The turn of the year from the old to the new is a great time for new starts and for cleaning out the old to make way for the new. Release bad memories and even worse fashion by decluttering your closet. Whose idea was that awful sweater, anyway? Make the best use of your closet space with this three-step plan. Figure out what you need Maybe you have a good sense of what it is that you always where, but more likely there are items that you think you might be wearing but you aren’t. A good trick to try … Continue reading →

Do you have a four-person pile up in the bathroom in the mornings? Maybe it is even worse than that? No matter your family size, unless you have a bathroom for each member of your family who can walk, there is bound to be some delay each morning or evening, as everyone competes for getting in to the most popular room in the house. Here are some strategies that you can use to make everything run much more smoothly, leaving the pile behind for good. If you have at least two bathrooms, send the kids to the other one while … Continue reading →

If you need someplace to start in your decluttering, you might want to pick a bathroom. Usually the bathroom is an easy room to attack. Plus, since many medicines and cosmetics are kept here, decluttering the bathroom can also be very good for your health and the health of your family! Start with the easiest stuff, the half open bottles of shampoo and conditioner, the hair spray that you used once, the various potions and lotions and creams that got pushed to the back of the cabinet, drawer, or shelf. Next, attack any make up that might be in the … Continue reading →

Decluttering can be a difficult thing to do, physically, mentally and emotionally. If you aren’t prepared for the task at hand, you may find yourself giving up early or not knowing where to start. A successful decluttering, whether it is one room or your whole house, starts with some preparation. Let us start with the emotional piece. Letting things go can certain stir up some emotions. Give yourself a pep talk about how you can let things go. Don’t focus too much on individual items but on the end results of your decluttering project. Imagine your beautiful living room, your … Continue reading →

My kids brought home yet another fundraiser on Friday. This time it was gift wrap. Which reminded me how it is time to start thinking about the holidays and getting ready for purchasing and wrapping gifts. While some people have the luxury of having a dedicated room for gift wrapping (!), that just is not going to be the case in my house. Still, a rack over door or a small corner of a room can serve very well, as long as all of your items are well organized. Gift tags should be stored in a clear container, so you … Continue reading →

While I am a big believer in decluttering whenever and wherever you can, there are just some circumstances where you really need help. I would not recommend that you declutter certain rooms or areas in your home alone. You’ll just wind up in trouble at worst or discouraged at best. Whenever you are ready to declutter the attic, basement, garage or home office, enlist some help. The reason being that these areas are usually filled with lots of furniture, boxes and heavy items. It is easy to get bogged down. You may also find that these areas collect with things … Continue reading →

For those that know me personally or have followed my blogs for a while, it might surprise you to know that over the last ten years, I’ve decluttered tons and tons of books. It is very rare for me to meet a book that I didn’t like, from old, dusty books from the turn of the century (1800s to 1900s, not 1900s to 2000s, although I’ll take those too), to shiny new children’s books for my kids. Books are definitely my weakness, although I have been better through the years, as our home has filled up with children and their … Continue reading →

I am always trying to find ways to make more space in my bedroom closet. It used to be a cluttered mess of clothes, shoes, and sometimes random odds and ends that I threw in there. The past year or so I have come up with a few solutions that have helped keep my closet more organized and less cluttered. Donating One idea is to donate your clothes, shoes, and accessories. Donating is good for you and for someone else! There are plenty of charities such as Goodwill, Red Cross, and other organizations that will either pick-up items from your … Continue reading →