Who or what is being groomed?

As we continue to take care of your bathroom let’s take it a step further. Grooming supplies take up a lot of space and we often have old out dated items lying around.

               Women do you have tons of makeup, creams, lotions etc.? When was the last time you used it? Sure we women sometimes like to change our look and use different colors and that is fine, but if you have makeup you don’t remember when you purchased or when the last time you used it throw it out. Many of us get irritated eyes or even eye infections from using old makeup. Yes even makeup can grow bacteria. If you use old makeup it can even cause rashes or pimples. So go thru all of your cosmetics and get rid of old stuff or products you no longer use. This will cut down on what you have to store leaving more room for what you do use and therefore you can organize it better and cut down on time to searching for just the right thing.

               Men you too have items you have lying around. If you use a trimmer when was the last time you cleaned it? You should brush it out after each use and use rubbing alcohol to clean it off every couple of uses.

               Brushes and combs when was the last time you cleaned them? Many of us have our favorite brush, comb, pick etc. We forget to clean these items. So take a moment to pull out our extra hair out of these items. Gather any makeup brushes as well take these out to the kitchen and place them in the dish washer. (If you have any ball caps that have not been washed you can put them in as well.) Run the dish washer on glasses or sanitizing cycle without soap. It will clean off the sweat, hair products and bacteria that grow on these items. Ball caps will be clean and not lose their shape. (Do not run these items with dishes.) Toothbrushes should be replaced every 3 months, or after getting over an illness to prevent you from reinfecting yourself.

               Now that things are clean and you have decreased the number of items you have to figure out where you would like to place them for a neat and convenient access. Our grooming items can sometimes make a hugh mess in our bathrooms. Sometimes you may wonder who or what was being groomed with hair and dust being around.

               Do you have scissors, tweezers and other metal items used in your bathroom? When was the last time you sanitized them? It is simple to do this, simply take rubbing alcohol to clean these items and since it dries quickly it won’t cause these items to rust.

               Main tip is to get rid of old out dated and unused items, and to clean and sanitize the items we frequently use.

Bathroom Blues

Does your bathroom drive you crazy? It is a room often used but seldom given attention. It is one of the smallest rooms in our homes yet it has hundreds of items in it. Even though it is a chore many of us don’t like, it is a room that honestly needs to be cleaned well and often. Other than the kitchen it should honestly be the cleanest room in our homes. I am suggesting that you once again empty out areas to start fresh and get organized. In a later blog entry I will cover grooming items (i.e. makeup, brushes, combs, toothbrushes, etc.)

               First start in your linen closet (if you have one). Take everything out.  Sort items into categories, i.e. towels, washcloths, cleaning supplies, etc. Now I personally sort my towels into a couple of piles. Hand towels, bath towels, hair towels, and old torn towels. I try to put the best and most often used on top.

               Now that you have everything out and sorted, how many of the items do not belong in the bathroom? We seem to use our bathroom linen closets as a quick stash place when we are rushing around cleaning up. Anything that doesn’t belong put where it does belong. Before putting things away clean the area. Wash off shelves sweep out the bottom. Figure out where you would like things to go. (Yes we are again planning.) You may have kept things on lower shelves before and now you would like them up higher or vice versa. Things you don’t use as much you may choose to place either up higher or on the bottom. Whatever you choose is ok. Do what is best for you and your family. There is no right or wrong way to do it.

               Ok what is below your sink are there things you would like to move to your linen closet? Go ahead and move these items and do the same with items you had in your linen closet you want to put below your sink. (If you have small children keep cleaning supplies out of reach, do the same with soaps, shampoos etc. or put a lock on the cabinet doors.)

               Keep thing near where you use them. Toilet paper kept on the other side of the room does you no good if you are going to the bathroom and the roll is empty. Here again planning is important. Some people don’t like to keep an extra roll out in the open and that is ok. You can find many things to keep them in. Little cabinets meant for rolls of toilet paper, some place them on the plunger handle, (hopefully it is clean) others have decorative baskets or boxes where they put the extra rolls. Whatever you choose is ok. I simply recommend you keep things where it makes sense to you and where you need the items. With a little work and ingenuity we can transform our bathroom into a room that is pleasant to be in.

               Don’t forget while you are organizing to clean. Your shower is sometimes the most disorganized area in the bathroom. Do you have several different types of shampoos, conditioners, soaps etc.? Check to see if you have empty containers if so throw them out. If you keep your shaving items in the shower check for rust. If your blades are rusted throw them out. Can you decrease the number of items in the shower? If so please do so. Once every couple of months you should take down your shower curtain and wash it in the washing machine with ½ cup of bleach. This will kill any mold that may be lurking on it.

               Do you have items on your vanity that just take up space and are not used often? If so put them away. The cups, etc. that are around need to be cleaned. We sometimes forget to do this. Another tip many don’t know is do not keep medications in your bathroom. It is the moistest rooms in your home and can cause your meds to get damp, stick together or even start to dissolve. Most meds should be kept in a cool dry area, so the bathroom is not a good choice.

               The primary goal for today is to place things where you can easily get to them and where you use them. Also clean the areas and items that are most often missed. No sense allowing germs and bacteria to grow and getting yourself or your family sick.

Can I keep this up?

If you have been following me the past 28 days I have been giving tips every day for 28 days straight. I admit there have been a few days that I missed, but I then recover with 2 entries the following day. That is also what this blog entry is all about. There will be days that we don’t do anything, I encourage you to do what you can when you can even if you have only done a few things you are a success. These things don’t have to be just my suggestions or ideas; they can be anything that you may have done to organize yourself and your life. They say it takes 28 days to create a new habit so again if you did not keep up doing something every day, it is ok. Tomorrow is a new day; you always have a new chance to make choices. I encourage you to just keep trying to do something, even if it is only the 5 minuets I challenged you in previous challenges. I am simply trying to give you some ideas that you can do to organize yourself. Everyone has different needs and circumstances, and I do understand this fully.

