Organizing

I have begun my yearly new years organizing tradition...im looking for some nice ideas to help cut down the clutter. I eliminated a storage container full of pencils, markers and pens. Neatly placed all of the hats, mittens and scarves in the container and I am happy with that. Ive seen over the door shoe holders for various items other than shoes. Any ideas are appreciated!

Comments

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have been purging (sharing) some of my Christmas ornament collection with family members who have young children.

    Freeing up some room, I am reorganizing the rest of the Christmas stuff.

    I should confess that I am a person who LOVES organizing and rearranging things! Sorting things into piles or categories is, to me, the equivalent of meditation.

    Bins, shoe boxes and baskets make the most uniform storage.

    I recommend keeping boxes from new shoes as they keep the shoes dust free and have a handy picture or description on the end of the box so you know what is inside.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I started to clean out my books, purses and kitchen, now I just need to drop them off to different Charities. 😁

    I also got my herbal apothecary organized!

  • burekcrew86
    burekcrew86 Posts: 248 ✭✭✭

    I’m with you, as I have been decluttering, organizing, and simplifying a bit. I’ve been checking out some great ideas on Pinterest for organizing, storing, and displaying cast iron cookware. It’s basically a pallet wall with pipes and the cast iron hangs from the pipes with s-hooks. On top is a shelf to put your cast iron Dutch ovens. I’ll post a picture when we’re done. Can’t wait to implement this in our home.

  • herbantherapy
    herbantherapy Posts: 453 ✭✭✭✭

    I’m cleaning out my pantry! By design it is a very organized space....by life it has become a jumbled mess! Lol

    I have been prescribed a new diet and need to purge the pantry then donate unopened foods to our local food bank.

    Here are my top favorite organizing tips for the pantry. (Like @shllnzl I love to organize!)

    *use a multi-tier skirt/pants hanger with clips to hang bagged chips on the back of pantry door.

    *use wall wine holder to hold recycled glass water bottles and fill with dry goods.

    *baskets! Baskets for packets of all kinds (taco seasoning or probiotics or jello all come in packets). Deeper baskets for all related items; loose herbs, canning essentials, baking essentials, etc.

    *an old wooden crate Pepsi holder turned to hang on the wall holds my spices!

    Happy Organizing!

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Ongoing process. After moving into a smaller space, I'm purging my craft supplies, my books, holiday, and kitchen stuff. My sister and mom get dibs, then they sell what they can at their booth space at a thrift store, and donate the rest.

    It gets easier with practice, and I'm buying shelves and storage bins for my crafts, holiday, herbs, and my animal tracking stuff. I am blessed to have a nice walk-in closet to store these things.

    Order will soon be restored.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I am reorganizing the kitchen today. It will be a all day project!

  • lewis.mary.e
    lewis.mary.e Posts: 225 ✭✭✭

    I need to organize my pantry and the two closets in our house. I feel like I finally know where things are after almost 5 months in the new house, now it's time to sort things out and make it all efficient-like. LOL!

  • lewis.mary.e
    lewis.mary.e Posts: 225 ✭✭✭

    I did it, with help from my husband. :)


  • happy-trails
    happy-trails Posts: 170 ✭✭✭

    Nancy Carter - you mentioned over the door shoe holders and I have used these as a space saver and a huge help with organization! I'm thinking specifically of the fabric ones, that are very portable and compact when empty, but when expanded (like an accordion) there are several sections boxed off. Hopefully that makes sense... This is a great way to organize things like yarn... it's tidy and they are all visible, so you can get a visual and quick inventory on what you have, rather than wasting time digging through boxes and bins of a tangled mess!

    I have also decided to start ironing clothes when I am on a phone call or video call with my friends. That way I can be productive while talking, and since ironing is a mindless chore, it doesn't steal my attention away from the call. Then, I can use each of my 7 slots on the organizer for my outfits for the week... just throw in a blouse/sweater, skirt, socks, undies, etc. and then it's one less thing to think about every day, I can just grab the whole section, get dressed and go. No prep work, shuffling through the closet, no ironing, no extra wasted time!

    Something else I've been doing is eliminating the the clutter while making money from it- things I've acquired through the years, but don't really need or love. I started selling on eBay and I'm amazed at the extra cash I've made from things I was just getting rid of. A few years ago, I read the book titled "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo, and it was very inspiring and helpful for me. Due to some of her methods, I can now fit triple the volume of things in my dresser drawers!

  • karenjanicki
    karenjanicki Posts: 989 ✭✭✭✭

    I need to do some serious reorganization myself. I need to go through stuff and donate or toss what I don't use and organize everything better so I can locate stuff easier and more efficiently.

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I hate cleaning and organizing, so I keep putting it off.

    But I really like the end result, so it's worth it.

    I did some cleaning, organizing, and trashing in my basement project room, but it still needs some work. Maybe I can do some this weekend. We received at least 2 inches of snow overnight, and I expect we'll have at least 4 before it stops. It's a good day to stay home and do whatever.

