Then I learned that all I needed to do was find an etsy shop, give them all of my money, and a few days later I’d have fancy custom vinyl labels to adhere to my containers and bins. A couple of years later, I found my addiction to labels on etsy becoming more expensive than actually owning a machine. Which led to me finally allowing my mother-in-law to purchase a cricut for me (birthday present) which she has been begging to do forever. After which I promptly attached vinyl labels to everything in the house.
This post contains affiliate links and I may earn a small commission from qualifying Amazon purchases, at no additional cost to you. I don’t mind doing laundry. I don’t hate it, I don’t love it, I just don’t mind it. Sorting clothes, running the washer and dryer, hanging things up and putting them away are […]
When we were building the house, I was pretty excited about having a pantry. I didn’t want a giant butler’s pantry like the ones infecting the Pinterest, because I couldn’t imagine ever needing to store that much food all at once. We cook a lot, but usually in 4-6 servings at a time type of way. So, the small corner pantry that was already designed for our shmedium sized (but much larger than the condo) kitchen, was going to be perfect.
A digital calendar is far more effective and efficient for my life. I put appointments into my phone as soon as I make them. I share a calendar with Chad so we know if/when one or the other has plans. Changing plans is as easy as the click of a button – no messy scratch offs. I don’t have to worry about my terrible handwriting or accidentally using the wrong pen color. When I remember to put the address in, my phone will tell me when to leave to arrive on time and how to get there. And yet, there’s something about putting pen to paper. Physically crossing something off of my to-do list. And most importantly, being able to flip through the calendar and find an appointment or the last time I had the pest control people out and not find that it was erased because the calendar only keeps 6 months in the past.
Once the walls were up in the Blue House, I measured the space – which is L shaped… and we’ll discuss that in a later post – and set about designing our master closet. I always like there to be a division of some sort within a shared closet. For instance, if you have a reach-in closet, one side belongs to person A and the other side belongs to person B. If it’s a larger walk-in, then maybe one wall belongs to person A and the other to person B. If you’re the type of person who has a room masquerading as a closet, please adopt me.
I purchased two sets of headrest hanger hooks which are really useful for hanging shopping bags, my gym bag, and a work tote – so they don’t topple over and spill their contents under the seats, never to be seen again. I also usually have a jacket that I leave in the car in the spring and fall in case I find a need for it, so having a place to hang it instead of wadding it up on the back seat is a nice change. I also keep a small umbrella, sunscreen, and a lint roller in the front passenger door drink holder area (pictured at the top of the post) – showing that not all car organization requires purchasing of organization tools.
In my professional organizing days, I learned that about 60% of Americans cannot park their cars in their own garages due to clutter. So, if you don’t currently have room in your garage to park one or more of your vehicles, you certainly aren’t alone. Fortunately, the majority of situations I encountered, households suffered from a lack of a good organizational system, and not due to having “too much stuff”.
The biggest issue with kitchen utensils is that they come in various lengths and sizes. They have multitudes of uses or are very specific in their use. They are used often or used once a year. All of these things make kitchen utensils and gadgets hard to categorize and store. But it most certainly can be done, without throwing everything into a drawer and hoping you don’t slice your hand the next time you’re rooting around for the item you need. Which is a holdover horror from the time I helped someone organize a kitchen drawer where they kept their knives in the drawer with all of their other utensils, just freely floating around, ready to bite the next unsuspecting victim. If you’re doing that, stop it, right now. Please.
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