Simple Moving Advice: Large Apartment to Smaller One
The time has come to move and you won't be living in a large living space like your previous one. This article provides advice on how you can best organize your new apartment to feel like home again.
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How Organization Will Save You Money

I'll bet you're wondering what organization has to do with saving money.

Actually quite a bit!

Imagine that you've been looking all over your house for that book/DVD/sunglasses/whatever and you can't find it. Or imagine that you're at the store and can't remember if you still have any bananas or jars of strawberry jam.

Simple things, right?

Well, when we can't remember what we have and don't know where to find what we have, we usually end up buying it again. And then, before you know it, you're like my aunt with 17 umbrellas.

My mother always says that once you replace something you can't find, you'll find the original missing item. I'm sure many of you have heard that as well. But for as many times as we've heard this, we still do not take action and bring some organization into our lives to avoid spending money when did not need to spend in the first place.

So, what do we do about this? The answer to almost every organizing problem is to have a system. Why a system? Because we are creatures of habit and mostly prefer to do things the same way every time. Not only that but with a system you have less to remember. You just follow the system.

There are a couple of systems you can put in place to help you save money in various areas of your life. Here are 4 areas in which you will want to find a system that works for you to help save you tons of money in the end.

1. Grocery Shopping

How many times have you been at the grocery store, without your list, and wondered if you should be an item you're not really sure if you have or need?

I'm willing to be it happens a lot. It happens more when you don't have a list. It happens even more when you don't know what you have in your kitchen.

Here's what I suggest. Go through your cabinets and fridge before you attempt to make a shopping list. The list you're about to make is what you can see that you're missing or low on. Next, depending on how often you shop (I suggest no more than weekly) and plan your menus accordingly. So, plan menus weekly if you shop weekly, two weeks at a time if you shop bi-weekly, etc.

Once you know what you're going to make, you can look at what you're missing (from your first list), and make your shopping list accordingly.

When you get to the store, do not deviate from this list. Take appropriate coupons if you want to, but don't go hungry and leave the kids at home.

2. Shoes

What woman doesn't like to have a variety of shoes? Unlike men, we must have different shoes for different outfits, occasions, and seasons. However, this love of shoes can go overboard.

This has happened to me, I must admit. While shopping for something totally unrelated, I saw a great pair of gray houndstooth heels in Target. The only problem was the heel was a little too high and the size 11 was probably one size or so more than I needed.

I reasoned that my feet would swell and I wouldn't be standing long anyway. Plus, the shoes weren't expensive. Well, I stood for a long time on the day I wore them, it rained, and they were too big. They were worn once and are now on their way to charity. What a waste!

I should have taken stock of what I had and thought about what I was going to wear on that occasion. Had I done that, I would have saved my feet and my money.

So, take note: know what you have before you start adding to your collection.

3. Clothing

What goes for shoes also goes for clothing.

I used to get clothing as gifts from my parents and internally wondered where they thought a 14 year old was going to wear a white ruffled shirt in 1995. (I eventually found a use for that shirt in one of the plays I was in.)

The point is, even though they were trying to be nice about it, the clothing choices didn't fit my existing lifestyle. We do that sometimes. Whether it's a trend or something great we saw on someone else, we figure it's just something we have to have. But, by thinking this way, we often ignore the fact that it's not our style, it's not flattering, or it's out of our budget.

The organization here also revolves around knowing what you have. This will help you determine what you actually need and if there is room in your budget and your closet for the things you want.

4. Bills

The key to organization and paying bills is really simple. Pay your bills on time.

One more time: pay your bills on time.

This advice is most important when the bill is a credit card or loan. Late fees and over the limit fees (sometimes as a result of late fees) can seriously hinder your ability to eventually be debt free. (Who wants to stay in debt forever?)

There are a couple of ways you can do this. You can pay the bills as you receive them in the mail (if you still get paper bills) or as you receive notification by email for electronic bills. Or, to make this more automated and ensure the bills are paid on time, sign up for a 3rd party service, one at your bank, or one offered by your creditor where the payment is automatically debited from a designated checking account each month.

There are a number of ways to have as much or as little control over this process as possible, but the point is to set up a system and stick with it so that you don't lose money to late fees and penalties.

5. Miscellaneous Items

This is the area where so many people get into trouble.

We find ourselves at the store and we see something we like. We think we have one at home, but we're not sure. So, instead of waiting until we get home to verify (or call someone who is at home), we purchase the item anyway and end up with multiples. (Remember the 17 umbrellas?)

It's good to wait to make some purchases anyway, but the more organized you become, the more aware you are of what you have. When you know what you have, then you also know what needs to be replaced or what you're lacking.

