Tips and Tricks

Organizing doesn't have to cost a ton of money or take up lots of your time. Here are a few of my favorite secrets and products to keep you in organized bliss.

• Before you start tearing a room apart on a quest for organization, get a plan together.  Write down what is and isn't working for the space as well as what you ultimately want from the space.  Knowing where you're going is the key to success!
• At the end of each day, spend a few minutes walking through your home picking up those random items that seem to deposit themselves everywhere, (think shoes, kids' toys, books, coats, etc.).  Collect them in a small basket and put them back in their homes before you go to bed.  
• In each bedroom closet in your home, keep a basket for donations.  As you come across items that you no longer wear, toss them in the basket.  When the basket is full, take the contents to your local donation center.  You can also keep a second basket in your kids' closets for items that are going to be stored for a younger child or passed down to a friend or family member.
• I really can't say this next tidbit enough...... don't keep magazines!!  If there is an interesting article, inspiring picture, or yummy recipe you want to try, tear it out.  Keep your torn out pages in a file so that you can go back and use them later.  Or, invest in one of these and cut out the paper clutter altogether. 
• Deal with incoming mail immediately.  If you let if pile up, it will stay that way.  I sort mine into 3 piles; keep, recycle, shred.  My "keep" pile immediately goes into the necessary places, (file cabinet, "to pay", etc), and the same with my "recycle" pile.  If you don't have a shredder, get one.  It is essential in protecting yourself from identity fraud.  I recommend this one.
• If you have a cell phone, ipod, kindle, etc. you may want to invest in a charging station.  This provides an easy way to corral all of those pesky cords and keep your home looking tidy.  
• A fire safe lockbox is, in my opinion, an essential.  It keeps all of your valuables, (life insurance/will/auto/home paperwork), in one place and safe from harm.