Here are some easy strategies that will help your kitchen clean-up be a breeze.
1. Start with a clean kitchen. If you have cleaned your kitchen the night before, you'll find it much easier to keep it cleaner. Remember that clutter breeds more clutter.
2. Clean up as you go. Run a sink full of warm soapy water before you start cooking. As you finish using each pan and pot, slip it into the soapy water to soak until the meal is complete. Keep a clean dishcloth handy to wipe up any spills as they happen.
3. Use the one-touch method. If you take out a spice, don't set it back on the counter. Pick up the spice, use it, and put it right back without in the cupboard. This tip alone will be a big help to you and you'll have a lot less clutter.
4. Take a minute before you serve the meal to transfer the pots and pans to the dishwasher.
5. Train your family to put their dishes directly into the dishwasher. I sometimes leave large notes on the counter to remind them not to place their dishes there. Even young children can do this if you take a few minutes to show them how and it will give them a sense of accomplishment.
6. If possible, try to get the whole family involved in the evening tidy up process. If everyone helps, you can have the kitchen sparkling clean in just a few minutes. It's building good habits for everyone and if you try to make it fun, it can be a nice family time. Feel free to splash a little water on each other, snap your husband with a towel, challenge your kids to see who can wipe their half of the table the quickest.
6. Immediately after dinner, start the dishwasher. Then you can empty the dishwasher before bed and the dishwasher will be ready for the next day's dishes. That is one of the key components to keeping a kitchen clean, is to have somewhere to put the dirty dishes.
1/31/09
1/26/09
Selling Your Unwanted Items
As part of the decluttering process, you're going to run into times when it makes sense to sell stuff. Whether it's clothes, toys, furniture, or sporting goods, there is a pretty healthy market for used stuff and you can take advantage of that. Are you going to make a ton of money this way? No, you aren't. You'll be lucky to make pennies on the dollar, but it gets people to show up at your house and cart stuff off and pay you a few bucks for the privilege.
Ebay is probably the most well-known site for selling your used stuff. I used to be an Ebay seller and I have extensive experience in this area both as a buyer and a seller. My advice is to only use Ebay for small, shippable items that are worth at least $100. Otherwise, the fees are just too much. How do you determine if something is worth $100? Go out and search for similar items and see what price they are going for. Search completed items if you can. That way you get what the item actually sold for and not what someone was asking for it.
Amazon is probably a less known site for selling your items, but I actually like it a lot better than Ebay. Even though it is mostly limited to books, CD's, and movies, it is SO much simpler to use. Ebay has about 5 screens that you have to go through and you have to submit a picture. Amazon has 1 screen where you just describe the condition of your item and select your price - much easier. The other nice thing about Amazon is that they pay Amazon directly so you don't have to wrangle with the buyer to receive the payment. It just automatically pops into your account minus a small fee for Amazon. They even give you a budget for postage.
In fact, I just sold a book on there yesterday. I had a book called the Green Collar Economy that I had bought from Amazon for about $18. I read most of it, got what I wanted out of it and posted it back for resale simply by going to the screen where I bought it and clicking the Sell Your Item button. I put my condition - like new, and set my price compared to the other items for sale out there. Then I just waited a couple of weeks for my E-mail telling me it was sold and I pop it in the mail and collect my $15.
PS: I also save a lot of money by buying pretty much all of my books, movies, and CD's from Amazon. Sometimes I buy them new, but a lot of the time, I save a few bucks by buying used copies in good condition and I've never been disappointed.
Craigslist and other local selling sites. I think Craigslist.com is brilliant! I've been using it for about 2 years and I've sold probably dozens of items through it. Anything from end tables to hamster cages to cars (I've sold my last 3 cars online). Craigslist is located in most major cities and it's FREE. You just log onto it and select the city you live in. Then if you want to sell something, you just type up a description of it, post a picture or two, and set a price. Then people call or E-mail you to come and buy it. One caution - Craiglist has a very high "flake" rate. I usually have 4 or 5 people contact me before someone actually shows up. I control this by telling people that I am only going to be available at a certain time for an hour or so and if they don't show up, I will leave. There are also similar sites popping up at most TV and radio station websites. There is even a listing for free stuff, so if you have something you just want hauled away, put it out there and more than likely, somebody will show up in a truck and haul it off.