Once you start organizing, you will find a surprising number of items you have bought and you can't remember why or what it is even for. You will also find the things you thought were lost but were really just buried under foolishness and mayhem called clutter.

Do yourself and your family a favor and stop the foolishness. Get organized and save money. You'll be glad you did.


Wendy Stewart is your Go-to-girl for being in the know about small business, personal finance, personal style, and wellness. For more free tips on personal finance, visit her blog, Personal Finance Success, at http://personal-finance-manager.blogspot.com

6 Ideas For Organizing Your Home With Plastic Containers

Because you can find them in such a wide variety of shapes, sizes, styles, and colors, plastic containers are some of the most useful tools for organizing, storing, and displaying items.

The industry already knows how useful plastic containers are in businesses like retail stores, restaurants, and hotels; however, do homeowners know how useful plastic containers are in their own homes?

Maybe you need a way to organize your child's small toys, or you're looking for art supply containers for your craft room. If you're a homeowner - or even a renter - looking for ideas on how to better organize your home, check out the descriptions listed below for using plastic containers to organize six areas of your home.

1. Kitchen

Plastic containers are excellent organizational tools and display fixtures for kitchens.

Homeowners can use traditional round, square, or hexagon containers of various sizes to hold frequently used items like keys, address books, and matchbooks, as well as handgrip containers to store food items like flour, sugar, and seasonings. These containers are also great for holding those little extras like plastic utensils, packets of salt, pepper, sugar, and condiments, and even hand wipes we often end up with after a trip to or delivery from a restaurant.

2. Home Office

Whether you work at home or need a quiet place dedicated to managing your bills or doing homework, you definitely want your home office to be organized.

Consider using plastic containers to organize, store, and display various home office tools like writing utensils, markers, and highlighters; extra ink cartridges for your computer printer; staples, paperclips, and tacks; and small Post-It notepads.

3. Work Areas

Work areas vary from home to home. You might have a storage shed dedicated to completing your home repair tasks, or you might use your attic, basement, or garage. Wherever your home's work area is, it's important to keep it well organized.

Plastic containers are great tools for organizing and storing small work items like nuts, screws, bolts, and nails. You can even use them to organize rolls of measuring tape, electrical tape, and painter's tape.

4. Craft Areas

Like your home's work area, your home's craft area - whether it you have a special room set aside for crafts or you have dedicated a corner of your living room to your sewing machine - containers lots of small items in need of organizing.

You can use plastic containers to organize and display craft items like spools of thread, small balls of yarn, and sewing and knitting needles; small containers of glitter and sequins; buttons; appliqués; paint and paint brushes; and small bottles of glue and glue sticks for glue guns.

5. Children's Rooms

Children's rooms are havens for small toys like building blocks, rogue game pieces and puzzle pieces, and figurines. You can use plastic containers to help organize these items, making it easy for you and your child to find them and store them after playing.

6. Rec Rooms

Each homeowner uses his or her home's "rec" room for various purposes. This might be the room where your family spends time together, or it might be the room where you manage the bills. Because plastic containers work so well as organizational, storage, and display tools, they'll also work well to organize, store, and display any kind of small item you have in your rec room!


By Terry Keenan

Candy Concepts, Inc. specializes in providing businesses with everything from a wide variety of candy containers to the bulk candy and novelty items to fill them with! Learn more about the kinds of bulk plastic containers you can use for your merchandise displays when you visit Candy Concepts, Inc.'s sister website, All Candy Containers.com.

Organize Your Sewing Or Craft Room

One of the most cost-effective hobbies a person can have is needlework. The hobbyist concentrates on a creative, relaxing pastime that produces an attractive, useful item to wear, to use in the home, or to give as a gift. Also, as lifestyles become more and more hectic, these skills, once practiced by members of most households, have become increasingly rare. With time, patience, and practice, these skills can become marketable in this age of mass-produced, mediocre goods. The needlework hobbyist can easily justify claiming permanent space in the home for her hobby, and for collecting and organizing the best tools to practice that hobby. Here are some ideas for organizing your sewing room or craft room.

Whether your hobby is quilting, garment or home sewing, fabric-oriented crafts, or embroidery on fabric, you will need to divide your workspace into areas for specialized tasks, and will need some basic tools for working with fabric. First, organize your sewing/craft room around the following tasks:

•Wash: Designate a time devoted to washing or otherwise preparing your fabrics or other supplies such as tapes or zippers. Most fabrics need to be pre-shrunk before cutting them. All fabric needs to be clean before it is worked. Nothing is more discouraging than having a small smudge that will not come out on a completed embroidery piece or garment. The entire project can be ruined because care was not taken in the beginning. Set aside part of the laundry room for any special soaps, detergents, or spot cleaners suitable for the types of fabric you need to prepare. If the item is to be hand washed only, keep a small bottle of delicate care laundry soap or detergent (along with a couple of towels for this purpose) near your kitchen sink to take advantage of the larger sink and counter space—unless you have a large sink in the laundry room.

