Organized, schmorganized

After reading one of the latest editions of Real Simple,

I was inspired to share some of my favorite organizing tips.

1.
Buttons.
Label the little plastic bags that extra buttons come in
and place them in your sewing kit.
When you lose one, you will know EXACTLY where to find the replacement!

2.

Galvanized tubs or baskets.

Use them to store summer essentials on the deck or boat!

3.

Rolling shirts.

I do this all the time when packing for a trip,

so why not utilize drawer separators and do this in my drawers at home?

It is so much easier to find the shirt you're looking for versus digging through a pile.

Not to mention it keeps the wrinkles away!

4.

Plastic bags for baby outfits.

When traveling with baby, it is essential to make life as easy as possible.

Put together complete outfits, down to hair clips and hats,

and place them in gallon-size plastic ziplock bags.

Sounds like a great system to me!

5.

Recipes.
I'm talking pre-Pinterest, the ones you ripped out of Food & Wine magazine.

I whip out my label maker and organize them into categories -

Regions, Kids, Slow Cooker, Baking, Sides, etc.

Now my 500+ recipes have an appropriate home and I know EXACTLY where to look when I need one in particular.  Once I test them and determine "it's a keeper", I create specific books to store in my kitchen beside my cookbooks on even more categorized shelves.

6.
A "Where is it?" List.
I do not have one of these, but am pretty sure I need one!
Make a file on your computer where you write down everything that you don't use often, along with EXACTLY where in the house you're keeping it (for example, under the guest bed near the headboard).
You'll be able to find that "cowboy costume" or extra fan in no time!

7.
Deep cleaning kit.
Assemble necessary tools/products along with a list in a caddy.
Store it under your sink.
You will be able to deep clean (without forgetting something important) in a much more efficient manner.
A sample list {HERE}.

8.

A DIY Weekly Planner

Who needs to spend a lot of money when you can print this template at home?

Or, if you want to get fancy, print it off at Kinkos and have them bind it for you.

(Still cheaper than buying a pre-made one...plus you get to customize it!)

Perfect for truly organizing your life.

I would truly be LOST without a planner.

And I'm totally digging these templates specifically for meals/grocery lists in one.

Cute!

Hope these ideas inspire you to get your ducks in a row!

:)

~photos by b (first 3 of Real Simple magazine) / images via The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking, artsy-fartsy mama & kamleylane.com~