OT: BEST ORGANIZATIONAL TIPS???

[ginalc]

Last week I went visiting friends, one of whom is EXTREMELY organized. Almost to the point where I'm glad she lives far away because household organization is not my strongpoint! :) She had one tip that has already helped me: place 2 laundry baskets in your bedrooms and use 1 (darker in color) for dark clothes, the other (white) for light clothes. That way, your laundry is already sorted when you do a load! Very clever indeed!!!

I was wondering if any of you have other terrific tips that have made your household easier to maintain and organize. Feel free to share as many as you like......... I could use the tips! :)

TIA, gina, mom to 3

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I like the "touch it once" principle. I sort the mail standing at the trash can. Junk mail goes straight in the trash. Bills are opened and the ones that pay automatically from our bank account go right in the trash, ones that need attention go right to the bill-paying desk. Magazines go right to the bedroom reading stack. etc.

The idea is that you deal with the mail one time, touch it once, rather than moving the stack from the mailbox to the desk to sort later and then to another stack after sorting, etc.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[Momof3Labs]

Huh - I use the two-basket approach, too, and never thought that it was special. I also have a lingerie bag hanging over the edge of each basket, and as I take off bras or nylons, they go straight into the bag. Then my bras aren't at risk of accidentally getting into the dryer.

I've also started keeping a Wal-mart microfiber cloth (available in the auto section) in each drawer in a room, so I can grab it and do some quick dusting when I'm in the room (I tend to clean in small intervals, not in huge bursts).

To keep dishes from piling up in the sink, anything that can go in the dishwasher goes straight in there, rather than leaving it in the sink and then having to load the dishwasher.

We have hardwood floors and three pets, so I have a Swiffer sweeper with one of the microfiber cloths sitting ready to go in a closet, and every morning, I run it over the floor to pick up the pet fur. Otherwise it ends up all over Colin! I've also found that keeping the dogs downstairs most of the day helps keep the rest of the house cleaner. They still sleep on the floor in our room, though.

[LucyG]

My favorite tip doesn't really amount to much, but it does make me feel better. A long time ago, I read somewhere that you should always make your bed right after (or soon after) you get up. That way, you will have at least one neat area of your house to return to for the rest of the day. I do this, and I can check one thing off my list as soon as I awake and have coffee! No matter how cluttered the bedroom might be, having the bed made gives it some sense of neatness.

[farsk]

What a great post!

I have a few....

1. Safety pin socks together before they go into the dirty clothes. That way you are not searching for the match when they come out of the dryer. This has been pinless to implement with my husband!

2. Stock up on Congratulations, Sympathy, Birthday, etc. cards at one time. That way when you receive good (or bad) news, you are ready to go with a card.

3. Get film developing envelopes from the place where you take your film. That way you can just run in and drop off envelopes instead of standing there with 10 rolls of vacation film!

Good Luck!
-Shannon
Mom to Ellen (edd 7/28/2003)

[pritchettzoo]

I have a friend who uses http://www.flylady.net/ and loves it. I haven't started yet because I am studying for the Bar exam and can't deal with one more thing. But the site is really cute and has some great ideas!

Anna
#1(DD) EDD 9/10/03

[peanut4us]

I actually have 3 baskets: One for whites, one for lights, and one for darks. We just sort clothes as we take them off. I also have a separate basket for DD. It's easier for me to sort her stuff separate from ours at this point.

I also have a friend who has three boys, 12, 8, and 5. They have a huge shoe basket next to their door.So she never has to deal with not being able to find her kids' shoes.

Edited to say: I have also done flylady.net. I liked it, but it is really designed for SAHM's and very difficult to adapt to the working mom. Otherwise though it's great, especially if you don't like doing long stints of cleaning/organizing. She is all about setting a timer and doing stuff here and there. It's amazing how much you can accomplish in just 5 minutes.

[mama2be]

I have tos tart with I know few people who are more organized than I was at work...

BUT get me to my home and I am so un organized i can't stand it...

but here are a few things that if I don't "practice" I have heard about and keep saying I will practice...

I too have three baskets for clothes...dark,white, dryclean
Tristan's actually go in a bag and I was them separately on cold...
Oh yeah and then my cloth Diapers

My house is taken over with mail and clothes...dirty and clean...

BUT
A long with the envelopes of film...HIGHLITE YOUR NAME OR ON TOP OF THE ENVELOPE HIGHLIGHT A STRIP...Thus when you are at Costco etc.. looking for your film (envelope) it is obvious and is hilighted, easy to find.

An organization expert on Oprah once said that you should keep things like your cutting board near your knifes...group things in the kitchen that you use together

She also had an accordian in a drawer in the kitchen to sort mail instantly...

[flagger]

Both of us sort the mail at the mailbox before even walking up the driveway. If it is trash day, and the truck has not come I put all the flyers, sales adverts, junk mail in the bin. Credit card apps come into the house and I shread those immediately.