Garage sales/Estate sales - There's a good reason I'm putting this last. Over my lifetime, I have probably done half a dozen or so garage sales or estate sales and I just HATE them. They are so much work for so little money, I just don't think they are hardly worth the effort. You spend the whole darn morning hauling your junk out into the yard and then spend the rest of the day haggling with idiots who want to buy everything for a quarter. Then you're stuck with all the junk that didn't sell anyway. I think if it's just little stuff like clothes, shoes, kid's toys, paperbacks, and old VHS tapes, you're better to just give them to charity and take a write-off on your taxes.
If you do need to do an estate sale, come and see me for advice. We've now lost all four of our parents, so we've been through this a couple of times and we can give you some good advice on how to do it effectively.
Ebay is probably the most well-known site for selling your used stuff. I used to be an Ebay seller and I have extensive experience in this area both as a buyer and a seller. My advice is to only use Ebay for small, shippable items that are worth at least $100. Otherwise, the fees are just too much. How do you determine if something is worth $100? Go out and search for similar items and see what price they are going for. Search completed items if you can. That way you get what the item actually sold for and not what someone was asking for it.
Amazon is probably a less known site for selling your items, but I actually like it a lot better than Ebay. Even though it is mostly limited to books, CD's, and movies, it is SO much simpler to use. Ebay has about 5 screens that you have to go through and you have to submit a picture. Amazon has 1 screen where you just describe the condition of your item and select your price - much easier. The other nice thing about Amazon is that they pay Amazon directly so you don't have to wrangle with the buyer to receive the payment. It just automatically pops into your account minus a small fee for Amazon. They even give you a budget for postage.
In fact, I just sold a book on there yesterday. I had a book called the Green Collar Economy that I had bought from Amazon for about $18. I read most of it, got what I wanted out of it and posted it back for resale simply by going to the screen where I bought it and clicking the Sell Your Item button. I put my condition - like new, and set my price compared to the other items for sale out there. Then I just waited a couple of weeks for my E-mail telling me it was sold and I pop it in the mail and collect my $15.
PS: I also save a lot of money by buying pretty much all of my books, movies, and CD's from Amazon. Sometimes I buy them new, but a lot of the time, I save a few bucks by buying used copies in good condition and I've never been disappointed.
Craigslist and other local selling sites. I think Craigslist.com is brilliant! I've been using it for about 2 years and I've sold probably dozens of items through it. Anything from end tables to hamster cages to cars (I've sold my last 3 cars online). Craigslist is located in most major cities and it's FREE. You just log onto it and select the city you live in. Then if you want to sell something, you just type up a description of it, post a picture or two, and set a price. Then people call or E-mail you to come and buy it. One caution - Craiglist has a very high "flake" rate. I usually have 4 or 5 people contact me before someone actually shows up. I control this by telling people that I am only going to be available at a certain time for an hour or so and if they don't show up, I will leave. There are also similar sites popping up at most TV and radio station websites. There is even a listing for free stuff, so if you have something you just want hauled away, put it out there and more than likely, somebody will show up in a truck and haul it off.
Garage sales/Estate sales - There's a good reason I'm putting this last. Over my lifetime, I have probably done half a dozen or so garage sales or estate sales and I just HATE them. They are so much work for so little money, I just don't think they are hardly worth the effort. You spend the whole darn morning hauling your junk out into the yard and then spend the rest of the day haggling with idiots who want to buy everything for a quarter. Then you're stuck with all the junk that didn't sell anyway. I think if it's just little stuff like clothes, shoes, kid's toys, paperbacks, and old VHS tapes, you're better to just give them to charity and take a write-off on your taxes.
If you do need to do an estate sale, come and see me for advice. We've now lost all four of our parents, so we've been through this a couple of times and we can give you some good advice on how to do it effectively.
1/25/09
Are You Running a Homeless Shelter?
Take a minute to mentally look around your house and see how many "homeless" items you have taking up space around your house. These can be items that have an established home, but are "vacationing" in another area. Or truly homeless items that don't have a home to begin with. How many of these freeloaders are you willing to put up with?
Keep in mind that these items are taking up space that is needed for legitimate items, and also clean, open space that is needed for your sanity. And after all, how much is THAT worth?
These items really just represent the postponed decisions in your life. You don't necessarily want them, but you haven't made the time to really sit down and take the time to evaluate them and take the steps necessary to either find them a permanent home, or send them on their way. It doesn't have to be a big chunk of time. Even five minutes is enough time to go through a shelf, or a drawer, or a pile of papers sitting in a corner. You can spare five minutes can't you? Shoot, that's one round of commercials during a TV program. And after a few five minute sessions here and there, things will start looking a whole lot better!
