When it comes to getting the junk drawer cleaned out an organized, it always seems to be very low on the priority list. You’ll be surprised though just how relieved you’ll feel once that junk is under control and the useless items you’ve been storing forever are thrown out.

Most people have a junk drawer in their homes. Whether it is a drawer in the kitchen or in your bedroom nightstand, it’s always there gathering more and more junk as the years progress. Cleaning out the junk drawer can be fun. Really; it can. You never know what you may find.

Well, the day has finally arrived. You have to clean out the junk drawer because it’s driving you nuts, right? Well, let’s get to it then.

The first thing not to do is try to take the drawer out. Get a large box and begin transferring all of the junk items into the box. Now you can take the box to the kitchen table or just sit on your bed and go through each item. Ensure you have a plastic bag ready to throw out whatever you don’t wish to keep. Which brings up another point: some people just hate to throw away anything. But, you have to make the effort.

Ready? Let’s begin. After you’ve put everything into the box, begin the sorting out process. What did you find? Small photo frames, costume jewelry, boxes of paper clips, pens, recipes, a few soft covered books, mementos, paper and index cards, unused greeting cards or cards you’ve saved from loved ones, figurines, new wallets still in boxes, lotions, pictures, perfumes, notes of all kinds, well……you get the picture, right?

After you have made your neat little piles, you have to decide what you want to keep. Ideally, all of the old stuff should be tossed. However, if you are a saver, that’s unlikely. If you must save anything, why not put them in a scrapbook. For example, the old cards, letters, pictures, and notes can be neatly preserved by starting a scrapbook. Frames can either be utilized or given away. The books can be donated to the library. All of the lotions and perfumes can be tossed, especially if they are very old. Put the mementos way in a shoe box and be sure to label the box and place it on a shelf in your bedroom closet. Everything else which does not have sentimental value can be tossed.

You can convert the junk drawer for that which it was intended such as another lingerie drawer or a utensil drawer if the junk drawer was in your kitchen. You can give away any of the new things you find that you will never use. Well, what do you think? Look at it this way, you’d just taken a few hours to clean out a drawer that wasn’t mean for junk and can be used for other things you may have scrunched into other drawers. Feel better now?

Hopefully, you’ve read our Get Organized at Home articles which gave you some tips and ideas on home storage solutions. Now it’s time to get down to business and keep your home clutter free and tidy.

Here are a few tips to help you do just that and more importantly help you get organized at home for the long term.

Recycle old newspapers and magazines – Don’t let them pile up all around your house, more than likely you won’t get back to that newspaper article or magazine column again so once you finish with it, recycle it.

Have a message station – Keep your telephone, pens, note pads, mail, and calendar in one central location. Jot down all important dates and appointments as soon as you schedule them.

Have a filing system – Don’t let piles of papers clutter your house. Deal with bills and mail as soon as you get it. Set up a filing system for pending and need to be filed items, and don’t forget to file them. Also, take a little time and actually clean out your old papers and files. If you haven’t used something in a while but don’t want to get rid of it put it in a box labeled old files and store it away in your attic or garage.

Put it Away – First you need to make sure you have a place for everything in your house, then get into the habit of putting things away as soon as you finish with them. Teach your kids to do the same. If you take a few seconds to put things away you’ll never have an overwhelming problem on your hands. Make sure the kids know there is an appropriate place for everything.

Multi task – Don’t let precious minutes slip away. If you’re on hold on the telephone, why not use that time to clean out your purse. If a friend calls for a chat, clean the house or fold the laundry while you’re talking. You’ll get your chores done without even noticing.

The Basket Technique – Works especially well if your house is set over two or more floors. Go from room to room with one large basket and place items that don’t belong in the room inside your basket. Then simply put the items back where they belong. This will save you time and help keep things organized.

The Evening Tidy – Each evening take a few minutes to put things back in their place. Try to do a quick tidy and leave your things ready for the next day. You could set out placemats for breakfast and pack the kids lunches.

This will help you avoid rushing in the morning but you’ll also feel good to wake up to a neat and tidy house.

Home organization can be a daunting task.  With toys everywhere, meals to cook, and kids to get to school getting organized at home isn’t always easy.

Here are some ideas to help you get organized at home

Easy home organizing tips to help you create the peaceful yet child friendly home you’ve been dreaming of.

 Before starting you should make a plan of what needs to be done.  Go through each room and identify what room needs extra storage, what type of storage, etc.  You should then invest in a few storage and space saving solutions.

 Bookcases, under bed storage, hanging storage (for kid’s rooms), and shelves are all great space saving ideas for clutter free rooms.  You can find inexpensive and fun storage at Ikea, Target or Walmart.

 This is also a good time to reconsider room layouts.  By organizing furniture and storage in a practical order it will be easier to stay organized and keep things tidy.  If the kids are constantly leaving clothes on their bedroom floors, give them each a laundry hamper.  They can keep it in a corner of their room or closet to make it easy and accessible for them to quickly throw the laundry in the basket.

 Color code their bedroom drawers or toy boxes to make it easier to put things away.  For example, cars and trains can go in a yellow box while legos go in the green box.  You can do this for the sock drawer or t-shirt drawer by placing a color sticker on each one or you can even label it with a picture of the items meant to go in there.

 Little steps like this can make the overall task of staying organized a lot easier.

 Once you have your storage sorted, you can start organizing by tackling one room at a time.  Make three piles, one for charity, one for keeping and one for the trash and be ruthless.  If you haven’t used it within the last month unless it has sentimental value then you can either store it or give it away.  Think of how much better you’ll feel coming home to a clutter free house.

