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DeAnn M
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| Posted: July 28 2009 at 9:06pm | IP Logged
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Really, "Organization/storage ideas/decluttering/time-management." I couldn't fit all of them in the subject line.
What are some tips that you have picked up and implemented along the way that have literally brought more peace and order to your home?
For example, I don't know why I couldn't think of this myself, but someone once told me to rip the little flaps off of the sandwich/quart/gallon bags box so that it's always open and ready for action. Duh! That silly little tip has saved a lot of hassle.
Also, I was so fed up with losing remotes that I attached velcro to them and then to the inside of our wardrobe/TV cabinet so that they could stay put and not get shoved in between the sofa cushions.
Whatcha got Ladies?
Blessings,
DeAnn
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violingirl
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Organizing each room in "centers"- the focus of Organizing from the Inside Out. Basically you only keep items in the room that are for activities that you actually do in that room. For example, we were keeping all of our card games in our master bedroom closet even though we never play games in our bedroom. By moving the basket of card games down to the hall closet off the living room it made them more accessible in the place we actually use them AND we gained back a little bit of extra use in our master closet. We actually use our games more since making that move since we don't have to run up a flight of stairs to get them.
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Erin
DS (2005) DS (2007) DD (2012)
Mama In Progress
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Servant2theKing
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A cousin of mine shared this one, following a family reunion. At the ends of most boxes of plastic wrap, foil, etc. (even store brands) you'll find little circular flaps which are designed to be pushed in, thus holding the cardboard roll inside the box when using the wraps! Saves having the roll flop out of the box, onto the floor and halfway through your kitchen, where you have to retrieve it and reroll into a mess that won't fit back in the box...sure saves time and avoids frustration! Who knew manufacturers designed this simple, inexpensive, sanity-saving trick?
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All for Christ, our Saviour and King, servant
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JodieLyn
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follow your own schedule not what everyone is "supposed to do"
Like.. I labored under being supposed to doing dishes after dinner.. of course I was failing.. I was/am often exhausted by the time dinner is done and doing dishes is the last thing I want to have to get up and do.. but it would keep getting put off because I should do it then and then I wouldn't and my kitchen was a disaster..
Then it finally occurred to me  that I didn't have to do what "everyone" does.. and that if doing dishes after lunch was what worked for me then at least all the dishes would be done once a day AND I would have a clean kitchen for making dinner.. and THAT worked.. I can actually keep up on that 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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Sarah M
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Make a menu.
This has been an invaluable time-saver for me. I used to spend so! much! time! thinking about/planning/shopping for/preparing meals. Now, I don't spend half the mental energy thinking about (and stressing about) food as I used to. It's been very freeing.
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LisaD
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Servant2theKing wrote:
A cousin of mine shared this one, following a family reunion. At the ends of most boxes of plastic wrap, foil, etc. (even store brands) you'll find little circular flaps which are designed to be pushed in, thus holding the cardboard roll inside the box when using the wraps! Saves having the roll flop out of the box, onto the floor and halfway through your kitchen, where you have to retrieve it and reroll into a mess that won't fit back in the box...sure saves time and avoids frustration! Who knew manufacturers designed this simple, inexpensive, sanity-saving trick?
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No way! How is it that I have lived on this earth for 43 1/2 years and never knew this? Thanks for the tip!
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~Lisa
Mama to dd(99), ds(01), ds(03) and ds(06)
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missionfamily
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Don't put things down, put them away....working consciously on this habit has made me such aneater, more organized person...plus it leads you to think through where everything belongs and give it a place if it doesn't have one...hmmmm...we might need to focus on this habit again for a month or so, thanks for reminding me.
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Colleen
dh Greg
mom to Quinn,Gabriel, Brendan,Evan, Kolbe, and sweet St. Bryce
Footprints on the Fridge
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kristina
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Three little things:
Having my boys' closet near the washer/dryer. (With this house, it is the closest I will have to a family closet).
Each week, I print up one of weekly organizers that is listed under the free forms at Holdthatthought.com I attach it to my clipboard and I call it my "thinker". No matter what planner I try, I always come back to printing up these free forms because they have all of my ideas for the week in one spot.
The last idea is google notebook. I have several 'notebooks' with different titles. I highlight items online that I want to see again.. use.. maybe print later.. etc.. then I right click and then select 'note this'. I have saved many of the ideas to celebrate the liturgical year that I have found here and on blogs and websites into monthly folders. I also have notebooks for recipes, curriculum, prayers among others. This saves space on my computer as well as printer ink and paper, so I don't print every good idea that I come across. The notebook is nice that it always saves the website that the 'note' came from, it can be edited, I can add my own jottings, notes can be deleted and moved as well.
