Name that Room!

Let's talk about multi-purpose rooms -- those in our home that serve two or more functions. A problem with a combination room -- guest room/office/craft room/exercise room/whatever -- is that what the room is becomes so muddied. It becomes a little bit of everything but nothing of one thing, and as a result, the room is no longer ideal for any one function.

Let's say you have a formal dining room. Since there are only two of you and you hardly have others over for dinner, the dining room table is often used for crafts and sewing. Your craft stuff is strewn around or tucked in a corner amongst typical dining room items. It is not the perfect dining area as it looks and it is not the perfect sewing/craft room as it is set up.

Here's another example: you use the spare room on the main floor for both a home office and guest bedroom. To accommodate guests, you have a bed in the room. Even though you want to be able to have a guest sleep there, you might only have company stay over 5 times a year. Let's say you do home-office-type work in that room almost every day, Mon -Fri. This means you use the room as a home office approx. 260 days versus 5 days as a guest room; mathematically, the use as a home office is close to 75% and as a guest room around 2%.

In the case of the dining room: why not convert to a craft room and spruce up the kitchen table if you ever have company over for dinner? Store the china and other dining room items somewhere convenient but not out in the open. In the case of the guest room/office: why should the bed be in the room all the time? Is there another solution -- something you could set up when the occasion arises? Why not focus on the main function and serve that?

Consider if this applies to any rooms in your house. Some food for thought...

Christmas Organizing Tips

Unless you're Martha Stewart with a huge staff to help you with Christmas festivities, I suggest keeping things simple and organized. On some years, I don't put everything out -- if I feel like going all out for home-baked Christmas cookies or doing the outdoor lights, great -- but sometimes not. No use stressing over it.

If you do want to tackle it all, then here are some tips you can try, to stay organized and avoid saying 'Bah Humbug'.

Plan: make a 3-ring Holiday Planner binder (or be sure you've addressed each of these separately or using your own system), including:

• a "Greeting Card List", both who to send to and/or who sent you cards
• favorite holiday dishes under "Recipes" and for planning any holiday parties or get-togethers
• lists of guests and supplies for any parties you're hosting
• shopping lists for gift recipients
• a calendar showing important dates for the season

Shop:

• shop online whenever possible; take advantage of free shipping and other discounts
• buy presents for out-of-town friends and relatives first; wrap and ship them early to avoid paying high shipping charges
• start buying as early as you think of things -- this lengthens the buying season so that your expenses are stretched out over a longer period. It also makes you less crazed as Dec. 25 approaches

Wrap:

• keep all of your gift-giving supplies in one place, including scissors, tape, and a pen
• keep all gifts in large storage tubs (for easy toting) near the wrap/supplies
• gift bags make things a lot quicker and easier
• spend a bit of time each day or every few days wrapping; avoid marathon sessions
• if you get interrupted or have to stop, put items back in storage tubs and keep together out of sight
• put name tags on finished gift-wrapped items back in bin; when all items are wrapped, tub will contain all the gifts and Santa can carry it all at once
• keep stocking stuffers in labeled shopping bags (separated by person) so they're ready to placed into stocking
  

Decorate:

• label storage bins according to rooms items are placed in, outdoor and/or contents (i.e. music, wrapping, tree decor). I have a Christmas bin that just stores holiday dishes and linens (kitchen towels, runners, etc.). Since it is labeled as such, I don't have to pull it out as early as I do the bin with the Christmas cards or music because I access them sooner in the month.
• store notes, labels or other reminders with your holiday decorations to remember how you had things laid out, such as "goes in centerpiece" or "for mantel"
  

I'll have some other tips and ideas for de-Christmasing and Christmas item storage in the weeks ahead, too. Happy Holidays!!

Managing Kids' Papers, Artwork & Projects

One of the most popular topics I get asked about in organizing classes or by clients is managing kids’ artwork and school papers. Like rabbits, papers seem to multiply in backpacks and clutter up homes. As a teacher, I can agree; as a mother; I can empathize; and as an organizer, I can offer some tips. Setting up a routine will help control clutter of this type.

• Determine where school papers, artwork, and other items from children will go once it comes home.


• Empty out backpacks and folders daily.


• Don’t let the kitchen become a dumping ground. Your precious counter space is not the ideal “filing” spot!
  
• If you can’t get to the papers right away, establish an in-box deep enough to hold items until you can get to them, and make it a priority to review it frequently.
  
• Next, sort through the papers and artwork using a 2-pronged decision-making method: either keep or toss. Although it might be hard for you to toss things for that first child going to school, imagine the amount of things you’ll have to deal with for each year of school (preschool through 12th grade) times the number of children you have.
  
