Leaving a paper trail

A lot of us get overwhelmed with amount of paper we collect in our homes.

Paper that we receive on daily basis, like credit card receipts, mail, magazines ... can easily be organized in just few minutes at a time. Designate one spot in your home where you drop these papers off during the week as you rush through your daily routine. At the end of the week - give yourself 5 to 10 minutes to go through the pile you collected over a week. Sort out your pile by putting together like items, like bills, credit card receipts etc. You will find that this weekly exercise will keep your home clean of paper trail, and your bills, statements and mail more organized. The more frequently you do your quick run through your papers, the quicker it will be to sort it out.

Double duty furniture pieces

Lots of furniture pieces these days can easily be used for more than one function. Many coffee tables come with built in shelves or drawers for extra storage, beds are high enough to allow storage under them etc.

As seen in this picture, a trunk can be placed in a sun room and used as a bench, while at the same time - providing tons of storage space to keep plenty of things that you don't need lying around your home at all times. By storing your items in the trunk, they become conveniently accessible and you can retrieve them easily at any time. It's a great solution for storing toys in the kids bedroom, or linens in the living room ...

welcome spring into your home

Spring is here, and your home is ready for a little bit of a spring makeover. Decorating and organizing your home is a great way to welcome spring into your home.

Replace candles with fresh cut flowers or planted flower pots.

De-clutter your living room and let more light into your home.

Bring out your new or more colorful linens out.

Move and store away blankets from your living room.

If you want to splurge, you gotta purge!

We all like to buy new clothes and keep our wardrobe up to the latest fashion trends. One simple rule can allow you to still be able to add to your wardrobe and yet not let your closet get so crowded that you can't find anything in it anymore. The rules are simple - for every new item that you bring home, you have to replace at least two items of clothing that you already have. If you come home with a new sweatshirt, two sweatshirts gotta go! It's simple and it works. Also, by keeping this in the back of your mind, it makes you think twice when you are purchasing something - do I have couple of white sweatshirts at home already? Do I need another one? By thinking ahead of time, you will either make a purchase knowing that you will replace what you already have, or you will decide not to make a purchase because you like the shirts that you already have and would like to keep them. So shop smart and keep that closet neat and tidy!

6 month rule

Getting rid of clothes that you no longer wear is for most - a very daunting task. We are either too attached to our clothing items or too lazy to even begin the process of elimination or simply feel like we don't have time to get organized. But if you ever went through this process you must have seen how nicer your closets looked like, how much easier it was to find exactly what you wanted to wear and finally how much more room you had for storage. 6 month rule for getting rid of clothes is simple - if you haven't worn something for 6 months - most likely you won't wear it in the next 6 months either, nor the 6 months after that ... If the whole winter has gone by and you have not once touched that red sweater in your last drawer of your closet, you definitely won't touch it over the summer, and mostly likely during the next winter season. So pack it up and bring it to your local Goodwill store. You will make room in your own home and help someone less fortunate in the process - it's a win-win situation.

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$25 dollars off coupon - from paula's spaces organizing services for your 2010 organizing projects!

Tax time again

If this is you every year at this time of the year, you might need a little bit of help :)

Doing your taxes can be quick and easy if you plan for it throughout the year. If you haven't done so yet, take steps to keep organized for the tax time for next year. Need advice? Need help? Professional organizer can help you get started on the right track.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy and most of all stress-free and organized New Year!