<p>The Holidays are almost over, and the new Container Store sale catalog arrived. So it’s a good time to be thinking again about organization tips.</p>
<p>Yes, I know that reducing clutter is a good priority. I try to do that and give away lots of stuff on Freecycle. (It’s like Craigslist, but all items free. You only need a Yahoo id). I also try very hard to NOT bring much new clutter into the house. </p>
<p>I looked at MANY other cheaper options, but this $107 purchase (now on sale for $74) was strong and useful and well worth it to me. My pantry is lovely and large with deep shelves, but this rack allows for quick inventory and avoidance of over-purchase on things like tomato sauce, salad dressing, paper towels etc. </p>
<p>I’ll admit it was a bit of a splurge. Feel free to use this thread to suggest items for purchase or just free ideas. For example, my life is a bit easier this year because I added an open basket to the corner of the master bathroom for white wash.</p>
<p>I am on a mission to throw away or give away 5 things a day in January. My basement will thank me! My housekeeper helps distribute clothing and household items to people she knows, recent immigrants in particular. She gave me a bit of a lecture several years ago when I threw out some old shirts and she fished them out of the trash. She said there are people who will wear this! I pointed out how worn they were and she said they were perfectly fine for working. She is a one woman employment agency for other people she knows from Brazil. She also told me things are so exspensive in Brazil she sends stuff there all the time. So repurposing is my organization solution.</p>
<p>I’ve been trying to repurpose more stuff - but our Salvation Army has gotten very picky. Not only do they no longer take toys, they didn’t want roller blades or ice skates. The skates have only been worn a few times. I can’t throw them away!</p>
<p>What really needs organizing is my office. The main problem is that it’s just too small, but I still have to find a way to get a handle on it.</p>
<p>Put your ice skates outside as a winter decoration somewhere. Laces tied and on a fence post or lamp post. They will either serve as decoration or someone will steal them and then you will have “given” them away!</p>
<p>Craigslist could be your friend for getting rid of skates/rollerblades, particularly if you’re willing to just give them away. </p>
<p>I have a ton of paper clutter, and got D’s help a few weeks ago to be my paper fairy – I sat in a chair, went through papers, had a recycle bin next to me. Each paper: either recycle, give to daughter for shred pile, give to daughter with instruction on what file to put it in (or to create a new file), into a “computer” stack (things like envelopes where I needed to enter an address in the on-line address book) or a “needs work” pile, which turned out to be remarkably small by the time we got done. D did the shredding, filing (with some consulting), and much of the computer work. Since the file cabinet was getting pretty stuffed, I did pull a few fat files and pruned things that we clearly did not need, and had her move some old-but-still-necessary-in-case-we-get-audited files up to our attic – I can’t get rid of them yet, but they don’t need to be in my office either. </p>
<p>We’re also working on clearing out the supplies closet, which accumulated lots of stuff while D was in K-12 that isn’t needed now that she’s off at college. I’m keeping some, but these days I don’t need a whole lot of glue sticks, posterboard, crayons, or colored pencils. </p>
<p>We ended up with five tall kitchen trash bags full of shred, and a much, much less cluttered office.</p>
<p>(But I’m lucky – D could have a real future as a clutter control expert – she’s the only teenager I know who ruthlessly prunes her closet several times a year – as soon as something doesn’t fit/isn’t fashionable/has a problem it is out of there. Ditto on school papers, bank statements,… We’re still trying to figure out where that gene came from.)</p>
<p>For me to get organized at home I would need a dumpster and a different husband. My husband believes in saving everything. And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING and the box that it came in! So many clothes are saved for him to “wear around the house” and he still wears good things etc. Trust me, a dumpster, a different husband and a free weekend and my house would have closet space to spare. Until then, there’s no hope.</p>