 Now that you’ve organized your home and all your storage solutions are in place, we’ll show you how to keep it that way in part 2 of Getting Organized at Home.

These easy home office storage solutions should help do the trick:

Message Station – Set up an area in your office for messages. This is where you will keep the telephone/fax machine, post it notes, message pads and plenty of pens. You may also want to keep important phone numbers or details your clients may ask for. A calendar is also a great addition.

Filing Solutions – Whether you use a filing cabinet or filing boxes you’ll need some type of system in place to stay organized. Filing cabinets are great for filing away papers you need but perhaps don’t use on a regular basis. A desk with a folder storage drawer which acts just like a mini filing cabinet is great for keeping important papers on hand while you’re working.

Receipts and Payments – Have a box or tray folder on your desk which you can label “Receipts” and another “Payments” keep all important receipts and notes of any payments made in these boxes. At the end of each month place all receipts and payments in another folder, label with the corresponding month’s date and file away to use for tax and accounting purposes.

Shelves – A very simple yet effective office storage solution. Put up a couple of shelves and take some clutter off your desk and floor. Purchase a few inexpensive boxes (photo boxes work great), label and keep all sorts of items in there from stationary to receipts.

Go Electronic – There are many accounts and records you can now keep on your computer rather than acquiring all that extra paper. All your bookkeeping as well as account records can be done electronically. So why not free up some valuable space in your office while helping the environment.

Organize Home Office – When running a home office, most people have a small space to work with, sometimes as little as a desk in the corner of the family room. But, with some creativity and the right equipment, it’s possible to have an efficient workspace.

Home Office Organizing Tip – Your home office not only needs to be clutter-free, but also needs to be functional as a workspace. You think more clearly and will get more done when your environment is clean and tools are within easy reach.

First, decide what types of things you want to have a permanent home in the family room. The entertainment center is usually in the family room, so decide on the best way to store all the movies and music the family enjoys. There are many all-in-one units that hold the TV, stereo and other components, but they can be expensive and take up a lot of space. If you don’t plan on changing the layout of the room, the cabinets are a good choice. But, if you like to change the look of the room, smaller, more portable furniture would be a better choice.

To store the movies and music, there are many different styles of storage racks, from simple wood cabinets or bookshelves, to modern metal units that have a sculpture look to them. There are storage racks that are free standing, and others that can be attached to the wall. A closet with added shelves can also make a great place to store the media, especially with young children, who tend to use them for building blocks.

Allow the children to have a few favorite toys in the living room. Give them each a container, either with their names on it, or their favorite color. Then they are allowed to keep just enough toys in the room that fit in that box. If they can’t get it to fit in the box, then they need to find a home for it in their room, or the playroom. They can always change which toys are in their boxes, but they still have to follow the rule that if it doesn’t fit, it can’t stay. Then, they know that at the end of the day, their toys need to go back in their containers.

Finally, create a home for the newspapers and magazines that will invariably accumulate on the tables and on the floor. A simple rack against the wall will make a nice home for these print items and this can be cleaned out on a monthly basis.

The living room is for living in so you don’t want to create a sterile environment but you don’t want things to go wild either.

Most families Spend a lot of time in their kitchens. In many households the kitchen is really the heart of the home. You definitely want to make this room a relaxing family space but also practical to make family meal times and cooking as stress free as possible.

Here are a few kitchen storage ideas:

Baskets – baskets of all sizes are great for storing kitchen contents from spices to sandwich bags. Put up a couple of shelves, place some cute baskets on them and start using them.

Jars – Jars are great for storing kitchen items. You can use them in your pantry to store smaller loose items like tea bags or cookies or you can place them on your counter tops to make extra space in your pantry or cupboards.

Wall Magazine Racks – You can pick these up at Walmart or Target and they’re great, just hang them on your wall and keep your magazines or newspapers in there.

And here are a few added tips to help keep your kitchen organized:

Organize Your Work Stations – To make cooking easier you want to make sure you have everything you need close at hand. Have an area for preparing the meals. It’s good to keep your spices and seasonings close to this area. You’ll also want to have chopping boards, knives and mixing spoons close at hand. Have another area for serving and keep all your dishes, serving spoons, placemats and utensils there.

By incorporating work stations into your kitchen and keeping everything you need near each work station, you’ll save a lot of time.

Organize Your Fridge – Clean out your fridge and organize things in categories to make finding them easier when you’re in a rush. It’s a good idea to keep all your dairy products together. Place cold cuts in tightly sealed plastic containers and label them. This will keep them fresh and also make it easier to find. You can do the same thing with cheese and left over foods.

Separate your fruit and salad items from your other vegetables so that you can find them easier. Often times you’ll forget you have those tomatoes in the back drawer and buy more. By keeping things organized you’ll waste and spend less.

Organize Your Pantry – Arrange your pantry or cupboards according to foods. For example keep all your canned goods in one place and cereal in another. Keep the items you use most within easy reach and put away those appliances you never seem to use. They’re just taking up counter top space.

Plan Your Meals – This is by far the easiest way to organize your meal times. Take a few minutes and write out a meal plan and shopping list for the upcoming week. Buy everything in advance and stock up on items you use regularly and have a long shelf life. Then stick your menu on your fridge, glance at it each morning and plan ahead. Thaw any meat that needs thawing or chop and add your items to your crock pot.