•Dry: Have an area where fabrics can be blocked on a table or stretched on a rack to dry. This area should be safely away from cooking fumes, pets, children’s hands, or anything else that might cause the fabric to be re-soiled. Some fabrics can be dried in the drier, but should be immediately hung or folded to prevent wrinkles from setting in. Other fabrics will need to drip dry, again in a safe place.

•Press: When the fabric is thoroughly dry, it will need pressed to set the grain. This pressing area can be in the laundry room, or in your sewing area, near your machine. Depending on the size of the fabric piece, you can press it on a full-sized ironing board, a table that has been padded with towels and a clean sheet, or a non-stick pressing sheet , which can be laid on a table or counter. In fact, a non-stick pressing sheet can become nearly indispensable near your sewing machine for touching up small pieces such as a single quilt block, or a collar or sleeve that is partially constructed. If this sheet is close-by, it quickly becomes habit to press each seam as it is sewn, rather than waiting until several are ready to press before carrying them all at once to the ironing board.

•Cut: Have an area that is a comfortable height for cutting patterns. This area can be a small table and chair, if you mainly work with small pieces of fabric or it can be a special cutting table. What is important is that it be a comfortable height and that you have good lighting. In the sewing room, this table can double as a pressing area. Be sure to cover the surface with a pad and your pressing sheet.

•Assemble: Whether you are sewing curtains or a prom dress, piecing a quilt block, hand-quilting a pillow, or creating a counted cross-stitch wall hanging, you need space for a comfortable chair, a table or frames at a comfortable height, and good lighting. Keep your tools close-by in a covered basket.

When your workspace is planned out according to the multiple tasks involved, when each area is conveniently located, and your tools are organized and close at hand, you will be able to relax and focus on your hobby. Your family will be able to enjoy your completed projects more quickly because you will be working more efficiently, and they will agree that it was worth the time and effort to organize the sewing/craft room.


Author Vincent Platania represents the Fuller Brush Company. Fuller Brush has been in business since 1906, and offers safe, environmentally friendly products for keeping your home and your body clean. Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com

5 Tips on Organizing a Room for the Holidays

Whether you are expecting friends from out of town or just want to rearrange the furniture for your holiday bash, the following are some tips you may want to keep in mind.

1. Don't move anything without a plan.

You don't want to find out that after you moved the large furniture around, you can't seem to fit the small table and the chair that always sat in the corner of the room. Take measurements when necessary and if you must, try sketching your plan on a notepad.

2. Avoid asking anyone's opinion or assistance until you know what you are doing.

One of the biggest frustrations for anyone is to be asked to assist a relative or friend with a project only to find out that the organizer doesn't have a clue what he or she is doing.

3. Check your bank account.

You may find there are some things you may need for your home such as: a bookshelf, small table, area rug, or something larger like an entertainment center. If so, you don't want to find out at the last minute that you can't afford to get any of these things. Add your desired piece of furniture to your list. Also, consider buying used rather than new if money is going to be a problem. Check auction sites, discount stores, and even consider posting an ad in a newspaper or post a flier in a public place stating what you are seeking and what you are willing to pay.

4. Talk to guests prior to the event to find out what they will be bringing and how long exactly they will be staying.

Sometimes you may find your guest will either be bringing more or less than what you originally thought. He or she may not be traveling with the partner and children. If so, you don't want to rearrange everything only to find that your time could have been better used elsewhere like planning a great meal.

Lastly, after you have created a plan, got an idea of what you will need, secured a helping hand, and most of all know how much you intend to spend, look for items within your home you simply don't use and donate them to charities in your local area.

Nicholl McGuire

Tips To Organize Your Shed

To begin any task of organization there must be planning involved. It is better to be realistic in your plans of organizing your shed, than to defeat yourself by attempting more than you are able to finish within a certain amount of time. Be patient with yourself and take into account all the different issues that are cared for as you go about organizing your shed. Organizing your shed a step at a time helps you not to become discouraged.

First, you must decide how you will use your shed, what will go in it for storage and what will not. Designate a few boxes for collecting items that you no longer need or want. You should mark these boxes so that you do not get them confused. Anything that is still useful that you no longer want, just give to a friend, neighbor or charitable organization. All unwanted items or any item, which has reached an expiration date, is best disposed of properly. Once items have been determined as unwanted, they should be done away with either giving away or by proper disposal. Do not for any reason bring these items back into the shed that you are organizing, all items must leave the area as soon as possible so as not the chance of returning to a nicely organized shed. With all unnecessary items out of the way, you should have gained a bit of floor and shelf space.

