prepare guest bedroom, wrap gifts, decorate, bake

Go to post office – get stamps, mail gifts, mail holiday cards

Make a list of what you need to do. Be specific. List the stores you plan to shop at and the errands you need to run. Then pace yourself. Try to cross one item off your list daily to prevent a last minute rush.

Gift Wrapping Station

With the holidays upon us, everyone is busy decorating, shopping, baking, and preparing for a celebration. To prevent a last minute wrapping marathon, set up a gift-wrapping station.

1. Designate a flat surface for wrapping – a folding table set up in a bedroom, basement or seldom-used room, a counter height dresser in a guest bedroom, or a desk.

2. Store supplies near the wrapping area:

*Put rolls of wrapping paper in a trash can or tall basket.
*Store gift bags in a large, durable gift bag or a basket.
*Contain the bows in another gift bag.
*Store rolls of ribbon on a trouser hanger that has the horizontal bar that opens up. Thread the rolls through the bar, shut it & hang it from the leg brace of the table, the side of the can/basket, or in a nearby closet.
*Tags, scissors, tape, and pens can be held in a desktop organizer or stored in a dresser or desk drawer.

3. Wrap gifts as soon as possible after you get them home from the store!

Happy Wrapping!

Organizing Items I'm Thankful For

1. Interlocking drawer organizers – Use these in the kitchen, bathroom, and office to keep supplies sorted. They come in a variety of sizes & shapes; so can be customized for your needs.
2. Lazy susans – These provide easy access to items in narrow cabinets and corner shelves.
3. Decorative baskets – Great for hiding newspapers, magazines, toilet supplies, toys, etc.
4. Shoe box size containers – As well as storing shoes, these are the perfect size for storing snacks, bags of muffin mix, crackers, and toys.
5. Sweater size containers – Put one on the coat closet floor to hold shoes and another on a shelf for hats, mittens & scarves. They are also great for toys.
6. Big totes - For storage of holiday décor, camping supplies, childhood memorabilia, out-of-season clothing.
7. Label maker – Label everything, then everyone knows what belongs where!
8. Colored hanging files – Color code by category, makes filing easier.
9. Dry erase magnetic calendar – Keeps the family informed of everyone’s schedule.
10. Appointment calendar – Keep appointments, to do list, and my schedule in one handy spot.

National Declutter Day

This Saturday, November 22, has been declared National Declutter Day. Statistics show we typically use only 20% of what we own. Take some time, even just ten minutes, on Saturday to get rid of a small portion of that 80% that is taking up space and collecting dust.

Grab a garbage bag; scan your shelves, closets, and cabinets. Toss anything in that you haven’t used in the past year. Donate or resell items that are in good condition. Toss items if they would not be of use to others. Get the family involved. See who can fill his/her bag with the most clutter.

Or

Focus on one small area of your home that you’ve been meaning to organize. Keep the project small – one shelf of a closet or one drawer in the kitchen. Sort what you have in the area. Get rid what you never use. Arrange what is left. Return items that belong elsewhere to their “homes”. If you are still in the organizing mood after the first small project, continue.

Keeping a home clutter-free does take time. Remember to routinely take that time to prevent overwhelming clutter from taking over. When done, congratulate yourself and celebrate by doing something you enjoy. Read a book, play video games, have dessert…

Dealing with Winter Wear

The weather is turning cooler. Now is the time to prepare for the onslaught of winter gear that comes with living in the North.

First, put away all the summer gear, since you won’t have a need for it for several months. While you are at it, evaluate what you have. Have you used the item over the past summer? Is it still in good shape? Will it still be of use to your family next summer? If the answers to any of these questions are no, get rid of the item. Store the remaining items. Mark the container “Off Season Outdoor Gear”. Then in the summer, winter gear can be stored in the same container; although you may need more containers for all the winter wear.

Now, pull out all the winter outerwear. Get rid of anything that family members have outgrown or are no longer using. Make a list of replacements that need to be purchased. The next step is to find a “home” for everything. Use hooks or hangers for coats and snow pants. Containers or over-the-door purse organizers keep hats and mittens accessible. Boot trays are a wonderful way to protect floors from wet, dirty boots.

