Comments (0) Always be sure to put things away when you’re done using them. This will allow you to keep better track and better remember where things are and when you last used them. If they sit out for ages and get placed in a drawer somewhere, they do you very little good.
1. Are you left handed? Organise your closet left to right so you can always see what you are taking out. Keeps your closet organised.
2. Put an empty coloured hanger in to separate different kinds of clothes.
3. For left handers – put the shoes you use the most at the left hand end.
4. Never overfill the closet. Store things in colour coded bags. Code by season.
5. For closets with lamps – put a daylight bulb in.
6. Clean it regularly. Taking the clothes out lets you review what you do and do not want in there.
Article by Cheryl Harrell
There may be cash in your clutter. You have heard the phrase “your trash is someone else’s treasure.” A garage sale is one way to put theory into practice. Attentive marketing of your goods by doing an organized set up of your garage sale is the key to receiving the highest prices.
Sort logically
Sort your discards into logical groupings such as toys, books, tools, seasonal decorations. If customers see a haphazard mix of items, they will quickly leave your garage sale. Garage sale aficionados usually have particular items in mind when they shop and do not want to spend time sifting through unrelated stuff.
Display well
Set up tables and clothing racks to display your wares. Shoppers do not like to bend over and pick through items lying on the ground. If you do not have a clothing rack, improvise by placing a pole between two stepladders. Box your books by subject, spine up, so it is easy for customers to flip through them without making a mess of your display. Label the boxes or use large cards to divide groupings of books.
Highlight Special Collections
Display the glass items separately from your books and craft things to make them more attractive and seem special. Perhaps cover the table with a tablecloth. Make sure glassware is clean. People will be more likely to buy and pay more for wares in pristine condition. Have a separate table for holiday items. Make the display festive and group items in calendar order-Valentine’s Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, etc.
Money Matters and Pricing
Use a fanny pack to hold your money. Unfortunately, dishonest people also frequent garage sales and look for opportunities to steal unattended cash. Have plenty of small bills and quarters to make change. You do not want to lose a sale just because you can’t make change. Price book categories consistently-e.g., paperbacks 50 cents, hardbacks $1. Do the same with DVDs. Sell craft items by the bagful. Label and sell the craft bags for a flat rate. Price everything clearly. Customers do not like to search for someone to ask prices.
Expect to Be Insulted
Expect people to give insulting offers for your things. That is the nature of garage sales. Decide on your goal for your garage sale ahead of time: Do you want to make money or get rid of stuff? You usually will get less for items you sell at a garage sale than you would at an online auction. But you also do not have to go through the hassle of listing, taking photos, and shipping items.
Free Attraction
The word “free” is magic. Have a box of free stuff out front with a large FREE sign on it to attract people to your sale. Include toys to keep children occupied while the parents shop.
Plan What Not to Do with the Leftovers
DO NOT bring anything back into the house. The stuff is in the garage sale because it is time to move on. If you do not get reasonable offers for your more expensive items, you may get more for them as a tax write off for a charitable donation than you would if you take a low ball offer. Call for a pick up by a charitable organization.
The keys to a successful garage sale are organization and a realistic attitude. If you set up your merchandise in an attractive way and greet customers with enthusiasm even when they offer you 10 cents for a $2 item, you will be counting cash instead of hauling away clutter at the end of the sale.
© Copyright 2009 Cheryl Harrell all rights reserved worldwide
Cheryl Harrell is a professional organizer for All Sorted Out, LLC. She sees every organizing project as a puzzle to be solved with simple solutions. You may sign up for her monthly organizing tips at her website, http://organizeatlanta.com/.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Article by Jill Borash
As our economy looks to remain on the falling spiral that it is on, discovering means to preserve cash is invariably on all of our brains. Because of that, it is not really likely that you desire to consider expending cash to get your home office organised. It is less complicated to make due with what you have. But what if organizing your home office did not cost you a dime? How? a little of time and some creative juices is all it takes.
Making supplies for your household office means getting creative about items which you usually conceive as rubble. Before you toss any package, jar or container of any kind, ask yourself how you might use that to aid you make coordinated. A shoebox can form a great inbox for your filing. Sturdy cardboard boxes might be cut and stapled together to make a desktop filer. A baby food jar or any other small jar can be great for holding paper clips and elastic bands. A middle-sized sauce jar might be used to hold pens and pencils. Huge rocks may make tremendous bookends. Look at everything which is in your household and ask yourself how you could employ it to aid you in getting organised.
