Cleaning Out The Closet

Saturday morning was rainy and yucky so I spent the morning inside cleaning out our closets.  I rotated out all of our winter clothes and brought in our spring and summer clothes.  This is one chore I hate doing but am so glad when it is finished because everything is organized and in its place.

Brandon had rearranged his clothes already, but I took the opportunity to sort them by color.  We'll see how long that lasts...

I also sort my clothes according to color, but mine generally tend to stay sorted ;)

I should have taken a before shot of the mess of shoes that I had going on, but I am too embarassed to show that to anyone.  Needless to say, this is a massive improvement on what I had going on in the shoe department.

Here is another section of shoes which are mostly sandals.

Before I put my spring and summer clothes away last fall, I sorted through the pieces I did not wear that season and made a big donation pile.  As I pulled out the same tub this year, I realized I gave away quite a bit -- one disclaimer though, I gave away a lot of clothes that did not fit anymore since I did Weight Watchers because I did not want to have any excuse for gaining weight back.  Needless to say, I have a few things I need to replace for the season.

It feels so good to have this chore behind us.  Now if only I could tackle the rest of the house....

Let's Get Organized, Organized!

(To the tune of Olivia Newton John's "Let's Get Physical")

Getting organized around the house is sort of like a work out.  I mean, it takes a lot of patience and determination to go through the stacks that pile up on the counters or to weed through the coupons that have accumulated over time only to find out most of them expired a month before. But, thanks to this blog, I got inspired to combine all of my piles and lists into one source.

Introducing, my organization notebook (or my trapper-keeper as Brandon calls it...):

This notebook is a one-stop-shop for everything - menu plans, recipe ideas, coupons, to-do lists, coupons and gift cards, monthly calendars and birthday and anniversary reminders.  Basically if it was piled on the counter, it ended up in this notebook.

I found several sources online that offered free printables which helped me to determine the categories for my notebook.  I have listed the sources below, just in case anyone else gets inspired to get organized.  Basically, I looked to see what printable lists, forms, etc. were available and then tailored those items to my everyday routine. The categories in my notebook are:

• Meal Plans and Recipes (with a pocket folder for recipe tear sheets)
• Shopping Lists
• Coupons (with a pocket folder to hold coupons, gift cards, special offers, etc.)
• To-Do Lists
• Calendar
• Blog Ideas
• Projects and Goals (with a pocket folder for idea tear sheets)

As much as Brandon makes fun of me and my "trapper-keeper", I do plan to use it a lot.  In fact, I might even take it to the grocery store next time I go just to embarrass him :)

  

Notebook Sources:

• Blue Eyed Bride
• Life...Your Way
• Organized Home