Organized U

New page dedicated to helping you get organized. The plan is to have organization tips corralled here...we'll see. :-) And please note that most of the tips here won't cost you a penny to implement.
Otherwise this page is to let you know I would love to help you develop an organizing plan, so you can put your questions here, in the comments, or send me an email at deeyll@hotmail.com. By 'organizing plan' I basically mean a floor plan to help you get more organized or to help you feel like you have more space or functionality in a room or your whole house. It fascinates me how simple changes in layout can make a huge difference in the functionality and feel of a room or home and I would love to help anyone out who feels their rooms or homes are lacking in space or just aren't working for them. :) You may not need to move houses, just move everything in your house! Wait. I'm not sure that sounds very helpful at all... :)

If you have a floor plan you can send, even if it's just a rough one of at least the walls and openings that need to be configured for, that would be really helpful, especially if you want help organizing a whole room. It will also help me to know what furniture you have or what big pieces you plan to keep so I can make you a plan that doesn't involve you spending a fortune on new furniture!

To start off I will just share some of the tips I have found the most useful in our home:

-room lay-out tip: really re-think how you have laid things out previously/currently. Some creative thinking could solve a lot of problems here. Many design basics do work well in various spaces while some design rules you may be following just aren't working in your current space and need to be chucked out the window! Experiment. You can always move the furniture again if it doesn't work, right? This is my most labor intensive tip but get some friends to help or just take your time until its just right, furniture slides(super handy product) mean even a girl like me can move heavy stuff on her own, and you shouldn't have to change it again until your life/lifestyle changes quite a bit.

-Store things near or right where they will be used. For example, I store bathroom cleaners in the bathroom, instead of in the kitchen with the other general household/kitchen cleaners.

-When you have a lot of something, like dinner party items or light bulbs, dedicate a cabinet or drawer to them. If you don't have a drawer or cabinet, which you may have to shuffle things around to get an empty one, you can also use a storage container of the appropriate size and clearly label it.

-Put like with like as often as you can. Examples: all extra office type supplies in one place, all light bulbs together, all batteries together, etc...

-It's a good idea to go around and open doors and drawers every once in awhile, especially if they haven't been opened in awhile, and really evaluate whether or not you need that stuff anymore. If it's stuff you need, but don't need to get to that often, consider shuffling it off to the garage, attic, basement, or shed in the backyard...or wherever else you stick your longer term storage items.

-Worried you'll forget where you've stuffed stuff? Keep a chart! On your computer or in a household folder, whatever works for you and will keep you aware of what you have and where it is. This will save you money as you won't be replacing things you know you have but just can't find.

You are welcome to share your tips in the comment section!

Thanks,

Deeyll