A ROOM-BY-ROOM ORGANIZING PRIMER

Here are some prime candidates for things to say goodbye to:

Clothes Closet

-- Purchases that were a mistake and are too late to return

-- Clothes that don't fit well, are uncomfortable or aren't in good condition

-- Things you haven't worn in the last 2 years

-- Items that need repair or alterations but you are unlikely to have fixed

-- Shoes that are beat up or uncomfortable

-- Handbags you won't carry

Kitchen

-- Chipped dishes, glasses and coffee cups

-- Plastic dishes and cups your children have outgrown

-- Gadgets or appliances you never use

-- Over burnt pots, pans or bake ware

-- Excess utensils

-- Wedding presents you received and never use

-- Tupperware that's missing a lid or a bottom

-- Dish towels and pot holders in poor condition

-- Expired food and spices

Office

-- Paid bills that are not tax deductible and that you aren't referencing

-- Pay stubs for past years

-- Receipts for items you aren't returning unless they are for big ticket or items under warranty

-- Bank statements older than the tax retention period your accountant advises

-- Catalogs for items you aren't ready to buy and can find online

-- Junk mail (of course!)

-- Solicitations that you aren't immediately giving to (You'll get more!)

Bathroom

-- Expired medications and ointments

-- Products you tried and didn't like

-- Old nail polish that's dried up or a color you don't like

--Curling irons, flat irons, curlers or blow dryers you don't use any more

-- Old make up or colors you don't look good in

-- Old razors

-- Old toothbrushes

-- Broken brushes or combs

Linen Closet

-- Towels that aren't in good condition or that you've replaced with new ones

-- Sheets for bed sizes you no longer own

-- Extra sheets you never use

-- Scratchy blankets

-- Table cloths you don't use

Living Room

-- VHS tapes if you don't have a VCR

-- DVD's/Tapes your kids have outgrown

-- Magazines over 3 months old

-- Cassette tapes

-- Puzzles missing pieces

-- Games and toys your kids have outgrown or don't play with

-- Books that you won't reread or reference or aren't your favorites

-- Newspapers more than a week old

Laundry Room

-- Excess rags

-- Duplicate cleaning supplies (consolidate and dispose of the empty containers)

-- Single socks that you haven't found the mate too

Storage Areas

-- Holiday decorations you don't put up anymore

-- Old electronics - find out where your community wants you to dispose of these - they cannot go in the trash

-- Obsolete baby equipment

-- Items you're saving for your kids but that they've told you they don't want

-- College notebooks and texts you won't refer to

Garage

-- Old chemicals (take these to your community's site for hazardous materials)

-- Old paint (if it's dried up it can go in the trash, otherwise dry it out with kitty litter or find out what the options are for disposal in your community)

-- Sporting equipment no one uses anymore

-- Bikes that are too small

-- Broken items you won't fix

 Featured Project 

Getting rid of the games, art supplies and other items that no one used anymore allowed this client to use the space for photo boxes, memorabilia and travel items.

 

GETTING STARTED! 

Even though we may recognize that letting go of the excess in our homes is freeing and can feel great -- many find it difficult to get started.  Here are some tips to help you begin:

Develop Criteria for What Stays or Goes Before you even start to organize, decide what is worthy of keeping and what isn't. For example, maybe you'll only keep the books that you will reread, reference or are your favorites. Then if a book doesn't fit into one of those categories, it doesn't make the cut.  

Schedule Donation Pick Ups/Sales Appointments In Advance  

By scheduling,  you'll know you have to come up with some things to let go of.      

Start with a Category You Don't Anticipate Having Any Trouble With  

Start with an easy area and know that it almost always gets easier to make these decisions once you start. 

Make Daily or Weekly Goals  

Nudge yourself into starting by deciding how many items you will commit to letting go of per day or per week.

STARTLING STATISTICS  

Ever wonder why there is so much interest in getting organized? Check out these statistics and wonder no more!

• According to the book Affluenza by John DeGraff, our homes now have twice as much stuff in them as in the 1950's".
• According to the book Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century, managing the volume of possessions was such a crushing problem in many homes that it actually elevated levels of stress hormones for mothers. (Not a surprise to us moms!)
• The U.S. Department of Energy reports that one-quarter of people with two-car garages have so much stuff in them that they can't park a car inside of them.
• 1 in 11 American households' rents a self-storage space and they spend over $1,000 a year in rent.

UPCOMING SEMINARS

Altogether Organized Has A Facebook Page!