               When I started this blog I was working a full time job, trying to take care of things at home, assist my daughter in her college search and all the things that go along with getting into college, and doing this blog. My life to say the least was very busy. At work I had to be flexible because things changed frequently sometimes weekly, other times it seemed as though things were changing by the minute. You must be able to forgive yourself if you don’t do everything you want and things don’t turn out the way you thought. As with my life things and circumstances change and you need to be able to change with them. You will learn as you go something’s that work for others may not work for you and vice versa. I am constantly changing how I do things as I realize that a different way will work better. So don’t give up if you try something and it don’t work the way you wanted, just try to look at it to see how it may work. Don’t forget to take time to plan. Sometimes this is a step we often skip to save time and later on down the road realize that what we did does not work, if we would have just taken time to plan we would have seen it wouldn’t work. Trust me on this point I have learned that the hard way about many things and made ten times more work for myself in turn taking way more time than I should have had to take.

               In a nut shell I am trying to encourage you to do what you can when you can, and challenge you along the way. Like I have said before many times. Almost everyone can find 5 minutes per day that they can do a little something to organize themselves and life. Again if you have any comments, questions or even suggestions of ideas or things you would like a topic on let me know. I am always open to new ideas and challenges. You may either leave a comment here or email me at organizingrebel@gmail.com. Either way I welcome your ideas, comments and even constructive criticism. I want to thank all of you for following this journey and look forward to the future as we together get organized.

P.S. I do apologize for the gap in entries, I too get so busy at times that don’t get all of my to do list done. I will be doubling or even tripling up the next couple of days. Then in February as I start a new chapter in my life I will not be posting daily it will be a couple of times a week. Again thank you for going on this journey with me and following my blog.

Food, food everywhere and nothing to eat.

Does your cupboard or pantry have mass chaos going on? Do you spend more time digging around for the things you need than you do cooking? If so this is for you. This is another project I challenge you to do that will take more than 5 minutes. First empty your cupboards or pantry. (I will refer to pantry if you don’t have one and only use cupboards that is ok). Sort your food according to type i.e. can food, pasta, sauces, snacks, baking goods, etc. Now go thru all your items and check the dates. Even dry goods have dates on them. If it is out of date please get rid of it. Now break down your types further i.e. can food into meats, vegetables, fruit, etc. Take a moment to clean out your pantry, wipe down the shelves, and sweep the bottom out. Now that it is all clean figure out what you want to go where. I keep my baking supplies on the top shelf since I don’t get into them as much as other things and I keep the snacks on the bottom, because when you are looking for something to eat quick you may choose something at eye level that is healthier rather than bending over to look at the snacks. If you have small children you may need to rethink this step and keep the snacks up higher to keep them out of them. Now start to put things back into your pantry. Place like items together. My pantry door has shelves on the inside to place my can goods; this is very handy for me and my family. When putting the food back into your pantry make sure that the date that expires the soonest is in front of dates that have more time. This will help you in using the oldest stuff first.

               I personally have one shelf for baked goods, the cans are in the door, one shelf for boxed meals, and noodles, one for sauces, marinades etc. and yet another for cereals, lunch items etc. I try to keep things that I use more often in the center of the shelf and the things used less often to the outsides. When making out your grocery list you can see much easier what you are low on or out of. (I keep a running list on my fridge so that when I use something and see I am low or out of an item I can put it on the list.) There is no right or wrong way to do this, it is whatever way works better for you and your family. I am just giving some suggestions of how I do my own pantry. Like I have said before it takes time to do this, but it is time well spent and helps you save your precious time when looking for ingredients, a snack, grocery list, or even when trying to figure out what you will be cooking for a meal. If you have children they can help, make it a game and have them match items for you, this will allow you to be doing something else and cut down on your time so the task will go much quicker for you.

Daunting Dishes

When you open your cupboard do you get attacked by bowls or are your dishes crammed into the back and you have to dig them out? If so here are a few tips that will help. Let me warn you, you may find this hard to deal with. I am suggesting that you reduce your amount to dishes.

               First take all of your dishes out of the cupboards. Plates, bowls, lids, cups, glasses, etc. Sort them according to type i.e. plates, bowls, lids etc. Now place all of your matching sets together. Make sure your dishes are in good shape. If they are cracked, chipped etc. throw them away. Now any storage bowls you have make sure they have lids. If they are bowl without lids or lids without bowls toss these out. Do you have any dishes you never use? If so get rid of them. If you have dishes you only use on special occasions put these in the higher shelves that are hard to get to. Or place them at the back of your cupboard. Now of the remaining dishes, cups, etc. that you use how many do you have? You should only have enough for 2-3 meals per person in your household. This will not only cut down on the amount of items in your cupboard, but will also force you to keep up on your dishes sot that they do not pile up. For storage containers you don’t need tons of them. Sure you will want to have several on hand of various sizes, but you don’t need enough to fill your refrigerator. I personally love the newer sets of storage containers that all stack together and the lids are only 3 sizes which also nestle together. It makes storing them neatly a snap. As far as glasses, cups and mugs you only need enough for 2-3 per person in your household. If it is glassware you may want to have a few extra just in case any get broken of you have guests. Silverware is the same as dishes enough for 2-3 meals per person. Again this will cut down on items in your drawers and keep them from piling up.

               Like I said this may be hard for most to follow. If you are too scared to completely get rid of these items box up the extra & place in your attic, basement, garage, etc. If in a few months you have not had to get anything out of the boxes you know you don’t need them. So now you can get rid of them. Whether you throw them out, donate them or put them in a garage sale.

Frozen Frustrations

Is your freezer stocked with things you are not aware of? Do you have containers and bags of unknown food? If so this is for you. Stocking your freezer when you find a good sale or great coupons can be a great idea, but just like everything else you need to keep it organized. Very few things are as frustrating as having to freeze your hands off digging thru your freezer for just the right ingredient.

               This is much easier to do if you have an upright freezer. If you have a chest freezer you will need to take the same basic ideas, but adjust them to your space and stack your items. This will be a task the first time, but if you keep up on it when you place the items in the freezer it will make life easier.

               Take everything out of the freezer. (Depending on how full it is and the temperature, you many need to have some coolers on hand to place the items in so they don’t thaw out). I recommend you make separate piles keep meats in one fruit in another, veggies in yet another then there is frozen dinners etc. Then look for expiration dates. Yes even some frozen foods have expiration dates. Now if your freezer is frosted up it is the perfect time to defrost it. Now neatly place the items back into your freezer. I have one shelf for veggies, one for meats another for box meals. Then I place containers of soup in the bottom. Make sure you keep the oldest items at the front or on top. If you buy meat in bulk and it is not packaged for freezing I encourage you to invest in good quality freezer bags or containers. Package your meat in them and write the date you purchased them and even what the meat is (i.e. ground beef, boneless pork chops, chicken breasts, ground turkey, etc.) Do the same if you freeze soup after making it. Label what type of soup and the date you made it.