Also plan a routine for dealing with the wet outerwear after a romp in the snow. Here are a few options:

1. All wet items are put in a laundry basket, and then thrown in the dryer.
2. Wet coats & snow pants are hung over the bathtub to dry.
3. Mittens, hats, and boots are placed near a heating register until dry.
   

Winter is almost here. How do you get ready?

Labeling is Key

A few weeks ago, I talked about the importance of labeling when organizing electronics. I want to stress the importance of labeling throughout your home. Label shelves and containers, even when the items inside the containers or on the shelves are clearly visible.

Advantages of labeling:
* Everyone in the home can see where items belong.
* When an item is not in it’s space, the label indicates what belongs there, and so other items do not take over the “reserved” space.
* Identifying what is in containers is fast & easy.
* When consumable goods are depleted, shopping needs are clearly visible.

So, grab a marker and stickers or a label maker and start labeling!

Electronics Everywhere!

How many cords, battery chargers, and remote controls are in the average household? I have no idea, but I do know that keeping track of what electronics parts go with which can be quite a task.

Labeling is the key. Those little hand held labelers are wonderful, but not necessary. Writing on a little piece of paper and attaching the paper with transparent tape can serve the same purpose.

When a new gadget comes into the home, label all the electronic pieces. This will keep the accessories from becoming electronics that no one knows what they are for, yet everyone is reluctant to throw out, because they might be important. Sort through the existing electronics and label those that you know the use of.

As for the rest of the tangled cords, are you brave enough to toss them? Gather them together and store them in a remote area of your home. When six months have gone by and you haven’t used them, it’s time to get rid of them. If you are still hesitant, give it a year. You’ve gone through every season and event. If you haven’t used the electronics by now, changes are slim to none that you will ever use it. It’s time to toss it.

Craft Storage Room

I’m always excited to see the progress in a room. This storage area had become a collect all. The owner wanted it to be a storage area for craft supplies as well as a temporary storage for work supplies. We started by sorting, getting rid of items that were not of use and moving some items to long-term storage in the attic. Craft items were stored on shelves that were easiest to access. Work supplies were put on the far left shelf for longer-term storage. Everything was containerized and labeled, not only were the containers labeled, but the shelves were labeled as well. Now when a container is removed, it’s “home” is clearly marked so it can be returned to the same spot.

The week after this project was completed, her children completed a couple of craft projects. Because they could easily access the craft items they wanted, they were motivated to create! To me this is the best compliment. The family is now using this area as they had hoped to!

Keeping Track of Passwords

I was ordering a few things online this morning. For each site I ordered from, I needed a password. I’m on password overload! How many passwords to you have? And how to you keep track of them? Do you have yellow sticky notes with passwords cluttered around your computer? Or do you use scraps of paper with passwords jotted on them stuck in a desk drawer?

There are a ton of password managers available on-line. For those of us who are technically challenged, don’t have that many passwords to justify a password manager or feel paper is safer than a computer for password storage, here is another option.

Make your own Password Records Chart. List your passwords by category. Possible categories may include: bills, online shopping, work, personal. Within each category, list your accounts (website addresses) in alphabetical order, along with the user name and any other pertinent information. Create the chart using a word processor, filling in all the necessary information, except the passwords and date the password was changed. Write passwords & dates in pencil, so you can change them as needed. (I recommend using lines on the chart, but being one of those technically challenged individuals, I don't know how to make them in this format.)

Password Records Sample
-- Bills ----- User ID --- Password --- Date Password Changed --- Other Info
Cable Website
Electric Website
Internet Website
Mortgage Website
Telephone Website

Keep your Password Records Chart close to your computer for easy access, in a locked drawer or a file with a label only you would recognize as passwords. Make sure one other person knows where this important information is, just in case of an emergency.

Halloween is Coming!

Even if you don’t celebrate Halloween in a big way, now’s the time to start planning.

If you decorate your home for Halloween, look at the decorations you haven’t put up this year. Is there a reason you are saving them? If you no longer love them, they are looking tattered, or you don’t have the space for them, consider getting rid of them. This frees up storage space and makes decorating next year that much easier.

Also think about costumes. Halloween snuck up on my sister-in-law one year. She rushed out to shop at the last minute, spending an incredible amount of money on a costume her daughter wore for three hours. She vowed to never let that happen again! Decide on costumes now. (I know with children this is tricky, because they change their mind every two minutes!) Start collecting items needed for the costumes. See what you have on hand then shop to complete the look. Consider trading costumes worn in previous years with friends for a no cost new costume. The key is to start planning now.

