113 Things in 1/13

Two years ago I got rid of 111 things in 1/11. It was surprisingly (shockingly?) easy to find that many things to get rid of, and was really an eye opener for me. I try to declutter and purge regularly, but we still accumulate so much stuff on an ongoing basis.

Then, last year, we added a little munchkin to the mix, along with all the baby paraphernalia. And although I've done my best to not accumulate every baby item on the market, there is still a certain amount of unavoidable baby gear, toys and clothing that has made its way into the house.

Last fall, after we finished the basement,  I started purging and cleaning every room again. Now that the basement stuff wasn't all stored in the attic, I cleaned and organized up there. And now that the basement was actually clean and accessible, I started organizing down there. As of the beginning of this year, I have four diaper boxes full of stuff to donate, along with several garbage bags full of stuff that needed to be tossed.

So I'm challenging myself to come up with 113 things this month that I can get rid of, in addition to those four boxes I already have set aside. I'm going through closets, cupboards and dressers, in my ongoing quest to get rid of the excess.

I'll update next week on my progress - but won't you consider joining me in this quest for less? Let me assure you, it's super fun and satisfying to pare down and rid your house of junk!

 

And the purging continues!

After a month of decluttering and rampant purging, I find myself still strangely drawn to getting rid of things. :-) So, throughout this month, I've continued to go through craft boxes, deep dresser drawers and forgotten corners of the office. And I've continued to purge, heavily.

I got rid of 120+ things in January, and in February I managed to sort through our music collection. I LOVE music, but I had many cd's that I never listened to anymore, or music that was a gift from someone that I didn't particularly like (the music, not the someone), or random stuff that I am not sure how it ended up in our drawer. So I purged. I even convinced Lover to do some purging of his own collection. The end result was that we got rid of about 30 CDs, and our collection now fits much more nicely into our drawers.

I'm still continuing to purge through my scrapbooking boxes, random folders and boxes of cards. It is a good feeling to watch the rows and rows of random junk on shelves shrink down smaller and smaller. :-)

Have you continued purging after 111 things in 1/11?

An Organized Linen Closet

Wendhurst Castle has been our home now for two and a half years. In that time we've fixed up a bunch of the rooms, and we're working on a bunch more of them. (Like always) So there is always renovation going on, but one of the less talked about things I am always doing in our house is finding ways to make it work better for us. I remember when we moved in, because we were working on so many rooms at once, we put all the boxes into the dining room. Then, after they were unpacked, and the items placed in their appropriate rooms, I lamented to Lover the fact that we actually had less storage in this new house than we had in our apartment. Lover looked at me like I was insane. To his credit, the house has 1,600 square feet plus a finished basement and attic, effectively making our square footage closer to 3,000. And our apartment had about 700 sq ft. So I do see his point. But, in my defense, the problem was I hadn't figured out how to use this new space efficiently. Yes, it had tons more room (especially storage room) but I hadn't yet figured out how to make it work for us.

That's a long winded way of telling you that I recently revamped our linen closet, and I love how it's working out.  It took me two and a half years to figure out how to best make it fit our needs, and while I am sure that I will continue to tweak it in the future, for right now it makes me absolutely happy.



One of my biggest hangups, oddly enough, is that it is called a linen closet. See, we have huge, deep builtin chests in the bedrooms that store all our extra sheets and blankets. But our bathroom is super duper small, so there's lots of extra stuff like toilet paper, hair dryers and extra soap that doesn't fit in the bathroom. Do you see where I am going with this? I needed to convert the linen closet into a simple storage closet.

(the before)

Now you might think that when I say "convert" I meant a massive construction overhaul. Actually, I didn't change anything about the way the closet is laid out. The shelves are exactly the same. I just changed how I stored things on the shelves, what I stored in there, and most importantly, how I thought of that little closet. I know, I am weird. Whatev. :-)

Okay. Back on task. A while back Jen from A Thousand Words suggested that I buy bins that were the depth of my very deep shelves and use those to corral everything inside them. This was a brilliant suggestion. I found the perfect blue and brown, lightweight ones at Lowes, and hauled them home to try them out. One corrals toilet paper, and the other wrangles all the unwieldy hair stuff - hair dryer, curling iron, clippers, etc.





