UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.
Congrats to Kim: howellfarm@… I will email you today to get your shipping information!
Here is Kim’s simple organizing tip — LOVE IT!
Each year I create a folder on my computer with the school year. I then scan all the artwork and projects my kids bring home. At the end of the year I can make a picture album.
As you may have guessed by now, I’m a pretty big fan of simple, organized living! I love learning about and implementing ideas that will help me {and all of you} to simplify and organize every aspect of life.
My friend Laura over at I’m an Organizing Junkie shares my obsession with simplicity and organizing in her new book “Clutter Rehab 101: Tips and Tricks to Become an Organization Junkie and Love it“.
And while I pretty much love any book that talks about clutter control, time management, organization, etc. I REALLY love this little book because Laura breaks everything down into SIMPLE, bite-size chunks that anyone can manage — yes, even you!
Every page has a different quick-tip or idea to help you get more organized {there are 101 tips in all} and the book is almost pocket size, so you can take it wherever you go!
Here are some of my favorite tips from the book:
#9. Never leave a room-empty handed.
#30. If you don’t like something, change it or stop complaining.
#55. Store stuff where you use it.
#62. Embrace Plan B and let go of perfection.
#97. Don’t put it off until later.
Obviously the book elaborates on every one of those tips — but I don’t want to ruin it for you!
So if you want to get your hands on this invaluable little book, you can purchase it from Amazon.com.
OR…
You can enter to win a free copy right here!
All you need to do is leave your own clutter-busting tip in the comment section below — I know you have at least one!
This contest is open until Monday, July 25, 2011, at 10:00 pm EST. ONE winner will be selected at random and announced on Tuesday, July 26. Please read my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you might have. I received a complimentary book for review, however all opinions are my own!
Heather says
I am on several call lists for donation pickups. It’s a great reminder to occasionally purge clothing and small household items. It keeps donations/unused items from piling up and it’s so easy since I don’t have to go anywhere!
laura says
I love to use baskets for my bathroom supplies-nail care, moisturizers, first aid, etc.
Lindsey T says
I go through my clothes and shoes every 3 months and donate what hasn’t been worn or has seen better days. It keeps my closet clutter free. Oh, I also don’t buy more clothes than can fit in my closet or dresser. Keeps excess clothes off the floor!
Renee says
I’m a mom to 3 teens. I get tired of finding cups and glasses all over the house. We run out of glasses before they are washed! Each person has their own ceramic tile with their name on it for their glass for the day. Get creative with the tile. I stamped names with staz-on ink and then put a clear coat of krylon over the top. Also, attach a piece of cork or fun foam to the bottom so it doesn’t scratch your counter.
Tammie J says
If the kids help me purge their clothes and we do a “fashion show” to see if it still fits etc. then they are more excited to help me take outgrown good items to the shelter for others to have.
A C Stewart says
Put items back/away where they go.
Deanne says
I am the divorced mom of 4 kids and it can get pretty crazy here at times. I make a list each morning of 4 or 5 things that I want to get accomplished. I find that with a list I am not jumping from one task to another without finishing the first. My home is in such a cluttered state, but I do find that my morning lists are slowly helping me become more organized.
Naila says
These are somethings that we have seen and learnt from our mom and now we do the same.
Do the laundry when ever u have enough clothes for one load of the washing machine. This way they can be folded and replaced back in the cupboards easily when dry without us getting exhausted.
We keep all unused clothes that are hidden in the shelf at the back,clothes which some how we dont like after wearing it once or clothes for which we have become big or small!!, in a separate box and take them back home on vacations. There are many who are more than happy to receive them.
Wash the dishes then and there without piling them in the sink.
Replace everything then and there afetr use.
Fiona says
We have a busy life and four children, so the clutter can mount up..;-)
My tips are pretty simple really and have helped me stay organized. I make a list of no more than 3 tasks to accomplish in the home each day, and when I do embark upon an organizing or decluttering project, I never take out more than I can easily put back in 30 minutes. This has helped keep a semblance of order when friends or family call, and say, “We’re in your area….”
Jacqui says
Take pictures of all the kids artwork when they do them, and archive them straight away. The timestamp on the file will identify when the artwork was done, and you’ll have memories of all their work without the paper clutter!
Angie says
Rubbermaid storage container for two smaller kids. Quick clean up of living room and their stuff goes in there until it can be put in the correct place before bed.
kathy w says
Work on keeping the kitchen counter picked up everyday instead of at the end of the week.
Deb says
Let things go. Just because you remember where you got it or who gave it to you doesn’t mean you have to keep it forever.
Carmen says
I have a basket near the entrance of our house where all the bills and paperwork go. It’s handy and accessible enough to be a reminder, yet not laying all around on the flat surfaces.
Lindsey Shaw says
If I’m overwhelmed and don’t know where to start I just find one small problem area to tackle and get to work immediately. Transforming any surface from a clutter trap to a clear usable space is a great reward and the best motivation to keep going!
Ann says
Everything should have a home; nothing should be homeless. Everything wants to be let in its home. Don’t leave things stranded in other places.