Groceries & Meals

Going to the grocery store and planning meals are my least favorite things to do. Here are a few ideas to make these events a little less painful.

Use a preprinted grocery list, like the one found at www.casorganize.com/files/grocery_list6.doc. Customize it, adding items you use and remove items your family doesn’t purchase. As you notice you are running low on an item, mark it on the grocery list. Before you go shopping, look through your cabinets or pantry and skim through your list to see what other items need to be added. Using a list with the items already sorted by category makes the grocery shopping go much faster. No more backtracking through the store for items missed the first time through.

As for meal planning, search your cookbooks to find 15-20 entrees that have common ingredients that you almost always have in your pantry. List the entrees by the main ingredient. Make a note of where to find each recipe (cookbook and page number) and the time it takes to prepare the entree. When you ask yourself, “What’s for dinner?” pull out the list and pick one.

What do you do to simplify meal preparation?

Family Schedules

How do you keep track of everyone’s schedules? If you have school age children, in the last few weeks your home has been flooded with important dates to remember. Add scouts/brownies, sports, and/or clubs and you’ve got schedules coming out your ears!

Get a calendar to record all these events. Use a calendar that has enough space to record all the activities your family participates in. When a notice for an event is received, mark the date with the time and any pertinent information. Use a specific color pen or highlighter to designate each family member’s activities.

Keep the notices to refer to later. You may want to have a file to keep all events notices in. Another option would be to use a binder with page protectors. Each notice can be slipped into a page protector. Divide the binder into sections, marking each family member’s name on a tab. File schedules in the appropriate person’s section for easy reference.

Keep the calendar in a convenient spot where all family members can refer to it often.

Are Toys Taking Over?

Children tend to accumulate so much stuff! Between celebrations and loving grandparents they are showered with toys and clothes. Try adopting some give away routines to keep the toys from taking over.

• Celebrate an “unbirthday” or a “1/2 birthday”. The child picks a toy to give away. Then reward the child with cake and ice cream!
• Before or after gift-giving celebrations: get rid of toys that are broken or no longer used.
• When you notice child hasn’t played with a toy or hasn’t worn certain clothes, ask, “Can we give this away?”
• One in/One out rule: when a new shirt is received, get rid of an older shirt.
• “No empty hangers” signal: Use this as a sign that there are more clothes than needed in the closet. Have your child pick several items to give away.

Keep a “To Give Away” container in a convenient spot to put items in that are no longer needed. When full, take it to a local charity or store it in a “garage sale items” area.

Develop an Organizing Routine

I read that maintaining the average home requires 2-3 hours of organizing per day. That’s a lot of time! My thoughts on that:

One person can’t maintain a home – it’s a team effort. Get everyone involved. Give children responsibility for their belongings and give them reminders, until they develop the habit of putting things away. Set up a routine that includes a reward for organizing. For example: Once you've put the groceries away, you can read for 20 minutes.

Make organizing a part of your routine. What I mean by that is: when you are done using the cereal, put it back in the cabinet (unless it’s empty – then put it in the recycling!). When you are done brushing your teeth, put the toothbrush & toothpaste away. You get the picture. If you leave everything out that you use, the job of organizing becomes an overwhelming task. But, if you put everything back in its’ “home”, organizing becomes a habit.

What Does Organized Mean?

Chances are that you do not live alone. And chances are that each person in the home has a different idea of what an organized space looks like. Setting guidelines that take into consideration all family members wants regarding organization makes for a win-win situation.

Shared spaces need to meet the expectations of everyone. For example: if children play in the living room, a rule may be that when done playing, the toys must be picked up and put away, OR at the end of the day, all toys must be put away.

Guidelines for the bedroom may be more flexible: bed must be made, dirty clothes go in the laundry basket, clean clothes must be put away, there must be a clear path to exits, and once a week everything must be picked up and the floor vacuumed. This allows each person to organize his/her space based on his/her wants.

Now, if the previous listed guidelines would cause stress for another family member, those guidelines are not appropriate for that home. Develop guidelines that all family members are comfortable with. Then make sure the rules are followed by having “organizing time” a part of your daily routine.