I read a great quote this week "When you clear the clutter out of your life, the stuff you really want has room to show up". Think about it. When you clear all the excess clutter in your schedule, you have time to do the fun stuff with your friends and family. When you clear the excess "clutter" from your body, you have room for new, pretty clothes and a more fun and active lifestyle, not to mention a few extra years of time on this earth.
When you clear the excess clutter out of your home, you are not only freeing up physical space, you are freeing up your time from cleaning as much, you are freeing up more space that makes it easier to store and use the items you want to have and enjoy using. You also free up your spirit from the stress and guilt of all that clutter. And honestly, what is it about all that junk that is worth all that hassle?
I have done countless decluttering missions in my house over the years. Everything from clothes, to toys, books, movies, and papers. I've sent boxes and boxes of stuff to charity and you know what? If my life depended on it, I couldn't tell you 5 things that I've gotten rid of.
If you really want to learn how to declutter your house and get out of the homeless shelter business - contact me about signing up for my next round of Messy Moms classes. I'll be starting a new one in a couple of weeks and if you're in the Salt Lake area, I'd love to have you join.
Keep in mind that these items are taking up space that is needed for legitimate items, and also clean, open space that is needed for your sanity. And after all, how much is THAT worth?
These items really just represent the postponed decisions in your life. You don't necessarily want them, but you haven't made the time to really sit down and take the time to evaluate them and take the steps necessary to either find them a permanent home, or send them on their way. It doesn't have to be a big chunk of time. Even five minutes is enough time to go through a shelf, or a drawer, or a pile of papers sitting in a corner. You can spare five minutes can't you? Shoot, that's one round of commercials during a TV program. And after a few five minute sessions here and there, things will start looking a whole lot better!
I read a great quote this week "When you clear the clutter out of your life, the stuff you really want has room to show up". Think about it. When you clear all the excess clutter in your schedule, you have time to do the fun stuff with your friends and family. When you clear the excess "clutter" from your body, you have room for new, pretty clothes and a more fun and active lifestyle, not to mention a few extra years of time on this earth.
When you clear the excess clutter out of your home, you are not only freeing up physical space, you are freeing up your time from cleaning as much, you are freeing up more space that makes it easier to store and use the items you want to have and enjoy using. You also free up your spirit from the stress and guilt of all that clutter. And honestly, what is it about all that junk that is worth all that hassle?
I have done countless decluttering missions in my house over the years. Everything from clothes, to toys, books, movies, and papers. I've sent boxes and boxes of stuff to charity and you know what? If my life depended on it, I couldn't tell you 5 things that I've gotten rid of.
If you really want to learn how to declutter your house and get out of the homeless shelter business - contact me about signing up for my next round of Messy Moms classes. I'll be starting a new one in a couple of weeks and if you're in the Salt Lake area, I'd love to have you join.
1/18/09
That CFC - Clean for Company Feeling
Does your house look different on "company" days than it does on "regular" days? If so, you're not alone. I don't know how many times my kids would ask me why we were cleaning up - was company coming? And that would make me sad because I was teaching them that other people were more important than they were in terms of keeping the house clean.
I used to really hate those CFC days. I would get so anxious when I knew someone was going to be coming over. I would feel like they were going to see my house in a negative light and I would spend all my time running around frantically cleaning up because I was so worried I would be embarrassed about my house. I would not only set aside anything else I had going on, but I was force my family to do the same and yell at them if I felt they weren't doing it "right". It was really horrible and as much as I love to spend time with other people, I would really dread it when they wanted to come over to my house. I would usually try to plan events so we would go out or go to someone else's house instead and only have people over when it really couldn't be avoided. What a sad way to live.
Now that I've made some changes, I love to have company over. I usually still need to do a bit of tidying up, but it's not a big major day-long process like it used to be. I can usually spend from 5 to 15 minutes on each room instead of an hour or more. Also, I've learned to adjust my attitude. I don't feel like my self-worth is tied up so much in the state of my house. If someone drops by and catches me on a bad day and the house is a bit messy, I don't freak out.
And more importantly, I don't apologize. That always seems kind of insecure to me when someone gets all flustered and starts making excuses for why the house is messy. It is what it is, but I can't worry about what someone else is thinking or how they're going to react. That is up to them and me making a big deal over how the house looks is just going to make it worse.
