Tips

Kitchen

  • For the pantry, keep like items together. For Example – keep all soups on one shelf, all canned vegetables together on another shelf, and all boxed side dishes (flavored pastas & rice) on another shelf. This will make it easier for you to see when you are low on an item and you can add it to your shopping list.
  • If you seem to always be short on time and hate to shop, generate a quick list of the staple grocery items on the computer. Print several copies of this list out and keep them on the fridge. When you use the last item or next to last item, check it off on your list. This way when you go shopping you already have most of your list completed and you can breeze in and out of the store without racking your brain to remember what else you ran out of at home.
  • Store plastic storage containers for leftovers within reach of the sink. When you are cleaning up meals, you simply have to reach and grab one.
  • Only save leftovers that you know you will eat. Otherwise they can get forgotten in the fridge, taking up space and spoiling.
  • Junk mail never ends and has a tendency to accumulate on the kitchen table or counters. Stop it before it gets that far into your house. Put a decorative basket or container by the door in which you bring the mail. Sort the mail as soon as you bring it in the door; toss all junk mail and unwanted catalogs right into this basket. Open the credit card offers, take out the application form for shredding and toss all the rest of the papers in the basket. When the basket is filled, empty it. Better yet, recycle it. Many schools in the Metro Detroit area have green and yellow, Abitibi dumpsters. Any paper put in these dumpsters is helping the schools raise money. So compile all of your junk mail and old newspapers in paper grocery bags and drop them in the dumpster at the local school. Not only are you clearing clutter from your house, you are helping the environment and raising money for children's education. ( Note: Abitibi dumpsters are also located in metro Austin, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Phoenix , San Antonio , St. Louis , Toronto, and Tulsa)
Closets
  • Twice a year, start of summer and start of winter, when you are switching your wardrobes, take the time to sort through your clothes and purge. Donate any everyday or casual item you have not worn in the last 6 months. This also goes for any item you simply don't enjoy or that doesn't fit any longer (dress or formal clothes are worn so infrequently they are exempt from the 6 month rule, however, if you don't enjoy it or if it doesn't fit, it should go.)
  • Maximize closet space by installing a double hanging rack for shirts and skirts. If you convert half your closet to double hanging, you will gain 1/3 more hanging space. There are several do it yourself closet kits on the market that can convert a standard single rod with shelf above closet to a more functional closet with room for double hanging, single hanging and shelves.
  • Just as in the pantry, group like items together. Sweatshirts on one shelf (or in drawer), sweaters on another. For smaller items such as socks or undies, invest in drawer dividers to keep like items together. This will save much time hunting for the article you want when getting dressed each day.

Kids

  • If you find your kids coats routinely strewn about the floor when they get home, consider installing a coat hook at kid level near the door. Kids easily forget what they are supposed to be doing and get sidetracked. If they tend to drop their coat right by the back door rather than walk a few feet down the hall to hang it in the closet give them a place to hang it up right when they come in the door.
  • Kids bring home a ton of paperwork and art projects during the school year, all of it precious. It can be difficult to determine what to keep and what to purge. Designate a box or bin to put it in after initial review and once a month sort this pile. At that time you will be able to compare several weeks worth of items and can then keep only the best examples of work. After the year is completed, sort all you have stored for that year and keep only the best of the best. (A great container in which to store school work and art projects long term is the Schoolfolio containers – see my links page for more information)
  • Another way to store children's paperwork is to digitally scan it and store it electronically. This works great for those who scrapbook. You can scan in several sheets of paperwork, print them out on photo paper wallet size and make a great scrapbook page showcasing several works rather than just one.
  • As your kids grow and their interests change, evaluate the toys and make sure they are still age appropriate. Toys can be large items consuming a lot of space in your home. If your kids aren't playing with them then you are wasting precious space. Donate then, have a garage sale or sell them in a mom-to-mom sale and allow the children to keep the profits.

Overall

  • Keep in mind that shelves work best for people/families who are naturally very tidy whereas drawers can hide things not in perfect order. If you currently have shelves in your home, you can create your own “drawers” by purchasing decorative baskets.
  • Most monthly magazines repeat themes each year. If you must keep magazines to review again and again, keep only one years worth. A better option is to simply cut or tear out the articles you enjoyed most and create a filing system to file these articles by theme. Periodically purge your article files, however, so they don't get out of control.

    • For more tips and ideas see my contact page to subscribe to a free quarterly newsletter.








 
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