getting organized Archives - Lumber in My Minivan

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

How to get organized without breaking the bank

June 4, 2019June 3, 2019by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment

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, 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

March 28, 2019March 28, 2019by LumberInMyMiniVan1 Comment

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

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.

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.

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.

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:

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

Have a wonderful weekend!

2018, 21-day organizing challenge, closet organization, closets, getting organized, organize, organizing, organizing tips

How to organize your closet and keep it that way

January 25, 2019by LumberInMyMiniVan3 Comments

My closet, finally not looking like a hot mess

Does anyone else often find that their closet is a hot mess, despite their best efforts? Do you struggle to find things in your closet, even though you know they are there?

I have definitely been there, but at the moment, I’m in a much better place with my closet. Today, I’d like to share some tips for keeping your closet clean and organized.

1. Use matching hangers to free up space in your closet space

It sounds a little crazy, but did you know that by using hangers that are the same width and thickness, you can actually save yourself some space on the closet rod? In addition, it also gives your closet a more streamlined, more uniform appearance.

2. Attach labels to the baskets and bins

Labeling boxes and bins not only helps you to find things more quickly, it also ensures that everything has a proper place, and that you put everything into its proper place each day.

3. Hang pants at eye level because it looks nicer

Pants will always hang more neatly than shirts. For this reason, hanging pants on eye level will make your closet appear overall more neat and clean. A cleaner closet also feels more organized.

4. Twice a year, purge what you don’t wear anymore.

I like to turn my clothes hangers a certain direction, and after I wear the garment that season, I turn the hanger the opposite direction. At the end of the season, I turn the hanger the opposite direction. At the end of the season, anything that worn that no longer fits is donated, sold or given away.

I hope you have enjoyed these tips for organizing your closet! Stay tuned tomorrow for a summary of week two.

2019, 21-day organizing challenge, cleaning tips, entry way, foyer, getting organized, organize, organizing, organizing tips, room refreshers

21-day challenge: entry way organization

January 18, 2019by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment

Our entry way looked like this:

It wasn’t bad, but it did need some help.

I’m going to show you my before and after shots, but I also want to share some of my tips for a more organized entry.

1. Have a place to stash shoes.

See those big baskets under the table? I use those to corral shoes. Without the baskets, shoes were always all over the floor.

2. Have a designated place to stash incoming mail and other items.

Those two baskets corral items like mail, keys and school papers, which keeps them out of sight and off the counter tops.

I gave both baskets a little straightening up, simply by going through everything in them and throwing away what didn’t need to be there any longer.

We also thinned out some of the coats and extra things hanging up in our entry way. These hooks corral our book bags, purses and the dog leash.

Our entry is still not decorated the way I want it to be, but it’s certainly more functional and neat.

Let’s see that before:

And after:

Isn’t this a lot better?

Don’t forget to show me your organizing progress on Instagram with the hashtag #ons21daychallenge ?

2019, 21-day organizing challenge, Bathrooms, cleaning tips, closet organization, closets, closets, closet organization, kids rooms, DIY, organize, organizing, organizing tips

21-day challenge: an organized linen closet

January 16, 2019by LumberInMyMiniVan2 Comments

Our linen closet wasn’t terrible but it definitely needed a little love.

We had some good things going in our linen closet but we really had been neglecting it and piling it up. I began the cleanup process by removing everything that didn’t belong and putting it in its rightful place.

I neatly folded up all the towels and popped them into the cubby shelves. I also used bins and baskets to corral smaller items. I took everything that was just sitting on the shelf and found a new home for it.