The towel shelf got a makeover when I put our infrequently used beach towels behind our regular towels, so that now the ones we use regularly are front and center.

Toiletries are corralled into four smaller bins on the top shelf, and small toiletries like new razors and sundries are in two teeny baskets at the very top.



The bin at the very bottom holds some miscellaneous decorating supplies. I used to have a bin of decorating stuff for every season, but now I've pared down quite a bit, and I just have one for fall. So this one in the closet holds miscellaneous other decorating baubles. It's working out perfectly so far. :-)

So that's the story of how I managed to find a sliver of organization in this huge house that "has no storage" ;-) I know, I'm crazy, but I have to say, I love how this little closet is working out for us. Oh, and the best part? Somehow I managed to free up two vanity drawers during this overhaul. Who hoo! :o)

Paper Organization: How to organize your office

I can be a bit of a packrat at times. I used to be a terrible one, with multiple collections, mountains of school papers, old and new artwork, etc. So I guess it would be fair to say that I am a recovering packrat. Watching my grandparents get older and not be able to move because of the amount of stuff they have has really been a wakeup call for me. And of course, now we own our own home and I refuse to fill it the rafters with pointless junk. And overall I'd say I'm doing a pretty good job of getting rid of junk. Paperwork, however, is the bane of my existence. That's all changed though, thanks to 8+ hours spent during my fall cleaning in the office, organizing, throwing away, shredding and ruthless editing. Here's the proof that I was ruthless.

So here is the system I developed for managing the various types of paper that take up residence in our home.

Receipts: We have a beautiful antique dresser in our dining room with two small top drawers. The one of the right is the perfect size to hold receipts until I've had time to go through them. The ones I ultimately keep are guarantees from garden centers, as well as most of our Lowe's/Home Depot receipts because of our many house projects. I also need to keep receipts for my business, so they'll end up in a file folder up in the office once sorted through.

Coupons: I always have a bunch of coupons for craft stores, home improvement stores, Bed Bath and Beyond and others laying around. Placing them in the left drawer of the dresser means that I no longer have to constantly search for that $1.00 off Pantene hair products coupon.

Upstairs in the office, paperwork is contained in a few different places:

Paystub Box: I use a decorative photo box to toss all of the paystubs in every two weeks. Once we get our w-2's at the end of the year I'll shred the paystubs from 2009.

Fireproof Safe:

This small safe is the perfect size for the paperwork we'll need if there is a problem. It holds the following categories:

• Important papers like passports, marriage license, car titles and registration, copies of SS cards, college transcripts, birth certificates


• Auto insurance policy


• Homeowners insurance policy, receipts, mortgage info and other important house documents


• Jewelry insurance policy


• Life insurance policy


• Investment information I keep the most recent statements from retirement accounts and investments


• Taxes At the beginning on the year I begin a folder marked TAXES _year_ . I add to this throughout the year, with tax deductible info, tax receipts, and other information we'll need at tax time. It makes tax paperwork a breeze. The folders for previous years hold copies of our tax returns and W-2s.


• Loan information for school loan (only two years left!)

The safe also holds a digital copy of our wedding pictures, just in case!

File cabinet:

The file drawer holds what I call "burnable" paperwork. :-) These are the categories I use:

• Important receipts like vehicle registration payment, items with warranties (Lowe's) etc. marked Receipts _year_


• Medical Records: keeps relevant data like immunizations, hospital visits, etc.


• Manuals and Warranties: I go through this folder every so often to edit out old items we no longer have.