With a few good tips, your shed will be an example of organization perfection before you know it.

1. Start on one side or in one area, taking all the time, you need to clear items out of the way and to place items where they belong. This is a de-cluttering stage.

2. There are many little trick and recyclable ways to use things that are helpful in organizing a shed, such as nailing an old leather belt along the edge of a shelf or the back of a door to hang hand tools on. You can also take small baby food jars and nail the lids to the bottom of a shelf and the store small item such as nails and screws in the jars and twist them in place for handy storage.

3. Hang a pegboard along one side of the shed to hand items such as hand tools, extension cords and paintbrushes or even mops, brooms and shovels. A cloth shoe rack hung over the inside of a shed door makes available pockets for storing many items.

4. Any oil spots or stains can be removed by pouring clean cat litter or white sand over the area to soak up extra fluids.

5. Old trunks, desks and dressers often find a new use as storage areas inside a shed. These are good for storing small tools or lawn and garden supplies.

6. You can always add a few more shelves or even a couple of rods and hooks or bins to increase the amount of space for organizing store areas.

7. Magnetic strips can be placed along any storage area that would hold any stray metal item.

8. Just, remember to take it a little at a time, and is you want and can get help, be sure to designate a few jobs for helpers while organizing your shed and keeping it looking in tiptop shape.


Hunter Pyle is a writer for Taylor Gifts squidoo.com/taylorgifts and Get Organized! shopgetorganized.com.

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How to Organize a Chest of Drawers

Synonymous with the bedroom, and perhaps disorganization, a chest of drawers doesn’t need to be blackhole. Chests usually come in 5, 6, or 7 drawer varieties, with either a single or a double top drawer and can be found throughout the house. Wherever your drawers are, whether the bedroom or the kitchen, they should be kept spic-and-span to maximize efficiency and avoid lost objects. This, however, is probably easier said than done. But a few quick tricks will keep your drawers free of unwanted clutter, and stocked full of the things you use most.

Bedroom Tips

Home to socks and underpants, pajamas and jeans, people often stick every which thing into their bedroom drawers. If it doesn’t need to be hung in the closet, it probably can be found stuffed or mashed into the back of some drawer. This can lead to be bit of a mess. No worries, a few simple tricks will have you unstuffed in no time.

Once every season, empty your drawers to reorganize and reconsider what have; are you using all your white t’s? Have some forgotten pajamas? Take the opportunity to purge and minimize, and keep your chest of drawers from excessive bulge. With seasonal clean-outs, you will be sure that each nook and cranny of this valuable piece of furniture is being used accordingly.

When thinking of where items should be placed in your chest, the most often used items should be the easiest to access. Items such as winter wares or workout clothes can be placed where bending or standing on tip-toes are required. Likewise, consider using the bottom drawer for excess baby clothes, or other items that don’t get quite as much use.

Couples usually prefer a double top drawer, so as to divide at least that section evenly. If you have a single top-drawer, but share it with a partner, consider a drawer divider. For extra storage space, baskets can also top your chest and be used for socks or other small items that aren’t too personal for display.

Kitchen Tips

Chest of drawers located in the kitchen are different beasts entirely; with items ranging from pens to rubber bands to forks to phone books, regular organization is key to keeping household items in check and easily accessed. Instead of keeping everything everywhere, choose organizational “helpers” based on your needs.

Cutlery trays are essential, to keep your forks from your knives and so on. Your excess ice cube trays can double for drawer organizers—easily housing paper clips, rubber bands, and other smaller items.

Entertain often? Consider tagging drawers to help your guests follow your organizational lead. Especially in areas often used during parties, tags could leave no confusion where things go.

If there is a primary chef in the house, they should have a voice in how the kitchen drawers are arranged, as they will be using them most often. Be sure the families understands the system and abides by it, for easy access to all your kitchen goodies.

The key to all organizing is to create systems that work for you and your family. If it isn’t according to your logic, you probably won’t use it. Also, like the ice tray, don’t be afraid to organize with tools that are convenient, even if they are serving a purpose for which they weren’t originally intended.


by Bill William
Looking for a classy contemporary furniture store? Look no further. Beyond Furniture take pride in having unique furniture that takes peoples breath away. Having a house full of furniture from the Beyond Furniture range spells pure class.

Intelligent Event Planning

Organizing an event is not always automatic. The right is usually much bumpier than it is smooth. Following is easier than leading and planning an event takes lots of leadership. Here are just a few easy-to-follow steps that can help make planning your next event a little easier.

