Today I’d like to introduce you to our newest Virtually Organized sponsor, Beyond Bedding:

Hi Fans of Virtually Organized by Debbie!

Thank you so much for reading this page, where Debbie has so graciously allowed us to talk about the services that Beyond Bedding can provide your family!  We are HUGE fans of Debbie and Virtually Organized, and we have found many of her articles useful to us, both professionally and personally.  We have come into contact with those who are fortunate enough to survive cancer (and unfortunately some who lost their battle), and we would like Debbie to know that we are fans of her gusto for life! 

Beyond Bedding strives to provide quality crib bedding sets and toddler bedding sets at reasonable prices. And we also feel like we’ve organized our site so that you can easily and quickly find all the matching accessories to our quality bedding options.

One particular Virtually Organized article that we found very interesting and relevant to nursery bedding and toddler bedding was Debbie’s post on cleaning up clutter at night (Night, Night, Sleep Tight, Don’t Forget to Clutter Sweep). As parents ourselves, we know how difficult it is to wake up in the morning to a cluttered and messy bedroom… that’s why we offer products like this adorable cowboy baby bedding set that has accessories like a laundry hamper, a diaper stacker, and even a toy bag all with the exact same cowboy crib print!

Another article we just loved was the post about Strategies for Stuffed Animal Overload!  Working at a bedding company we’re really into animal print crib sets such as our Animal Safari Pattern Jungle Baby Bedding set and our ever popular zebra baby bedding sets. Debbie’s article about stuffed animals made us realize just much fun we can all have with animal prints and nursery decor! 

Once again thank you Debbie for allowing us to say “Hi” to your wonderful readers, and we hope that if you need anything that you’ll swing by and visit us at Beyond Bedding!

Do Things in Chunks

Procrastination often comes from feeling overwhelmed. Break your clutter-busting sessions into manageable steps. Using a timer can help with this. Planning out your organizing project into steps, and working on one step at a time can keep things moving forward, too.

Get Someone Else Involved in the Project

It’s hard  to procrastinate when someone else is involved. If the clutter is just too overwhelming, ask for help. It’s not a sign of weakness but rather a positive step toward changing old habits. Having an accountability partner can make all the difference !

Reward Yourself

You’re much more likely to complete the dreaded de-cluttering task if there is a dinner out, an appointment at the spa, or even just a lazy weekend afternoon with nothing to do waiting for you when (and only when) the task is complete. Sometimes just focusing on this reward can help motivate you to get the job done.

Focus on the End Result

Before you begin, visualize and focus on the outcome you desire. When the task is finished, what will be better in life as a result? Keep this uncluttered, relaxing and peaceful space in mind as you work to help motivate you to the finish line.

Just Do It

Don’t think about it too much, just jump in and get it done!

So, what organizing project will you stop procrastinating about today?

Simply yours,

Debbie

Dear Debbie,

I saw you had answered a question about organizing toys in your blog post “Multi-age Toy Storage”. I have a very similar situation I was hoping you might have some ideas for me.

I have a 3-year-old daughter who is starting to become interested in smaller toys, art supplies, and regular cardboard puzzles. I want her things to be easily accessible to her, but not to her mobile, 10-month-old brother. For Christmas she received a handmade dollhouse that her brother would completely demolish if he gets his hands on it. It is quite large (3 feet wide and 2 feet tall) and not something you can store easily.
We live in a single wide trailer and the kids share a bedroom (it’s their only option). I don’t think it is fair to her to have to play with baby toys, and since they nap at the same time every day, and go to bed at the same time every night, there is no available time for her to play freely without her brother around. It is also a pain to get things out and put them away considering how indecisive preschoolers are about what they want to do. One minute she wants to color, then do a puzzle, then play with a doll, then it’s back to coloring. By the time I put something away, she’d want it back out.

We have considered everything from building a loft for her to buying an armoire to creating a gated space for her. The main problem is preschoolers aren’t responsible and they are often forgetful. I shudder to think of the damage her brother would do if she forgot to close the gate or armoire and he got into her stuff, especially that doll house.

I have seen many different ideas across the internet but most of them involve keeping things in the older child’s room, which we can’t do, or in a special place in a playroom, which we don’t have. Aside to buying a bigger house, are there any suggestions you might have that we may not have thought of yet?

