Operation Organization

I have nuttin' for you for "What I Buy Wednesday"---all Christmas gifts. But, I've been dying to post this! It's life changing, I tell you, LIFE CHANGING!

I've said many times that I clean out my closet every January---without fail. That's how I like to start the new year---off right!

By this time of year, my closet is starting to look like this:

 Things are getting a little messy. Colors are out of order and the piles are no longer neat.

But sweaters have to be folded, right? Otherwise they get those bumps on the shoulders from hangers. Of course, when shoulder pads were "IN" (I still miss them---they took 10 lbs. off the hips), you didn't have to worry about the bumps. WRONG! They don't have to be folded after all!

Well, there's a blog I follow called ---One Good Thing. They have all sorts of tips and tricks. This one is LIFE CHANGING! I know, I've already said that, but I can't say it enough. Life changing. This is the best way I've seen for storing sweaters. Hang them up! Yes, hang them up without those little shoulder bumps.

Here's a little step by step for you.

Fold your sweater in half and lay it on the floor---I would have to use the bed if my carpet wasn't new--or clean.

 Place the hanger in the armpit.

 Fold each side over.

 It will look like this until you turn it right side up.

 Then it will look like this---ready to hang.

You can see the two I have hung here---they don't take up much space at all! (Side note---one thing that doesn't change throughout the year---my clothes stay color coordinated.)

Now what am I going to do with those empty shelves? Hmmm, I'll definitely have something to post for "What I Buy Wednesdays"---soon!

In the meantime, tell me what you think if you try this. Send me a couple pictures and I'll post them here!

Getting Organized

Okay, I have to weigh in here.

It's January. The time when a lot of people have set New Year's resolutions for themselves. One of the most popular resolutions is to get organized. There are tons of organization blogs out there. I subscribe to a couple of those. You might wonder "why"---since I am organized and had my own organization business for over 10 years. Well the answer is---you can always learn something new. I love coming across a new, practical idea. I'll be all over it!!

This year, I've been hearing some advice that I completely disagree with. And, no, I haven't read that popular Japanese book--The Art of Tidying Up. It's getting rave reviews and is geared for simplifying your life. I'm just talking about cleaning out a closet.

What I have been hearing (blog reading to be more precise) and is putting me over the edge is this:
"Empty out your space so you have a clean slate to begin." OMGosh!! And I've read it on several sights. This so wrong! Let me tell you why.

Generally, by the time most people who are trying to get organized make the decision to tackle a closet, it is so junked up and packed so full of crap, that if they simply move everything out, they would be completely boxed in with all the stuff that just came out of the closet. There would be no room to even move around. They will wonder how they fit all of that in the closet to begin with. Now all they've done is move the crap from one spot to another without solving a single thing and making a bigger mess to boot! This is completely discouraging as now they are completely overwhelmed and don't know where to begin! Trust me, I've seen this happen!!

Here's the easiest way to organize a closet.
1. Gather 4 boxes or large bags.
2. Label them:  donate; elsewhere (for things that belong somewhere else); trash; keep
3. Begin taking things out of the closet one at a time and make the decision as to which box it belongs in. Once you've cleared enough of the closet so that you can get in there, start working on the right side and continue around the inside. Work from right circling left.
4. Once you've cleared one side of the closet---clean it. Dust the shelves, vacuum the floor.
5. Now you can begin putting things BACK in as you work---or move the things that are staying in there to the cleaned side as you continue around the rest of the closet. Don't even worry about having it perfectly organized yet.
6. If this is a clothes closet DO NOT EVER remove all of your hanging clothes!! I repeat---DO NOT EVER remove all of your hanging clothes. It is so much easier to go through them hanger by hanger. Just decide if you plan to keep it, make sure it's hung properly on the hanger and just start organizing right on the rack---all blouses together, sorted by color, pants, dresses, etc.
7. As your boxes or bags fill, remove them from the room. Carry the "donate" straight to your car, "trash" to the trash, "elsewhere" to the hallway (you are not going to deal with this yet). The only box to leave is the one that has the stuff going back in the closet.
8. Once the closet is completely sorted, you can arrange it anyway you like. Since everything remaining is what you plan to keep, it's easy to see how much space it will take and what your largest category might be. After all the crap is removed, it's easy and quick!
9. Take the stuff from the "elsewhere" box and put it in the rooms where that stuff belongs. Go ahead, I give you permission to cram it in to the over-stuffed closets there. You'll get to it eventually!