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kristina
yesterthoughts
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Sarah M
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 3:13pm | IP Logged
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kristina wrote:
| The last idea is google notebook. I have several 'notebooks' with different titles. I highlight items online that I want to see again.. use.. maybe print later.. etc.. then I right click and then select 'note this'. I have saved many of the ideas to celebrate the liturgical year that I have found here and on blogs and websites into monthly folders. I also have notebooks for recipes, curriculum, prayers among others. This saves space on my computer as well as printer ink and paper, so I don't print every good idea that I come across. The notebook is nice that it always saves the website that the 'note' came from, it can be edited, I can add my own jottings, notes can be deleted and moved as well. |
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Oh happiness!!!! I've never seen this before!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Servant2theKing
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LisaD...I had lived 52 years on this earth before my cousin shared that tip and BOY was it a liberating experience to flip those little tabs inward and let those wraps roll away, with no fear of losing it all! Literally and figuratively!
Sarah M...want to know something really funny about menus? When my daughter, Pilgrim, was preparing to get married, she said she just didn't know how she would handle planning and preparing meals...silly, spontaneous mother that I am, I said, "So, make up a menu!", which we proceeded to work on together, right then and there. The ridiculous thing about it is, I have NEVER written out menus, and STILL don't, but my precious daughter does so faithfully...she makes incredible meals and does a fantastic job of shopping for groceries, using her menu, of course! I think I must have some sort of mental block in that department or maybe I've been winging it for soooo long that I just can't make the jump! Your post and this thread makes me wonder if it's time to give menus a try. I'd better ask my daughter for advice! Talk about the student surpassing their teacher...it's quite exciting to watch your children doing SO much better than you ever could!
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All for Christ, our Saviour and King, servant
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Maryan
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Clean floor clutter with a basket and...
Carry a plastic bag for garbage (thanks Fuzzy!)
House work done incorrectly still blesses your house (thanks FlyLady!)
A clean sink makes me want to do the dishes!
Don't get on the computer until you've done three chores first! 
__________________
Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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anitamarie
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 5:24pm | IP Logged
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Servant2theKing wrote:
A cousin of mine shared this one, following a family reunion. At the ends of most boxes of plastic wrap, foil, etc. (even store brands) you'll find little circular flaps which are designed to be pushed in, thus holding the cardboard roll inside the box when using the wraps! Saves having the roll flop out of the box, onto the floor and halfway through your kitchen, where you have to retrieve it and reroll into a mess that won't fit back in the box...sure saves time and avoids frustration! Who knew manufacturers designed this simple, inexpensive, sanity-saving trick?
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I just noticed these the other day!!! Who knew?
Anita
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Tami
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15 minutes to a task (FlyLady)
No matter what my strategy is (some I use from other sources, some I devise on my own  ), this has really made all the difference. It kicks inertia out the door, and gives my a reason to stop!
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God bless,
Tami
When we are crushed like grapes, we cannot think of the wine we will become. (Nouwen)
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CrunchyMom
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Sarah M wrote:
kristina wrote:
| The last idea is google notebook. I have several 'notebooks' with different titles. I highlight items online that I want to see again.. use.. maybe print later.. etc.. then I right click and then select 'note this'. I have saved many of the ideas to celebrate the liturgical year that I have found here and on blogs and websites into monthly folders. I also have notebooks for recipes, curriculum, prayers among others. This saves space on my computer as well as printer ink and paper, so I don't print every good idea that I come across. The notebook is nice that it always saves the website that the 'note' came from, it can be edited, I can add my own jottings, notes can be deleted and moved as well. |
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Oh happiness!!!! I've never seen this before!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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I clicked and got a message that it wasn't open to new subscribers 
I think that there might be a firefox extension that does a similar thing. Anyone know of such a thing?
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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ALmom
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Well, all this talk about baskets got me thinking - and I went out and bought a bunch of really cheap, plastic (sorry Jennifer, didn't have the finances for really beautiful baskets for my book stash)bins (the dish drain ones without the holes - 12 Qt size which come in many colors and my books are easily visible - not swallowed up in the bins but sticking up to be seen). I have sorted all my science and history books (at least the ones the children will read) in these bins. I have 2 bins for Civil War, a bin for the Colonial period, etc. I have put my picture books in bins by authors last name (some bins have more than one letter of the alphabet) and plan to label the picture book with the first letter of the authors last name. Then ds will get some matching the alphabet practice as he returns books to their home. I just was never going to be able to expect him to get it on the shelves at my house. He can certainly put them in a basket - and find the right baket by matching the letter.
It has been a visually wonderful(probably not Jennifer's standards but a big step forward for us) way to highlight the books, organize and make use and, more importantly return to home much easier. Even my 6 yo should be able to refile my books. In the process of organizing, I have a few shelves of all my American History books - lined in order from early explorers of the Americas to last few books post WWII. Looking at my baskets, I know at a glance, exactly which periods are short of reading and which are more than amply covered. I've done the same thing with science - basket for physics , one for Chemistry, one for Earth sciences, one for birds, one for ..... Again, I know where we have gaps, I know where we have an overabundance.
