Need help organizing my house

[runbikeswim]

I am determined to start my year off right! I am a clean and neat person but my weaknesses are getting rid of things and staying organized. Here are the areas I need help, if anyone has any good ideas!

 

1) 3 bins of the kids school work from K-6 (they are older now and I don't save their work anymore). Has anyone tried to take pictures of art and crafts and then thrown the originals away? I am terrified that one day I'll look back and regret it. Maybe just accept the 3 bins and put them in the garage?

 

2) I need to get rid of CDs and DVDs. I rarely watch/listen to them but when I think about just donating them.....I just can't do it. I think about how much I spent for them, and that perhaps one day I'll "need them".

 

3) Clothes that aren't name brand enough to sell nor cheap enough to donate. Like the reason above, I think about how much I spent on the clothes, how little my kids wore them and it pains me to just donate them. When I write it out, that sounds selfish, actually. Maybe I need to have a more giving spirit :(

 

4) What do you guys do with cards people give you? I have bins and bins and it seems terrible to toss them. The worst are picture Christmas cards....it is like throwing away a picture. Yet at this rate, I will have a garage full of cards by the time I'm 80.

 

5)Finally. trip memorabilia and things such as park maps (like Disneyland), cruise itineraries ticket stubs and things like this. Do you toss them?

 

 

Thank you, thank you to anyone who muddled through this long post :)

 

Happy Holidays!

[RoughCollie]

Save the K-6 schoolwork that is too good or too cute to toss. My kids have theirs in a large under-the-bed Rubbermaid storage box. Throw the rest (most of it) away.

 

Donate the clothes and CDs and DVDs. If you really want one of those things again, you can buy them again. Think of how happy you will make a whole lot of people.

 

I throw away cards. For years, I kept Christmas cards, thinking that sooner or later I'd figure out something to make with them. I tossed them when I realized that I was never going to get around to it, no matter what.

 

I stick one piece of trip memorabilia in each kid's under the bed box. They still haul those things out and look through them.

 

You can always buy a scanner and scan papers that you are terrified you will regret throwing away. Heck, scan it all and put it disks and put the disks in the kid's individual boxes of childhood memorabilia.

[A.Balaban]

1. Go through the bins and parse out what you don't REALLY want to keep. Set a limit-- like 1 bin per kid, or something.

 

2. Burn CDs onto a computer to listen. Put the CDs in a binder and store away. For the DVDs, put them in a binder. That way it takes up less room, and you can organize the binders so you can view your movies easier. We have 2 boxes of empty DVD cases in storage from doing this system.

 

3. Unless there is a specific need for the item (hand-me down, etc) then yes, you need to let go of the clothing. The same goes for clothing that is in good-condition that no longer fits. Look for a consignment shop, try selling higher quality clothing on ebay, or sell on craigslist. In most cases, though, the easiest answer is just to let it go.

 

4. Toss them.

 

5. Toss them or let the kid decide. I saved ticket stubs as a kid.

[PentecostalMom]

This is an ongoing project in my house. I have found that it helps to get someone else involved. My sis-in-law has been coming over to give me encouragement to purge. It's very freeing! I have a ways to go yet, but what is done is fabulous!

[regentrude]

1) I keep one flat cardboard document storage box per kid per year. They are labeled and stack neatly. Large projects - photograph and toss.

 

2) CDs and DVDs./3) Clothes

 

We have an ongoing give-away system in our local homeschool playgroup. Everybody brings whatever they don't want/need, anybody can pick. It is a great system because the things go to a person you know who can use them, not some anonymous store, and eventually you will also benefit form the ongoing exchange.

The rest gets donated.

 

4)I keep beautiful postcards from interesting locations, and all photo cards. generic Christmas cards are tossed.

 

5) I keep topo maps from national parks that I might revisit, and a few post cards. Anything else gets tossed. If my kids wanted to keep things, I'd let them - I collected as a kid and glued tickets etc into journals.

[Laurie4b]

Would it help you to donate stuff if you remind yourself that keeping it doesn't help you get your money's worth--that actually, it "costs" more in the hassle of storing it for months or years at a time?

 

Would it help to remind yourself that you might actually get your money's worth if you bless someone else with it who might not have the money to buy something like that retail and who might use it more than you did?

 

I toss photocards except for a few people like close relatives. Those get kept for a year, then tossed when the next one comes out. If you don't want to toss, put them in a photo album.

 

I will keep a souvenir or two from trips and put them in their baby books. (I just stick them in without gluing them. It's the only system I have right now for that!)

