Category: organizing

Avoid Grey weather turning into a Grey mood

Posted on by

This time of year, all we see is the cold, grey of winter. It’s easy to fall into a grey mood as we patiently (or not so patiently) wait for spring.  Here are 2 easy ideas to help you avoid the doldrums:

2020_brightsBrighten up your outfits.  When the temperatures outside fall below freezing, it seems we tend to think that means we should be dressing in dark dull colors. Liven up your dark ensembles with pops of bright colors. Things to look for at your local Goodwill Store include scarves, tank tops, belts or other layering pieces.

2020_clutter

Spring clean – a little early. After the holidays, my office is a disaster. Well, if I am being honest, everything in my house feels cluttered and unorganized.  We all have that room in our home that seems to accumulate all the “stuff” over the holidays. Take an afternoon and re-organize that space. Focusing on just one room isn’t as overwhelming as thinking about your entire home. Take all the extra things and duplicate items that you find and donate them to Goodwill. Keep the other rooms of your home free from clutter by not re-storing things you don’t use over the holidays.

Back To School Organization

Posted on by

Back to school organization isn’t as overwhelming as it seems. Preparing for this exciting time takes energy, effort, and can be expensive. However, if you are organized, it will take a lot of stress out of this time of year.  I recommend heading to your nearest Goodwill store to look for fun and unique containers for school supplies.


Organizing School Supplies

Back to school organizing means being organized for the first days and weeks of school.  This organizing begins at home and will become habit. For example, you might have a drawer in your house that can be emptied and used for school supplies…extra pens, #2 pencils, markers, erasers, tape, glue, etc.  While at Goodwill, look for square or oblong containers that fit in your supply drawer.   Sort your supplies so pens are not mixed in with  markers, for example. Have a home for these things to make it easier and less expensive to restock your backpack. Don’t re-purchase crayons and glue, shop in your supply drawer!

Backpack Storage and Organization

Backpacks need a home. Ideally, hang backpacks near the entry/exit door of your home. If you do not have a mudroom with lockers or cubbies, create your own.  Use simple, sturdy hooks at eye level. This encourages the habit of getting home from school, emptying the backpack of homework and other papers, and hanging the backpack directly on the hook.

If you don’t have space for hooks, try a door organizer. The one pictured was intended for handbags, but works perfectly for backpacks.

No more searching all over the house for the backpacks or the papers that need to return to school.

Paperwork Organization

Back to school organizing means dealing with mountains of paperwork.  Create a home for all that paper – shop at Goodwill and look for containers suitable for holding temporary papers.  For example, baskets and trays work well.  Label the containers with words that suggest action, such as “Homework to do”,  “Mom to sign and return”, or “Put on calendar.”

Organizing kids clothes

Another area in your home where organization is key is the kids bedroom closet. Simply decide on your next day’s outfit the night before and set it out (don’t forget the shoes). One easy way to organize the next days outfits is to find hanging storage cubes at Goodwill. Having 2 of these storage units makes things even easier. One for tops and one for bottoms.  Label days of the week for each cube to eliminate morning frustration. Get your kids involved with choosing outfits by allowing them to choose tops, and you add bottoms.

This smart move will give you extra time in the morning for a healthy, relaxing breakfast.

Have a Happy, Organized School Year!!

This months guest blogger is Cathy Fairchild from Say Yes to Less.

Get in touch with Cathy at:  http://www.sayyestoless.guru  

Find Cathy on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/sayyestoless.guru/

Budget Friendly Ways to Organize Your Home

Posted on by

Shop Goodwill for double-duty (and budget friendly) organizing ideas for your home.  Think outside the box!  

Shopping for new boxes, bins, baskets, and Lazy Susan’s is expensive.  However, a budget friendly way to organize your home is through creative Goodwill finds.  Wander around your local Goodwill Store to shop for creative solutions.  Here are 10 double-duty organizing ideas. 

1.  Goodwill is a great place to find used furniture. You might find a beautiful piece but don’t have room for it in your home.  Consider re-purposing the drawers as under-the-bed storage.  Just add wheels for easy access.

2.  My trip to Goodwill in search of storage items turned up mason jars in all shapes and sizes.  Jars are fantastic for storage of dry ingredients and non-perishable items for your pantry.  For instance, use the jars for tea bags or spice packets.  You can also use jars to organize office supplies like paperclips and push pins.

3.  Eyeglass cases serve as a creative way to store things while traveling. Use a vintage case for holding jewelry or earbuds and your phone charger.

4.  With summer being the time for travel, organization is important to make your trip less stressful.  For instance, pill holders can be used for earrings, rings and so on.

5. Many times I see bags of craft supplies at Goodwill, and in those bags are dozens of mismatched buttons.  Try putting your earrings through the holes of the buttons to store them  This will help keep them together.

