Category: organizing

2018, closet organization, closets, closet organization, kids rooms, DIY, getting organized, organize, organizing, organizing tips, simplify, simplifying life

The Benefits of Living with Less…and why you should purge your house right now!

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The Benefits of Living with Less…and why you should purge your house right now!

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RIGHT Now. Drop everything and PURGE YOUR HOME NOW! No, I’m kidding. Sort of.

I know you read a lot about purging your home on my blog. Some of you are probably fans of living with less already, while others of you are scratching your heads and wondering how much more stuff I can get rid of and blog about it. #istillhavetoomuchstuff

I am currently in the midst of a whole house purge, but we will talk more about that later.

The truth is, living with less has a lot of benefits. Some are health benefits, some are financial benefits, and some are so good they don’t fit into any category. I’d like to share a few of those with you today, as well as some great advice for purging your home that I’ve collected over the years.

1. Living with less can be beneficial to your mental and physical health

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  • Living with too much causes your house to feel cluttered. A cluttered house feels chaotic, and makes it hard for you to relax and destress. Continued stress affects your mental state, as well as your physical health.  An organized and clean home evokes a peaceful feeling, and who doesn’t want to feel at peace in their own home?
  • This one is especially true if you have kids. More stuff=fewer places to put things away. Stuff that is left out in the floor becomes a trip hazard. Show of hands: who else has fallen over items left in the floor, or stepped on some hard plastic toy with your bare feet? (Lego moms, can I get an “amen?” )

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2. Living with less makes your home feel and appear cleaner

  • Living with too much makes it harder to find places to put things away. Having nowhere to put things causes your home to look and feel cluttered (see above).
  • A cluttered house also seems dirty even if it really isn’t. Having less stuff and less clutter makes your house look and feel cleaner.

 

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3. Living with less saves time

How does living with less save time? It means that you spend less time looking for things. It’s been said that the average person spends four years of their life looking for things that they are missing. Not being able to find your missing items makes you stressed.  Having less stuff means that you don’t have to sort through so much when you need something.

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5. Living with less saves you money

How is this? Well, when you make a conscious effort to live with less, you are much more intentional with your spending. Additionally, who here has ever bought something, only to realize you already had that same item at home? Living with less makes it easier to distinguish what you need- therefore keeping you from spending money on something you already have.

 

There are many benefits to having an organized and simplified home, with less stuff. Start with one room at a time and keep only what you need- donate, recycle or throw away the rest. I know many people who wish their home was less cluttered, but I don’t know anyone who wishes their home was MORE cluttered. Start today and you’ll soon see the benefits.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Coming soon: Characteristics of an organized home

2018, budget decorating, getting organized, organize, organizing, organizing tips

How to get organized without breaking the bank

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How to get organized without breaking the bank

Getting organized can be costly, but it doesn’t have to be. You certainly can spend a lot of money on organization if you want, but if you’re budget conscious like me, you don’t want to do that. Luckily, there are many ways to get organized without overspending.

1. Shop discount home stores like TJ Maxx or Home Goods, or use sales coupons.

I love the basket selections at my local big box craft store, but I don’t love the price. TJ Maxx and Homegoods have tons of cute baskets in a number of colors and materials, and they aren’t expensive.

2. Don’t forget the dollar stores

Dollar store bins and baskets aren’t the most durable, so they aren’t appropriate for organizing everything. They’ll do for organizing cabinets, holding bathroom toiletries and organizing your kids’ books,though.

3. Target has awesome baskets, and they’re frequently on sale

I have bought so many cute, durable baskets at Target over the years. They have so many different sizes and styles to choose from.

4. See if you can repurpose or DIY something

I have covered diaper boxes with fabric and used them for bins. I’ve wrapped old mailing boxes with twine so they’d look like a basket. I’ve used tin cans wrapped in scrapbook paper to store things. Before you buy, Look around to see what you already have that can be repurposed.

5. Shop your house

See that basket on my china hutch? It’s been everywhere. It’s been in my bathroom, my kitchen, my office, and now it landed in the dining room. Shop your house to see if you may already have something you can use before you buy anything new.

There are so many ways you can get organized by spending little to no money. All it takes is a little creativity. You’ll be glad you did it later.

Have a wonderful weekend.