While making all of these items in your household that were junk to assist you in getting your household office coordinated is great, you are emphatically going to want to trim them up. A set of paint and some stencils or sponges may be a fun method to make them appear pretty and to likewise personalize them with your own original imaginative touch. Some good wrapping paper may as well aid in jazzing them up. Attempt to have fun with it and acquire methods to individualize the things you have discovered for organizing your home office.
But what if you need something huge like a bit of furniture to perfect your house office organisation undertaking? You may be able to get something for free or at the very least quite inexpensive on Craigslist, at a garage sale, or at local thrift shops. You might have to do some hunting down to find what you require but it will certainly be cheaper than purchasing it new. Once more, it pays here to get creative with what you find. You may not find just what you are searching for but seek to think of how you might apply what you do discover.
Organizing a home office for little or no cash is all about being creative with what you acquire. That means searching for things that you would commonly toss out and thinking of the way you might employ them instead. More free assistance for your home office at http://www.yourhomeisorganized.com/HomeOfficeOrganization.htm
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Article by John Lavoie
Every year people spring clean their houses. They scrub down the surfaces, clean out the oven, clear the gutters and even tidy the garage. But how often do we spring clean our wardrobes? Not often!
There are so many ways to organize your wardrobe that it may be a bit daunting to begin with. However if you do organize your wardrobe properly it means you will get the most out of your attire and you won’t have to organize it again for many years.
* Pants.
You should start by organizing your pants. You have to be ruthless when clearing your cupboard so make sure you try things on. If they don’t fit anymore, throw them out! Do not make excuses and get rid! Clutter is bad for your karma and your fashion sense so start a clean slate with the right size clothes! When organizing your pants try to keep them separated by summer and winter. This will make it easier when the seasons change.
* Tops.
Now tops are slightly more complex. First you should organize them into seasons. After that they should go into work wear, day wear and evening. You don’t need to have a huge closet for this. You could even just place a marker in between the piles to show where they are.
* Coats and Jackets
These should be separated into seasons and stored. There is no point taking up space with heavy winter coats when you could make more room for your summer dresses.
* Dresses
Again these should be sorted and stored. If you don’t go out that often, store your cocktail dresses and make room for everyday wear.
* Shoes
These should have their own rail or box. Many women love shoes and love to display them all the time in the open but they will actually keep better and will last longer if you look after them and don’t keep them piled up in the bottom of your closet.
* Jewelry and accessories
This section should be color coordinated. You should keep scarves, ties, gloves and hats in one section and earrings, necklaces, bangles, rings and cufflinks in another section. With your cufflinks and earrings, think about purchasing a cufflinks box to keep the pairs together. This will also save valuable time when you are getting ready! Handbags could also be stored if you have several. Women often go through phases of liking certain handbags and you will be surprised that the one you got bored with last year suddenly looks more appealing since it’s been in storage.
Don’t forget to get rid of the clothes that you don’t want. Make room for attire that is in fashion. People’s bodies change throughout their lives with factors such as age and children and very few 50year olds have the same body that they did when they were 20 so remember to try everything on every now and again to see how it fits. There is no point keeping clothes that look awful or don’t fit just because they remind you of your youth! Be brave, be strong, be ruthless! Start organizing your wardrobe today!
John Lavoie invites you to check out the latest cufflinks offered at Cuff-Daddy.com. Specialists in cufflink boxes, mens neckties and cufflinks, you’re sure to find something to your liking.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Article by: Jill Borash
As our economy looks to remain on the falling spiral that it is on, discovering means to preserve cash is invariably on all of our brains. Because of that, it is not really likely that you desire to consider expending cash to get your home office organised. It is less complicated to make due with what you have. But what if organizing your home office did not cost you a dime? How? a little of time and some creative juices is all it takes.
Making supplies for your household office means getting creative about items which you usually conceive as rubble. Before you toss any package, jar or container of any kind, ask yourself how you might use that to aid you make coordinated. A shoebox can form a great inbox for your filing. Sturdy cardboard boxes might be cut and stapled together to make a desktop filer. A baby food jar or any other small jar can be great for holding paper clips and elastic bands. A middle-sized sauce jar might be used to hold pens and pencils. Huge rocks may make tremendous bookends. Look at everything which is in your household and ask yourself how you could employ it to aid you in getting organised.