6.  Cookie jars of all shapes and sizes can be used to store things like nail polish or kids crayons.

7.  When you find a beautiful frame at Goodwill but don’t love the art contained in the frame, consider using the frame for something creative. First, it can easily be painted.  And then, attach several rows of string or ribbon on the back, and use clothes pins to display photos or greeting cards. This could also make a creative family chore / reward chart!

8.  Find an old shutter from a home?  Use it to display cards or mementos.

9.  Is your kids bathroom a place that is in need of serious organization?  A tiered mesh basket (usually used for fruit in a kitchen) makes bath toy organization a breeze.  Hang from the curtain rod.  It keeps toys contained and allows them to dry.

10.  Two-drawer metal file cabinets are a regular find at Goodwill.  These gems have so many uses for organization in your home. Toss a pretty throw, scarf or table cloth over the top and you have an instant end table with hidden storage.  You can also paint it and apply a stencil to give the storage unit a new look   Do a Pinterest search on re-purposing metal cabinets and you will be shocked at all the ideas!

This months guest blogger is Cathy Fairchild from Say Yes to Less.

Get in touch with Cathy at:  http://www.sayyestoless.guru  

https://www.facebook.com/sayyestoless.guru/


Marie Kondo Tidying Up

Posted on by

Marie Kondo has sparked a tidying up revolution.

Marie Kondo is the best-selling author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and “Spark Joy”; she also has a Netflix series, “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo”.  Her goal is to help you tidy their spaces by choosing joy.  Through that, she offers tips and tricks to help you become more organized and intentional with your belongings.

There are numerous benefits to decluttering things around your home. For instance, less clutter creates lower stress.  Also, this tidying up revolution has led to an increase in donations to Goodwill!  This time of year spring cleaning means decluttering. Here are some easy tips from Marie’s book as you start your home decluttering projects:

Here are some examples of folding your t-shirts to stand up in a drawer.  The idea behind this is you can fit more in your drawers, and be able to see everything that is stored there. Your folding technique doesn’t have to be perfect, and it only takes a second to fold your clothes this way.

1.    When starting your decluttering and tidying project, begin with clothes and end with sentimental items.  Regarding organizing clothing, Marie says, “The key is to store things standing up rather than laid flat.”

It seems like a lot of work to follow Marie’s advice and pull all your clothing out of closets and drawers and put everything in a pile.  She recommends you touch each item of clothing and ask yourself if it “sparks joy.” If the answer is “no,” donate to Goodwill and let it spark joy for someone else!

This is also the advice of our resident Goodwill Fashion Guru, Kathy Friend.  According to Kathy, “If you touch everything in your closet, you will quickly decide to rehang it or refold it and put it away.” Many times you will determine you don’t like an item enough to put it away in your wardrobe.  Kathy also suggests storing items you are not ready to part with. “We all have things in our closet we aren’t ready to donate. Put those items in a box and store it away from your closet. In a few months you may be ready to donate it to Goodwill.”

Keep the things in your closet to a logical ratio of 75% tops and 25% pants. Use this info graphic as a guide.

2.    Kondo’s mantra for tidying up, “to truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose.”

Your life is changing and transitioning.  For example,  you go from living with parents, to living on your own. And then you may have children, and then send them to school.  Before you know it, the nest is empty.  Are you storing things that have outlived their purpose and belong in the past?  Donate those things to Goodwill Keep things that are helpful in your future and let someone else cherish things that brought you to where you are today.

 

3.    Regarding paper clutter, Kondo says, “Make sure that you keep all papers in one spot only. Never let them spread to other parts of the house.”

Paper clutter can cause stress in your home.  Make this step a priority. First, dedicate a spot in your home where all paper lives (it does not have to a separate home office – it can be a corner in the living room or dining room, or possibly a guest room).  Next, recycle junk mail before it even comes into the house.  Finally, make a date with yourself to deal with your paper – if not daily, then every 2-3 days.  Having paper all over the house almost guarantees that important events and bills will fall through the cracks.

I am so glad this wasn’t sparking joy for someone and they donated it. Look what I found on a shopping trip to Goodwill!

4.    “Believe what your heart tells you when you ask, ‘Does this spark joy?’”

You might feel this step is a bit crazy, however, this “yes” or “no” question is just what is needed to decide whether to keep an item or donate to Goodwill.

That is to say there is no “magic” for decluttering and getting organized.  It takes time and effort, both mentally and physically.  Make a date with yourself and get started, or hire a professional to get you on the right track.

