Help me simplify

[maize]

OK Hive, help me out here.

 

Because my brain is apparently not up to the task.

 

I have GOT to simplify the stuff in my home, cut back drastically to a manageable amount.

 

I had a shed built in my back yard this fall, it is 14x14 with a 14x10 loft; whatever I need/want to keep but not keep in the house can go out there (we're in a pretty dry climate fortunately).

 

So tell me, for two adults and seven children, what would you keep in the house?

 

What clothes?

Dishes?

Pots/pans?

Bedding?

Toys?

Towels?

Books?

 

Help me create a household that an ADHD mom can run :D

[AK_Mom4]

Every person needs a towel. Every person needs some dishes to eat off. Every bed needs a set of bedding. Every person needs a change of clothes and little people need two because accidents happen.

 

You need enough pots and pans to cook a full meal for all nine people. How much that is depends on your cooking style. No toys.

 

That’s sort of the minimum from my point of view, though clearly you can make do with less - eat in rotation or some such thing. For most of us the minimum would not be realistic because of our lifestyles, but it can be done.

[eternalsummer]

OK Hive, help me out here.

 

Because my brain is apparently not up to the task.

 

I have GOT to simplify the stuff in my home, cut back drastically to a manageable amount.

 

I had a shed built in my back yard this fall, it is 14x14 with a 14x10 loft; whatever I need/want to keep but not keep in the house can go out there (we're in a pretty dry climate fortunately).

 

So tell me, for two adults and seven children, what would you keep in the house?

 

What clothes?

Dishes?

Pots/pans?

Bedding?

Toys?

Towels?

Books?

 

Help me create a household that an ADHD mom can run :D

 

I have 6 kids, ages 12, 9, 6, 4, 2, 1

Dishes: 8 plates, 8 cups, 8 forks, 8 spoons, 8 butter knives, 8 bowls (which have lids so double as tupperware)

Pots/Pans: 2 cookie sheets, 1 glass loaf pan, 1 muffin tin, 1 cast iron skillet, 4 stainless pots of various sizes with lids, 2 mixing bowls, 1 garlic press, 1 juicer (handheld), 1 spatula, 1 ladle, 1 serving spoon

Bedding: we have a king, 2 queens, and 2 twins.  We have 4 queen sheets, 2 king sheets, 4 twin sheets (you get the idea), 4 heavy blankets for winter, 6 light blankets for summer.  We don't use flat sheets, just fitteds.  Everyone has a bed pillow and we have a few extra throw pillows here and there (i really like decorative pillows, it's a weakness).

Toys: (will try to do complete inventory): squash balls, squash racket, 3 bikes, 3 pairs of roller blades, bead maze, 2 waldorf dolls, 3 zillion stuffed animals (okay, 20 stuffed animals, and I resent every one of them), basketball, toy wooden castle, crayons, pad of paper (not loose), 1 barbie, 1 of those gym scooters that you sit on

Towels: maybe a dozen towels

Books: I buy them used at goodwill and on Amazon.  I keep ones that I know I don't want to have to buy again - the Wrinkle in time quartet, narnia, HP, etc.  Everything else I buy, they read (DD12 and DS9), I give back to goodwill.  It's like using the library, but more expensive, but without the fines for getting blueberries on all the pages.  Overall it's cheaper.  Right now I'd say we have 50 books.

 

 

What do they play with all day?  Well, the littlest two like the bead maze a lot.  The racket and squash ball are used downstairs.  They bring in all manner of sticks from outside to use as guns and swords downstairs.  They ride around outside or in the garage on the bikes and roller skates - the littles use the roller skates on their hands.  They take the cups from the kitchen to use as water toys in the bath.  They have elaborate games I don't understand with the stuffed animals.  They like cardboard boxes - we have a small business so there are always cardboard boxes.  They go outside.  right now DS9, DD6, and DS4 have a sort of outside program DS9 has invented where they go on nature missions - they take sticks to defend themselves from bears and explore the side yard and etc.

