Rubbermaid - Adventures in Organization

Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day!!!

Sunday, November 15th is National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day. It's perfect timing to clean out  the fridge before holiday food and leftovers start piling up!

Here at Rubbermaid, we are encouraging all bloggers to clean out their fridge but I was a little curious to see what was in there to begin with. Let's just say some of the photos below are gross and offer good encouragement to clean out those refrigerators and others offer some good advice for how to keep your fridge clean!

Betty's says: Here is my fridge. It’s driving me nuts because it’s usually very clean. Shelves are usually dedicated to certain categories of food. I have just the right Rubbermaid food containers to house my family of 3’s leftovers, but…

This week-end I had my parents visiting, had a chili party and then another dinner party and I’m over run with left-overs, specialty food and snacks that I typically don’t eat and nothing is where it belongs. I’m literally digging thru stuff to find things.

AAUUGGGHHH!

Brian says: I’m not sure what this is. Despite our armada of Rubbermaid Food Storage containers my wife sometimes reverts to old ways and wraps something in a combination of tin foil and plastic wrap. It’s as if she’s preserving a mummy for the afterlife. Needless to say I have no clue what it is……could be anything from meatloaf to ginger loaf.

Rob says: Baking soda helps to control smells in the fridge, but these pics are of my girl friend's fridge and she is strict about what stays in there…   she had nothing in there that was even close to being bad. Me on the other hand ….

Bo says: A normal person would put ice cubes in this container. Not me... Try year old bananas and some cut up apples that are so wrinkly they look like leather. Yummy

Megan says: As I was taking several pictures of the inside, I realized that the outside of my fridge is quite the mess with all of the stuff I have posted up on the fridge with magnets.

Ashleigh says: I have a bottom load freezer that drives me insane.  I can’t for the life of me find a way to organize it aside from just throwing things in and mashing them around till I can shut the drawer. 

Shannon says: This is a picture of chicken with potatoes and carrots in the crockpot.  It didn’t turn out that great to begin with, and then after sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks – blah.

So how is your fridge looking? Take some time Sunday to clean out your fridge. Take before and after pictures and post them on your blog...leave a link in the comments or link back to this post so we can commiserate with your mess and celebrate your clean out achievement!!!! Don't have a blog? Twitter, Facebook, or Flickr it :)

Media Storage Problems

I am a person who has lived through the media transition from cassette tapes to cd's. I have not grown up in the world of digital music (where you download everything and never have a need to puchase a cd). Because cd's were the main music vehicle for the better part of my life, I have accumulated a ridiculous amount of them. I have stacks and stacks of cd's, and they have also gotten intermingled with dvd's as well. Some of them have the cases, but most of them do not. (I did realize that the cd cases were taking up way too much room!) 

 

I have one large binder with hundreds of cd's in it. (308 cd's to be exact.) This binder holds cd's that range from those that I got in high school, college and my own personal mixes I have made over the years. For some reason I really don't want to get rid of any of them...

As much as I would like to think I would take the time to download all of my cd's to my computer (and therefore be able to throw away all of the cd's), I will admit that is not a probable solution. I'm looking for some logical solutions for cd storage. The best thing I can think of so far is to get more binders and keep them in "volumes" of some kind - by decade, genre or some other category. I'm open for other suggestions. Any ideas?

In the beginning there was my messy desk

 

My wife affectionately calls me Mr. Eighty Percent because I’m fantastic at starting a project with gusto and getting it nearly done before I loose interest (or hope) and get pulled away by some other new and shiny endeavor. It’s pretty clear by my months of procrastination that getting my desk organized is a dreaded task, but I truly hope it won’t end up as one of those nearly done projects.

I’m so envious of the coolest workspace contests and workspace of the week posts on blogs like Lifehacker and Unclutterer. All that clean desk space, all those papers neatly filed and organized, those oh so well hidden cables and cords… -sigh- why oh why can’t my desk be like that? I’ve tried in the past and when my desk does finally get cleaned off it seems to stay that way for a week or two, then it’s back to the just-been-sacked-by-a-horde-of-toddlers look that seems to follow naturally. While I’m by no means an organized person, I do love being surrounded by organization.