Her magazines go right on her table next to the couch. Mine go next to my bed.

Bills get opened and the check written immediately. The letter sits on the bottom of the bannister for her or I to take to the mailbox in the morning. Bank statements get reconciled the day they come in. (Thank you Quicken)

We have a three bag hamper in our closet for white, lights and darks. Those get separated as we take off our days clothes. Ms. Flagger bought it at a store in Houston called the Container store. We bought new bags when we were in town a couple of weeks ago. We had a laundry basket in the corner of Cocoa's room but the dogs were getting into it an there would be clothes, socks and burp cloths all over the place each day. We bought a single PVC holder with a bag and now there is not dog problem. I can toss right into it while changing Cocoa.

[jd11365]

Love this thread!!
What do you do with coupons/flyers? I end up with them everywhere...

[COElizabeth]

I have a drawer with all my coupons (and some other stuff) in it. There are three sets of coupons, each clothespinned together: groceries, baby stuff, and other (restaurants, etc.). I also have a folder in my file cabinet for "upcoming events," and I keep party invitations, plane tickets, other event tickets, directions to events, etc., in there, usually in the order in which the events will happen.

Elizabeth
Mom to James
9-20-02

[mharling]

It sounds like the pre-sorted laundry will help your laundry-inept dh as well!!

Here are a few of mine:

1. At the beginning of a new year, I create a tax folder for the year. As things related to taxes (e.g. charitable donation receipts) come in the mail, they get filed right away. It makes tax time much easier since we're not scouring through piles looking for documents.

2. I make our own return address labels. I just buy the plain labels on a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet and have a document saved on my computer. Whenever we run out, I just print another one. It beats writing it every time and then you're also not stuck with tons of old labels if your address changes.

3. Mail gets sorted right away into 5 piles; garbage, shred, recycle, magazines, file/do something with.

4. As I'm reading a magazine, I tear pages out that I want to keep. I have a binder with various categories that these pages go into. Much easier than holding onto a pile of magazines and trying to remember why!

5. This one is from my parents. If there are magazines or newspapers that they both like to read, the first one initials it on the front when they are done. When the second reader is done, they know the other one has read it and it goes straight to the recycle bin.

Mary & Lane 4/6/03
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b3237413c427 - New 6/18

[kathsmom]

Hi, Gina!

I am trying to do the www.flylady.net and it is helping me. A friend of mine here in town and I have decided to hold each other accountable to accomplish certain goals. Also, Emilie Barnes is a Christian author who has written several good books on organizing. Between the Flylady and Emilie, I am hoping to get my act together!!LOL!! I believe that Emilie Barnes' website is www.emiliebarnes.com

Some of my own personal tips to help me (though you can't tell it by the mess in my house):

1. I have 3 baskets for laundry - whites/lights, darks, towels/underwear.

2. Each person has their own color towels. I have yellow, DH has gray, DD has pink, DS has the baby towels. None of them match the colors of the bathrooms, but I don't care at this point.

3. We are doing what the Flylady calls the "27 Fling Boogie". We are decluttering 27 things at a time. Some of it is trash and a lot of it is going to a yard sale we hope to have in August.

4. I have started keeping spray bottles of Shout in DS's room and in the laundry room, so whenever I change his clothes, there is stain remover nearby.

5. I am getting better about making out a menu so I can just look at it and see what we are having for dinner that night.

6. I am folding the clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer. I also do not start a load of clothes in the wash unless I know that I can completely finish the chore from start to finish (another flylady tip).

That's all I can think of for now! Great topic!

[ginalc]

WOW! You guys are terrific! Thanks for the tips!!!

Yes, I believe the laundry baskets will relieve some of my "used-to-be-white-blues" with DH. Has been very frustrating, but now I'm doing some educating and things will hopefully improve. :)

A tip I've learned with clothes in the closet is to turn the hangers backwards (so the "hook" points out) at the beginning of the season for all your clothes. As you use the clothes and replace them in the closet, set the hanger the correct way to indicate that you've worn the item recently. At the end of the season, take out all the clothes that were never worn and consider whether it's something you want to keep or not. This has helped me make the "final decision" on more than one clothing item!

And thanks for the link www.flylady.net I'll check it out today!

gina, mom to 3

[MommytoDylan]

Emilie Barnes is amazing! I went to an all day seminar of hers and came home with wonderful ideas I implemented that day. If you get a chance to attend a seminar they are life changing. She used to hold meetings in her house (she had a ranch in Riverside, CA) and she'd let anyone in attendance open any drawer or closet and see how she organized it!

[lizamann]

Oooh, these are great tips. My house is a disaster, especially the closets.

Here is my ONE organizing system that friends and family make fun of me for...

