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  • Welcome
    • The Coaches
    • Portfolio
    • Testimonials
  • Services & Rates
    • ADHD Coaching >
      • Coaching Session Prep Form
    • In-Home Organizing
    • Moving Services
    • Virtual Organizing
    • Paper Organizing Workshop - Sunday Basket
  • Contact
    • FAQ
  • Resources
    • Blog >
      • ADD/ADHD
      • Before & After
      • Children
      • Closets
      • Clutter
      • Craft Areas
      • Finances
      • Health
      • Holidays & Entertaining
      • Home Office & Paperwork
      • Kitchens & Pantries
      • Living Spaces
      • Methodology
      • Moving
      • Organizing
      • Time Management
      • Tips & Tricks
    • Artkive (art project digitization)
    • Books to Read
    • Favorite Products
    • Yours For Free
    • Sell Your Designer Bags
    • Become a Pro Organizer

Top Three Tips to Cut Clutter

7/22/2019

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Summer break is a great time to evaluate your current strategies for coping with clutter. But what is clutter?

Clutter is anything you don’t need, use, or enjoy on a regular basis.

It’s the tchotchkes, knickknacks, and overstock in your home that never find a true purpose. You have them, but do you really need to keep them? Probably not.
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Letting go can be difficult, so here are my top 3 strategies for editing your belongings.

#1 Pareto’s Principle.
While you might not be able to pronounce his name properly, this turn of the century Italian economist developed what we commonly refer to today as the 80:20 rule. Vilfredo Pareto determined that what we invest versus the return we get is unbalanced. Applied to our homes, it would appear that 80% of our things are used only 20% of the time. In simpler terms, this means that out of all of your t-shirts in your dresser drawers, over half of them (80%) are only worn less than half (20%) of the time. The flip side of that equation is that you’re wearing a very small percentage (20%) of your t-shirts the majority (80%) of the time. Sounds like it’s time to declutter some of those unworn shirts!
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#2 One-In-One-Out Rule.
To avoid unnecessary overstock, you’ve got to have a plan to subtract whenever you add. We’re great with toilet paper – we buy lots, but we use lots, so the toilet paper supply never gets out of hand. However, when we’re buying things that aren’t consumable, those items tend to pile up. Consider purses. Although you might love purses (and bags of all sorts), it’s unnecessary to have ALL the bags. So, when buying a new bag, you must let go of an old one. Using the one-in-one-out principle helps us to establish healthy buying habits, which in turn reduces the potential for clutter. If you’ve got an excessive amount, then multiply this rule to read One-In-Three-Out until you can get your stash down to an appropriate level.

#3 Expiration Date.
As you continue on your decluttering journey, you’ll stumble upon items you think you might need one day. While this mindset has proven useful in past decades, it has followed Pareto’s Principle more than we’d like to admit: of the 80-100% of the things we keep for a delayed and unknown need, only 0-20% might ever get used. The replacement light bulbs that come with every strand of holiday lights, or extra buttons that come with your new cardigan. The dull hack saw you salvaged from a garage sale or the door knobs that came out of your renovated property. Maybe it’s the fancy table linens for the parties you never throw or extra sets of glass punch cups. You’re keeping these things because you THINK you’ll use them, but so far you haven’t. In fact, instead of using the old things, you actually just pick up what you need for less than $25 when you need it. Be honest with yourself. It’s time to let these things go. But if you don’t believe me, then place these items in a box with an expiration date clearly marked on the side. Once that date arrives, you’ll have no regrets donating those items because you KNOW you never actually needed them.
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What are your favorite strategies for cutting the clutter? Share them below in the comments!

This post originally appeared on The Good Life.
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The Secret to Picking the Proper Container

6/24/2019

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Who doesn’t love pouring over Pinterest’s images of a perfect pantry or savvy storage area? All those items neatly tucked into the color-coordinated bins that just ring with harmony. If only we could make our storage spaces look just as tidy?