I would appreciate any feedback you may have. Thanks so much!

Cali

Thanks for your question about your kids’ toys, Cali. My kids are spaced apart in age about the same as yours, and I can remember the challenge of keeping things away from the youngest one!

Let’s start by addressing your daughter’s toys with small pieces. One idea is to first sort them into similar categories, and then store each category in a separate hanging tote bag. The bags don’t have to be fancy or expensive. I was just at Old Navy and they have some cute reusable shopping totes that are regularly just 99 cents. Pier 1 Imports has some fun shopping totes that would work great for this, too.

For this system, each bag is for a specific activity: one for coloring books/crayons, one for Barbie dolls, one for beads, one for puzzles (My tip for big-kid puzzles is to store the pieces in a Ziploc bag. Cut the picture of the puzzle out from the box and store it in the bag, too. This takes up less room than lots of boxed puzzles, that always seem to fall apart anyway, and several of these baggies of puzzles can be stored in one of the hanging totes).

Next, you’ll need a place to store these bags. You could install an inexpensive peg board or individual hooks in your kids’ bedroom. Make sure the hooks are at a height that’s out of reach for your son, but accessible to your daughter. Be sure to hang hooks that are beyond her reach to hang the bags of toys and arts supplies that you don’t want her to have total access to. If you get creative with the placement, these hooks can be useful for other things as they get older, thus making it a system that will grow and develop with your children.

Now, this system won’t necessarily help with your problem of constantly needing to get things out and then back away all the time, but by utilizing your vertical wall space, you won’t have to take up your valuable floor space with more furniture. If she wants to play with something in another room, it’s easy for her to transport the entire activity on her own. Plus, you’re planting the seeds of organization, which will hopefully help her to continue to work towards organization and simplicity and she grows.

In terms of the dollhouse, that’s a little tricky. If it’s handmade, it sounds like it might be an heirloom someday. Is it too large to display on a shelf? Keeping it just for “show” might be one way to preserve it and protect it until both kids are little older and can be trusted not to break it. Another option is to keep it at a nearby relative’s house, if that is possible. If your daughter visits a grandparent or an aunt that would be able to keep it for now, it would be a special treat for her to play with during her visits.

Another idea is to store it away until the weather is warmer and she can play with it outside, in an area gated off from the little one. I would try to avoid buying a piece of furniture just to store it in, though, unless you can justify how you will use this furniture in the future and if the expense and loss of floor space is worth it.

Hope this helps you out a bit! Let me know how it goes!

Debbie
Thank you so much for your input; you have given me a LOT of great ideas!

We had talked about the dollhouse staying at her grandparents’ house (who lives right across the street), so I am thinking that may be our best option at this point. There are many times she visits without her brother that she would be free to use it without restrictions.

I love the puzzle idea! One box has already come to its demise and I had it stored in a Ziploc bag, which I will now do with the rest of them as well. It will be easier for her to open the baggies than the boxes anyway, and I am sure they will last longer and will be easier to store.

Right now we use those 1 foot square collapsible bins for their toys but they are so big and bulky and you would have to buy so many of them to separate things out by activity as you had suggested. Using a wall system saves us from trying to cram even more furniture into their bedroom or having to install shelving. I think the bags will work great and will be easier to organize. That will make it simple for her to participate in cleaning up. They will also have less objects in each one, making them easier for her to transport and quicker to clean up. She is a typical preschool who dumps everything out on the ground in order to find the one toy she is looking for.

What I will do is put the bags which she needs supervision to use (such as paint) out of her reach so when she would like to do one of those things she would have to ask help to get it down. I think I will put a picture on the outside of the bag to represent what is inside as well as the name of the activity, which will boost her reading and picture recognition skills. This will really help with her picking an activity, too, since she often just doesn’t know what she wants to do and looking at the pictures on the bags can give her ideas without me having to list off a bunch of different things to her.

I truly appreciate everything, thank you so much!

Cali

So glad I could help, Cali! Thanks again for getting in touch, and good luck with the toy organization!