• Pick representative pieces to keep – i.e. one math, one language arts, one artwork (be sure to write date on).
  
• Once you gather the keep items, sort through again where the two options are keep for you or share with others. In other words, the items are special enough to save but some can be given to other family members or friends.
  

What to do with the papers and artwork you keep?

• You can have a “holding tank” container (i.e. under-the-bed clear one), one per child. Put items that are worthy of keeping in the container and then at end of a school year, go through the container again to decide if you really want it long-term.


• Use photo albums and scrapbooks to save special items for posterity.


• Put up a clothesline and clip artwork up on it.


• A bulletin board is good as long as the items pinned there are rotated regularly so it doesn't become useless. Once the board’s full, no more art.
  

What about things you want to keep but are too bulky, large or awkward to save?

• Use the computer to scan artwork or take photos of artwork or 3-dimensional projects using a digital camera.


• Put printouts and photos in scrapbooks or albums. That way, the artwork can be tossed but you still have a record of them. (p.s. this method also works well when you or your child doesn’t want to part with a set of toys or a collection – take a photo of the owner with his/her special things, then donate/toss the items).
  

How about the things to share with others?

• You can turn your children’s artwork into cards, wrapping paper or decoupage them onto surfaces. If you mount several seasonal pictures to a large piece of cardstock, you can laminate it to create placemats with easy cleanup and durability.


• Purchase inexpensive calendars and glue your child's artwork to the generic picture. Matching seasonal pictures with the appropriate month makes a great gift for grandparents and uses up 12 pictures quickly and creatively (think Christmas gifts for out-of-town relatives!)

Countdown to Christmas!

Ok, so I've officially begun the countdown. I have taken down the Thanksgiving decor, put up the Christmas decorations inside, and just have the outdoor ones to do (with my husband's help). It definitely helps to make the mood merry and festive. My neighbors already have their wreaths up, so I better get crackin'!

Feelings We Have Throwing/Giving Something Away

Often the most difficult phase of decluttering and organizing is the purge -- fighting the inner dialogue of clients as I ask the tough questions. Sometimes people don't want to get rid of an item because they face feelings of guilt, doubt, worry and procrastination. Can you relate?

Guilt – "I spent a lot of money on this". Or "it was a gift". This happens a lot with items that family members and friends give to us. >> Keep something because it is useful and you love it and want it, not just because it was a gift. Otherwise the item takes on a power of its own and you may attach a negative image to it.

Doubt – "I am not sure if that was the right thing to do – maybe I’ll need it again". "What if (insert a gazillion scenarios here) and they blame me for throwing it out?" "How do I know I won’t need it?" "What if it was worth something?" The nagging "what if" prevents us from going forward. >> I often say "when in doubt, throw it out" but that might be too scary for you. Nothing is guaranteed in this world but once you can give reasons you don't need to hold on to something, trust yourself and stick to your decision.

Worry – "Am I going to need that?" "Can I find another one?" "What if so-and-so asks for it?" "Did I make a mistake? I am afraid I'm going to make the wrong decision or regret it." To avoid this worry, we keep the status quo. >> Trust me, between online access, stores, and the commercial world we live in, much of what we want, we can get (again). Worry just robs you of the peace and levity you gain from lightening your household of clutter. Think about the benefit of more space and clarity now versus the possibility of you regretting the loss in the future.


Procrastination -- "I don't want to deal with this now. I will handle it later." You might also fall under the "someday" syndrome where you plan to take care of something. >> If you avoid the decision now, you are still going to have to make it later. You don't make progress when you procrastinate. Furthermore, things pile up and become more overwhelming later. Be realistic with your "someday" things. Be ruthless with your future plans -- if it is worth doing, do it now or soon!

Coupons for Online Purchases

Here's a tip that I frequently take advantage of -- the myriad of websites that offer coupon, promotional or discount codes that you can enter in to online merchants for your purchases.

WHAT? Sometimes when you order online, the website asks if you have a promotional or discount code. Or you'll see a string of text you have to input when ordering, as shown on the catalog. Well, savvy website creators have helped consumers out by listing hundreds of stores and their current offers in the form of these codes. Most codes have a condition and an expiration date that you have to be aware of (just like paper coupons). It might be money or a percentage off an order of $X or free shipping.

WHERE? If you even type in "online coupon" or something similar to a search engine, you'll get a bunch of results for websites. Here's a few that I have used: Coupon Code.com, Coupon Cabin, and Coupon Shack. You will definitely see overlapping codes, but sometimes I will find one on one website that I didn't find on 2 others.

