Do you have any....

[Mishetta]

organizational tips for use at home? I am aware there are plenty of "organizational websites" but I would like to hear what you do to keep things organized at home.

Yesterday I heard a very good tip & I am going to use this as soon as I get a shoe holder! The tip I heard was that they use a shoe holder (which they attach to the inside of their coat closet door) to hold winter hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, etc... The funny thing is that just a few days ago I went to reach on the top shelf of my kids coat closet to get something & I was attacked by my kids mittens/hats! The only problem is that I have bi-fold closet doors so I can't hang it on the interior of the closet door but I will hang the shoe holder on a hanger & place that in the coat closet!!

Anyone have any special tips they'd like to share that they use in their daily lives?

 

[binny]

those shoe bags are the best! I have one hanging on the wall in my closet for all my sample size stuff!
I have one on the girls door for shoes and stuff one in their bathroom for hair stuff ( great for organizing by colour!!) I had one in the office for all my maps etc.

They really work well for almost anything!

I have a "launch pad" set up for my kids they each have a bucket with their name on it ( its a small dishpan) so when they come home from school they put their stuff in it so we dont have to scamper around in the morning trying to find it! We also have a shelf with coat hooks on it by the back door so they take of their outwear and hang it up right away. Under that their is a show tent so they put they shoes away too.
We have a 3 drawer plastic bin in the kitchen the drawers are labeled " to school" "to be signed" and "signed" we expect the kids to "file" their stuff right away. ( we help the girls but Cam has to do it on his own)

There is also a file in the office for book orders and such.

thats our start for the year

 

[Mishetta]

What great tips Binny! I was wondering though, where do you keep the "launch pads?"

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

I am in agreement with Mishetta. Great tips binny! DD is forever misplacing keys and books. A place by the door for all her things would be excellent (for DH too). I also like the tip about using the shoe storage bag for hats and gloves. Mine are on the shelf in the closet and always fall down when reaching for soething else or the partners get lost because they weren't properly put away. I have nothing to add, but would like more ideas to help us get organized!

 

[phorsenuf]

I've been doing the hats and mittens one for a while now. Its so great! Whats nice too if when winter is over, I just go hang it downstairs in the basement. I don't have to pack anything away.

I also use the shoe holder in my pantry for snack size bags of chips and other smaller items like the pudding cups, baking supplies (choc chips, coconut, etc.) It works great for the "bagged" items.

I use another one in my cleaning closet and it holds all my cleaning supplies instead of shoving them all under the sink.

I also use them at Disney World. I hand them up in the closet area and put all the toiletries and such in the pockets.

I also get the hanging shelves from wal-mart and use those at Disney to hold the snacks and breakfast stuff. I also store the napkins, plastic silverware and paper plates on the shelves. It saves so much room!

They all work great too if you are camping.

HMMMMMMM.....looking back I guess I really like those shoe holder thingies! LOL

 

[Mishetta]

Oh my goodness phorsenuf! You should buy stock in those shoe holder caddies!! What awesome ideas you gave me!! I need to go out & get a few! The only thing is that all my doors are bifold but I'll figure something out!! Thanks so much!!

 

[poohtown]

i also use the shoe caddy in my closets - for pants. Just roll them up and they fit right in. The kids will start at the top and work their way down. When it's almost empty, they know they have laundry to do.

another tip for people with kids - color coordinate school supplies. Each year the kids pick out a backpack. Then whatever color is the main color in the backpack, all their school accesories match. Red backpack = red notebooks, red book covers, red folders, red pencils, etc. It's so easy to do now since everything comes in so many colors. It makes it much easier (to yell at the right kid - lol ) when the kids are doing homework at the table or such and leave their stuff. It also eliminates fighting over who's it is.

 

[Mishetta]

Any more organizational tips out there??? Don't keep them a secret! Share!!!