Simply yours,
Debbie

Winter will soon be here. Think about it: Mornings of ice scrapers, defrosters, cold hands, and the inevitable “Well, I cleared about 6 inches off the windshield. I’ll just slide down in my seat and look through that little space because I don’t have time to wait for the rest of it to clear!”
 
For those who are lucky enough to have a garage, why not make this the year that you actually put your car inside and avoid all that, at least on the coldest and snowiest of nights?
 
Please note that while I’m describing garage organization, the same techniques can be applied to outdoor storage sheds, basements, or any other area where you tend to accumulate lawn and garden items, tools, paint and more.
 
 Like any other organizing project, there are three basic steps.
 
 1. Declutter and clean
Our family’s recent garage makeover began when we decided to epoxy-coat the floor. I can’t say enough about how great this process is if you have pets or very dirty things coming into and out of the garage — spills or messes wipe right up, and don’t sink in and stain your concrete. Ours was done by a local handyman, but you can buy do-it-yourself kits at local home-improvement stores.
 
I mention this because we were forced into our own “Clean Sweep” when we decided to use epoxy. Everything had to get OUT of the garage for 24 to 48 hours in order for the epoxy to set. And knowing that my garage’s contents were going to be sitting in my driveway was GREAT motivation to get rid of as much as possible!
 
You can use the same strategy even if you’re not redoing the floor of your garage. As the garage is a place that often collects real dirt — sometimes in the form of cobwebs or gardening debris — the first step to your project will be to get rid of anything you don’t need, to remove the rest from the room temporarily, and to give it a thorough cleaning. Wipe down any shelves; clean the floor and walls, and so on. You don’t want to put your things back neatly on top of three years’ worth of dust!
 
When deciding what to get rid of, stay in touch with your municipal office and with your trash company. In many areas, for example, latex paint can now be thrown away with regular trash. In others, though, it must be taken to a hazardous-waste collection. A quick call will help you make sure you’re getting rid of things like paint, old tires, construction debris and yard waste properly.
 
 2. Sort
 A garage, like any other space, has to have “a place for everything.” As you decluttered, you probably noticed certain categories of items you wanted to keep. In our garage, we have the following storage needs:

 A. Our tools
 B. Our extra drinks and paper products (because the garage is right off the kitchen and has a spare fridge)
 C. The cats’ litter and food area
 D. Gardening supplies (potting soil, flower pots)
 E. Home-improvement supplies/paint
 F. Outdoor supplies (tents, coolers, air mattresses)
 G. Large tools (shovels, mowers)
 H. Trash cans and recycling bin
 I. Extra kitchen small appliances (bread maker, etc.)
 
When you’ve got all the items out of your garage, perhaps sitting in your driveway, you can do a quick sort and keep like items together.
 
If you come up with a set of items that just don’t seem “right” for the garage, consider other locations. For instance, while doing our big garage makeover, we found a lot of sporting equipment that really wasn’t being used because it was too hard for my daughter to access. Instead of putting those items back in the garage, we bought a large, sealed deck box and put them there.
 
Once you’ve ruled out what doesn’t need to go back in, determining the purposes of your garage will guide you in the last step of the project.
 
 3. Replace items
 We’re very lucky, because the two-car garage in our home came with a lot of built-in shelving. If you’re not so lucky, consider the use of inexpensive boxes or shelving units, at least to get yourself started. One word of warning – don’t use cardboard boxes sitting directly on the floor. Should you get water in the garage, it would be disastrous!
 
Like any other room, consider what you use most often when reorganizing. Don’t put the extra paper towels back in the corner on a top shelf that only one person can reach. And don’t put the air mattress that comes out once a year right by the door.
 
If your goal is truly to be able to park a car in the garage, of course it makes sense to arrange your items accordingly. You might even want to pull your car into the garage before you put its contents back; it’s easy to stand in a wide-open garage and think, “Sure, there’s plenty of room in here,” only to find that, once you put a huge vehicle in that space, you can only open the doors on your passenger side!
 
 
Finally, to keep the garage looking its best, consider some easy routines in the future to keep dirt out. For instance, hose off your mower before returning it to the garage. Wash your shovel after repotting plants. Sweep or vacuum the floor and pull down any cobwebs every week or two as part of your regular cleaning. If you treat your garage with the same care you give other living areas, it can become a valuable extra room in your home instead of a “junk graveyard!”
 

