Utilize Storage Space with Shelving

Hello HouseHold Tippers!

Today we're talking about using space.

A Great Way to utilize ALL your space is with shelving.
And a Great Place to do this is in your basement/garage/storage area.
The back portion of our basement is for storage, so I went to
Target, and got 'platinum' shelving,
AND LINED THE WALLS OF STORAGE AREA!
That's right, I lined the walls with storage shelving, all in 'platinum',
and got them in varying heights to accommodate as much storage space as the wall allows.

The amount of room that I created is incredible!

I then did the same thing in our washer and dryer room, down in the basement!

Sports Equipment, all tools, and all kitchen stuff that I don't use regularly (Huge pans, special glasses), fits on these shelves!

Then, in the washer and dryer room shelving I have all holiday decorations (except Christmas).  I have a 4th of July shelf, a couple of Easter shelves... you get the idea.  This makes decorating for a holiday easy- no going up in the attic!

Use Shelving- It Makes Life Easier!

The Fourth Step of DeCluttering

Hello HouseHold Tippers!


We Continue our Decluttering Week Here by Tackling 
the Last, and Perhaps,
the Hardest part of Decluttering-

4.  Evaluate Tchotchkes... and say, 'Good Bye'

Tchotchkes, Typically pronounced as 'Chach-Kees', (also the name of the restaurant where 'Joanna' played by Jennifer Aniston, works in the movie, 'Office Space'- where she is forced to wear 'flair'.)

just take up space.

Tchotchkes usually start off as things with a 

little bit of sentiment,

and are put on a shelf.

But then they just sit there,

and they sit there so long,

that you forget about them,

and just accept them as 'part of a room'

or part of your decorating.

I'm all for keeping sentimental treasures...

but YOU MUST

EVALUATE Tchotchkes from Time to Time.

Do I love this?

Why I do Want this?

Does this Add Something to my Room,

or Has it Become Clutter?

It's Good to Do this Same Exercise 

in even Storage Areas, like your basement...

Why am I saving this?

How often do I use this?

When was the last time I used this?

Take it slow at first,

if you need to,

but I guarantee,

once you start,

It's Liberating,

and feels very, very good!

Happy HouseHolds!

Great Tip About Boxes for Moving and Storage

Hello Readers!

I'm excited to share an EXCELLENT tip with all of you today- that I got from a HouseHoldTipsBlog reader and friend.

Are you moving?  Or, do you need good, sturdy boxes for storage?

Use... Banana Boxes!!


This great tip is from Matt O. and he explains better than I ever could-

'-A friend who worked at a boarding school and another who also moved quite a bit turned me on to the virtues of banana boxes for storage:

-  two-part boxes, so there's no folding or taping required

-  standard size boxes which are small enough to be manageable, even when packed with heavy items like books

-  strong enough to be packed to the ceiling without bursting

-  cut-out handles, make it easy to retrieve a single box from a stack

-  they are free (just have to check supermarkets on a regular basis)

They survive multiple moves better than many boxes I've purchased.'

Wow!  When you put it that way-

Why haven't I been using Banana Boxes my whole life?

That's a great tip!  

Thanks again to Matt O. for sharing it with us!

Use All Your Space... Coat Closets

Today we are talking about Efficiency.

One way to be efficient is to-

Use All Your Space!

Here is a great example:  you'll see in the picture to the left  that I'm using all the space in the bottom of the coat closet.

I got this little storage container from The Container Store. I put purses I frequently use on the top, my husbands' baseball caps in the middle drawer, and all gloves and hats in the bottom.  And there's a little space left over for my son's boots (to the right) and a couple of bags I use (to the left).

Now, everything has a place that is out of sight; no clutter, no baskets full of mittens- Yey!

Always Improving Containers

It's great to re-use and conserve...

BUT, every so often, you should evaluate your containers.

Case in point:  my nail box to the left.

I use this all the time to touch up my nails.  And now, because HouseHold Tips are always on my mind, I thought-

"Wow.  This is old, dusty, filled with things I don't use (old bottles of nail polish) and too big."

SO, I happen to have an extra container (the 1 on the right) and transferred the nail items I do use to that

Smaller,

Cuter,

and more efficient container.

It takes up less room in the closet!

It's great to have a container for everything.

Just remember, once you have a container, your work is not done,

you can even improve your containers,

to fit your lifestyle changes.

Have a great day!