DO: My Top 5 Easy Home Organization Ideas

I have a friend that is so organized, that she reorganizes her Christmas decorations multiple times during the year. I love organization, but, some people come by it naturally, like my friend and others have to just learn from their good ideas, like me. :) Here are my top 5 new organizational ideas that I am going to implement in my home. eeek! Can't wait! (sometimes I can be such an organization nerd!!)


5. Receipt Jars


Ok, I save all my receipts, all my bill stubs...uggg... And then, at the end of the year, I clean them all out and start over. But, really, do I need to save all of this stuff? I love this idea by Homestead Revival. She keeps two identical jars, one top labeled "THIS MONTH", one labeled "LAST MONTH". Every new month, she pitches the receipts from the jar labeled "LAST MONTH". Then, she switches the tops on the other two jars, so now "THIS MONTH" is "LAST MONTH" & "THIS MONTH's" jar is empty. Ok, I don't know how you could have followed along with that explanation, even I'm confused! ha! (See her blog post - Desk Organization for Receipts)


One reason I love this, is it gives you a place to store your current receipts, which at this moment are bursting at the seams in my wallet. And it gives you a nice end date to purge as well. One thing I've learned is that SIMPLE WORKS best!! 

4. Toothbrush Organization


There is something about toothbrushes that totally grosses me out. This is my dilemma, I can't put them on top of the sink, because then when the toilet flushes all those germs spray out all over my toothbrush! yuck. Then, putting them in a drawer with other peoples germy toothbrushes is gross and you end up with white toothpaste goo all over the drawer. I will admit, this idea is not very "sexy", but I am loving it! It keeps all your toothbrushes SEPARATE. Nice. Can't get any cheaper than a dollar store tray and the plastic is way easier to keep clean. love. it. (told ya I was an organizational nerd, didn't I??!! :) 

3.  Kid's Artwork Album


As I mentioned before, I am a keeper. And when it comes to the kids artwork, I keep EVERYTHING. Seriously, EVERYTHING. So, my resolution is to get all that clutter corralled into a darling little Shutterfly books for each kid. Such an easy process:
1. Scan your favorite pieces of their artwork onto your computer. 
2. Upload the images to Shutterfly, Snapfish, etc...
3. Shutterfly will actually make the album for you and then you have the option of changing anything. 
4. Botta-bing, you can now safely stow the piles of artwork in the garbage (just don't let your kids see you doing that! :) 

2. Hide the Cords!!


I am too embarrassed to show you my pile of cords under/beside my desk and under my feet at this exact moment. Just use your imagination and add on a few more tangled piled cords and you should be there. How easy and cheap will this be to install under my desk? Somebody just try to stop me from driving to Home Depot right now. :) 

1. Daily Chores Chart


Ok, I confess, I love the FlyLady, but I can't seem to stick with her deep cleaning system. For one, I can't get all my regular cleaning done! So, I end up tackling a room when I miraculously have an afternoon free (which does not happen very often). So, I found this chart online and just love it. I love that there is a time limit to 30 MINUTES. That means every area in my house gets 30 minutes of my attention each week. If you think that isn't very long, you should see what I can get done in 30 minutes! lol. If you are more of a methodical person, this may not work for you. But, me? I just want my place to be presentable and clean (even if there is a full-size basketball net up in the middle of my living room - don't believe me?? I am tempted to take a picture. very, very classy.)

I got this from http://www.my3monsters.com/


BONUS IDEA!!! Stuffed Animal Storage
Ok, just one more little cutie...do you have a bunch of stuffed animals? Here is an easy way to keep them off the floor, which is always a good goal. Just use one side of Velcro tape, tape it to the wall (it could damage paint, so maybe a closet would be better? Then, stick that little stuffed animal onto the Velcro. Easy!

Ok, now I have a bunch of projects to start! :) Hope this gave you a few ideas for organizing some of the out of control places in your home, too! 
Kristen