I think it's nice when we can give our families the gift of a clean house. It's great to have that for your friends, but your family spends a lot more time there and if they can enjoy that CFC feeling on a regular basis, that's a good benefit for them. Being in a clean space is more peaceful and relaxing, and also leads your family to want to help you more and keep their own areas cleaner. I was reading this post the other day on Unclutterer where they've done all these studies where even a tiny bit of clutter breeds more clutter. So by providing your family with a clutter-free environment, you are helping them to develop good clutter habits that will serve them well later in life.
Flylady has a great saying - "Housework done incorrectly still blesses your family". I interpret this to mean that we don't have to be perfect, we just have to get off our little fannies and do our best for our families.
I used to really hate those CFC days. I would get so anxious when I knew someone was going to be coming over. I would feel like they were going to see my house in a negative light and I would spend all my time running around frantically cleaning up because I was so worried I would be embarrassed about my house. I would not only set aside anything else I had going on, but I was force my family to do the same and yell at them if I felt they weren't doing it "right". It was really horrible and as much as I love to spend time with other people, I would really dread it when they wanted to come over to my house. I would usually try to plan events so we would go out or go to someone else's house instead and only have people over when it really couldn't be avoided. What a sad way to live.
Now that I've made some changes, I love to have company over. I usually still need to do a bit of tidying up, but it's not a big major day-long process like it used to be. I can usually spend from 5 to 15 minutes on each room instead of an hour or more. Also, I've learned to adjust my attitude. I don't feel like my self-worth is tied up so much in the state of my house. If someone drops by and catches me on a bad day and the house is a bit messy, I don't freak out.
And more importantly, I don't apologize. That always seems kind of insecure to me when someone gets all flustered and starts making excuses for why the house is messy. It is what it is, but I can't worry about what someone else is thinking or how they're going to react. That is up to them and me making a big deal over how the house looks is just going to make it worse.
I think it's nice when we can give our families the gift of a clean house. It's great to have that for your friends, but your family spends a lot more time there and if they can enjoy that CFC feeling on a regular basis, that's a good benefit for them. Being in a clean space is more peaceful and relaxing, and also leads your family to want to help you more and keep their own areas cleaner. I was reading this post the other day on Unclutterer where they've done all these studies where even a tiny bit of clutter breeds more clutter. So by providing your family with a clutter-free environment, you are helping them to develop good clutter habits that will serve them well later in life.
Flylady has a great saying - "Housework done incorrectly still blesses your family". I interpret this to mean that we don't have to be perfect, we just have to get off our little fannies and do our best for our families.
The PDQ (Pay Debts Quick) Plan
Because money is a very important topic for me, I have several different financial coaches that I signed up with. Suze Orman seems to be the guru of choice these days, but I don't care much for her. I prefer Mary Hunt of EverydayCheapskate.com, Dave Ramsay and Chellie Campbell of Chellie.com. They all have similar programs with minor variations and the good news is that any one of them will work.
This is some of the info I share in my classes. Especially now that the financial situation is getting worse and worse, this is important info to have. I think this is an important issue for women especially. I think that men tend to spend more on the big ticket items like cars, boats, etc. But I think as far as the overspenders who rack up the big debt, it's mostly women. Because I run a stamping business, I see a lot of this first-hand. I have seen women drop hundreds of dollars on merchandise that they are going to hide from their husbands in a closet somewhere and problem never even use.
That boggles my mind. I don't see how someone justifies spending what is basically imaginary money, especially on things they don't really need and won't actually use. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do plenty of impulse spending, but I never hide it from my husband and I do use everything I buy. Plus I'm allergic to debt and even though I have some, it isn't much and I work really hard to pay it down as fast as I can. I've been in serious debt before and it's NOT a fun place to be and I don't want to go back there ever again.
Anyway, back to the PDQ Plan. It's pretty simple. You take a spreadsheet or a piece of paper and you list all your debts - large or small. Some people like to line them up based on the interest rate, but I prefer to line them up small to large. It gives you more of a psychological boost to see them being paid off bit by bit.
It's a little daunting to see all your debts in one place, but it's time to face facts. The amount of money is going to be any less if you close your eyes to it. It is what it is and you have to come up with a plan for dealing with it.
Here's how the PDQ plan works. Let's say the smallest bill is a $300 debt that you pay $25 a month and the next largest bill is a $500 debt that is $50 a month. First of all, you cut back on things and save money like crazy so you have $100 a month to spend on that little bill. Three months and poof, that little bill is history. Now you take the $100 a month and apply it to bill number 2. At $150 a month, that bill is also gone in just under three months. So in six month's time or less you have eliminated two bills and freed up $150 a month of your income.
