You may have discovered that there is rarely enough space for all your stuff in your home.

The good news is that there are many ways to organize your home and get all that clutter under control. You just have to get a little creative with creating storage space.

Here are a few tips and tricks to finding a place for all of your things so that you can have enough space to breathe and not feel the cramped pressure of clutter.

Reduce Your Clutter

• Closets were meant for ‘now’ items like linens, clothes, shoes and jackets. If you only use it once a year, it needs another home.
• Under the bed and under the stairs are great places to stash stuff. Get the right sized containers so that nothing gets crammed anywhere.
• Attics are actually pretty lousy storage space because you’re having to climb up a rickety ladder with arm loads of stuff to put it up there. It’s not climate controlled and if there are critters living anywhere in your house, the attic is the most likely spot. It’s a great place for Santa to hide presents, but other than that most attics are full of hassles for storing things.
• In the kitchen you can de-clutter your cabinets by hanging your pots and pans, mounting a knife rack on the wall and hanging a fruit holder from the ceiling as well.
• Renting a small storage unit is the best for seasonal items like holiday decorations and outdoor summer equipment or pool toys. Just rotate items in and out based on their use and enjoy the freed up space in your home.

There is no reason to live under the burden of clutter.

You and your family will feel better if you have everything under control and out of the way.

Tim Eyre works in the self storage industry, regularly traveling to see locations like East Boston self storage facility. In many locations, like self storage unit in York, Tim helps his customers store seasonal sports gear when it is not being used for outdoor activities or equipment for home improvement projects that are waiting to happen.

Organizing things that tend to spread out through the house

1. Loose change

Designate a cup or jar to collect loose change around the house. I call it my tip jar since I seem to find money in the laundry and in the couch.

2. Store coupons

Use a mailing envelope to hold all your store coupons and keep them in your car’s glove compartment or in your purse. If you make an unplanned stop somewhere, you can quickly see if you have any coupons and take advantage of the extra savings.

3. Batteries

Keep all your batteries in one spot in the house so you aren’t rummaging through drawers and closets looking for what you need.

4. Charger cords

Store chargers for phones, cameras, etc in an assigned drawer or container. Labeling the cords saves time looking for the one you need. See Cord Identification for more details.

5. Nail polish/clippers

Store nail polish, clippers, emery boards, etc. in a small container so everything you need is in one location. Have small kids? Store it up high in a closet. It only takes one spilled nail polish experience to realize the importance of keeping these items safely out of the reach of curious little children.

Yard sales can be great fun for the entire family. You can get rid of the unwanted clutter in your house and bond over the experience of sharing an age-old institution.

A successful yard sale leaves you with money in your pockets and nearly empty tables.

Here are some great yard sale tips:

1. Frequency: At the most, you should have a yard sale once a quarter. You do not want to be known as the family who has a yard sale every single weekend, come rain or shine. That adds strain on your relationship with the neighbors. That schedule does not give you ample time to replenish your inventory. If you wish to have a yard sale every week, think about setting up a booth at a flea market.
   
   
2. Planning: Start planning for your yard sale a month in advance. This will give you ample opportunity to collect the items within your house as well as coordinate with the rest of your neighborhood. Create a yard sale box and place items into it each time that you clean up the house. Let everyone within the family help you out with filling the box.
   
   
3. Coordination: If possible, coordinate your yard sale with other families in the neighborhood. Have a cul-de-sac sale or a series of garage sales. The more families that are involved, the better. This increases the items that are available, making it more appealing for passers-by. If the neighbors do not want to participate, giving them the advanced notice will help them know when parking might be strained.
   
   
4. Location: Look at the location where you want to hold your yard sale. If your street cannot handle having five or six cars lined up in front of your house, you might want to consider having your yard sale at the local church or community center. You can rent out space for a small fee as well as having the chance for multiple vendors. Since you are starting a month in advance, you can turn your sale into an event.
   
   
5. Advertising: Once you have determined the day and location of your sale, you can work on the advertisement. Craigslist is an excellent way to promote your sale, as is the local newspaper. If this is a multi-family event, assign someone to make some signs. You want the signage to be consistent and simple. Make sure that all of you are aware of the rules for sign hanging in your area.
   
   
6. Weather: The week before your yard sale, make sure that the weather is going to be cooperative. Only hard core bargain hunters will want to buy things in the rain. Make sure that you have rain location or consider holding the yard sale the next week. A lot of your traffic will be from the road signs.
   