Organizing an event is not always automatic. The right is usually much bumpier than it is smooth. Following is easier than leading and planning an event takes lots of leadership. Here are just a few easy-to-follow steps that can help make planning your next event a little easier.

Easy Steps for Planning Your Event

1. Start early; as soon as you have an idea of the event it is time to start coordinating.
2. Create a budget; know how much you are going to spend before you spent a dime.
3. Spend some time generating ideas; think creatively about possible favors, locations, themes and other concepts.
4. Make to do list; use the list of possibilities to come up with a good plan for your event. Make a to-do list of all the things that will have to be completed for the event to be ruled as a success.
5. Use the list to make a schedule; when are you going to accomplish each event and how will it get finished.
6. Delegate smartly; organize friends, family and other volunteers to help get it all accomplished in time.
7. Create a time line; get a NEW calendar and write the date of the event down. Work backwards from the date of the event and write down when each task on the to-do list will be finished.
8. Post the calendar; keep it out in the open but move it around. Leaving it in a single location will mean that your brain will eventually stop seeing it.

Organization is the most important factor to great event planning no matter what kind of event it might be or where it might be located. The more time that you spend writing out the steps to the even then the easier the path will be to actually organizing the event.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
by Ross G
wedding planning san francisco, wedding blog, wedding planning services

Organize For More Leisure

Who has not had their time and energy consumed by an organization or club? Let’s face it; many organizations are geared toward consuming every available hour that a person has to offer. Many organizations I encounter, from churches/religious groups, to charitable organizations, to volunteer groups, to clubs, most are kept running by a small number of persons who are extremely committed to the cause, and who work tirelessly to keep it going.

Observe most of the groups to which you belong and you discover a handful of people doing most of the work that keep the wheels turning. In the occasional sports club or leisure group I have been involved, it was one or no more than two people who kept the group corralled. If asked why members of the total group don't participate in the administration of the club, there unanimity: "I don't have time for the meetings."

What a delight it is to discover other models of doing business, to discover organizations that are designed for full involvement, but not consumption of its members.

This kind of organization is light on meetings and heavy on team delegation. Every once in awhile I come across this kind of group and there are keys to their effectiveness:

Lots of emphasis on team and small group responsibility- These groups put motivated people in charge of a task, give them support, and get out of the way. It makes for fewer meetings, and often more gets done. Small groups of three to four people tackling a specific task will almost always bring better results than a whole board or committee dealing with the issue.

Emphasize future programs and coming events vs. past happenings- Effective groups spend more time on planning the future, and less dissecting the past. There is always the need to evaluate, but the reason for evaluation is an improved future. Give me an organization focused on the future, and I will show you one that has great potential.

Do as much work by phone/email as possible- Many meetings can be pre-empted by the exchange of emails or phone call and coming to a group consensus without ever scheduling a time and place. Take advantage.

Set meeting end times and stick to them- It is amazing what can get done in a short amount of time when there is an expectation of an end time for a meeting.

Practice humor and joy as a part of meeting times- When you have to meet face to face, a meeting should be led with a sense of humor and with a light touch. People will come back to a joyful experience.

See if these hints might lead to more leisure in your life.

Mike Stanton-Rich is "The Leisure Guy." Armed with a Ph.D. in Leisure Studies and years studying stress and burnout, he writes regular articles and features about enhancing work and leisure. Catch his latest at: http://www.theleisureguy.com

Organize Your Garage For More Space

With every home having a garage, there comes another problem. Organization is a complex duty, but offers the home buyer a nice organized garage. Organizing your garage for more space can be accomplished in many ways. The incorporation of different methods can increase the space that you have always wanted. No more will you have to trip over that bicycle in the garage. These methods are:

1. Cabinets- These are the most expensive way to organize your garage, but it is the most stylish. If you have a good deal of things, then cabinets are an option that is needed. The cabinets offer a great deal more space than your shelves or racks can offer. With cabinets, you are able to separate sections of your belongings.

2. Shelves- For those who have little things to store, shelves are an inexpensive way to store your precious items without the clutter look of bins. Shelves offer room for other things. Since they mount on the wall, shelves offer for more space for things under the shelves. Shelves can offer many options of storage and organizational abilities.

3. Racks- These freestanding shelves are made to organize as cabinets except without the doors. Racks offer for layers of options to place your items on and have the chance of holding a good deal of weight. Racks are built to last through many years and won't crumble under pressure.

Whatever the choice you make, organizing your garage for more space is a very important task. With the many things you buy to help keep up with people, and then later not like the item you bought, there is plenty of need for organizing. Remember to always remember that organizing your garage for more space is always an important task and you will be one of the many who have already organized and are enjoying their extra space. Happy organizing!