But who really has a place that gorgeous?!

I’ve worked behind the scenes with a well-known blogger and learned a few secrets along the way. Have you noticed that their “after” pictures often have a few extra staging elements like fresh flowers or cut fruit, and a few less real-life elements like half-empty cereal boxes and make-up stained towels? It’s true! Bloggers KNOW which photos trend best, so they edit their shots just like they would edit their posts. They deliver the most beautiful, most desired content; not necessarily the most functional or realistic.
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And now that you know, don’t be mad. Like every author, they are creating beautiful images in word and photo that encourage your imagination to bloom to greater heights. Rather, get excited. These behind-the-scenes truths translate into room for imperfection in real life and grace for yourself.
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So now that you’ve seen the lovely linen closet, realized that the photo was a bit of blogger magic (with the reality tucked just out of lens’ reach), it’s time to evaluate your own space.

What items have you stashed on the shelves that don’t really belong there? What kind of blogger photo magic can you conjure up yourself just by returning the stow-aways? What things belong there but should be moved down a shelf or closer to their point of use? Finally, what categories of items do you have that could be neatly tucked away into a few containers to keep them organized?

This is where the real magic begins. The secret to creating a beautiful storage solution is to use bins that are the proper size for what you wish to contain.

Using your handy dandy measuring tape, get a rough estimate of how big of a bin you’ll need by measuring the length, width, and height of the category of items in front of you. Next, measure the available space on your shelf, or under the cabinet, or wherever you’re planning to place your items. These are your minimum and maximum container sizes.

​Next, go to your basket and bin stash. We all have one. It’s the place where bins go to die…ahem….I mean: earn inches of dust before we decide it’s time to donate them. No judgment. 
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Look for a bin that matches the color scheme, style, and size range you’ll need. If you can’t find one, try shopping around your house. If there is a bin being used elsewhere that you might be able to swap with one in the stash, do it. If not, jot down the min/max size requirements, style, and color preferences onto your Goodwill shopping list for the next time you hit the thrift.

Updating an old bin or basket is easy. While a can of spray paint is my go-to solution, you can also use fabric and hot glue or scrapbook paper and modge podge.

Happy hunting!

This post originally appeared on The Good Life.
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The Key to Creating a Winning Wardrobe

5/6/2019

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When we edit and reorganize closets for our clients, we come across two kinds of people: ones that organize by type and ones that organize by outfit.

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The “typers” are SO much easier to organize for because the process of reloading the closet requires so little thought. Short sleeves with short sleeves, pants with pants, sweaters with sweaters. (I personally like to organize my closet by type because it helps me to get the clean laundry off my bed and back where it belongs!)

However, the “typers” always run into one major problem that the “outfitters” avoid — overstock. They’ve fallen into the trap of buying random pieces because they liked the feel, shape, pattern, you name it, but they rarely have plans to put their new found pieces into use beyond the full-length mirror. So the pieces sit. And collect dust. And our “typers” are burdened by the fact that although their closet is well-stocked with beautiful pieces, they’ve still got nothing to wear.

If you’re a “typer” (like me), don’t fret. There’s a proven solution for loving your wardrobe AND sorting it by type. You simply must define your outfit possibilities.

Start by snagging your favorite top and asking yourself a lot of questions. Which bottoms work best? Would it look better with a skirt or does it belong with trousers? Do you even own the trousers in the right color and cut to pull that top off? Asking questions means being brutally honest. Your pieces are guilty of not belonging until proven otherwise, so be merciless if you really want to create a closet you love.

Try on everything to ensure that each outfit works in reality, not just in theory. As you edit, you’ll naturally develop a pile of pieces that simply don’t match anything else in your closet. You could totally donate all of those right off the bat (…nobody is going to be mad about that brand new blouse with tags ending up on a rack at Goodwill for a FRACTION of the original cost). You could also take one more pass through the pile and decide if any of those pieces could be put to use if you invested in one more foundation piece. (A foundation piece is like the bottom brick of a tall building — it matches with everything else and is used frequently. Foundation pieces typically include the classic black pant or white collared shirt.)