DH and I arent really into cooking lately, so we order delevery all the time. I organized the menus in file folders by cuisine: Asian food, Italian food, burgers and sandwiches, etc. The files are in a drawer by the phone. Whenever we get a new menu (they often show up at the front door) I pop it in the right place. We also put our favorite restaurants at the front of the folder for easy access.

A little embarassing that this is how we eat, but that's just how it is right now.

Beth

[kathsmom]

Meredith,

I would LOVE to see her in person! I know that she wasn't doing seminars for a long time, because she has cancer. I think the last time I checked her website (a long time ago), she was making a lot of progress. I think they even had to sell their ranch. I don't think that she and Bob could take care of it with her being sick.

I homeschooled my DD for 1 year of preschool and the homeschool group I belonged to had a library. They had several videotapes of Emilie and I loved them all. She just seems so warm, open, and friendly!

At this point, I can't let anyone look in my drawers!LOL! I don't even know what is in some of them! I am just trying to declutter and do what Emilie and flylady say about taking things 15 minutes at a time.

Glad to know you enjoy her too!

[lukkykatt]

Well, now that I am getting to sleep through the night from time to time, I am trying to get my house back into some kind of order. And I have alot of work ahead of me!

I am pretty good about keeping up on the day to day stuff: laundry, dishes, bed being made. After that, things sort of fall apart. I have been making to-do lists, and that really helps me stay on top of the "big picture" items: filing, making appts, getting estimates, etc. It also gives a feeling of accomplishment to cross something off the list.

Also, I have been trying to be better about planning meals for the week. This doesn't always happen, but my goal is to sit down with the grocery circular, see what is on sale, and plan meals accordingly. I make a weekly menu and write down the cookbook pages that I got the recipes from. All I have to do is look at the calendar, and go to the appropriate cookbook. Right now, the moon, sun and stars have to be in alignment for this to happen, but the evenings go much smoother when I do this.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

We scanned the menus and put them on the computer so we didn't have to keep track of the paper. :)

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[sarasprings]

This isn't an organization tip, but a film tip. I always put an address label on the film canister -- just in case it gets accidentally separated from the envelope.

[MommytoDylan]

Toni,

If you are in the So. CA area she is speaking again. She just did a ladies tea at my church before Mother's Day. I think she incorporated her lessons learned from her experience with cancer too. I wasn't able to attend but I'm sure it was wonderful!

I'd love to see her videos. I'm going to ask around and see if I can locate any. Thanks for the idea!

Edited to add:

I just looked at her website and she is all over, not just in So. CA.!

[ginalc]

Thank you so much for the links to Flylady.net and Emiliebarnes.com !!!

I plan to head over to my favorite book stores tomorrow to check out Emilie Barnes' books. Looks like there are a few that I need to get right away! :)

gina

[blnony]

Well, since I'm up....:)
One thing that helps with communication on grocery items for us, is a small dry erase board on our frige.
When ever we run out of an item, write it on the board. I grocery shop once a week, and DH is in and out so often that he used to always forget to tell me he used the last of something. So its habit now and its much easier than running to the store all the time.
I make a menu, but always have supplies on hand for a quick easy meal in case its just been one of those days, and if I switch, it doesn't affect the rest of the week.
I go to Target, Wal-Mart etc once a month. I stock up on paper goods, or small stuff or cleaning supplies so there aren't any more trips than the one.
My DH is the mail - paper nut. He has an organization system for everything that comes in. He is an "inbox" in our study, and I just place everything in there and once a week he does the box.
With coupons, I have a small hand held plastic organizer, and as soon as I cut it out, I place it in there. So no coupons lying around.
i am also a "to do list" fanatic. I always have a notepad on the desk with my list. This helps me remember things now that I have "mommy brain!" :)
Also, I'm not a pack rat. I throw stuff away. If I haven't used it in a year, its out of here. Either trash, goodwill, donations etc. this includes cloths and other things. I don't hang on to stuff.
I also use those big sterilite containers from Target to store everything. I hate cardboard. I organize summer clothes/winter clothes/baby clothes to grow into /bc grown out of by size. I organize office supplies etc. this way. Everything has a label and stacks neatly.
In our bath, everything has a little bin and a label. Stocked up toothpaste and groom item one bin etc. Audrey's bath is the same way. We can find anything quickly without having to search. It really saves time.
But I'm also the kind of freak who organizes spices and canned goods alphabetically. soo.....:)

[MommytoDylan]

Have any of you heard of thegrocerygame.com ? The owner organizes all the week's coupons that coordinate with the week's sales and writes a list for you! It enables me to plan my meals for the week with what is on sale and buy most of my groceries when they are at rock bottom prices. You get your list by zipcode but it is not everywhere in the US yet. It costs about $1.50 a week to subscribe but I save between $40-100 a week depending on how much I buy.

Hope this helps someone!

[mamahill]

LOVE this thread!