Then you just go through the rest of your bills in the same manner. It is hard work, but you'll get excited as you see your debt reducing as if by magic. The average time for a Debt Snowball like this to work is 18 months to two years. That sounds like a lot, but when you look at how long this debt has been following you around, it really isn't too bad. And by the end of the process, you'll have several hundred dollars in extra money every month - some to save for a rainy day and some to spend on all those fun things you've been denying yourself.
This is some of the info I share in my classes. Especially now that the financial situation is getting worse and worse, this is important info to have. I think this is an important issue for women especially. I think that men tend to spend more on the big ticket items like cars, boats, etc. But I think as far as the overspenders who rack up the big debt, it's mostly women. Because I run a stamping business, I see a lot of this first-hand. I have seen women drop hundreds of dollars on merchandise that they are going to hide from their husbands in a closet somewhere and problem never even use.
That boggles my mind. I don't see how someone justifies spending what is basically imaginary money, especially on things they don't really need and won't actually use. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do plenty of impulse spending, but I never hide it from my husband and I do use everything I buy. Plus I'm allergic to debt and even though I have some, it isn't much and I work really hard to pay it down as fast as I can. I've been in serious debt before and it's NOT a fun place to be and I don't want to go back there ever again.
Anyway, back to the PDQ Plan. It's pretty simple. You take a spreadsheet or a piece of paper and you list all your debts - large or small. Some people like to line them up based on the interest rate, but I prefer to line them up small to large. It gives you more of a psychological boost to see them being paid off bit by bit.
It's a little daunting to see all your debts in one place, but it's time to face facts. The amount of money is going to be any less if you close your eyes to it. It is what it is and you have to come up with a plan for dealing with it.
Here's how the PDQ plan works. Let's say the smallest bill is a $300 debt that you pay $25 a month and the next largest bill is a $500 debt that is $50 a month. First of all, you cut back on things and save money like crazy so you have $100 a month to spend on that little bill. Three months and poof, that little bill is history. Now you take the $100 a month and apply it to bill number 2. At $150 a month, that bill is also gone in just under three months. So in six month's time or less you have eliminated two bills and freed up $150 a month of your income.
Then you just go through the rest of your bills in the same manner. It is hard work, but you'll get excited as you see your debt reducing as if by magic. The average time for a Debt Snowball like this to work is 18 months to two years. That sounds like a lot, but when you look at how long this debt has been following you around, it really isn't too bad. And by the end of the process, you'll have several hundred dollars in extra money every month - some to save for a rainy day and some to spend on all those fun things you've been denying yourself.
1/17/09
The Brat Factory
People often ask me how I thought up the idea to teach these classes. I got it from Pam and Peggy who are two very busy sisters who are in this business. They have both written a number of great books on the subjects and have CD's and videos and other resources - several of them are available for purchase on my sidebar. One of the resources they have is a set of CD's for people like me who want to teach classes and that is how I got started designing this class. They are also the ones who gave Flylady her start. She originally started decluttering and cleaning her house with their card system and now she has over half a million members!
I'm not sure what Peggy is doing. I think I had heard that she had some health problems and retired, but Pam runs a pair of very interesting websites these days. One is called The Brat Factory - Bratfactor.com. You can sign up with her to get tips and surprises every day of the year. I get them and I enjoy them very much.
The Brat Factory is based on a premise that part of the reason we do the things we do is because there is a child-like part of us in our mind, or our heart, or our soul, that isn't being addressed. So it acts out in negative ways like overeating, not cleaning our homes, spending too much time on-line, or overshopping.
If you think about it, this is exactly the way our children would act if we weren't around. Pam deals with this problem by addressing the brat in her life directly. She calls her Nelly for that bratty little girl on The Little House on the Prairie, and she deals with her exactly the way you would a child. Sometimes she will make deals with her - if you'll let me clean up this bathroom in peace, we'll sit down afterwards and watch TV for an hour. Or she'll speak sternly to her - I know you want to go to the mall and buy a new pair of shoes, but we just can't afford it right now. Or she'll be kind to her the way you would to a child - I know you're sad today, so I'm going to let you take a nice bubble bath and then we're going to bed with a good book. It's actually kind of interesting and it seems to work for her very well.
