How do you guys organize storage in your house?

[Brian Elfert]

Matt, I actually already built a small deck out in the garage about 8 years ago almost exactly like what you describe. It was full of junk until I cleaned out my garage recently. I installed a set of shelves to hold stuff like tools that are used often.

I was thinking about setting a small barrel out there for recycling, but knowing my habits it probably wouldn't get used in the winter unless it was inside the house. My ideal situation would be to enclose the garage deck like a small mud room, but I would be required to install footers and that is more work than I want to do.

[Jim Matthews]

To echo the sentiments above, opaque bins with a label are a simple solution.

Take it one step further, label each bin with only a date.
Once the anniversary of this date passes, dispose of the bin.

I would suggest that you begin sorting your mail at the garbage can.
Half the clutter in my house ends there.

Leave your shoes just inside the door.

Hire a maid, once per month.

http://welivesimply.info/living/simp...aine-st-james/
http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Away-Clu.../dp/0517221985

http://www.treadmill-desk.com/

In my opinion, you're not a slob but you're time would not appear to be your own -
how much down time do you have in a day? When I'm pressed (with two grade school kids), things pile up.

Hire a maid (one that's older, experienced and insured - preferably not too attractive).

[George Van Aken]

Brian, I have the very same problem that you are experiencing. I have so many "hobbies" that I'm surrounded by nice junk.

We have three sheds in the back yard. One is where my wife keeps house items. You know, spare chairs and leaves for the dinning room table, ornaments for the various holliday cheer, spare fans, ect.

The other two are "mine". I just recently became interested in woodcarving and I've made the decision to "clean up my act". I'm finished with what I've dubbed my tool shed, although I'm dissapointed by the remaining space available.

The other shed is wooden and wired with it's own elec. panel. It's only 99.6 sq.ft. but if I sell, (or throw out!) my spare freezer, kites, paint ball equip., mycology equip., et. al, I will then posses a humble woodcarving palace!

I've always been interested in so many things that I've inundated myself with too many "activities" and all their trappings.

I've liked wood since my second job. I was an apprentice arbourist for about five years when I was young and possesed vigour. Originaly from the Sonoran desert, I'd never really paid any attention to trees. My first, (ouch), wife was from Pennsylvania and we found ourselves there. Working at that job was one of the happiest times of my life. I discovered wood.

Here I am years later, and I NEED to carve/make stuff with wood.

I am feeling so elated by FINALY "lightening my load" as I've doubed it. That's what you have to do. We live in a nieborhood, so I don't have the luxury anymore of trying to put a two-pound sausage in a one-pound bag so to speak.

Yes, as I go through all my awesome "things", I contantly mutter to myself how "valuable" such and such item is, but I have to keep reminding myself that I'm done with it. It's time to move on.

It's taken me an amazing forty-seven years to decide what I want to do. Wow, talk about a late bloomer...

I hope that you find the "freedom" of unburdoning yourself as liberating as I do! Good luck!

[George Van Aken]

I too live alone and sometimes tend to use my house as one big bedroom, leaving things where they obviously don't belong or have any use. Having somewhere for "everything" to go is required in order for "everything" to be organized. You could build shelf units or racks to hold plastic bins in lieu of built-in storage which I see you have little of (me too). I added wire shelves to closets scaled around duplicate sized lidded bins for seasonal storage. If there is not somewhere for something to go, I give it thorough consideration as to whether I want it bad enough to make the kitchen table its permanent location in my life. Usually the "thing" will lose and a usable kitchen table will win. That being said, I regularly cycle through clean phases and phases where the only reason I know that I have a kitchen table is that all that "stuff" can't be levitating.

Ha ha.

"Reminds me of my old Regimental Commander who used to say: "There's a bloody place for every bloody thing, and every bloody thing had damned well be in it's bloody place!" He was a short smelly man, but he was a damned good shot!"

For some reason your post reminded me of this passage. I fear I don't remember the book nor the author, but I always found it funny.

[Brian Elfert]

I'm slowly working on getting things organized in my house. Anyhow, how long are you guys/gals keeping things like property tax statements? Property tax statements are now available online so should I just recycle them as soon as taxes are paid for the year? I don't recall ever pulling old property tax statements out of storage once they went to storage.

[Randal Stevenson]

I'm slowly working on getting things organized in my house. Anyhow, how long are you guys/gals keeping things like property tax statements? Property tax statements are now available online so should I just recycle them as soon as taxes are paid for the year? I don't recall ever pulling old property tax statements out of storage once they went to storage.