I'm plagued by three main problems... electronics (primarily cord) management, dealing with the piles of papers, and keeping track of what is urgent. We'll save what's actually IN my desk for a later post, for now I'm just worried about what's ON my desk.

Step one will certainly be to come up with some kind of system that will work for me. I probably need to think about how I like to work and how my papers, products, and other work clutter ends up in my cube. I’ve heard about processes like Getting Things Done and WSD but I think I need to find one that really works for me.

Step two – PURGE.

Step three…actually I’m not really sure what comes next which is probably why I’m so frustrated with this problem. Any suggestions?

How to Sell Clothing at a Yardsale?

My husband and I combined forces with our friends for a yard sale this fall. We had tons of stuff and quite the variety: home decor, electronics, speakers, tv's, dvd players, purses, shoes and all sorts of other jazz. The first thing we had to do was go through our house to decide what was going to be in the sale. Purging is something that is tough for me because I'm always scared I'm going to get rid of something I will need "someday" (which of course never happens). This time around I did a pretty good job, with the help of my husband encouraging me and reminding me that no, I will never need that bag, or that shirt, or those shoes ever again. One room at a time, we went through the closets, checked under the beds, looked in all of our storage bins, and designated one of our guest rooms as the yard sale room. We started this process in August, so as we found more and more things to sell, we placed them in the yard sale room. One night as the sale got close, we sat down and priced everything. We used masking tape and a red marker, that way we knew what was ours (our friends marked theirs in black marker). Our friends made some signs (below was after the sale, but thought I would show you the signs!), and the day of the sale finally came.

Even though it rained (despite the sunny forecast), we were prepared with canopies to cover most of our selection. The photo below was after the rain let up a bit, and my husband was brave enough to put the speakers out from under the canopy.

 

One thing we had plenty of was clothing, and we weren't really sure the best way to display all of it. We had shirts, sweaters, jackets, jeans, shorts, skirts and even a couple suits and bridesmaids dresses. As you will see from the photo, we gave it our best effort. (This consisted of a rope tied from a tree in the front yard to a hook on the front porch held up in the middle by a ladder. We hung the shirts on the rope, and we had all of the pants and shorts in bins on the ground.) 

 

We put out plastic hangers with our clothes, which was tough to remember to get them back before people walked off with them. I should have looked at more research first. This site had a lot of good tips: http://www.yardsalequeen.com. (This site, for example, suggested using wire hangers or hangers that you don't want back.) I thought I would get some ideas for our next yard sale on our toughest challenge this time around...what is the best way to display clothing items? 

Life is Changing - Introduction

I really like to have everything in order. I want every closet, cabinet and drawer to have a specific use, but you know, sometimes it just doesn’t happen. Busy schedules, family priorities and lazy procrastination gets in the way of the ideal state.

Now I have a new reason for things to be a mess - change, flux, holding patterns. Without sounding like a country song, it’s been quite a year. My husband started working from home, the oldest daughter got a place of her own, my mother-in-law had to be placed in assisted living, the youngest daughter leaves for college in 8 months.

 

What this means is it feels like my house has gone through a time warp. I have too much furniture in some places and none in others. All the closets have blended stuff, some coming in, some going out. There’s antique quilts and heirloom dishes, seasonal clothes, office supplies, spare electronics and so much more to store or place until it finds a permanent home.

HELP! The holidays are coming, and so are the relatives. I must start somewhere. I have found some inspiration and great videos here and professional organizers say step 1 is to purge and sort. But, I don't quite know where to begin....

Using a Old Shutter to Organize

One of my favorite organization tools that I use in my home office would have to be my shutters.  I found them at the Metrolina Antique Show in Charlotte.  They were 2 for $5, and were originally navy until I spray painted them white to match my office.

