As you probably already know (if you know me at all), I’m deep into editing & organizing this time of year. January and even well into February (and March even) are big decluttering & reorganizing months at my house.
I’ll do a smaller decluttering/organizing “go at it” in late summer/early fall. One big “go through” in the first month or two of each year then a smaller “go through” mid-year.
Of course, I’m constantly editing & reorganizing in the days, weeks & months in-between. This keeps “things” from getting out of hand and makes those big, twice a year editing & organizing projects so much faster & easier.
CUT The Clutter!
Even though I’m constantly editing & reorganizing my home…things do accumulate from time to time (where on earth do all those pens come from that end up in the kitchen?!?!). Kitchens, closets, garages, attics, basements and even bathrooms tend to accumulate “stuff”.
Kitchen drawers, cabinets & pantries for sure can get out of hand. Closets of all types in any home are collectors of “stuff”. Garages, attics & basements may be the worse in most homes for stashing “stuff” throughout the year.
I’ve done hundreds of organizing jobs for clients over the past several years! Some of my clients initially hired me to help them decorate a room or two. Some of my clients initially hired me to stage their home to sell. Some of my clients initially hired me to be their Move Manager (a person who oversees every aspect of a move from one location to another). Yes, I really do (or have done) ALL of those things!
The one thing that I can tell you from years of experience helping people do all the things mentioned above is…the most important part of ANY of it is getting, being & staying organized. It’s not possible to stage a home or decorate a home or move a home without organizing first. I would never move one mess from Point A to Point B! Edit & Organize your home BEFORE moving. ALWAYS.
This makes it so much easier to organize & settle into your new home. And yes, an apartment or rental house is still a home. Your home maybe! Whether you own or rent, it’s equally as important to be organized. It’s truly self-care having our living arrangement organized so we can relax.
Having a well organized kitchen makes even the non-baker/non-cook want to get in there!
Just like I ALWAYS take stock/inventory AND clean out my fridge before going on my weekly grocery shopping trip (meaning not only getting rid of anything that needs to be thrown out but also literally CLEANING-as in wiping each shelf, each drawer out…all surfaces clean including countertops, etc. too ). I do the same for my pantry items. Take stock, edit/toss, wipe shelves clean…THEN replace needed items.
Doing this before going grocery shopping helps me keep a clean, organized & efficiently stocked kitchen. No expired goods because you had no idea what was what and just kept buying without taking stock/inventory and cleaning out. NO WAY!
This one simple kitchen organizing step alone can be a game changer! Think of all the waste you’ll cut back on (i.e.; money you’ll save) and what a great feeling it’ll be to know exactly what you really need to buy when you do hit the grocery aisles!
Making it an ongoing practice will make the bigger organizing projects much easier. It also just feels SO good to have an organized kitchen. This same practice can be tweaked a bit & repeated in each room. Every space in your home. Doesn’t that sound great? It can be done! YOU can do it!!!
Don’t get overwhelmed, just get started. Bit by bit. Drawer by drawer. Closet by closet. Room by room. An over all - well organized home just feels good! Once you’re organized, it’ll be much easier to keep things that way.
*Feel free to reach out if you have any organizing projects you need help with. Virtual Organizing allows me to help clients as I walk them through every step and give step by step instructions & agreed up progress meeting dates/times. Contact me to find out how I can assist you in getting your home organized.
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Happy Sprucing!
~Scarlett