Here are the basic guidelines of freezing foods from the FDA:  Item – Months Bacon and Sausage 1 to 2, Casseroles 2 to 3. Egg whites or egg substitutes 12, Frozen Dinners and Entrees 3 to 4, Gravy, meat or poultry 2 to 3, Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats 1 to 2, Meat, uncooked roasts 4 to 12, Meat, uncooked steaks or chops 4 to 12, Meat, uncooked ground 3 to 4, Meat, cooked 2 to 3, Poultry, uncooked whole 12, Poultry, uncooked parts 9, Poultry, uncooked giblets 3 to 4, Poultry, cooked 4, Soups and Stews 2 to 3, Wild game, uncooked 8 to 12. (Again these are the basic guidelines.)

               Now when you purchase new items place them at the back or on the bottom. Other words rotate your stock. Again make sure you use packaging meant for the freezing in the freezer sot that you don’t ruin the food by allowing it to become freezer burnt. It is better if you are able to vacuum pack food before freezing.

*Tip I take my meat out of the freezer and add my marinade into the frozen bag (if I plan to marinade), put it then into the refridgerator and allow it to thaw. As it thaws it will absorb the marinade and flavor the meat. Then cook as you like. My favorite treat on a salad is grilled chicken breast meat marinade in Italian dressing and then grilled. When I grill my chicken breast for dinner I make sure to have an extra piece to place on the grill. After cooking it I then chop it up into smaller pieces and place them in a snack bag. Then when you are having a salad or packing a lunch all you have to do is grab your baggie and you have a gourmet salad quickly. (If you don’t have salad real often you can refreeze the cooked chicken.)

Pots and Pans

Do you like many others have a lot of pots and pans that are mix matched and some with no lids? Here is something’s you can do in just a few minutes that will help you to organize them. First this may seem daunting but pull them all out of the cupboard. Now which ones are the ones you use the most? Pull these along with the lids to the side. Now the remaining pots and pans stack neatly so that they will fit back into your cupboard. Push them all the way to the back. Now if you have room and hopefully you do place the lids upside down in the pots and pans and place them in front of the pans you don’t use on a normal basis. If you have any room in a lower or higher cupboard put the pots and pans that are rarely used in these places at the very back. This way it leaves room for you to keep the ones you use more often in an easy to reach and easily seen area.

               Now if you have any pots and pans that are rusted and you can’t remember the last time you used them give them away of throw them out. If you have any lids that are damaged or lids with no pans throw them out. You can do the same thing for your baking sheets. By getting rid of the ones that are rarely used you are making more room for those you use and making it easier to get to them. Keep it simple, no sense stressing yourself out and making it harder than it has to be. Unless you have an overabundance of pots and pans this should only take about 5 minutes. 

Junk Mail Mountain

We all get junk mail. What do you do with yours? There are many ways you can handle it. First do NOT allow it to pile up! If it is simply an add, addressed to “current resident” I throw it out as soon as I bring it in. If it has your name on it I shred it immediately. (80% of the average mail is unsolicited mail that can got straight into the trash, 5% is mail to be shred and the other 15% is mail that we need to deal with). If it is in an envelope I remove the piece of paper with our info on it and shred that the rest I toss into the trash. If you have recycling you can recycle this. I still recommend that you shred or cut up the area with your info on it. No sense leaving your name and address out there for others to get ahold of. Junk mail is just that junk. The last thing any of us needs is more junk lying around. It only causes to chaos and more things to clean up and take care of later. The mail you need to deal with i.e. Bills, insurance info etc. you need figure out what you are going to do with it. Can you pay the bill now, if so pay it and get it back into the mail? If not make a specific place where you will put all your bills until you will pay them. I have a slot on my upright filing system where I put all my bills. I write on the front the amount due and due date. I then file them according to the due date so when I sit down weekly to write out my checks for bills I can quickly see what bills need to be paid this week. I have a file where I put info that comes in from our insurance company, then when I receive the bill from the doctor, hospital etc. I match it up with the statement from the insurance company make sure the correct amounts are accounted for and staple them together. I pay the bill and file the bill stub with statement into a folder for future reference and tax write offs.

               These are just a few simple hints that can be done daily when you bring mail in and will only take mere seconds to deal with.

A clean start.

We could all use a clean start. This does not mean getting rid of everything or moving to a new area and starting over. It means getting down to the nitty gritty and cleaning. Most of the country is supposed to be cold this weekend. So why not take time this weekend and clean?

               Many people do basic cleaning. I am recommending taking care of areas you may over look. Most of us have been running our furnaces for months now. When was the last time you changed your filter? Most manufacturers recommend changing them every 30 days, but most of us don’t do this. By installing a clean filter it can better do its job, cut down on dust and allow your furnace to run more efficiently which in turn uses less electricity and saves you money. If you have a vacuum that has a hose get it out and sweep out the cold air return (this is where your filter goes.) Also sweep out any vents you can get to. Sometimes things accidently get down in the registers and cleaning them will again cut down on the dust in your home.

               Clean out your dryer vent. Use the vacuum to sweep out the area where the lint trap is. Pull your dryer away from wall sweep behind it. Detach the hose and clean it out. Clean the actual vent that goes outside. If you are really adventurous remove the back of your dryer and sweep out the inside. This not only makes the dryer work more efficiently it also reduces the risk of fire. Many people have had house fires simply because they don’t clean these areas and the lint got hot and caught fire. While you have your dryer pulled out sweep the floor and walls to get rid of any lint that may be lurking around.

               Refrigerator – when was the last time you cleaned out your fridge? Look at the dates. Of course if it is out of date throw it out. Take a cloth and clean off your shelves, doors and drawers. Don’t forget to wash the seal and inspect them to make sure they are in good condition. If your fridge has a drip pan for over flow of excess moister remove them and clean them. Carefully sweep off the coils on the back of the fridge. Do the same to the vent on the bottom front of your fridge. If you have an ice and water dispenser you probably have a filter. Replace this as well. While you have the fridge out away from the wall clean the floor and walls. (If possible clean your stove, floors and walls around it as well.)