They are great for keeping important references close-by my desk without creating holes in my wall.   Additinally, they allow me to maximize 6 feet of vertical space and are easily moveable around the room.

On one, I have:
-frequently used coupons for restaurants / activities that I need to remind myself I have (or I will forget to use them)
-inspiration - things to be grateful for, favorite quotes/inspirational photos
-upcoming events clipped from Charlotte Observer and other magazines

On the other, I have used Stick and Store baskets to hang on the grooves in the shutter and I organize plans for upcoming travel.

What other uses do you have for old things?

 

Save Money by Packing Your Lunch!

You can really save a lot of money and eat a lot healthier by bringing our lunch to work.   In fact, a few of us in the office formed a "Skinny & Rich Club" on Tuesdays last year in order to align on a date where we would all bring our lunches and eat together, at least one day a week. it was quite a gathering as people came upstairs from our medical division, and some guys came over across the parking lot from our IRWIN tools division. 

While the club disbanded due to hectic travel schedules, I try to make it a habit to still bring my lunch 2-3 days a week.

My favorites are:

1) Frozen Soup - see previous post on how I like to portion & freeze my soups

2) Leftover Dinner - I bring it in a Divided Premier to work and heat everything on foil in our toaster oven.

3) Salads - I put the ingredients (packed in little containers) in a large Premier and then dump & shake it all up when i get to work.  Our large containers are excellent for shaking and mixing dressing.

Here are 2 examples:

Left = Salad w/ Cranberries, Mandarin Oranges, Goat Cheese, Walnuts, Balsamic Vinaigrette

Right = Salad w/ Carrots, Ginger, Sliced Almonds, Asian Vinaigrette

What are your favorite lunches and how do you bring them to work ?

My Wife's Messy Closet

What’s the difference between a strategic withdrawal and an outright surrender? More specifically, should I be happy that my wife’s mess is contained behind bi-fold closet doors or should I press on….striving for the nirvana of a reformed and cheerily organized wife?

Way back in June 2008 boasted about how I’d convinced my wife to organize her closet. I waited for the right moment, got her involved in the process, and had her put the finishing touches on….. amazing!

And for a while it was.

But now fifteen months later, the shine has come off. Today the inside of my wife’s closet is a jumble of clothes proving that the system is only as good as the operator. She doesn’t take the time to fold and hang, to put things back, to use the sliding basket or put her shoes on the shoe shelves.  She doesn’t see how much better her day would start without the frustration of wrestling with her cluttered closet…..

But she does keep her mess contained enough so that she can close her door.

 

Pre-June 2008 Brian really hated that her closet vomited clothes onto the floor of our room and disturbed the Zen like atmosphere. That’s been taken care of. But I do cringe whenever she opens it. Should I care? Should I risk more arguments or just take pleasure in my incremental (yet partial) victory …

Help me?

I need advice.

Please Help My Mom Get Her Basement Organized!

The last time I went home to Virginia, my mom invited me to join her in the basement.

  She led me to a corner that had a ton of decorative flowerpots, home decor items, and party serving dishes.  Then she said to me,"Take a look if you want anything...I don't need all this stuff. I don't have any more room in the house for it."

Let's back up. In many ways, I am very similar to my mother.  My mom is really organized - see an example of her closet on the right that she and my stepfather designed and built.  They combed through magazines to find the perfect combination, then he built it from scratch in his workshop.  She selected neat organizers that matched from Tuesday morning.  Overall, it is quite impressive.

The Basement Problem

However, while I am a "purger" and like to get rid of anything in my home I don't actively use (except all my art supplies!!), my mom is more of a "keeper".  Her basement has become a collection place for so many items from their combined households when they got married.  The issue is that they don't have room in the house to put the decorations, extra chairs, etc. anymore - see below:

The decor area:

The graveyard of rocking chairs and dining room chairs from combined households:

The overflow area for household supplies that she does not use everyday (this needs to stay in the basement but I want to organize it better for them):

My mom is feeling a bit stressed from the clutter in the basement.  She feels guilty that she bought some things for use in the house, but ran out of room.  Many of the decorative items are not returnable.