[eternalsummer]

Oh clothes:

 

Ugh.  We have too many clothes.  I don't even want to think about cataloguing it, really.  Everyone has 4-6 shirts, 4-6 pants, a few sweaters, a coat, boots, shoes, etc.  DD12 has Too Many Clothes.  I just don't know how to cut them down any more than we have.  DS9 would be happy if I'd let him wear the same shirt for 2 weeks straight but DD12 likes to do outfit changes during the day.

[fairfarmhand]

I’d probably move anything that isn’t used on a weekly basis out there. Out of season clothes, seasonal decorations. Half the toys so you can rotate. Homeschool materials that aren’t used by anyone till another year or semester., out of season bedding could go too.

 

I’d minimize every ones wardrobe . (Don’t think that just because you have a storage building that you can keep stuff you don’t really need or use)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[EMS83]

OK Hive, help me out here.

 

Because my brain is apparently not up to the task.

 

I have GOT to simplify the stuff in my home, cut back drastically to a manageable amount.

 

I had a shed built in my back yard this fall, it is 14x14 with a 14x10 loft; whatever I need/want to keep but not keep in the house can go out there (we're in a pretty dry climate fortunately).

 

So tell me, for two adults and seven children, what would you keep in the house?

 

What clothes?

Dishes?

Pots/pans?

Bedding?

Toys?

Towels?

Books?

 

Help me create a household that an ADHD mom can run :D

 

Oh gosh.  

I try do 4 of everything, clothing-wise--1/2 week's worth, but you could go down to 2 and wash every other day.  More for socks and underwear, though.  Those tend to get used more quickly than pants or shirts.

2 pairs of shoes ideally (per season is ok, if summer is drastically different than winter).

2 light jackets (one that can get dirty, one to keep nice).

1 of seasonal items (swimsuit, heavy coat, base layer, etc.)

 

Dishes are hard, because either you have a ton of dishes, or you keep the dish cycle going nonstop.  This one depends on whether that would actually happen.  But minimum, a place setting per person re: plates and flatware, 2 cups/glasses per person, 1 mug per person.

 

One each: big stock pot with strainer, big casserole dish, oven-sized cookie sheet, 9x13 pan, big skillet, saute pan.  2-4 sauce pans, lids for everything.  Only if needed: roasting pan, crockpot, bread pans, 9x9 pan, 24-muffin tin.

 

Bedding: 1-2 sheet sets per bed, 1 comforter, 1 pillow per person.  Little can have an extra blanket (ok, or two, I'm a sucker).  I had to set a deadline for this one; it was hard.  And I waited until youngest was not really preschool age anymore.  Couch blankets...I just put over half of ours in storage.  Kept 3, stored 4 or 5.

 

Toys: only what they'll play with in a 6 month period.  I struggle with this because I hate to just commandeer stuff I didn't even buy them (grandparents did, or occasionally, they did with their own money).  Vertical storage & Sterilite boxes, with labels if necessary (can be masking tape & sharpie).  The only thing I did do a couple of years ago was say, "There's ONE box for X type of toy, I don't care whose it is."  Ownership and rights stayed the same, but the storage location was streamlined.  ONE LEGO's box, ONE Matchbox car box, etc.  When we get too full, things need to be weeded out and donated.  Did I mention I love Sterilite??

 

Towels: at least 2 sets per person, hang to dry once (preferably spread out over the shower rod, not on a hook), throw in hamper after second use.  Hand towels are changed daily here, though.  They end up with a higher risk for mildew than the bath towels, for some reason.  Used more often by more people, I guess. 

 

Books: Only what you love or want your kids to read.  Period.  Mine are more likely to pick up a physical book, so I keep lots and lots of books for them.  My stuff I buy on my Kindle.  But again, vertical storage.  And we purge as they grow.  You have a big spread so that's more difficult.  I fyou have to pare down, I'd put the bigger kids' stuff on Kindles, by subject or person (if you can spend the $$; I prefer the old school keyboard Kindle).

 

BUT for dishes and laundry, you have to stay on top of everything.  The towels can't wait an extra day after they're due for a wash because you don't have extras. You have to wash the pots and pans from the night before if you're going to feed everyone tonight.  That's the kicker.

