Can you believe it is January already? It is time to restore your living space to its pre-holiday state, by taking down the Christmas tree, removing the Christmas lights and boxing up the holiday décor.
It’s also a good time to think about organizing for the New Year. Maybe organizing your life is too daunting a project to start off the New Year, so take a look at your garage, basement or whichever room(s) you stash your “stuff” – the “stuff” you know you have but can never find when you need it.
A good place to start is with your holiday decorations. Place your holiday decor in the same color storage containers. Green colored storage containers make it easy to remember “Christmas” and it makes looking for all the holiday décor much easier next year. The color system will also work with other categories, e.g., blue containers for keepsakes, clear containers for clothes and shoes. You get the idea.
As you put the color-coded storage containers away, look around. Does your garage or storage room look like a tornado hit it? It doesn’t have to. One simple solution is to hang a pegboard on the wall. There are many sizes and types of pegboard hooks, making it easy to find a home for virtually everything. A good way to help keep it organized is to take a black marker and trace an outline of the tool or item on the pegboard. This makes it easy to return it to the proper location and see at a glance what is missing.
If pegboard won’t work, try a tool hanger. A tool hanger is a strip 4” to 6” wide, usually metal, that has clips and brackets to hang brooms, rakes, shovels – anything with a handle, plus more. These strips come in two- to six-foot sections, making it easy to customize.
No wall space? A shelving unit or two may be just what you need. Shelving units come in a variety of sizes and materials. There are poly resin units, metal units with metal shelves and heavy duty metal units with wood shelves. Shelving units are available in 2’, 3’ or 4’ wide and 12” to 18” deep.
As you go through your “stuff,” ask yourself two questions. First, “Do I really need…..?” and second “Have I used ……. in the last two years?” Be honest with yourself when you answer these questions! If the answer is “yes” to both questions, then find that stuff a home! If the answer is “no” to both questions, then you should – no, you must – get rid of it. It is so easy to accumulate stuff and yet so hard to get rid of stuff. You have the opportunity to donate to a variety of local charities, such as Goodwill, Salvation Army or Disabled American Vets (DAV) and possibly receive a tax deduction.
Hopefully, these tips on organizing will help you corral your stuff. All these organizational aides can be found at Prescott True Value Hardware. For more expert hardwarian advice on this subject and more, please stop by Prescott True Value Hardware; we are so much more than just a great hardware store. QCBN
Suzanne Andre-Springer is the co-owner of Prescott True Value Hardware, open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., located at 846 Miller Valley Rd (next to Miller Valley School). She can be reached at 928-445-6422.
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