Misc.

As the name of my website suggests, I’m all about keeping things as SIMPLE as possible — especially when it comes to getting organized.

Getting {and staying} organized might not be “easy” but it IS relatively “simple”. However if you are still feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, head on over to MoneySavingMom.com to read my SIMPLE tips to get more organized!

What is your biggest organizational challenge?

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One of the most frequently asked questions I get from frustrated readers and clients is…

“How can I STAY organized?”

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And although I could give you lots of tips and suggestions for different ways to stay organized, my simple sollution is to practice daily maintenance.

You wouldn’t expect to stay full for weeks at a time by just eating one meal, and you wouldn’t expect to stay clean forever after only taking one shower. So WHY do we all get so frustrated when our homes /closets /kitchens etc. get disorganized after we organize them one time??

Just like we should eat and shower daily, we should also do a few simple things each day to maintain order in our homes and our lives.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

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Purge one thing:

After Christmas, I talked about my need to purge a few more things after taking in so much extra “stuff” during the holidays. If you are still feeling a little “stuffed” and cramped after all that holiday shopping, purge just ONE thing today. I know it won’t make a huge difference right now, but think if you purged one thing each day.

Do 15 minutes a day:

Set your timer for 15 minutes at some point in the day {maybe when kids are napping or at school} and do whatever you can to pick up, organize, declutter, etc. I promise those minutes will really add up over the course of a week or a month!

Use a Basket:

I like to quickly walk around the main living areas of my house and put anything that doesn’t belong in a basket. Then if I have time, I’ll deliver the contents to their appropriate homes, or wait until I have a spare moment and do it then. I also use baskets as a place to put items we no longer need, use, or want. Then when the baskets are full, we take the contents to a local donation center.

Implement the One-In, One-Out Policy:

You can’t change the past, but from here on out, implement the One-In, One-Out policy for dealing with clutter. For example, if you want to buy a new shirt, then make sure you are willing to get rid of an old shirt before you put the new shirt in your closet. If you want to buy a new toaster, then get rid of the old toaster first. It’s an extremely simple concept that will make a huge difference in the amount of clutter that accumulates in and around your home.

Get your Family Involved:

You don’t have to be the only one who does the dirty work. Get your family involved by giving them specific {yet reasonable} organizing request. I know this can be challenging if you live with a messy spouse, but if getting and STAYING organized is really important you, then you should talk with your family members {especially your spouse} and tell them specifically what you would like them to do to help you stay organized.

Model “Good Behavior”:

I’m not naive… I know that it can be REALLY difficult to get your family on board with your organizing goals and requests. However, it will be impossible to get them on board if you don’t first model good behavior for them. Don’t leave your dirty dishes in the sink, don’t leave your clothes lying all over the bedroom, don’t leave stacks of unopened mail on the counters — if you do these things, it give them permission to do them too!

Use Incentives:

Incentives work wonders for kids… but they work for adults too! Set specific organizing goals for yourself and then reward yourself when you accomplish those goals.

For example, you might have a goal to do 15 minutes of decluttering every night before you go to bed. If you accomplish that each day for a week, then reward yourself with a night off from cooking or a coffee date with a friend. Another idea might be to reward yourself with a {small} shopping trip for purging a specific number of items from your closet.

These ideas won’t be a perfect solution for everyone, but simply doing SOMETHING every day will help you STAY organized. It’s also just a really good habit to get into {and a really great lesson to teach your children}.

How do you STAY organized?

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Several weeks ago, I shared a bunch of tips to get organized BEFORE the holiday season; however if you’re like most people {including myself} — you probably got busy or procrastinated and are now frantically shopping for last-minute gifts, making food for all your holiday parties, getting your holiday cards in the mail, and clearing the clutter from your home!

Sound familiar?

If so, here are a few tips to get you through the next two weeks.

1. Give Gift Cards.

There is nothing wrong with giving gift cards — even if they are your last-minute, oh-crap-I-forgot-about-that-person gift! Here are a few creative ways to give your gift cards.

2. Use Simple “No-Wrap” Gift Wrap.

If you still have to wrap a bunch of gifts, try using some of these “no-wrap” ideas — or simply use newspaper with fun ribbons or cute tags.

3. Make Semi-Homemade Food.

I honestly do enjoy baking and cooking, but when I get really busy {like around the holidays with a newborn crying in the background} I almost always head to my pantry and pull out a few boxed mixes. There are a bunch of different ways you can make them look more “homemade” — like my Monster Brownies, Angel Food Cake, and Pecan Lemon Bars.

Oh, and I’ll be sharing a few more semi-homemade recipe ideas later this week!

4. Go Easy on the Decorations.

I love decorating my house for Christmas — but if I hadn’t done it before Nora was born, my house would NOT be super festive. Holiday decor is just not something I’m willing to stress myself out about — or spend lots of time/money on.

If you’re running short on time, simply light a few festive candles and put out a bunch of delicious food… I guarantee your guests won’t miss the decorations!

5. Skip Holiday Cards.

If you still haven’t sent out your holiday cards, it might be time to start typing out a holiday email instead. If you don’t want to do email, you could always send out a New Year card or even wait until summer and send out a “Christmas in July” card — or something else creative!

