| Author | |
momwise
Forum All-Star
Joined: March 28 2005
Location: Colorado
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1914
|
| Posted: April 04 2006 at 1:52pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
Especially at this time of intensive Spring cleaning and de-cluttering, I'd love to get ideas for how and where you put things away (on a low budget  ) in the living areas of your home.
I found some old travel cases that are smaller than suitcases that I used for all my stamps, stamp pads, etc. and they fit stacked under my glass end table.
We also put office wall storage trays inside several of our cabinets and closets for lesson plan book, items that have to be returned to people, etc.
We have room in our main floor bath for a large wall-to-wall cabinet with doors and drawers, we just can't afford it right now. I joined freecycle.org, now I just have to resolve not to pick up any more junk!! 
__________________
Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Genevieve
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 02 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 529
|
| Posted: April 04 2006 at 2:38pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Now this is way cheap but keeps us organized and beautiful. We move a lot too. We purchase heavy duty plastic shelving at lowes and load them with same-size packing boxes. I paint the front in a monacromatic scheme and stencil in a label in front. I like yellow, so the front is different shades of yellow depending on my mood. It looks like modern art with a country twist. The trick with the shelving is to choose one color, be it white or black. :) So I have boxes of clothes, toys , all related to a theme. These shelving are all in one room, kinda like library. It keeps clutter to a minimal in the rest of the house. The system works despite messy preschooler and toddler. They choose the box they want to play with any given time and have to put everything back into a box before getting another. Sometimes in order for creative to flow, I do allow multiple boxes to come out.  I saw once in a House Beautiful magazine that in addition to my above shelving, they installed curtains all around in front of the shelving which flanked the walls. It looked nice and the room could double up as something else.
__________________
Genevieve
The Good Within
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
lilac hill
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 15 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 643
|
| Posted: April 04 2006 at 9:05pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
SInce the fall I have been using Flylady at flylady.net to help me get organized . This is a do it a bit at a time that fit well with our lifestyle and my former feast or famine approach to organization and housekeeping.
There seems to be recommendations for all stages of life, even homeschooling families.
Even if you skip the cleaning and other advice, the decluttering advice seems practical.
A bit of advice though, there is alot of info and material. You can join a yahoo group that sends you reminders throughout the day. Because I have have been doing this slowly, I am not ready for the reminders. I set up my computer to keep things easy. I have a Flylady folder that receives all the Flylady stuff (I think it is a message rule) That way it does not clutter my inbox. I also have my computer delete certain messages with subject lines that list tasks that I am not ready for.
As I sit here, my desk is a mess.  The goal is to not let it get that way, but it is a process, and I know tomorrow morning is my better time for dealing with it.
__________________
Viv
Wife to Rick (7/83), Mom to dd#1(6/87), dd#2(1/90), and dd#3(6/94) in central PA.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Dawn
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 12 2005
Location: Massachusetts
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3191
|
| Posted: April 05 2006 at 4:57am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I am so glad this thread has been started! I am starting my spring cleaning a bit late (I had a grand 6-week pre-Easter plan that fizzled out a while ago). I figure I'll start after Easter, so I can concentrate.
Just one thing off the top of my head. I use baskets all the time, and for everything. They look nice, and can be found rather inexpensively. Michaels craft store puts baskets on 40 or 50 % sale quite often. I've collected them for years.
I use them for books, magazines, catalogs, crayons and markers, finished work, bills, correspondence to send, toys of all kinds, videos, etc.
__________________
Dawn, mum to 3 boys 
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
momwise
Forum All-Star
Joined: March 28 2005
Location: Colorado
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1914
|
| Posted: April 05 2006 at 5:39pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Genevieve wrote:
| We purchase heavy duty plastic shelving at lowes and load them with same-size packing boxes. I paint the front in a monacromatic scheme and stencil in a label in front. I like yellow, so the front is different shades of yellow depending on my mood |
|
|
This is such a creative idea Genevieve. What kind of paint do you use? When you say packing boxes, do you mean cardboard kind with the lid that comes off?
I like baskets too Dawn, but I guess dh thinks a bunch of baskets lying around with stuff sticking out of them is too cluttered looking  For instance I had a cute basket with a handle in the living room for baby toys and diapers, wipes, etc. He kept picking it up and moving it to the school room (where he couldn't see it)and every time I'd need it I'd move it back to theliving room (yes, we can be a fun couple )
__________________
Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Dawn
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 12 2005
Location: Massachusetts
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3191
|
| Posted: April 05 2006 at 7:05pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
momwise wrote:
| I like baskets too Dawn, but I guess dh thinks a bunch of baskets lying around with stuff sticking out of them is too cluttered looking |
|
|
Oh they do look cluttered, Gwen! I am a big fan of "controlled clutter"! But dh, not so much ... He would love to see less of the clutter ~ no matter how "cute and country" I make it look!
__________________
Dawn, mum to 3 boys
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Genevieve
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 02 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 529
|
| Posted: April 06 2006 at 7:44am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Gwen,
I use boxes similar to these I have many since we move often. They fit perfectly into the plastic shelving I talked about so I don't need a lid. Instead of sealing them, I just turn the flaps down so it makes the sides extra sturdy. It looks neat since I seldom have stuff sticking out over the sides and even when it's full, it's easy to move the boxes around. You could buy the boxes with the lid if you wish to stack them though.
As for paint, I use regular wall paint.
Glad that the idea could be useful for you.
__________________
Genevieve
The Good Within
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
kristina
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 24 2005
Location: New Hampshire
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 524
|
| Posted: April 07 2006 at 8:39am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Clutter Hiders are a high priority in our wee little home. One clutter hider I used was the photo boxes from Michaels. They come in the same solid colors as are in our boys construction themed bedding. We gave them two tall bookshelves in their bedroom and made a pattern of the blue, red, green and yellow boxes. I placed videos in them according to type (construction - little boys LOVE those), educational, veggie tales, religious and I am ashamed to admit - twaddle.. at least it has it's own category . We used the extra boxes for the boys "I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-its." Stuff that is clutter to me, but treasures to them and has no home otherwise.
We also found canvas bins for the middle shelves on these bookshelves to store specific toys... electronic learning games, beads/lace and traces, puppets, etc..
Decluttering has been on my mind for the past few days. It takes so little for a small house to look messy. It's a constant battle. I think if my children hear me say "a place for everything and everything in it's place" just one more time, they will scream  .
Blessings,
__________________
kristina
yesterthoughts
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Creative organization at home
