Cheap, Easy Organization

It’s been awhile since I’ve done an organizational post–and you can tell if you take a peek inside my house. I always think summer will be when I get myself together. You know: clean out the basement, organize the closets, get rid of kids toys that never get played with. But this seldom happens. Who wants to stay inside when we can be at the pool or running around in the sunshine? Who wants to do manual labor when you’re sweating just sitting on the couch? Not this girl!

Still, I need to find some way to wrangle the mess that is my house. Since I’m both cheap and always looking for ways to be eco-friendly, I love the idea of organizational pieces that can easily be made from things I already own (or things that would only cost me a few dollars).

So off to Pinterest I go…

Organize Me

If there’s anything that this week’s posts have taught me, it’s that the best way to get organized is using old things in new and creative ways:

(all via Pinterest)

But when you get right down to it, all of these organization posts I’ve been doing this week are for one reason: I need to organize my life.

Organizing specific rooms in my house will make me feel like I have more control over everything, but what I’m truly looking to do is get my life in order. I need to line up work, balance my schedule, and get into a good routine. Conquering the chaos around me will help me feel one step closer to that.

Luckily, I came across two pretty awesome checklists to get me started:

This first one is from the awesome Anna of IHOD. It’s a free printable that helps you keep your to-dos in check without putting too much pressure on yourself. Hop over to her blog to print it out (clicking the picture will take you to the correct post)!

The second is a free printable from the equally fabulous Meg at Mimi + Meg. This one is a list of all of the places you should clean for a nice, fresh start to the year. I love check lists, because it feels so good every time you can check off another task!

I hope this week of organization has been helpful to you. Shoot me a comment below to let me know what other themes you would be interested in seeing in the coming months!

Organize My Kitchen

Yesterday, I told you all about my bathroom organization woes. They are nothing in  comparison to the disaster that is my kitchen.

I think our biggest issue is that we have too much stuff. We inherited a lot of things when we first moved in together. We bought a bunch of things between then and our wedding to fill in and then we got all new things at my bridal shower.

Then there’s the fact that I’m sort of a chronic hanger on-er. I don’t like to get rid of useful things when someone (say my younger brother) might need them one day. That’s not to say we haven’t given anything away. My other brother came up from North Carolina after getting married and he and my new sister-in-law shopped our unused stuff.

I really need to let go at this point though. I will never be organized unless I do. I’m going to look into giving things away on Freecycle or to shelters that might need what I’m not using.

After I weed things out, I can concentrate on the really fun stuff… like implementing some of these awesome ideas:

all via Pinterest

Great ideas, right? I know I never would have thought about storing cans in a magazine holder without a little nudge. And I love the idea of using towel racks and magnets in unexpected spaces to create more room.

What do you think? Are these organization posts inspiring you at all?

Organize My Bathroom

My bathroom has a limited amount of storage that I have yet to master. The result is a mess of products and beauty tools bleeding into the rest of house.

I would love to keep my beauty supplies neatly tucked away in my bathroom, where everything has a home. Instead I have drawers crammed with crap and a cabinet that explodes whenever it’s opened.

I need more organization inspiration!!!

sources: magnetic backing, terra cotta pots, shelving 1, shelving 2,
vintage tray, above the door shelving, mason jars

All of these solutions are cheap and relatively easy ways to make more space in a small bathroom. Maybe if I utilize unused spaces (like above the door and inside cabinets), I’ll be able to navigate my bathroom without the fear of my obituary reading that  I died by flying hair products.

Do you have any bathroom organization tricks?

Time to Organize My Life

This picture pretty much sums up what I feel like my life is like at the moment. It’s definitely what my life looks like (…okay. Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration).

But really. There’s clutter everywhere. I’m so overwhelmed by it all that I keep starting mini-tasks before I finish the last thing I started, leaving my house one big lump of messy little piles.

I need to take control!

Yesterday I read a post by Roo over at Nice Girl Notes that really hit home for me. It was about the struggles of being a work from home momma: the difficulty of getting anything done with wee ones weaving between your legs, mommy guilt, and the repercussions of never leaving the “office.”

It’s so hard. Most days I feel like I got nothing done. And every day I feel like one part of my life has suffered: I did too much work and didn’t spend enough time with my babies, I didn’t get any work done, or I hung with the babies and got work done once my husband got home and spent no time with him.

But instead of continuing to whine and wallow in my stress, I’ve decided to do something about it. Today.

The first thing I need to do is organize my life. With less clutter and more order, I’ll automatically feel a little calmer. If that means I get a little less work done for the next couple of days, so be it. It will help me get more done later.

1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5 :: 6 :: 7 :: 8 :: 9

Once I’m organized, I’ll try and set a loose schedule for myself. If I can stick to this little schedule, I’m hoping I’ll feel more in control. I’m absolutely horrible at time management, which is something I have to try to address.

But I’m curious. How do you do it? Do you have any tips I can use to make my life a little easier and slightly less chaotic?

momAgenda