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
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