What tricks of the trade have you learned from Organizers?

amother

Thu, Dec 30 2021, 9:04 pm

What life-saving and sanity-saving tricks of the trade have you learned from professional Organizers, that help with keeping your house neat, that most people dont think of on their own?

How do you manage lots of "things" even after throwing out lots of "things", in a small apartment?

tia

#BestBubby

Thu, Dec 30 2021, 9:25 pm

I enjoyed the series in one of the frum magazines on organizing.

The tricks are:

Throw out half your stuff

Put things in pretty containers

Label the containers

Make sure all your stuff has a "home" (storage spot).

cupcake123

Thu, Dec 30 2021, 10:13 pm

mra01385 wrote:

How do people have a heart to throw out things they don’t need anymore when they spent money on it and only used it a few times or sometimes was the wrong item but never returned it?

I tell myself logically You will not gain anything financially by keeping this. Its still hard sometimes

imasinger

Thu, Dec 30 2021, 10:15 pm

mra01385 wrote:

How do people have a heart to throw out things they don’t need anymore when they spent money on it and only used it a few times or sometimes was the wrong item but never returned it?

This is the kind of thing I donate.

One tip I learned was to group things together, and remove excess packaging when possible.

SingALong

Thu, Dec 30 2021, 11:47 pm

Marie kondo has some good tips on throwing things out. One helpful piece of advice someone gave me was to think about the value of the storage space the item takes up. If I need the storage space more than the item, it’s easier to throw out. Also if I haven’t used the item in a really long time, and don’t see myself needing it, it’s out.

I think 3 times before I buy something. I must have a location for it before I purchase anything.

zaq

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 7:32 am

How do people have a heart to throw out things they don’t need anymore when they spent money on it and only used it a few times or sometimes was the wrong item but never returned it?

You don’t throw it out if it’s good; you give it away, preferably to a charity. You realize that this item isn’t fulfilling its mission sitting unused in your closet, and some needy person would be grateful to have it.

The money you already said Kaddish on; whether you use the item or not, that money is gone. So why add insult to injury by allowing an unwise purchase to clutter up your home and be a constant reminder of your mistake? And mistake it was, because if it had been a wise purchase, you would be using it.

amother

Mintgreen

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 7:56 am

Hope do people have the heart to throw things away when you miiiiight use it in the future?
I had a big bag of ugly nail polish sitting in my bathroom. Last week, my daughter's and I had so much fun painting our toenails with them. I had extra linen in my closet. didn't use it ever until one day when I needed it desperately.
I know that I don't use most of the stuff I save, but sometimes I do and it is so useful.

imaima

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 8:16 am

mra01385 wrote:

How do people have a heart to throw out things they don’t need anymore when they spent money on it and only used it a few times or sometimes was the wrong item but never returned it?

It is called sunken cost fallacy.
The money is gone. Mourn it. Keeping the item will not bring the money back.

zaq

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 8:23 am

amother [ Mintgreen ] wrote:

You miiiiiight use it in the future. But for the most part, you won't. If you didn't have that nail polish, you'd either have bought some or have come up with a different fun activity. If you didn't have the spare linens, you'd have made do with something else; maybe done a load of laundry. Was that one-time convenience worth the nuisance of having closets crammed so full you can barely find anything?

Sure, if you live in a huge house with enough storage space for three families your size, go ahead and hold on to every unnecessary item that you miiiiiight use some day but probably won't. Most women posting in threads like this don't have that luxury. BTW, another few years and that nail polish would have dried out and been completely useless.

amother

Peru

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 8:28 am

I use storage containers with floor length tablecloths (often pretty sheets) over them as end or side tables. So to store my kid's outgrown clothes that I'm saving for the next kids, I'll put it in a sealed container, cover, sometimes stack a second, and then cover. And that's DD's bedside table, or the corner table between the couch and the wall where we put books and the like.

amother

Darkblue

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 8:31 am

mra01385 wrote:

How do people have a heart to throw out things they don’t need anymore when they spent money on it and only used it a few times or sometimes was the wrong item but never returned it?

It’s time to make someone else happy
You’ve done your purpose now go find a new one

amother

Mintgreen

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 8:40 am

zaq wrote:

Thanks! I really needed to hear that.

zaq

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 11:25 am

PSA for those who save paint or any other liquid or semi-liquid product: If there's only a little left in the container, decant into a much smaller one. Not only because a big, nearly-empty container is a waste of space, but because the product will dry out and be useless. If the product is alcohol- or solvent-based, it will dry out even faster than if it's water-based.

amother

Bluebell

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 12:16 pm

From the Slob Comes Clean lady: put things away where you would look for them. I have a bad habit of "hiding" things in a place I can just tuck them away out of sight, and then I can't find things and I wind up with a million junk drawers/boxes. And when you're putting things away, take them directly to that spot--don't fill a laundry basket with stuff you'll never actually put away Hiding