Bottom line is the “outfitters” have a leg up on “typers” when it comes to getting dressed and feeling great. You don’t have to organize your closet like theirs, but you should always take the time to think like them to ensure a winning wardrobe.

Looking for fashion inspiration? Check out The Simply Becca Facebook page where Becca is constantly posting the greatest deals on fashionable pieces!

This post originally appeared on The Good Life.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase one I'll receive a small profit with no additional cost to you whatsoever. Thanks for supporting our site. Click here to learn more.
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How to Organize Your Winter Accessories

12/14/2018

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Maybe you’re like me — right at this very moment — surrounded by gloves, hats, snow bibs, snow boots, wet towels, and more gloves. Snowmageddon came early to the upstate this year, and we’re up to our eyeballs in winter accessories! Below are my tips for maintaining sanity (and a sense of order) during the season when we need it most.
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This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase one I'll receive a small profit with no additional cost to you whatsoever. Thanks for supporting our site. Click here to learn more.
Tip 1: Check for Mates
Waiting until the last minute to find out that your favorite pair of gloves doesn’t have a match is awful. It’s even worse when it’s your kid’s favorite set. Save yourself some drama, and check for mates ahead of time. You’ll also want to make sure you’ve got a hat and scarf for everyone in the home. Sure, you won’t use them every time you venture out, but keeping them together will spare you the pain and suffering when you need them most.

Tip 2: Store at the Door
There is nothing more frustrating than having to run back through the house to find your leather driving gloves that you think you left on the kitchen counter. Instead, keep them in a bin near the door. I LOVE the three drawer container from Sterilite available at Amazon, Walmart, and Target. It tucks nicely into a narrow coat closet and can be rolled around when you temporarily need it elsewhere. The drawers can be labeled to hold items for each family member or by size. We use two of our drawers for “Adult Cold Weather” and “Child Cold Weather.” (Here's the label maker our coaches use if you're interested in making ALL KINDS of labels!)

Tip 3: Prep for Wet
When snow actually shows up, it’s helpful to have a few beach towels in reserve. Lay these on the floor near the entrance so that snowy friends can peel their accessories off in one central location. This will also help to contain any mud that gets tracked in….because we all know the upstate is infamous for red clay. Storing these towels in the third drawer of that Sterilite container is just plain genius. Your pets and floors will thank you for such considerate preparation. It’s also a great idea to invest in a boot tray OR repurpose an unloved cookie sheet to contain those wet boots to one central area. If you’ve got a collapsible garment rack or a door casing that can hold a few hangers, you’re even more of a winner. Simply lay a dry towel below to catch any drips while your wet stuff hangs to dry.

Tip 4: Keep the Dryer Free
Kids love coming and going in the cooler temps, particularly when that white stuff is coming down. Help them to stay warm by tossing their wet accessories in the dryer between trips. Yes, I know, some of you are cringing. I cringed too….because only my clean stuff belongs in the dryer! However, a dry happy kiddo is more valuable than a dryer. To help alleviate my fears of “contamination,” the next “clean” load that goes through the washer/dryer system is the winter coats and snow bibs. If the dryer is going to have anything in it from drying unclean winter gear, at least it’s only getting onto my freshly laundered winter gear. (Side note: I’ve never actually had anything gross transfer, but I thought I’d throw it out there just in case anyone is worried like myself!)

Tip 5: Wash and Restock
This last tip is the most often neglected. Don’t forget that in order for an organizational system to be successful, it must come full circle. After the winter accessories have been used (and washed, if necessary), return them to their rightful place. Everything, including those winter accessories, should have a home. While it may just be temporary, like in a Sterilite drawer system for winter, it deserves a resting place. Homes for accessories allow everyone to find exactly what they need when they need it. And winter is no time to doddle, because, baby, it’s cold outside!