 

And please don't think my house even approaches something out of Good Housekeeping.  The above keeps us saner than we would otherwise be.  Or maybe I should say, less crazy... :D

 

I just purged my kitchen, too.  That was nice.  :)  I had like 3 Italian seasoning spice bottles...   :confused1:

 

Another and: take this all with a grain of salt.  It would either work for you or it wouldn't. and it always comes down to what works.  Good luck!!

 

I'ma shaddup now...  :leaving:  ;)

Edited December 9, 2017 by CES2005

[eternalsummer]

What do you have, Maize?  

[eternalsummer]

Ah, I forgot that I have a colander!  And yes, having fewer dishes and bedding/towels means we do the laundry daily and the dishes twice a day.  I have a couple of older ones, so it is not hard (because largely they do it).  Before they did it, I mostly put it off until we were eating off of the tops to the stainless steel pans and paper towels, and until there was not one clean sock in the house.  Homemaking is not really my forte. 

 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

5 sets of clothing per child, plus two Sunday outfits + 1 set of swimwear

1 towel per person + 2 extras. Same number of wash cloths. My children are all color coded so that I can instantly identify whose towel has been left out. If you don't want to buy new towels, I would sew in ribbon loops, and hang them by the loop on hooks. You have 7 kids--I'd go the rainbow route.

I simplified to one huge stock pot that I use for everything--pasta, soup, etc.

Three large mixing bowls

2 cutting boards + 2 sharp knives

One giant colander

One skillet

2 electric griddles if you frequently make pancakes, otherwise ditch it/them

3 cookie sheets

2 9x13 pans

4 wooden spoons, 2 wooden spatulas, measuring stuff

6 loaf pans--only if you bake your own bread

12-18 bowls/plates/cups/sets of silverware. I use white Corelle so they stack compactly

12 glasses

1 reuseable water bottle/person

 

Bedding: 1 set of bedding/bed + 2 sets of extra twin sized bedding. I use reuseable cloth chux to save beds during illness or potty training--3 is the right number for us.

 

YMMV

[maize]

What do you have, Maize?

Too much!

 

Clothes are my nemesis right now.

 

I'm thinking of picking out outfits for everyone like I would do if we were going on a trip--maybe enough for a week--then storing whatever doesn't go in the thrift store bag (I've got two of those filled already).

 

We've been blessed to have lots of hand me downs, but even though I never keep more than a portion of what comes in the quantity has really gotten to be too much.

 

I'm thinking the storage space will help because I can keep kids out of there and it frees me up to not agonize over whether to keep or get rid of something--when sorting, I've noticed that there are obvious keepers and obvious tossers but the grey ground in the middle is what takes most of my mental energy.

 

My kitchen is just a mess--too much random stuff, like three different types of bowls and five different sizes/types of cups. I have two cast iron skillets (use both when making pancakes), small, medium, and gigantic pots, two large skillets, both 6 and 8 quart instant pots (used a lot) and a crock pot (rarely used, maybe I should get rid of it).

 

Lots of utensils.

 

We don't have a ton of toys, I think I could set up a rotation system for what we have.

 

The bathroom closet is bursting with random stuff.

 

Somehow, there is just A Lot.

Edited December 9, 2017 by maize

[Ausmumof3]

It depends on your wash schedule. We don't have a dryer. For a long time I had the flylady thing of a load a day going but I felt like I was always washing and never finished. I moved to a twice a week schedule plus an extra day for blankets. It's such a good feeling when it's all done! With the twice a week schedule for me it's good to have at least seven of wear once things like tshirt and underwear. Jeans and skirts you can have less on depending on how messy you are. If you can generally wear clothes for a few days one or two pairs of jeans is fine but if you have grubby kids or animals you might need more. General rule is if it's the inner layer it needs washing daily. If you can wear something under it you can reduce the frequency.

 

For towels and bedding one per person min if you have a dryer and two of you don't. If you have a bed wetter you might need more.