• Credit Cards: Just the most recent statement. When I receive a new statement, I replace the old one, and then shred it. (Disclaimer: this is what works for us. We carry no debt on our cards, so we aren't keeping track of anything with our statements. We only keep the most recent statement, as the balance is paid in full each month.)


• Utilities: Again, we replace the old statement with the new one when we receive them. Most of your utilities are public record anyway, so there's no need for YOU to keep them! Our one exception is our gas and electric bills because we have had a lot of trouble dealing with them, so we'd rather keep them all.


• Car repairs: We have old cars so we don't keep much information on this, but we do keep things that show lifetime warranties, etc. For a new car, it might be worth keeping a record of work done on the car.

Expandable File Folder: I use this specifically for house paperwork. We are constantly working on floorplans, getting estimates, picking up samples of flooring and grabbing paint chips. This little file folder holds everything in one place and makes it easy for me to find whatever I need.

The thing to remember when you're trying to control your paperwork is that you have to make your system work for you. I used to have a super detailed, uber organized filing system, but I never used it, so it was pointless. You may have different categories, or you may not have time to file every week. If that's the case, get some sort of a basket or folder that can hold your items "to be filed" until you get a chance. If the basket gets full, you'll know it's time to file!

I hope this helps you get organized! I know it has really given me peace of mind to feel like I finally have things under control in this area. :-)

Household Notebook

One of the ways I stay organized around the house is with my household notebook. Seriously, this thing is a life saver. It keeps everything together in one place, and also helps me contain paper clutter. And paper clutter is my nemesis, so anything that helps me fight it is welcome in my home!

I got the idea from several places on the web, mainly Organized Home. Here's a link to their section on household notebooks. I read all the information and then put it into action, which was easy peasy! I already had a 3 ring binder laying around from post college days, and lots of tabbed dividing folders. I listed out my categories, and started sorting all my papers!

I decided on ten categories:

To Do, Cleaning, Shopping, Contact Info and House Projects

Activities, Decorating, Projects, Christmas and Birthdays, and Parties.

The To Do folder has any RSVP's I may need to answer, bills to pay, house to-do lists, and other items I need to take care of. Cleaning, as I mentioned in my cleaning schedule post, has all of the lists I use to clean the house, as well as a yearly schedule so I don't lose track. Shopping holds my grocery database, comprehensive pantry list, and any coupons/deals I don't want to forget about.

The Contact Info has been the most helpful category so far. In it I have a sheet of important numbers (Lover's work #s, my parents' phone number, etc), a copy of our budget, a list of when infrequent bills come due, a master list of our filing system, and an "Important Information" sheet with pertinent phone numbers and account numbers for utilities, phone bills, etc. In this section I also have stamps and return address labels, as well as a plastic business card holder for the hair salon, car repair shop, etc.

I actually have a separate folder for most of the house stuff, as we are in the process of remodeling and there are many house related papers. I kep paint chips, measurements and to-do lists in this section.

I use the Activities folder to keep brochures we pick up of places we would like to go to, camping info, etc. Decorating has inspiration pictures from magazines (I keep most on the computer so there aren't a lot in here) Projects is mainly for sewing info, and other crafty projects. I'll put organized lists for my scrapbooking in here too. In the Christmas/Birthdays folder I have a list of everyone's birthdays and anniversarys, as well as ideas for gifts throughout the year. This folder is always marked "Don't Look!" :-) The last folder is for Parties, mainly Culoare Zi as that takes many months to plan! I also use the back folder on the binder for gardening info and yard plans, which I don't have a lot of yet.

The plastic folders are great for holding little notes and bits of information, and in each section I have some plastic sleeves to hold more permanent papers like the budget.

If you don't already have a household notebook, I highly recommend that you make one! It will simplify your life and make finding those important papers or pieces of information a breeze. Try it for yourself!

Luggage and Life

Once again I am packing Lover's suitcase. Something that I seem to be doing awfully frequently the last few months.

Go ahead, ask me how I really feel about it. I dare you.