               Since you have your vacuum out use the hose to sweep off your base boards, ceiling fans, and cob webs that seem to gather this time of year.

               Now the bathroom, you may do your basic cleaning in there. But when was the last time you cleaned your exhaust fan and lighting fixtures? You got it clean these areas too.

               Now that you have cleaned these areas that are often forgotten you have a clean start. Your air will be cleaner and there will be less dust for you to clean up. Sometimes to get organized you have to clean. This in the long run will cut down on time for your cleaning chores which leads to more time for you to organize.

I need to return this.

Do you have items you need to return from Christmas yet? You better get to it today if possible most stores you only have a limited number of days to return items.

               Tip for the day as soon as you discover you need to return an item grab the receipt and put in in a bag with the item. If you cannot take care of it immediately, put the bag into your trunk so the next time you are out running around you have it with you. No excuse that you forgot to take it with you.

               This is also why it is so important to keep your receipts in an organized fashion whether in an envelope, folder etc. ( I keep them according to date of purchase, but only on items that I may need to return or items that have a warranty.)

They called when?

Has your family ever told you hours or even days later that some called for you? It is frustrating to say the least especially if you were waiting for the call. I keep scratch pads by the phones so if someone takes a call they can write down a message and lay it on the desk. Some people keep yet another notebook and they also log when they returned the call, reason for the call and outcome of the call. This is a great idea especially if you run a home based business or are helping out with an event. Main tip is teach your family especially your children to take a note of who called, what time and a phone number the caller can be reached at.

To do list over load.

Are you a to do list maker? Do you have post its or to do lists all over? Here is a quick tip just for you. Make a to do list notebook. Sit down with your family and figure out some big projects that need to be done. Write these ideas in your notebook. Then when things arise that you see needs to be taken care of write these in your to do list if you don’t have the time to do them right away. That way when you have some extra time you can look in your notebook and find a project that needs to be done. You can also look in the notebook when you are planning out your day, or weekend. I personally take my notebook into the bedroom at night so when my mind is racing with all the things I need to do the next day I can write them in the notebook and fall asleep knowing they are written down to be handled the next day and I won’t forget what is on my mind. I have also sat in the evening and wrote down things that need to be done, but was unable to get to during the day. Just by doing this will help calm your mind and keep you from forgetting to do a particular task.

Where is the recipe?

Have you ever wanted to make a dish and could not find the recipe? I know I have many times. It is frustrating to say the least. Years ago I found that my mom kept all of her recipes written down in a 5 subject notebook. I thought it was a neat way to keep all of your recipes in one general location. Years later I decided I needed her recipes and barrowed her notebook. After going thru it I thought there has got to be a better way. After a short while I thought it would make it easier to find the recipe I wanted if I separated out the recipes into 5 categories. The following are my categories:

1.)    Main Dishes

2.)    Side Dishes

3.)    Soups and Salads

4.)    Desserts and Cookies

5.)    Misc.

Now for years I have been able to keep my recipes in one location and they are easy to find. Yes it is time consuming to write all of your recipes into the notebook, but it is a very cost effective your only expenses are a 5 subject notebook and a pen or pencil. A friend of mine took this idea a step further. She typed up recipes and then laminated them and put them into a 3 ring binder. I really like this idea because if you spill something on the page you simply wipe it off, but due to the large number of recipes I have and the cost of laminating I have not done this. You could also put the pages into page protectors.

               Making a recipe book for family is a nice present and i8t makes it so when they want grandma’s recipe for cheese cake they have it on hand. (I did this for my daughter and teenage niece this past year for Christmas, I also made a cheat sheet page for them that gave tips on measuring.) It is a nice touch to know that someone took the time to get all of these recipes together and hand wrote them. The main tip here if for you to keep your recipes together. In a folder, notebook, binder or in books on a bookshelf. Make a home for them that way the next time you need to find just the right recipe or a family member needs one they know just where to look for them.

Coupon cutter clutter.

Yes Sunday is when most people get the newspaper to read the ads and cut out their coupons. I have recently started to collect coupons in an effort to try and save my family money which most of us know is tight right now. I have talked with many who cut coupons and have gotten good tips from them. Then I went a step further and did a little research. There are many sites online that have great ideas on how to start couponing, but I stress don’t let the coupons take over your house and life. It can quickly get out of hand and be addictive. Many clip only the coupons they need and wait for sales to really cash in on them. (I personally think this is a great way to handle couponing.) Others however clip and keep every coupon they come across whether it is something they use or need or not. They wait for sales then go out and buy the items like they are stocking up for a year or so. Is this truly necessary? I understand the logic behind clipping coupons and using them with sales to maximize the savings, but sales do come in cycles. (Generally 3 month cycles some more often than others .) If you are stocking up to get you thru the next cycle of sales and truly will use those items in that time, and have the room to neatly store the items, sure go ahead and maximize your savings. But if you are buying stuff you do not use on a regular basis and getting way more than your family can consume, or have space for is it doing you any good? Many people do have an addiction to saving, others to stocking up. They feel if they don’t have a mega amount of items, they will fall on hard times and have nothing. I personally don’t think that is true, and think that is will do more damage than good.

1.)    You should only buy what you will use. If you don’t have small children why would you buy or clip coupons for diapers?

2.)    Keep your coupons neat and organized so that when you look thru the sales ads and make your shopping list according to the sales and coupons. You can quickly grab the coupons you have and need.

3.)    Only buy what you have room for. If you have to use a spare room or another area to store all the items that you bought, you probably over shopped.

4.) Find out what your families favorite items are. If nobody likes Cheerios don’t buy them just because of a sale                                              and coupons.

5.) Go thru your coupons at least weekly to check for out of date coupons. Nothing is more embarrassing than giving coupons that are out of date and without them you cannot afford the items so they have to find the item in your bag and take it off the total.

6.)  Budget for your shopping list, don’t go over on your shopping and have to cut your budget or pay a bill next week because you over spent this week at the store.

7.)  As soon as you get those coupons out of the paper clip them and put them in your folder, binder or whatever you use to keep them organized.