   
7. Staging: A couple days before the sale, you want to start staging the items that you will be including. This includes pricing as well as making sure that there are no second thoughts about what you want to sell. You do not want to find out that the dusty jacket in the cellar was a piece of prized memorabilia from your husband’s college days at the last minute. Get everyone involved in the process.
   
   
8. Pricing: Put clear pricing labels on your items. There is nothing so frustrating as to find something that you enjoy and not knowing how much it costs. For multiple little items, place them into a box where you can sell them all for the same price. If you are selling large items like furniture, you want to have signs large enough that people can see them and not be forced to look for the sticker.
   
   
9. Money: Have $100 in change on hand so that you can make change for your visitors. Make sure that you have a roll of each coin as well as enough $1′s and $5′s. There is nothing so frustrating as to have to run to the store in the middle of a yard sale to make change for your customer.

Your yard sale success depends on proper planning.

If you throw something together the day before, you won’t attract many visitors. You will have a spectacular yard sale if you involve the whole family.

About the author:
James Adams blogs about technological developments and reviews newly released products similar to the HP Q6000A at one of the leading suppliers of toner cartridges based in the UK. Follow James on Twitter.

Stress levels escalate with clutter

We have enough stress in our lives with jobs, kids, school, and bills.

Your home should be a place where you feel relaxed.

One look at this closet causes a sick feeling in my stomach.

Why? Finding something in this pile seems impossible. Just the thought of cleaning it is exhausting.

A large mess can quickly cause your mood to change from happy to gloomy and leave you feeling overwhelmed.

Organization relieves stress

Walking into an organized closet, I can see everything and find exactly what I am looking for. No added stress there.

With a little organization, a messy room can be transformed into a stress-free haven. Keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Set small attainable goals

Focus on one area at a time. If your problem room is the living room, pick a specific area to tackle first, such as straightening a bookcase or getting all the toys back to the kids’ rooms.

With each completed step, you will see progress as the room begins to transform into an inviting space, and this will motivate you to continue.

Cleaning the house can be therapeutic

I find that hand-scrubbing a floor or mowing the grass while listening to good music is surprisingly calming. The feeling of accomplishment when the job is done helps me relax.

Ways to combat stress:

• Cleaning – Focusing on a task can take your mind off things.
• Exercise – A brisk 20-30 minute walk in the fresh air is refreshing.
• Read – Losing yourself in a story can help you unwind.
• Games – Whether you are challenging the kids to a game of Monopoly or playing a game yourself on the computer, it’s a fun way to relax.
• Music – Music can be an instant mood changer and makes a routine task more enjoyable.
• Nap – A 20 minute power nap can leave you feeling refreshed. Sleep away your worries.
• Working or playing outdoors – Again, the fresh air is invigorating.

Articles on how to deal with stress

How Do I deal with Stress
Stressful Blogging 101
11 Ways I Deal With Stress
Stressful Blogging 101
90 Ways To Help You Fight Stress
Top 10 De-Stress List
Why I basically do not get stressed

How do you deal with stress?

I can’t pass up a good deal

Have you ever bought something you didn’t need just because it was a great deal?

What leads us to purchase a bread maker that is on clearance at 75% off, knowing it will sit unused on the counter? Why does the thrill of a bargain get us so excited?

My local grocery store had the store brand microwavable macaroni packets on sale “buy one get one free”. The word “FREE” always get my heart pumping, and the items end up in my cart. One is free! Can you get any better than that? Now I have twice as many! Only a fool would pass on free stuff, right?

It turns out the store brand was not a hit at my house, so now two boxes sit unused in the pantry. The kids would rather starve than eat what they describe as “hot cardboard with sauce”. Did I save any money with my bargain? No, not if they are not going to eat it.

Unused items = clutter

The excitement of a bargain can lead to irrational purchases. I’m guilty of purchasing items for the house while being fully aware I have no place to put them. Garage sales finds often fit this category. I remember the kids coming home with an electronic basketball game that took up 1/3 of my son’s room. The thrill of the find trumped the idea it might not fit anywhere.

Unnecessary items just become clutter in the house. Combat this rationale by making a conscious decision to stop and question each bargain purchase. Am I really going to use this?

Are impulsive buys causing clutter in your home?

The next time you pass the “tableclothes $1.99 each” bin, resist the urge to stock up on ten of them just because they are cheap. Do you really need ten? Who needs ten tablecloths? Wouldn’t one or two be just fine?

