• Use empty suitcases to store out of season clothing or bedding. Use locking suitcases to store things you don’t want your children to find.
• No office? File household papers in a rolling file drawer, store it in a closet and take it out as you need it.
• When a file reaches one inch in thickness, split it into two files.
• Set up a mail station near the entryway where the mail comes into the home. Add baskets for bills, items to read, items to file and include a letter opener, shredder and a recycle can.
• Use craft paper or wrapping paper that is a single color for birthdays and other special occasions so that you won’t have serveral rolls of paper to store for every occassion. Use colorful ribbon to dress up your packages.
• Store scissors, tape and name tags with your wrapping paper so all your supplies are in one place when it’s time to wrap a present.
• When storing items in containers be sure to lable all sides of the container as well as the top.
• An old chest of drawers works well as a storage unit in a garage or basement.
• Create a lunch packing station. Keep thermoses, baggies, brown bags, plastic containers all in one area for easy and effortless packing.
• Store all water bottles and travel coffee mugs in a plastic basket for easy storage and retrieval.
• An old chest of drawers is great for storing wrapping supplies. One drawer for paper, one for ribbons, bows, tape and scissors and one for bags and boxes.
• Try using plastic baskets or containers in your freezer to keep food sorted and easy to find.
• Put a Lazy Susan in your refrigerator to store condiments.
• A hanging shoe bag is perfect for storing cleaning supplies, scarves, craft items or tools.
• Use space bags to store out of season blankets and pillows.
• Consider creating a mail station to prevent the pile up of mail on the kitchen table or counters.
• Reduce the possibility of forgetting your left overs by designating an area of the refrigerator as the left over section.
• Paint the inside or outside of a cabinet with chalkboard or magnetic paint to use as a message board.
• Build good habits early by lowering clothing rods and coats hooks so that children can easily hang their own clothes and backpacks.
• Schedule a time weekly to sort through photos until you are up to date. Wait until photos are sorted before you buy photo albums.
• Use a clean large pizza box to store children’s artwork. The box can be stored under the bed.
• Laminate children’s artwork to use as placemats for yourself or as gifts for family members.
• Designate one wall as a rotating gallery for your children’s art work. Display for a few weeks then rotate.
• Try not to multitask. Take the time to actually sit down in the morning to have breakfast with your children.
• Can’t decide where to start de-cluttering? Pick one spot that bothers you the most and focus on it until you are done.
• Clutter is often a postponed decision. Get in the habit of making decisions about where your items should live.
• For instant gratification attack visible cutter first. It will give immediate gratification and the incentive to tackle the unseen jobs.
• Only have things in your home that you use or love.
• Use a laundry basket to quickly de-clutter the house before you clean. You can carry the basket from room to room to easily put away items.
• Organize kid’s toys in clear bins so they can easily see what they have.
• If you have a lot of vitamins/supplements, store them in bins according to the frequency of use. Put frequently used bins on lower shelves.
• Clutter is not who you are, it’s only what you have.
• Spend some time everyday to de-clutter your mind and spirit.
• When letting go of items in your life think of it as “passing your wealth forward”. There is always someone who needs it more than you do.
• Learn to say “no thanks” to things you don’t want or need. Do not physically touch the item; it will be harder to say no.
• Never accept something form someone unless you can use it immediately. Someone else’s junk can quickly become your junk.
• If you find yourself thinking, ”I might need this someday”, ask yourself if it’s really worth saving.
• When you file something in a folder, see if there is something in that folder that can be thrown out.
• Once a year purge folders and papers from your filing cabinet.
• Recycling one copy of a medium sized daily paper everyday saves 5 trees.
• Keep a storage bin near the back door to store paper plates, barbecue utensils, citronella candles, etc to make outdoor entertaining easier.
• Pre-pack your favorite overnight bag or suitcase with standard travel items like an alarm clock and travel size toiletries.
• Doing the housework yourself is not doing the kids any favors. Helping you will teach them how to clean and build good habits for the future.
• Instead of cleaning the whole house at once, clean one room or do one chore like dusting or vacuuming each day.
• Put an old golf bag to work as a gardening tool caddy.