Seems to Meems: 2013-10-20

Hello friends! This weekend coming up will be filled up with cleaning out our storage unit and extensive writing for my classes. All work and no play makes me cranky..... So, with that said, I managed (somehow) to carve out a small window of time for furniture shopping! We are moving in several weeks and want to ensure we find the most perfect pieces so wherever there is time, shopping will be placed into it (not a problem with moi)!

I've complied a random collection of room décor that makes my heart pitter patter. All these looks will be incorporated into our new space. We don't necessarily have a set style, whatever jumps at us and makes us feel good.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Photo collage for dining room

Soothing shades for bedroom....

Bright eclectic living room

Black and White photo over our dry bar

Loving the ram lamp for an entry way console

This table is a must!

{blog source - TSLL}

With my move about to be underway. I've done some major list making and purging! A clean and organized home is always how we live, it's the only way for us to be successful in our every day responsibilities and routines.

Once you start your routine of organization it wont seem like such a daunting task. Trust me, keeping a clean and organized home will help your life in ways you never imagined and let you juggle other aspects of your life.

& here are the tips! Organized by room, below are 15 simple ways to organize your home, eliminate the unnecessary and create a high functioning, yet very relaxing space:

Kitchen

~1. Tupperware. Wherever you store your plastic containers for leftovers, recycle all unmatchable lids and containers, and pare down to just one or two sizes, so that you aren’t looking for a lid that doesn’t have a bottom. You really only use 3-4 leftover containers at a time, so reduce how many you have on hand as well.

~2. Edit Refrigerator Weekly. Every week when you do your cleaning, go through the refrigerator as well, assess what you have, add what you need to your grocery list and toss anything that is past its prime.

~3. A Pre-Made Grocery List. Have handy in the kitchen a piece of paper where you can write down any ingredient or grocery item you need to pick up at the market when you make your next trip. If you shop at the same market each time, create a typed grocery list organized by aisles of that particular store with the items that are frequently purchased listed in their respective numbered aisle. I then save it in my computer and print out a handful of lists at a time. It saves me time walking up and down aisles aimlessly, but it also allows someone else to do the shopping because they have clear instructions where to find each item.

~4. Store Reusable Grocery Bags in the Car By doing this, you are reducing the clutter in your kitchen and placing the bags where they will be sure to be used reducing the clutter of unwanted plastic bags.

~5. Magazine/Newspaper Caddy. All your reading material is neatly placed inside with what I want to read first placed in front. At the end of the week, while cleaning the house, I recycle anything that I’m done with or am not interested in reading.

Bedroom

~6. A Unique Catch-All. Beside your bed on your nightstand or on your dresser, place a unique container and use it to hold your watch, hairclips, earrings, rings, reading glasses, etc – anything that is removed nightly and will need to be found for regular use in the morning.

~7. Frequent Your Local Library. While having books around you can be a very comfortable feeling, there is a point when it becomes cluttered and distracts from creating a relaxing environment. So why not visit your local library and check out a book (or two) that you are interested in. You will be motivated to read them in a reasonable amount of time and able to reduce clutter by taking them back when you are done. Oh, and don’t forget about the money you’re saving!

~8. Organize Your Sheet Sets. In order to keep everything together and to help each set last longer, purchase two sets for each bed that is regularly used (when you strip the bed to wash the sheets, you’ll have a clean set all ready to go without having to wait for the wash to finish) and fold the fitted, flat and one of the two pillowcases, placing them inside the second pillowcase.

Bathroom

~9. Magnetize. If you are always searching for your tweezers or nail clippers because they are falling behind something else and become hard to find, purchase and place a straight magnet on the inside of your medicine cabinet and welcome your small metal tools to their new home.

Office

~10. Sign-up for Paperless BillPay. It took me awhile to convert from mailing each bill, carefully affixing the stamp and my return label before I placed it in the mailbox to be escorted away by my mail carrier; however, now that I’ve transitioned to the simpler and paperless route of online bill pay through my bank, I am a fan. The one thing I appreciate is being able to pay whether I receive their bill in the mail or not. I can choose when I pay each month, and if I need to budget earlier than usual due to travel plans, etc, I can simply schedule it to be paid on a particular day. It’s free, simple and reduces paper.

~11. Magazine Apps. If you subscribe to one or many magazines and have a tablet (iPad, Nook, Kindle), most likely you have free access to the all of your magazines on your tablet as well. While I prefer reading and holding the actual magazine (and then ripping pages out for my idea board), when I travel, I am able to save space and read the most recent issues (or issues I need to catch-up on) all from one source.

I just recently downloaded the apps for all of the many magazines I subscribe to and was impressed that nearly all had free access (The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Vogue US, Vogue UK, Elle US, Elle UK, The Week, House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Martha Stewart Living, InStyle )

Miscellaneous

~12. Pet Tote. If you have pets that travel with you or are boarded when you go away for vacations, create a pet tote. Purchase a canvas tote with sturdy handles that is large enough to hold the following: a container of dog food, treats, a toy (or two), dog shampoo, pet stain remover spray & a rag, ear cleaner (don’t forget the cotton balls), brush, dishes for food and water and leashes (with doggie bags). Whenever my dog sees me packing it up, she gets excited because she knows that she will get to come along as well.

~13. Reduce Unwanted Mail. While you can have the post office hold your mail when you travel for extended period of time, junk mail still piles up even if you aren’t away. Having to sort through and eliminate all of the junk mail is timely and unnecessary. So why not choose to opt out of receiving junk mail altogether? You can easily remove your name from all the list services out there with one visit to either one of the websites below (and it’s free!).

CatalogChoice.org
DMAchoice.org

Follow the instructions, and you will see far less junk mail in your mailbox.

~14. Clean Every Week. No matter how clean or dirty your home is, get into the habit of cleaning your home every week. Click here to see my approach to daily, week, monthly, bi-monthly and yearly cleaning. When I know I’m going to be traveling, I make sure to clean the house the day before I leave and make the bed with freshly cleaned sheets. There is something so very sweet about coming home to a clean house and a beckoning bed. Also, click here for my cleaning frenzy routine in under 15 mins.

~15. Ready-to-Go Travel Toiletry Bag. One of the most frustrating parts about traveling is when you are halfway to your destination, or sometimes already there, and you realize you’ve forgotten something that you need to have. As much as possible, have pre-packed and ready to go your toiletry bag with all of your beauty and prep essentials. By having a second version of nearly everything in small travel sizes that is only used when you pack up to leave town, you reduce those occasions when items are left behind and save time as well.

“Bringing simplicity into our lives requires that we discover the ways in which our consumption either supports or entangles our existence.” Duane Elgin

If you have simple organizational strategies that you have found to be effective, please do share... Id love to hear!