I am thinking a yard sale might be best to sell a lot of the things they don't need, and then they could do something fun and spontaneous with the money.  That could allow her to feel like the purchases were not a waste.

Progress Thus Far:

I mailed her some tags that I bought at Target to start tagging things that she knows she doesn't need, things she wants to keep, and things she is not sure about. When I go home over Thanksgiving, we are going to go through it all together.   I will likely return in the Spring to help them have the yard sale.

Help me!

I would love your help.  Do you think the process is right so far?   Any tips or pointers for the process, or do you have any advice on having a yard sale?  This is my first time, so welcome your expert input!  I look forward to keeping you updated on the progress!

Being Organized to be a Grocery Deal Hunter

I recently found out that September is National Coupon Month.   What a reason to celebrate!  Those who know me realize I LOVE coupons and deals. So, in honor of this holiday, I dedicate today's post.

My love for grocery coupons started about 5 years ago when I started working on advertising for Rubbermaid and was learning how to plan and drop coupons in the Sunday newspaper for our food storage [Fun Fact - Officially, those are called FSIs - Free Standing Inserts].   So, I started to get the paper and look at it on Sunday to learn more about it, and soon became addicted to looking for myself!  It is now something I look forward to on Sundays - a good cup of coffee and my newspaper!

Just last night, I went to my local Harris Teeter and saved $27 on a $47 purchase.  So, I only paid $20 for my groceries.

I know there are a lot of experts out there (check out Jill Cataldo, she is my new favorite), but wanted to share my personal tips and tricks for how I stay organized to be a grocery deal hunter. 

1) ORGANIZE WHEN YOU CLIP

I have found this helps me to refrain from buying items I don't need.  For instance, I recently had to throw out 3 cartons of broth I had bought with coupons.  However, in the summer, not making soups, they expired and I ended up losing money by being overly coupon zealous.

Above is a photo of my organizer which is sorted:

a) By store. 

The front is for grocery. 

The back is for Target items like toiletries and cleaning supplies that are most efficiently bought at Target.   Even with tripling, Harris Teeter can be more expensive than the every day Target price on these items.  Every time I am going to Target, I take a look to see if I need anything that is in that section soon.

b) By Type of Purchase

Triple Coupons - Within grocery, there is a section for items to only buy when there are triple coupons at Harris Teeter.  For instance, I do not use mayonaise daily. But I sometimes use it for recipes. If there is a $.75 coupon (worth $2.25 on triple coupon times) and mayonaise costs $1.89, I will save it to get it for free in case I need it.

Everyday Shopping - There is also a section by area of the store - so when I plan my shopping list, I can quickly see if I have coupons

2) UTILIZE ONLINE SITES

A few of my favorites are SmartSource and Coupons.com for which you can sign up for weekly emails.  I like it being delivered to me because then I don't have to plan to take time to look for the savings.

3) ALIGN YOUR MEALS WITH STORE SPECIALS

I am so impressed with Harris Teeter.  They have an eVic program that you can sign up for weekly.  Every Wednesday, I receive an email with the items I frequently buy that are on sale and also what is on sale in the entire store.  It also alerts you if it is Triple Coupon Week.  I spend 5 minutes to plan my shopping and meals for the week.  I look for:

a) Things I already buy and have no preference on switching.  For instance, I eat fruit daily and yogurt for breakfast every morning.  When shopping, I switch between blueberries / strawberries / grapes as well as yogurt brands depending on the deal that week.

b) BOGOs.  For instance, this week, London Broil and Turkey Burgers are Buy One Get One Free.  So, I plan to incorporate those into my meals this weekend.

I hope you find my tips beneficial.  Please leave comments with any additional tips you may have for Organizing Coupons and Savings.