 

However if you have a daily wash cycle that you STICK to and a dryer you can get away with three of most things.

 

Being a bit executive challenged myself I find it's better to have a bit more even if it's cluttery. I'd rather deal with clutter than a lack of clean underpants ya know.

 

For kitchen stuff twelve of each is good. I put everything in the dishwasher and run it at least twice a day. If we run out I innovate with plastic boxes or plates or finger food and paper towel! For cooking I need one large soup pot, two to three saucepans, a large and small frypan and colander, 2 large cookie trays, a couple of sizes of cake pan, a roasting dish and some baking dishes. I also have an electric frypan and wok but most of the time I can do without them.

 

It's good to pare back but you can overdo it.

 

For books well...

I'm a hopeless case so I have no advice.

 

For toys it was good when we just had Lego and duplo and cars and trains and animals but we have way too much now and I don't get rid of the kids stuff without their permission.

[eternalsummer]

In the bathroom we have a bar of soap, and a shampoo and conditioner (which I keep in the top of the linen closet, actually, and bring out when necessary).  We have a sort of random collection of toothbrushes and a toothpaste (also kept in the linen closet).  That's all.

 

They do take cups and the barbie and whatever else they can think of in the bathroom constantly, though.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Too much!

 

Clothes are my nemesis right now.

 

I'm thinking of picking out outfits for everyone like I would do if we were going on a trip--maybe enough for a week--then storing whatever doesn't go in the thrift store bag (I've got two of those filled already).

 

We've been blessed to have lots of hand me downs, but even though I never keep more than a portion of what comes in the quantity has really gotten to be too much.

 

I'm thinking the storage space will help because I can keep kids out of there and it frees me up to not agonize over whether to keep or get rid of something--when sorting, I've noticed that there are obvious keepers and obvious tossers but the grey ground in the middle is what takes most of my mental energy.

 

My kitchen is just a mess--too much random stuff, like three different types of bowls and five different sizes/types of cups. I have two cast iron skillets (use both when making pancakes), small, medium, and gigantic pots, two large skillets, both 6 and 8 quart instant pots (used a lot) and a crock pot (rarely used, maybe I should get rid of it).

 

Lots of utensils.

 

We don't have a ton of tous, I think I could set up a rotation system for what we have.

 

The bathroom closet is bursting with random stuff.

 

Somehow, there is just A Lot.

 

 

Hand-me-downs are hard.  I try to only have to decide once for an item.  Is it still in really good shape?  Is it cute?  Do we need it?  I don't even accept other people's hand-me-downs anymore because the quantity to go through is just crazy and it means a trip to the donation bin that I wouldn't otherwise have to make.  So I only check my own kids' clothes at the end of the season and I only keep stuff in really good condition and that's needed.  Generally, this quantity is very low:  outerwear tends to stay in good shape, plus maybe 1-2 other items per kid.  I'm even questioning now whether I should save anything other than outerwear because it's such a pain to sort and store.  

 

I don't distinguish between play clothes, "nice" clothes, etc.  I don't want to micromanage my kids getting dressed each day, nor deal with them needing to change into/out of play clothes.  I expect most of their clothing to be totally used up by the end of a season because we don't have many rotations and they all get rough play.  If we went to church regularly, each child *might* have a church outfit, depending on the atmosphere of the church.  My friends who freak out over their kids using markers/water colors because their kid is wearing her "nice" shirt aggravate me to no end.  Sure, the kid is adorably cute, straight off a magazine page... but I'd rather they be allowed to play!  Sheesh! 

 

So:  my boys each have 2 pairs sweat pants, 2 pairs jeans, 6 short sleeve t-shirts, 6 long-sleeve t-shirts, socks and undies for a week, and appropriate outerwear (currently: heavy winter coat, boots, hats).  My girls each have: 3 pairs leggings, 2 pairs thick pants (jeans or trousers), 6 long sleeve and 6 short sleeve shirts, 1 dress, undies, socks, and outerwear.  Each kid has two drawers in a four drawer Ikea dresser.  In the summer, the space taken by the long-sleeve shirts will be taken up by shorts and the girls will each have 3-4 dresses instead of 1.  I only do one pair of shoes per season.  In summer, spring sneakers will stay out along with the sandals because the weather here can be a little cool form time to time.  