Let’s start with the biggest problem-paper clutter:

* Throw junk mail away immediately – Keep a trash can or recycling box, near the door just for junk mail, don’t even let it in the house.

* Purchase a hanging file system – These filing systems are designed to hang from a hook on the back of a door, so it can be hidden in a closet. They usually fold up to about the size of a small brief case. Label each pocket based on your needs, such as bills that need paid, copies of receipts of payments from customers, and tax deductions (even if you aren’t sure something is deductible, save the receipt and check later).

* Scan and save to disc older papers that you don’t need on hand, but want for reference. Discs take up a lot less room than the paper, but can be easily printed out if you need a hard copy.

Office supplies can be a challenge, but a few simple storage containers can keep the clutter to a minimum. Get a drawer divider that has compartments for different sized things. If you need a “travel office”, a child’s school box or art supply box can make a nice option. Periodically check your pens, if they are dry, toss them.

If space is a real premium, consider getting a laptop computer, rather than a desktop. It allows more flexibility. Printers are also getting more compact, and are often combined with scanner/copier/fax systems all in one. The prices are coming down on them all the time, and if you shop around, you can get really good deals with rebates.

If you don’t even have a corner of a room for an office, some people have successfully converted a larger closet into an office area. You may not have a nice view, but you can install a good light, build a desk out of filing cabinets and some counter top scrap in the closet. Work with the door open, and when you’re done, close the door and even if your desk is a bit cluttered, nobody will see it from the outside.

Go to the nearest house ware store and purchase some Rubbermaid clothing boxes; a shoe rack; hooks; and a dozen or more hangers. While there, buy an under the bed storage box as well. Once you get home, here is what you can do.

* First, take everything out of your closet.
* Decide what clothes, bags, belts and shoes you want to keep and put the rest in a pile.
* Take the jumbo boxes and place your bags in one; and your summer or winter tops or sweaters in the other.
* Mark the boxes accordingly, and place them on the top shelf of the closet.
* Hang some hooks on the side of the closet for your belts, and everyday bags.
* Put the shoe rack on the floor against the back of the wall.
* Place the shoes on the show rack.
* Using the new hangers, place the clothes back in the closet.
* Place everything you are getting rid of into a large plastic garbage bag and call your local church or Goodwill for pickup in the morning.

Depending upon the size of your closet, and the amount of clothing you own, there may have to be some adjustments made. But for right now, you are set to go. Well, not quite yet. Is your bedroom cluttered? Then the next step is to clear up the mess. Discard any old magazines or newspapers. Place all your jewelry back into the jewelry box. Remember that storage box you purchased? You can use it to store excess items spilling out of your dresser drawers. Yes, you’ll have to go through them as well.

Once you are finished, you will be exhilarated for having taken on the job! More importantly, you will have more space available than you ever thought possible.

Three words to keep in mind when it comes to de-cluttering your home, storage. Storage, storage.

Decluttering simply comes down to finding a place for everything, making sure everything is in its proper place and getting rid of what you no longer need. It won’t happen overnight, so now is the time to being making a plan of attack.

First, get each bedroom area organized. Take a day and sort through clothes and toys in the kids’ rooms, and either sell, give away, or throw away what isn’t needed anymore. Get age appropriate storage units, label things and help teach the kids to put their own things away.

Next, get a laundry basket for each family member and start with the least cluttered room of the house, so you’ll see success quicker and stay motivated. Put everything in the baskets that doesn’t belong in that room. Then each person has a deadline to find a home for everything in the basket, or you will (even if it’s file thirteen). Keep a big trash bag nearby for stuff you know needs to be gotten rid of immediately (like junk mail). Do this for each room of the house.

Once everything is in the correct room, evaluate each room and decide what kind of storage is needed to keep things organized. If there is very little clutter left in the room once the personal belongings are gone, then you’ve got less work to do. If the room still looks chaotic, decide if the items really need to be in that room or relocated, stored or sold/given away. If you use the basket trick daily, going from room to room, it should be easy to stay on top of things.

Different rooms have different storage needs, what works in the family room won’t necessarily work in the kitchen. Take your time and research the options out there and find a system that works best for your family.

Organized Kitchen Tips & Ideas

Most families spend a lot of time in their kitchens. In many households the kitchen is really the heart of the home. You definitely want to make this room a relaxing family space but also practical to make family meal times and cooking as stress free as possible.

Here are a few kitchen organizing tips to help get you started:

Organize Your Work Stations – To make cooking easier you want to make sure you have everything you need close at hand. Have an area for preparing the meals. It’s good to keep your spices and seasonings close to this area. You’ll also want to have chopping boards, knives and mixing spoons close at hand. Have another area for serving and keep all your dishes, serving spoons, placemats, and utensils there.

By incorporating work stations into your kitchen and keeping everything you need near each work station, you’ll save a lot of time.

Organize Your Fridge – Clean out your fridge and organize things in categories to make finding them easier when you’re in a rush. It’s a good idea to keep all your dairy products together. Place cold cuts in tightly sealed plastic containers and label them. This will keep them fresh and also make it easier to find. You can do the same thing with cheese and left over foods.

Separate your fruit and salad items from your other vegetables so that you can find them easier. Often times you’ll forget you have those tomatoes in the back drawer and buy more. By keeping things organized you’ll waste and spend less.

Organize Your Pantry – Arrange your pantry or cupboards according to foods. For example keep all your canned goods in one place and cereal in another. Keep the items you use most within easy reach and put away those appliances you never seem to use. They’re just taking up counter top space.