[PrairieSong]

Good ideas already shared here! About the "but I spent good money for that" syndrome, remember that the money you spent for it is gone. Gone. You won't get it back, unless you recoup some by reselling items. It isn't saving you money or "getting your money's worth" out of things if you hang onto stuff you never use. Just donate the CDs, DVDs, clothing, etc.

 

I keep a few samples of kids' work and toss the rest. And I throw away Christmas cards, though I do keep the photos of close family and friends. You could scan those too, though.

 

Think how happy you will be with the uncluttered space.

 

[happi duck]

Some of this is repeated but here's what we do:

1) I have one portable file type box for each kid, that's how much I can keep.

2) I also got rid of the dvd cases and keep them in a dvd 'file' box. CDs that are on the computer are in a tucked away storage spot. The ones I want to keep handy because I take them in the car are on a rack we bought from container store. It is an Elfa cd/dvd storage rack that goes on the inside of a closet door.

3) I have kept a few special items of baby/toddler clothing and have donated the rest. I'm a fan of donating: When we couldn't afford the basics, it was such a blessing to find great clothes at resale. It was demoralizing those times when everything was cheap, stained or ripped.

4) I keep cards from close family and I am especially glad I have cards from my late parents. I have condensed cards down to one large shoe box from a pair of boots.

5) I have another box for ephemera (ticket stubs, fortunes, programs etc.) When it is full we purge or use them in projects.

[runbikeswim]

When we couldn't afford the basics, it was such a blessing to find great clothes at resale. It was demoralizing those times when everything was cheap, stained or ripped.

 

 

 

This has never occurred to me. I will donate the clothes tomorrow. Thank you.

 

Lots of great ideas from everyone.

 

I am going to do the CD/DVD folder and toss the cases. Not quite ready to get rid of them totally, but this will certainly cut down on "stuff".

 

I am going to scan the cards and keep only the few I can't live without. This was a novel and exciting idea to me, lol. Scan stuff!

[Tutor]

I am going to scan the cards and keep only the few I can't live without. This was a novel and exciting idea to me, lol. Scan stuff!

 

You can also scan the ticket stubs, maps, souveneir postcards, etc and include them in a photobook (electronic or printed) with your photos. I just did this this summer and it felt WONDERFUL!

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

I swear I posted this earlier (I hit the back button and it was there, so I copied and pasted it back here now... where did it go? why?)

I think something else to consider is when you BUY the item, that is when you need to think about how much you are spending on it and what it will feel like when your kids outgrow it and you have to get rid of it. Think about that moment every time you buy something and it will make you rethink a few purchases. I either buy clothes that are super good quality that I know I can resell, or ok things that are on clearance or with coupons, etc. at Target or Kohl's usually that I won't mind donating when we are done with them. I've also found a friend who has kids a little younger than mine and I pass things down to her for a small amount of money. Like $20 for a huge bag of clothes, etc. There are some things she isn't interested in and I just donate those. For the CDs and DVDs a lot of times you can find a store that will buy those, it isn't a big fee, but it is something. You can get an iPod for your CDs and store them digitally. Or get books to keep them in and toss the covers. That takes up much less space. For the kids work, I have a designated amount of space for each year. We keep the current year out, and when it is done I pack it up and it goes in the attic in a manilla envelope (or 2) labeled by year/child inside a rubbermaid container designated for this. For cards, I have one bin. When it gets full, I go through it, keep the most meaningful ones, and toss the rest. Sometimes for a picture card, I will take a picture of it before tossing. Then that memory is saved but it isn't taking up any physical space. For trips, I will keep one or two things. I usually buy an ornament wherever we go, and we have that for a souvenir and get to see it each year and remember the trip. I will occasionally keep a few other things if they are really special. You just can't keep everything. :)

[Guest]

I am determined to start my year off right! I am a clean and neat person but my weaknesses are getting rid of things and staying organized. Here are the areas I need help, if anyone has any good ideas!

 

1) 3 bins of the kids school work from K-6 (they are older now and I don't save their work anymore). Has anyone tried to take pictures of art and crafts and then thrown the originals away? I am terrified that one day I'll look back and regret it. Maybe just accept the 3 bins and put them in the garage?

 

2) I need to get rid of CDs and DVDs. I rarely watch/listen to them but when I think about just donating them.....I just can't do it. I think about how much I spent for them, and that perhaps one day I'll "need them".