Some of us didn't have ideal childhoods, and I think this is a way of getting the attention and the love that we didn't receive from our parents. I call my brat Trixie, because she tricks me into doing things I shouldn't do sometimes, like hitting the snooze button too many times, overspending or choosing to watch TV when I've set aside time to work on my stamping. It's a free website - you ought to check it out.
The other website Pam runs is called The House Fairy - HouseFairy.com. If you have children under the age of 10, this is definitely the website for you! The House Fairy is supposedly the sister of Santa Claus and she motivates kids in much the same way. The kit comes with letters for you to leave as the House Fairy when your kids have kept their rooms clean or done their chores. There is "Magic Dust" (glitter) that she leaves behind after a visit. They can even post pictures of their sparkling clean rooms on her website. It's a great motivational tool and it costs like $15 for two years, so that's really reasonable.
I'm not sure what Peggy is doing. I think I had heard that she had some health problems and retired, but Pam runs a pair of very interesting websites these days. One is called The Brat Factory - Bratfactor.com. You can sign up with her to get tips and surprises every day of the year. I get them and I enjoy them very much.
The Brat Factory is based on a premise that part of the reason we do the things we do is because there is a child-like part of us in our mind, or our heart, or our soul, that isn't being addressed. So it acts out in negative ways like overeating, not cleaning our homes, spending too much time on-line, or overshopping.
If you think about it, this is exactly the way our children would act if we weren't around. Pam deals with this problem by addressing the brat in her life directly. She calls her Nelly for that bratty little girl on The Little House on the Prairie, and she deals with her exactly the way you would a child. Sometimes she will make deals with her - if you'll let me clean up this bathroom in peace, we'll sit down afterwards and watch TV for an hour. Or she'll speak sternly to her - I know you want to go to the mall and buy a new pair of shoes, but we just can't afford it right now. Or she'll be kind to her the way you would to a child - I know you're sad today, so I'm going to let you take a nice bubble bath and then we're going to bed with a good book. It's actually kind of interesting and it seems to work for her very well.
Some of us didn't have ideal childhoods, and I think this is a way of getting the attention and the love that we didn't receive from our parents. I call my brat Trixie, because she tricks me into doing things I shouldn't do sometimes, like hitting the snooze button too many times, overspending or choosing to watch TV when I've set aside time to work on my stamping. It's a free website - you ought to check it out.
The other website Pam runs is called The House Fairy - HouseFairy.com. If you have children under the age of 10, this is definitely the website for you! The House Fairy is supposedly the sister of Santa Claus and she motivates kids in much the same way. The kit comes with letters for you to leave as the House Fairy when your kids have kept their rooms clean or done their chores. There is "Magic Dust" (glitter) that she leaves behind after a visit. They can even post pictures of their sparkling clean rooms on her website. It's a great motivational tool and it costs like $15 for two years, so that's really reasonable.
Everything Needs to have a Home
When you get home from the grocery store, do you just leave the groceries in the bags and just take the food out of them when you need it? Why not? I know a lot of people do that for laundry. They leave it in the basket and just pick out a t-shirt or a pair of socks when they need them. Or the leave a stack of mail on the counter and just pick out a bill or a letter when they need them. Why don't we do that with groceries?
Obviously part of it is that some food will spoil and needs to be stored in the fridge or freezer to protect it. But it's also that we were taught at a very young age that groceries need to be put away right away, every time. Plus there is a clear home for groceries. We have cupboards and pantries and shelves to put our food on.
You can develop these habits for other things as well. What you if treated your mail like you do your groceries and put it away in it's designated spots the moment you came into the house? Same thing with your laundry. Pretend there's a container of milk in there that's going to go sour if you don't get them into drawers right away.
Here's a great tip I picked up somewhere. When you lose something, the minute you find it, take it and put it back in the FIRST place you looked. That is it's natural home and if you keep it there, you'll always be able to find it.
Obviously part of it is that some food will spoil and needs to be stored in the fridge or freezer to protect it. But it's also that we were taught at a very young age that groceries need to be put away right away, every time. Plus there is a clear home for groceries. We have cupboards and pantries and shelves to put our food on.
You can develop these habits for other things as well. What you if treated your mail like you do your groceries and put it away in it's designated spots the moment you came into the house? Same thing with your laundry. Pretend there's a container of milk in there that's going to go sour if you don't get them into drawers right away.
Here's a great tip I picked up somewhere. When you lose something, the minute you find it, take it and put it back in the FIRST place you looked. That is it's natural home and if you keep it there, you'll always be able to find it.
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