Keeping the Car Clutter Free

Like the rest of the home, the car, too, can be organized to make your travel time a bit more relaxing.

1. When putting gas in the car, empty out the trash. (Not while the gas is pumping – safety first!)


2. When arriving at home, remove all items from the car that do not belong in the car – coffee mugs, soda cans, water bottles, children’s games/toys (unless they are containerized and are used for travel time entertainment only), etc – and return them to their rightful home.


3. Convenient items to keep in the car: first aid kit, phone book, coupons, snacks, items needed for errands, such as, purchases to be returned/exchanged, library books to be returned, and of course, maps.


4. Have a wastebasket (Velcro on the bottom of a small wastebasket will hold it in place) or a bag (looped over the arm of a seat) available for garbage.

Organizing the Refrigerator

Try these tips for organizing your refrigerator:

1. Store like items together. Categories may include: dairy, meat, fruit, veggies, condiments, and leftovers. Condiments may be further divided by use, for example: ketchup, mustard, and pickles together.
2. Put more perishable items on lower shelves, which are cooler and never in the door, which has the most temperature variation.
3. Always put items in the spot assigned. When an area has extra space, resist the urge to put other groceries in that spot.
4. Use containers to keep small items, such as cheeses or snacks, together.
5. Develop the routine of looking through the fridge and tossing food that has lost its freshness. A good time to do this is on the day before garbage pickup.

Some benefits of an organized fridge include, less food will spoil, making a grocery list is easier, because you can see what items need to be restocked, and less time is spent with the fridge door opened, conserving energy.

Back to School

It’s time to start planning for a new school year. Good planning can prevent lost paperwork, late assignments, and the chaos of looking for misplaced homework.

Designate a spot for:
1. Papers

*For parents to sign/fill out and return to school.

*To recycle (Keeping all papers for a few weeks will prevent assignments from accidentally being thrown away.)

*To keep (Limit this to a few special pieces.)
2. Homework
3. Backpacks
4. Library books

Allocate an area for doing homework. Stock the area with needed supplies: pencils, pencil sharpener, eraser, paper, glue, crayons, dictionary, calculator, etc.

Developing the routine of putting all school items in their assigned spots can help the school year go more smoothly.

Traveling with Children

When planning a summer vacation with children, preparing for the travel is almost as important as planning the actual vacation. I recently took a 13-hour road trip with my three children. I was nervous about being the only adult with a 9-year old and two 11-year olds. Here are a few ideas that helped make the car ride go more smoothly.

1. Listen to a book on tape/CD checked out from your local library.

2. Play car games: travel bingo, the alphabet game (find each letter of the alphabet on signs), 20 Questions… The list is endless. If you need ideas, check out www.momsminivan.com/.

3. Pack snacks & beverages.

4. Set up a reward system. For each hour that the children get along and are pleasant, they earn a reward. Young children need rewards more often, possibly a quarter for each half hour. Older children may be motivated by the opportunity of earning $1-2 per hour.

5. Can the “How much longer” question be avoided? Prior to the trip, have each child make a chart counting down the number of hours the trip is expected to be. If the trip takes 10 hours, have the child write the numbers 10 down to 0 on a paper. After each hour of driving, announce that an hour has gone by. Have the child cross off the number 10. Now the child can see there are 9 hours left. Continue the countdown until you've arrived at your destination!

So, as you are preparing for your summer vacation, be sure to plan for the travel times. Good planning will help to make the trip a memorable experience. Happy Traveling!!!

Stop and Smell the Roses

An organized space contributes to reduced stress, financial savings (no need to buy duplicates), and time savings (less time looking for items and less time maintaining your belongings). Life seems to be busier than ever. With children, work, laundry, maintaining our home, and the list goes on, I certainly am guilty of getting caught up in the "rat race". Keeping a balance of work and fun is so important.

Make sure to include time in your week to relax and enjoy yourself. If you never seem to find the time to “stop and smell the roses”, schedule the time. As Charles Buxton said, “You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.”

A goal of having an organized space is having more time to do those things you enjoy doing. What is it you love to do? Schedule it!

Sorting, Purging & Painting

In April I posted pictures of a project, a bedroom being used for storage that needed to look like a bedroom again. (Under “Articles” in the gray box on the right side of the screen, click on “project” to see more photos.)

