48. Organize Your Sewing Patterns

If you are a sewing aficionado you probably have accumulated several patterns. They are expensive and it is hard to purge knowing how much you paid for them. They will clutter up your sewing space quickly unless you periodically go through and purge.

Gather all of the patterns you own into one space. Carefully review each one and determine if you want to keep or recycle. Be honest with yourself, will you ever use that pattern again? Is the fashion out of date? Has your family outgrown the sizes?

You have several options to recycling the patterns you have chosen to discard.

-Since they are made of paper, you can place them in your recycle bin

- Try selling them online at

www.ebay.com

www.rustyzipper.com

www.momspatterns.com

www.debsrecycledsewingpatterns.com

www.craigslist.com

- Donate them to:

your local high school or college theater department

sewing classes

museums

thrifts shops and vintage clothing stores.

Organize the remaining patterns into categories that will be easy for you to locate later. "Costumes", "Household", "Women's Fashions", "Men's Fashions", "Baby". Pick categories that work best for you. Store into plastic containers and then label the outside of the containers with your chosen categories. You can then store the containers on a shelf or under your bed depending on your space restrictions.

46. Get Organized on Daylight Savings day

Daylight Savings constitutes a changing of our clocks twice per year. With this change, you can set an organizing schedule to follow that would be easy to remember. Simple...twice per year you should:

-check your carbon dioxide and smoke detector batteries

-replace batteries in your flashlights

-clean out the refrigerator of expired items

-clear out expired medicine

-pull out the fridge and clean behind it

-re-evaluate your emergency exit strategies

-replace food/water in your emergency kits

-update emergency phone numbers

-replace missing items from your first aid kit

-get the guest room ready for holiday out-of-town guest

-change all your passwords

-have your heating/air-conditioning unit tuned for the upcoming season

most important....change your clocks.

45. Organize your Halloween Costumes & Decorations

Now that Halloween is over, it is time to organize the costumes and decorations from the holiday. Take a sweep through the house and yard and gather all of your decorations and costumes.

Now is a perfect time to purge items that are broken, worn or are needing replacement. Examine each item carefully to determine if you plan to use it again.

You can donate unwanted costumes/decorations to:

-area schools who will continue to use them for future plays

-local community theater groups

-Medieval and Renaissance era costumes would be accepted by the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA)

-TDF Costume Collection

-Local Goodwill and Salvation Army stores

-sell on craigslist or eBay

Many store will offer discounts on their remaining Halloween stock giving you an opportunity to pick up some new decorations at a great price. Remember to purge something old prior to bringing in something new. This will help to keep the clutter under control.

It is important to store all the decorations in one place so they will be easy to locate and use the following year. Choose a storage box that will protect the items and help to maintain their original shape. If they box is opaque, clearly label the outside "Halloween Decorations" or list the contents of the box.

43. Organize Your Outdoor Storage Shed

Now that the wether is getting cooler, it is the perfect time to organize and purge your outdoor storage shed.

- Pull everything out of the shed and thoroughly clean out all the dirt, cobwebs and anything else that has made its way into the shed uninvited. This would be a perfect opportunity to use a fogging bug spray or hire a pest control service.

- While the shed is empty, take accurate measurements of the space inside. This will be handy when locating shelving and storage bins.

- Take inventory of the items needing to be returned to the shed. Decide if you want to store the items on the wall, on a shelve, in a box, etc. Inspect everything to insure they need to be returned to the shed. Will the yard tools survive another season? Do they need to be replaced? Has the can of paint dried? Purge as much as possible.

- Group all like items together: Tools, Paints/Chemicals, Planting and lawn equipment, Sports equipment, Car Care, Seasonal Decorations, etc.

- Organize your items by using nails on the wall, shelving, pegboards/hooks, a tool box, plastic boxes. You do not have to spend a lot of money on organizational items. Be creative with what you already have on hand.

- When placing the items back into the shed, consider the items that will be used the most. Place those items closest to the door for easy access.

- Secure the door with a lock to keep children and hopefully thieves out.

42. Organize Your Music CD's

Music CD's can take up a lot of space. Most people have converted to mp3's but can't part with their precious CD's. You have several choices on how to organize your music.

1. Gather all of your CD's and alphabetize them to store in a wall CD organizer. This will give you quick and easy access to your music if you still plan to play the music off of your CD's. You can find several different styles to choose from ranging in price of $15 to several hundred dollars.

2. Download all of your music onto your computer and purge the actual CD's. Of the purged CD's you can sell, trade, or give them away. There are multiple onlines choices for you to list and sell your music online including amazon.com, eBay, craigslist, cashforCDs.com, secondspin.com, etc. Also check with local music stores in your area to see if they have a buy back program. Trading your CD's is another great option that can be done

at swap.com. You list the CD's that you have available and the items you are wanting. Once they find a match for your swap, you are given instructions on where to mail your CD. Very easy.

3. Organize your music in a CD binder and recycle the jewel cases if you choose to hold onto the CD's but do not want to look at them every day. They will be neatly stored and take up less room.

