How to Tackle the Junk Drawer!
BEFORE
Tackle the Junk Drawer!
We all have them - The Junk Drawer! There is good reason why it is called a Junk Drawer! Most of the time, junk is exactly what goes into it! We waste so much time looking for items we know we have but can not find! Stop using the Junk Drawer as a dumping ground and start giving it purpose! Heres how you do it……
1. Empty it! Clean out the drawer and start throwing out the trash.
2. Peter Walsh recommends: Put everything in a box, and then for the next month, every time you use an item put it back in the drawer, at the end of the month, get rid of what’s left in the box. Noble idea!
3. Decide what you really want in this drawer, get rid of the things that do not belong! For example, in my drawer we had a lot of little screws, I asked my husband if we had a reason for them to be here? No reason, therefore they were moved to the garage with all of the other tools and supplies! What kinds of things should go in this drawer? It depends on your household, for my family it’s the basics like pens, pencils, sharpener, take out menus, tacks, etc. But everything has a purpose, a reason for being there, don’t use this drawer as a place for items without a home. What happens, is they stay there and more clutter builds up.
4. If you can’t figure out what something is in less than 3 minutes? Toss it.
5. For drawers like this, I highly recommend using drawer organizers / dividers. You want to categorize your items and place them in the sections of the organizers. Their job is to section the large open space into small, defined compartments, helping create permanent home for things. It will help you maintain the organization and it will be easier to find items. They are inexpensive and can easily be found at Walmart, Target, Container Store, and Office supplies stores.
AFTER
Organize Your Pantry!
How To Organize Your Pantry!
I recently went to a Tupperware Party at a friends house and I thought what a great idea for my next post! How to best organize your pantry! Whether you use tupperware or other storage containers, having an organized pantry will save you time and money! How many of you have bought repeat items, because you didn’t realize you already had 4 cans of Kidney beans? Or spent 15 minutes looking for something you know you have but can not find! Just like any other space in your home, everything in your pantry needs to have a home! A home where it lives and a home where it can be returned too when finished! Here are my Top Ten Organizing Tips to get your Pantry working efficiently for you!
1. Take everything out - and throw away anything that has expired. If you have food that is not expired but do not plan on using- donate to a homeless shelter or a church.
2. While taking items out - categorize the food – keep like items together. Separate into groups- all baking items, canned veggies & fruits, soups, cereal / breakfast items, etc.
3. Clean shelves
4. Before placing items back into pantry - decide where everything should go. Draw it out on paper if you need too. Put heavily used items out front- things you eat everyday. Other items can go towards the back or on higher shelves.
5. Keep items within reach for the people using them. If you want your children to have access to their snacks, make sure there is a bin of snacks available on their level.
6. Contain your food. Tupperware, storage containers, lazy Susan’s, and pantry shelves are great for keeping your pantry clutter at bay. (All the below products can be bought at the TCO store- Look for TCO Recommends!)
7. If you have several boxes of granola bars or such, take them out of the boxes and store them in plastic see through containers. If you are storing flour, sugar into tupperware containers – make sure to label them.
8. Stock heavy items towards the bottom- to prevent any injury.
9. When you are done organizing the pantry- go through it with your family, so everyone knows where items have been placed.
10. Keep a notebook and pencil nearby- keep track of your grocery list so there is no more repeating purchases!
Happy Organizing!
Transition Your Closet into Fall!
The leaves are changing colors and falling off the trees! School buses are driving by and the days are getting shorter!
Fall is officially here!
I love Fall! It is my favorite season of all! I love the colors of the trees and living in the Northwest there is nothing better than looking at the mountain ahead and seeing a sea of oranges, reds, and greens! Absolutely beautiful!
It’s still warm enough to enjoy being outside but not too hot or too cold where it is uncomfortable! With change in the leaves comes change in your wardrobe! The tank tops and shorts just aren’t cutting it anymore… What to do?… Transition Your Closet into Fall! 
Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Take inventory of your closet and dressers- Separate clothes into 2 Piles – Keep and Donate. Evaluate your spring and summer clothes- if you did not wear them this last season ask yourself why? Are they worth holding onto for another year? Probably Not – Donate! There is no sense in having clothes you do not like and do not wear taking up prime inventory in your closet!
2. If you have room in your closet for all of your clothes no matter what the season, now is the time to rotate the clothes around. Hang your clothes into categories and by color. This way you know exactly where the long sleeved black shirt is and you know exactly how many long sleeved black shirts you have. It eliminates buying what you do not need just because you could not find it! The clothes you wear most should be in the easiest access spots. Place clothes you are keeping but do not need very often towards the back of the closet and on upper shelves.
3. Rotate your shoes- place flips flops and sandals in a basket or bin and place under the bed or on a top shelf. Make room for your winter boots and shoes.
4. Rotate seasonal purses, bags, and accessories – if you don’t need access to them right now, place up high on a shelf- replace the items now with your scarves, mittens, and winter accessories.
5. If you do not have room for all of your clothes- take seasonal clothes out and place in under the bed storage. Or some other place for storage.
6. Before buying any new products for your closet – make sure to take the correct measurements and know exactly what is going into the storage product. Otherwise you risk wasting time and money by purchasing the wrong product for your needs.
7. Having all the same type of hangers in your closet will automatically make the closet look and feel more organized!
Happy Organizing!
Back To School – Eliminate Paper Clutter
Oh joy, the kids are back in school and we’re getting used to the new routines… Life is good… And then from the very first day of school you realize you have an organizing challenge ahead of you! The Paper! The paper is newsletters, permission slips, notes, homework, assignments, and artwork! I am sure I missed a few categories – but you get the point… There is so much paper and if you don’t have a system in place, where does the paper go? Probably everywhere- kitchen counters, tables, kids bedrooms, underneath beds, etc. So here we go again wasting time and energy looking for something we know we have, we just can’t find!
Here are some simple solutions in getting this paper under control!
1. Have a plan for paper- decide up front where the paper is going. For every piece of paper needs to have a home. You can use a banker box, clear or colored storage containers for each child. As paper and artwork come in, this is where it lands. Of course for the special projects and assignments those are posted for everyone to see. But even these items need to be rotated as new ones come in. When they have had their turn on the refrigerator, place in your box.
2. Set guidelines on what is going to be saved and what is not. In order to eliminate paper clutter you can not save everything. Save the items that mean the most to you and your children. You can purge the paper as it comes in, in 2 weeks, 6 months, or at the end of the year. Whatever works best for you, just make sure you do it! For items you don’t necessarily want to keep but do not want to forget, take a picture of the item with your child.
3. Make sure to have a spot designated in your home for important school papers- for example permission slips, upcoming events, calendar, etc. This paper can be tacked on a bulletin board, ( Just make sure to not clutter the bulletin board! Recycle paper as it as expired) I keep a manilla folder on my desk labeled – School Info. Another idea is to have a binder in your kitchen or main area that is just for school papers, you could use tabs to separate the papers by month. It doesn’t matter exactly what it looks like – just make sure to have spot!
4. Have a Memorabilia Box for each child. These are the things you want to keep forever, or at least for awhile! Separate the papers & artwork by grade level and school year. If you scrapbook- use some of the pieces as part of your pages- showcasing your child’s best work.
5. Establish a daily routine to clean out the backpack! Make sure any excess papers are filed and put away.
Happy Organizing!
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