It took Marybeth and me seven hours to sort everything in this room into categories, and box and label everything for the move. (Marybeth was able to quickly make decisions about what to get rid of, which made the process go much faster.) The label on each box included the room the box will go to in the new home as well as the items in the box. We stored some of the items in the closet and the rest in the garage.

Finally, after removing photos taped on the wall and a few coats of paint, this room appears much larger! A few finishing touches and we'll have a bedroom!

Tackling the Garage

25% of people with 2 car garages don't park any cars in the garage and 32% park only 1 car in the garage, according to the US Department of Energy. It’s time to organize the garage!

Start by getting everything out of the garage. As you remove items from the garage sort them into categories, which may include: car care, lawn care, tools, toys, fishing gear, etc. Also have: garbage, get rid of (donate or garage sale), and belongs elsewhere piles.

Now it’s time to purge. Look at all the car care items. Do you use all these items? Do you have duplicates of items? Get rid of what you aren’t using. Do this for each category. Remember, we only use 20% of our belongings. If you get rid of those things you aren’t using, maintaining the area is that much easier!

Before returning belongings to the garage, assign a home for each category, keeping all the toys in one area, all the tools in another area, etc. Using containers for small items and labeling containers and shelves simplifies finding and returning items to their assigned places.

Finally, maintain the area by always returning items to their assigned homes. Now, how many cars can you park in your garage?

Packing for Travel

Over the summer, millions of Americans will be traveling: vacations, weekend getaways, and visiting relatives.

Making a master list of what is needed will help the packing go smoothly and prevent emergency shopping trips. This list can be used as a reference for every trip. Include personal care items (purchase travel size containers of items and keep them in a shaving kit/makeup bag, so the items are already packed for the next trip.), clothing & accessories, medications, travel activities, recreation items, bedtime needs, and snacks. Email Pam at simplespaces@earthlink.net to request a checklist that can be customized to fit your needs.

Children can be taught to pack their own bags. At age 4-6, have your child help you pack his/her bag. Have a list (with pictures). Ask the child to get each needed item and show him/her how to check off each item as it is packed. Slowly increase the child’s participation in the activity. By age 8-10, your child can be packing his/her own bag, when given a list.

Having a master list as a guide while packing makes the packing go faster and requires less focused attention. Give it a try!

Summer Plans

When summer ends do you think, “Where did the time go? I didn’t do many of the things I wanted to!” Now is the time to plan, so those goals can be accomplished.

Start by making a “To Do” list with two categories: household projects (such as clean the garage, plant flowers, wash windows on the outside) and leisure activities (such as visit a local park, have a picnic, go on a weekend getaway). If you have children, include them in the planning.

Get out a calendar. Write each activity from the "To Do" list on the specific date you would like to do that goal, spreading the activities throughout the summer. Post the calendar in a prominent spot in your home and refer to it often.

Although interruptions may come up and some goals may need to be delayed, by the end of summer you’ll have completed many of the activities on your “To Do” list!

End of the School Year

If you have school age children, you child has brought home a plethora of worksheets, papers, and art projects throughout the school year. Here are some ideas for all this paper:

• Save a limited number (less than 10) of your favorite art projects from each school year.
• Take pictures of projects then get rid of the originals.
• Mat and frame the best projects.
• Store favorite items in a storage container. When the container is full, sort through items, keeping only the best of the best. Never save more than fits in the container. (One container per child for his/her entire school career.)
• Use a scanner to store the best of the child’s written work on your computer. You’ll have the child’s handwriting and written messages without all the paper taking up space.
• Preserve your favorite samples of the child’s written work in a scrapbook.
• Use a 3-ring binder and page protectors for a fast and easy way to store some of your child’s art and written work.

After you have selected the work that is special and meaningful for you and your child, recycle the rest.

Organize for the Way You Live

Organizing ideas can be found everywhere. There is no one right or wrong way to organize. The best way to organize is the way that works for you and takes into consideration your lifestyle and habits. Let me give a few examples.

Every morning when you are hustling your children out the door, you catch one that needs his/her hair combed. You try to address this earlier in the morning, but somehow never quite get to it. Think outside the box. How about putting a squirt bottle of water and a comb in a basket by the door so you can quickly fix the child’s hair and go.