40. Keeping Medical Records Organized.

Keeping accurate records for family medical care is essential. This will help you keep track of appointments, financial information, personal information and needed health updates. I have found several tools to make this much easier to pull all the information into one place rather than using bulky binders. Each one is customizable for each member of the family.

-www.AboutOne.com: this can be accessed from anywhere and is easy to print out reports on vital information to give to new doctors.

-www.carebinders.com: has features to remind you of appointments, keep track of visits, medication, health history and information. Also tracks insurance claims.

-www.911medicalid.com. Load information and store on the USB drive. Carry in your wallet, purse or on a hang on a lanyard around your neck.

Don't forget to keep all receipts and financial paperwork including insurance EOB's.

39. What To Do With All Those Stuffed Animals??

Kids (and some adults) LOVE stuffed animals. Before you know it, your collection can take over a space. Over time, they can accumulate dust mites and can be harmful to people with allergies or asthma problems.

Organizing your stuffed animal collection is easy. Purge, Purge, Purge. Donate your purged stuffed animals to the following locations:

Stuffed Animals For Emergencies

Project Night Light

Local Goodwill or Salvation Army stores.

Please check with their requirements before sending stuffed animals.

Once you've settled on the stuffed animals you would like to keep, determine the best way to store your collection that would be easy for you to maintain. Some of my favorite options are:

- Hang a shelf on the wall to display your collection.

-Store in a toy chest, Rubbermaid container, or over the door plastic shoe racks.

-I found this Animal Bag storage chair online. It is like a bean bag but is sold without the stuffing. You fill it with your own stuffed animals. Your stuffed animals are gathered all in one location while creating some extra seating your room at the same time. I think this is a perfect solution for the stuffed animals that your children just can't seem to part with right now.

I also suggest, purging the stuffed animals when the kids are away. You will be able to get rid of so much more without any distractions or someone throwing a tantrum because they want to keep Pooh Bear.

Good luck!

38. Purge Your Keys

Are you afraid to throw away old keys for fear you may need them? If you haven't used the key in a few years, chances are, you probably won't. Time to purge those keys! I bet you have keys on your keychain right now that you have no idea what they open. Or maybe you have the keys to an old car, house or locker thrown in a drawer somewhere.

Check in drawers, the garage, the basement, your keychain and collect all the old keys in your house.

You can recycle the keys at most recycling stations in their mixed metal bins, place an ad on craigslist and give them away, donate them to Key For Hope. You can get creative and use the extra keys to make a wind chime, decorate a picture frame, or any other craft project you come up with.

37. Purge Your Bath Towels

We all seem to have an abundance of towels. I'm going out on a limb here, but I would say 3 towels per family member would be plenty. While one is in the wash, you still have a supply for use. Imagine all the space you will create once you purge all the extra towels out of your linen closets. I'm positive most of your towels need purging anyway......starting to fray, fade, have holes?

You can donate the purged towels to homeless shelters, animal shelters, your church may have a family needing help setting up a household, a young couple starting out, or a student going off to school in the Fall.

36. Go Paperless

Take a look around you. Most of the paperwork that surrounds you can be found online. Not only will it be eco-friendly to rid yourself of unnecessary paperwork, but it will free you of unnecessary clutter.

Set up an online bill paying system with your bank. You can receive your bills online and then turn around and pay the bills online. Wa-La! No more paperwork. Plus you don't have to buy a stamp. Link this to your Quicken account and you rid yourself of having to keep track of a checkbook.

35. De-clutter your pens and pencils

For some reason we all have an abundance of pens and pencils. Seriously, how many does one person need? Take some time today to purge your pens and pencils.

First start by discarding pens that no longer work. Simply scribble on a piece of paper with each pen to test it. Second go through your pencils and discard ones that have dwindled down to short little nubs or have lost their eraser.

Go through the remaining stash and purge again. Many of us are particular about what types of pens we like to write with, so go ahead, purge the rest.

After the purging process you can sharpen the pencils you have decided to keep.

Donate all of your purged pens/pencils to The Pencil Project or your local school.

34. Keep A Donation Box Handy

Keep a "donation box" in a designated place in your home. Encourage all family members to place items they no longer want or need in the box. When the box is full, take it to the charity or recycling center of your choice.

Don't forget to get a tax receipt.

33. Create A Babysitter Information Sheet

Peace of mind will come when you are prepared for the babysitter. Create a standard babysitter information sheet to use when you are hiring childcare in your home. Give this to the sitter prior to leaving the home. I like to place it by the home phone since this is where they would probably run in an emergency.

The info sheet should contain the following items:

- Names of children and their ages

- Home address and phone number

- Contact numbers for you and your spouse

- Pediatrician name and number

- Name of your destination that night

- Name and number of a neighbor in case of emergency

- Special instruction: bedtime, food allergies, is your child on any medication, bedtime routines, etc.

Here is a template for you to use.