This month’s guest blogger is Cathy Fairchild

Get in touch with Cathy at:  sayyestoless.guru  or find her on Facebook

 

 

 

 

 

Organize Your Basement Using Simple Tips

Posted on by

Last February, many of us had flooded basements when combined snow and rain caused flooding in our area.  For some, it was a total loss (as evidenced by all the “stuff” that went to the curb in the days and weeks afterward).  Organizing your basement using simple tips could have avoided this disaster.

Thinking ahead and organizing with water protection in mind can avoid a catastrophe. Melting snow/rain, an overflowing washing machine, a water heater leak, bathtub on the main floor runs over, all disasters that will ruin your memories that are in storage. 

Organizing basements is on all of our to-do lists. It only takes a few hours and some simple organizing tools. As a result, you will accomplish one of those never ending to-do list items and protect your possessions from water damage.

ISSUE: In this  “Before” picture, the basement floor was used for storage.  Therefore, the clutter is a dangerous tripping hazard, and it makes it hard to see what is underneath the piles. 

SOLUTION: A few hours later, we eliminated the clutter and hazard to reveal an organized space. First, we found several metal and plastic shelves. This kind of shelving is a real treasure when you find it at your local Goodwill Store!

Second, we used several clear storage bins to keep the items safe from dust and moisture. Items in the bins are organized by type; for example holiday decorations, documents, and family memories. Label each bin so in the future, it is easy to see what the bin contains.

Finally, clear the floor and donate to Goodwill!

When you organize your basement using simple tips, you will know what you have, be able to find it easily and quickly, and above all you will able to put things away in a place that makes sense to you.

Your organizing challenge is to go through the things in your basement and declutter!  Keep only what you know to be useful or important and let go of the rest.  Protect what remains in waterproof bins and/or put them up on a shelf.  This will create a safer space for your family and your things will hopefully survive any unexpected water.  

This month’s guest blogger is Cathy Fairchild

Get in touch with Cathy at:

http://www.sayyestoless.guru

https://www.facebook.com/sayyestoless.guru/

8 DIY Command Center Ideas

Posted on by

Back-to-school season means back to the daily grind of controlling paperwork, keeping track of schedules, checking homework, figuring out meals, and corralling the backpack clutter in the home. Thankfully, it is easy to create a DIY Command Center for your family on a budget and even in a small home.  Today I want to showcase eight ideas for command centers that would work in small spaces, or in a larger home, and how you can utilize Goodwill for some of the supplies for your project.

Let’s get organized!

Transform a Door

One of the most inventive ideas I have seen for a command center comes from Tatertots & Jello. She utilizes a screen door for creating a command center for her family. For families that don’t want to mount anything on their wall, this command center created from a door can be propped up anywhere and I could picture this project even as a command center in the garage.
To create a place for jotting down notes, consider heading to Goodwill for a picture frame that you can transform into a magnetic chalkboard and check their baskets section for a basket to gather shoes or for paper storage! 

Use a Folding Chair

Not everyone has a large space to create a command center wall. I adore this idea, from Nalle’s House, of creating a mini command center for your family by using an old folding chair. Check the furniture section of Goodwill for this project and with a little chalkboard paint and a basket, you have a spot to jot down messages and to tuck those small & important items like wallets & keys! 

Dedicate an Unused Corner

Unused corners in our home can be the best place to create a small command center. The best part about a small command center is that it is an easier space to manage and clutter can be tidied up quickly. This command center from Hi Sugarplum showcases an unused corner that she now has made into the family’s command center.  
With a simple basket, a wall-mounted file folder, a small bulletin board, and a charging station, you now have an organized hub for your family.  

Dedicate a Wall

If you have a wall that you can use for your family’s command center, I absolutely love the cohesiveness of this wall command center from The Caldwell Project. They utilize beautiful free printables in picture frames to track things with dry erase markers, they have great storage for cell phones and commonly found paper clutter in the home, there is a spot for the mail, and a place to jot down notes. 
If you want to create this on a budget, consider spray painting picture frames from Goodwill all one color and utilizing the free printables to keep your command center on budget. Be sure to visit this post for their free printable resources for your own command center. 

Use a Cabinet Door

Although Domestic Imperfection actually built this beautiful command center out of wood, a cabinet door from Goodwill would work perfectly in creating a command center for a small space. I love that she decoupaged a map of somewhere special on her door to create this command center. To keep it on budget, stop at the visitor’s bureau to snag maps of the places you visit for a special and personal touch. 
Again, this command center is perfect for limited wall space and I love that you can personalize this one to your own needs! 

Create a Chalkboard Wall

This chalkboard wall command center, featured in BHG Magazine, illustrates that you don’t need a lot of space to create a command center that functions well for your family. I love that everything is on one wall and that you can chalk captions on the wall to remind people where their items are and that items can be switched out based upon your family’s needs from year-to-year! 

