Spring has Sprung so let’s clear the clutter

I love every new season and what it brings! The change in weather is always exciting; watching those buds start on the trees and in the ground give me immense pleasure!

Another thing I love is putting away the winter gear and clothing and bringing out the spring stuff! SO, this is your perfect opportunity to clear away/donate and organize this stuff!

I like to keep under bed bins for my seasonal clothing, others have a large enough closet to keep everything, and still others have more than one closet where they can store out of season wear.

Starting with your winter clothes, pull them all out and put them on your bed. Now I mean EVERYTHING!

Now, take each piece of clothing and fold it up (or keep it on the hanger if you’re just moving it) and recall the last time you wore it. If you can’t remember put it in a pile for “Questionables”. If you didn’t wear it at all, put it in a “Donate” pile, and if you wore it and love it, put it in a “Keep” pile. Do this one at a time until the pile is gone. After going through all your clothes go back to the “Questionables” and rethink these as a “Keep” or “Donate”. Once this is done, grab a bag, toss in all the “Donate” items and put them in front of your door to go out! This way, the next time you leave the house you will take it with you and actually donate it. Don’t just put it away or store is as this will just lead to clutter somewhere else!

Ok, next I want you to go to your front hallway where all the coats, boots, hats, scarves, mittens etc. are kept. If you don’t already have them, invest in 3 bins to store outdoor winter items: 1 for accessories, 1 for coats, 1 for boots. I want you to do a similar thing here with these items. We accumulate A LOT of winter gear it seems! Not sure why, but we just do (or maybe it’s just my family lol!!) Do we seriously NEED 8 pairs of gloves/mittens, 5 scarves, 15 hats, 4 coats, and 3 pairs of boots??? Maybe a few extras for style and comfort, but we, as a society just like to accumulate “Stuff” so now is a good time to consider doing this differently! Now go through each item separately and put it in the “Donate”, “Keep”, or “Questionables” pile, and then go through the “Questionables” pile as you did above, and put in a bag the donate items, and put this by the front door.

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That’s it! It’s really not as bad as you think it is! Mostly what gets people is the actual ACT of DOING it! Right now, take out your calendar and schedule in a 1 hour time slot (That is all it should take) and DO IT!! Often times when we actual schedule something in we are more likely to ACTUALLY do it!

That was pretty painless if I do say so myself!

Spring has sprung so go for a walk on the next bright day and enjoy the change of season!!!

Your Simply Susan tip of the day 😉🌼🌳

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To Purge or not to purge?

Do I or don’t I?  When did I last use/wear it?  Is it worth keeping it for that one time a year I use/wear it? Do I have the storage space for it?  Can I use/wear something else in place of it that I already have?

All questions we should be asking ourselves a few times a year when we chose to re-organize or purge our rooms or homes.  I personally think it is a good idea to go through your stuff seasonally.  Even if you choose a couple of rooms to tackle each season.

I believe that as far as clothing goes, every time you do your seasonal clothing “swap out” you should think critically about what you are putting away  and whether or not you wear it anymore?  I am not going to delve into this anymore here as I have already dedicated a blog to this called “Seasonal Clothing Swap-out.”

So, for the other parts of your house, think about setting up some time to go through your stuff and purge as needed.  I think the best way to tackle this is to actually schedule time in your planner for this and STICK TO THIS TIME! Don’t devote more than a day or a weekend to this purging task because you will more likely get frustrated, drag your feet, and not actually do it and get it done.  If you put aside the time to do it you are more likely to….well….DO IT!!!

More and more people these days are “collectors” or items (In actuality I want to say hoaders, but this term is denied my many!) People believe they need the  newest of everything and therefore are constantly feeling the need to keep up with others by buying the newest and best of everything.  They figure they need to for some reason.

What is happening to all the stuff that works perfectly well but is just 1 season out of date?  Nothing!  It’s likely sitting in your closet or your garage.  You don’t want to get rid of it because it is still pretty new; you only had it one year, so you don’t feel right getting rid of it?