<p>I’m sure paperless would help, but as an architect I’m really need to lug drawings around. Huddling over a laptop just isn’t going to cut it. I’ve also got lots of magazines for references, samples of materials, binders and folders from old projects. The clients from old projects often come back and hire me again, so I can’t toss their stuff, though I’m sure I could pare down their files to the essentials and toss the stuff I know is in the computer. Really the problem is I am working in an 8’x13’ space. The drawing table is 3’x6’ the computer, fax, printer, scanner and the files they sit on take up an area about 2.5’x 9’. I can barely turn around in what’s left over. </p>
<p>Plus my second job is painting watercolors. Can’t go paperless there! Most of my painting stuff lives in the attic along with older architectural files. I’ve given up oils at least. They took up a huge amount of space and never sold. At least the watercolors usually leave the house.</p>
<p>I keep a “give away bag” running in the hall closet. ARC regularly calls me for charity pickups. That’s the easiest way. But I do a fair amount of freecycle too (especially responding to Wanted ads) because it feels good to help families directly. Both efforts keep things out of the landfill! </p>
<p>Hint - There seems to be a big need for XL items… I got a record 20 responses last December offerring a new XLT workshirt on my local Freecycle. Now if I could only get DH to do some sorting…</p>
<p>It has been a wonderful way for me to give away things that are no longer useful to me. And the best part is that people come to my house to get the items. I don’t have to bring them anywhere. </p>
<p>It gives real meaning to the old adage: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.</p>
<p>After going through closets, I ended up with a mish-mash of old suit bags with broken zippers, tears in plastic, etc. It’s seemingly impossible to find the things and then I had the good sense to check my local WalMart. They sell a nice quality zipper suit bag – tan canvas fabric on one side, clear plastic on the other. Zipper up the front. Thick enough for one or two men’s suits. Available in a short men’s suit length or in a dress length for dresses or long overcoats. $5 each in the store:</p>
<p>I am a big fan of the Space Saver bags. I use the extra large ones for extra bedding and towels and throw pillows. I love watching the enormous pile go down flat. (I am easily amused) Then I store them under the bed, after they are flattened.</p>
<p>I also use them in closets for out of season clothes, which here in Houston, are usually winter clothes- we only need them for about a month- 2 months per year.</p>
<p>lololu, very good advice. It reminds me of something that I saw on TV (it was an episode about organization, not sure which show it was on). The advice was that if you buy an article of clothing you must get rid of an article of clothing. In other words, if you buy 5 pairs of new socks, you must get rid of 5 pairs of older socks from that sock drawer. This way one does not keep adding to the clutter.</p>
<p>One of my goals for 2011 is to toss everything that is stored UNDER the beds. I never touch that stuff…most is stuff I don’t use. If my closet shelves are organized and I get rid of EVERYTHING on those that isn’t used, there will be plenty of room for what I DO use in a closet someplace.</p>
<p>Last year, I got rid of a LOT of Christmas decorations I was no longer using (and my kids didn’t want me to save for them) as I was packing away the Christmas stuff. I will do that again this year. </p>
<p>We have a surplus of old books, old coats, old boots, old dishes (we have a ton of old dishes) and the like. This will ALL go…if we aren’t using it, it’s leaving the house in 2011.</p>
<p>I mean really…how many sets of “extra sheets and blankets” do we need? How many different bathroom rugs and extra towels? How many pots and pans? We just have a surplus of EVERYTHING…and lots of it is going to go.</p>
<p>I don’t want to organized to fit it all in…I want to get it all OUT.</p>
<p>I would heartily recommend a book called “Go organize!..Conquer clutter in 3 simple steps” by Marilyn Bohn. I read it on a long plane ride and it has excellent suggestions…but the first is to get rid of what you do NOT use or need to make room for what you DO use and need.</p>
<p>Thumper, I am with you - get it all OUT. Seems though, that my husband is developing the dreaded - “save random parts/things cause I might need it one day” syndrome. How do we fight THAT!? </p>
<p>The two areas dreaded most at my house (and likely many other homes as well) are the basement and basement storage areas and the attic. Full house attic that is full of what? H has I bet 100 antique chairs (kitchen/dining table type chairs) that he will NEVER refinish. That was the goal of course. My blood pressure shoots up everytime I go up to the attic.</p>
<p>A good start will be to go through the Christmas stuff when I go to pack stuff away. I have been pairing down some the last couple of years, but I bet I could definitely reduce by another 20-30%.</p>