This post originally appeared on The Good Life.

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Make Your Yard Sale a Success

4/23/2018

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The temps are FINALLY on the rise, flu season is making an exit, and the days are getting longer.
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As happens every year, you’re on the brink of full scale spring cleaning. While some are thinking about the trash bags they’ll need, you’re seeing dollar signs. In fact, you’re one of half a million Americans preparing for a yard sale this spring (source). Follow these top five tips to ensure your sale will be a success!
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Be Picky
Don’t hold onto EVERYTHING just in case it could generate some cash. Opened beauty products, old exercise equipment, and fabric do not sell well. In fact, you’re better off donating them and getting a tax deductible receipt. Gently used clothing (including a few pairs of shoes and handbags), tools, and appliances traditionally sell well! Since no one likes feeling overwhelmed, curate a sense of calm, happiness, and a dash of demand by limiting your yard sale to your best items. Showcase them with enough space in between so that they’re easily viewed and watch the buyers flock! Tables that are piled high with dozens of similar items just feel like drudgery. Only a select few, dedicated souls would take the time necessary to find that needle in a haystack. Make your sale for the masses, not for the select few.

Price to Sell (as You Go)
As you begin collecting items for your big sale, keep a Sharpie and pad of round pricing stickers with you. By pricing your items as you pull them, you’ll save yourself a ton of prep time the week before your sale. If you’re unsure of how much to price an item, pretend the item doesn’t belong to you and ask yourself how much you’d pay for it on someone else’s front lawn? It comes with NO return policy or warranty. You don’t know how much it’s been used, or what kind of life it has left. Even if you have a general idea of what the retail price was, the item is at most worth just 30% of that original value. That should help you aim for rock bottom prices.

The key to making a profit with your yard sale is quantity of sales over price per sale. While you might have a few items in the $5 or $10 range, realize that most yard sale hunters are trained to find bargains. Overpricing, or not pricing your items at all, can lead to immediate disinterest.

Sort Your Items
Create a storage area in your attic, spare bedroom, basement, garage, or shed to stash your items as you find them in your home. Organizing them by category (and pricing them as you go) will save you loads of time when you set up. (And since everyone is short on time, this step is a MUST.) Keep furniture items with wall décor; kitchen items with entertaining pieces; and technology with other technology.

Set the Scene
There is nothing more exciting to me than a well organized sale! When ALL the kitchen gadgets are in one place and clothing in another, I’m able to find the items I’m looking for in record time. Subconsciously, I’m also willing to pay a higher price for items that are easy for me to find. Use the categories you created for your storage area to neatly define your front lawn with bright signs. Easy-to-walk-through aisles with enough space will entice your shoppers to keep shopping. Finally, make sure your “checkout” area is easily accessible, covered from the sun (or rain), and ready for a line. Selling extra items like coffee and cupcakes is a great way to draw a crowd, and again, keep your shoppers looking for just a little longer.

Ensure Easy Tear Down
Decide NOW where the remaining items will go once your sale is over. Plan to load them directly into your car for drop-off to your nearest Goodwill, or create a zone for later pick-up by another agency.


What are your tried and true tips for a successful yard sale? Share your experiences in the comments below!

This post originally appeared on The Good Life.
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Building a Capsule Wardrobe

1/18/2017

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This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to learn more.
​Decluttering is never easy, but it may feel extra hard when it comes to your closet. For many people, clothes are extra difficult to part with because not only do they hold sentimental value, they also, just maybe, can be worn to that fancy cocktail event or costume party that you know you'll be invited to in the near future.

Though you may not want to donate that glittery dress you wore to senior prom, when you finally do you'll feel a sense of relief and be able to create a closet that is organized and full of versatile clothes.