Predictably irrational

I just finished reading Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely, and I have to say it was one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. He is a Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics, and this book is filled with examples of how we make irrational decisions on a daily basis.

Here is an entertaining talk Dan Ariely did which gives you a taste of what is in the book. Grab a cup of coffee and take a few minutes to enjoy it. He is delightful speaker, and it is time well spent.

Knowledge is power

After reading “Predictable Irrational” I feel more informed, and I am able to see decision-making in a new light. Is it possible that I will avoid some shopping traps that I couldn’t in the past? I think so. I will attempt overcome the irrational, impulsive decision to purchase things I won’t use and avoid marketing gimmicks.

I’m currently reading Dan’s most recent book The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home now, and it is just as interesting as the first book.

What was your most irrational purchase?

Navigating the jungle

I used to borrow my teenage son’s Wii for my workout each morning. My ten-minute warm up consisted of clearing an area of the floor big enough for the balance board to fit, and I was constantly doing push ups while staring at potato chip crumbs. Sound familiar?

Identify what starts the clutter and fix it

In an article about clutter, I showed how I figured out that the cabinet in my son’s room was the culprit in spurring the clutter disaster in his room.

Since I solved this problem, his room has remained immaculate…almost to the point of obsession. It took a while for me to identify him as the same child who used to live in a room where you couldn’t see the floor.

His console games are in alphabetical order! I’m beaming with pride.

Once the initial clutter problem was under control, the room stayed clean. Everything has its place now, and he takes great pride in his new, organized room. It has lasted for over four months, so I believe this is permanent.

What is this pile?

The other week I was surprised to find a small pile of miscellaneous stuff sitting outside his door. I curiously asked, “Is this trash?” He replied that he was cleaning through his room again, and the pile was stuff he thought I might want.

I combed through the pile with interest. There were old baseball team pennants, notebooks, some pencils, and…what is this? A crumpled up school hall pass! I faked wild excitement at the fact that he saved the hall pass for me. “I’ve been searching all over the house for this important document! Thanks for keeping it for me!” After my jumping up and down and running around the hall waving the pass in the air in triumphant joy, he just looked at me with a cute grin and rolled his eyes. Sorry, you are stuck with me as your mom.

There is hope

If you have a child that is battling clutter, read my article on Clutter and the Avalanche Effect and take the time to find the the spot that starts the clutter in the room. You will be pleasantly surprised at the results.

It is such an advantage to help kids learn to be organized, at least to some point, while they are young. This skill will be an important asset as they become young adults, on their own for the first time, trying to balance studies, work, and fun.

Is your bookcase constantly overflowing?

Do you like to read the latest best sellers, but never re-read them again?

Whether you are buying books or want to sell them, check out eBay’s lesser known sister company Half.com. I am always surprised to find out that many people aren’t aware of this part of eBay.

You can find used books for about half the regular price. You can sell your books, too! This site uses your ebay account if you already have one.

Sell your books

To list a book you want to sell, search for it and click the “Sell my copy” on the right hand side. Fill out the condition information, and it will suggest a price. There is a standard per book shipping fee you can’t control added to every book to help you recover your shipping costs when selling. Books are always shipped “book rate”.

Worth noting: Your listed book stays in your inventory until it is sold or you decide to cancel the listing. It is not auction style like eBay.

I have used half.com for over 5 years for both buying and selling books, DVDs, music CDs, and video games.

It’s a great deal for both buyers and sellers.

Time to see if you can turn some of those dusty books you will never read again into some cash.

Clutter leads to more clutter.

It can multiply at an alarming rate. Would you think twice about tossing more junk onto this desk? Absolutely not, because once an area is cluttered, you can easily rationalize it with the mentality of “It’s already messy, so what’s one more thing?”

The pile of paper is transformed into an overflowing mess that can quickly overtake the room. This is why you suddenly can’t fit the car into the garage anymore.

On the contrary, neatness promotes neatness

Anything out of place in an organized room stands out, and you feel compelled to put the stray item away immediately.

Look at the neat desk. Would you add mess to it? Probably not.

The neatness of the workspace encourages you to keep it that way.

Clutter is like an avalanche.

An avalanche can begin with a small pebble that begins to roll. As it rolls downhill, it gets bigger and triggers more rolling rocks until it becomes an avalanche.

