Get a Good Start for 2008
Organize for the New Year
Now
KITCHEN SOLUTIONS
Pantry
- Take stock of those “exotic” ingredients you bought to make a gourmet dish. Plan a meal around those ingredients before they pass the expiration date. This will give you more space in your pantry and save you $$$$$ as well.
- Try storing your spices flat in a drawer. No reaching behind and toppling over those jars in front. You also get a better look at the labels.
- Store all your electrical appliances together (everyone in the family can find them). Hint: Because they might be heavy, store them in your pantry no lower than hip level and no higher than shoulder level.
- An organized kitchen means the whole family can pitch-in. Everyone will know where to find what they need and can easily return the item to its resting place.
- Don’t forget to go through you refrigerator once a week before you go grocery shopping. Plan meals around your leftovers, and make more space by clearing out those containers of strange looking food products.
ENTERTAINMENT/FAMILY ROOM
- Gather those remote controls and channel guides. Place them in an attractive container/basket. No questions asked, “Where’s the remote?”
- Deep drawers are a great place to store you CDs, DVDs, and video tapes….label edge up. Categorize if this works for you.
- Purge and donate/recycle the CDs, DVDs, and videotapes when you are running out of space in the designated area/drawer. Then…one in, one out!
- Create a game cabinet for all you games and favorite “toys” OR find plastic containers that slide under the sofa. Consider attractive baskets under the coffee table.
- Consider collecting all of your photo albums and family photos and storing them attractively on shelves or in drawers. Shop for the right unit that will add interest and function as a storage area for these collectibles.
TOY ROOM
- Set up “activity” zones such as; reading - comfy chair and bookshelves; art/crafts - table and chairs; puzzles, shelving, etc.
- Never allow the quantity and quality of the toys to outgrow the spaces allotted to them. Weed out at least 4 times a year.
- Categorize the toys, games, books, and then purchase containers that allow your children to see and easily access the toys. See through bins, pull out baskets, drawers, etc. How about taking photos of the toys in the drawer or bin and pasting them on the outside of the container? Teach children the positive results of putting the toys back in their rightful places.
- Lids are usually too much for children to deal with. Get storage containers without lids.
BATHROOM
First things first. Toss out: old cosmetics, outdated prescriptions, gooey bottles of lotions, hair care products, etc., “accessories” brought home from a hospital stay that are not being used.
- Group like items. Purchase containers that will accommodate the items. I prefer sliding plastic drawers or small bins so that you can take out the bin, select what you need, and put the bin back (not knocking over the other items).
- Use the space (hole) beneath the sink more efficiently. Measure the space and then purchase stackable drawers or bins that allow you to use that big hole under the sink for items such as bandages, creams, hair care products, etc. The items that are save even if the children manage to find them.
- Better Homes & Gardens states, “Bathroom stuff isn’t meant for show and tell.”
- Assign zones for each family member using the bathroom.
- Don’t forget drawer dividers for those items that roll from front to back, side to side, in your vanity drawers.
- Don’t be afraid to bring “furniture” into the bathroom such as shelving, cubbies, etageres, for your bathroom supplies such as towels, soaps, and cups.
LAUNDRY ROOM
- Try to create a working space for folding and stacking clothes. A small folding banquet table will do if built-ins are not feasible.
- Find laundry baskets on wheels with different colored canvas baskets. Use them to either identify whites, coloreds, or permanent press, OR for each member of the household.
- The laundry room sometimes becomes the mudroom if it is at the entrance from the garage. Hopefully there is room for colorful lockers or benches with drawers, cubbies, and coat hooks.
- Select which days you will do laundry. Thursday for clothing, Friday for sheets and or towels. It is not good time management to have the washer and drier running every day. Start a wash before your day begins, and finish at the end of the day.
- Store laundry supplies on lowest shelf, preferable over the washer.
HOME OFFICE
Create A Place For Everything and then keep the paper flowing to its final destination (or place).
Daily papers - read them that day and throw them away - there is nothing in them that is not available online, or in libraries. Cut out the article if you must keep it and file away.
When used properly, file cabinets should provide quick and easy access to needed information.
According to Paul and Sarah Edwards, in their book, "Working From Home", research indicates that productivity rises 15-25% when work is done at home versus the office...tell THAT to your boss. There are dangers, however. Watch out for self-interruptions. The lack of structure and the convenience of household items such as the refrigerator make distractions likely. The more self-disciplined you are, the more productive you will be."
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