Wherever you look, wherever you are in the material world, in retail shops, online, and just looking around at the dining room table clutter (but that might just be me), the world is telling you to declutter and organize your stuff, from kitchenware to linen closets to offices to the stuff on top of the sofa (again, that might just be me). And amidst the clutter shaming, they tell you that they have just the right tools for you to organize not only your stuff, but the stuff your stuff goes into – organizing the organization.

Deals to Look For

I don’t know if this is still true, but the best deal on bins is at Target after Halloween. They have orange and black bins (that no one wants) for ridiculously cheap prices – less than $5 for a big bin.

Another great deal to know about is Back to School Shopping has the best deals the week after Fourth of July. Watch the ads, especially Staples. One other note, since the recession (2008), there has been almost no restocking. When they run out, it’s gone. That holds true for most things, not just back to school.

If you’re looking for a television, wait until the weeks before the Super Bowl.

Most importantly, only get what you’ll use in the next three months. You don’t need enough laundry detergent (despite what the ad says) to last through the apocalypse or Zombie invasion. The exception to this is toilet paper. After the pandemic, we always have a large package of toilet paper in reserve, so we never run out.

Where Do You Put that Stuff?

I have bins, baskets, folders, bags for this, bags for that, and what worked yesterday doesn’t always work today. It doesn’t help that I have organization envy to go along with my stationery/office supply envy. Awareness is the first step, and since my kids no longer have back to school supply shopping (everything is done on computers and laptops and Chromebooks), I’ve have been slowly going through withdrawal and mourning those days when I would spend hours (yes, hours) walking up and down each aisle in the school supply sections of Target and Walmart, and yes, even Walgreens and CVS, not to mention Staples, searching for the perfect notepad, the calendar that would get me through the year despite my proclivity to find a “better” one, a “prettier” one, one that was perfect for now, so I changed and added, and rewrote all of the information.

I finally broke myself of this financial-draining and self-defeating habit a few years ago with my calendar/planner. I used to have two (or more): One for my personal/family plans, one for my writing plans, and sometimes one for my lesson plans as a teacher, and none of the twain shall meet. At that time, however, I realized that I never used the weekly section for family plans. I might have repeated what was already on the month, but I never looked at it. That was when I decided to combine my two main calendars: family plans on the monthly section, blog plans on the weekly section, the current week tabbed with a magnetic bookmark. I’ve done this for awhile now, and it works very well. When I see a new planner that I’m drawn to, whether it’s the style, color, or organizational advantages, I walk away. I have a planner through December 31, and I am not spending money on another one. Maybe I can get that one next year. And yes, I save them all in a box in case I want to look back on blog posts even though I know I never will.

I am trying to whittle down the things I have and use to be more consistent and less wasteful. I know that as a writer, I will never run out of notebooks, journals, pens, and the like, and don’t get me started on printing, photocopies, and handouts. Although, I am in the process of reducing all of that.

This year, apart from my computer files and external hard drive, I have three main organizational items that I use regularly. They’re great for at home, they’re great for travel. Two were gifts from my husband, one for my birthday and one for Christmas: a document holder and a folio (both pictured below). I mean, I know that psychologically they make me feel more professional and think that I’ve got my act together, but still.

So…what are the main things you need for organizing your stuff.

First, define stuff.

We rarely have guests, but we have one set of sheets and towels dedicated to that once-a-year guest. If we didn’t, we’d never find it when they arrived. They are kept folded together in the upstairs bathroom. The bathroom organizer used to be the craft center in the dining room when the kids were younger, and it’s been repurposed for the guest linens and toilet paper for that bathroom. (It is not a guest bathroom, but it is used less than the main one with the shower.)

We have a wrought iron rack that hangs flush against the wall with S-hooks to hang our pots and pans on. This was a lifesaver. We’ve had it at least twenty years and have never thought of replacing it.

Second, what works, works. If it’s not broke, etc., and so on.

Third, I would hazard to guess that the most cluttering item is paper. Mail, newspapers, solicitations, bank statements, report cards, and you tell me what else. I have file folders coming out of the wazoo! Only you can decide what’s important to keep. Junk mail doesn’t even come into the house. Right from the mailbox, it goes straight in the recycling bin. We were recently forced to throw out my son’s artwork from kindergarten that we’d been saving (for twenty odd years). It was in a cardboard box, and it had gotten wet, so was moldy. Couldn’t salvage any of it. It made me very sad.

Options for Kids Artwork:

Take photos of them and create a book, either online or in a photo album.

Store artwork in a plastic container that can be sealed. (Although rodents can still eat plastic containers; check on them every now and again.)

For food related artwork – cereal, macaroni, rice, potato stamps: take the photo, hang it in the kitchen or playroom for a time, ooh and aah over it, and then throw it away. That macaroni will not last, and the bugs and mice love the snack.

My sister-in-law framed her kids’ artwork and displayed it throughout their house.

Options for Paper Files (this does not apply to papers for businesses):

You don’t need your bank statements. Trust me. Even if you’re asked for them, the bank can provide them at that time.

You do, however, need your tax returns. I keep mine scanned on the computer and a paper copy in a folder with the tax year on it. As a freelance writer, I need last year’s taxes to do this year’s taxes.

You might not need your medical insurance explanation of benefits (EOBs), but if you owe a provider money, I’d keep those until the debt is paid off, and I would definitely keep the paper that shows that full payment has been made. You need to judge what is an important medical paper to keep. I do keep EOBs, but that’s my preference.

Correspondence. This is a personal choice. I have all my Christmas cards in a box.

Notes from Classes, Workshops, Retreats. I keep all of these, usually grouped by subject. Again, that’s a personal choice of deciding what’s important to you.

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This really got away from me, so…

Next week, I’ll offer some organizing tips specifically for parents and the following week for writers.

Until then, the comments are open.