32. Un-clutter Your Email

Are you receiving too many emails on a daily basis? Unsubscribe from all emails that do not bring you value or your usually delete before reading. This will remove you from their distribution list and keep those annoying emails out of your inbox.

29. Organize Your Past Tax Returns

The IRS will challenge you up to 6 years on any past tax returns, so keep these returns and supporting documents on hand. Anything beyond that can be shredded and discarded. Free up your filing cabinets from unnecessary paper work.

You can learn more on IRS.gov.

27. How To Fold A Fitted Sheet.

OK! I've found the answer to one of our home organizing biggest mysteries. How to Fold a Fitted Sheet? If you correctly fold your fitted sheets, you can double the space in your closet.

Watch this step by step video on the process. The sound is not the best quality so make sure you turn up the volume on your computer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i77Duz-VLMU

Enjoy!

26. Have a Copy of the School Lunch Calendar Handy

If your kids are like mine, then they are PICKY eaters. I never know what they like since they are constantly changing their minds on what types of food they will eat. Once I think I've figured it out, it changes again.

I found that if I hang a copy of the school lunch calendar on my fridge, I can simply ask them each morning if they will eat that days lunch. If the answer is yes, great. If not, then I can make them a lunch to take. Having the school lunch calendar easy to access makes the mornings go so much smoother. If you don't want it displayed on your fridge, you can:

- hang it on a nearby cork board

- take a photo of it with your phone and view when necessary

- mark the lunches in your calendar

- have the kids keep track of it and let you know when they need a lunch to take to school. If you don't hear from them, then school lunch it is. This will teach them a little responsibility too.

25. Organize Your Laundry Room

Start by eliminating anything that does not belong or can be thrown away from the room.

Design a place for everything. Shelving to store items, mini trash can for dryer lint and misc garbage, rack to hang clothing, hooks and wall mounting products to get items off the floor. If you need to place storage high, make sure you have a step stool in the room for easy access.

Also, things to consider:

- Have adequate lighting: if it is not well lit, you will avoid the room like the plague.

- Group objects by category: laundry detergents, fabric softeners, hangers, etc.

- DO NOT keep heavy bottles overhead.

- Have a small garbage near the dryer for lint and misc garbage.

- Hang wall mounted dryer racks for clothes that cannot be placed in the dryer. Some newer dryers have racks that can be placed inside of the dryer. You lay your clothes on top of the rack and they are dried without being tumbled inside of the dryer. I use mine for tennis shoes and sweaters.

- Hang wall mounting or over-the-door racks for your ironing board/iron and misc items.

- Have a basket for mismatched socks. Eventually socks will find their mate.

My favorite tips are more about the use of time: keep the laundry room moving daily. Have a constant rotation of clothes moving through the room. One load in the washer, one load in the dryer. Once clothes are dry, fold them immediately as they come out of the dryer. Once folded, place them in stacks of who they belong to - have each person put away their own clothing. This way you will not a have a huge pile of clothing to be folded or washed at the end of the day or week. Also, pulling clothes out of the dryer and folding or hanging them immediately will reduce the chance for winkles. Less Wrinkles = Less Ironing.

To make sorting laundry easier, add dots with a laundry marker to the waistbands and necklines. One dot for the oldest girl or boy, two dots for the second oldest, and so on. When kids are close in age, sometimes it's hard to tell whose clothes are whose -- the dots take out the guess work. This system also works for handy for hand-me-downs -- just add a dot when it's ready for the next family member.

Another suggestion is to have a different style of sock for each family member. This will save time by taking the guess work out while sorting socks.

***The most important tip is to have ample space for the clean laundry. No one enjoys cramming clothes in over stuffed drawers and closets.****

23. What To Do With Your Hotel Toiletries

If you're like me, you will take home every hotel toiletry provided prior to checkout. You paid for them, right? Once you get them home, what do you do with it so they don't clutter your house?

- I like to keep them all contained in my guest bathroom so my overnight guest can use them. Comes in handy if they forget to pack to something.

- With new TSA restrictions, they are the perfect size to pack for your next vacation.

- Let your children use them in the shower. Little kids love to play in the shower and bathtub and giving them a little bottle of bath gel or mini soap makes it just a little more fun.

- Donate them to a local charity. Lifeworks Austin is a local charity that gives the toiletries to homeless street youth.

- They make great stocking stuffers.

- Buy a cute bag and give them to friends/teachers/boss/dog sitter as thank you gifts.

20. Organize Your Plastic Food-Storage Containers

Plastic food-storage containers can take over a cabinet space in no time.

1)Gather all the containers and match them with the appropriate lids. Washing containers/lids in the dishwasher can distort the shape causing the set to not fit together.

2)Recycle any unmatched lids and containers.

3)Take a good look at the remaining matched sets. Are the lids cracked or containers stained. You might want to recycle these as well.

4) You can organize your sets one of two ways. Keep the lids attached and neatly stack all containers on top of each other by size and style.

Or, remove the lids and store together. Take the containers and stack them inside of each other. This method takes less s

pace in the cabinet, but may take longer to find a matching set. Pick a system that works best for you.