Travel Tip: 4 Tips for an Organized Roadtrip

More Travel Tips coming in from Neat Sheet readers!

These ideas come from my wonderful college roommate. Each summer she and her family take a multi-day roadtrip from their home in Oklahoma to see relatives in the southeast.

Here are some great ways she made the drive easier and reduced her car clutter during the roadtrip:

• Pack a suitcase for the final destination, but use a smaller shoulder bag for the overnight stops. Just include the necessities – PJs, toiletries, and clothes for the next day. This means the bigger suitcase can stay packed in the car – and you don’t have to re-arrange everything each time you stop for a night.
• Use a small laundry basket in the back seat to hold snacks and a trash bag. Contain the snacks and trash in the basket, making it easy to tidy up and keeping the rest of the car clean.
• Designate one bag/backpack per child with their own books, games, DVD player, etc. When it’s time for an overnight stop, items go into the bag and can be carried to the hotel or camping site. Each child should be in charge of his/her own bag!
• And here’s a tip for one you are home: Since my friend makes regular roadtrips, she decided to make one bin the “roadtrip box.” She put all the things she only uses on long car trips, such as the maps, picnic table cloth, travel cups, and car plugs for the electronics. Putting all these things in one place eliminates the chore of hunting it all down before the next trip.

I’m going to try out the small laundry basket idea and overnight bag on our next long road trip.  Happy travels!

Favorite Container #7: Eagle Creek™ Pack-It™ Cubes

This month kicks off my summer travel and I’m very excited to report on my new favorite container for travel: the Eagle Creek™ Pack-It™ Specter Cubes.

When my husband and I travel together we often share a suitcase. Everything inside starts out nice and neatly folded, but after day 1, his stacks of clothes start to topple over into my clothes. After a few days it’s chaos and neither of us can easily find what we need.

The Eagle Creek™ Pack-It™ Specter Cubes solved this problem! My husband and I tested out the cubes on our eight-day trip to South Dakota, where we would be packing and re-packing often.

We bought two sets of small, medium and large. While the small size was pretty small to hold much, the large size worked great to hold stacks of shirts or shorts.

The cubes are super light and fit perfectly into a carry-on or full size suitcase. Best of all, they kept my clothes separate from my husband’s. My husband also loved that the cubes make it very easy to re-pack items after several days away.

This specific product helped us solve a nagging issue. Sometimes a specialized container is the way to go.

That’s Neat! Organizing did not receive any compensation for this review. I just love the product!

Travel Tip: Stack, Fold & Roll

Travel Tip from a client: Stack all your shirts together, fold in the arms, and then roll them up. The client did this last year for a trip to Europe and said it really worked – it even kept out the wrinkles.

I tried this on our recent summer trip and found that it worked better for synthetic or blend shirts, rather than all cotton ones. My all cotton T-shirts were still pretty wrinkled.

I also tried stacking and rolling all my shorts and skirts together; they didn’t have too many wrinkles and it definitely saved space.

Do you roll your clothes when you pack? What's your packing secret?

Favorite Container #6: Accordion File for Financial Papers

My favorite container for this month is the good old accordion file. It’s my go-to system for organizing our bills and financial information for the year.

At the start of each year I get a large size (20+ pockets) accordion file from the office supply store. I label each section for the key financial paperwork that we keep during the year - credit card statements, mortgage statements, investment statements, receipts for the Dependent Care Reimbursement Account, taxes, etc.

When the paper comes in it has a place to go! It’s so easy to open the file to the right section and drop in the paper. No file cabinet needed!

The accordion file is kept in a lidded basket under a desk in my front hall, right where I open mail and need to file papers. This is key to your paper management system – keep your files close by. No one even knows all our papers are stored inside!

By keeping the file by the year, it is super easy to find what we need at tax time…and to know what papers can be shredded. After 7 years, the papers come out and get destroyed, and we can re-use the accordion file again.

I’ve helped many clients get control of their papers with this simple system. If you need help, contact me today and we’ll find a system that works for you.

Organizing from a Child’s Perspective

This week I helped a mom of two – with twins on the way – get through a few organizing projects. One of the goals was to organize items in a way that her children could access them on their own, because this mom is going to be busy when her new babies arrive!

