Organizing Tips for Every Household

In today's world it's easy to become overwhelmed with clutter. There's always some new tool or gadget that you just have to have. Advertising and credit offers fill up your mailbox while spam fills up your inbox. If you have kids, your clutter can just about triple with their toys, games, and school paperwork and everything these days comes in triplicate. So what do you do with all that junk? How do you stay organized when everyday you add more and more stuff to your household. Here are some tips on staying organized and de-cluttering your household.

1) Two words: Filing cabinet.

Having a legitimate filing system can really cut down on your paperwork clutter. So, go get a filing cabinet and start putting all of your paperwork in their own files. Tax returns, credit card agreements, extended warranties, business receipts, contracts, invoices, and every other piece of paper you have can be filed away. I even have a folder for keepsakes and personal letters.

2) Three boxes.

Get three boxes or containers or bags or something and label them toss, keep, and not sure. As you go through your paperwork toss everything into one of these categories. Return to the "not sure" category in a week. It's likely that in a week you'll be able to throw away some of those more time dependent items or decide to file those things you need to keep.

3) Enlist your kids.

Get your kids to help you find organizing ideas. Kids can be very innovative and you might be surprised at the ideas they come up with. If you get your kids involved in organizing their own rooms they'll feel more invested in your efforts to keep the rest of the house neat and orderly.

4) Container Store.

Take a trip by the Container Store. You'll get all sorts of ideas on organizing and de-cluttering. The Container Store is literally an organizing mecca. You'll probably find ways to organize things you didn't even realize needed organizing. Of course you should probably go with a list of things you need organized and if you see an organizing item for something not on your list... wait. You don't want to leave with something you really don't need.

5) Hire an expert.

If you simply don't have the time or patience to organize every last knick-knack in your house, hire an expert to do it for you. It's an investment that can really pay off in the long run. Just be sure you maintain the system they put in place after they leave, otherwise your money will have been for naught.