If your space is stuffed to the gills with junk, a ruthless purge is the first step to a new, more #organized you, says Living Well Spending Less. “If you don’t love something, if it’s broken, if it doesn’t fit, or if you don’t use it, get rid of it!” Then, make an assessment of your storage space: Does it have room for a new set of storage shelves, hooks or bins? Deep-clean the area and invest in a uniform set of bins or boxes; then, reassemble the space, grouping all like items together. “Once you’ve organized your storage space, commit to keeping it intact,” the story says, and you’ll be able to find things when you need them while keeping #clutter to a minimum.
Tag: getting organized
Spring-Clean During the Spring Rains
There’s no better time than a rainy spring day to “clean and organize something really well,” says Apartment Therapy. The site suggests scrubbing and #decluttering the kitchen cupboards, sorting through a linen closet and organizing the home library, but there are likely a number of areas in your home that could benefit from a carefully considered purge and wipedown. Take advantage of the weather and contact ClothingDonations.org for a donation pickup when you’re done sorting through that stuff; the proceeds from your donations will help fund veterans’ programs nationwide.
Start the New Year With a Plan
New Year’s Eve offers an occasion for reflection, even if you’re going to a big bash to watch the ball drop. Consider where 2018 has taken you: Are you more organized and clutter-free than you were at the start of the year? Are you happier, more fulfilled and less stressed? Make a resolution today to begin or reinvigorate your organizing efforts in 2019. First, make a place for all of the important personal and financial information you’ll want to access again throughout the year. Start by writing down all of the return addresses from your holiday cards and sorting out your bills and receipts from the last year, The Organized Home recommends, and you’ll get a headstart on correspondence and tax returns for 2019.
Happy New Year from ClothingDonations.org!
Give the Gift of Decluttering
While we at the Organizing Blog often preach minimalism, we still maintain a childlike sense of anticipation about finding brightly wrapped gifts under the tree with our names on it — not to mention the many hours of “retail therapy” that go into giving a thoughtful gift.
But the many new things you’ll give and receive during the holidays do take up space, and when left haphazardly around the home, they become clutter. And when left unchecked, clutter not only crowds tabletops, hallways and closets, it can crowd the mind.
That’s why some of the best gifts are ones that organize all of the stuff in one’s busy life into spaces that make sense — or even cut down on what and how much of any category of thing one hangs onto. Treat decluttering as a gift, and you can show you really care.
This year, try giving things that maximize the space already available in one’s home. SimpleMost suggests 19 clever gifts, for example, that will help your giftees create more storage space in kids’ rooms, mud rooms, kitchens and closets.
Another excellent gift at year’s end is a daily, weekly or monthly calendar, planner or journal. You can’t magically make someone into a Type A, but having a place to write down and organize one’s appointments is a great start. Self offers a number of options.
Some of the best gifts are things that hold other things. Sorting small, like items into a designated place can help keep them from scattering around the house or getting lost. Pop Sugar has selected a bunch of bins, hooks, caddies, shelves and holders that can contain the clutter in style.
You can also give a gift that doesn’t add to the clutter whatsoever. Anything that can be used up is a great choice — homebaked cookies, a nice bottle of wine or a gift basket of gourmet charcuterie. Or you can gift an experience with theater tickets, dinner out at a local restaurant or a spa treatment.
If you get something for which you just can’t find a place, there’s no shame in getting rid of it. The goodwill won’t go unappreciated— even though whatever it is might get lost in a heap of surplus stuff. Quietly set whatever it is aside and include it in your donation to ClothingDonations.org so it can’t clutter your home.
Less clutter means less stress. And who doesn’t want that?!
Filing Is Key to Organization of Tax Documents
To get your tax documents organized as a small business owner, create a desktop filing system that’s within easy reach of your workspace, says A Bowl Full of Lemons. Label folders with headers such as “Income” and “Taxes Paid,” and also create a folder for every category of deduction you plan to itemize, such as business travel, office expenses and charitable donations. And remember that your donations of lightly used clothing and household goods made to ClothingDonations.org are fully tax-deductible, since proceeds help fund veterans’ programs. Save your receipts!