Think about this: if you were getting ready to organize a whole room---you wouldn't remove everything to do it. That doesn't make sense. Nor would you have the space to do that. Your closets are nothing more than little rooms. Just treat them that way.

I have the very same simple organization ideas about photos. Ask me if you need help with that.

I'm getting ready to tackle my bedroom closet after the wedding. I'll be sure to share before and after.

There are many organizing ideas out there. Not all ideas work for everybody. But, I haven't met a single person that has tried my method that said it didn't work for them. Go ahead, give it a try and let me know what you think. Heck, if you're local, I'll even come help!

Living Life on a Time-line

That's how I get everything done. I'm busy---just like everyone else. I have a pretty healthy social like and I want to do everything. In order to do that, I have to plan ahead.

I start every week by checking my schedule on Sunday night. I make a list of everything I need to accomplish during the week. Then I start plugging things in. I try to keep all errands on the same day---usually working them in around social engagements.

I'm going to be gone pretty much over the next two weeks. I started planning for that last week. On Sunday night, I planned my week. It looked something like this: Monday---which is "Movie Monday" when I meet my friends for lunch and a movie---I had several errands I wanted to do before. I knew I needed to be at Panera Bread at 11:15 a.m., so I started backing up my time from there. I needed to go to Michaels and Target. I planned 45 minutes for each place with 15 minutes of travel time. That meant I needed to leave the house by 9:15. Which meant I needed to get in the shower no later than 8:30---which meant I needed to have my hour on the treadmill and breakfast prior to that. Since I get up around 5:30 or 6:00, I had plenty of time to do a couple of household chores.

Still, living on a time-line you have to be flexible. When I was just about ready to leave on Monday, I found that my cleaning lady had brought her sick 8 year old with her. I settled him on the couch and started to figure out the kids channels---which I know nothing about. I made Kevin a snack and was ready to head out---15 minutes late. Right off, I knew that my schedule was "blown." I proceeded on and only went to Target before meeting my friends. I had a little extra time before lunch, so I parked at the theater and walked to Panera---just to get in those extra steps. I don't like to waste time either. (Side note: when I got my very first report card in the first grade, I got an "E"xcellent for uses time well. I had no idea what that meant then, but now I do. And I do use my time well).

I decided to add a little first grade "me" to break up some of this text.

On with the story.
After the movie, the plan was to go to the grocery store, then sit and read in my car while I waited for Connie to meet me for our monthly pedicure when she gets off work. I went to the grocery store---planning ahead, I had the cooler with me. After the groceries, instead of reading, I ran to Michaels. I still made it back right in time for my pedicure. That put me back on track with my schedule.

The rest of the week proceeded as normal. I made my freezer meal for "freezer club"** that meets in two weeks. I'll just be getting back from the beach and will only have one day at that time. I pretty much always do things way ahead because I just never know what might come up at the last minute.

Friday was my friend, Nancy's, birthday. I bought her gift a while back, but couldn't begin to find it in my gift closet. I put that on the schedule for the weekend. I cleaned it out and organized it today.

Sorry, I didn't realize you couldn't really see the mess in the closet. The stuff on the floor is sorted and ready to be put back. Whenever I'm out and about and see something that would be perfect for a friend or family member, I pick it up. I just kept cramming things in without rhyme or reason. That's why I knew I had Nancy's present in there. While I was at it, I found Morgan's birthday present. It's not until May 10th, but while I was wrapping, I figured, why not? I'll see Nancy this week at the farm.

This is the finished closet. Each shelf represents different groupings of gifts. The top shells is all friends gifts. The bottom bags are Christmas things---hostess gifts, table favors and game prizes.