8.)  Throw out your trimmings from your coupon cutting right away don’t just let them sit and get to them later. They will simply get buried or scattered onto the floor and causing you more work in the long run.

9.)  Read the paper and then put it into your recycle bin or throw it out as soon as you are finished. Don’t allow the papers to pile up.

10.) Make your list from the ads that you are planning to purchase, and then throw out the ads. If you need to look at them later on you can grab another at the store when you get there.

              11.) Get together with friends if you must clip all the coupons you find and have a coupon swap.

12.) Unless you are buying for a large family, event or celebration I personally don’t see a need to purchase coupons. What are you truly saving by spending money on coupons that you probably won’t be able to use before they expire unless you are stocking up way more than you will use?

Where did all this come from?

Have you ever looked around and wondered where all of your stuff has come from? I know I did many times and still do at times. You have old mail that should have been thrown out, school papers from children, receipts, toys, gadgets etc. Sometimes I find myself wondering how it all seems to just appear. There seems to be no rhyme or reason it just shows up. Like as if there are clutter trolls that come out at night while we are sleeping and just put all this stuff out. Now we all know that is not the truth, but we sometimes wonder how, where and when. It seems like in my house end stands, tables, counters and desk are the main areas that seem to pile up in a blink of an eye. I have found that in the evening when I sit to watch television before going to bed I am working on several things at the same time, put them aside and leave them lay then the next morning I forget that I was working on those things and left them lay. Snacks and dirty cups are left out. Wow that stuff comes from me and my family.  No I am not perfect and my house is by no means spotless. I do have many projects going on and most of the time I am working on more than one thing at a time and that is usually where I tend to forget that I am the one who left things out.

               Let me share with you how I got my start on organizing. I have always been one that has tried to be organized. In school when you had to clean out your desk or locker and show the teacher for it to be ok’d I was always the over achiever that the teachers would check once and from then on they would tell me Tonia we know your area is clean here is a project for you to work on while everyone else is cleaning. Then when I got married and my husband and I went on a delayed honeymoon we went to an area I had never been and knew nothing about. We had a great time, but I felt like I was not prepared at all. Our small group at church went on a trip to Niagara Falls I had never been there so I did research and made a folder with things to do, hours, entrance fees etc. My then pastor who when with us said “That is an itinerary and you are very annul retentive.” I personally did not consider it an itinerary since I did not plan what we were doing and when, I simply had ideas of things we could do so we had time to look it over and think about what we might like to do when we got there as a group or even on our own. -+then came the biggest change of all for our family. We packed up and moved about 500 miles from home. My husband, daughter and myself moved with only a 16ft moving truck. That is a small truck to begin with and then try to imagine moving 3 people, including your furniture, and appliances with that small of a truck. We were moving to an area that we did not know anyone had no contacts. We had to pack smart and get ourselves together. We lived in the same place for over 10 years so you can imagine what all we had accumulated. We got rid of many things, had yard sales and gave away many things. We started new and I was determined that we would simplify our lives. Well long story short I have simplified our lives and there are many things we no longer have I wish we did and things I don’t miss at all.

My challenge to you is sit back sometime and look around and honestly think. Are there things you have that if you were going to move a long way from home and had very limited space what could you do without? What do you need? What would be nice, but not used often. Now I challenge you to take time and some of those things you don’t need or even want get rid of them. Simplify your life; you would be amazed at how freeing it is for you and your family. 

T.G.I.F (That’s Great I’m Frustrated)

Are you frustrated because you want to do so much yet don’t find the time to do anything? Don’t beat yourself up. You did not get where you are in a day and you won’t get to where you want to be in a day.

               Again plan out what projects you want to do. Ask family or even friends to help. Nothing is worse than feeling like you have to conquer everything on your own. This I know because I am a control freak by nature. I thought I had to straighten up and organize my entire house all by myself. “That way things would be done my way.”  After burning myself out and getting an attitude I realized I could not do it all in a short amount of time. Please for your sanity plan out your attack. Delegate, you may think you have to deal with your children’s room or spouses work areas, no you don’t. Discus with your family the need for them to take care of their own stuff.

               Also please like I have discussed before even if you only have 5 minutes per day you can in fact get more done than you may believe. Sure there are some projects that will take longer. Plan out a day or a couple of hours that you can use for these projects.

               If you need ideas, please feel free to ask. If you don’t want to post feel free to email me at organizingrebel@gmail.com

               Have fun take your time and plan, plan, plan.

Magazine Mountain

Many people subscribe to magazines and yes they can be a good thing, but are you like many? Do you have mountains of them piled up in a corner somewhere?  Here are a few suggestions on dealing with all those magazines.

1.)     Read it as soon as you can and get rid of them.

2.)    When done with them donate to a waiting room, laundry mat or anywhere else that you have to sit around for a while to wait. (If you have visited any of these you know what I mean when I say that most of the time the magazines that are there are a couple of months to years old. Just make sure you blot out or cut off your name and address if it is printed on the cover.)

3.)    Some people read magazines for stories, or articles that are continued in the next addition. Go ahead and read them and then get rid of the magazine. Really are you going to go back and re-read it?

4.)    Some magazines have great tips or recipes. You don’t have to clip them. Write them in your recipe book or a helpful hints note book. If you do clip these I recommend you put them in a page protector and then put into a three ring binder.

5.)    Do you and a couple of friends read the same magazines? Do a magazine swap. Each of you can subscribe to a different magazine read them and then meet with your friends and swap the magazines. It is a great way to be able to read more info, cut your costs and decrease the amount of magazines that seem to pile up.

6.)    See if your favorite magazine has a digital copy. So you can read it on your computer, phone or ipad and decrease the amount of mail that comes in.

I am not saying that magazines are a bad thing, just trying to help you concur what piles up and cause us to have more work to do when cleaning up.

                                                                   

Email Traffic Jam

The holidays are over; you are getting back into your routine. You have registered all your gadgets. Now you have tones of emails that have piled up in your inbox. Sure this can happen any time of the year, but it seems like now is the time of year we get tons of emails and don’t take the time to delete them or respond to them.

               I challenge you to tackle your inbox. If it looks like mine did it will take longer than 5 minutes to handle. So I recommend if you only have 5 minutes you simply delete all of the junk mail. If you can and have more time open some and click on unsubscribe or mark as spam so you won’t have to deal with these again. If you have more time, go ahead and handle some of the other emails.