Dr. Barry Lycka is president of LesTout.com, the number one source of internet guidance.

Organize Your Child For Summer Camp

Families know that it is summer camp time. Children look forward to this time and even parents look forward to it as a time when their children will develop new skills and make some new friends and just have some fun.
Whether your child goes away to camp or to a local camp, the "camp experience" involves great organization on the part of the camper and the family. It is so important that you get organized for your child ahead of time. Try our camp organization tips so your child will have a great summer.

When you register your child for camp - ask for the materials list. Many camps will mail it out as camp date gets closer, but most will provide it at your request earlier - which means you can get your shopping done earlier.

Labels in clothing are very important, especially for children attending a sleep-away camp. Add labels early - and remember if your child has a popular name and surname like Susan Smith to add their middle name too to avoid confusion.
Sending treats to sleep-away camp and day camp is a popular occurrence. Label snacks so campers know whose snacks are whose. Remember that many children today have peanut allergies - so don't select snacks with peanuts in them.

Your child for sleep-away camp will have a large trunk to put all of their items in. Remember to label the actual trunk, both inside and outside so everyone knows whose trunk it is.
Many children are tempted to bring valuable items like a charm bracelet, favorite teddy bear or electronic devices to camp. This is often unwise as these items can become lost or sometimes "borrowed" by overeager campers. Sometimes these items are also hard to label - like a teddy bear or a piece of jewelry.

Give your child pre-stamped stationary or postcards to write friends and family home while at sleep-away camp. Most sleep-away campers do have access to email. But many campers look forward to daily "mail call" and the best way to get mail is to send some of your own.

Mark Trumper is the president of MaverickLabel.Com, a company founded to meet the growing need for a label source utilizing the latest technologies blended with old fashioned quality and customer service. They specialize in custom label printing and have cheap stickers and custom window decals for summer needs.

You Can Organize!

Although some may think of organizing a home as a daunting, dreaded task, the end result provides an extremely rewarding satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment. It may feel overwhelming at first because the tendency is to see the job as a whole. It appears to be an unending chore to be put off at all costs. However, the mind must be set to take this task in steps. Conquering the worthwhile task of organizing can be achieved one step at a time with a positive attitude and the proper tools.

Most people think of cleaning as something that goes along with organizing a home. So, let’s explore cleaning for a moment. Your cleaners should be organized, too. Many people have an over-abundance of cleaners, which is simply not necessary. If you have several piece bottles of the same product, combine them.

If you have old cleaners and are unsure of their age and effectiveness, toss them out. Some cleaners are effective for several different jobs, which can reduce your spending and storage as well.

Some people prefer to keep all their cleaning supplies in one area. To save time, designate an area of each room or part of the house to the cleaners needed for that area. For example, place the kitchen cleaners in or near the kitchen. Should you have an upstairs area, it’s more efficient to place cleaners upstairs as well as keeping some downstairs. If you have a place for cleaners in each bathroom, it’s easier to keep some in each bathroom than to haul them all over the house while cleaning.

When you get ready to organize, make a list of rooms in order of priority. Work your way through the room by doing tasks in order of importance. Decide which area of your home can benefit the most or should have priority.

You may first prefer to organize the parts of your home that company will see. That would most likely be an entryway or living area. Your first step in organizing in any room would be to throw away unnecessary clutter. It may be helpful to toss useable items into a bag or box to give a special charity.

In any area, from cabinets to drawers to closets, you’ll want to give the most used items easier access. Use hard to reach areas for storing things you hardly ever need or won’t use but can’t bear to part with.

Do you own things that are broken that would be cheaper to replace? Do you have saved items that you meant to repair years ago? Now that you’re in the mood for organizing your home, it’s the perfect time to unburden yourself of this useless clutter.

Make organizing your home fun. Set up the potpourri burner and turn on the music that inspires you. Get your children involved. Turn the process into a game or challenge. Give rewards to yourself or your helpers for a job well done when you’re finished or for progress that was made.

About the Author: Kurien Abraham is the owner of DiscoverOrganization where you'll find easy solutions, ideas, and tools to help you get organized and simplify your life. Visit http://www.DiscoverOrganization.com for more information and sign up for a free Home Organizing Mini Course.

Organize Your Briefcase, Organize Your Work

With your on-the-go lifestyle, your briefcase becomes your second office. It therefore behooves you to organize it to facilitate easier retrieval of documents, orderly arrangement of your accessories, and good first impressions, too.

To Place or Replace?

You should regularly check the suitability of your briefcase. Check the interior for sufficient compartments and the presence of stains that can put your papers and electronic devices at risk. Examine the exterior for chipped and cracked components in the leather and the hardware. You can choose to either continue placing your things inside it or start replacing it, depending on your assessment.