 

Half my kids don't even have PJs.  I would provide them if they wanted, but they almost all prefer to sleep in undies and t-shirts.

 

I don't do laundry like crazy either.  I expect kids to wear clothes until they are *actually* dirty.  We have not hit stinky puberty yet, so this is easier.  

[Night Elf]

I keep just enough stuff for everything to have a comfortable home. None of my closets are bursting. All my kitchen stuff is behind doors or in drawers except for some things I keep on the counter like my big glass jar full of oversized utensils like spatulas and my big whisk. 

 

We aren't clothes people. Well, youngest dd is but last summer we went through her whole closet and got rid of 4 large trash bags full of clothing that doesn't fit anymore. The rest of us have a smaller amount of clothing that fit comfortably in either the closet or in the dresser drawers.

 

When my kids were little and had toys, we were in a bigger house so I had a dedicated toy room. I organized things though by having shelves of see through boxes and labels. Bigger toys just sat on the shelf. We had two toy boxes. In other words, when it was time to clean up, there was nothing left on the floor. We purged toys when we downsized to a smaller house and the kids kept their toys in their rooms. Nothing on the floor.

 

The one hot spot that is out of control is my DVD collection. My drawer is full and the shelves on the wall are also full. I have two Britcom series sitting on the floor next to the tv. I suppose I should collect the family one evening and go through the dvds to see what we can possibly give away. An example is High School Musical. I'm fairly certain dd19 has outgrown those movies! :)

[Amira]

I also think it could be a good idea to put as much in the shed as possible (as in pretty much everything). If you really need something, you can bring it in and find a place to keep it inside. An alternative is to give everyone a certain amount of space for clothes and toys and other personal stuff, like maybe one box or something like that or an amount you already have storage for, and then box up everything else. Keep one towel for everyone, a set of sheets for every bed (plus an extra set in case of nighttime emergencies), dishes for one meal, and kitchen appliances and pots/pans you use at least weekly. Books are my exception to not having much stuff, if you have enough bookcases for them.

 

There’s really no drawback to putting something in the shed that you need later. It’s a hassle to get it back out, but it sounds like the stuff is stressing you out more in the house. Just tuck it all away and see what you really need. And maybe in six months, you can donate some things you never missed.

[maize]

I also think it could be a good idea to put as much in the shed as possible (as in pretty much everything). If you really need something, you can bring it in and find a place to keep it inside. An alternative is to give everyone a certain amount of space for clothes and toys and other personal stuff, like maybe one box or something like that or an amount you already have storage for, and then box up everything else. Keep one towel for everyone, a set of sheets for every bed (plus an extra set in case of nighttime emergencies), dishes for one meal, and kitchen appliances and pots/pans you use at least weekly. Books are my exception to not having much stuff, if you have enough bookcases for them.

 

There’s really no drawback to putting something in the shed that you need later. It’s a hassle to get it back out, but it sounds like the stuff is stressing you out more in the house. Just tuck it all away and see what you really need. And maybe in six months, you can donate some things you never missed.

This is what I am leaning towards.

 

Having the house uncluttered sounds glorious!

[Amira]

This is what I am leaning towards.

 

Having the house uncluttered sounds glorious!

Honestly, moving overseas with two suitcases each and living in a very sparsely furnished and equipped house was completely freeing. I’d have liked a few more kitchen appliances, but other than that, I really didn’t miss much else.

[Soror]

On the clothes I let my toddlers have less b/c they were always into them. Maybe 5 outfits of play clothes and out and about clothes. I can't even remember. My older ones do fine with theirs so they can have whatever fits in their space. As far as hand me downs and storage I only kept one tote per size, period, all seasons, if it doesn't' fit in one tote then it is too much.