Sound familiar?  I hear people talking all the time about how much stuff they, their spouses or their children have, and how they are not willing to part with perfectly good things.  Where does this leave us? With a FULL HOUSE!

My recommendations:

• Buy less stuff…..or at least think more about what you’re buying and if you really need it.
• Consider second hand.  I am a total and complete believer in second hand and love being able to buy things off people who need the newest things. (Even though I am benefiting from you people who like the newest and best, I still encourage you to try to cut back!!)
• Sell on all the websites that are available for free on line!  It is so easy and it’s a great way to both buy and sell good items.  You don’t even need to talk or see anyone, you can do “Porch pick up” which just requires some trust and a mailbox!
• Give or donate to a friend or charity.   The Salvation Army is my favourite charity with so many good points about them…check them out on line and you’ll see what I mean!

There you have it, I certainly hope that I have made at least a few of you think more about “Keeping up with the Joneses” as they say!

Your Simply Susan tip of the day! 😁

 

 

 

Just another day at the office…..organizing tips!!

Make your office space a place where you are not distracted by too much “stuff” and overwhelmed by paperwork.  Keep your desk free of clutter so it is a more conducive space to work in.   Keep ONLY the essentials on it.   If you have a desk and it is piled up with paperwork, you are less likely to deal with the paperwork and more likely to just close the door and “deal with it later!”  This is likely not going to happen, so don’t let yourself get to this point.

Keep your office furniture minimal; a desk, chair, a cork board or white board, and a filing cabinet.  On your desk you could keep an “in-box”, but in my experience, people end up piling papers there and never actually get to them.  This is why I prefer a cork or white board up, over your desk.  With an in-box, you only actually see the top item, the others are all covered by it.  With a cork, or white board, each item can be seen as it is more “in your face”, and therefore it will be dealt with.

When paperwork comes into your office space, deal with it right then.  If you are still receiving paper bills, highlight the date it needs to be paid by and stick it on the board until you pay it.  Once you do, file it or recycle it.

If it is an invitation that you don’t want to get rid of until after the date, highlight the date, stick it on the board, enter it into your phone/day planner, and get rid of it when date has past.  If it is paperwork regarding income tax, keep an income tax file and file it right away.

If you keep your receipts to check them against your credit card bills, keep a file in your cabinet and add receipts as you get them to the back of the pile, then each month as you go through your bill, check your receipts, then shred them (if they contain items that may need to be returned, keep a separate file for these purchases with warranty information).

In summary,  the less cluttered your office space is kept, the more likely it will be used for what it is intended for.   Try some of these ideas today and keep them up over time. You’ll be glad you did!

Your Simply Susan organizational tip of the day!  🙂

Dining in? Now you can!

It’s funny, when I originally started this blog, my plan was to alternate organizing and fitness tips.  I was going to go through every room in the house and write a blog on how to best organize it! As you see, if you have been following me, I have strayed a little!😄😄  Lots of other ideas and suggestions have been made to me which I’ve loved, and used, but today I’ll flashback to the original plan. 

Your dining room…….This is likely one of the less used rooms in your house (unless of course you are one of those people who do work on your dining room table because every other room in your house is too cluttered, and your dining room table is your only free space!!!)  I truly hope you are not one of those people but if you are…..never fear….I can help!!!

I will write this with the assumption that this is a less frequently used area that just needs to be kept organized after being used as it is meant to be used.  Ideally, this space is just used for dining, so therefore only dining supplies need to be kept in it.  If you have invested in a buffet and hutch (or one or the other) use the cupboards and shelves to group items accordingly.  Keep all dinner ware together in one cupboard or shelf.  Keep serving dishes all grouped together.  Group stemware together:  beer, wine, scotch, brandy, champagne glasses etc. all in rows.If you keep only things that you use, you will now have room to keep table cloths, placemats, trivets, dinner napkins, and serving utensils here as well, that way all your supplies for setting the table are close at hand.  Keep large serving dishes here and the candles you use as well.  Having everything all in one place saves time; that way you’re not desperately searching for those items each time.