Plan Your Meals – This is by far the easiest way to organize your meal times. Take a few minutes and write out a meal plan and shopping list for the upcoming week. Buy everything in advance and stock up on items you use regularly and have a long shelf life. Then stick your menu on your fridge, glance at it each morning and plan ahead. Thaw any meat that needs thawing or chop and add your items to your crock pot.

A good family-oriented meal planning service to try is Dine Without Whine.

1 – Storage, storage, storage – If you really want to get organized this should be the first priority. Look around your house and write a list of possible storage solutions for all your clutter.

2 – Be Ruthless – We tend to hold on to so many things, and although some things you just can’t get rid of try to do everything in your power to get rid of things you don’t really need. Donate old toys or clothes to charities or have a garage sale.

3 – Get Help – Don’t do it all yourself. Write a checklist of things that need to be done in the house and assign tasks to all family members, even very young children can help put away toys.

4 – File those Papers – A job many of us put off until we have little stacks of paper all over the house. Get a good file box or filing cabinet and start filing away all those papers into appropriately labeled folders. Old papers like old utility bills can be placed in a labeled box and put away in the attic.

5 – Off the Floors – Shelves and ceiling hanging storage are great solutions for keeping the house organized, especially kids rooms. Put up a few shelves and help clear your floors of all that clutter.

6 – Use your Calendar – Do you keep forgetting all those important events? Hang up a calendar in your kitchen and write down all important dates. Glance at it each evening to mentally plan your next day.

7 – Use your Phonebook – Write down all those phone numbers you have laying around on pieces of paper in your phone book. You don’t only need to use your phonebook for friends and family numbers, write down school numbers, activities, and so on.

8 – Clean Your Purse – Having trouble finding things in your purse? Clean it out and throw away any old papers or receipts you don’t need.

9 – Receipt Box – Place a box in a prominent place like your home office or kitchen and label it “receipts”. Whenever you buy something place the receipt in the box straight away, this way if you need to exchange it or take it back you’ll have all your receipts right on hand.

10 – Warranty Box – Just like a receipt box this will save you a lot of time and hassle. Label a large box “Warranties” and place all your important documents for items that are covered under yearly or extended warranties like washing machines or computers, you can also keep all your manuals in this box.

11 – Write your List – Don’t waste time going shopping or running errands without a “to do” list. Speaking from experience I know us moms can easily forget the things we went out for (especially if we have the kids with us). Write a list of all your errands or shopping items and before you go back home glance at it to make sure you’ve done everything. This will keep you from having to go back out again.

12 – Message Station – Perfect for busy families. Have one central place where you place the mail and telephone messages on a daily basis. This way mail and messages won’t get lost when passing through different family members. Make sure you keep plenty of post it notes, paper and pens at your message station. This is also a good place to keep your calendar with important dates.

13 – Under-Bed Storage – Great when you don’t have a lot of space. Keep the things you don’t use on a daily basis but can’t go into the attic in under bed storage. It’s a good solution for comforters, sheets or toys.

14 – Toys, toys and more toys – Most of our children have too many. One solution is to go through the toys and have your kids choose some to give to charity. Explain to them how it’s good to help others that don’t have as much. If you really can’t bear to give them away make sure you have plenty of storage. A good option is to have one or two toy storage chests in the living room or family room as well as the kid’s rooms. Kids won’t keep their toys in their rooms only and by having additional toy storage handy you’ve made the task of clearing up toys much easier.

15 – Recycle – Recycle that stack of old newspapers and magazines. You may have meant to go back and read some but if more than a few weeks has passed chances are you won’t go back to it. Take the whole thing down to the recycling yard and feel better.

Believe it or not there is always one member of the family who saves everything. The clutter has become so great, the pack rat not only can’t find what he or she is looking for but forgot where it was put in the first place.  Well, now is the time to begin organizing the pack rat in your family.  Here are some suggestions.

First, take a deep breath.  Take a look around your home to see where all of the clutter is concentrated.  Take the pack rat by the hand and inform him or her that today is organization day, and all of the clutter has to be dealt with.  After the hemming and hawing ceases, go out to the garage and get as many boxes as you can find.  You’ll also need a couple of black magic markers and some plastic bags as well.

Second, begin the organization process.  Sort everything into piles.  Make two signs: Keep and Discard.  Depending upon where this clutter is, you may be able to organize the stuff indoors or outdoors.  Now the pack rat has to make decisions.  What does he or she really need to keep, and what can be discarded.
This is going to be difficult, and probably a lot of compromises will have to be made.  Don’t hesitate.  Continue the process at a steady pace. You can always discuss what was put in the “keep” pile later on.

After all of the clutter has been sorted, now you can go back to the keep pile and discuss the options.  Ask the pack rat again, “Do you really want to keep this?”  If he or she answers yes, then a compromise will have to be made.  If an item is really needed, then another item from the “keep” pile must be discarded.   Keep at it until there is no more room for discussion.

Take all of the items that are left and store them in boxes and label them with markers.  Throw away all used and non-essential items, and donate the rest.  While hard choices have to be made, it is the only way to organize someone who saves everything.  Ensure that the throw away items are placed in the plastic bags and put out for pickup.  Contact a charity organization and ask them to pick up those items you designated for them.  The idea is not to leave anything around for the pack rat to scour through and retrieve.

Finally, your pack rat will be feeling a bit down after this ordeal.  You may want to discuss the process and why it was necessary.  In fact, this may not change the pack rat’s behavior at all.  But if you talk about it in a loving and caring manner, it will make things easier.