I love how easy it is for me to just pull a whole basket off the shelf and set it by the sofa for easy access during our study - and then put it back up. I love how easy it is for all my children (whatever age) to flip through books in the basket and look at the cover or browse or see what is there. And my bookshelf itself acts as a very loose timeline! My science shelf is a loose taxonomy of living things on one set of shelves and then subdivisions of science (very broad) on the other - with a few subsets that we have or will be studying more in depth, seperated out individually. It is going to be so much more usable for me.
The other thing I did, is put my various lesson plans from everyone in an individual notebook -labeled on the spine. So - I have lesson plans for US history using name of text - and might have several different ones from different texts, sometimes no real grade levels. It is easy for me to find what I want to look at as I sit down in the summer to plan for the following year. I think I'm going to be spending a lot less time hunting and spinning my wheels. Already I find myself working so much more efficiently. I even penciled in dates on books on the inside first page - just for me.
It is pre-organized - no more having to redo my shelves every year (I hope) and it has made my history and science planning so much easier. It is also making me a more efficient (ie no, I do not need that book)book shopper because I know at a glance what I have. My visually drawn children are more enticed to the books and can flip through the basket. If I am focusing on a certain time period, I simply go to my shelves - pull that basket off and I'm off and ready. I'm really loving this. My baskets were about $1 a piece which isn't bad. I have a few lovely ones that are on the top of shelves that I picked up from thrift stores - but mostly it is the plastic bins.
I'm almost done. Will have to wait and decide on historical literature for later - but I'm thinking this may be a real good idea.
Janet
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Mackfam
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 8:10pm | IP Logged
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ALmom wrote:
| Well, all this talk about baskets got me thinking - and I went out and bought a bunch of really cheap, plastic (sorry Jennifer, didn't have the finances for really beautiful baskets for my book stash)bins (the dish drain ones without the holes - 12 Qt size which come in many colors and my books are easily visible - not swallowed up in the bins but sticking up to be seen). |
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Oh, Jan...I feel bad! I do love the pretty Peterboro baskets, but I didn't mean to imply that they are the **only** way to set out books! I have several of the dishwashing bins myself and love them! They're especially useful to me when I'm planning because I can have several out at once and drop books in by theme as I plan -- just as you describe! The important thing is not the material, but the way in which you set up books by themes and make them attractive to the children which you have done exactly!!! I'm sure it is absolutely lovely!!! 
Hmmmmmm.....my favorite organizational tips...
:: Quick tidy with laundry baskets
:: Swish as you go...very similar to Colleen's tip of don't walk past it - pick it up!
:: Shallow shoe organizer shelves for use in the learning spaces
:: Home management book/files
:: Menu planners!
:: Ampad Gold Fibre Planner Pad and all its many cousins of varying sizes. I get mine at Walmart by the cart full!
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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JennGM
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CrunchyMom wrote:
Sarah M wrote:
kristina wrote:
| The last idea is google notebook. I have several 'notebooks' with different titles. I highlight items online that I want to see again.. use.. maybe print later.. etc.. then I right click and then select 'note this'. I have saved many of the ideas to celebrate the liturgical year that I have found here and on blogs and websites into monthly folders. I also have notebooks for recipes, curriculum, prayers among others. This saves space on my computer as well as printer ink and paper, so I don't print every good idea that I come across. The notebook is nice that it always saves the website that the 'note' came from, it can be edited, I can add my own jottings, notes can be deleted and moved as well. |
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Oh happiness!!!! I've never seen this before!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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I clicked and got a message that it wasn't open to new subscribers
I think that there might be a firefox extension that does a similar thing. Anyone know of such a thing? |
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It worked for me, I use IE. Do you have a gmail account?
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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SuzanneG
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Establishing Limits and Boundaries with Containers! One of the best things my mom ever taught us!!!
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Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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Waverley
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The one organizational tip that has made all the difference for me is how I store hand-me-downs. I used to store them all by size. This makes sense in theory and when I had 2 children, but it was cumbersome when I had 3 or more children. For example, when it was time to find white Easter dress shoes, I had to pull out at least 5 different boxes (stored by size) to get shoes that may not fit. So the answer?
Store similar clothing and shoes regardless of size in one box.
For example, all the white girls dress shoes are in one large box. When I am getting Easter clothes ready, we go "shopping in the basement." I pull out the box of white dress shoes and everyone finds a pair that fits. Easy!
The bins I have sorted by specific item regardless of size are:
soccer cleats
swimsuits
Easter dress clothes
Christmas dress clothes
White dress shoes (girls)
Black dress shoes (girls)
Boys dress shoes
sandals
winter boots
winter coats
winter snowpants
tennis shoes
athletic clothes (mostly soccer shorts at our house)
Great thread.
__________________
Waverley
wife to Dh for 19 years, dd (16), dd (11), dd (8), ds (6), dd (4), dd (9-13-1996)
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 10:42pm | IP Logged
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Waverley wrote:
| Store similar clothing and shoes regardless of size in one box. |
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This made a big difference for us here too!!!!
__________________
Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: What Organizing Tip Changed Your Life?