You child always drops his/her dirty clothes by the bed. There is a laundry basket in the closet, but it never gets used. Try putting an attractive basket by the bed for the clothes to land in. Working with existing habits is easier than trying to change them.

So, read all the organizing ideas you can find. Than use the ones that fit for the way you live.

Spring Cleaning

The snow has finally melted in the north and the weather is getting warmer. Now is the time to do some spring cleaning, time to clean out the house and lighten your load. Make it a treasure hunt. Go through each room in the house (including the garage) and see what you can do without.

1. Donate or have a garage sale to get rid of items that are still in good condition, but you don’t use.

2. Throw away anything that is unfixable, unusable, outdated, and taking up space.

3. Collect items that are broken.
a. Is the item worth fixing? If no, toss.
b. Will you use the item once it is fixed? If no, toss.
c. Set a date. If you don’t have the items fixed by that date, toss them.

4. Gather winter items and store them until fall (for us that live in the North).
a. Store sleds, skis, and ice fishing equipment in the rafters or attic above the garage.
c. Store winter outerwear and clothing in under-the-bed storage containers or out-of-the-way closets.

Statistics show that the average American uses only 20% of the items they own. Just think how much more space you’ll have and how much easier cleaning will be if you get rid of some of that clutter!

Getting Organized for a Move

1. Donate, sell, or throw away everything you don't want to take with you. Some organizations that accept donations will pick them up at no charge. Check in your area.

2. When labeling boxes, mark the room and the items that are in the box, for example: “Kitchen: bowls”. Mark on the top (so the person carrying it can see) and at least on side (so when boxes are stacked the label can still be read.)

3. Keep packing supplies together: tape, scissors, and markers for labeling boxes. An apron with pockets or a brightly colored bag keeps the supplies at your fingertips.

4. To prepare for moving day, pack your luggage as if you are spending a night at camp. When you get to your new home, you’ll have easy access to a change of clothing, pajamas, personal care items, a towel, and bedding.

5. Pack a small toolbox with the tools you’ll need for taking apart furniture and putting it back together at the new location.

6. Set aside several boxes for packing up the last of the household belongings on moving day.

Five Steps to Get Rid of Clutter

Following are steps to guide you through an organizing project:

1. Sort – Set up labeled containers: trash, donate, move to different area, along with categories specific to your needs, for example: toys, arts & crafts, clothing, etc. As you are sorting, anything you definitely won’t use, put in trash or donate now.

Now take each of your specific categories and sort it further. Sort the toys into dolls, doll accessories, building blocks, dress-up, cars, etc

2. Purge – This is getting rid of duplicates, items missing parts, and items you don’t have a need for. Now that you’ve sorted you see six black sweaters. You wear three of them. Now is the time to get rid of the others.

3. Assign a home – Determine where each item will go in the space. Put it as close to where it will be used as possible.

4. Containerize & Label – Use containers to hold small items. You’ve sorted & assigned a home. Now chose containers that are the appropriate size for the category as well as fit in the area selected as “home”. Label the containers or shelves, so everyone will know where items belong.

5. Equalize – Make maintaining the order a part of your routine. Put things back when done to keep the space organized.

Adapted from “Organizing from the Inside Out,” by Julie Morgenstein

After 3 Hours

Marybeth was overwhelmed at the thought of starting this room. She must have thought I was nuts when I said I'd been dreaming about organizing this room. I was excited. She was reluctant. After setting up categories and sorting and purging for three hours, it was time for me to leave. Marybeth was ready to keep going. Once she had a direction, she was off and running!

We now have American Girl dolls and toys in boxes on the left, dance costumes in boxes on the right, and boxes of photos and memorabilia in the closet (all labeled, of course). Look at the progress we've made!

Getting a house ready to put on the market (especially after living in it for fifteen years) can be overwhelming! I have learned a great deal from Pam, and am proud to say I have put her methods into practice. Sorting and being ruthless about what one really needs is the key. I get great satisfaction from hauling junk out to the garbage, and filling my van with "stuff" for Love Inc. (my favorite giveaway place). Soon Pam will be able to put up some "after" photos.

Treasure or Trash?

Marybeth is getting her home ready to sell. She has been storing belongings for her parents and her adult children. We are starting in this room. What could show as a big, beautiful bedroom is being used as a storage room. Her challenge is to sort through everything, purge what is no longer needed, and pack up.