There's nothing like having guests come to the house to kick your organizing butt in gear! All of those projects I had in mind actually came to life. Don't get me wrong, we have a long way to go in the organizing department, but boy does it feel so good to have finally left the start line. The feeling of a tidy, clean, and organized house is almost better than chocolate. Almost better than exercise. Almost better than...you get the picture. My goal was to create spaces so that everything had a place to go. I was sick of the stacks of papers, the clutter on my table and counter tops, the ridiculous amount of toys that I was sure I would twist or break an ankle on, and the overwhelmed feeling I experienced every day. Did I forget to mention the millions of times my husband asked where his keys were or "Have you seen my phone?"...Miraculously enough I usually found them, but not without lifting stacks of mail or laundry I still needed to fold. I had even implemented the "5 minute rule" for the hubby. Before he was able to ask me where something was he had to look for 5. LOL! It would take anyone more like 5 hours to find something amongst our chaos. It was time to take action.
We have an open floor plan so the family room, dining, and kitchen are like one big room. I needed to think seriously about storage options. Like I said before, this is just the beginning of something wonderful. :) Alrighty, I will explain the steps I took to get started. I did read some wonderful blogs & had a ton of pins so I will give credit to those that have helped me along the way. My favorite blog is Iheartorganizing.blogspot.com. By some miracle this wonderful blog landed in my lap via pinterest. I am SO thankful.
Getting Started:
1. Storage "Bins": Search your house for any bins, baskets, crates, or other storage containers that are not being used. I found that I was just throwing stuff in bins. Think outside the box too! I upcycled soup cans, cereal boxes, and baby food jars. I found some great (affordable) canvas-like bins at The Dollar Store. $1 each and super cute. They came in all different sizes, cute colors/patterns, and were perfect for the space I was working with.
2. Focus on Area: Start in one room or one area so you are not overwhelmed. We have a desk in the kitchen and I knew if I organized the desk it would take care of the clutter that seemed to permeate all the way to the front door!
3. Attack the Paper Piles: PAPERS...argh! So many papers. So many piles. I've tried putting them in bins, one for me and one for my husband...I'm embarrassed to say that one of the bins I found had piles of papers from 5 years ago!!! Instead of just throwing papers into piles, I found a new file system on pinterest that caught my attention. It led me to the iheartorganizing blog and the love affair began :) .
Click on PROJECT ORGANIZE on the top tab.
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