2018, decor, DIY, farmhouse, farmhouse decor, farmhouse style, Fixer Upper Inspired, organize, organizing, organizing tips, repurpose, rustic DIY

Creating a DIY Rustic Coat Rack

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Creating a DIY Rustic Coat Rack

We had an awkward blank wall in our bedroom that was just begging for some rustic charm. I thought about buying a coat rack, but I couldn’t find what I wanted at the right price.

Then I found these super cute drawer knobs at Hobby Lobby. I loved the detail and “antique” look of them.

I immediately knew that I wanted to use them. I went to the garage and grabbed a scrap board. I stained it using Minwax Mohogany.

I then measured the board and marked where I wanted the knobs to go. Next, I drilled the holes.

I then inserted the knobs and screwed the bolts and washers to the board.

Now I no longer have an awkward, empty space, and a handy, cute new place to hang clothes.

What rustic DIY projects have you done lately?

2019, closet organization, closets, closets, closet organization, kids rooms, DIY, getting organized, organize, organizing, organizing tips

Getting organized: tips for a more organized home

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Getting organized: tips for a more organized home

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It’s that time again- spring time. The time when flowers bloom, everything is green and fresh, there is pollen all over everything…and some of us engage in a little yearly tradition known as spring cleaning.

I don’t know about you, but my house needs some extra TLC, and I can’t always get to those extra things during the school year. Like many others, I choose to spend a few days in the spring giving my house some extra cleaning and organizing. Today, I’d like to share some tips for getting your house cleaned and organized but in a simple and timely manner.

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1. Give your closets some TLC 

One of the first things I tackle are our overflowing closets. and donate what I do not need, throw away what is damaged, and organize and put away anything else. You can read all about how to keep your closet cleaned here.  You can read about how to organize your child’s closet so that it grows with them here. 

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2. Clean your kitchen: clean your cabinets, fridge, freezer, and pantry.

Give your fridge a good cleaning before cleaning out your pantry and cabinets.

Remove any expired foods or unneeded kitchen items from your pantry. 

Use cabinet organizers to keep your needed items within easy reach. 

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3. Organize your bathroom!

Organize your linen closet by donating items you don’t use anymore, and throwing away expired items. 

Use drawer and cabinet organizers to keep everything in easy reach. 

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4. Organize your playroom

Get rid of any broken toys and donate or give away anything your kids have outgrown.

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5. General cleaning

I also like to do some extra cleaning, such as moving furniture and cleaning under or behind it, or cleaning our blinds. We also pressure wash the sidewalks, porch furniture, and outside of the house. We also take down the curtains and wash them.

What spring cleaning tasks do you do?

2018, closet organization, closets, closets, closet organization, kids rooms, DIY, decorating kid spaces, getting organized, kid spaces, kids, kids rooms, organize, organizing, organizing tips

Closet Recharge: making your kids’ closet grow with them

by LumberInMyMiniVan1 Comment on Closet Recharge: making your kids’ closet grow with them
Closet Recharge: making your kids’ closet grow with them

My oldest daughter’s closet was kind of a hot mess.

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Well, more than kind of. It WAS a hot mess. It started out great, but as her clothes got bigger (and she did, too), her needs began to change. I decided her closet needed a bit of an upgrade. Since her boxes and organizer shelf were still in great shape, it didn’t need to be a big upgrade.

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The first thing I did was order her some new hangers. Now that she is older, her clothes were falling off the child sized plastic hangers. I’d flip through her closet and the clothes would slide right off.

I purchased a pack of fifty velvet hangers from Walmart.com, and also a ten-pack of the same hangers with pants clips for her jeans and skirts. For fun (and to make them match her boxes), I ordered them in hot pink.

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Pink Velvet hangers

Now that her clothes were no longer falling off the hangers, and her hangers were all the same size and width, her closet already looked tons better.

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I also removed anything that did not fit, or was out of season to give her more space. Afterward, I began to think about what she needed to store in her closet. She is a little fashionista, so there are plenty of scarves, hats and purses that needed a home.

 

She also doesn’t wear pantyhose or tights that often anymore, so we really didn’t need two baskets for those.

When I finished purging things, I put all like items together, and updated her basket labels. When I finished, I had this:

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A closet that meets her needs and is pretty to look at as well.

Have a wonderful weekend!