One of the projects we tackled in the kitchen was to sort and organize the kids plastic plates, bowls, cups and utensils. They had been stashed in a few spots in the kitchen, so we gathered them up, sorted through to keep the best, and then relocated everything to a new home. We were able to claim a whole drawer that was now the designated “kids drawer.” Everything they’d need for meals was in there, and they could easily reach it. This client reported that her kids loved that they had their own space in the kitchen.

The other project was to get a closet filled with games, craft supplies and other items in better order. It was pretty well sorted and organized, but we brainstormed how to make it work even better. With the addition of the clear plastic drawers, the arts and crafts items now each had a storage spot – all labeled.  Many of the supplies had been stored in stacked plastic bins which is OK, but the drawers brought the items down to where the kids could easily see and access what they’d need.

Just a few changes should have a big impact on this family.

Three Tips for an Organized Trip

Travel season is here! This week I helped two different clients get ready for upcoming summer trips. One client was preparing for a two-week special family trip to Europe, while the other client – who was retired – was getting ready to spend the summer at her vacation home.

Whether your vacation is a weekend, two weeks, or all summer, here are three tips to have a more organized trip:

• Gather and stage your travel stuff.  One client used her guest room as a place to put everything she was collecting for her trip. This is a great idea if you have the space! For the other client, just getting a large shopping bag and labeling it “Bring With Me” gave her a place to drop in everything she found to take to her summer home.
• Create and use lists for the routine tasks.  One client had a packing list (extra points to her) which we found and she started to use. We also brainstormed a list of things she needed to do prior to leaving (get dog sitter, neighbor to water plants, cancel mail, etc.). This would also be an important list to have.  For my client who goes to her summer vacation home each year, she could have a checklist of things to do before she left and to open her vacation home.
• Deal with the important documents. Make sure you know where your passports are and leave copies at home. Keep copies of credit cards at home too, just in case they are lost or stolen while you are away. Be sure someone at home knows where to find these documents. Don’t forget to tell the credit card companies that you are travelling, and if you are going to be a way for an extended time be sure your bills are paid.

Now you are ready to relax and enjoy your vacation!

What’s your best travel organizing tip?

Entry Re-do: Small change, big impact

A few weeks ago a client and I had a breakthrough – we made a small change, but it had a big impact on her space.

This was a very small entry right after you open the front door, typical in many New England homes. On one side there was a closet, and on the other side there was an open area. In that open area the client had a row of hooks with a shelf above, and a bench with cubbies below.  That all made sense, and is often the set up I recommend to clients.

But this just never worked for her family of 5, including 3 boys. Why? The kids couldn’t really reach the hooks as they were too high, and the bench made it even harder to reach. The boys shoes would get jumbled in front of the cubbies, not often making it into the cubbies where they were supposed to be.

So after pulling everything out of the bench and off the hooks, we started to brainstorm ideas and the client said, what if we get rid of the bench?

We moved the bench and marveled at the amount of space that was left. Then we decided to take off the hooks and shelf, and lower it a few feet. Now the boys could easily reach the hooks – without the bench blocking the way – making it much easier for them to actually get their coats on the hooks! What a change!

And with the hooks down lower, the shelf was now at the right height to be a “landing pad” for the parents’ keys and phones, and also the basket of incoming mail.

While the bench went to another room, we kept the baskets from the cubbies and just put them on the floor – one for each child.  Now that they were open on the top, it was much more likely that the shoes would end up in the basket.

Now that this side of the entry was 100% more functional for the kids, we decided that the closet would be just for the parents. We cleaned it out and purged some items, but now parents’ coats, shoes and gear all had a home.

What a great transformation with a few small changes!

Favorite Container #5: Car Trash Bag

For May my favorite container is my Mod Mobile car trash bag. Trash bag? Yes, trash bag!

This isn’t any ordinary trash bag – it’s durable yet beautiful. It makes me smile when I look at it. And it’s easy to use and keeps my car clean, as I’ve written about before.

Having easy access to a trash bag – whether it is one like mine or a plastic bag – is essential if you want to keep your car tidy.

And when choosing containers, remember:

• Sometimes a specific container designed to solve a specific issue (= car trash) is best
• Pick containers that you like the look of because you’ll be more likely to actually use them
• Containers should be durable and easy to clean

For more on car organization and to see the trash bag in action, check out my video from This Mom Needs Help!

