Ten Ways to Find Extra Storage Space

Try using these simple ideas for extra storage space next time you wish you had more space in your home!

1. Under all beds – there are several options for storing items in plastic storage compartments that slide under the beds in the house. Use this space – no one will ever know it’s there but you.
2. Pocketed bed skirts - new on the market and the inside of the bed skirt has pockets which don’t show on the outside. Find these useful for lightweight storage materials, such as socks, ribbons, hosiery, etc.
3. Doors - All pantry, linen, utility, coat and bedroom closet doors can have additional space inside closet with elpha shelving products or nail clear plastic shoe hangers ($5 at Target) inside door to store additional items, including medicine, accessories, jewelry, scarves, gloves and wraps, belts, hair and body products, toys, etc. Pay lower prices for elpha like products at Home Depot or Lowe's, rather than Container Store. Also check out Ikea for great bargains on storage material.
4. China hutch – if you are not using the bottom cabinets for storing extra kitchen items, this is a great place to use.
5. File Cabinets – these days, there are a variety of decorative filing cabinets that can serve dual purposes such as end tables, desk extensions or bedside tables.
6. Shoe boxes – decorate a shoe box with your child as a fun art project on a rainy day and use this to store mail, writing cards, photos, or any loose paper item that needs a home. Label each box and categorize similar items for even more organization.
7. Tables – if you have a sofa table or buffet table that is used for decorative purposes, try storing items under the table, then making a floor length table cover with material that is affixed to the top of the table using Velcro strips on all sides to hide the contents under the table. Use this concept for messy shelving units that you want to cover.
8. Baskets – there is a variety of ways to use decorative baskets in all sizes and shapes to store all sorts of items. These can be put in clever areas for decoration and no one will know they have storage items in them. Wicker trunks serving dual coffee table purposes can also be useful.
9. Ottomans – several ottomans in all different shapes now have lids on them so they can be used for both an ottoman, side table and storage. Find these at Pier One, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.
10. Shelving – find an area in your home to install economical shelving to store books, magazines, and other items. Shelves can be built with inexpensive plywood and painted a nice color. Use trim pieces for decorative flair.

Storage can be found in some very creative places in one's home. Use items for multiple purposes. Happy hunting!

The Home “In-Box”

Household paperwork can add up on a daily basis. Before you know it, your kitchen table has become a gigantic in-box of paperwork and clutter. This includes kid’s school stuff, bills, catalogues, invitations, coupons, statements, church, PTA stuff, and more. Here’s how to manage the household paperwork.

1. Create a central area in your home for dealing with your mail and incoming paperwork. This “mail center” should include an in box (tray, basket, etc.), your tools for paying bills (checkbook, envelopes, stamps, etc.), a small filing system (find these at Wal-Mart or Target…could be plastic), some folders with labels to be kept in a drawer or small filing system and a trash can or shredder (the most important tool for this).
2. All paperwork such as mail, school papers, etc. goes in the in-tray. Remove mail from envelopes immediately and toss these in the trash along with all junk mail.
3. Pay bills immediately on line or with checkbook or put bills in separate file by future bill pay date.
4. For papers that contain due dates, enter into your calendar such as outlook, Google, Gmail or Covey. Kid’s events, meetings, other important dates should be recorded on a calendar. Invites can be tossed once dates are recorded. For items that need to be delegated to someone else in the household, give it to them.
5. File items into your simple filing system. Folders are labeled by categories that work for you. Keep a stack of unused folders in your mail center for adding a new category when needed. File quickly and don’t let it pile up. Toss unneeded papers. File folders could be placed in a tall basket as an option to the file cabinet. Be creative.
6. If you think you need to keep statements, file away, but be sure to toss prior month statement. Most of this information can be found on-line so toss.
7. Follow my earlier post for dealing with magazines.

Do this simple process once daily. Folders need to be worked by taking action or purging weekly or monthly. But the key is to make time daily for your “mail center” and work / purge folders periodically. Papers should always be in the in-box or filing system and not all over the house! Touch it once and then toss. This systematic process will reduce clutter paperwork.