Don’t have enough space in your hutch to  put things away? Get rid of or donate anything you don’t actually use, such as those brandy glasses or those novelty wine glasses you keep getting for your birthday. Are you still keeping those ugly cloth napkins someone gave you as a wedding gift?  Donate them!

Keep the dining table free of clutter so dusting etc. is easier, or cover it with a table cloth when not in use.  Then, remove and use placemats when dining.

Last note…..In my personal opinion, if you have fancy China use it every time you dine in the dining room.  I find most people always save it for the most special occasions; feeling almost afraid to use it. I use my Nana’s Royal Doulton China all the time. I even wash it in my dishwasher when I’m done! Don’t save it, use it.😆

Okay, now that your dining room is organized, why not make a plan to have a dinner party or even just a regular family dinner in this beautifully organized space!

But, if you’re having friends over, don’t forget me!

Your Simply Susan organizational tip of the day. 😆

 

 

Being organized, What does it mean?

Being organized means putting forth a little more effort now to make things easier moving forward.

Becoming organized is changing how you think. From when you walk in the door and put your keys down in a standard spot you always use, to filling the dishwasher in such a way that makes it easier to empty.

It’s keeping your hats and mitts in one easy access basket by the front door.  There are so many things you could start doing today that will make life easier tomorrow….as long as you keep it up!!!
Once you start thinking in an organized way, things start to fall in place and get easier. Trust me. I wasn’t always this organized! Growing up I didn’t care about it as much, or see the benefit of it as I do now. Don’t get me wrong though, my mom had places for things and everything was kept quite clean and tidy. I just realized when I became a parent and bought a house that being organized and using these basic rules across the board not only keeps me happy, but my family as well!
Organizing is taking the time to do things the right way first with schedules, organizing bins, folders, any system you can put in place for yourself or your family that makes things easier and more automatic.
So many people are in such a hurry these days and need to get places fast, and get things done quickly. So, what you need to do is to first take some time to figure out what isn’t working and find a way to make yourself more efficient.

Some things I do (apart from the few I mentioned above) are:

1. Dealing with paperwork right away as it comes in the door (recycle bin, file, make a note of dates in my planner etc.)
2. Placing my phone/purse/wallet in a designated spot.
3. Have a charging station where all devices are charged in one spot.
4. Menu planning for the week.
5. Put clothes away or in the laundry after wearing them.
6. Keep a list on your phone or planner where you can add items you regularly use that you have run out of.
7. Put things back after you use them (books, magazines, appliances etc.)
8. Putting reminders in your calendar for due dates as soon as you find out about them.

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head.  It does take some time, but putting things away and keeping “like” items together and all in one spot saves time.  Keeping regularly used items in the same spot becomes a habit in no time and is worth it!

Your Simply Susan tip of the day! 😍

 

 

What happens in the bedroom stays in the bedroom

Okay, let’s review my basic rules for organizing any room or space.  The first thing you want to do is go in the room and take note of what needs to get done.  If this means making notes do this, whatever it takes to make it real. Secondly, and most importantly, don’t get overwhelmed  by what you have to do!  If you have come up with a list of many things to do, don’t tackle them all on the same day, instead, break it down onto 2 or 3 manageable work periods.  If you try to do everything at one time, you are more likely to give up and then nothing gets done!

When you are looking at organizing a space, you want to keep a few things in mind.  Firstly, your bedroom is your sanctuary and should be relaxing and conducive to sleeping.  That being said, the more organized and free of clutter your bedroom is, the more likely it will be your sanctuary, and it will be a place where you’ll be able to relax. Who can relax and wind down if you are surrounded by stuff, stuff, and more piles of stuff??

