Organization for a New Year

Although we are well into February, I always get the urge to organize and declutter at this time of year…I guess that’s why it’s called Spring Cleaning! I’ve been considering how to make the most of the space we have, and figuring out how to streamline and make my cleaning more efficient. I think that’s basically the dream of any mom, but I hope that making my routines and storage spaces more organized, I can save time. And really, time is what we all are after, isn’t it? Here are some of my best tips for getting your personal spaces (and those of your family) to work FOR you:

-You don’t need expensive storage pieces: Okay, we have all seen the Design Edit, and their gorgeous organization magic…but who has hundreds of dollars to drop on handwritten labels and pretty plastic boxes for each pair of shoes? Did you know your local dollar store has TONS of usable options? They may not last for years and years, but you can definitely get started without a huge budget. I like to use things like the silverware organizers for toothbrushes and toothpaste in a bathroom drawer, and their collapsible bins in the closet or playroom. They also have smaller items like hangers, markers, tags, and tiny bins to at least get some of your sorting started!

-Begin by throwing out everything you don’t use: Get ruthless. We promise, it helps. If you haven’t used it in over a year, you may not need it anymore, and you can begin sorting to donate, sell, or give to a friend. Some examples of things I’ve gotten rid of recently are: old dvd’s (you also do not need to keep all the cases! Get a CD binder and put the dvd’s into it, so you can throw away those cases), old mismatched hangers, Tupperware with no lids, and mugs and water bottles that are missing their caps or lids. It seriously freed up a ton of space and took only a little effort. Pick a room to start in, and get to work!

-Choose one task a day: If you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t have much time, you can choose one room to tackle per month, and then break it down into weeks. If you chose the Kitchen, you could do the “spice rack, mug cupboard, and Tupperware drawer” over a week, and then move on the next week to another kitchen task, such as the freezer, or throwing out outdated pantry items. Some food banks will take unopened and unexpired food, if it’s something you’re simply not using, or that you’d bought in bulk.

-Don’t buy new items until your purge is complete. Instead of buying new things as you go, which will be tempting, make yourself finish a house-wide purge and organization before you add anything else. Make a list as you go, such as, “plant for front table”, so that you can decide at the end if you’re ready to bring new items in, or if you prefer a more minimalist approach. You may find some of the things you thought you needed, you actually don’t.