Organizing and Decluttering

Why I Donated My Entire Candle Collection

March 26, 2020 by Amy Slenker-Smith Leave a Comment

I was recently asked about where to store candles and how many do I own? Not many. But here's why I reduced the number of candles in my home. Collection There was a time when I owned an impressive collection of votives, tapers, scented jar candles, and candleholders. I even saved the jars after the candles burned out. Why? No idea. But this is what makes collections dangerous. We have no idea why, but we continue to buy the items. We are supposed to because we declared it a collection. When I started organizing this collection, I realize they represented more work than enjoyment. I had to store them, and then reorder, replace, and refill them. When new boxes arrived, I threw away wasteful amounts of packaging. After they burned, I cleaned soot off candle holders and my furniture. And then I dusted the candle holders and then dusted around them. It was too much! Migraines In the midst of organizing, migraines entered the picture which meant even less enjoyment from candles. …

9 Easy Ways to More Organized Spices

March 9, 2020 by Amy Slenker-Smith Leave a Comment

Recently, I went through our spices. By this I mean, I removed them from the cabinet and asked the following questions about each one: What recipe calls for this spice? Approximately when did I purchase this spice? How much of this spice is measured for a typical recipe? Surprisingly, most of my spices support my everyday cooking. And I had very few containers older than 12 months. But when I considered the question about quantity, I found several mistakes as a result of bulk buying. I own large containers of cayenne, parsley, cumin, and minced onion. Although they are used in our cooking, the volume was excessive for the typical amount needed in a recipe. But my neighbor was delighted when I refilled a few of her spice containers. Pictured below are the rest of my spices and some easy ways to organize yours. 9 Easy Ways to Organize Remove from the cabinets. Designate one cabinet for spices. (We prefer near the stove.) Review each container and ask the …

3 Reasons Why Storage Bins Do Not Make You More Organized

March 6, 2020 by Amy Slenker-Smith 2 Comments

Baskets and bins will NOT make you more organized. In fact, they have the opposite effect. Here are three reasons why. #1 Bins Collect Clutter Over the years, I acquired a lot of things. And then I organized a lot of things. Finally, I stored all the things. At one point, I contributed heavily to this statistic, "The average American home has 300,000 items." Moreover, my weekends were spent purchasing, organizing and cleaning things. If storage bins had worked, I would have gotten organized very quickly. But my storage containers perpetuated the clutter. I had to get rid of the stuff in order to get organized. #2 Bins Hide Clutter Bins, boxes, and baskets are clutter attractors. Ever notice how hard it is to keep an empty basket sitting around the house? Once you start eliminating the baskets and bins, stuff can't hide. It forces hard decisions about, do I really need all this stuff? #3 Bins ARE Clutter Recently, I worked with a client who decluttered her entire house. She …

How to Store and Organize Small Appliances

March 2, 2020 by Amy Slenker-Smith Leave a Comment

Small appliances clutter a kitchen counter. By reducing dishes and pantry inventory, more appliances can live inside cabinets versus on the counter. Here are the kitchen appliances I eliminated. 2 Crockpots - (kept 1 medium size) Bread Maker Flour Sifter Espresso Maker Milk frother Deep fryer Coffee pot (replaced with French Press) Toaster Now, I love my empty kitchen counter. Empty counters clean up easily without obstacles. I don't need to clear a space to make dinner and there's a place to unload groceries. So, the goal of today’s challenge is to uncover your countertops and make working in the kitchen easier. Decluttering Appliances Make a list of the small appliances Note how often you use each sone Consider if they perform single tasks vs multiple jobs 90-day Rule Have I used it in the last 90 days? No - Donate Will I use it in the next 90 days? No - Donate Store all small appliances inside cabinets Give priority …

How To Declutter and Organize Magazines

February 28, 2020 by Amy Slenker-Smith Leave a Comment

For years, we subscribed to our favorite magazines and even the Sunday newspaper. Over time, they became a burden to read, instead of enjoy. Gradually, we reduced the subscriptions but were harassed by endless mailings from publishers offering "lowest price ever" if we renewed. While I could easily manage the magazines themselves, I found all the extra mail to be wasteful. It required diligence on my part to know when our subscription REALLY expired. At one point, I had paid for 2 years in advance. Eventually, we went down to just one magazine. It was my favorite until I realized every other page was an advertisement. It was thick with unnecessary ads. This was just the motivation I needed to end the subscription. For months, the bills continued. Even a letter that stated I was delinquent. But that's just another sales tactic because advertising works. I don’t object to an occasional magazine. Reading is good. But my approach eliminates waste and …

Where to start? Your Clothing Closet

February 14, 2019 by Amy Slenker-Smith Leave a Comment

Overwhelmed with clutter? Too much stuff everywhere!? Where to begin? I often suggest clients start with their clothing closet. Here are some tips and a video for how to simplify and organize your closet. If you're new to the decluttering game, remember: Start With Your Own Stuff Start Small - You didn’t acquire this stuff overnight, so... Daily Spaces - Declutter everyday spaces. Enjoy the immediate freedom of less. Start with your own stuff Your purse, briefcase, or car are all great options. If this isn’t enough of a challenge, then move on to your clothing closet. Below is a video of how I organize my clothing closet. All my clothes are in this regular sized master closet, including coats. I use one hanger style to maintain a cohesive, clean look. Like-colored items hang together while casual clothing rolls neatly in the drawers. You can achieve this same result with bins. But be …

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