While making all of these items in your household that were junk to assist you in getting your household office coordinated is great, you are emphatically going to want to trim them up. A set of paint and some stencils or sponges may be a fun method to make them appear pretty and to likewise personalize them with your own original imaginative touch. Some good wrapping paper may as well aid in jazzing them up. Attempt to have fun with it and acquire methods to individualize the things you have discovered for organizing your home office.
But what if you need something huge like a bit of furniture to perfect your house office organisation undertaking? You may be able to get something for free or at the very least quite inexpensive on Craigslist, at a garage sale, or at local thrift shops. You might have to do some hunting down to find what you require but it will certainly be cheaper than purchasing it new. Once more, it pays here to get creative with what you find. You may not find just what you are searching for but seek to think of how you might apply what you do discover.
Organizing a home office for little or no cash is all about being creative with what you acquire. That means searching for things that you would commonly toss out and thinking of the way you might employ them instead. More free assistance for your home office at http://www.yourhomeisorganized.com/HomeOfficeOrganization.htm
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jill_Borash
Article by Carolyn Anderson
Do you always feel that everything in your life seems to move towards failure?
The ancient Chinese art of feng shui is said to attract the positive energies around us that will dramatically improve the way we run our lives. We most often see feng shui being practiced in homes, businesses and offices to obtain harmony, comfort and balance in our lives.
We spend most of our times in our homes and in our offices, thus feng shui focuses on drawing the positive forces of the nature by bringing harmony into these places, which eventually bring you a positive disposition in life. Especially if we often deal with demanding jobs, busy lifestyle and troubles in finances, or you want to change careers or there are changes in the family, or you want to have changes in your goals in life, drawing positive energy through this ancient art may not be a bad idea after all.
The idea of putting the elements in feng shui in organizing your home is to make the things at home in harmony to each other. It may involve the colors and the shades as well as bringing in the elements of feng shui. It is organizing the home that by bringing close attention to the little details and every object in your house and how it will bring harmony between you, and the space you live in These simple changes in the way you put things in your living space may create big differences in your life.
Organizing your home with this ancient art will involve creating more space, selecting colors, and putting enhancements to create harmony and allowing positive flow of energy. It usually includes putting in the elements of feng shui into your home to create attract the positive energy called Qi.
Each element is said to have a positive and destructive effect on our lives and these are well considered if you want to have balance and harmony. Feng shui recognizes these five elements in organizing your home.
1. Water. Water can have both a positive and negative meaning. It may mean good prospects in career or in wealth or it could be poor health.
2. Fire. The fire element means passion and creating happiness and good energy in the home.
3. Wood. The wood element can be used to improve health, a balanced family life, motivation and inspiration.
4. Metal Elements may represent creativity.
5. Earth. The Earth element represents stability and permanence.
These elements of feng shui are also symbolized by different colors. That also makes color selection essential in bringing this ancient practice into your home.
If you think the elements of feng shui may just be what you needed in your life, you can however find good resources or an expert on this ancient art to help you with it. It does not mean getting rid of everything in your home and bringing in all the things that is recommended, but it can help you organize and arrange what you already have or bring color to your living space that will make it a good place for you to imbibe the positive things in life.
Carolyn Anderson adopted some Feng Shui elements in her home office for quite some time now. To learn more about making feng shui work for your life, check out 26 Feng Shui Secrets. Another highly recommended resource is Tile Made Easy, where you find important tips in reorganizing your home with easy tiling.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
Organizing your home is a tedious process that presents many obstacles. There may be times when the challenges appear to be insurmountable, but with the proper home organization plan, these challenges can be overcome. Several challenges faced while cleaning your house are creating a strategic plan, finding the right storage products and putting your items back into their proper location. Completing this process is a rewarding experience.
One of the greatest challenges facing the intrepid home organizer is finding time to take apart an entire household and put it back together with some semblance of efficiency. Many people tend to think that all housework needs to be completed at the same time; however, this is not the case. There is nothing wrong with working on the bedroom one day, and cleaning the kitchen a few weeks later. You can even follow this pattern until you clean the entire house. Each room should only take a day, and it can be relatively simply to set aside a day and time.