Make It Fun

The Homes I Have Made has the happiest of all happy command centers that I have ever seen. It makes me so happy that I want to replicate this one for our own house. She chose an eye-catching color scheme and adds beautiful details to make this a cheery place to organize and drop your belongings.  A handmade bunting brightens the space and the happy pieces of art in her color scheme make this place feel whimiscal and not utilitarian.

Use Open Framing to Organize

One last idea that I love is this command center made with open frames created by Wid Kids. Picture frames are a great item to find at Goodwill and utilizing just the framing of them creates a unique and open detail to your command center for creating with. In this case window frames were used, but you could utilize whatever type of frame you can find at your store and replicate this same concept in your own home. 
I love that it adds a fun detail to the wall and is open and airy enough to make the space not look cluttered.

Do you have a command center in your home? What do you do to keep your family organized in this space? 

Get Your Home Organized With Goodwill

Posted on by

At the beginning of the year, I get the strong urge to donate everything in my house and start fresh. I am also always on the hunt to find new strategies for organization in my home that don’t cost a lot. Thankfully at Goodwill, you can organize your home and declutter it all at one store!

Today I am featuring some great ideas for organization from commonly found items at their store. I am so inspired by these bloggers that I have a trip to Goodwill planned for myself this week to try to snag a few of these items.

Get Your Desk Organized

This last month I spent the month organizing my office and craft space. One thing I really hate is desk clutter and I have been using a thrift store mug to organize all my writing and cutting tools. I love this fresh idea for using a broom head as an office caddy for organizing these item in a fun nod to  industrial-style  and to add a little whimsy to your desk. Grab the inspiration for this project from merry thought.

Get Your Bathroom Organized

One area I always struggle with organization is our bathroom. You can always find an abundance of white dishes at Goodwill though and this painting tutorial from Fruetcake shows how to turn plain white dishes into copper vanity bowls with just a little spray paint. This would be a fantastic way to organize things like bobby pins, cotton balls, or even as a small jewelry holder. 

Organize Your Photos

One thing I have vowed to do this year is to print more photos. Of course the dilemma always is where to hang and display these items. Luckily for me, I found this adorable cabinet door photo display that you can create with just a few items for decorating the top of your dresser. If you are an Instagram-addict like me, this is a must-do project for displaying your favorite pictures. Check out the tutorial to create your photo display on Making Home Base.

Organize Your Jewelry Collection

Vintage plates and china can be adorned or just allowed to show their original vintage beauty in this adorable jewelry display that you could create from plates at Goodwill.  I love that this organizing project not only organizes, but it also doubles as a cute way to decorate a wall or the interior of a walk-in closet.
To round out this display, check Goodwill’s sheets, linens, and kitchen towels for fabric to add to these embroidery hoops. If you are a woman that isn’t as fully accessorized (pity the thought!) you can even add to your jewels with items found in their jewelry department. You can find the tutorial for this vintage plate jewelry display on Craft a Doodle Doo. 

Organize the Bookcase

Bookcases can become untidy quickly especially in my kid’s rooms. Consider whittling down the book collection into a more manageable size and then create these adorable bookends from your child’s old action figures and toys. With a quick mount and a little spray paint, you have a unique bookend that can tidy those stacks. Grab the tutorial for these easy DIY Bookends from Canadian Family today! 

Organize Your Menu Plan

If one of your goals this year is to save money, the one place I always recommend starting is with your grocery shopping and menu planning. I am a visual person, so I love my chalkboard in my kitchen as a reminder of what we have in store for the week and to prompt me to prep and thaw ingredients for the days ahead. 
If you don’t have a chalkboard in your kitchen, making one is very easy thanks to chalkboard paint. Check your Goodwill Store for a frame, canvas, or serving tray that you can use to get your menu plan visual. Grab the tutorial to make your own vintage chalkboard tray on by wilma.

Organize the Paper Clutter

We talk a lot about book page crafts on the Goodwill Tips Blog because this is an item you can always find at your local Goodwill Store. Did you know that you can transform a donated book into an organizer? On the 3 R’s Blog you can find an easy folding technique for creating your own business card organizer. As someone who frequently has a pile of cards and tiny notes to myself, I love this thoughtful storage idea for these items! 

Organize the Toys

After the holidays, the toy clutter always seems to get out of control at our house. Thankfully, you can find lots of jars at your local Goodwill Store that can be transformed into adorable containers to house those smaller toys in. With a little spray paint and a figurine, car or train, you can create an adorable accent to your child’s bookshelves or to tuck away in your toy storage closet. You can get the scoop on making these adorable toy corrals on Simplicity in the South. 

What are your favorite things to use to organize your home from Goodwill? Have you upcycled anything into the perfect storage solution? Feel free to share it here!