               Depending on how often you receive emails you may only have to check your email once a day. Others may need to check theirs several times a day. I personally have more than one email account and have my cell phone set up to show me a preview of the emails. It is nice because even while I am away from my desk I can see what emails are coming in. It is also nice because I can choose if I need to take action immediately or if I can just go ahead and delete them so when I sit down at my computer I don’t have wade thru them later.

               Most of all I recommend when you have a chance to unsubscribe to emails you get regularly that you don’t take time to read or even want any more.

               P.S. If you have important emails to deal with take your time and deal with them. Don’t print them out unless it is an absolute must. Printing out not only wastes paper it also adds to clutter that you need to deal with later on. Have a great day and dig into your inbox, who knows what you might find.

Remote, remote who has the remote?

Have you ever needed the remote to turn on your television so you don’t miss the weather report or your favorite show in the evening? With kids, pets and just other people arou8nd things get knocked to the floor, or simply miss placed. If you have an end stand by your favorite seat with a drawer, I recommend you keep the remote in the drawer. If not I recommend you do like I have done. We have remotes for so many things that I use to go crazy trying to find the correct remote to do what I wanted to do. It seemed like every remote I would come across was not the one I wanted.

               We went on vacation and on the coffee table was a cute little basket with the remotes placed inside. I loved the idea so much that when we got home I found a spare basket and did the same thing. It is a great idea and keeps the remotes in one place. The trick is to train your family to put the remote back into the basket as soon as they are done with it. If you have a universal remote that works everything you are even better off. Just make sure you keep the original remotes where you know where they are at, so if you ever need them you know where to go to get them.

               Don’t ever hesitate to take someone else’s ideas and put a twist on it to make it work for you. You are in charge of your space, be creative and have fun.

Is it Monday already?

Yes the weekend is over. Don’t it seem as though the week drags on and the weekend is over before it has begun.

               It is time to get back into our so called normal schedule again. Do you or your family have a regular schedule? If so count yourself lucky. I highly recommend that you try to get yourself on a basic set schedule. For example get up at the same time and go to bed at the same time every day. Sure there will be days when you are really tired and go to bed early then days that things are going on and you don’t get to bed on time. That is ok, it is better for your mind and body if you try to stay on a basic schedule. That way your body knows it is time to go to bed and sleep and your body will also wake you up at basically the same time every day.

               Everyone dreads Mondays they seem like the worst day of the week. I try to look at Mondays as a fresh start to a new week. Mondays are the day I try to take it easy and plan out the rest of my week. It is the day I confirm schedules and pay bills. It is the day I organize myself instead of things.

               Think of Mondays as an “I’m on top of it day”. So smile it is Monday you have a fresh start and I am sure ideas you would like to plan out. Have fun you have the rest of the week to get things done. I have faith in you to be optimistic and plan you week!

Car clutter

How many of you have a car with old wrappers, used cups, receipts, tons of napkins, etc.?

        I will admit I probably have some of these things around in my car. We tend to just leave these things lay and say I’ll take care of that when I get home. Yet when you get home you are in a hurry to run inside and do something else. Then you forget about the car until the next time you pull away and again say I’m in a hurry I’ll take care of it later.

        I challenge you to take 5 minutes to clean out your vehicle.

I do recommend the following items to be on hand in your vehicle.

1.)    Napkins; most people have a big wad of them; I suggest you keep a few on hand just in case you need them.

2.)    Registration, Insurance forms, and even operators Manuel. (This should go without saying.) Keep you registration and insurance card in your operator’s manual. (I have a folder designed specifically for these items.)

3.)    May you never know when you may need it or someone else many need your help.

4.)    First Aid Kit (just a basic one), jumper cables, window scraper (in the winter) blanket, flashlight with extra batteries.

5.)    Small note pad and pen or pencil.

Again these are just suggestions, you many know of other things you need to keep on hand, I just recommend these basics because you never know when you many need them and if you keep it all small then it will not take up precious space. Just keep it neat and tighty.

Weekend relief

Many people think that the weekend is when we should do a majority of work around our homes. This is mostly true, but if you like many just took down all of your holiday decorations and were trying to get back into your regular schedule this week I am telling you go ahead and take a day off. We all can over do things at times and get burned out. Yes I am telling you it is ok to take a day off and relax.

        Now that I have said that let me also say this. It is not ok on your day off to pick things up and when you are done with them just leave them lay where ever. To start a new habit it is said it takes 28 days, and if you are trying to start the new habit of putting things away when you are done with them then this day of rest is not an excuse to allow stuff to pile up. It is simply a day where you don’t need to start a new project.

        Weekends can be a time for getting big projects done because you have more time and more hands on deck to help. There again it is more than ok to take a day off and relax enjoy life. Just don’t make it a habit of taking more days off then you do actually getting things accomplished.

        If you feel like you must do something then sit down with a notepad and pen and plan projects that you would like to do and who all it will take to help you get them done. Planning can be done anywhere any time, I just don’t want you to think that you must jump in and do everything at once. Just like when people are on diets they must treat themselves once in a while. Organizing is the same way once in a while you need to take a step back, relax and look at the big picture. If you have been doing some of the things that I have recently talked about you are doing a great job and you should be proud of yourself. If you have not started because you just don’t know where to start, then now may be a perfect time for you to plan out what areas need work, and what it will take to get them done. While planning know that it is ok if you only do part of a project at a time. Trust me I know how valuable time is, but if you start a project and only plan to do part of it set a deadline for yourself so that you don’t do part of it and never complete the task.

        I am proud of the fact that you are even thinking about organizing your life. You can do it I know you can if you need help with a project or ideas on how to tackle something just ask for help. I may not be there with you in person, but I am always available for helping you with ideas. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me.

Loaded down with laundry.

Laundry is a never ending battle for most people. You feel like you either have laundry to be done, laundry that has just been done and then there is the laundry to be put away. It is a cycle that seems to keep going and never seems to be caught up. Admit it we have all at one time or another grabbed our clothes to wear out of the dryer, basket or pile where we put it after we pulled it out of the dryer. Then the piles of laundry build up everywhere. Don’t get me started on the family members who just throw their clothes where ever. Then when you go to gather the laundry you honestly don’t know what is clean or dirty.