When cleaning out your closet you should take all of your clothing and accessories out. It will make you truly sort through everything and categorize it based on what you want to keep and what you want to give away.

Sort each item into 3 categories: keep, sell or donate, and toss. Remember, if you haven't worn a piece in ages and don't feel confident wearing it, it's time to part ways. This flowchart by AEO will help you figure out what you actually want to keep.
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​If you want to take your closet cleaning endeavor to the next level, try creating a capsule wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe is a small, curated collection of your favorite pieces of clothing. The pieces should be versatile so that you can mix and match them.

Each season, you can create a new capsule wardrobe that's more fitting to the weather. Learn more about creating a capsule wardrobe here and use the worksheet below to help you plan your closet!
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Big thanks to Alexandira Heinz with American Eagle Outfitters for reaching out to Upstate Clutter Coach to feature these amazing charts + worksheets! Have fun shopping everyone!
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The Problem with Too Much Stuff

6/10/2016

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Got a lot of stuff? Thinking that a professional organizer can work some magic? You're right! A professional organizer is trained to help you sort, organize, and easily access the items you need, use, and love. What happens with the things you never use and don't need? It's up to you, but we're BIG fans of sharing those items with those who truly need them. www.UpstateClutterCoach.com #donate #edit #professional organizer
Isn’t it obvious? You clicked on this link just to confirm what you already know.

​The problem with too much stuff is that it DOESN’T FIT.

But sometimes, we try to force it.

Like when we pack for vacation, we erroneously pack too much. If one of our bags has some extra room, we pack even more. A recent survey found that 55% of us don’t even wear everything we’ve packed. So why do we do it?

We like options. We like being in control. We like the freedom of determining what we want, when we want it, and how we want it. We like to look like we’ve got it altogether, even when we’re going through hard times. Stuff, oodles of stuff, gives us that opportunity.

But how is that freedom affecting us?

For starters, we are burdened with heavier bags. We take solace in Sky Cap and dish out the extra bucks for overweight luggage. As long as we have access to everything we could possibly need, we’re happy to accommodate.
When we need something out of the bags, we comfort ourselves that the extra time spent digging through the excess isn’t that big of a loss. But the loss adds up.

And so does the stress.

When we can’t locate what we need, when we need it because of ALL the options we insist we have, something has to give. Usually it’s our attitudes. It’s easy to go from carefree to ticked-off in a matter of minutes when something we need can’t be found.

My heart starts racing just thinking about the lost shoe in the sea of too many.

Suitcases aren’t the only over-stuffed containers in our lives.

Cars, homes, purses, cubicles, offices, drawers, closets --- they’re all bursting because we’ve tried to force too much into them.

We want to have it all in every situation.

But having it all comes with a hefty price:
  • Initial investment when you purchase new items.
  • Additional investment on more wardrobes, baskets, bins, and even square footage to contain the items.
  • Frustration when you can’t find what you need or access it easily.
  • Confusion over what needs to be done and how to do see it through because of the clutter.
  • Lost minutes that turn into hours that turn into days, pulling your further away from what you really want to be doing with your life.
  • Piles that build up because putting things back where they belong is impossible until you buy MORE storage containers.

Now, if you don’t mind the cost of forcing more into your life than you need, use, or love, then this blog isn’t for you. In fact, if you aren’t interested in parting with the extra, then there’s no reason to call a professional organizer. Your best bet is a maid and some Tylenol for the stress headaches.

However, if you’re tired of fighting the overload of excess, make a commitment to edit your stuff.

Think of your life as a beautiful story you’re writing for English class. Sure, you could just slap some sentences on paper, but editing is what makes your writing enjoyable. The same is true when you edit your life and the things that surround you. Sometimes, editing requires you to cut a REALLY good sentence. It doesn’t mean that the sentence wasn’t worth keeping --- just that it wasn’t a part of YOUR story line.