Some ideas and tips for keeping your bedroom organized and free of clutter:

The one I think many people are guilty of is just leaving their clothes on the floor at the end of the day.  Rather than just dropping them, deal with them now.  If they’re dirty, put them in the laundry basket, if they are clean, fold them and put them away now, if you intend to wear them again that week, hang them on a hook on the back of the door. Seriously, it takes less than a minute to do this…..really try it today!  Lastly, only have hooks that hold 1 or 2 items, that way you can’t overload them.

Group like items in your closet by type and/or colour (jeans or track pants all together, collared shirts, hoodies etc.) This makes it easier to find things quickly,  and more importantly  it looks nicer!😆

Sort your drawers logically. There are a couple of things you can do here, for example, if you have a lot of small drawers, use one each for socks, underwear, bras, shirts and sweaters, leggings etc.  If you have large wide drawers, either buy inserts to section your drawers or just section them yourself.  Put socks to one side, underwear in the middle, and bras on the other side.  When you return clean laundry to your drawers keep this order.  Once you get in the habit it will be easy.

Keep an organized dresser.  Again, group similar items together Have a tray for your brush, comb  and hair accessories.  Keep make-up in a caddy or a make-up bag.  Keep  only the essentials used daily on display; store less frequently used items in the bathroom cabinet.  You could also have a small, decorative dish on your dresser for pocket “stuff”.

Think about using unused spaces for storage like under your bed, the walls of your closet, or vertical spaces.  Under-the-bed storage for seasonal clothing is a great way to store clothes you aren’t wearing right now.  Invest in decorative hooks or reusable sticky hooks that you can display jewelry on alongside your mirror or down the side of your dresser. Hang your iron or hair-dryers off the side of your dresser. Use suction hooks on your mirror for necklaces or hair bands.

That is your “Simply Susan” organization tip of the day!  🙂 

Organizing the outdoors

‘Tis the season that brings about the cooler weather and therefore time to get rid of the last bits of summer.

To prepare your yard for the fall there are many things that you can do so that you  are cleaned up, organized, and ready for next spring.  If do a good clean-up job in the fall, then your set-up next season will be a cinch!

Things to do:

First thing is to make sure you have a package of yard waste bags.

Figure out what you need to accomplish and make a list so you don’t miss anything.

Dump planters – any hanging baskets and flower pots can be dumped out into compost bags.  Once you have dumped them and maybe rinsed and brushed them out, you can stack them together and put them into a shed, basement or garage.  Keep them all together so you’ll find them all to start again in the spring.

Clean out the vegetable garden, perennials, and any dying annuals.  There will likely be a lot of leaves here, so when you’re pulling out the annuals and the vegetables, and cleaning up the perennials, just dump everything into the yard waste bag.  It never hurts to leave some leaves in your garden for insulating your perennials over the cold winter months.

Cut back perennials, shrubs and any bushes that need to be done in the fall (consult the internet if you’re not sure how much or where to cut).

Rake leaves, and give the lawn that one last cut (hopefully!), then apply fall fertilizer.

Clean and put yard tools, garden supplies, and garden decorations,  all together in one place (shed, garage, basement).  If they are kept together you won’t waste time locating different items in different places next time.

If you own a barbeque, this would be a good time to do your bi-annual cleaning of it.  Using hot, soapy water and a good sponge or scouring brush are your best tools of the trade for this job.  If you have stubborn grease, use a mixture of vinegar and water and that should cut that grease. (I use vinegar and water for everything, it really does do a great job, plus it’s environmentally friendly!!)

Lastly, give your patio furniture a sweep, then a wipe down with hot, soapy water, and either stack and cover to leave outside, or put in a storage area.

Personally I love the fall.  Getting out there on any of the many beautiful days we have had is more of a pleasure than a chore.  Enjoy your fall duties!

😆🍁🍂🍃🌞