Anyways, Lover travels light, so it is always a cinch to pack for him. There are a few things I try to make sure always go with him;

• Fiber One bars. He is notorious for not eating well while he is gone. While he won't always eat the bars while he is traveling, it makes me feel better, kind of like I am taking care of him while he is gone.


• Extra change of clothes. Oftentimes his travel is last minute, and there have been innumerable delays and extra, unplanned for, nights. So I always send some extra stuff to get him through.


• Web cam Neither one of us is big on the phone, and while we do still use it when he's gone, we'd prefer to see each other. Every once in a while the hotel internet connection is fast enough that we can web cam. It's always a special treat.


• Love notes for each night This is a tradition I started the first time he had to spend nights away for work. Since then I don't think I've missed a night. They're always short and sweet, something akin to "I love you and you're the best," but they help us feel connected when we are so far apart.

And yes, his suitcase is ridiculously small. If it were any bigger I totally would have tried to stowaway on one of his many trips to New York City. Come to think of it, maybe that's why he doesn't have a bigger suitcase. He's a sly one! ;-)

Lover travels so often that it has become a habit to keep the suitcase half packed to make my life easier. He has extra toiletries that stay in the suitcase, along with a few other necessary travel things. I've found that it really simplifies the process. I'm applying this principle in other areas of my life such as;

• A ready to go bag of toiletries in our overnight bag to make last minute trips a breeze.


• A plastic tote full of our camping supplies, with a list on it of additional things to pack for camping, along with some menu ideas.


• My latest project, a small box for the living room, with pens, bookmarks, stamps and return address labels for easy note writing and magazine marking.

What do you keep prepared ahead of time? I'd love to hear about it!

Tutorial by Request

CheL asked about my method for displaying and storing my earrings. You can see the frame we made in this post about my glitzy glasses, it is the last picture. Lover and I made this little frame back when we were dating. I think it took us about an hour or two to complete. It's very simple, and it is such a great way to show off all of your lovely jewels.

This is by no means my own original idea, I initially got the idea from a jewelry stand at a craft show, and have seen many variations of this since.

I have seen a lot of variations that start with using a wooden picture frame in the size that you would like. We just bought moulding and mitered the corners and then nailed them together to form the frame. We only had a miter box at the time, so the cuts are not the greatest. Then we took a piece of window screen, cut to size and stapled that onto the back of the frame. We nailed some thin strips of wood over the screen on the back to stabilize the screen and push the frame away from the wall a bit, so that the earring hooks wouldn't run into the wall. The next step was to sponge gold paint onto the frame, and a little onto the screen for some sparkle. We sponged a little black paint over the gold to add depth and drama. Voila! In an afternoon I had a stylish way of displaying my many earrings.

Note: These are only a fraction of the earrings I own. I am in the process of switching all of my hooks over to sterling silver and 14K gold as my ears are...picky about the jewels I hang from them.

For a great tutorial on how to make your own, check out this link for instructables.com You can also add little hooks screwed into the frame to display your necklaces, if you do not have a lovely set of glasses like I do. ;-)

Friday Favs: My Rewards Keychain

A while ago I was faced with a dilemma. I wanted to keep all of my rewards cards to different stores in my purse, but didn't want the bulk from the cards in my wallet, or the clutter on my keychain. After brainstorming for a little while, I came up with this:

I took all of the cards that I had a key card for, and put them all together on a clearanced keychain from NY&Co. I keep the keychain, separate from the rest of my keys, in a zippered pocket in my purse, which means that I always have them available at the right store. 

I love the reduced bulk, and the increased savings that comes from always having the rewards card nearby! 

The Best Cleaning Product. Ever.

Are you tired of spending money on countless cleaning products that still don't seem to get the job done? Are you feeling nauseated by all of the fumes from the chemicals that you are spreading around your home? Do you want to simplify your cleaning routine and organize your under-the-sink cabinet while you are at it?

Well, my friend, let me introduce you to my BFF in cleaning...