The same is true for clothing, knickknacks, sports equipment, craft supplies, you name it. Sometimes these things are beautiful, costly, and maybe even useful, but they aren’t an active part of your narrative.

Let these items graciously leave your life and flow into the life of someone else who might need, use, or love them RIGHT NOW….not just someday, for some rare occasion. Live generously with an outward focus on the life you want to live, rather than miserly with an inward focus on what you can amass with your excess cash.

You won’t regret the edit.

You’ll reap joy, serenity, and ease of living because the stuff in your life FINALLY FITS. Your personal and professional goals will be easier to achieve because you’ve eliminated unnecessary obstacles. Victory, not forfeit, will follow.

If you need a win, here’s an easy one: Edit Your Life.
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Clutter Coach Lauren Flinte is a professional organizer who transforms chaos into categories, leaning towers into stable storage solutions, and anxiety into peace by way of editing and organizing residential and commercial spaces. She can help you reclaim your joy today! www.UpstateClutterCoach.com #reclaimjoy #organizer #minimalist
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Gift Wrapping Secrets

12/14/2015

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​Gift wrapping isn't as difficult as it looks . . . as long as you know what you're doing.
Wrapping gifts this holiday season shouldn't be a source of stress. And while we're on the subject, let's talk wrapping stations and how you can neatly tuck one inside your laundry room. #upstatecluttercoach #gift #wrapping #paper #laundry


Prep Your Workspace

​Find a large, flat area so that you have room for both your gift and your creative juices. You can use a table, the floor, or even the top of your washer/dryer (a personal favorite of mine).
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Collect Your Materials

At the very least, you'll need scissors, tape (double sided is amazing), pen/marker, gift tags, ribbons, wrapping paper, tissue paper, gift bags, and gift boxes.

If you've got a designated area where you prefer to wrap, like the laundry room, consider using an over-the-door organizer on the back of the door to organize your ribbon, paper, scissors, tape, pen, and tags. Keep your tissue paper, bags, and boxes on a shelf or in the cabinet above the washer.
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If you don't have a designated area for wrapping, then store all of your supplies in a clear bin that you can easily stash under your bed or in a coat closet.
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Choose Your Wrapper

Large or odd-shaped items fit perfectly into bags, easily disguised with a bit of tissue paper. Flimsy items (like clothing) are best wrapped when placed in gift boxes first. There are many ways to wrap, but I've pulled together a couple of how-to videos to help you on your way. 
  • Folding on the Diagonal (uses less paper; perfect if you are at the end of a roll and don't want to do a patch-job)
  • Folding on the Center (how your mom taught ya)
  • Getting the Perfect Corners (hint: double sided tape is your best friend)
  • Filling a Gift Bag (only two sheets of tissue paper....TWO!)

​Special Note: I did NOT include the video of how to do a patch-job with multiple sheets of paper. This is NOT a best practice, albeit a creative one. The best way to avoid this situation from the start is to make sure you cut your paper large enough to encompass the entire gift (unless you’re trying to save paper and using the Diagonal Method above). If you’re gifting your lovely spouse a new water-saving toilet, then it MAY be acceptable to employ the patch-job as long as you also use the words, “Honey, this gift is going to help us save money every day! In keeping with that money-saving theme, I used up all the scrap wrapping paper from years past, because I love you.” This is appropriate, based on personal experience.

How do you prefer to wrap? Share your tips below!