Similarly, clutter begins as a small pile that grows and triggers more mess. The longer it is allowed to “tumble”, the bigger it gets. The results can be overwhelming to clean up. To reduce clutter, you must find the “pebbles” in your home and keep them from rolling to avoid the inevitable avalanche effect.

After cleaning and organizing the same child’s room more than a dozen times, I was frustrated with the fact that it returned to a state of chaos in a short time. Then the light-bulb finally came on! I knew why this was happening! Sure, I had the room neat and clean, but I hadn’t solved the underlying problem that caused the pebble to roll. Once started, it is a downhill slide that is hard to stop.

This time the room has stayed spotless because the problem that started the avalanche each time no longer exists. For this room it was a mess of game console accessories that kept falling out of a cabinet onto the floor.

The key to long-term success is to identify the “pebbles” and stop them from rolling.

Step 1: Identify the “pebbles”

Armed with a pen and paper, you transform into

Clutter Detective extraordinaire!

Your mission: to identify the pebbles in your home.

Walk around your home and make a note of the trouble spots that you would like to correct. Which items do you have to pick up off the floor daily? What areas in your home have the biggest clutter mess?

Step 2: Solve the problem

Is there too much stuff in the area?

If there isn’t enough room to store the items, you will constantly be dealing with items spilling out, so get rid of unused items or get a bigger container to hold them. Clear the area and decide what stays, what goes somewhere else in the house, and what can be trashed or donated.

Problem:

Small toys scattered all over a small child’s room. I’m talking about those “Happy Meal” toys, action figures, and trinkets from birthday parties. These are the small items that don’t really go with any particular toy category. I refer to them as the “junk” toys, but the kids love them. *sigh*

Solution:

Limit the junk toys. Have your child pick their “favorites” and store them in a small container. The rule is, if toys come in, toys must go out to keep the amount the same. I find this to be the biggest creation of clutter in my kids’ rooms, so limiting the amount really helps control the mess. As the kids collect more, a few old toys must go to keep the amount limited.

Would a piece of furniture or a few storage containers help?

Maybe you just need to do some organizing of the items so everything has an obvious place. Group like items in labeled drawers or containers if you have a lot of small things.

Problem:

You have small items such as packets of dried soup mix falling to the floor in your pantry on a regular basis.

Solution:

Get a small basket to hold smaller items in the pantry. It will keep them organized in a small, compact area and prevent them from falling to the floor or getting lost behind other items. I like to keep a “snack” basket to hold smaller “grab-n-go” items that might get lost or knocked off the shelf.

Would relocating the items be better?

Problem:

A stack of games cluttering the living room

Solution:

Find an area to store all games in a child’s closet. A huge eye sore is now neatly hidden away in a closet. Take out the game to play it, and return it to the closet as soon as you are done.

Finding a solution that works best may take some trial and error. Keeping your house free of clutter is much easier once you take care of all the “pebbles”.

Happy pebble hunting!

Related article: Are you scared of your child’s room?

Sometimes you have to laugh so you don’t cry.

With my mouth hanging open in both shock and terror, I took it all in as I scanned the room. Every drawer, bookshelf, and container had been emptied into the middle of the floor. Her attention to detail was impressive, and nothing had been left untouched.

There, teetering atop the mountain she had so proudly built, was my two-year-old grinning from ear to ear at her accomplishment.

It is one of those moments as a parent that you simply must freeze with a photo so you don’t forget, or in case you need a favor when they are a teenager, you can whip out the picture as proof that they owe you one.

Four hours later the room was back to its original state, and only then could I see the humor in it.

Now do you feel better about what you are facing in your child’s room?

Kids are disorganized by nature.

Their rooms become a mess overnight leaving Moms throwing their hands up in the air in surrender to the floor covered with “stuff”. Despite what we Moms think, kids really don’t want to live in a messy room.

Ask yourself, “Why is the room messy?”

Does he/she have too much stuff? If there is more “stuff” than can reasonably fit in a room, it can be overwhelming or even impossible for a child to keep the room neat. Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate the contents and “spring-clean” the room.

Clearing out the unused and outgrown

Start with the closet and work your way around the room. Closely examine the contents and determine what needs to stay and what can go. Have they outgrown this? Are they ever going to use this? Have your child participate since you may need their advice on items.

Make a pile of clothes, toys, and books that you need to:

• pass down to a younger child or neighbor
• toss (broken or missing pieces)
• donate to a charity or sell at a consignment store

Once you are done, you will find you have ample space available to organize what is left.