Recycle Tip 101

Who likes to take the trash out? Wouldn't it be great if we could do it less often? The answer is simple. Recycle. I was recently speaking to a friend of mine about this concept and after discussing a plan that would work in her home, she suggested I post it on my blog.

First, all paper products should be placed in a plastic tub placed in the garage or other conspicuous location. Newspapers, magazines, envelopes from opened mail, junk mail, cereal boxes, cookie boxes, etc. are all candidates for paper recycling. Flatten out your boxes to create more space in your recycle tub. Take the tub to the neighborhood recycle bins once a week.

For paper, such as mail, letters, bills, etc. that has sensitive information on it, you might consider investing in a high quality shredder which is also placed in the garage and empties into your plastic tub for recycled paper.

Plastic containers and canned items, once rinsed out, can go into a garbage can stored in your pantry or other enclosed area. Most neighborhoods will pick this up weekly outside your home if placed in the recycle trash bags purchased at the grocery stores.

Once you start practicing these great recycle habits, you will be happy about the reduced number of trips to the outside garbage can! Plus you're helping to save the environment.

Purging and Simplifying

No matter where you are in life, regular purging and organizing is necessary to reducing clutter and more importantly stress! All of us have things in our home that we no longer use or want. Purging these items on a regular basis will keep you organized and stress free. The areas that have the most potential for purging are toys, closets, drawers and cabinets. If you get overwhelmed at the thought of all this, take it one step at a time, or one drawer at a time.

When purging toys, get your children involved. Tell them you need their help on which unused toys you should give to charity to help other children who don't have as many. They will love to help with this fun project and they learn to give at the same time.

When purging in your closets, use a 12 month rule. If you haven't worn it in the last 12 months or it hasn't fit you in the last 24 months, purge it! Only keep items that fit this rule if they are unique and special items that you want to keep for a wedding, special occasion, etc. The purged clothes can be given to consignment stores, charitable organizations or someone you know who needs them. It will make you feel good when you see how much they appreciate it.

Purging cabinets for medicines and canned or packaged pantry goods not used in 12 to 24 months is often needed too. Look for unused items in your kitchen cabinets like sippy cups or baby bottles when the youngest child in your house is far beyond that stage. Review plastic cups and storage containers to see if you can get by with less.

Another great way to handle your purged items it to have a garage sale. Garage sales are great ways to make some extra spending money. Getting the kids involved to help with the sale teaches them about organization and the value of money.

If you get in the habit of purging on a regular basis, you will be amazed at how much more space you have. Now you can find the things you often couldn't locate in all the clutter!

What to do with your Magazines

For many of us with little time on our hands, we often find ourselves with lots of magazines around the house, many of which are unread and piling up in several corners. My best advice on this topic is to recycle them if they haven’t been read or touched in 3 or so months. If you can’t find time to read them in 3 months, when will you find time to read them in the near future? One of the principles I try to live by is to touch something once as soon as possible and then put it in its place. Since time is limited, I try to quickly flip through the magazine as soon as possible; tearing out the pages with articles I know I will enjoy reading later. These get filed in a sectioned file folder or equivalent and the rest of the magazine is recycled. Recipes should always be stored in a separate recipe file folder. If the magazine is packed with lots of great articles, I keep it since it has value to me.

We all receive free magazine subscriptions from time to time and we end up not really needing or enjoying it. Don’t waste your time with keeping these magazines around the house hoping you will change your mind some day and enjoy it. Recycle them and don’t renew the subscription. In most neighborhoods, especially if you live near a school, there are paper recycle bins. Bundle up the unread and untouched magazines and take a walk to the school to recycle them. You will feel much better without the clutter of all the magazines lying around the house once you do.

For those that you do enjoy and wish to keep, have a nice tall basket near a sitting chair, or in the bathroom or bedroom to keep the ones that are 3 months old or less. Once you have made time to read them, recycle them to make room for the new ones.