6. Don’t Worry About Deep Cleaning.

Believe it or not, I almost NEVER do any sort of “deep cleaning” before the holidays. Yes, my house is almost always clean and clutter-free, but I save my deep cleaning for AFTER the holidays — after the parties are over, after the food is spilled, after the guests leave, and after my decorations are put away.

For me, there’s just no point in having my house super clean before holiday parties because it’s just going to get dirty again. So instead, I simply do my regular weekly cleaning now, and then save the heavier deep cleaning for January when I have more time.

There are only SIX days until Christmas, so if your to-do list is still a mile long, consider taking some of these short cuts and using your extra time to actually enjoy this time of year with family and friends

What are your best tips to “declutter” the holiday season?

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source: alexkerhead

I hate wasting time!

So I’m always on the lookout for quick organizing projects to tackle when I have a few extra minutes here and there. I’ve even started timing some of my daily tasks, and found that I could accomplish many of them in 10 minutes or less!

After thinking about these 10-minute tasks, I realized that by completing one every day for a year, I would tally up over 60 hours of organizing — pretty impressive!

So what can YOU accomplish in just 10 minutes a day?

Lots of stuff!

Head on over to the AboutOne Blog to read 22 simple ways you can get more organized in 10 minutes or less!

And I know you have at least 10 minutes!

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We’re moving on Monday {as in TOMORROW} so you can just about imagine what our house looks like right now.

Well, if you can’t imagine, here are a few visuals!

This is, BY FAR, the most cluttered our house has ever been…and I’m OK with that!

I knew things were going to be “cluttery”, I knew I wouldn’t be able to decorate for Christmas, and I knew that moving in December would be cold!

But I also KNEW that I wouldn’t care!

We’re moving to our dream house and that’s WAY more important than a little bit of clutter, inconvenience, or cold weather!

And while we are certainly taking A LOT of stuff with us…we are also leave several important things behind to assure the new home owners have a “simple, organized transition” into THEIR new home.

Here’s what we’re leaving behind:

• a clean house (I’m coming back next week to clean up)
• all appliances — even the newer ones
• all light fixtures (except the chandelier in our guest bedroom — but I replaced it with a standard light)
• all blinds, curtains, and curtain rods (except the set of curtains in our bedroom — I made them!)
• a folder with all the manuals, warranties, and instructions for the appliances
• a folder with the records for all construction projects and renovations we did on the home
• a plastic bag with the tags from plants we planted around the yard (just in case they need to know!)
• a folder with any other paperwork for our home and property
• all exterior & interior paint – labeled by room and/or location
• all the cabinets, peg board, shelving, and workbench in our shed — sniff!
• a bunch of yard tools and equipment we won’t need
• all keys and garage door openers
• all phone numbers for utility companies so they can switch them over to their names
• a fun bouquet of flowers to welcome the new homeowners!

I know how stressful and crazy it was when we purchased our first home (a month before our wedding and a week before my college graduation!) So I wanted to do everything I could to help these first-time home buyers make an easy transition.

Hopefully they will appreciate my organization!!

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With Thanksgiving Day just a few hours away, I assume we’ve all been quietly reminiscing on all the blessings in our lives, right?

Not you?

Oh, you’ve been too busy thinking about the HUGE list of things you have to do before tomorrow…don’t worry, I’m guilty too!

However, I’d like to challenge us all to GIVE THANKS today. And not only for the good things in our lives.

Give Thanks…

…for dirty dishes. They’re proof of a home-cooked meal.

…for dirty piles laundry. They’re proof of a family you love and care for.

…for dirty diapers. They’re proof a precious little baby.

Give Thanks…

…for the clutter in your home. It means your home is lived-in, used, loved, and comfortable.

…for sticky fingerprints on your windows and doors. It means you have children playing {or a messy husband!}

…for dust, dirt, and grime. It probably means you’ve been enjoying your life instead of cleaning, right?!

Give Thanks…

…for utility bills and mortgage payments. At least you’ll have a warm, cozy home all year long.

…for the mountain of gifts you have to buy. At least you have loved-ones to buy for.

…for any debt you have. At the very least, you’ll learn from your choices, and hopefully grow in the process.

Give Thanks…

…for the long lines at the store. They signify great deals!

…for blustery winter days. They signify Spring is coming.

…for the business of this holiday season. It signifies family, friends, food, faith, fellowship, and more!

Sometimes that evidence looks like clutter {OK, a lot of times}, but sometimes it looks like a reason to be thankful for the abundance in our life. So before you start attacking every mess, grouching at your kids or spouse, and forgetting the reason behind the holiday season, look around and consider…

Is all that surrounds you clutter—or abundance?

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In an effort to keep things REALLY simple today, I’ve listed Top Ten Simple Tips to Staying Organized.

All of these “tips” should be pretty self explanatory…and if you really think about it, each task would only take you a minute or two to complete. However, if you let them all pile up for days or even weeks at a time, they become an overwhelming burdon.

Oh, and I’ve even included this fun printable that you can download and print for free!!

So, as the holiday season approaches and your life gets just a little MORE hectic; put  these 10 tips in a prominate location around your home {bathroom mirror, refrigerator, back door, bed-side table} and remind yourself that a few minutes spent NOW will reduce lots of time, energy, and stress later.

After all, Christmas is only 47 days away!

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