Once you get down to the items you need to keep, you can start planning your storage strategies.  It’s important to invest in containers that protect your belongings from moisture, mildew and the occasional pest.  Once you get everything pulled out, cleaned up, and organized into boxes it’s a great time to give the floors and walls of your space a good scrubbing before you put everything back.

Sort items according to how you use them.  Are they seasonal? Are the baby items being saved for a younger sibling or cousin?  Are they simply sentimental things you don’t use on a regular basis, but can’t stand to part with?  These things can be stored in labeled boxes either toward the back or top of storage areas. 

If there are items you need to access more often you should store them where they are easily accessible – for instance open shelves, or cabinets.  There are many do-it-yourself storage units that are perfect for basements or garages.  They are metal or plastic, so they stand up to the less than perfect conditions.

When storing things in the garage, again, it’s best to store them based on when you need them.  Have a system where you can rotate seasonal items to where you can get to them easily.  There are over head storage shelves made especially to work in a garage.  Before you purchase one, make sure it will work with your garage door.

Many items, like tools, can be organized on a pegboard, where it is very easy to customize the space, by arranging hooks to fit your needs.  This helps clear up space on workbenches, as well. 

Used baby food jars and a thick shelf on the wall is a favorite old time nut and bolt organizing solution. Get a nice one inch thick board, about one foot deep and two foot wide. Use an awl to poke a hole in the lid of the baby jars and then use a short screw to affix the jar lids to bottom of the board and use a simple pair of shelf brackets screwed firmly into the wall to support it at eye level.  Now you can put your little screws and nails into the baby jars and twist them into place under the shelf.  And you have two extra feet of shelf space.

First, take inventory of the kitchen with all of your pots and pans and utensils.  Store things based on function.  Keep the baking items in one cupboard near the oven.  Keep preparation equipment near your work area, whether it’s the table, an island or a workspace on wheels. 

These portable workspaces are very nice to have.  They quite often have storage space built in and can be put in a corner, closet or pantry when not in use.

A great space saver is a pot rack that can be hung from the ceiling.  They are fairly easy to install, but you have to make sure you use the right kind of anchor bolts that will support the weight of the rack and pans.  Most hardware stores can help you with this.

The pantry and freezer can also be a challenge if you are space challenged. If you take stock of what you have and develop a master shopping list, it can cut back on having too much of one item.  One woman used an enclosed bookshelf in her hallway to store extra canned goods and kitchen gadgets that she couldn’t find room for in her cupboards.  It’s a smart use of space and visitors to the home are none the wiser.

The dining room has other challenges, as the dining room table tends to be a clutter magnet.  Mail gets dropped there, homework and school projects are done there, and last but not least, meals are eaten there – unless the clutter has taken over. The key to solving this problem is retraining the family to not put things on the dining room table.  Have junk mail thrown out as soon as it comes, instead of looking at it later.  Have a new place specifically designated for mail, especially bills. A slim basket on the wall is a great place for mail.

If you have a sideboard, it can also be a clutter magnet, so decorate it with some nice knickknacks that don’t allow room for clutter to gather.  Large serving dishes can be arranged nicely with flowers in a vase, or other favorite items.

Disorder creates a stressful environment and you don’t need this adding strain for your family at meal time.  Keep the dining room warm, cozy and clutter free and enjoy the time you have to sit down and eat as a family.

Depending upon the type of furniture in their rooms, you may want to add a few more pieces that will turn the chaos into calm. Today, there are more unique and colorful bins and containers for kids than ever before. In addition, your kids will probably be even more excited to help you organize their rooms, especially if it’s new and shiny!

If your son or daughter has been collecting stuffed animals or toy soldiers, planes, or dolls; you can buy wall boxes.  Affordably priced, they can be hung vertically or horizontally and make for a great showpiece in your child’s room.  Moreover, all the toys will be relegated to one area of the room.

Sometimes, a new toy box may be all it takes to get the kids motivated.  A toy box can be spectacular or plain.  A large container on swivel casters may do the trick.  This would be a great and inexpensive method for your children to pick up their toys by wheeling the container around the room.  It will also be useful when transporting their toys to the family room.

How about some round containers in various colors?  These are sure to be a hit with the kids.  You’ll be able to choose colors that compliment each room.  Affordable and handy, you may want to check these out as well.

Go online and research the various bins and containers you can buy for your children’s rooms. Then schedule a special shopping day with the kids. While at the store, you may just happen to find a few items to organize their closets as well. 

If you have a schedule set up for when you do laundry, such as jeans on Saturday, whites on Wednesday, make sure your family does their part to pre-sort their laundry. Get different colored baskets or hampers, and show them what goes where. Go a step farther and show them where the stain stick is kept so that they can pre-treat stains in advance of laundry day.

Have all your detergents and fabric softeners stored near the washer and drier.  It’s easy to build a shelf near them, if one isn’t already there.

Hang up a calendar or white board and make note of a schedule for cleaning out the vent areas of your dryer. One smart mom photographed dry clean only clothing items like her husband’s best suit and her favorite blouse and taped them to her white board with a reminder that these items don’t belong in the washer should they ever end up in a basket by accident.

Set up a portable clothing rack with a good supply of hangers so that items can be taken straight from the dryer and placed on the hangers.  This will save you time in ironing later.

Keep baskets or boxes in your laundry room to sort items of clothing that needs to be fixed, or clothes that you know are too small, or out of season.  If you use special boxes for storing out of season clothes, when it’s time to switch, take them out on laundry day, and sort as you finish each load.  If things are too small, box them up until you decide what to do with them.

