Organizing Home Tips

How many of us feel the same way? Our coffee tables are full of books, magazines, paper cups, and everything else. There are socks underneath the beds and we don’t even dare to open the closet doors. If you have been fed up by the mess in your house. It’s time to take action!

Sometimes it’s harder to get started when there seems to be so much stuff to do. But you can do it! You don’t need to hire a professional organizer. That’s true, you can do it all yourself. Just make sure the children are not around and husband is at work. Give yourself 5 uninterrupted hours to clean, sort, dump, and organize. Then do the same the next day, and the next day…

Day one: this is not your cleaning day, but a day of preparation.

• Get yourself half dozen contractor sized garbage bags
• Markers
• 4-6 Plastic bins (large)
• Cleaning supplies
• Shoe organizers if you don’t already have them (plastic or metal)
• Nice hangers
• Storage bags

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/.

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