Vehicle ones are needed for two years here. Home ones, while not needed, I tend to keep the last years, although that would be different if I had a mortgage and it came out every month (then I would keep longer to compare to what I am paying in).

[Ted Calver]

".... He was a short smelly man, but he was a damned good shot!...."

Something new to aspire to. If you believe my wife, the first part is done. I just have to spend some time at the range to finish the job.

[Kevin Barnett]

Brian,
Maybe I missed it, but how many people live in your house?

[Greg Portland]

I have a serious problem with lack of storage and lack of organization in my house.

Adding storage and organization is straightforward (file cabinets, rubbermaid tubs, etc.). IMO, you have a clutter issue which points to habits (our family had the same issue). When someone walks into the house, they should immediately put away or take care of what they bring in. For example, coat gets hung up, the bills are put in a bill tray, junk mail is immediate recycled, and purchased items are put away (with boxes and bags tossed out). This should take < 5 minutes. The other thing to do is spend 15 minutes each night cleaning and straightening. My wife and I do this after the kids go to bed and before we sit down to read or watch TV. Doing just these two things -really- helps keep the clutter at a minimum.

I'm slowly working on getting things organized in my house. Anyhow, how long are you guys/gals keeping things like property tax statements? Property tax statements are now available online so should I just recycle them as soon as taxes are paid for the year? I don't recall ever pulling old property tax statements out of storage once they went to storage.

I keep it for tax purposes which means at least 3 years. All that info (and W-2s, etc.) go into a sealed folder and then the file cabinet.

[Brian Elfert]

Brian,
Maybe I missed it, but how many people live in your house?

I live all by myself. If I had a significant other or a family the problem of clutter would probably be a lot less.

[Brian Elfert]

I keep it for tax purposes which means at least 3 years. All that info (and W-2s, etc.) go into a sealed folder and then the file cabinet.

If I can get something like property tax statements online I'm wondering why I would need to even keep them? I suppose the one day I really needed them the website would be down.

I'm making very slow but steady progress cleaning up my clutter. I've already recycled a couple of huge boxes of paper already and shredded enough stuff to fill several paper grocery bags.

I wish I had some good reason like a holiday dinner to motivate me to get this done in a timely matter. I was going to volunteer to have Christmas eve dinner, but my parents decided to host it at their house.

[Roger Rayburn]

I watched a video one day about clutter. It helped me. The rule of the video was "when you go into your shop, put 10 things away BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE." That has helped me two ways. First, it stops the task from being overwhelming and wondering where to put things. Secondly, it makes it easier to find tools, etc. if I only put 10 things away at a time. I find if I do a "wholesale cleanup" that I can't remember where I put it. You could mod this. If you are going to do the wiring yourself, make an appointment with yourself and don't cancel it or reschedule it. If you are going to hire it done, ditto. Call that your 10 things for that day. It also sounds like you need a storage strategy, sort of an "all things like this go to this place". That keeps socket sets off the dining table and at least in the "tool place" wherever that is. Once your strategy is cast, acquire those resources which help achieve the strategy, whether that's plastic boxes, filing cabinets or trash cans. But lets emphasize 10 things a day every day, not try to do everything all at once.

[Kevin Barnett]

I'm looking at those pictures again. It seems to me you get home with stuff in your hands and put it down. Since you don't really have any storage right there, it just piles up. Seems to me you need a desk close by and some cabinets. Perhaps between the kitchen and family room against the wall. Make a place for the essentials like keys and phone. Then make a spot for stuff you need to work on. Then every time you get home, put down the keys, put down the stuff you need to get to, then throw the rest away. Daily review the stuff you need to work on (bills, responses, tax junk). When it is handled, either pitch the remains or file the receipts in your desk.

[phil harold]

Everything has a place, sometimes it is the circular file

You just have to make some small changes and and work them into habits

15min, half an hour a day

I am working on my shop
maybe by summer I can post a before and after

[Brian Elfert]

It has been nearly a year now since I started this thread. Nothing really changed much in the past year until about two weeks ago. I've been cleaning like crazy the past two weeks. I've filled almost four 30 gallon trash bags so far. I've probably recycled at least 200 pounds of paper. My recycling can is full and I could easily fill it again. I have piles of stuff to go to charity and to electronics recycling.

I'll post new pictures once I finish putting everything away in a few days. My house doesn't look that much better yet because I've unloaded 20 to 30 boxes of stuff and all the stuff I want to keep is still in piles on the floor.