I do the laundry and the dishwasher thing - most of the time;). I have a small accordian file for coupons. I sort the mail as soon as it comes in - anything related to an account or refinance or pre-approved credit card (though I haven't had many of these since my "do not mail" request) goes into the shredder. Everything else into recycling. The grocery special mailer goes behind my cookbook holder and I pull it out mid-week and plan meals around sales, stock up on staples, and add the items listed on my refrigerator white board.
stuff).

I keep a spray bottle of 1/4 vinegar, the rest water, for touch-ups (cat mess, baby spit-up, spots on the floor or window, etc.). Maintaining is a lot easier than mass cleaning.

My SIL uses her maiden name for her film at Costco because it began with a V, and how many Vs are there?! - so I've made up a "film" last name:).

One thing my mom would do as we were older is she would pick up the "clutter" in, say, the family room and put it in a big laundry basket. Then she would tell us we had until bedtime to put our stuff away, or it got tossed. As we got older, she continued this and at night as I'd be going upstairs, I'd see the basket on the bottom step and take my stuff with me. Most of the time it wasn't tossed, but we'd have to do a chore to earn stuff back. I don't do the same thing with Joel (hmmm...), but I use a basket and gather everything up in the evening if I don't feel like putting it away. I don't like going to bed with a messy house, so this is a halfsies way - I put the stuff in the basket away in the morning when I have more energy, and am able to relax in a somewhat cleaner house in the evening.

I think my others have been covered here. Getting so many great ideas, though!

[ginalc]

WELL FLYLADY.NET IS THE MOST AMAZING E-MAIL REMINDER SERVICE I HAVE EVER USED!!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!

In the past few days I have conquered the laundry issue, 1 closet, the mail, and part of my kitchen. It's a start, but holy smokes! This is awesome!!!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!! :) :) :)

gina, mom to 3

[cmyk]

This one is for Palm Pilot (or other PDA) users:

I use my PDA to store recipes. When I'm grocery shopping, I have all my recipes with me. So, say the portobello mushroom look really good, I can look up my recipes using portobellos and see if I need to buy any other ingredients to make a particular dish.

I search for alot of recipes electronically using epicurious.com, cookinglight.com, etc., so it's easy to get them into the PDA. For family recipes written down on paper, my mom, who is a really fast typist, will type a bunch for me when she visits.

Also, this system is really helpful when someone asks for a recipe. It's simple to e-mail, or print a paper copy from my computer. (Of course, if someone else has a PDA, I can "beam" the recipe. My mom actually owns one now!)

I still love my cookbooks, but this system it's so handy for when I'm out shopping and the recipes are at home.

-Shelley

[sugarsnappea]

I use my maiden name at Costco too! My last name starts with an S and my maiden name starts with an I. I zip in and out with my pics in no time. :)

[cheyennemom]

In the beginning of the summere I dreaded outside time with my kids. In, out, in, out, in, out... My house became a mess even though we were "outside." So, I got organized:

1) Outside toys are outside (Duh) I bought a bench/chest for the porch and the kids fill it back up every night.

2) I put a mat and basket outside and all those little shoes filled with sand stay outside.

3) I have a beach bag that is filled with our outdoor supplies: sunscreen, bug spray, hats, wipes, etc.

4) We take a small cooler outside with water, fruit and yogurt sticks.

Now, I love going outside, if for no other reason so that my house stays clean!

[AngelaS]

COOL! I have a Palm, did you download recipe software that lets you search by ingredients? :)

[cmyk]

I don't use special software. I use the Memo application that comes standard with Palms. (I'd think that most PDAs have a basic Memo feature.) I have a category called Recipes, and each recipe is its own memo. To search for an ingredient, I use the Find tool.

-Shelley

[parkersmama]

Same here about the baskets! It just seemed to make sense and worked really well once I got dh trained!! LOL!

[parkersmama]

No really new earth-shattering tips here but a great book to recommend! Confessions of an Organized Homemaker by Deniece Schofield is one of the best home organizing books I've ever run across! She gives tips on cleaning, kitchen organization, organizing the stuff that comes home from school with the kids (just wait...it's a bigger nightmare than all the toys!! LOL!), organizing photos, toys, etc. Just about everything you can think of!! I've implemented lots of her ideas and have been very happy with the results.

[mama2be]

...I'll put you to work girlfriend!!!

[MartiesMom2B]

Especially Tony. Fed up with living in a messy house I joined. I was reluctant at first because I didn't want to pay for a new "scheme" but I saw it was free. OK, off to take a shower, make my bed, and wash my sink. . . .

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[emilyf]

Flylady has helped me a lot too-this week I've been exhausted from travel and sick w/a cold, and have just managed to make my bed every morning and run the dishwasher every night-it's amazing how those 2 small things make a difference.
Emily
mom of Charlie born 11/02