 

I never, ever rotated toys (I don't even understand the point and it is too much dang work), they always had what they could reasonably manage and that was that. When they were younger I cleaned their rooms and I'd thin stuff out if it was perpetually messy. Now that they are older they know if their room is a constant tornado then the expectation is they need to get rid of some stuff. The older ones will sometimes ask my help and I will go through their room with them, every bit. Everything has to have a spot and every item is looked at. Do they actually play with it? Does it still work? Does it fit? Which one of these do you like best?

 

I think it is easier to tackle one thing at a time and the holiday season is a good time to do it, as they are getting new things it is easier to let go of old. I'd focus on what is bothering you the most first. One room at a time or one thing at a time.

 

Fwiw my kids prefer it nice and neat, especially my ADHD son. 

Edited December 9, 2017 by soror

[regentrude]

There’s really no drawback to putting something in the shed that you need later. It’s a hassle to get it back out, but it sounds like the stuff is stressing you out more in the house. Just tuck it all away and see what you really need. And maybe in six months, you can donate some things you never missed.

 

I want to offer just a tiny word of caution: the whole plan works if the belongings in the shed are meticulously organized so that, if you realize you require a certain item, you can locate the item immediately without digging through piles of boxes and bags. I've seen "storage" solutions deteriorate to general dumping grounds, and then retrieving items becomes no longer feasible and it creates more stress.

So if you move half of your belongings into the shed, make sure they are inventoried in labeled boxes and easily accessible (and that it stays this way; often, the initial load of stuff is like that, but later random bags and boxes are shoved in.)

Edited December 9, 2017 by regentrude

[maize]

I want to offer just a tiny word of caution: the whole plan works if the belongings in the shed are meticulously organized so that, if you realize you require a certain item, you can locate the item immediately without digging through piles of boxes and bags. I've seen "storage" solutions deteriorate to general dumping grounds, and then retrieving items becomes no longer feasible and it creates more stress.

So if you move half of your belongings into the shed, make sure they are inventoried in labeled boxes and easily accessible.

Definitely!

 

One advantage of using the shed for storage is that I can organize stuff, lock the door, and...it will stay organized!!!

 

That never happens in this household :P

[maize]

I do need to come up with a good inventory system.

 

Wonder if there is an app for that, maybe one that would let me include photos?

[Amira]

I do need to come up with a good inventory system.

 

Wonder if there is an app for that, maybe one that would let me include photos?

Never tried it, but this one looks interesting. You can enter up to 200 items/boxes of stuff with the free app and include tags and photos so you know what’s in every box. Or you can upgrade to unlimited data storage and also print QR codes so you can just scan boxes to find what you need. It would take some time to set up the system, but then it seems like it would be manageable. The upgraded version is less than $10, apparently.

[regentrude]

I do need to come up with a good inventory system.

 

Wonder if there is an app for that, maybe one that would let me include photos?

 

Do you need photos? My experience is that keeping things simple is better than making them elaborate; the initial system may be fine, but updating every time you change items is not going to happen. 

 

Labeling the box with sharpie ("Boy clothes, 6-8", "winter gear", "Christmas decorations- outdoor", "camping") and storing them by categories with the label visible should suffice. If you need a pair  of boy sz 6 pants, you know which box to open. 

Just refrain from labeling several boxes "misc" :)

Edited December 9, 2017 by regentrude

[TheReader]

Like Amira, we moved home from Brazil with just suitcases, and it was really freeing. We've been back 4 years now, so a little has accumulated, but nothing like what we had before we moved. 

 

For me, it's important to find the balance between "less stuff" and "more washing to keep up with the stuff."  So, I originally did 3 pair of jeans, 5 shirts, 7 socks/undies, and that was that. One pair of sheets per bed, 2 towels per person, and 1 set of dishes per person (dinner plate, bowl, salad plate, mug). That did morph into 5 jeans, 5 shorts, too many shirts, and probably 14 socks/undies. Some from necessity (we've taken a few long trips, where we didn't have access to laundry, where we needed a 2nd pack of socks/undies, for ex), some from teens don't outgrow shirts like younger kids, so as they've gotten "2 or 3 new shirts" at the start of the school year, and a handful here & there at Christmas, they've been added to the collection vs. replacing shirts they've outgrown. But, even they are beginning to say "I need to go through my shirts, I have too many..." (they all have sufficient closet space, only about half full or less, but because of how things were, they recognize that a shirt that never gets pulled out of the closet is better off elsewhere), so....likely over Christmas break we'll sort their clothes and donate things. 