After cleaning out the closet, I got myself all packed for the farm. That means that tomorrow (Sunday) I get to spend the day outside reading! I plan to finish my book so I can start a new one this week. I'm planning to start the Divergent series. Anyone read that yet? Connie read them. Stephanie is on book two. They both really like them.

Anyway, that's why living on a time-line really works for me. I like the sense of accomplishment and feeling on top of things. In fact, since I will not have internet access while at the farm, I have pre-planned a few blog posts this week. I hope you have a good and productive week yourself!

**Here's the freezer recipe I promised---it's really good, low calorie and easy:
Hearty Beef  Stew
1 lb. beef stew cubes
4 carrots cut in chunks, peeled
4 red potatoes cut in chunks, unpeeled
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
2 cans 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1-8 oz. can tomato sauce
1-10 oz. frozen green peas

Place all ingredients in a gallon size freezer bag and mix it all up. I put everything in a crockpot liner first and then put it in the freezer bag. When ready to eat, remove from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Cook on low in the crock pot for 7-10 hours. Don't worry, it might still be frozen, but will cook up just fine.

If you decide to try it, let me know how you like it.

Operation Organization

You are going to be surprised at what I suggest you do this week: put together your Net Worth Statement---or---Financial Statement.

This is the perfect time to do it. You are receiving all of your tax information right now. It's an easy way to remember everything you have. And, you've already cleaned out your files in January so it should be pretty easy to gather the information. It's a pretty simple process and shouldn't take more than an hour or two. Start gathering the following information and make a simple list:

What you have (assets):
cash/savings
investments
retirement accounts (IRA's---401K's---profit sharing)
life insurance cash value
auto(s) value (may have to check the "blue book" for the value.
recreational vehicles
home value (just get the market comps for your neighborhood)
personal possessions (think in terms of what you would get if you had a garage sale and sold all your stuff)

What you owe (liabilities):
Mortgage
2nd mortgage
School loans
Auto(s) loan
Personal loan
Credit Cards

What you have -minus- what you owe is your Networth.
There is something satisfying about seeing where you are financially. On the other hand, it could also be a "wake up call" to take action to get things under control.

Here's how your financial statement will look:

Your Name 

Financial Statement---March 2013

Assets:

Cash                                                          $$$$

Investments                                               $$$$ 

Life insurance cash value                          $$$$

401K or other retirement                           $$$$

Home                                                        $$$$

Vacation home (for those of you lucky enough to have one)

Autos:

2006 whatever                                          $$$$

2012 whatever

Personal Possessions                                 $$$$

                                      Total                  $$$$$

Liabilities

Home                                                     $$$$$$

2nd Mortgage

School Loans

Auto Loans

Credit Card debt

Personal Loan

                                      Total                $$$$$$

Net Worth                                            $$$$$$

(subtract the liabilities from the assets to arrive at your Net worth)   

If you have to subtract your assets from your liabilities---you better get a second job. Sorry.   

There you go---your assignment for this week. I don't need to know your financial details, but if you've never done a financial statement before, I'd like to know what you think about it.  

On the other hand, if your financial statement renders you more wealthy than you thought---you might want to invest in the 19 million home here in Nashville where the tv show Nashville was/is filmed. The mansion is not too far from me, so you could visit me regularly!                                                          

  

Operation Organization

Well, how did you do this week? Connie told me that although she didn't do her closet, she did do all the cabinets in her breakfast room. She needs to send me pictures so I can share them!

I got my closet done, pretty much hated all 4 hours!! I tried on EVERYTHING! I have gotten rid of soooo much stuff! Here are the results:

 Remember all the pashminas and scarves?

 Here are all the scarves lined up along the tub. There were 26 of them. I got rid of 7. At least it's something.

And the pashminas---25 of them. I got rid of 10 of them. I had to keep the cashmere one I bought Scotland and the cashmere one I bought in England. I had to keep the one Butch bought me in Jerusalem when I forgot mine in the hotel room. They are just the thing to warm me up. Plus, they fold up so nice and small for my purse.

Here's the before. The pashminas are on the second shelf from the bottom on the left.

