Tag Archives: garage

Organizing The Garage, Day 1, Part 2

Join me on our family adventure of cleaning out the garage. It took us two days to get the garage from a staging area of stuff to useable space that can fit our large mini-van. In the previous blog, I talked about how we started the organizing process by sorting our stuff into separate piles: toys, tools and household. We also had some boxes set aside for donation, and a large trash can for obvious trash. I mentioned how there were some things that my husband couldn’t let go. But I had my own irrational item that was taking up … Continue reading →

Basement Floor Savings (And Garage Floor, Too)

As you might now know, I am blogging over at the Home Blog (as well as here at the Frugal Blog and there at the Computing Blog), and I am sharing my family’s adventure as we clean out our garage. Now that the garage floor is nice and clean, my husband has mentioned painting it. Not only will it look much better painted, but it will help improve our home. Having the garage floor painted will also help it serve another function, as an impromptu place for gathering with friends and family during parties, when we need to expand our … Continue reading →

Organizing The Garage: Day 1, Part 1

How do you turn piles of boxes and junk into a usable space? One sure way for us was to organize our garage. We’ve never had a real garage before. So, our first instinct was to use it as a storage space, as most people do. But instead of storing miscellaneous stuff, we wanted it to actually store our family car, the Honda Odyssey, a mini-van we purchased just before our third and youngest child was born. It was our first new car, and we want to protect our investment. The garage clutter started when my husband thought it would … Continue reading →

Home Week in Review: August 20 – 26

More Dining Room Ideas Last week, in Start Decorating the Dining Room, we talked about getting design plans together for fall decorating and beyond. With the holidays approaching, now is a good time to start planning and even picking up a few things here and there to change the look and feel of your dining room. This week, there were some ideas including layering rich color, flooring options, and new dinnerware. Easy Ways with Artwork Artwork can make a dramatic difference in any space, giving it more sparkle, color, and texture, and making the room feel more finished. Give pop … Continue reading →

The Frugal Garage: Long Handled Tool Storage

We moved to a new house this past spring and are still trying to get organized. One area that is in need of some help is the garage. When we moved, we used our garage as a sort of staging area for a lot of our boxes. Now, we have to finish putting away those boxes (and furniture), and organize the whole thing. Our goal is to me able to fit the family car in the garage by wintertime. It would be really nice to be able to load the kids up in the car while it is still in … Continue reading →

Cool Stuff for the Garage

Like your garage doesn’t have enough “stuff” already, right? Well, this is really cool stuff that will come in handy and help keep your garage cleaner, better organized, and more useable. Parking Mats You can buy special mats for the garage to place in your parking spot. They can be treated with a stain resistant formula so they can be cleaned. These mats can help protect your garage floor and they look nice too. Floor Paint If you don’t like the idea of mats, you can also find specialty products for painting and staining garage floors. Not only can you … Continue reading →

Home Week in Review: August 13 – 19

Where Dirt Hides Dirt and dust can hide is so many places. In fact, sometimes, it seems like it’s everywhere! Check and clean the following spots and if you want to share some tips for combating hidden dust and dirt, please let me know. Top Ten Tips for Puppy Proofing Your Home We just brought home the most darling puppy. He is a Yorkie-poo, a mix between a Yorkie and poodle, and he is absolutely adorable. The only problem is that bringing home a puppy is not all that different from having a baby in the home, so check out … Continue reading →

More Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Garage

Don’t let the size of the mess overwhelm you, just get started! Open the overhead door to let in the fresh air, and get busy. Try some of these tips to make the job more do-able: Piles for Miles Making separate piles and sorting stuff into piles is the best way to jump right in. Start making piles (or filling boxes) with items to keep, donate, store, or move to another location. When you’re done sorting, move the items in each pile to their appropriate locations or they may end up right back in the garage at the end of … Continue reading →

Spring Cleaning: Cleaning and Organizing the Garage

Okay, clutterbugs, you’ve been stashing stuff in the garage all winter long. It’s the easiest way to hide clutter and “stuff” when you’re getting ready for guests to stay or preparing to entertain for the holidays. The problem is it accumulates quickly and now that you want to get in the garage to get the mower or weed-cutter out, or drag out some patio furniture, you find that everything is hidden behind clutter. Perhaps this isn’t your problem at all but your garage could simply use some TLC. It’s a big job to straighten out the garage enough so that … Continue reading →

Shop Wall Instant Storage Shelves – $5 (from $23)

If you watch Trading Spaces, you may have already seen this shelving system. It’s intended for the garage, but the size makes it perfect for almost anywhere. Each of the compartments is approximately a 13″ cube. That size is good to hold so many different things. In the garage, you can fit tools, sports equipment, or even things from your stockpile. In the laundry room, you can easily fit all your detergent, borax, bleach, and even ironing supplies. Add a box (or two or four) for an extra $3. These are sized to fit the openings perfectly. With the boxes, … Continue reading →