Favorite Container #4: Clear Boxes for the Closet

It’s that time of year in New England when a beautiful, sunny 65 degree day is then followed by a cold, raw and rainy day. While the weather is unpredictable, warmer temps are on the horizon—and by this point I am feeling done with Winter gear no matter what! 

While getting our closets and the mudroom ready for the change of seasons, I realized how much I rely on clear boxes and canvas bins. So this month for My Favorite Container Series I’ll share how I use clear, plastic boxes for a simple, easy system.

No surprise here: I like clear, plastic boxes because they make what is inside visible, and they are durable. (I’ve written before about how The Container Store clear boxes are my favorite.) 

But the boxes also are integral to how I maintain my closet, and help my daughter with hers. 

• My husband and I store our off-season clothes in fairly large clear, plastic bins. When it’s time to get the summer things out, I can bring down the bins from the attic. Take the warm weather clothes out, and load in the winter things. The bins are Sterilite (115 quart size) and are bigger than I’d like, but it is very easy to just have one bin to look for and deal with!
• In our closets we also store our winter (wool, cashmere) sweaters in clear sweater boxes. When sweater season is over I add some new cedar blocks and snap the lid shut.
• I also use a clear box without a lid to hold my handbags on the top shelf of my closet.
• All my work and dressy shoes are stored in clear boxes.
• My daughteris growing so fast, so I keep a clear bin on the top shelf of her closet. This is a typical old closet with one fairly high shelf at the top—it’s the perfect place for the “Clothes to Grow Into” bin.

The clear bins make it easy to 1) change out my clothes at the change of the seasons; 2) organize  and see my sweaters, shoes, and handbags; and 3) contain my daughter’s clothes that she’ll grow into.

Important Bonus Tip:  If you are doing a seasonal change of clothes in your closet, now is the time to do a quick purge of items you 1) didn’t wear at all in the last 6 months and 2) really don’t love anymore.

And if you need help with setting up a closet system that works for you, please let me know!

Label Fun

Actual photo from a client’s basement!

The client and I had a good laugh about how she had labeled her box.

While we chucked at the “stuff” label, you should avoid using such a general term (“Misc” is not my favorite either). It will be hard to remember what is actually in the box later on. Be as descriptive as possible when labeling your containers.

Apparently there is another box called "Junk and Stuff" in the client’s basement closet that we haven't found yet.

Hate to Get Dressed? Great Tips to Love your Wardrobe Again

When you open your closet in the morning, do you love getting dressed…or do you want to run away and hide? Or maybe you don’t even open your closet, but instead shift through the clothes piled on the chair or dresser.

Here’s some inspiration to refresh and re-organize your wardrobe:

First, watch how experts help a local mom with her questions about her wardrobe in the latest videos on This Mom Needs Help:

• Get Dressed With Style (with the amazing image consultant Ginger Burr) will help you weed through the closet clutter and find the clothes you truly love.
• Get Local Fashion (with the fabulous Laura Pierce) shows you how to shop boutiques locally for wardrobe basics – and those “wow” pieces that add flair to your regular routine.

Next, use my top tips for closet organization and give your closet a makeover – even 15 minutes of purging can make a big difference!

• Do a sort and purge each spring and fall. Donate any items that you don’t fit or that you don’t love to wear. Be ruthless in getting rid of things you haven’t worn in over a year.
• Get the stuff that doesn’t belong out of the closet; maybe you can relocate the vacuum, towels or boxes of papers.
• Don’t overstuff your closet! You need room to easily take items out, and put them away.

And finally, here’s a fun article about how closet space in NYC apartments affect the real estate value. It may make you feel better about the space you have!

If you need help making your closet a wonderful space for you, contact me at elizabeth@thatsneatorganizing.com or 617-905-7762 today!

What Happens to Your Donated Clothes and Kids Toys?

Ever wonder what happens to the clothes and toys that you donate? Last week my daughter and I found out what happens with donated items at Cradles to Crayons. A Boston-based non-profit organization, Cradles to Crayons provides the essentials through donated clothes, shoes, toys and school supplies to homeless and disadvantaged children.