Now here is that same shelf. The pashminas are in the same spot, but just two neat rows. I also got rid of a ton of sweaters and tee shirts.

Here's the before of my jackets and shoes.

Here's the "after." See all those empty hangers?

The "before."

The "after" all neated up!

 I came across this needlepoint belt I made for myself in the 1980's. I can't get rid of it. Besides, who would ever be able to use it with my initials?

I put the glasses in the middle so you can see how small my waist was at one time. Chances are, I will never be able to wear it again. So why am I hanging on to it? I don't know. I just can't let it go. A girl

can always hope.

Your next assignment:

The dining room. Clean out your china cabinet, drawers and buffet. Now might be the time to pass on something to a relative or friend. There are probably many things you don't use. Unless there is some great sentimental value, let it go. You'll be happy you did!

Operation Organization

Well, here it is---Monday and time for out next assignment. I've been putting this off for way too long. I dread it. It's going to take me hours. But I'm doing it. I'm talking about my closet and drawers. I have a pretty large walk in closet. You know what I always say about that, "it doesn't matter how much space you have---you'll fill it up." If you have a lot of room, you keep way too much stuff---just because you can.

Again, let's break this big job down and make it more manageable. Do a little something each day if the job intimidates you. Start with your nightstand. Do two drawers a day. When you are ready to start that dreaded closet, if it's a walk-in, start on the right. If it's just a regular closet, then start with the top shelf and work down. When you get to the clothes pole, start on the right. I don't have to tell you how to organize it---pants together, blouses, skirts and dresses. It always looks better if you sort them by color too.

Clothes:
Either use boxes or bags and mark them---"goodwill"and "give away." Those are pretty obvious. Anything you think someone you know could use put in the "give away" bag. Everything else goes in the "goodwill" bag. If you happen to find some hidden gems---like platform shoes and bell bottoms from the 70's---put them in to a costume box. Seriously, if you haven't cleaned out your closet in a long time, then you need to be ruthless.

We keep thing for a few different reasons:
1. We have an emotional attachment.
2. We paid too much for it to just give away.
3. We think we'll be able to fit in to it again.
4. Or, we keep things because we have the room---except now we don't!

If you haven't worn something in two years---out it goes. Personally, I prefer to use one year as my guide. Do not keep clothes that you think you will fit in to again. I hate to break it to you. If you haven't  been able to lose that weight in a year, chances are you won't. I'm not trying to be discouraging here, but think of it this way. You are making room for the new clothes you will be able to reward yourself with when you lose that weight. Don't you think you'll deserve it?

Shoes:
They may be cute, but if they hurt your feet and you haven't worn them in a year, out they go. How many pairs of tennis shoes do you need? For me, it's slippers. I never wear shoes around the house---it's either socks or slippers---flip flops in summer. The slippers are piling up. It's time to let some of them go.

Purses:
I'm fortunate enough to have several designer bags. I hardly ever use them as I've found that I prefer a cross body, smaller purse that just holds the necessities. My other purses weigh a ton. Still, they are too valuable to just give away. I've decided to start a "loaner" program with my daughters and granddaughters. At least I'll be putting them to good use again.

Here are my "before" pictures. Don't judge me!

 My hanging clothes are still color coordinated, but I need to weed some out. To the left are assorted totes.

 Here we have sweaters, purses, pajamas, scarves, sweatshirts, work-out clothes. I have a lot to get rid of here.

 These are jackets and sweaters. I have some to get rid of, but I won't have to do too much work here. Another thing that goes a long way to making your closet look nice is matching hangers. I just get those cheap plastic ones from Target. They're about $1.50 for 10.

 Tee shirts, capris pants, swim suits and other miscellaneous stuff.

 Shoes. There aren't many to get rid of---but they do need to be straightened up. I have tennis shoes and boots under the shelves too.

 Here are the purses I was talking about. They are all neatly in flannel bags just waiting to be used again.

 This rack holds scarves---probably 20 or more. I knitted many of them. I do need to sort through them.