Another way to reduce the time spent organizing your home is to plan everything out. Take a day and go through your entire house with a pencil and paper. Take note of where everything is located and what can be improved. Draw a rough plan, and then remove each item as you begin organizing your house. This way, you should know precisely where every item is going to be stored. This simple preparation can save hours of work on each room, and in turn, it substantially reduces the amount of time needed to complete the process.
Another major problem faced by budding home decorators, is finding the right resources to properly organize the various items scattered throughout the living space. An investment in the best storage products for the job can turn even the smallest of homes into seemingly spacious abodes. Whether you are struggling with all of the small miscellaneous items that never seem to have a place to stay, or some major equipment from your favorite hobby, there is an organizational tool that meets your needs.
It is important to properly identify what your needs are. If you are an avid cook, then make sure you invest heavily in your kitchen organization, and do not worry as much about spending for the rest of the house. If you are a sportsman, or really enjoy working in your garden, then outfitting your garage with some of the best products should be a priority. However, do not waste your money on items that you are not planning to use. This scenario requires proper planning and inventory.
You do not need to know every item that you own, but you should have a good idea of what you are getting into before investing in storage products. In a broad sense, good storage devices should follow a few rules. The storage solution should allow for easy access to the items that they are holding. The items should also be easy to retrieve. Accessibility is crucial and quality containers or racks should be sturdy, durable, and easy to move around. Reducing clutter is one of the main reasons for getting organized in the first place and because of this you should find the best storage solutions for your home. If your storage containers make it difficult to get everything in order, your may need to rethink your organizational strategy.
Another problem that is often faced while organizing your home is when you begin moving your items around. This issue is the moment when you realize that you have forgotten something important, and have no simple solution. This is where a willingness to be flexible comes into play. Efficient systems are not inherently rigid and in many cases, the more rigid systems fall apart shortly after they are started. This is simply because if you miss one step, the entire process can fail. Be sure to build flexibility into your home. Do not buy just enough storage to cram everything in, because you want to stay organized during the cleaning process. Make sure to leave room for new items that you plan to purchase. Leave extra space for these anticipated purchases, and there may be things that catch you off guard. A flexible system is often the easiest to follow.
Having the efficient and organized home that you have dreamed of is within your reach. With good time management, planning, investment in storage devices and flexibility, even the most difficult projects can be completed in an efficient time frame. Remember to be patient with whatever system you choose, and patience is important for successfully organizing your home. Revising a solid plan is easier than trying to make a new one, and being willing to troubleshoot can save time, money and stress. You can overcome your home organizational problems by following these tips.
About The Author
Nick Kakolowski is a freelance writer and blogger who writes about DIY topics and home care, often focusing on a specific area such as home organization.
TAKE BACK YOUR SPACE! Letting Go of Your ‘Stuff’
If any of you have ever watched an organizing show or read a book on organization, the purge is one of the most heart wrenching things to do. Why is this? Why is a broken old vacuum cleaner so impossible to part with? Well, here is the main reason: We are emotionally attached to our things. How can we possibly give them up when they have served us so well? This is their house; they have lived in it all their lives. Can we just kick them out? That would be heartless, wouldn’t it? They hold so many fond memories – would they take them with them?
Please listen carefully (or read carefully I should say), YOU ARE NOT YOUR POSSESSIONS! They should not own you and your space! I am telling you now – TAKE BACK THAT CONTROL. Don’t let them bully you any more! Your house is your house; you’re paying the mortgage or rent, not ‘them’. They are taking up valuable real estate and cluttering up your life. The only things that should live in your space are things you need, use or love, and yourself and your family.
When you are ready to take back the control of your space, these are the questions you need to ask yourself about the things that are currently residing with you:
Do I need this? Be honest with yourself and do not answer that you might, maybe, someday need this. Do you need this now? Does this need to take up space in your house? Is it serving a purpose? I’m referring to things like irons for example. I do not love my iron and I don’t really use it too often, but I need to have one in the house for those special occasions when I need clothes to be wrinkle-free.