Thanks so much for sharing, Joan! To check out more, be sure to visit Only in York!

Cleaning Out

The process of organizing your purse is very similar to organizing rooms in your house. The first thing to do is to clear out the space, or in this case, the purse.

Next, sort the contents of your purse into categories. Depending on what you typically carry, some categories may be: cosmetic/personal, mints/gum, pen/paper, money, coupons, and electronic. A critical category is “belongs elsewhere.”  This category is for everything you’ve been carrying around that doesn’t really belong in your purse. The object is to have a simplified and streamlined handbag, so be ruthless, here!

The third step is to go category by category and purge the items that you don’t really need to store in your purse. Do you have duplicate items? (How many pens, lipsticks and packs of tissues do we really need when we’re out and about?) Purge all but the one you use most often, and place the extras in the “belongs elsewhere” pile. Again, the goal is to only carry around what is absolutely necessary.

Now that you have determined what items you want and need to have in your purse, it’s time to assign these items a “home.” By assigning your things to homes, you will always know where to quickly find the item when you need it and, even more important, where to consistently store the item when you’re done with it.

These days, many purses come with an assortment of pockets and compartments that can help with storing your things. But there are several ways to take it a step further and give yourself the gift of complete handbag organization. Here are a few of my favorite ideas, ranging for budget conscious to a bit on the extravagant side:

 Clear Organizing Bags

One way to assign easily accessible homes for your purse items is to group each category in a clear, plastic, zippered bag. I found the one below at Office Depot ($9.98 for a 3-pack), but you can find similar bags at discount stores and dollar markets, too. 

(If you want to go ultra-cheap, you can just use disposable zipper sandwich bags.  If your purse gets as much use as mine, though, these flimsy bags probably won’t last very long before needing to be replaced.)

The Purseket

Like most women, NJ Carson, was tired of always digging in her purse to find what she needed. So she did something about it and invented the Purseket® (short for Purse Pocket).

The idea behind the Purseket is a very simple one—a removable set of pockets that can be transferred from handbag to handbag.  If you like to switch purses often, simply lift the Pursekeet out, pop it into the new purse, and off you go!  Such a time-saver! I love this product so much I featured it in a post last year, A Few of My Favorite Little Things: Organizing Gadgets I Can’t Live Without.

The Purseket fits along the inside of your purse, leaving the middle empty for your wallet. The pockets vary in size to accommodate all sorts of items and serve as permanent “homes.” The Pursekeet itself comes in different sizes to work with whatever size handbag you prefer (large, $23.50; medium, $21.50; small, 19.50; and  junior drop-in, $17.50.)

There are also a wide assortment of fabrics to choose from, making this a very flexible and customizable organizing tool.

The Butler Bag

Organized Butler Bag

The mother of all organized purses has got to be the Butler Bag, which claims to be the world’s first compartmentalized handbag. I own two of these and I adore them (although in full disclosure, I have to confess that Butler Bag sent me my first one free for this review.)

The beauty of the Butler Bag is that hidden inside this very stylish accessory is a compartmentalized insert that gives you defined sections, or “homes,” to store your things. Your de-cluttered wallet can then easily fit along the long side of the insert.

 Whether you’re a fashionista, a busy mom, a business exec, a student, or a combination of these, the Butler Bag has a functional yet very stylish option for you. The only down side is that they are a bit pricey (the 2009 Classic design sells for $125, the new satchel is $225 and the “BOUTURE LINE” ranges from $800 to $1,400). But if designer handbags, and the price tag they command, are your thing, why not invest in a designer bag that has your organizational happiness in mind?

So, do you have any tips to share for keeping your purse in tip-top organizational bliss? Leave me a comment below with your ideas.

Simply yours,

Debbie

P.S. For some additional ideas on organizing your purse, check out these posts from two of my fellow Professional Organizers:

 Org Junkie’s Purse Round-up

 Jeri Dansky’s Organizing and Decluttering News

Stocking the pantry can be the key to eating healthy on a budget. Keeping it organized keeps you from buying that 3rd bottle of ketchup just because you didn’t see the one in the back of the cupboard.