Ashley Bradford says
I tend to follow FlyLady, so my tip would be to just eliminate a little clutter everyday. It gets overwhelming when you let things pile up, so working on getting rid of clutter some each day always keeps it at bay!
Krissa says
Have a place for everything!
Danielle says
When you purchase an item of clothing, toys for your kiddo, or new shoes…go through your
closet, your kiddos closet & find what you no longer wear or use & donate to a local charity.
Janelle says
Leave current shoes that we are wearing on a rack near the front door – gardening shoes/boots, etc are on a rack in the garage. I have also learned to go through mail right away and recycle, shred, and file right away
erin says
I try to sign up for electronic options whenever possible to cut down on the pesky paper mail coming into the house!
Jenni Law says
Having a large box in a cupboard in the centre of the house which was our ‘dumping site’! This way everything being ‘dumped’ goes into the box which is then sorted a couple of times a week. It means the dumped stuff is hidden away until it is sorted.
Crystal says
putting a recycling can right next to the trash can in the kitchen – saved lots of trips to the gargage or just piling recycling on the counter!
Deena says
Work from left to right, start with one pile and keep working your way through the piles. If you know where it goes, immediately put it away! If you aren’t sure, put in another pile to file later. And most importantly, have a big trash bag nearby!
Catie says
If you don’t LOVE it – don’t keep it! 🙂
Heather says
Break things down into small areas and stop procrastinating. When I think, “Oh the whole hose is such a mess” I don’t know how to get started, so I just don’t do anything, but if I say “I’ll clean off the coffee table,” I do that and then can move on to another small task.
Beth says
I’ve been battling clutter for years and only recently realized that much of my problem is that I don’t have a dedicated place for papers that come into the house. My best tip is to set up a place for mail and papers that don’t immediately go into the trash/recycling or shredder.
Leone says
I go through my mail as soon as I walk through the front door. Junk mail gets tossed immediately and bills are opened, sorted & prepped for payment.
Miranda says
Go through the mail immediately. Toss what needs to be tossed right away or else it just piles up.
Lindsay Muller says
Before heading to the thrift store to score a deal, see if there’s anything you can take to donate.
Janis says
When my son was little, we used large plastic drawers for his toys. I put pictures of what goes in each drawer on the outside so he could put his toys away himself and could find what he wanted to play with easily.
Meave says
My kitchen is small, and it’s the most used area in the house, so I’m always wanting it to be clean, and I don’t like dirty dishes piling up in the sink. So, I clean up after each meal, including washing the dishes – since there’s only a few is usually doesn’t take long and then dinner dishes are a minimum. I try to clean as I go in the rest of the house, too.
JoDi says
I started taking photos of our son’s school projects years ago so I could keep the memory without having to keep the stuff. I did that with a lot of toys from his childhood too so we could look back on them and reminisce without having them take up a whole closet or the attic. I kept a few special items and some books that he could pass along to his kids, but it was also nice to be able to have the photos to remember things he enjoyed but that weren’t important enough to keep for the next generation.
Heather @ Work At Home Market says
I bought an old dress and fixed it up to use as an entertainment center. The drawers were perfect for storing DVD’s & CD’s. That way I don’t have an unsightly mess in our living room.
janis says
I guess you meant you bought an old DRESSER?
Heather @ Work At Home Market says
hahaha!! Yes, that’s what I meant. 😉
Denise says
I created a mail station in my kitchen. I hung three shelves and got three matching baskets. One for my husband, one for me, and one for my kids to share. I also asked my husband what labels he needed on file folders to stash the paper clutter that he always piles on the desk and island. I have files in my basket for receipts, coupons, projects I’ve torn from magazines, etc. In the basket for my kids I have a file for the current school year. I file their papers until I can take them upstairs to their crates for long term storage.
Kim says
Each year I create a folder on my computer with the school year. I then scan all the artwork and projects my kids bring home. At the end of the year I can make a picture album.
Andrea Watts says
Always delutter before bed before it gets piled up.
Hilary says
I’m on the regular contact list for the charity that picks up stuff at my house and takes it away to be sold to benefit others in the community. When they call to see if I want a pick up I always say yes! I keep a donate box in the hall closet where I add things that we’re not using anymore and it’s always ready to leave the house on pick up day. Sometimes it prompts me to do a bigger clean out (like outgrown clothes before school starts) and sometimes it’s a small bag of kitchen stuff I’m not using anymore, but there will always be something to say goodbye to when pick up day arrives!
MelissaPete says
This sounds great. I love organizing, but my own home can be overwhelming. Little quick things to keep in mind really help, and I can always use this kind of thing! My own clutter buster is the basket I have sitting in my living room. I may have mentioned it before on here. It’s round and pretty and fine sitting empty, but I use it to pop things in during the day that need to go down the hall; it’s kind of like a stair basket to go upstairs. It keeps me from walking back and forth through my house during the day. Since it’s mostly my kids’ stuff, one of their jobs is to do their “returns”. They go to the basket, pull out what is theirs, and they return it to its home. The word “returns” came from a friend, and it works because it’s not a downer word to my kids like “clean up” is.