My daughter and I were very excited to work at Cradles to Crayons “Giving Factory,” the very creative name for their warehouse of donated goods. We arrived and immediately found lots of helpful staff and volunteer workers.  Once all the volunteer groups were assembled, we all had an introduction to the goals of Cradles to Crayons and saw the end product of the donations: a bag with a week’s worth of clothing, shoes, toys and school supplies for a child.

There are many steps that happen before that bag gets filled for a child. The first step is “Triage” – this is the first sort of donated items to be sure they meet Cradles to Crayons high standards.  Toys and school supplies go to one area, while clothes are then sorted by gender. 

Next the clothing is sorted. This is where my daughter and I worked. She loved sorting types of clothes – shirts, pants, dresses – into the appropriate size bins. We started with a large industrial-size laundry bin of a type of clothing. We looked to make sure each item met the quality standards and then sorted it by size. Working with other volunteers, over two hours we sorted at least for of the huge bins. Later we found out that our work at just the sorting station helped approximately 165 kids!

After the clothes are sorted by gender and size, they go to the Outfit area. Here volunteers put together clothing to make complete outfits. Cradles to Crayons strives to give a child a week’s worth of clothing.

Finally. other volunteers get to go “Shopping” where they pick out outfits, shoes, toys and school supplies from The Giving Factory shelves for a specific child. All they know is the child’s name, gender and age.

This was an extremely well-run volunteer experience, and I was so impressed with the work of this organization. My daughter and I can’t wait to go back.

Organizing a Kid’s Craft Space

Last weekend I worked with one of my toughest customers: my daughter! Believe me, I understand how hard it can be to get other family members to organize their stuff.

We tackled her most challenging area: her craft space.

My daughter is fortunate that she has a little room just for her crafts - with nearly 8 feet of table top space.  When she outgrew her little kid table and chairs we took a trip to IKEA and got her two desks tops and a drawer unit. I thought that would be plenty of room for her to work and still have projects in process. But for the past few months things have just piled up, piled up, and piled up. 

After asking her to “clean up” her craft space for several weeks to no avail, I just pulled the curtains across so I wouldn’t have to look at the clutter (no door in this space). My daughter wondered why the curtains were closed and I told her.

She finally said to me, “Mom, I want your help.” I decided to treat her as one of my clients and get to work.

• Gather supplies. We got her trash can and recycle bin out, and I dove in.
• Sort and weed. I held up item after item and asked, “Do you need this? Do you want this? Where does it go?”
• Give everything a home. We repurposed some glass jars and other bins, to keep the things she used most right at her fingertips. 
• Label. We put “like with like” and then labeled the drawers. (My daughter loves using my label maker.)

My daughter got excited when she found things she had been missing, and was also ready to let go of some half-done projects.

A week in and she has been creating a lot more projects—and keeping the space clean!  

Helping on TLC’s Hoarding: Buried Alive

Fascinated by the hoarding shows on TV? I was, and that's why I volunteered last summer to help out when the TLC show, "Hoarding: Buried Alive" came to Boston. Tune in to TLC on March 13th at 9pm and you might get a glimpse of me as part of the supporting crew of local organizers working to clean out the home. It was quite an experience, and I can’t wait to see how the episode turns out.

Favorite Container #3: Small Boxes for My Desk Drawer

This month my favorite containers are a set of small boxes (sold individually) from Martha Stewart for Staples.

These small boxes solved a big problem: a jumble of junk in my desk drawer.  (Sound familiar??) I have a beautiful home-made desk with a shallow drawer. Typical drawer organizers were too tall, but then I found these boxes and they fit perfectly.

First I bought one box to see if it would fit, and it did! Then I bought some more for the desk, then for the kitchen, then for my daughter’s desk.

I also like that these boxes are wider than cutlery-type holders and other drawer organizers. They can easily hold a certain type of item all together…but they aren’t too big that items get lost.

Watch the video of how I use these boxes at a client’s home from This Mom Needs Help! TV show. 

Time Again for Taxes

For the past month I have been helping many of my clients get organized for their tax prep. We’ve found misplaced checkbooks, checked and cross-checked lists of charitable donations, organized bank statements, and made sure they had all the necessary documents.

If you haven’t started now is the time! IF you need help getting started, here are a few tips:

• Keep It Super Simple
• Get an Organizing Buddy

As I helped my clients with their tax prep I kept thinking that I had to get a start on my own. My goal was to have all my tax info to the accountant by the end of February (this week!). Finally after working on taxes this weekend, I think we are on track to get them done.