        Here are a few suggestions that have helped our family tackle this problem.

1.)     If you must do laundry only once a week. Tell your family Tuesday is laundry day (this day is of course just an example.) Make it their job to gather their own dirty laundry and bring it out to a designated area to be sorted. They can even make piles of their own clothes according to color if they are old enough. At the beginning of doing this you may have to remind them on Monday evening that tomorrow is laundry day and that they need to bring out their clothes.

2.)    Keep a basket, hamper, box or something in each person’s room to put their dirty laundry in when they take it off. (I also have one in the bathroom.) This way there is no excuse for their clothes not to get washed.

3.)    Share the responsibility of laundry duty with everyone in the family. If your family sits down in the evening together fold laundry while watching television. Example everyone folds their own clothes or someone who likes to fold towels does that. In my family nobody likes to fold the socks. This is actually a good job for a small child. Separate the socks into who’s they are and allow them to fold the socks. It is especially good if you have colored socks they can match them up and tell you what color they are. Don’t tell them but it is also a learning tool.

4.)    Train your family it is ok to wear clothing more than once.  How many times do we wear a set of clothes for a short time only to change to do something else. If it is not soiled or smells fold them or hang them back up and put back away. This cuts down on your laundry load.

5.)    It is ok to reuse bath towels. If everyone showers or bathes properly and the towel is hung so that it can completely dry out there should be no problem with reusing it a couple of times. This again will cut down on your laundry load.

6.)    If at all possible put the clothes you just folded / hung away right away. It may seem easier to wait till all the laundry is done, but how many times have you ended up leaving them where you folded them or in baskets only to have to take care of an entire days’ worth of laundry at one time.

7.)    Don’t hesitate to delegate. If you have older children I personally feel they should be able to put their own clothes away. Either put them in a basket for them or on their bed. There is also no reason why they cannot pitch in and do a load or two of laundry. Many people don’t teach their children to do this for themselves. I personally feel everyone needs to learn how to do all the household chores.

8.)    If you can I suggest you do laundry a couple of times a week. It makes the task not seem so daunting of a task and with smaller loads it takes less time.

9.)    Make specific drawers / spaces for particular items so when everyone goes to pout the laundry away they know just where it goes.

10.)  If you have someone who just does not put their laundry in the proper place or bring it out to be washed take a stand. Tell them they must do their own laundry until they can get with the program. We are not maids in our own homes and when our families don’t pitch in we tend to fall into the role of maid, or simply give up and just let things pile up.

11.)  This may be the hardest suggestion for you to follow, but if you have clothes that no longer fit give them away. If it is clothing that is worn out or stained throw them out. We tend to hold on to things thinking I will fit back into that someday or I will use that as a cleaning rag or patch, yet we never do. I challenge you to go thru your closet, drawers, bins or where ever you keep your clothes. My daughter and I did this and between her, my husband and I we came up with 4 bags full of clothes, hand bags and shoes that nobody uses any more.

I encourage you to share with me what does or does not work for you or your family and share your stories of how many things you have donated and or thrown out.

Kitchens aren’t a catch all?

Like I spoke about yesterday our counter tops and even tables get all sorts of things placed there to be dealt with at a later time. We tend to walk in the door and drop things off thinking I’ll take care of that later and sometimes later don’t come until company is on the way or you need to use that space for what it is meant for.

        Trust me I know this. Right inside the door is a counter that most people drop stuff off on. Then when bringing in groceries the cold stuff is put away and the rest of it is left out. Dirty dishes are sometimes piled on the counter or put into the sink. Out dated calendar on the fridge, broom left out, pots and pans on the stove, dish rages tossed where ever and just a general disorder. This is the way my kitchen use to always look. I have discussed with the family that the kitchen was not a catch all. I have allocated spaces for many items that I keep out. Like canisters with sweetener, creamer and sugar. Container with large utensils, kitchen knives, coffee pot, can opener and change jar. There is also a spot for people to put keys and cell phones with a charger. When we come home if you have to run to answer the phone or run to the bathroom fine drop stuff off, but when you are done before doing anything else take care of what you dropped off. I highly recommend the following ideas.

1.)     As soon as you get home from the store put all of your groceries away in a specific area designated for it.

2.)    As soon as dinner is over put the left overs away (make up lunches for the next day from the left overs). Clean up dishes and put things away.

3.)    Clean up the kitchen after dinner dishes are done.

4.)    Make specific spaces for items. That way everyone knows where things go and can help out when putting things away.

5.)    Don’t clutter up the front of your fridge with tons of things. If you choose to put kids papers on the fridge. As soon as you have a new one to put up take the old one down.

6.)    Night before trash goes to the curb look in the fridge for old left overs and out of date things and throw them away. Do the same in you cupboard or pantry.

7.)    Sweep kitchen at least 2-3 times per week, more often if needed.

Just doing these things in a few minutes per day will save time when you do a thorough cleaning of your kitchen.

 I know you all are trying, keep up the good work. If you missed a day or two that is ok you don't need to get upset with yourself just try again another day.

Conquering the desk mess.

Does your desk look a mess (this could also be your kitchen counter or table). Is it piled high with paperwork to be filed, receipts to be entered into your checkbook, bills to be paid or even junk mail to be thrown away. Take 5 minutes and separate the paperwork into a couple of piles i.e.: file, to be documented, throw away, shred, pay etc. Remember O.H.I.O (only handle it once). As soon as you pick up think immediately which pile you need to put it in. Now throw the trash out and shred the shred pile. If you have a few more minutes go ahead and file the pile and pay the bills, enter the receipts into your checkbook and balance the checkbook.

Now look at your work space it is much neater and as long as you didn’t have a huge mound of paperwork it did not take long and you have a neat space to work on other things. Now the challenge is to try and keep up with things as soon as them come in. Junk mail immediately goes into the trash or gets shred. Bills get paid or go into a file in order you plan to pay them. Receipts get put into your checkbook immediately. Also file paperwork as soon as you get it. This will prevent the pile from growing at an alarming rate. It makes straightening up your work space a snap.

