Mega Dens is Casting in Atlanta! : About Us : DIY Network

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Mega Dens is Casting in Atlanta! : About Us : DIY Network

Need Office Supplies? Check Here First

Whenever I want to find out about something unique, new or interesting when it comes to organizing paper, a desk, media, and other office related products, I check out Office Depot.  Now I don't always get my supplies there, but I do get a good idea of what might work best for my organizing goals.  Sometimes I also catch a great sale and I always use my store discount card at check out.  You can build points and use them to lower the cost of future purchases.  I don't get anything for sharing this site.  But if you need some visual ideas for your needs, go here:

organizer - Search at Office Depot

Spring Cleaning?

Every year those of us who are very particular about our environments, will look around and say, "Time to start doing some spring cleaning!"  This may consist of sorting old clothing, appliances, shoes, book, videos, and more.  Items are bagged and ready for a local donation center.  Others will clean house from top to bottom.  Some will just do a little light housekeeping and hope one day that the other stuff will just work itself out!

If you are interested in spring cleaning, there are many blog entries on this site that will help you organize one room at a time.  The key to a successful spring cleaning is to work one room at a time.  Don't try to do everything all on one day.  That kind of cleaning is overwhelming!  It makes you and those living with you resent spring cleaning; rather than embrace it!  If you want others to help you, consider giving them something in exchange for their service.  Don't expect people to just want to do something just because.  People living with you may not consider cleaning the house from top to bottom all that important.  Besides, if you maintain your cleaning all year round, you won't feel pressed to complete the majority of your tasks exclusively during the spring.

Now for those who are new to all this organizing and cleaning, this is the time of year that those 30 plus moms and dads just might be putting many things out for yard sales, online auctions, and flea markets.  The best thing about spring cleaning are those treasures you might find that people simply don't need or want.  The holiday season wasn't that long ago and chances are many households inherited things that they really didn't need or want.  So make plans to bargain shop!

When you are ready to clean and organize your home, do remember to list all of the supplies you will need to get your tasks done ie.) cleaning supplies, bucket, organizer, boxes, garbage bags, etc.  Save some money so that you aren't going into funds at the last minute reserved for something else like bills.  It can be frustrating to start cleaning a room only to realize you don't have anything to effectively completely your tasks.

Spring cleaning is a great time of year, but what is better is when you know that your house is clean and organized enough that this time of year can come and go and you wouldn't miss it!

Nicholl McGuire

Storage Containers

If you are seeking ideas on hiding your clutter in plain site, these containers just might help you achieve your goals. If you are budget conscious, you can always find similar things at local discount stores or yard sales. Click here.

On the To Do List: Organizing Papers Quickly, Simply

Everywhere you look you see paper! From bills piling up to the children's school work. Let's make this clean up real simple today, shall we?

School Work

Start by getting a large, flat plastic container, you know the kind you would slide under a bed. Now you say, "Well that is too big!" Not if you have children in school it isn't. This is where all the kids schoolwork and every other paper school related will go. Let's not worry about any sophisticated filing system or some album or large three ring binder to store everything. The kids will be getting something from school everyday and it will be hard for them to decide what they will want to keep and what they will want to throw away. Therefore, let the plastic container be the one stop that all things school related goes. Now if you have more than one child, it would make since to get separate containers for each.

Receipts

Now on to the next task of paper to tackle. Organizing receipts from your shopping sprees can be real easy if you have one of those plastic expanding file folders. Organize it by month. Every time you shop, just store away your receipts in it.

Circulars & Magazines

So you have a pile up of mail. Take all your circulars and throw them away if you know you don't have any more money to buy anything else this pay period. Why tease yourself by saving them? Next, shelf those magazines even if you haven't got around to reading them. Sometimes we tell ourselves we will do something if we leave it out in the open, but if it has been some days that have gone by and you still haven't made the time to read them, then shelf them or take them to work and read them during lunch daily.

Bills & Other Letters

Now bills must be left out in the open if you plan on paying them; therefore, make a pile exclusively for them. You can use a pretty box, a plastic sorting bin, or something else that looks nice with your other decor. Place all bills in that spot every time you get them. As for everything else, pitch it, give it away, or shelf it until you have the time to do something with it.

Organizing paper doesn't have to be a challenging task. What makes this task a big deal for some people is they have know clue what to do with their mess. Define a space and then discipline yourself to keep with your system. Before long, you won't have to look at piles of paper going nowhere. Also, if paper sits for too long, you will find yourself with some itchy skin and weird bumps showing up on your hands and possibly your legs and feet every time you move paper. If so, you may have a problem with paper fleas which means you will need to throw all the paper out and get yourself one of those insect bombs. Unfortunately, I learned about this the hard way after taking a job with a company. It turns out the previous manager didn't believe in throwing away anything and the place was filled with literally years of paper. Needless to say, there were these tiny bugs that were having a party with all that paper he left behind.

Nicholl McGuire