Interested in Creating Your Own Wrapping Station? We Can Help.
Lauren Flinte is a professional organizer who transforms chaos into categories, leaning towers into stable storage solutions, and anxiety into peace by way of editing and organizing residential and commercial spaces. She can help you reclaim your joy today! www.UpstateClutterCoach.com #reclaimjoy #organizer #minimalist
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How to Swap Children's Clothing for Seasons & Size

11/28/2015

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In response to one of our readers, we're conquering the question of how to keep up with the ever-changing wardrobes of little ones. Some kids are fast growers and others slow. Some grow wide before tall. And we can't forget those crazy seasonal changes because of global warming....or whatever you call snow in May and 70 degrees in January. 
Have limited closet and dresser space for your kids? Then you're probably experiencing the seasonal clothing swap. Check out these great tips to manage the clothes that are in storage so that you don't forget about them. Our steps will help the swap go faster and allow you to spend your precious moments on something better....like a cup of coffee. #upstatecluttercoach #kids #children #clothing #closet #offseasonclothes

​Set yourself up for success with an organized closet and/or dresser.

  • If possible, store all clothes in the same location for easy access (i.e., bedroom).
  • Store clothes in categories, not outfits.
    • Tops
    • Bottoms
    • Outerwear
    • Dress Clothes
    • Pajamas
    • Underwear/Socks/Tights
    • Swimwear
  • Within each category, sort by color from light to dark or good ole' ROYGBIV from junior high science.  It’s up to you.

Decide what stays and what goes.

  • Plan to work on ONE CHILD at a time!
  • Get out a bag for donations, a bag for trash, a clear bin for storing items for the next child (if you plan to pass anything on), and the clear bin that contains the next season and/or size up items.
  • Begin with the current clothing in the closet and drawers.
    • Remove any items that are no longer in season, with the exception of 1-2 outfits for transitional weather.
    • Remove any items that are too small.
    • Evaluate each item for necessary repairs, style, and decide whether to keep, toss, or donate.
  • Move on to the next season or size clothing. (If you’ve received gifts or hand-me-downs for the next size up, you would have been wise to store these in a clear, plastic container with the next size up listed on a sheet of paper tucked inside. For example, your box may have said “2T-3T”.)
    • Evaluate each item for necessary repairs, fit, style, and decide whether to keep, toss, or donate. It will be much more efficient to perform these quick checks on your own.
    • Once you’ve finished, call in your child to double check that the items really do fit and that they are within the child’s clothing preferences. (There’s nothing more frustrating than having lots of purple when your daughter is going through a pink stage.)
    • Transfer the “keep” items to the categories you created above, in the color order you determined.

​Maintain your system.

  • Toss your bag of “toss” items.
  • Put your “donate” bag in the car for easy dropoff. You can store it in the trunk if you don’t want your kids to see it.
  • Keep two baskets/bins on the top shelf of your child’s closet: Donate and Too Small. When items are beyond a quick repair, toss them immediately. This will reduce your seasonal/size swap times because you’re working while you go. (If you don’t have the space to do this where the child’s clothing is stored, consider placing bins or bags with similar labels in your laundry room.)
  • Keep only ONE clear bin PER CHILD of next season/size up clothing. There are several reasons why this will prove incredibly beneficial to you:
    • Your time is precious. Don’t waste it by purchasing 5 bins and having a different size for each bin. There is no need to over-categorize.
    • Your space is limited. Most folks can’t just pick up and move when their house becomes cramped. So live within your means, and that includes your space. Keep only what you love or what your kids love. Don’t hold onto clothes out of guilt. Guilty clothes are rarely worn.
    • Your mind can only balance so much when you’ve got little ones at home. Give yourself a break and don’t over-complicate things. Systems only work when they are easy to use. If your system has too many steps, you’ll give up mid-way or simply talk yourself out of the chore because you just don’t have the time to complete it.
  • Likewise, keep only ONE clear bin for hand-me-downs (which, ideally, would have the next child’s name already on it).

Remember infants and toddlers grow quickly, but they won't be this tiny forever.