Start your project by sorting out these homeless items based on where they should really belong, and once you have them organized in boxes at least get them to their proper rooms.  Worry about putting them away later; at least they’re out of the bedroom.

There never seems to be enough closet space in the master bedroom. It is a good idea to check out the new storage units that help maximize what space you do have.  There are even services that help you to design a closet storage system, but with a little time and research, it can be done on your own.

Sort out your clothes by season first, and decide where to store the out of season clothes. Under the bed storage boxes work great for them.

As you go through the clothes, decide if there are things that don’t fit and decide if you really need to keep them, or have a garage sale or just donate them.  If you have clothes that still fit but haven’t been worn in over a year, really think about whether or not you ever will wear them again.  This process will free up a lot of closet space.

Another trouble spot is the top of dressers.  We tend to just leave things for later and find that later never comes.  If you’ve already gotten rid of the things that don’t belong in the bedroom, there shouldn’t be much left there that needs sorting but you will want to develop an organizational system to keep things neat from here on out.

In order to stay ahead of the clutter that gathers on top of the dresser, decide what needs to be there, and how to organize it.  Baskets work well to hold lotions and incidentals.  They also help break up the flat surfaces that tend to collect other things.  Use some simple plastic boxes in your top drawers to keep track of the little items that often end up rolling around with your socks.

Your bedroom is a haven. You’ll find that you get better rest and a brighter start to each day when your environment is neat and orderly.

Your desk needs plenty of drawer space for storing supplies and paperwork.  If there isn’t enough room there, you end up with piles of paper on top of the desk or even on the floor.  This isn’t good.  Buying a simple desktop organizer and dividers for the drawers can make a big difference with very little effort.  

Cables under your desk can be a nightmare.  One trick to organizing them is to use bread ties and gently “fold” the cords, and leaving some slack, fasten the cord with the bread tie. This helps keep all the cords from getting tangled.  The trick is to make sure you leave enough slack so you don’t end up pulling items off the desk by their cords.

Every home office needs a two drawer file cabinet and a small bookshelf unit.  You’ll always feel more productive when things are neatly put away.  Papers should be filed and books and other supplies can find a home on the bookshelf.  Pick up some inexpensive decorative boxes to store your odds and ends in. An alternative is to purchase a dresser for your office. If it has a number of drawers, you can easily organize all your items – and it looks very pretty, too.

Use a whiteboard to jot down notes and keep stray paper notes to a minimum.  Label your desk tools (stapler, scissors, rulers, etc.) clearly with the words ‘Home Office’ so that borrowed items can find their way back home.

One space-saving organizer to use is a collapsible hanging folder that is nice to put inside a closet or on the back of your office door. They collapse to fit in boxes, for storage later.  These are great for tax receipts.  They are all in one place, you can label the folders for income, bills, or other things you need for tax purposes. Then come tax time, it’s all in one place.

A plastic bucket makes a great place to store shampoo, bubble bath and things like that.  The bucket can either be kept on the bathroom shelf, or even on the back of the toilet.  There are also racks for holding shampoo and soap that can be attached to the shower wall with suction cups.

Toys are a great way to encourage kids to take a bath, but keeping them organized and out of the way isn’t always easy.  A mesh bag is a great way to store toys, and hang them in the tub, so they can drip dry.  It’s probably a good idea to let them soak in a bleach water mix from time to time, as they can get pretty yucky on the inside, if water is left to sit in them.  If space is at a real premium, allow the kids to only have a small number of toys in the bathroom at a time.  Divide the toys into groups, and store the extras in a closet.  Then, the kids can rotate which toys they use for a set period of time.

If towels and washcloths are a problem, attach some hooks to the wall or the back of the door, and then let each child have their own area to hang these items.  It also helps if each child has their own unique towel set with a favorite color or character. This way it’s easier to know who’s actually taking care of their things.  Limit the number of towels and washcloth sets to one or two, and any spares can be stored in a closet outside of the bathroom, taking up less space.

There are cute toothbrush holders that help keep all the dental care equipment in one location.  The newer toothpaste tubes and pumps make it a lot easier for little one to brush their teeth, and also come with less mess.

Take it one closet at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed.  Once you clear out the closet, temporarily put things back in it.  Go to the next, making an inventory of what you have.  Then make a plan for rearranging things.  Do you need to switch items to a different closet, either for space or ease of use?  Sometimes we just start putting things in closets, not thinking about when we’ll need them later and we don’t take the time to move them to a better location. Now’s that time.

Then look at all the storage options available, to see what will work best for you.  Do you want to use a built in shelf or moveable shelves?  Or, do you want to use one of the units that you can put together that have bins, baskets and rods?  Plastic storage boxes that stack easily are also useful in closets.  Once you have them organized, you may even want to make a master list of what is in each closet. 

The mudroom offers other challenges, as it’s an open area that sees a lot of traffic daily.  It can become a dumping ground for all kinds of things.  Unlike closets, it’s harder to hide the clutter.  Decide what you want stored in the mudroom.  Items like tools, boots, winter coats, sports equipment and outdoor toys often find a home in the mudroom so a boot pad and a good array of hooks on the wall will help to keep these pieces out of the walk way.

Set up a storage rack for the tools.  Shovels can be hung on the wall, for easy access and also keeps them out of the way.  Smaller garden tools could be kept in a basket with handles, for easy transport to the garden. 

