organization?!?!

i consider myself to be a neat and organized person, although with a baby it's a bit harder to stay on track these days.  but it is something that is important to me because it is something i can control in the all the chaos of life.  i wasn't always this way.  i remember in elementary school my parents going to a parent/teacher conference and the teacher told them that i needed to work on my organization.  i remember taking this to heart and made a big effort to learn how to become a more organized person.  as a kid there are really only two areas that i could focus on; my school work/binder and my room.  i started to use tabs and dividers in my notebook and tidy up my papers and my closet in my room became color coordinated and immaculate.

these traits have stuck (with the exception of the color coordinated closet)!  i enjoy when things have a place, there is no clutter and the house is clean.  the good news is, if you struggle with organization it is something you can learn, and if you don't have an interest you can pay someone to help you out!

i started to think of what i do on a daily basis to maintain an organized house, here are a few ideas...

~i have a bag of "donations" that is constantly added to.  when it gets filled, we drop it off (usually every few weeks) and start a new one.

~i make lots of returns!  people love to buy babies gifts, but i only keep what we need!  i will take back clothes and toys and get store credit for future purchases.

~i keep a running grocery list.  this way i don't over buy or impulse buy.  i know exactly what we need.

~this one is hard, but i try not to let dishes or laundry pile up.  dishes are usually done after every meal, but sometimes that is unrealistic, but they never sit for more than a few hours or rarely overnight.  i feel like the laundry is coming out of my ears most of the time, and most times it takes a 2nd spin the dryer, but i try to fold it and put it away quickly.  (again, this is a hard one for me!)

~i have a "one in one out" policy.  when i buy something i try to get rid of something.  i either sell or donate it.

~baby items are big and bulky and i put them away as she outgrows them.  luckily we have an extra room and plenty of storage, we are holding on to them for the next baby.  i am also really good about storing her clothes by size when she outgrows them.

~i throw out, donate or sell anything that doesn't fit, we aren't using or we don't want.  i do this regularly.

~i enjoy the challenge of re-purposing and being resourceful with what i have on hand.

~i try to be purposeful in my purchases.  meaning they are based off of needs and not wants.  i enjoy living a more minimalist lifestyle when it comes to material possessions.

~and lastly i know most would cringe at this, but i use a daytimer!  yes, a daytimer!  i love writing things down with a pen and paper.  i know i could use google calendar, but this helps me remember better and it has been my system for years and years! i also believe in keeping a list!