To Place Front or Back?

You should establish a filing system. You can make a folder for each type of document you use in a normal working day - "Personal Files", Client A Files", "Business Files", or however you want your files to be labeled. Just so long as you have a filing system!

For easier retrieval, you can assign front compartments for files that will be used first on your calendar, with the back compartments for later use. Or you can file based on immediate need - front for urgent documents and back for background reading. Or file it any wish you wish, so long as you know how your system works.

To Color or Not to Color?

You might find it easier to files documents in colored folders or attach colored post-its. This way, you can easily distinguish files without riffling through the folders. However, this might not be for everyone as a multi-colored briefcase might send the wrong signals. Again, just so long as you have an organized filing system, you can opt for basic brown and white or all the rainbow's colors for your folders.

A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place

You are no stranger to this adage. For your briefcase, always remember that the interior and exterior pockets serve a functional purpose, which you can actually use to keep your things organized and to keep you from losing them.

When you purchase a bag, look for one that has compartments for your electronic gadgets like cell phone, Black Berry, laptop, power cords and other high-tech toys. Also, you have to look for adequate compartments for your documents. If you have a filing system already established, look for a briefcase that will complement it.

Before dashing out from an appointment, you have to check if all the documents and gadgets are in their proper places. This way, you will avoid losing your things. Besides, it is better to be safe than sorry especially in this age of computer espionage.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Or orderliness, if you are not much for the religious connection. You have to schedule monthly clean-up and stock-up time for your on-the-go office. You should discard trash that tends to accumulate like paper, pens, and pencils and restock them, too. You should never run out of these writing implements as you never know when an important transaction needs signing or important information needs writing.

And should you find that organizing your briefcase is a tedious task you would rather not do, always remember that you will be the person who will most suffer for your own disorderliness.

A personalized business card holder and a silver business card case is a great addition to your briefcase. Find them all at ExecutiveGiftShoppe.com!

Organize Now: Organize Your Kitchen In 24 Hours

The kitchen is often a gathering place for friends and family to not only eat, but talk about current events and life in general. It’s a place to post notices on the refrigerator about chores and things to do during a busy day. It’s sometimes a place to feed pets and keep a collection of kid art, bills, assorted papers and magazines.

In fact, the kitchen can become a gathering place for lots of – junk.

Have you forgotten what your kitchen looks like?

Well, if you have, it’s time to dig through the clutter and get things organized so that you and your family can enjoy your kitchen again like it was meant to be enjoyed.

Before you can get organized, you need to decide what kinds of activities you want to use the kitchen for besides cooking and eating.

Do you pay bills sitting at the kitchen table?

Do you or any family members do craft projects in the kitchen?

Are the kids doing their homework in the kitchen?

Is it used for casual reading?

When you host parties, are guests allowed to roam freely in the kitchen?

These are all things to consider when deciding how your kitchen space will be used. Actually, your kitchen can accommodate all of the above activities, but you must organize things so that each activity doesn’t conflict with anything else you’re trying to do in there.

Grab some boxes or plastic bags and begin removing each item, section by section. You can label the boxes or bags i.e. appliances, bills, books, crafts, knick knacks, etc.

Now take a good look at the space and figure out how you want to arrange your kitchen into stations that can keep things neat and efficient. The first station, should be the cooking station. Appliances that you use frequently should be put within easy reach. Stuff you don’t use too much should be stored.

Utilize all of your storage space. Maybe you can purchase some dividers and racks to add to the space you already have in your cabinets. Figure out as many ways as possible to increase your storage space.

Next, if you pay bills in the kitchen, get a letter/bill organizer and place all of your current bills in there for safe keeping. This will help you keep track of what bill you owe and when you need to pay it. All older bill related paperwork should be filed away in a filing cabinet or thrown out if no longer relevant.

Likewise for crafts and things. Any loose craft items should be stored inside of a container or box. Pull items out and work at the kitchen table, then store them when you’re done.

If the kids normally do their homework at the kitchen table, keep supplies like pens, pencils, and paper handy in a separate container or box. Label it clearly so that the kids know where to find it. They should also put their supplies back when finished.

If you have a small place, the kitchen is often a gathering place for friends and party guests. You may want to invest in a rolling cart where you can easily store party beverages and utensils – that way you won’t have to clutter up your nice kitchen in order to entertain guests.

With the right organization, your kitchen can be a place to cook good meals, and also a multipurpose room that is warm and practical.