If you have space, think about creating a ‘locker’ for each family member where they can store things they want easy access to and let them know whatever doesn’t fit in the locker has to find a home elsewhere.

So what’s a mom to do when it feels like her home is coming apart at the seams… well for starters don’t lose it!  Keep your cool and take a deep breath.  You can get organized without losing it; it’s just going to take a little time, patience and perseverance.

The hardest part is starting…

Here are a few tips to help you organize your home before losing it!

If you make the storage options decorative and fun, it’s doesn’t seem as much like work.  For example, if you want the kids to pick up their dirty laundry and put it in the hamper, put a basketball hoop over it.  See who can make the most baskets in the least amount of time.  That mound of socks and underwear will disappear in no time.

Under-the-bed storage boxes have been a staple of home organizing for years.  They have new ones that have hinges, wheels, and all kinds of improvements that make them easier to use.  They may seem expensive to buy enough for the whole family at once, but if you pick up one every couple weeks, or once a month, you’ll soon have all new storage for everyone. They are great for out of season clothes, toys or books.

Giving things away to charity not only helps someone else, but it helps you stay more organized by freeing up valuable space.

Even if your children don’t have to share a room, a bunk bed can be a great space saver.  The top bunk can not only be used as storage, but it can make a great homework area for an older sibling when there are toddlers around that won’t stay out of their things.  Use a thinner pad, instead of a mattress, some pillows, a lap desk, decent lighting, and you have a wonderful workspace.  It also keeps all the homework in one area, so it’s less likely to get lost or clutter up the dining room table.

In order for the house to stay organized, the whole family has to be involved.  If you are starting a new routine, be sure to explain the new rules to everyone, practice it for a few days, reminding everyone what needs done.  If you stay consistent, it won’t be long before your whole home is in order.

Organized Moms Time Saving Tips

Time is a precious commodity and those who learn to use their wisely will always be ahead of the game.  First the bad news, the one thing you can’t do is add more hours to your day.  No matter what, it’s just not going to happen.  The good news, you can do certain things to make every precious minute count and in turn leave you with more free time.

Plan ahead – Don’t go anywhere without a list.  Especially if you have the kids with you, you’re more likely to forget something without a list.  So, don’t go on your errand run or shopping trip without a list.  Also try to go shopping in the evenings when there are less people in the store.  Why waste an hour fighting the crowds when you can be done in 30 minutes.  Better yet, do your shopping online.

Meal Plan – Plan meals for the upcoming week and write your shopping list according to the meals.  Make sure you stick the meal plan on the fridge so you can know what foods need to be thawed daily, etc.  This will save you a lot of time and money.

Buy in Bulk – If you have the space plan ahead and buy things in bulk.  You’ll save money and precious time by not having to go to the supermarket so often.

Pay Your Bills Electronically – If you can do this then you should.  You will save a lot of time by not having to write out and mail checks.  If you really can’t or choose not to do this, then set up a work station and keep your checkbook, stamp, envelopes, pens close at hand.  You can also have a calendar with all your important dates and appointments written on there.  Go a step further and have an inbox for mail and papers that need to be files.  You’ll never waste time looking for these things again.

Don’t Let The Housework Pile Up – There’s nothing worse than spending your weekends cleaning.  If you do a little bit each day you won’t ever need to spend a whole day cleaning.  For example, do a load of laundry daily rather than letting it all pile up for Saturday, same thing with the vacuuming and other tasks.  Once the weekend comes around the house should be fairly organized.  You may just have to give the bathroom and kitchen a good clean, leaving you with plenty of time to enjoy your family.

Find a Place - Spend a little time organizing your house, the time spent doing this will save you a lot of time and hassle in return.  Have a set place for everything.  For example, have a place near the front door where you can hang your keys and purse.  Don’t forget items like umbrellas, hats, gloves and scarves for those rainy or cold days.  Set up storage for the kid’s toys or all magazines and books.

Anger can seem to be appropriate on occasions, but if a parent sinks into a continuing pattern of resentment and negativity toward a child’s lack of compliance, it could cause real damage to the child’s self-concept and well being. None of us wants that.

Nothing breeds unwillingness and apathy more than being made to feel accused and inadequate. Think of a time when you were made to feel that way. Did it make you want to improve at all? Of course, it did not.

Create an enthusiastic atmosphere with your kids. How do you do that? Have your kids excited about rewards they will receive if they clean up their rooms, keep the house tidy and do their chores. Let them know that they are appreciated and how a family is a co-operative unit for the wellbeing of everyone. Bring this across to them in a number of ways. They will feel loved and a valuable part of the family. Teach them to earn their place by being a contributing part of it.

Devise a point system that adds up to an allowance that allows the children spend their money the way they want to. They love this! This empowers them! If they want that trip to the roller rink or some other new possession that is really important to them, they know getting it will be a direct result of their efforts. This teaches them value for your efforts.

Be encouraging. Do not make them feel bad if they mess up, but when they do, absolutely, take the reward points away. Let them know there is always next time, and let them know they can do better, but do not sway in your position. It has to be as real as if they were going to a real job and being paid for their production. The rules agreed to have to be kept, no matter what and they have to know it’s firm but fair. It has to directly affect what they consider to be important to them and in how they are directly affected by it.

Those well-to-do families and their children have so much – perhaps too much! It’s all there without any effort on their parts, and they don’t have to earn a thing. They just take it all for granted. Make incentives that are particularly important to them and let them learn the lesson that participation equals real reward.