Everything needs a “place”

The key to keeping the room organized is everything having a “place”.

Have you noticed how the toys, puzzles, etc. at a preschool are arranged? How does it stay neat with 20 kids playing every day? The answer…everything has a place. When “clean up” time comes, even the smallest of toddlers knows where everything goes and can participate in tidying a room.

Now apply that philosophy to your child’s room. Assign a place for clothes, games, toys. Use baskets and plastic containers to store groups of small items. Use labels to mark the contents so your child will know where to put his toys when he is done. If your child didn’t participate in the organizing, give him a tour of the new room so he is familiar with the arrangement.

I recently organized my teenager’s room. Things he had outgrown long ago were taking up precious storage space. I was able to remove 4 lawn/leaf bags full of items from his room. His little sisters thought it was Christmas when they received a few lost treasures such as Lite-Bright. With more space now available in the closet, I was able to get items such as musical instruments off the floor and onto a shelf in the closet.

Identify the trouble spot and solve the problem

What is causing the most clutter?

My child’s collection of game systems, games, and accessories was the cause of a constant mess on the floor. Every time the cabinet door was opened to look for a cord or controller, out spilled the contents in a tangled ball of cords and accessories, and he wasn’t able to find what he needed. I realized this was the main source of the clutter in his room, and it needed to be fixed.

Solution:

Since three drawers in his dresser were now available from the cleanup, I took his game system controllers, cords, accessories, etc and created a drawer for each type of game system. This freed up space in the entertainment center to actually place the games neatly so you could see them all. Now when he needs a cord to a specific item, he knows exactly where it is without digging through a mess. Problem solved. Since reorganizing the room, he has kept it immaculate, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

As you make more space available, you are able to organize the room so it functions well. When toys are off the floor and in closets or drawers, the room immediately evolves into an inviting, relaxing atmosphere free of the chaos of clutter.

No longer will you have to brace yourself as you open the door, scared of what you will find.

Related Articles:

Clutter and the Avalanche Effect
7 Ways to Combat Clutter

Prevent clutter by working the following tasks into your daily routine until they become a habit. I’ve focused on the areas that will make the biggest “instant” improvement in five minutes or less.

EARLY AM

1) Get a load of laundry started.

If you have enough dirty clothes for a load, get them into the washer first thing in the morning. Move them to the dryer when they are finished.

Reduces pile-up of laundry and complaints from your child that her favorite jeans have been in the pile for a week.

2) Make your bed.

There is nothing that can neaten a large space in 2-3 minutes like making a bed.

The room feels cleaner. You paid a lot of money for that pretty comforter. Enjoy it the way it was intended to look, which is not wadded on the floor.

A special thanks to my mother for adding this tip to the list. Apparently you are never too old to have your mother remind you to make your bed.

AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING

3) Take care of incoming mail immediately.

Trash/recycle the junk mail, and put the rest in the appropriate places (bills to pay, “to-do box”, magazine rack, “to-be-filed” basket, etc.). Do not place any of it on the counter.

Prevents paper clutter from accumulating around the house and bills from getting lost.

4) Fold and put away laundry.

Find a few spare minutes to fold and put away the load of laundry you did this morning. If you did more than one today, you are ahead of the game! Congratulations!

Prevents the laundry room from having piles of clean laundry as well as keeps it from being used as a dressing room.

EVENING

5) Kitchen cleanup

After dinner, take the time to wash all the dishes and run the dishwasher if it’s full. Wipe down the counters, cabinets, and appliances quickly.

Keeps the kitchen clean and the silverware drawer stocked. There’s nothing worse than eating your cereal with a fork!

6) Kitchen counter cleanup.

The counter tends to be a “drop-off” spot during the day. Take all items back to their assigned places. The counter is for food, snacks, etc., not paper clutter.

Keeps the kitchen area neat and orderly.

7) Nightly toy pick-up.

If you have kids, toys tend to make their way around the house quickly during the day. Get everyone involved with a quick 5-minute pickup to put everything back in its place.

Keeps living room/toy room organized and clutter-free. Say “good-bye” to the pain of stubbing your toe on a Barbie car or the shock of stepping on a Lego in a sleepy morning daze.

I like to wake up in the morning with my house in order. Mentally, it puts me in a better mood because I am not slapped in the face with things that need to be done on the way to making my coffee. I also find I am more productive during the day when the house is free of clutter.

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