Hiring a Professional Closet Organizer

It may sound crazy, but some people actually make a living out of organizing other people’s closets! In fact, they are well trained in the art of closet organization and often have a certificate to verify their training. They can come to your home and assess your storage needs. They will come up with various layouts for you to choose from.

If you want to get your closet organized but you are overwhelmed by the task, hiring a professional closet organizer may be exactly what you need to get nightmare of a closet that is in utter disarray resolved. How much does a professional closet organizer cost? The answer to that question depends on many factors. The type of closet organization system you choose, the type of materials you want it done with, the level of difficulty, and the amount of time needed to complete your project will all play a role in the cost.

Many professional closet organizers use various types of software to come up with different layouts for organizing your closet. They can show you pictures of how your closet space will look with various layouts. This is an excellent way to ensure you are going to like the end result of the project.

Finding a professional closet organizer should be simple with the internet. Make sure you check out the reputation of such an individual or business. You will want to ask for references and pictures of other projects that they have completed. To prevent any issues, make sure everything regarding the project is in writing including the layout, the materials to be used, the time frame for completing the project, and the total cost.

There are even online professional closet organizers that will assist you with your project. They will chat with you over the computer or the will talk with you buy phone. You will have to send them digital pictures of your closet and the dimensions. They will come up with some layout options for you and email them to you. This type of professional closet organization is less expensive because you will be paying for their ideas. You will still have to complete the installation of the organizer materials your self. It is very likely these online professional closet organizers use the types of software mentioned earlier.

Professional closet organizers are an excellent choice for anyone who wants to organize their closet but isn’t comfortable about doing it themselves. You can use a professional closet organizer to help you come up with only ideas or to complete the entire project for you. Keep in mind you will have to be there to help them sort through the items in your closet, but they can help you devise a system for storing everything once you decide what you are keeping.

Remember that you get what you pay for so hiring the lowest professional closet organizer might not get you the results you are looking for. That doesn’t mean that you have to use the most expensive person out there though to get a great closet that is exactly what you are looking for.

To make the experience a good one, always ask for references and compare costs. You want to work with a professional closet organizer that listens to what you are looking for and can give you information on what will work and what won’t. They should also be able to visually show you several possible layouts either on the computer or with drawings.

To get a feel for a professional closet organizer, take advantage of free initial consultations. If you don’t feel like the individual has your best interests in mind then keep looking for someone else. Finding a professional closet organizer who is willing to work with your ideas, has great references, and is affordable is the key to getting the closet organization system that is going to work for you.

How to Organize, Display & Treasure Your Kid's Art Work

Every mom shares the same dilemma. What to do with all the wonderful art your child creates! Without strategies for display, organizing and editing, these delightful treasures will just pile up and become a burden of clutter. Here's my top 10 neat ideas on how to keep their art from becoming clutter.

1. Set policies on how much you are going to keep. For example, you might decide you want to keep only the top 10 – 20 pieces per year.
2. Edit regularly. Keep only the very best or most meaningful. Each day or week, pick your favorite. At the end of the month, pick the best of the month. That's the one that gets put in a scrapbook or in a special memorabilia box. Involve your child in selecting his or her favorite. This helps your child learn that not everything is worth keeping, which is a very valuable organizing skill to learn early on.
3. Go digital! Take digital photos of art you really love and recycle the rest! This preserves the art much longer. Paper eventually fades and tatters.
Create an album or scrapbook for each school year and include photos of the best art along with other projects.
4. Label the work. Mark the back of artwork you decide to save with the child name, date and the reason you kept it.
5. Create a revolving gallery. Create a space on a wall or other area that becomes a revolving art gallery. Use magnetic boards, cork boards etc. Provide one spot for each child and hang their photo or a name marker above their spot. Each time to you change the art decide if the old piece is worth saving.
6. Repurpose and recycle. Find creative uses for art work you don’t want to keep.
7. Use it as:
Gift wrap
Inserts for greeting cards
Drawer/shelf liners
Decorate containers to use as organizers for arts & crafts supplies
Creative disposal placements for a meal. Or, if it’s really good, mount it to construction paper, laminate it, and use the art as place mats for a longer time.
8. Get funky with clipboards. As an inexpensive and fun alternative to frames, use colorful clipboards mounted on the wall to create an art gallery for your child’s room. Let them decide what they want to hang and when they want to change it. Clipboards allow them to easily change out art frequently.
9. Draw the line. Hang a clothesline across a wall in an area where you want to display art and hang it with clothespins. This makes it easy to change the art whenever you or your child wants to!
10. Make gifts. Create unique gifts for relatives with good pieces. You can make little books, puzzles, calendars, and more. Encourage your child to help think of ways to transform art into fun gifts.

© 2006 Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed., Organizing Coach, Personal Organizing Solutions All rights reserved.