Here are more scarves and every possible color of pashmina (love them). I'll count all the scarves and pashminas and report back.

Okay, you can see I have a lot to do. So do you. So get started. You have a week. Let me know how it goes.

Operation Organization

How did everyone do this week? Did you get your office/desk cleaned out? I cleaned out the closet in my office sometime last year and have kept it pretty nice. I didn't have to deal with that.

 But, when I looked at the bottom, I realized that my hoarding of boxes and bubble wrap has returned. I straightened it all up, but didn't get rid of a single box. It's hard to cure problems like this. What would be best for me would be for someone else to just come in and get rid of it all. Hey wait, that's what I used to do for people! I never knew I needed to hire someone like me for myself. Maybe if I "pay" myself and turn it in to a real "job" I could get rid of stuff. I was easily dispassionate for other people---even ridiculing them when necessary---"and you need 12 bottles of celery seed because??? You need 5 years worth of craft magazines because?" It just might work.

I straightened up my desk drawers---they weren't too bad either. I purposely picked the desk/office area this week to give me some time to do a couple of things most people don't have---a mud room where we keep our freezer (although I'm not ready to tackle defrosting the freezer yet) and a cedar coat closet. I asked Butch to help me with them, so we made a "date" to do it---Tuesday at 11 a.m. Scheduling works for us. Before we began, I asked him how long he thought it would take. He said at least 30 minutes each. I said 15 minutes each, tops. I set the timer. It only took 10 minutes for the mudroom, then 31 minutes for the coat closet. It feels so good to get junk cleaned out. At one point, Butch held up a coat that was on the floor and said, "this looks like a lining for a coat." I looked at it, all puzzled, turned it this way and that, and then realized it was the quilted coat I'm using NOW. I grabbed it and hung it back up. I noticed that I didn't have a problem getting rid of any of his coats!

What can you do with five minutes:
Clean out your purse.
Unload the dishwasher. No one likes to do this, but in the scheme of things, what's 5 minutes. Plus if you don't do it, things will not be put away correctly and your newly organized cabinets and drawers will be a mess in no time at all. Just do it.
Set a timer if you don't believe me. 5 minutes--maybe less, guaranteed!

On to this week's assignment. I'm giving you a break as I have a busy week myself. I leave for St. Louis on Friday, so won't have time for any household chores this week. Do your hall closet. That's it. Easy---30 minutes tops. THEN---go back and finish something from one of the previous assignments. You have a week to get more done. I'm not sure what I'll assign next week since I'll still be out-of-town. Actually, yes I do know what I'm assigning. Think about it. What kind of assignment could I do AWAY from home?

Weekend re-cap tomorrow. Wishing you an organized week.

Operation Organization

How did you do this week? Connie admitted that she was going to do a drawer in her bathroom that she hasn't done in 15 years---since I helped her move. There had to be a full head of hair in there after 15 years!

A little fun story about her move. I always say I work hard and fast. At one point, Connie asked if we could take a break from unpacking. I said, "NO! The work's not done." I knew she was reaching her limit when I put her on unpacking a box of kitchen dish towels and cloths. She just threw them in the drawer. I looked at her, she looked at me and said, "What?" I said, "Are you kidding me? Take those out and fold them neatly!" Then she laughed my favorite Connie laugh. I did give her a hard time about all the jars of celery seed she had. I didn't even own one and she had half a dozen. Seems she had exactly one recipe that called for it, but never could remember if she had it, so kept buying more.

Back to work. I've heard from a few of you via email that you are actually accomplishing quite a bit. Even if you don't get the whole job done, some is better than none.

This was just a mess of bags from Estee Lauder free gifts and cases from trips to the dentist. The sort of place where I throw stuff and never go back to it.

Here it is after I cleaned it all out. I used the cases from the dentist and sorted everything in to them. I got rid  of a lot of the Estee Lauder cases. Well, not really, I just moved them somewhere else. They are just too cute to throw away.

I had already cleaned out my makeup at Christmas time when I got a new eye shadow. That is a lot of mascara---much of it those little free things you get when you make a purchase. The make-up is different shades for summer, winter and in-between.