 

Sheets, we often have visitors, and when we do, we take off the kids' sheets, put on fresh sheets, and repeat when the visitor leaves. Often, I've not had time to wash the sheets between the visitor arriving and leaving, so we've either put back on the kids' "dirty" sheets or scrambled to figure something out. Because of this, I insisted on getting a 3rd set of sheets for each bed. If you don't have an issue like this, then 2 per bed (or 1 per bed and 1 "extra" if you have more than one bed the same size, and can rotate washing sheets) is good. Or 1 per bed if you are diligent about washing, drying, remaking the bed all in one day. (can you tell I am not...?)

 

Toys, we've always first pared down what type of toys they will actually play with, and then within those, pared down the amount of that toy to what fits in one container (exception: Legos....half our suitcase space was used on bringing home the Legos....). But all the toys live in one kid's room and I don't manage it at all, so that works. 

 

Books....if you'll use the library, or an eReader, that will save you space. This has been our indulgence since moving home, buying real books again, so I'm no help here. We purged significantly when we moved to Brazil, and then purged even more drastically when we returned, so even 4 years later we're still skimpy on books in my opinion. Purging books is a pretty personal thing, so I won't try and offer advice on that. Basically we kept only the books that really made one of us feel like crying to think of getting rid of....

 

If you do pack it all into the shed, make sure you spend time organizing it first so you can find stuff when you need it. And make sure you've designated the space in the house for when it comes back in -- decide now on how much space each person has for clothes, toys, books, etc. and once you've brought back in that amount of stuff, that's it. Otherwise it'll just be back to too much before you know it. 

[TheReader]

Do you need photos? My experience is that keeping things simple is better than making them elaborate; the initial system may be fine, but updating every time you change items is not going to happen. 

 

Labeling the box with sharpie ("Boy clothes, 6-8", "winter gear", "Christmas decorations- outdoor", "camping") and storing them by categories with the label visible should suffice. If you need a pair  of boy sz 6 pants, you know which box to open. 

Just refrain from labeling several boxes "misc" :)

 

Yes, this. 

 

If you can get clear storage containers, great. If not, brightly colored duct tape on the box on an end, a side, and the top, and sharpie in BIG letters on the tape saying what category it is. 

 

If there are items you want to keep the ownership of in tact (like toys, if you want to designate this toy belongs to this kid), get a different color or pattern tape for each person (if you'll remember) or for each room so you can easily visually identify each box w/o reading the label. So, for ex, all the yellow duct tape is kitchen stuff; all the blue is living room, all the pink is mom, all the camo is dad, etc...

 

And since you have a loft in your shed, when you load everything into it, put the stuff you know is staying out there (seasonal decor, etc.) up top and the "we might need to get this back out" stuff down on bottom. Then when you haven't gotten into it in 6 months, you can move it up top &/or donate it. 

[maize]

Never tried it, but this one looks interesting. You can enter up to 200 items/boxes of stuff with the free app and include tags and photos so you know what’s in every box. Or you can upgrade to unlimited data storage and also print QR codes so you can just scan boxes to find what you need. It would take some time to set up the system, but then it seems like it would be manageable. The upgraded version is less than $10, apparently.

I think maybe a link is missing in this post? Or just the name?

[Amira]

I think maybe a link is missing in this post? Or just the name?

Maybe the link is important. :)

 

http://www.lifewithlevi.com/sortly-review-ultimate-organizer-app/

[maize]

Like Amira, we moved home from Brazil with just suitcases, and it was really freeing. We've been back 4 years now, so a little has accumulated, but nothing like what we had before we moved.