I also recommend you keep some pens and pencils handy along with paper clips, tape, stapler and a scratch pad. This way when you go to take care of things you have all the tools you need right at hand. Sure I admit that there are times that things can’t get done immediately, but as soon as you have a few minutes take care of it. The problems of piles growing and frustration building come when you don’t take a few minutes to take care of things. The more you let it pile up the more time it will take to straighten it up when you make time. Trust me in this I know it is a hard habit to form it has taken me years to get to the point I am at now, and there are days that I struggle with it all but I encourage you to take it one day at a time. When you keep up with those things it makes you feel better. Another added bonus is when you get an unexpected phone call that company is just minutes away you can run thru and pick things up in no time flat and are not out of breath when they arrive.

Have fun with this if you like music put on some music and get a few things done. 

Where did I put that?

We all have had times when we were looking for something and tore our house apart trying to find it. I admit I have done this more times than I can count. Just this should show us why it is so important to get organized.

        Everything you won should have a home. If it does not have a home and you truly use it make or find a home for it. For example we have a bureau that we use to store things. One drawer is crafts, another for cords such as extension cords, cable cords, computer cords etc. When we need a cord we know just where to go to find it. While rearranging our office I found several cords that were just stashed in a cubby hole. Shame on us but I quickly rolled the cords up and put them where they belong.

        Also keep like things together. Why would you put sheets in one closet and blankets in another? I keep them all together in one place. Some people may choose to keep them in the room they belong in. Our spare room and the master bedroom have the same size beds so they share these items so I personally keep them in one central location.

        Keep all of your over the counter meds together. So when you need something you can go to one place to find just what you need. This also makes it easier to see what needs to be added to your grocery list. (If you have small children around lock them up if possible.)

        Now if you have odds and ends that are floating around and have no “home” they may just need to be thrown away.

        Again keep it simple no need to stress over this. Put things where it would be logical to look for something.

Schedule keeping 101.

Do you like many occasionally have scheduling conflicts? Here are some tips for the New Year to help with that problem.

        I recommend you have one calendar to keep everyone’s schedule wrote on. As soon as you have your schedule write it on the calendar, if you have the same schedule day after day write on one of the blank days your name days of work and hours. Also don’t forget to write the days you have off work for holidays, planed vacation days etc. Do the same for the rest of your family. If you have children that work, or are involved in extracurricular activities train them to write their schedules on the calendar as soon as they get them. I have a color assigned to each person in my family to keep it easy to see who has what and when.

        Now that you are doing this the trick is to at least once a week put this schedule on your phone or day planner and the same for your spouse so that if you are not at home you know whether or not you can schedule something else.

        As soon as you make an appointment, doctor, dentist, insurance agent, event etc. write it on the family calendar as soon as you get home. The trick is to train the rest of your family to look at the calendar on a regular basis for updates to the calendar.

        Personally I like computer programs or cell phone that will give you a reminder of an upcoming event. Because try as we might there will be things we forget about.

        When it comes to scheduling a family vacation it is wise to sit down with family members and the calendar. Do you have a time that most of you don’t have work or school? If so this may be the best time and if anyone needs to request this time off they have the dates they need to request.

        These again are just some suggestions; you may find other things that work better for you. Please feel free to share your tips with me and others. Who knows what may make life easier for others.

Morning Chaos; How to plan in advance to keep mornings easier.

I have mentioned this before but I think now is a great time to revisit the morning chaos scenario.  A little change in habits can make a huge difference in the mornings. Especially if you work and have children in school, mornings can be a nightmare. The following are several tips I recommend you try.

1.)     When you come in the door have a specific place where you put your keys, purse, lunchbox, cell phone, etc. Keep it simple. If you have a basket by the door you come in put your keys and phone in there. (You may want to have a plug nearby to charge the phone on as soon as you come in the door.) Just by doing thinks will eliminate the last minute hunt for keys, phones, bags etc.

2.)    Have your children put their home work in their book bag or back pack as soon as they get finished and put it in a designated spot every day.

3.)    You and the rest of your family should pick out your outfit for the next day before you go to bed. This is your clothes, under clothes, socks, shoes and accessories etc. If you wear a uniform this is a snap. This will help to eliminate the hunt for the missing shoe or I don’t know what to wear. Personally I have clothes hung in my closet by outfits. That way when I pull it out all I have to gather is the under clothes and shoes. I have some outfits that I wear the same shoes and accessories with every time so it makes trying to figure out what goes together much easier.

4.)    When you are done with dinner go ahead and make your left over lunch now. Rinse dishes right away and put in your dishwasher if you have one. If not wash them now. If you allow to air dry make sure to put them away before you go to bed. This way you don’t start your day out with last night’s dishes to take care of in the morning.

Of course there are other things you can do these are just a few things you can do that will make your mornings run more smoothly. Have fun organizing and share your tips with me if you would like I am always looking for more ways to make life easier.

Starting the New Year Right: Challenge yourself to 5 minutes per day of organizing.

I challenge you to take simply 5 minutes per day to organize your life. (Of course you may go ahead and spend more time doing so if you wish.) You would be surprised at how 5 minutes per day can make a difference. Some days this may simply be planning a project or what areas you would like to organize. 

               This will be one step of many you will take in a long journey. Organizing like many other things is not instant and takes time. Even hiring a professional organizer takes time and a lot of money. Most people think you do all these projects and you are done. I personally do not agree with this. Just like dieting or any change you make it is a way of life, your new life.  It is a habit that you may need to break or new ones to form. (They say it takes 28 days to form a new habit.) Sure there is nothing wrong with spontaneity, but I believe most people are creatures of habit; we function much better when we don’t have to think about something and just do it. Think about it when you get up you don’t think about how to turn off your alarm clock (unless it is new) you just do it. Then you probably have a routine you follow. I get up, go to the bathroom make a cup of coffee and turn on the news. I really don’t think about it, it is simply my routine.

               My hope is that you will use some of my tips to make organizing a part of your everyday routine without thinking about it.

               My tip for today is gathering all of your registration cards from all of yours and your families Christmas gadgets. If you have not registered the items online already do so now. Or fill out those cards now and put them into the mail before you forget about them or the get lost in the shuffle of paperwork you have laying around. Now that didn’t take long did it and you are on your way to getting organized by simply filling out the info and getting it off your desk, table, kitchen counter or where ever else you pile up your paperwork. This didn’t take much time and it shows how just a few minutes of effort helps in the long run.