Tasks to earn rewards can alter, week by week, and with multiple kids the highest point winner can take the pick of the favorite chores and the lowest point winner gets the ones that are left over. Make it a realistic approach for each child according to age and ability to have their fair chance to win.

Do they have their own reasons and incentive to keep their bedrooms and the play areas clean? Talk it over with them; ask them for examples of how it could be more meaningful for them. Gently guide them to discover for themselves what reasons the clean room, etc. would serve their best needs.

If they wish to earn extra points to gain something special or to catch up if behind, make available extra chores above and beyond the call of duty. This will help them do that, such as taking over one of the parent’s tasks for a time or doing a special project for the home and family.

Rearing our children is a really tough job. Even miracles can occur with the right attitude, good communication and good systems! Bring up your child to respect you and to earn their way and you will have a naturally organized household.

Don’t be disheartened! There is a definite art to approaching the task of getting organized. For starters, let us take a look at why you should do it and what the clutter about you actually does to your decorating scheme.

Clutter interferes with your sense of tranquility and the energy flow in your home. Objects actually have a frequency of energy, and clutter will interfere with the smooth flow of energy in any surrounding space. This contributes to lethargy and procrastination. You feel weighed down.

Clutter also makes a space seem smaller and diminishes light. This can make you, your family and friends feel a little depressed.

If you experience stuffy nose, sneezing and coughing in your home, chances are you are breathing in a lot of accumulated dust. This just comes along with the unwanted clutter. Your well being will suffer because of the clutter.

Another problem clutter will cause is that it makes a person feel overwhelmed. With so much disorder and unnecessary items about, you will find it is difficult to be focused. Therefore, along with your energy, your spirit seems to sag. This is not a pretty picture!

These dilemmas are all good indications that it is time to dig in. These are good reasons to put your house in order and get your space organized.

A room that has good order to it is a happy place to live and enjoy. It smiles back at you. You have a place of tranquility and a means from which to focus. When your home is free of the clutter, you have the energy flow you desire. You feel that you have more vim and vinegar.

We should all take pride in our home. Our home should be our refuge away from the storms in life. Our home should be our castle. We should love to be in our home and we should want to entertain often.

As soon as you have a designated space for all of your items, you are better organized. This is the first step and the most important step.

That is the art of getting organized. After you have your entire home organized, you will have a work of art when you are done. With everything put in its assigned place, the area will be an environment that smiles back at you when you enter it. You will feel peace and joy. You will be proud!

Take the organizing plunge today. Do not put it off for one more moment in time. Your time is valuable to you. Use it wisely.

If you feel that you at a loss to help your daughter or son with their study habits, there is good news. There are tried and true strategies that will help!

1. Create a quiet study area. Start by determining where the best place is to study and do homework, and then set up a study environment. Be careful about where you decide your child will study because whatever the designated location chosen for the study base is, how a study “headquarters” is set up affects one’s ability to stay focused. Be sure to include a desk and accessories, various study aids, materials, a filing system in place for class materials, and good lighting.

2. Storage repositories are necessary to organize various school materials. These might include: subject accordion-type files or file folders that stand in a cardboard box or portable plastic file container; cardboard cubbyholes for paper supplies; cardboard or plastic shoe boxes in a drawer to stash supplies; tray baskets or bicycle baskets for paper. Use wall shelves, under the bed storage containers, and hanging space on the inside of cupboard and closet doors to create extra storage space.

3. Remove all distractions. Is the study area in a high-volume area? How often are there interruptions from people moving about? Is the television on? How about the telephone? Try to be free from disturbances and outside noise as best as possible.

4. Set up a disciplined homework routine. Determine when is the best time for studies. What is the time of day when they are at peak performance (mentally most alert)? Part of learning to manage time is to create a routine time of day for studying, at the same time every day.

Parents with Younger Kids:
5. Create an award chart. Devise a clever method to give children some incentive to do their schoolwork, by rewarding them for completing assignments and achieving good grades.

6. Use tools to motivate and encourage learning. If you can afford to, get a PC. Research shows that children who master computers will learn faster. There are many fun learning software programs that will stimulate your child’s mind to learn.

7. Make reading fun. Set up “reading time” together to help develop reading habits in your children. Do this often enough and this will become a good habit.

For the older students:

8. Create a school bulletin board. Draw up a vertical calendar chart on a magnetic and erasable board, just like the ready-made charts for professionals that are available in a variety of formats. This board will break down assignments into component parts with specific tasks involved in the school project. This method will teach your children to plan. Include time to study for exams on the board.

9. Maintain a daily schedule. Establish daily schedule forms to delegate the amount of time needed for the most important study priorities. Allow for blocks of time for study periods (i.e., math assignment, science paper). Include appointments, errands, and time off in each of your days, as well.

10. Prepare for good study conditions. Determine your best settings for study. Do you study best alone or with friends? With music or quietly? You might find it helpful to set up a study group to improve one’s studies.

11. Take good notes. Organize for class by taking careful notes and organizing them in notebook binders. Outlining a textbook or article helps distinguish the most important facts and points, helping to build up a good understanding of the subject.

12. Establish visuals from reading. A horizontal or vertical timeline will help visualize the chronology and remember the relationship of essential world events. Build a concept tree to help make notes more memorable and present a visual representation of the relationship among several essential facts.

13. Build an indexing system. Design a note card system. This will cut the time it takes to research and organize your term paper. Establish a list of resources by category (magazine articles, encyclopedias, books, newspapers, etc.)