Next on the agenda, summer trip and camp planning!

Favorite Container #2: Media Storage Box

Here in the Boston area we are still digging out from last weekend’s blizzard that dumped 2 to 3 feet of snow. With two snow days off from school, we ended up with a long weekend. In between shoveling and sledding we watched a lot of movies!

Watching movies is the inspiration for my Favorite Container for February: clear media storage boxes.

This great storage box comes from The Container Store. It’s clear, sturdy and stackable. It’s easy to look right through the top and find just the right movie. It also slides out of the cabinet, so I’m not shifting through lots of loose DVD boxes looking for what I want.

At first I was skeptical that I needed a box made for media, but it is the perfect size – with no wasted space. Once I had one box it worked so well, I had to get some more. We’ve now used these boxes to organize all our DVDs and games in our family TV room.

Your Turn: Can you find movies when you need them? If not, it may be time to get them organized. With all the on-demand options for watching movies now, be sure you are only keeping movies that you really watch and enjoy!  And finally, don’t even think about keeping VCR tapes unless you still have a working VCR.

Feeling Stuck? Get an Organizing Buddy

My clients often save the most tedious tasks for our sessions – filing, planning, preparing for taxes, cleaning out that junk drawer, putting things away in the attic, or facing that overstuffed closet. In this case I serve as a “buddy” for my clients, helping them get through those tasks that are unbearable alone.  I make our sessions fun, keep them motivated, and ultimately they get done what they wanted to.

Why does this work? Judith Kolberg talks about the phenomenon of “body doubling” in her book, Conquering Chronic Disorganization.  The body double anchors the client to the tasks, and mirrors back to them patience, persistence and success. I may be sorting or handing the client items to go through, but my job is to be a calm presence.

Once my Bookclub got together and instead of discussing a book, we each brought boxes of photos to organize (this wasn’t even my idea!). Another friend has an annual holiday gift wrapping party. It just shows that tasks can become fun when you don’t face them alone.

Even if you don’t hire a professional organizer, get a friend to help you with that one task you really dread. Trade time with the friend – work at your house, then at hers. Maybe a family member can help. My husband and I can be very productive when we are both in our office quietly working on separate tasks. He’ll remind me of what I want to accomplish if I try to give up on my task, and we keep each other accountable.

So if you are feeling stuck, don’t give up - try organizing with a buddy.

Favorite Container #1: Kitchen Drawer with Flatware Organizer

My first favorite container is: this drawer in my kitchen. Yes, a drawer! Drawers are often under-utilized containers in our homes. This organized drawer is one of the things I really and truly enjoy about the new kitchen.

I love that this drawer glides effortlessly open and close – unlike our old kitchen which had only two heavy old drawers that would fall out on your foot if you pulled them open too far.

I also love that this drawer is large enough and allows me to see everything at once.  The flatware organizer is a good size, plus it expands on either side so it can fit various drawer sizes. It’s similar to this one from The Container Store.

On the left side of the drawer I added another white container that I had from my old kitchen. It holds the less-used tools, and keeps them from becoming a jumble when the drawer is opened.

If you are re-doing your kitchen, I strongly recommend that you incorporate drawers for storage. From flatware, to food storage containers, to pantry staples and cooking pots, drawers are a great container for the kitchen.

If you have old drawers that don’t work well, get them fixed! We learn to live with a lot but fixing a few of these nagging problems around the home can give you a whole new outlook on your space. And don’t overstuff the drawers with things you don’t use.

For more kitchen storage tips, purchase my 12 Months of Organizing: Kitchen Storage Solutions 2013 Desk Calendar today!

Kitchen Storage Solutions: The 2013 Calendar is Available!

Happy New Year! Need inspiration to organize your kitchen?

Order my 12 Months of Organizing2013 Kitchen Storage Solutions Desk Calendar today.

This year’s calendar is filled with creative solutions for the most important room in your home: the kitchen! Co-created with my cousin, we share 12 of our favorite ideas to help you make your kitchen an efficient space. When your kitchen is simplified and organized, it’s easy to keep it looking good while working hard.

Hurry, supplies are limited. Order yours today!