Our kitchen has no pantry and many of our cupboards are unusable due to the lack of shelving, or shelves that are falling apart. The previous owners did a remodel and while it looks okay on the outside, the insides of the cabinets are atrocious.

We use one cupboard for storing spices and baking supplies. We use another cupboard for dry goods and canned goods.

A friend mentioned the idea of using shelving in her coat closet to store extra pantry items. This was a perfect idea for our house because the hall is right off the kitchen. The closet has floor to ceiling doors, and 2 large, long shelves above the hanging rod.

The Stocked “Pantry”

I’ve been purchasing extras of our staples on sale, as well as buying in bulk. I occasionally purchase things from a local buying club, Frontier, or by the case at our local whole foods store (they offer a 10% discount on cases). I also try to stock up when I am near a Trader Joe’s because they have many of our must-have items at rock bottom prices. (Ketchup for instance is $1.79 for 24 ounces, and is considered a staple because it gets the kids to eat greens.)

How to Stock your Pantry:

Before you go shopping this week take some time to go through your cabinets, fridge and freezer so you can catalog everything you have on hand.  You may find you could eat of your pantry for a month, like FrugalGail on Wesabe. (what would you do with the savings?)

If you find some expired items here is a handy guide to tell what is safe to eat.

EXPIRED GOODS LIST

Use By: If it’s past this date it is not safe to use. If you are getting close to the date, either use it up immediately, or freeze it if possible. “Use By” is usually found on meat, poultry and some packaged fruits and vegetables.

Sell By: If it’s past the due date on an item that says “Sell By” you usually have 7-10 days before it truly goes bad. Again, use it before you lose it, or freeze it if possible. This is seen most often on milk and other dairy products.

Best if Used By: After this date the product will taste different according to the manufacturer.  You should also assume loss of vitamins and minerals. I would use it up ASAP if you are past the expiration date.

Most importantly if you’re in doubt, THROW IT OUT!

There are markets that specialize in selling past-date items for low prices. We have one near our home. I find these are a great way to stock up on snacks when we are going on a car trip, or feeding a large crew, but I generally don’t find the trip is worth my time. Even if I’m “only” spending $7 on 20 different snack items, that’s $7 I could instead be using to purchase better quality food which is more bang for my buck.

Next write up your own list of staples. Mark Bittman wrote a list on essential items in a real food kitchen. There’s also a post on Wesabe where members are sharing their grocery staples.

My staple list includes:

• oils (first press extra virgin olive oil, safflower oil, and coconut oil)
• butter (organic salted, organic unsalted for baking)
• nuts (raw almonds, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts)
• dried foods (banana chips, raisins, dried fruit mix for trail mix)
• spices (sea salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, ginger, sage, ground rosemary, mustard, cumin, and more)
• sugars (confectioner’s, white, and light brown)
• sweetners (raw local honey, agave nectar, organic maple syrup, molasses)
• flour (all purpose unbleached, whole wheat, various gluten free flours)
• baking soda, baking powder
• organic cereal (for trail mix, and the occasional harried breakfast)
• canned beans, and dried beans I like to keep canned ones on hand for when I’m in a pinch)
• canned coconut milk
• chunk tuna in water with salt
• canned organic tomatoes (or can your own)
• organic tomato paste (Trader Joe’s now sells this for super cheap)
• in-season veggies and fruit from our local market, or farmer’s market
• carrots which are a year-round staple
• frozen veggies (whatever extra we get from the garden or farmer’s market, as well as green beans and organic roasted corn from Trader Joe’s)
• frozen fruit (wild blueberries, and pineapple tidbits from Trader Joe’s)
• beef (we buy a beef share so we have a variety of cuts and ground beef)
• salmon (wild caught Alaskan salmon)
• chicken (whole chickens and frozen chicken breasts)
• bacon or sausage are occasional treats
• brown rice
• quinoa
• organic pasta
• organic popcorn (best and cheapest snack EVER)
• organic tortilla chips

What are your staples? How do you organize your pantry or kitchen? I still have a lot of things I want to do that I haven’t accomplished in organizing our kitchen, so I would love to hear your ideas.