HOW? I literally copy and paste the text of the code (i.e. SAVE15) into the appropriate spot when checking out. Yesterday I saved $12 off my order at Oriental Trading Company by finding a code. I was ordering from them anyway, and before I did the final checkout, I looked online to see if by any chance there was a way to save some money.

THOUGHTS...if you are going to be doing online ordering anyway, this is a great way to get bonus savings. Think of it this way: choose your items, then go all the steps of the checkout until you get to a page with a place to fill in a promotional code. Temporarily stray away from checkout to look online, see if there are any discounts available, then enter the code. If you don't find any, no loss but at least you tried.

What you don't want to get in the habit of doing is finding codes first, then shopping simply because you have a coupon. It is the same issue with hard-copy coupons.

Give it a try!

Holiday Travel...To Grandmother's House We Go!

With the holidays coming soon, some of you may be doing some traveling to get to your celebration destination. We are lucky that we just drive to the Cape (that's Cape Cod for you outside of New England). I found a helpful website to share that has a bunch of tips for organized traveling.

Check out a few of mine, then see the link "Travel Tips" at the bottom of this post.

• clean out the car before your trip to make extra room and provide a nice, clean environment to start out in


• have plenty of the obvious family pleasers (i.e. kids): snacks, drinks, games, books and car-friendly activities. If you have a DVD player, be sure to stock up a few extra movies in the car.


• use a visor and/or console organizer to hold pens, paper, sunglasses, loose change, cell phone, & other smaller gadgets so everything’s at your fingertips


• try pocketed organizers that hang on the back of the seat to hold maps, brochures, product literature, umbrellas, business cards & snacks
  


• plan out the trip if it is long -- when you'll stop, who's driving, where you can take bathroom breaks. Tell kids about the pertinent info. so they're "in the know" (and possibly will reduce the number of questions along the way!).



• keep a small plastic shopping bag to act as a trash collector during the trip
  


• get gas preferably nearby so you're not spending tons at a rest area/side of the highway station.


• Other Travel Tips -- bon voyage!

Sharing Savings...

Home Staging Primer

Anyone out there a fan of the flipping houses TV shows like Property Ladder or Flip This House? If not, 'flipping' refers to a house & property purchase, remodel then quick-as-possible reselling at (hopefully) a large profit.

One of the reasons I like to watch the shows is to see how amateur flippers operate their remodel and how they botch the job! While the main goal is to fix the house as quickly as possible so as to keep mortgage payments at a minimum, the people on the show that are new to the industry seem to forget the goal of reselling it. They forget that they themselves are not going to live there; the remodel should attract the largest group of possible buyers.

How does this relate to organizing? Well, one area that many professional organizers work in is home staging (included myself) -- "part decorating, part marketing, part psychology, staging highlights your home's best features while downplaying any weaknesses, and helps buyers envision how wonderful it would be to live there" [Complete Idiot's Guide to Home Staging]. It involves the decluttering, space planning, repair work and decor before you list your house on the market.

In staging, you make the house attractive to others -- you are not choosing the layout or color scheme that you want, but that others would want. Some of the basic principles include: using neutral colors; ridding home of personal items such as photos; and, removing furniture and/or accessories to simplify and add space visually.

The added benefit to this decluttering process of staging is that when your house does sell, it is a lot easier to pack up and get ready for a move! Make your home an "orderly manor"!

If you have read my posts before, you know one of my interests and pet peeves is time management. So when something about the topic catches my eye, I like to share it.

Recently I was reading up on the subject and found a common-sense 'article' at OnlineOrganizing.com. The author suggested (and I SO agree!!) it's not time management -- it's self management. She states that "you can't control time and you certainly can't manage it"; "you get just as much time as anyone else"; "you can only control yourself and what you do with that time"; and that "it's all about the daily choices you make". The key words there are yourself and choices.

If you have the time to read more (hee hee), check out the full article here.

Using Under-the-Bed Storage

Here's one of my fave organizing products -- a clear/opaque under-the-bed box. They are great for using the underutilized space below your bed, and the newer boxes are easier with wheels and/or lids that can open on one side.

The main benefit is that you use space you normally might not! These boxes are great for:

• the bed linens for that bed -- sheet sets, extra blankets, etc.


• storing kids' artwork and memorabilia (one per child, with label on outside)


• out-of-season clothes and footwear


• purses, handbags and/or occasion bags


• duffel, travel or extra makeup bags
• or anything that you normally store in the bedroom because you use it there

You can opt to get the bed risers to 'lift' your bed up and create more space if needed. Our king-size bed doesn't require them for the under-bed boxes to still fit and move easily, but my daughter's twin bed did need the risers. You can see from the example photo (not her room BTW) how much room is gained. TIP: measure the allowable space from the floor to the lowest point underneath the bed (some frames have rails that go lower than the rest of the bed) and have that information before you go shopping.