 

For me, it's important to find the balance between "less stuff" and "more washing to keep up with the stuff." So, I originally did 3 pair of jeans, 5 shirts, 7 socks/undies, and that was that. One pair of sheets per bed, 2 towels per person, and 1 set of dishes per person (dinner plate, bowl, salad plate, mug). That did morph into 5 jeans, 5 shorts, too many shirts, and probably 14 socks/undies. Some from necessity (we've taken a few long trips, where we didn't have access to laundry, where we needed a 2nd pack of socks/undies, for ex), some from teens don't outgrow shirts like younger kids, so as they've gotten "2 or 3 new shirts" at the start of the school year, and a handful here & there at Christmas, they've been added to the collection vs. replacing shirts they've outgrown. But, even they are beginning to say "I need to go through my shirts, I have too many..." (they all have sufficient closet space, only about half full or less, but because of how things were, they recognize that a shirt that never gets pulled out of the closet is better off elsewhere), so....likely over Christmas break we'll sort their clothes and donate things.

 

Sheets, we often have visitors, and when we do, we take off the kids' sheets, put on fresh sheets, and repeat when the visitor leaves. Often, I've not had time to wash the sheets between the visitor arriving and leaving, so we've either put back on the kids' "dirty" sheets or scrambled to figure something out. Because of this, I insisted on getting a 3rd set of sheets for each bed. If you don't have an issue like this, then 2 per bed (or 1 per bed and 1 "extra" if you have more than one bed the same size, and can rotate washing sheets) is good. Or 1 per bed if you are diligent about washing, drying, remaking the bed all in one day. (can you tell I am not...?)

 

Toys, we've always first pared down what type of toys they will actually play with, and then within those, pared down the amount of that toy to what fits in one container (exception: Legos....half our suitcase space was used on bringing home the Legos....). But all the toys live in one kid's room and I don't manage it at all, so that works.

 

Books....if you'll use the library, or an eReader, that will save you space. This has been our indulgence since moving home, buying real books again, so I'm no help here. We purged significantly when we moved to Brazil, and then purged even more drastically when we returned, so even 4 years later we're still skimpy on books in my opinion. Purging books is a pretty personal thing, so I won't try and offer advice on that. Basically we kept only the books that really made one of us feel like crying to think of getting rid of....

 

If you do pack it all into the shed, make sure you spend time organizing it first so you can find stuff when you need it. And make sure you've designated the space in the house for when it comes back in -- decide now on how much space each person has for clothes, toys, books, etc. and once you've brought back in that amount of stuff, that's it. Otherwise it'll just be back to too much before you know it.

I've already moved most of my books to the shed, I've got shelves out there all organized and labeled. I'm keeping two bookshelves in the house--one for current school stuff and library books and one that I can rotate other books into--picture books etc. Edited December 9, 2017 by maize

[lllll]

nm

Edited December 12, 2017 by _______

[maize]

Been working in the shed this afternoon, organizing.

 

Dh took a few bags of clothes to the thrift store and came home with books :D

 

I like the idea in the post above of keeping plastic kids' cups in a basket.

[eternalsummer]

I also have that problem with thrift stores. I have to be careful to not get out of my car, or I'm likely to bring home more volume in throw pillows than I donate.

[Ausmumof3]

I want to offer just a tiny word of caution: the whole plan works if the belongings in the shed are meticulously organized so that, if you realize you require a certain item, you can locate the item immediately without digging through piles of boxes and bags. I've seen "storage" solutions deteriorate to general dumping grounds, and then retrieving items becomes no longer feasible and it creates more stress.

So if you move half of your belongings into the shed, make sure they are inventoried in labeled boxes and easily accessible (and that it stays this way; often, the initial load of stuff is like that, but later random bags and boxes are shoved in.)

Lol... My life in a paragraph

[Ausmumof3]

Been working in the shed this afternoon, organizing.

 

Dh took a few bags of clothes to the thrift store and came home with books :D

 

I like the idea in the post above of keeping plastic kids' cups in a basket.

Good exchange !!!

[maize]

I really appreciate the encouragement, especially those who have shared how things work in your household. It gives me hope that maybe I can get things to a more manageable level around here.