Kelly

In his newest book, It’s All Too Much, So Get It Together, released September 15^th, best-selling author and organization guru Peter Walsh takes his no nonsense approach straight to the teen population. As anyone with active offspring knows, today’s kids have a lot going on. From deciding what after-school activities to join, to what college to go to, to what job to get, the list of things to do and think about is huge. And the ever-accumulating junk they have to deal with, both mentally and literally, is getting bigger with each passing year.

An overriding theme of this new book is what Peter refers to as “over-stuff-itization,” and he dissects all of the issues and solutions related to this concept by breaking the book into three parts:

• Let’s Talk about The Clutter
• A Step-by-Step Guide To Decluttering Your Space
• Applying These Skills To The Rest of Your Life

Right from the start, Peter lets the teen reader know that he understands them. He acknowledges that most teens are under the thumb of their parents, teachers and coaches and tend to experience the frustrating feelings of not being in control of anything. Add this to the feelings of being overwhelmed with a hectic schedule of activities and it’s no wonder they have so much mental and physical “junk” weighing them down.

In true Peter Walsh fashion, he doesn’t just help readers deal with clearing out the clutter, but rather he goes deeper to help teens understand the reasons why the clutter came to be a problem in the first place.  He also addresses the true impact of the clutter and disorganization (i.e., stress, failing grades, relationship issues). Peter provides kids with the insight, knowledge and skills to start dealing with both external as well as internal clutter.

The real beauty of this book is the motivational influence it provides. Peter truly empowers the reader by letting them know that they can be in control of their disorganization and clutter. Yes, focusing on the future is important, but so is TODAY. He asks teens a question that many adults don’t take the time to ask: “What do YOU want from your life right NOW?” He encourages teens to make their future brighter by focusing on today, stating, “Don’t wait for your life to start, start enjoying the present.”

Throughout the book there are quizzes, questionnaires and character profiles to engage the reader and provide varied opportunities for the reader to identify their own specific clutter issues. He talks the teenager “talk,” but it is always clear that he is the expert. He doesn’t tell teens what to do, but rather guides them through the process with understanding and enlightenment.

It’s All Too Much, So Get It Together puts teens in charge of their own clutter destiny, but sends them off on the journey with the knowledge and mindset to ensure success. This book helps kids discover for themselves what it is they want for their own lives, both today as well as in their very bright and clutter-free futures. What more can we want for the teens in our lives?

Simply yours,

Debbie

So, how can you join? Just pick a new or unfinished project that’s been lingering around for a while and commit to finishing it by the end of the month.

If you have a blog, go ahead and announce to the world what project you are finally going to conquer, complete with pictures, and post your link below for everyone to check out.

If you don’t have a blog, simply leave a comment below telling us all about what you will stop procrastinating about this month.

At the end of the month, we’ll have a round-up of everyone’s completed projects, and one lucky winner will win a fabulous prize.

The beauty of this public “outing” is that by announcing your project to the entire blogosphere, you can gain a sense of accountability to keep you on track and motivate you through to completion.

So, what will you accomplish this March?  Let us all know below!

Simply yours,

Debbie

P.S.  Be sure to check out my past posts on procrastination here and here for some tips on pushing past procrastination.

To celebrate my transition, I’m giving away a fabulous prize to help with your new year’s organizing goals:

a $50 gift certificate to the Container Store!

Just do any or all of the following by midnight EST on Wednesday January 28th:

• Blog about the re-launch of Virtually Organized and include a link: 20 Entries
• Send your tweeps a note about the re-launch via Twitter (include my Twitter name, @organizergal, and a link): 15 Entries each Tweet
• Tell your Facebook friends about the re-launch and the new link: 15 Entries
• Update or add a Virtually Organized link to your own blog, or add a Virtually Organized button to your site: 10 Entries

In this episode of cleanGREENwinnipeg, Marlo sits down with Naturopathic Doctor Scott Olson to discuss sugar addiction and some of the signs of this addiction.  After the break take a breather from the holiday chaos and learn five ways to get organized for the season, courtesy of me! My tips focus on simplifying your holidays and taming the typical chaos.  Leave me a comment with which tip you liked the best!

Simply yours,