I emptied the drawer that holds all of my hair products. I neatly wound up all the cords. They will stay that way until Mindy comes back over and leaves them all tangled up again.

 A lot of odds n' ends here---bubble bath, shampoo  and my travel cosmetic bag. The after is on the right.

I cleaned out my travel bag too. Believe it or not, I pared it down to the bare necessities.

 All of my skin care products in one drawer. I have enough cleanser for about 4 years.

 Under the sink. All body, hand and foot lotions on the left. In all fairness to me, much of it has been given to me as gifts. I don't think I have a lotion multiples problem because I'm not the one who buys it.

And here is the linen closet. I didn't get to it this week. I'll try to work it in during the coming week. Now, on to our next assignment.

Right about now, you are probably dreading what I'm going to assign. You know it's going to be the master closet. Well, it's not! I don't even want to tackle my own yet. We'll wait on that.

This week, we are going to focus on your desk or home office. That means the files too. An easy way to clean out files is to take a handful---I usually grab about 10 or so depending on how full they are. Sort through them when you are watching tv. This is a really good time to use the slogan I coined: "If in doubt, throw it out!" (The exact opposite of my garden slogan: "If in doubt, DON'T pull it out.") Anything really important jumps out at you (insurance policies, tax returns, registrations, etc.) If you have to ask yourself the question, "Do I need to keep this?"---you don't. You can get a copy of just about anything these days with a phone call or email. We all keep way too much stuff. The fact is, less than 5% of what we file is ever retrieved.

Okay, I've reverted back to my organizing days. You don't need the lecture, I think you get the picture.

Take a drawer a day in your desk to make it an easier job. Though no one has taken me up on this, if you email me your photos, I'll post them. Let's get to work! Isn't this fun?

Operation Organization

So, how did it go this week? Did you get anything accomplished in your kitchen? Connie said she wasn't going to do the entire kitchen, but that she was motivated to do under her sink and a small closet off the kitchen. 

I finished my kitchen. Here are a few shots:

This is the cabinet where I keep the summer/pool plastic cups here along with our poker money.

 After.

 The desk drawer wasn't all that bad to begin with. I really need to get some sort of organizer trays to keep things from just sliding around.

 
 After: I plan to go to the Container Store this week. Hopefully that will solve the problem of stuff sliding all around.

 Before

 After: Seems I have a multiples problem with glue too.

 And lens cloths. I keep them everywhere---my purse, car, desk drawer. These are the spares.

 
Everyone has one of these---the junk drawer---where you keep all kinds of junk that you don't know where to put. Butch cleaned this one out. He wasn't too happy when I brought it to him while he was watching football.

This is what you can do with 5 minutes. I tested every pen and got rid of all the bad ones. There are a lot of quick jobs you can do with little snips of time---clean a refrigerator shelf, clean out your silverware caddy, just pick something and do it.

Butch and I went to Stephanie's on Saturday to give her a hand. I always forget to take some before pictures, but here are a few:

 These are the before pictures.

I didn't get a "before for her spice cabinet. It was a mess.

After

For whatever reason, I can't seem to get my pictures aligned nicely. 

This is Steph's cleaned out pantry. She was able to see that the girls have been telling the truth about them not having any food!

Are you ready for this week's assignment? It's will be easier than the kitchen. I planned it that way so you could go back to the kitchen when you finish if you need to. This week, we're going to tackle your bathroom vanity, make-up drawer and linen closet. Get rid of anything you haven't used in more than a year. That includes makeup too. Sort through everything. Wipe out everything. If you need some sort of organizer, get it this week. You can use a silverware tray to sort make-up. If you keep your medicine in the bathroom, sort through it and get rid of any old prescriptions. Use ziplock bags to separate medicines. I label mine by: cough/cold/flu; first aid; allergy; pain relief; stomach aids. It's easy to grab a bag for whatever ails you.

There you go. Week 2 assignment for Operation Organization: Clean our your bathroom vanity, make-up and linen closet.

Let me know how it went this week. If you have pictures, send them and I'll post them here.