Declutter then baby steps

I am still working on the clutter from my previous “When Clutter Attacks” post but as expected, it is turning out to be an involved process.

I have found a few tips that work and some common themes among organizing books and blogs from experts.

First, declutter and throw away trash.   FlyLady has some great tips for decluttering here

Next, pick a room.  Decide on the projects you need to tackle in that room and make a list of them.  Break each project down into the steps required to get it done and list each of the steps.  Now pick a project and get started!  I start with the smaller projects so that I get some instant gratification.  Work through each of the projects one at a time and always finish the one you are working on before moving on to another one.  Then pick another room and start again.

The decluttering has been rewarding for me.  It is almost instant gratification by itself because I usually manage to free up space and I have less to actually organize.  It makes the organizing seem less daunting when I get to it.  I am also finding I don’t need as many containers or as much space as I thought I would when I started.

Another simple concept that seems common among the professionals is to carry stray items back to their rightful place.  If you see an item or items where they don’t belong, carry them to the place that they belong.  This helps cut down on clutter and items without homes.

Finally, I have a space by my front door that is helping me get in and out of the house more easily.  I put my keys on the key hook when I come in, I hang my coat and purse or work bag on the hooks just for them.  I have a small table that holds my cellphone, a basket that contains a lint roller, hairbrush, and scissors.  I can de-lint, trim any loose threads and give my hair a once over before going out the door.  I also have a clip next to the front door for outgoing mail.  When a bill or letter is ready to go or a dvd needs to go back, we clip it up and the next person out the door puts it on the mailbox.  I plan to add a bench with little cubby areas under the coat hooks so that shoes and my husband’s back pack can slide into those.

I hope I will eventually work my way up to a completely organized person one day but I am making progress and it is gratifying and encouraging.

 

 

 

Hooray For Coupons!

One of my husband’s co-workers had been posting on Facebook about her tremendous coupon savings and I was interested in how she was saving so much.  I had already found Couponmom.com but hadn’t really done a lot with it.  It turns out, she was using a book by coupon mom so I asked her if I could borrow it and she was kind enough to let me.

This week is payday so it’s grocery time.  We needed several personal care items so I used coupon mom’s tips on shopping at CVS.  First I looked at the weekly ad, made a list of what we needed and then found coupons for as many of the items on my list as possible.  If I didn’t find a coupon for it and we aren’t currently out of it, I didn’t buy it.

Anyway, I got $98.38 worth of stuff for a total of $52.75.  Fifteen dollars of that is in CVS extra bucks but there are things that I will need and it’s basically free money to use next time I go 🙂

Here’s a picture of my haul:

The boxes of Puffs with Vicks were $1.00 for both boxes, the disposable razors (20 of them) were 2.00, The Swiffer wipes were buy one get one free, the manly body wash was free with the deodorant purchase, the mouthwash was $2.99 for a liter.  The expensive things were my razor and Nexxus hair care but I got $10.00 of my extra bucks from the hair care and $5.00 from the razor and they are my regular brands.

Anyway, check out the coupon mom site that I linked up there and get saving!