 

3) Clothes that aren't name brand enough to sell nor cheap enough to donate. Like the reason above, I think about how much I spent on the clothes, how little my kids wore them and it pains me to just donate them. When I write it out, that sounds selfish, actually. Maybe I need to have a more giving spirit :(

 

4) What do you guys do with cards people give you? I have bins and bins and it seems terrible to toss them. The worst are picture Christmas cards....it is like throwing away a picture. Yet at this rate, I will have a garage full of cards by the time I'm 80.

 

5)Finally. trip memorabilia and things such as park maps (like Disneyland), cruise itineraries ticket stubs and things like this. Do you toss them?

 

 

Thank you, thank you to anyone who muddled through this long post :)

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Hi! I am actually working on a book about organizing/cleaning which I plan to e-pub early 2013. :) I speak about some of the issues you mention, so here's my recommendations:

 

1) Yes - take pictures of them, scrapbook or shutterfly photobook them and toss the originals. If you have room that you can keep some originals, especially if they are flat, you can do that. I'm artistic and it is satisfying to be able to look at a piece of work I did when I was 10. I find 3-dimensional art harder to deal with because the kids will notice if it is suddenly gone. Sometimes, I "triage" it to a temporary storage space such as the basement and, if it doesn't break their hearts sometime over the next several months, then I'll throw it away.

 

2) The CDs and DVDs - you are aware that they are not of much use to you, but the guilt of getting rid of something that was expensive gets to you. The thing is, if you don't use them anymore, you have already gotten the value that you exchanged the money for. You won't have the money back by keeping them hanging around. Also, the thought that you might need them is a often a sticking point, but think about how easy it probably is to obtain it again if you really did need it. You can borrow DVDs from the library or from Netflix or possibly from a friend. CDs you can borrow also, or if it's just a song, you could perhaps download it for a dollar. I keep this in mind with books, too. I'm very possessive of my books, but when I really think about it, most of them are extremely easy to access again if I really did need them. Unless it was an out-of-print or rare book, it's often not worth the shelf space.

 

3) The "good" clothes - consider how much it will bless/benefit a person to find a nice Lands End sweater (or whatever) at Goodwill for $2.00. When I was growing up, we were rather poor and all my clothing was second-hand. It was SUCH a tremendous blessing when we could find something nice/name-brand/fashionable for cheap. Because that was my experience growing up, I (usually) get pleasure from being able to donate clothing that is nice. I am "paying it forward" and allowing someone else to have that joy of finding something nice for cheap. Also, in the same vein as I said before, keeping something because you spend a lot of money on it at one time will not give you the money back.

 

4) Cards - okay, for true confessions, I do keep a lot of cards myself. :o My children make hand-made cards and they are precious to me, so I keep them. I also keep the cards dh gives me and some from my parents. I do go through every once in a while and throw away cards that were from casual friends for birthdays or anniversaries. I have also kept photo Christmas cards for several years. On better years, I have put the photos in an album, because I do like to have that "memory" of how their kids/families looked. I haven't always gotten around to this, though. Other years, I have hole-punched a corner of each card from that year and put a ring through it. (You can get these at office supply stores.) If I was seriously lacking space, I would probably not keep these, but I'm not, so I do.

 

5) Memorabilia items - I almost always throw these away. In some cases, such as kid's talent show programs or similar, I might put those in the memorabilia bins I have for that child, but even those I often throw away after a while. Twenty years from now, it's not going to matter much that my child played a piano piece before Anne Smith and after Tommy Jones, kwim? Ticket stubs, itineraries, broadway playbills - I don't keep any of those. I know I went to the movie, saw the show, took a cruise, etc. I don't need physical proof. ;) I rely on photos to represent memories of some of those events and good times; I make photobooks on shutterfly for vacations and special periods of time.

 

Hope that helps!

[lil' maids in a row]

There is a great blog called "Zero Waste Home." The woman has a very helpful perspective on the questions you have posed. The home on this blog is utterly devoid of clutter (a bit too sparse for my taste), but the lifestyle she describes as a result is inspiring.

[Reya]

1) Toss.

2) Ebay.

3) Ebay in lots.

4) Toss.

5) Toss.

[msjones]

1. Let the kids choose their 10 favorites to keep (or however many you feel you have space for) in a shoe box.

 

2 .Get rid of the DVDs and CDs. All that stuff is going digital anyway. No one will even players for these in a few more years.

 

3. Donate the clothes and enjoy knowing that some other mom will be delighted to find just what she needs at such a great thrift store price.

 

4. The cards should go, unless they are extremely significant and important to you (extremely). I have a few that have kept (three, I think).

 

5. Give yourself or the kids ONE small photobook for significant memorabilia.

 

You will not regret any of this! There's nothing like the peace and ease of house with space instead of clutter. Just do it!