Friday, April 22, 2011

Show Us Your Life- How do you stay organized?

I've been excited about this post for a long time now. I have a passion for organization. Having an almost two year old, my house isn't always picked up or completely organized, but generally most everything has a place and makes it back into that place at some point during the day or night.



1. I am a big believer in bins and baskets. In my kitchen I don't have a lot of drawers, but I have plenty of cabinet space. It took my measuring utensils, baby items like bottles and bibs and dish clothes and put them in bins under the cabinets. They are easy to pull out when I need to get something.




We have a tall built-in cabinet in our bathroom. It would be a nightmare if I just tried to stack things in there. I can just imagine it all falling out on me. Several years ago I went to The Dollar Tree and bought several bins for just $1. I separated things into categories and then added them to the bins. All our stuff is stored neatly in a baskets that are easy accessible.



2. Plastic Hangers. A few years ago I decided to replace all our wire hangers with plastic ones. Every time I went to the store I would buy a pack or two until I had enough to replace my whole closet. I didn't really do it for environmental purposes, the biggest deal to me was how much easier they were to deal with. Plastic hangers don't get caught up together and you don't have to untwist them. They also hang much neater and keep clothes from getting as wrinkled when hanging in the closet.



3. Office supply/ bill paying station. I have always struggled in this area. We've always used our extra bedroom as an office type room. This worked well when we were both in school and needed a functioning desk area to study. As Jordan graduated I gradually quit using the office as well. In time all our bills and important papers ended up on the kitchen table until they got paid or filed away. Recently we turned our office into a 2nd bedroom and playroom. I put a small roll top desk at the side of our living room. This has worked out so great because it's near the door and in a heavy traffic area. I am able to keep things there, hidden away, but still am reminded they are there.

4. File cabinet or file system. I started back when I started college with a filing system. My Mom got me a rolling plastic box and file folders. I save certain bills, tax information, school information, medical/ insurance info and pay stubs in folders. Periodically I go through to organize and clean this out, but it is a great system because I know where everything is.

5. Keep similar things together. I keep all my cleaning supplies in an easy to carry basket. I can either grab a few things to take around the house with me or grab the whole basket. I like this better than having different cleaning supplies scattered throughout the house.

6. Other general stuff. Every night (and sometimes more) I run the Swiffer vacuum over our wood and tile floors. Every night I put all the dishes in the dishwasher and clean the sink. I try to pick up all the toys and put them back in their bins, boxes or other storage areas. The most important thing is that I want to go to bed knowing the house is in the best possible shape to start a new day. 

It can be a little overwhelming if you let your house get messy and unorganized. It's a big job to do at first, but so easy to maintain. It's also much easier to clean when everything has a place. I get sentimental about things, and I know it will only get worse as Jackson gets older, but I am still able to trash, donate or yard sale things we haven't used in awhile. It's always better to give someone else the opportunity to use it if you aren't going to.

Happy Organizing!

3 comments:

  1. I am totally with you on the plastic hangers. I don't even allow them in my house. I had a lady I babysat for 10 years ago tell me a horrible story about how her little brother lost an eye from jumping on his bed and fell and got his eye poked out by a metal hanger. I have never had one in my house! I hate metal hangers! :( I am following your blog! :) Erin

    www.healthybranscoms.com

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  2. Hi Amanda,
    Thanks for stopping by my blog! He found the laundry racks at IKEA. Do you have one in your area? I love your organizing ideas...specifically the plastic hangers...we are trying to do the same thing! :)

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  3. Hi, I'm visiting from a Hop! You have some great ideas! Have a great Easter! Would love for you to visit my blog and follow back!

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