| How do you organize your home without spending too | | | | For example, a shoe rack hung over the back of a |
| much? Getting organized shouldn't be complicated. | | | | door takes up less space than a standing shoe rack. |
| Actually, the more complicated your organizational | | | | Try to buy same-sized storage boxes. This way, you |
| system, the less likely it is that you'll be able to maintain | | | | can stack them on shelves to make use of unused |
| it. There's some excellent products you can buy to | | | | space at the top of closets. |
| help organize your possessions. Just be careful that | | | | 4. Designate temporary storage areas for the |
| you're not just organizing clutter. You want to keep it | | | | following items.... Things that you plan to sell at a future |
| pared down. Also, resist the temptation to buy | | | | garage sale, gifts purchased in advance of the |
| organizing products until you know exactly what you | | | | occasion, clothing to go to the dry cleaner and library |
| need to contain. | | | | books and rented videos that must be returned. Store |
| 1. In the beginning, the easiest and cheapest way to | | | | a marker and stickers with your garage-sale items so |
| organize your belongings is to use containers. Keep like | | | | that you can price them as you put them into storage. |
| items together in separate containers. This makes it | | | | 5. Try not to just toss things into storage. Instead what |
| easier to find what you're looking for, even if you | | | | you can do is keep an open catch-all box in your |
| never get around to organizing the contents of the | | | | storage area for catching all those things you find |
| container. Another good reason to "containerize" | | | | throughout the year that belong in a packed box. Then |
| belongings is that there's a limit to the amount of stuff | | | | the next time you pull out all the boxes, you can put |
| any one container can hold, which puts a limit on the | | | | away everything in the catch-all box away at the |
| amount clutter. | | | | same time. |
| 2. Group items together in whatever way makes | | | | Organizing your home puts you in control of your |
| sense to you. In your closet, clothes can be sorted by | | | | belongings by systematizing and putting your things in |
| color or type (shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, and suits) | | | | order. While there are some basic guidelines for getting |
| and hung accordingly in these categories. | | | | organized, only you can figure out what works best |
| 3. Think vertical when maximizing your existing storage | | | | for you. If it works well enough for you to keep it up, |
| space. Think about what you might be able to hang | | | | it's a good system! |
| behind closed doors, on the wall, and from the ceiling. | | | | |