Do I use this? Again, honesty is the best policy. If you have things that you used to use but that are no longer serving you, then they can go. Those hot rollers that have sat in your linen closet for the past 5 years because you have short hair now and have no immediate plans to grow it long again, can probably go to someone who can use them. You can splurge on yourself for new ones if you ever do grow your hair long again. A good policy for most things is if you have not used it in a year then it can go, but you can decide for yourself what a comfortable time line is. The maximum time limit you should keep anything is no more than 2 years.
Do I love this? Here is the toughest question to decide on. We all love our ‘stuff’ because of the memories associated with that ‘stuff’. But keep in mind that you do not have to keep all your ‘stuff’ to keep the memories. There are ways to keep those memories alive without actually keeping the item. Pictures are a great way to keep things alive, and a picture of your favorite couch takes up much less space than the actual old, worn out couch sitting in your family room.
Anything that has bad memories associated with it should be let go. This will allow room for new and better things to come instead of holding on to the past. Surround yourself with things you truly love – things that make you feel good when you see them or use them.
Letting go of your ‘stuff’ is the hardest part of any organizing project. Allow yourself to mourn the loss of your ‘stuff’ but keep in mind the ultimate goal is that of regaining control your space. The freedom you will experience through this process will be life changing. I guarantee it!
About The Author
As the owner of Kaos Solutions, Kimberly Eagles works with residential and small business clients to assist them in regaining control of their space and time as well as training and educating new organizers in her area. As an active member of Professional Organizers in Canada, Kimberly is a part of the industry’s leading resources for professional organizing.
Kaos Solutions
RPO North End
Moncton NB
Canada
E1G2L5
Phone 1-506-850-1933
Email sales@KaosSolutions.ca
Website http://www.Kaossolutions.ca
Do you ever feel life is passing you by in a whirl wind of activities and personal drama’s? Do you wish for simpler days? That probably isn’t going to happen but what can happen is that you can reduce clutter and simplify your life just by making a few simple choices and maybe a couple of changes. As a professional organizer I suggest 6 organizing tips to reduce clutter and simplify our lives.
1. If you have a project you have been resisting doing and it keeps nagging at you then complete it now. By getting the hardest task or project done and out of the way you won’t have the worry of getting it done later and you will have the freedom of moving on to doing other things you would rather be doing with a clear conscience.
2. Do you get a plethora of paper coming into your home and your life on a daily basis? You can chose to stop unwanted paper from taking up your time, causing you stress and creating clutter. Get off junk mail lists. Proquo.com is just one of many companies that will remove you from unwanted mail lists. To find other companies that offer this service do a search on the Internet. I have reduced the amount of junk mail I receive by 95% by signing up to have my name removed from lists. Reduce the number of catalogs you are receiving and other unwanted mail.
3. Reduce clutter in your home, office and car. Having too much stuff causes stress because it takes time and effort to maintain it and it takes our attention away from other things we would rather be focusing on. It wastes our time because when we have clutter around we have to search for things we have but can’t find quickly. Donate, sell or give away unwanted and unused items. These are great ways to simplify space. We are not only helping ourselves but we are helping our family and others.
4. Getting rid of debt can reduce clutter if this is something that is on your mind and that you worry about. Or if you use your cards to purchase “stuff” because it is on sale or because it is a good buy or too cute to pass up and you have no need for it. Having less is one way to simplify.
5. Pay your bills on line and have companies send your statements over the internet rather than sending paper bills. This eliminates you having to use your time to write out a check, use an envelope and a stamp (which saves money) and put it in the mail box. Make a folder on the computer to send the notifications you receive when your financial institution notifies you that a bill has been paid. This is a great way to reduce clutter and simplify your life.
6. Instead of trying to remember everything you have to do in your mind use a planner. Take it with you everywhere you go. This will reduce clutter in your purse, car, on your desk, and on your kitchen counter as you won’t have those pesky little pieces of paper with notes and appointments stuck or lost all over the place.
Think of the benefits you receive when you reduce clutter and simplify your life. Keep your eye on the goal as you work towards simplifying your life.
About The Author
Marilyn is a professional organizer who works with women and seniors in clearing clutter and providing organizing tips. Clearing clutter helps those she works with to have less stress in their lives and feel more joy in living.
Marilyn invites you to visit her website http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find organizing solutions. You will find fun stories and free organizing tips in her blogs, articles and videos.
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