Are you ready?

Are you sure? 

'Cuz it's seriously gonna change your life...

You're ready?

Okay... here it is

I know, you're like, seriously? Vinegar? Yup, vinegar. I use it for:

• Washing my hardwood floors Fill bucket with hot water, add a generous splash of white vinegar, and mop away. Leaves floors squeaky clean and shiny.
• Washing my tile and vinyl floors. Same instructions as above, same results.
  
• Washing anything that's dirty. :-) A combo of hot water and vinegar removed years of gross food and who-knows-what buildup from my refrigerator.
• Removing the smell of paint from a freshly painted room.  When you have finished painting, set out a bowl full of undiluted vinegar. Leave it overnight and in the morning you will wake up to a paint fume free room. 

So basically, you eliminate multiple, pricey floor cleaners, clean in more green, health conscious way and it actually relives the wallet. A gallon of vinegar costs me less than $2.00,  lasts me at least a month, and my house is so clean! If you don't believe me, here's the proof. The Rainbow vacuum cleaner guy came to my house and did a demonstration, and couldn't.find.dirt.   :-D

P.S. Stay tuned for a rave review of Vinegar's first cousin, Baking Soda, and how to use it. 

P.P.S I don't know if vinegar and baking soda are actually related in any kind of scientific way. They just work so well together, I assumed... :-)

An Inspiring Office

I'm loving this cute little office area I came across today. Usually, when I come across a space I like, I copy the image to my inspiration folder, and that's that. However, I wanted to spend some time reflecting on what I like about this image, in the hopes that it will help me find a solution for my own office chaos.

First off, I love the color scheme. Since paper stuff and office stuff can be so stressful, this palette of aqua, tan and white is oh-so-peaceful. I love the way the colors are repeated throughout the space, and how the aqua draws your eyes to the vases and boxes.

I like that everything is pretty. There are decorative items, (vases and flowers) but even the functional stuff is pretty. We've got pretty and functional paper boxes, labeled neatly.  A pretty, white cabinet with sliding panels keeps messier stuff covered up, although it still looks pretty organized up there.  The parsons' desk is cleanlined but very useful, with a large workspace. The chair looks pretty comfortable, and very, very cute. The wastebasket is obviously useful, but attractive at the same time.

Let's look at the elements that are included in this very small office space. I think it would be safe to deduce that these are the essentials, as there isn't room for much else besides the essentials!

• Laptop


• Desk & Comfortable Chair


• Lamp


• Bulletin Board


• Concealed, Labeled Storage (Boxes and cabinet)


• Magazine holders


• Pen Cup


• Notebook


• CD Storage


• Wastebasket


• Decorative Items

My guess is that additional office supplies are in the desk drawer, and it looks like there may be a printer and other accessories under the desk on the right side.

All in all it is a fabulous use of a small space, and it has definitely inspired me!

Learning screenshots, and other news

Today I took two minutes to organize my Google Reader. Google Reader is great, by the way, I love that it remembers all the blogs I want to follow, thus freeing up my mind for other things like, I dunno, remembering the coffee to water ratio for making coffee for guests. :0)

Below is a screenshot of what my reader used to look like; blog after blog after blog, and each day some would be bold and others wouldn't. (Note: this would drive my organization loving self batty) Now I do go through and unsubscribe from blogs I no longer read pretty regularly, but my problem now was the disparity in blogging frequency of the blogs I read. 

So, I took a couple minutes to think about what folders I would like to divide my blogs into. I came up with Favorite Blogs (the ones I always save to read until last anyways), Daily Blogs, and Infrequent Posters. That way I can see at a glance if one of my favorite blogs has a new post (hello Jen M and findingJen!) or I can see if one of the blogs I enjoy reading, but rarely has new content, has been updated. The third folder, Daily Blogs, are the ones I find myself reading every day.  Now my reader looks like this:
Much, much better. A quick fix and a more relaxed and organized me. :0)