Another option is under-the-bed bags and organizers for shoes.

Woe is Me...

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm often ahead of myself. Like I have already written out my Thanksgiving cards, have most of my Christmas presents bought and waiting for wrapping, and have planned out each day of our January Disney trip. Yes, it's early November but I like being ahead of the game.

It can be hard being a planner in a world where not everyone or everything plans. My cousin is getting married in May 2008 and I am already pressing her for details so that I can book the trip. I guess I'll have to wait. I starting designing my family Christmas photo card but need to wait before I order it -- I wanted to include a Thanksgiving pic so have to wait until the 22nd. I have a few perishable gift items I know I want to get for Christmas, but if I get them too early, they probably won't make the freshest or yummiest gifts after sitting for 2 mos. Lastly, our Thanksgiving decorations are up now (day after Halloween) so my kids think it is tomorrow.

So for those of you that procrastinate or forget things, don't feel too badly; there's frustration on the other end of the spectrum, too!

Just What We Need, More Holidays...

You probably don't need to mark your calendar for these holidays, but I thought they were funny and wanted to share! I can't believe someone takes the time to make these "official days", "weeks" or "months". Is Hallmark behind this??!?!?

Holidays for November...(from OnlineOrganizing.com)
America Recycles Day - November 15th: how much of that "get rid of" pile can go in the recycle bin?
Pursuit Of Happiness Week - The Second Week In November: what would make you happy this month?
Clean Out Your Refrigerator Month - November: if it's green, hairy, or dried up, it's out of here
Buy Nothing Day - The Fourth Friday In November: avoid the shopping frenzy and spend a quiet day instead
Addictions Month - November: does an addictive behavior keep you from being organized?

Looking forward to "Make Up Your Mind Day" in December and "Clean Up Your Desk Day" in January (yes, real holidays). Should I send out cards?

Options for Unwanted Clothing

When doing all the purging and regular organizing of your closets that I know you do, you may wonder what to do with all the stuff you don’t want. Specifically, what do you do with all the clothes that are out of style, don’t fit, or are no longer needed? Here are some options for getting unwanted clothing items out of your home:

• Give to friends/family/co-workers. This may or may not be a viable option for you. Some of the drawbacks include them returning the clothes back to you, not wanting them and thus being stuck getting rid of them, and the delay it may take you to get the items to them. Certainly it is a thoughtful gesture, but you may want to think about dumping your unwanted items on friends or family.
  
• Donate to charity. You either bring your unwanted (but clean and resalable) clothing to a donation drop-off center or a company truck will pick up your donations. You get rid of the clothing and receive a tax deduction. Be sure to save the receipt and write down or keep accurate information for documentation purposes. Examples of charities that collect clothing are Salvation Army, Big Brother Big Sister, Goodwill and Veterans. You can also deposit them at stand-alone receptacles on the side of the road but since they are unmanned bins, you don’t get a receipt back.


• Have a garage sale. This option involves some time and work on your part. If you have a lot of other items that you’ve set aside to get rid of, like appliances, household goods, and toys, you have the opportunity to make some money. Clothing doesn’t show as well as other yard sale items, however, so this may not prove the most reliable method. Whatever doesn’t sell can be given to a charity.


• Bring to resale stores. Your clothing is bought outright, and you receive cash on the spot. Most resale shops don’t wash the clothes they sell, so bring yours in clean and saleable condition for that current season. Once the store buys your clothing and hands over the cash, you’re done. Some locations will give you the option of store credit in lieu of cash. If your clothing is not the type that resells well or is not in season, then this is not an option.
  
• Bring to a consignment store. At most consignment stores, you need to make an appointment to bring in your clothes. The buyer will decide what’s acceptable and how much it should sell for. Normally you need to bring in clothes that are for that current season. If one of your pieces sells, you’ll usually receive 40 to 60 percent of the selling price. Obviously this can be a hit-or-miss option.


• List on eBay or do online selling. This method has its pros and cons depending on the types of clothing, brand, style, etc. Some clothing does well with online selling. It helps to do some research first to see what sells and what doesn’t. Often the sale price is hardly worth what you paid to list the item and ship it. Generally “lots” of items sell well. Again, this is not a sure source of money or for getting rid of your unwanted clothing. At the end of the process, you could have paid fees and the clothes are still at your house.
  

Ultimately you have got to be realistic with yourself -- what will you be most likely to actually do and complete within a reasonable timeframe? If none of the options listed above seems like something you'll accomplish, better to toss the clothes into a trashbag and get them out of the house. You can donate or make money another day.