Organizing Tools That Work for Us

[Life_is_Simple]

I was thinking last night about the things I use that have made my life simpler. I wrote in my journal "I am constantly trying to simplify, and does anything stick?" Here is what did stick:


Decluttering last year has made my place much neater and easier to maintain. Somehow the neatness feeds on itself, and encourages me to do things like put dishes in the dishwasher in real time. Then on the weekend, I do not clean as much.
Freezer. I bought a freezer a year ago. I stock up more, and shop less.
Laminated checklists, especially pre-vacation list, vacation list, and soon-to-be post-vacation list, help to streamline packing. The in-progress supplement list is becoming more useful. Dry erase markers are used on checklists.
Binders with "category and subcategory" file folders, and labeled tabs. My paper system got much more organized last year with these.
Label maker. A place for everything, and everything in its place.
Laminator. See above laminated lists.
Eagle Creek 3-compartment packing organizers from the Container Store make packing a suitcase easier. The 3 compartment part helps because I do well with "categories and subcategories." So one organizer is for HBA, and one is for clothes, with subcategories of each topic.
Samsonite Suitcase. Huge and durable. Sometimes it is better to go quality.
Handbag organizer from Container Store. I labeled the compartments. It's great! The only non-expensive thing I have found at the Container Store.
7x4 vitamin organizers from Walgreens. Several of them means I can allocate my vitamins for several weeks at a time. Makes vacationing easier.
Walgreens photo calendars has made family gift-giving simpler. Everyone wants one. I take pictures of family members throughout the year.
Smartphone. Checklist app. Ability to look up motel info when traveling. Credit Union app where I photograph and deposit checks through phone. Camera shoots pictures for previously-mentioned photo calendar. Home inventory via dropbox app
Car. A new car bought several years ago results in no service except infrequent oil changes, and occasional snow tire changes. And it is fun to drive!
My brain.


Now that I read the list, I look like a big spender, but Oh Well!! :D

Add to it with your simple tools!

[fidgiegirl]

I really like this list, LIS. It's especially fun because I remember the thread about the lists, for example, and your decluttering efforts, and it's good to know it's made a difference for you. :)

Ours?

- Periodic freezer inventories help us to actually use what's in our fridge freezer and our small upright. I'm going to do one today. Nothing over the top, just taking a look at everything that's in there and making a list. Usually the awareness helps us to use it up, even if we don't do a big meal planning blitz for the week.

- Throwing mail away as soon as it hits the house. Filing non-urgent or long term storage type files up in the attic.

- Quality cookware. We shouldn't need to replace again if the Gods smile on us. Much easier to wash when hot if we can remember! :)

- Real Hourly Wage. Knowing our RHW helps us to calculate if purchases are worth it to us, and also whether we should invest our time in outside moneymaking activities. I was invited to lead an after-school Spanish Club, for example, and used RHW to calculate that I only would have received about $12 an hour, not worth it to me at this point in my life. Previously I would have just done it because it's hard to find people to do those kinds of activities for kids, and I would have felt bad saying no.

[JaneV2.0]

Your list really appeals to me--the packing organizers almost make me want to travel. I organize little by little, with trial and error narrowing down the most effective approach.

[Gardenarian]

I like the idea of laminated lists; we could certainly use those for grocery shopping, stays at our cabin - I can think of lots of ideas.

One of the tools I use is tote bags. DD has a separate bag for all her different classes (dance, art, riding and so on) and I have tote bags for going to the cabin, kayaking, writing, and other stuff. It makes it easier to get going when you just have to grab the bag.

I have a label maker but don't use it very much. (DH uses it a lot for his work.) How do you use your label maker?

[Dhiana]

My lists are in a small photo book, about the size of a Grandma's Brag Book. Move too much for laminating and it was only $1.

[Rosemary]

I use clear bins with labels for storing like-with-like... for instance, in our downstairs closet we have a bin for lightbulbs, a bin for extension cords/timers, a bin for batteries. I adopted this system from my extremely-organized librarian aunt. Previously, I did use bins and boxes, but they were random, didn't fit together well in our limited storage space, and it was difficult to see the labels. Plus I tended to have things like batteries in 4 different locations. Now even my DH can find things most of the time. :)

My label maker is a small Brother brand that I bought for $10 as a refurb. I use it to label bins, DD's school supplies, jars of beans/grains in the kitchen, etc. Everything looks so neat and tidy this way. I also used it to label all the kitchen cabinets at our church, where numerous people used to spend time delving into cabinets trying to find a particular item.

I store our camping gear in an old rolling suitcase. This really simplifies our camping trips! We used to go backpacking but have not since DD was born, so this is for car camping at a walk-in campsite. It is super easy to roll all the heavy stuff to the campsite, and then after I clean everything, I store it under our bed, in the suitcase.

We do a lot of crafts. I use those plastic drawer-bin things for those, and use the label maker for this as well. In theory, DD should be able to put things in their proper places. In theory.

[Gardenarian]

I love the idea for labeling jars - will look much classier than the masking tape/pencil method.

I have a dd like yours! And I do have bins for her stuff but she seems to just use them randomly, when she doesn't just leave everything lying all over the table. Ah, creativity!

[fidgiegirl]

Now even my DH can find things most of the time. :)

:D:D:D The mark of an organizational queen!!! :D:D:D

[Life_is_Simple]

- Throwing mail away as soon as it hits the house. Filing non-urgent or long term storage type files up in the attic.

Fidgiegirl: Can you expand on your incoming mail system? It can't be as simple as throwing mail away as soon as it hits the house, can it? :laff: How come I don't do that?

[Life_is_Simple]

Your list really appeals to me--the packing organizers almost make me want to travel. I organize little by little, with trial and error narrowing down the most effective approach.
Yeah, the 3-compartment organizers work so well, I'm considering getting another 1 or 2 of them. Right now my travel suitcase is fine with the HBA organizer, but the clothes organizer requires conscious repacking before the next trip.

But what if I had 2 organizers of shirts, and when I come back from one trip, I immediately put the fresh one in? :idea:

[Life_is_Simple]

One of the tools I use is tote bags. DD has a separate bag for all her different classes (dance, art, riding and so on) and I have tote bags for going to the cabin, kayaking, writing, and other stuff. It makes it easier to get going when you just have to grab the bag.

I have a label maker but don't use it very much. (DH uses it a lot for his work.) How do you use your label maker?
Gardenarian - I like your grab-and-go tote bag idea. :+1:

What have I labeled? I have a "mail center," which is part of a bookshelf, and also contains a wood organizer on it. I labeled the spots for envelopes, stamps, scissors, tape, packing tape, post-its, boxes, etc. Now that I have done that, I actually put the scissors in the scissors slot! I am noticing how HARD it is for me to do that! I truly want to put things where-ever they fit, instead of where they go. So this is almost training me, to have a system.

After learning that about me, I am labeling other places in the home to force myself to put things where they go: categories on bookshelves, CDs & movies on another shelf.

Then in my binders I have labeled sections. Like Auto Binder has Car by years, with Service, Oil Change, Registration labeled in divide-it-up folders.

In the Kitchen cabinets I labeled Water, Light Bulbs, Sandwich Bags, Paper Products, Olive Oil, Plates, Glasses, Mugs :laff: I seriously will put things in the wrong places, without these labels ;)

[Life_is_Simple]

I adopted this system from my extremely-organized librarian aunt.
Rosemary - I need to know more about this extremely organized librarian aunt ;)