  • dipat2005
    dipat2005 Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I found large plastic bin s with lids at one of the $ stores in the area. I cleaned off one of my tables by putting everything that didn't belong on the table into the bin. Now I am working on putting the items where they belong. I didn't have enough time to sort them out all over my floor which is what I usually do with my tax stuff.

  • DurwardPless
    DurwardPless Posts: 162 ✭✭✭

    All those things I had to buy and collect are the very things demanding my time fixing, sorting, and cleaning. It is so hard to get rid of things, yet I know people who can live out of a suitcase.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I finally got my herbal apothecary done, the top shelf are some of my Teas and the rest are herbs for making my own teas, for cooking and medicinal products. The cabinet is an antique bookcase that was in a storage unit that I kind of inherited and like most items in the storage unit is was missing parts in this case the door, so I cleaned it up and I am using it as an open storage unit.


  • lewis.mary.e
    lewis.mary.e Posts: 225 ✭✭✭

    @Lisa K This is beautiful! I do the same thing, but all of my herbs are in the cabinets original to our home. Most of my herbs are dried from what we grow in our gardens.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @lewis.mary.e thanks! I hope that some day get I will get to the point that most of those herbs are from my garden.

  • marjstratton
    marjstratton Posts: 1,132 ✭✭✭✭

    My clinic where I am a patient called and said they would like send a doctor to my house for my check up. Yes I was very surprised, didn't think doctors did house calls anymore. Anyway, I said sure. He came into the house, and mentioned that I really need to declutter. His argument was that if either my husband or I ever need to be in a wheel chair or even a walker, it would be hard to get around. Guess I have become clutter "blind" over the more than thirty years we have been in this house. And raising the kids. Also settling the estates of parents and other relatives. Anyhow, I definitely agreed with the doctor. So recently I became aware of a program to declutter. She suggests taking on one room per month. Declutter for the first two weeks of the month, then deep clean that room the next week and then the final week of the month, reorganize that room. I think it may take me more than a month to get each room done, but it would be a good place to start and breaking it down like that would make it less daunting.

  • Nancy Carter
    Nancy Carter Posts: 202 ✭✭✭

    I managed to clear out books, clothes, and cds (I don't even have a cd player) !!! I am inspired by @Lisa K and @lewis.mary.e ! Your pantry and storage space look great! My pantry is next on my list.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thanks @Nancy Carter! The next 2 organizational projects are a bookcase like the one above but for baking supplies and my garage so that I can use it more than I am doing right now because of the storage unit stuff that needs to be better organized.

  • Annie Kate
    Annie Kate Posts: 680 ✭✭✭✭

    I have not really started on organizing the house--I have another big project due soon and then I have to order seeds--but I have organized a list of the courses I've bought over the years, with info on where each one is stored, and links and passwords if they are online.

    Each year I also organize my potential projects on paper and put them at the back of my to do binder. This is something I learned from David Allen in Getting Things Done and it has helped me a lot. It gives me a spot to write down ideas I have and a way to remember what my goals were and how I planned to work through them. Each month I work on a few projects.

  • RustBeltCowgirl
    RustBeltCowgirl Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Nancy Carter Just got finished browsing through this downloaded magazine. Tons of ideas. Check it out.


  • KimWilson
    KimWilson Posts: 197 ✭✭✭

    Well this organization thing is just what I need. I have 2 basic problems that I can think of. 1. I am a piler. I am not happy with living this way, but simply don't seem to have the skills I need to figure out how to stop making piles. 2. I have a great number of interests. Each interest takes supplies that take up room. Some of the examples of things that I am interested in are: I am a watercolor and oils artist, a student of herbal medicine, a gardener, a seamstress, I make scrap books, a cook, I love antiques and collectibles, and am an avid reader. My house looks "lived in". Help!

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @KimWilson Both my husband and I also have too many interests. We moved into a bigger home after retirement and finally have room for everything including multiple pets and plants.

    I like organizing (not cleaning), so I have managed to get like supplies in common areas:

    Herbs and essential oils in the kitchen pantry as use can cross over to cooking or cleaning. I can grab medicinal items when needed.

    All craft tools and supplies are in one room that is my own.

    Craft, herb and other books are kept in the office.

    My husband's music and other hobby supplies are organized by him in his own room or his area of the garage.

    Plants and pet areas are located throughout the house where best suited for individual living beings.

    Gardening supplies are kept in the garage with some near the utility sink in the laundry room.

    Other aspects of busy minds:

    Active minds, still learning new things, will help us to age better. We will also have more fun along the way.

    Our houses will never be "company ready" because we are always in the midst of a project that cannot be cleaned up consistently.

    Leaf drop, pet hair or feathers will always mar any temporary home perfection that I may achieve.

    Final words on the subject: I bet your house is INTERESTING, because I would be looking around at all the antiques, art, etc. You would probably have fun checking my place out too.

    My focus right now is trying to finish my large latch hook rug so I can move on to something new. I am going to try harder at completing one thing at a time so my piles will be reduced.

    Good luck on your journey.

  • stephanie447
    stephanie447 Posts: 404 ✭✭✭

    I like the idea of organizing as a type of meditation - since I'm generally resistant to it. Perhaps with this "reframing," organizing will be a little easier for me to tackle. Thanks for the idea!