Kitchen Organizing Tip – How do I know what to keep…

Not sure what to keep in the kitchen utensil drawer? Here’s a great tip I learned from professional organizer, Peter Walsh.

Get a box a box or a container and empty all of the drawer’s contents into the box or container. Keep the box , now filled with the kitchen drawer items, on the counter near the drawer for easy access .When you need a utensil , take it out of the box and use it. When you are finished, place the item back in the original drawer it came from. Leave the box on the counter for a month. After a months time, if there are any items left in the box, you know they are not used.

The best part about this project is you don’t have to agonize over any decisions, the utensils will speak for themselves. Now all you have to do is close up the box and take it to Goodwill or favorite donation spot!

Photo Attribute: fifty100.com

A Quick Tip to Avoid a Costly Organizing Mistake!

Mistake:
Decide to get organized and run out and buy organizing products!

Why this is a Mistake…
Deciding to get organized is fantastic! The problem is purchasing without purging first!

The first step to getting organized in a space is determining what you have. After you have all of the contents laid out and sorted you can decide what to keep, and finally, what to pass on or discard. If we purchase a storage solution before we know what we are storing, we run the risk of adding more clutter. I have seen many cases where the main source or clutter is actually unused storage containers never put to good use! When we go to stores such as The Container Store, there are so many organized beautiful displays we may be tempted to purchase. My advice is always the same, find out what you need to store before you purchase a solution to store it. 

You will be happily surprised at how easy it is to create the perfect solution once you know what you are looking to store!

Start the year off right and tackle the paper that is coming into your home!

It’s much easier than you think to set up a mail sorting center! Start with a little detective work… where does the mail and paper clutter gravitate to when it enters your home? This area may be the kitchen table, entry table, family room couch or simply a pile on a desk or counter. Setting up your mail center near this area, will naturally be very successful because the mail is already arriving there.

Create a simple filing system to sort the mail immediately as it comes in the door so it doesn’t get stacked up and moved around the home. This way you will only touch the mail once and it will be sorted and ready for you to read.

Depending on who lives in your home and their ages, your paper clutter will be a little different. If you have school age children in your home you will need a system that sorts permission slips, report cards and art work etc. In addition; most of us will need to sort junk mail, bills, catalogs, newspapers, business offers and coupons. Keep in mind your personal organizing style when creating your system. An easy to use system is crucial to the success of your organizing efforts.

When planning your center have some fun! Add your favorite color folders or a baskets that you love to look at. Remember the better it feels to you the more chance you will have using it!
Photo Attribute: housetohome.co.uk

We love to label…When everything has a place, it is easy to put things back where they came from!
The time spent sorting and organizing will be well worth it when you reclaim your garage as an organized space to store things you really need. When you need to grab baseball equipment for the kids you’ll know right where it is. When it’s time for holiday decorating you can focus on being creative instead of stressing over lost or damaged decorations and lights. And you will really enjoy parking your car in a clean, dry garage!

Do you find yourself forgetting that you have certain items because they are hiding somewhere deep in your closet? Many of us wear 20% of our clothing 80% of the time. By keeping only what you truly love and organizing like items together; you can easily double your wardrobe without spending a dime!