I’m about to spill the dirty little secret that most of you won’t believe. I am one of the most disorganized people you will ever meet. I know, I know—it all looks good from the outside. I’ve got the coupon system down, I’m an excellent event planner and I’m a pro at controlling the calendar. But the rest? Yeah, that’s a big ol’ mess!
I want to have a clean, orderly house. 40×40“>I really do. I just don’t know how to go about it. I’ve tried Taming the Paper Tiger
I want to park in the garage, find what I need and have more time to spend on the actual cleaning. I like to use green cleaning options, such as microfiber towels and vinegar rinses. Lately, though, I find myself so busy trying to get organized enough to clean in the first place that I pull out the convenient Lysol wipes and Mr. Clean spray. This is not the way I want to do it nor is it frugal.
So, this is my official call for help! The naturally clean need not apply. I love you dearly, but you just won’t get it. However, the perpetually messy—yeah, you over there with the drawer full of dead batteries and the tower of old mail tucked under the bedside table—I need you! I’m sure you’ve found one area of success. Please, share your tips with me! And, if you’ve got frugal cleaning ideas, be sure to link them up at Inexpensively’s Money Saving Monday this week!
Heather! I know you think I might be one of the naturals, but here I am spouting some advice. Here are a couple of things that I do: 1) tackle it a few pieces at a time 2) if you see the mess and it bugs you clean it right then and not later. Clean it for you and not for someone else (i.e.company). I was just in my bathroom yesterday, in the midst of ten other things and I HAD to take five minutes to clean my vanity because I couldn’t stand it! (hugs!)
Found your blog through DB! The way I stay organized is the “EVERYTHING HAS A HOME” philosophy. If everything has a place where it “belongs” you can quickly put away mess.
1. Invest some money into good organization tools and a label maker. Ikea and the container store and Target are your friends. Boxes and containers are “great homes” for items. Use a label maker to label them. For example, Have a box for receipts, a box for pictures, a box for nostalgic items. When the boxes get full, you must sort through and throw out at least half or put it away. You can train your kids and hubby to put things in “their home.” Assign each person one area to be in charge of. Having a place for everything (whether that’s a trunk for toys or a rack for shoes) is KEY. It might cost you upfront, but the peace of mind is incredible.
2. Start with a small area like a desk and give everything a home. For example, my pens go into this cup, my papers go into these folders.
3. Give yourself one area (a closet or corner) where stuff where you don’t know what to do with it or don’t want to deal with it, goes. Then every 3 months, sort through it. Throw half away, put away 1/4 and leave 1/4 or whatever works for you.
GOOD LUCK!!!