  • I recommend keeping the next 6 months tag size already organized in the closet. For example, if your child is a newborn, you should have Newborn, 3 Month and 6 Months at the ready. If your child is in 12 month clothing, keep the 18 Month clothing in the closet too. Usually by 18 months old, your child will be wearing 24 month clothing and things will slow down.
  • You won’t have too many items of each next size up, so it will be easy to create a second section of tops, bottoms, dress clothes, etc.
  • There is no right or wrong on this. If your child is a slow grower, then don’t keep out the next 6 months (based on tag size). If your child is a chunker like mine, then be ready to constantly swap until that 24 month tag size rolls around.
  • The goal is to keep this process simple to complete.

What’s worked for you? Share your wisdom and experiences below!

Need Help Organizing Your Closets?
Lauren Flinte is a professional organizer who transforms chaos into categories, leaning towers into stable storage solutions, and anxiety into peace by way of editing and organizing residential and commercial spaces. She can help you reclaim your joy today! www.UpstateClutterCoach.com #reclaimjoy #organizer #minimalist
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Experience Freedom

11/17/2015

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Is it possible to live an organized life when I've lived a cluttered life for so many years? Yes, it is. We've got some hope for you! Read about it here. #upstatecluttercoach #organize #hoarder

Flat surfaces are the first to go.

It starts small with a night stand or an entry way table. Eventually, clutter crowds out kitchen counters, cabinet shelves, table tops, and closet floors. Clutter can even take over beds, chairs, sofas, and floors if you're not on the lookout. 

​How did it even get this way? ​

​You're a pretty neat person. Your spaces are pretty clean. It's not like you're a "hoarder"....and yet, clutter happens. The problem with clutter is that even though it's in plain sight, it often fades into the background. You see it once, maybe even twice. You acknowledge that those clothes really should be in the hamper or hanging up in the closet, but you'll take care of it later. You mean to put the groceries away, but it's just easier to dump the bags of dry goods in the pantry and shut the door. You don't intend to waste time and energy every day searching for things that have become lost within the clutter...but here you are. Frustrated. Annoyed. 

You've tried to mend your cluttery ways by simply trying to put things where they belong, but you can't maintain it. You might even be feeling a bit hopeless at this point that you could ever sleep in a bedroom not littered with laundry.

I'm glad you've come here. There is hope. You aren't lazy or cursed or just plain sloppy. Most likely, the problem stems from the clutter itself.

Our culture prides itself on accumulation. 

Our minds are trained to believe that if we paid good money for it, we HAVE to keep it, even if it's taking up valuable space. We hold on tightly to possessions because we might NEED them again one day....years from now....when, in all sincerity, the item will no longer fit its intended purpose. The easiest example of this is clothing. How many pairs of pants do you currently own that do not actually fit? How many shirts are you storing just in case you MIGHT wear them again one day? How many sets of "painting clothes" do you really need (assuming you're not a painter)?
​

Studies show that we use 20% of our things 80% of the time. ​

​If that's true, then up to 80% of the clothes in your closet, dresser, and, dare I say, on the floors might be CLUTTER.

So should we just grab some trash bags and start filling donation boxes? No. No, please, for the love of organization, don't do that!
​

​Instead, let's analyze your possessions and your space. Let's go on a treasure hunt as we sort and identify all the things you need, use, and love. Let's set up organizational and storage systems so that you can efficiently access (and return) those treasured items. Then we'll consider what's left. If you've got room for the things you MIGHT need one day and REALLY want to hold on to and POSSIBLY will serve their intended purpose two decades from now, then we'll find an appropriate way to access those items as well. 

The point is, you can experience freedom from the piles! ​

​You can live with floors you can sweep and entry tables you can use to hold your keys. It's possible. Why not start today?
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Lauren Flinte is a professional organizer who transforms chaos into categories, leaning towers into stable storage solutions, and anxiety into peace by way of editing and organizing residential and commercial spaces. She can help you reclaim your joy today! www.UpstateClutterCoach.com #reclaimjoy #organizer #minimalist
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    #DeclutteringGreenville #OrganizingGreenville

    Coach Lauren

    Transforming chaos into categories, leaning towers into stable storage solutions, and anxiety into peace.

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