We’re going to get right to it since this is a very long discussion…

The first thing I should mention is the advantage of living in a small place is that small spaces can force you to recognize how much you allow your wants to precede your needs.

And on the other end, the disadvantage of living in a large space is that larger spaces tend to disguise and instigate materialism a bit more.

If you live in a large place, naturally you’ll want to fill it up. It is no different than a home of any size. However, the effort it takes to fill up a large space is a bit more work in comparison to filling up a home of a much smaller size.

So, in the end although some homes may be larger, they can end up just as cluttered as small homes. The only difference is a larger place can take a lot more clutter than a smaller place before it becomes obvious that you have too much stuff.

In short, a large space can hold a larger pile of junk.

So clutter isn’t just something people face in small spaces. It’s just more obvious in small spaces. Small spaces don’t allow you to kid yourself about how much stuff you have for too long.

Culprits That May Keep You from
Organizing Small Spaces

A few reasons why you may be having difficulty organizing small spaces are likely common sense reasons. Usually it boils down to at least one of the following…

• You have too much stuff
  
• You’re disorganized
  
• You’re too busy or too lazy
  

Whatever the case, it still doesn’t stop the fact that you’re interested in organizing small spaces, right?

So, although the reasons you might be having trouble organizing small spaces are common sense, it’s not always as easy to figure out how to fix the problem.

So that’s what we’re going to address today… the culprits that are keeping you from organizing small spaces and how to fix them.

Organizing Small Spaces – Culprit One: Hoarding

Hoarding can be a major hinderance that can keep you from organizing small spaces. And to take it a step further, it is usually associated with overorganizing.

I know that sounds funny, but some people actually do have trouble with overorganizing their home. Instead of just letting go of what they no longer need, they use organizers to cover up the hoarding problem that lies beneath the surface.

Yes, some of us have the pack-rat syndrome. But the question is how do you undo this problem?

Well one way to address it is to remember that almost everything has a proper balance to it. Almost everything can be overdone in a way in which it ends up having the reverse effect intended.

In short, too much of a good thing is not always good, right?

When you step over the balance-boundaries you tend to get imbalanced results. Well, organization isn’t immune to the same cause and effect, which makes it possible to overorganize to the point in which your home is a mess.

I like to call this sort of situation “The Container Crises” because it usually starts with the simple desire to use containers or organizers to organize items that don’t really need to be organized in the first place.

Things kept in large quantities like…

• shoes
  
• clothes
  
• food
  
• tupperware
  
• silverware
  
• knickknacks
  
• toilet paper
  
• and the list goes on…
  

Instead of storing things in a few places, it’s like the entire home becomes one big lid to contain the junkyard going on behind closed doors.

In situations like this there’s a point in which you have to realize something has got to give. But the question is how do you handle it?

Well, to start with I recommend no more than 10-20% of the items in your home be placed in storage, and any more than that cleaned up and cleared out.

I know sometimes it’s easier said than done. But it can be achieved. It just takes a little patience and question asking.

Are You Living in the Land of Reality or Make Believe?

Often enough, hoarding is simply a mental crutch based on the what-if scenario rather than what-is scenario so it’ll take a little time to work through.

To be brutally honest, hoarders are either over-indulgers or they live in just-in-case land:

• “I’m keeping that just in case…”
  
• “Uhh, don’t get rid of that, you’ll never know when you’ll need it…”
  

And there’s nothing wrong with that up to a certain point, but hoarders go overboard. They don’t know where to draw the line. Caution becomes an addiction.

They’re always preparing for the worst.

And as a result it becomes their demise. But there’s a point when you have to compromise and live according to reality.

Whenever issues like this arise, a quick-fix-it way to break bad hoarding habits and to address your needs directly is to ask yourself several a few detail-oriented questions that will bring you back down to earth.

I guarantee if you make a good habit out of doing this then you’ll find yourself holding on to the right things as well as getting rid of things you no longer need.

Ask yourself…

• If you’re living in what-is land or what-if land.

  Are you living in reality or are you currently taking a vacation on fantasy island?

• How you will manage if it turns out you need it and you don’t have it.

  If it’s going to be some major trouble to get it and it’s gone, then you’ve got your answer. Chances are good you should keep it. But if it’s easy to replace with a few bucks and a few minutes of your time, then chances are good you can get rid of it (donate it or sell it) without any trouble.

• How long you’ve currently had it and not used it.

  Do you use it at all? Or is it just pretty to look at? Are you keeping it because it just “feels good” to know you have it? Have days, months, or years gone by since you’ve last used it? If it’s only been a few months, and you suspect it might be very necessary to keep it, then stow it away and return in several months and go through the same question asking process.

  Give It a Mental Grace Period…

  Take a mental inventory of an item you’re not sure you need and put it on a 3 month probation. Once 3 months goes by, you can say “yae” or “nae” about whether to keep it or not (by going over the questions above and considering things carefully).
  
  If once you’ve gone over everything and you’re still not sure, give it another 3 months probation. Once that time has gone by, ask yourself the same questions if you’re still not sure. However, usually it’s safe to get rid of something, if you haven’t used it or needed it, once half a year has passed by.
  

It’s really just the simple task of living in reality one step at a time.

You have to reroute your caution.

Instead of being cautious about what you get rid of, it’s much easier to be cautious about what you allow in your home to begin with.

Store what you need and get rid of what isn’t relevant. You don’t have to be religious about it. Allow yourself a little leeway but not too much.

Think of it like shedding skin. You’re going through a simple life-cycle phase of “quantity-in” and “quantity-out…”

…which actually leads us to culprit two…

Organizing Small Spaces – Culprit Two: Upgrading

The upgrade process is also another culprit that could be keeping you from organizing small spaces. Before I go on, you should know that generally upgrading itself isn’t the problem.

The issue is that once you upgrade you don’t downgrade to keep the balance. To keep the balance it helps to think of the Yin-Yang philosophy…

For every force there’s an equal and opposite force.

Which means if there’s a “quanty-in” there should also be “quantity-out.”

In short, to start organzing small spaces if there’s a lot of “quantity in” there needs to be an equal amount of “quantity out” to maintain a steady flow.

Otherwise, it’s like constantly filling a balloon up with air and not expecting it to eventually pop.

So, to tackle the upgrade culprit it helps to put some guidelines in place so that you can maintain the flow of organization. To do this take some time out and create these guidelines for yourself.

An example of setting guidelines would be…

Disciplining yourself by allowing only a certain amount of items to enter your home at one time. But keep in mind, the reign doesn’t have to be so tight that you feel like you have a noose around your neck.

It’s just the simple act of creating a “quantity-in” and “quantity-out” flow based around your individual needs so that you have something to work with.

Because let’s face it, organization doesn’t happen on its own. Behind every organized home lies a set of invisible guidelines that help maintain that organized flow on a continuous basis.

A good example of this is when parents tell their children to clean up behind themselves.

That’s a guideline.

Usually a time-specific one at that. Many parents don’t let their children do anything else, like go out and play, until they’ve cleaned up the mess they’ve made.

So along the same lines, your home needs a set of guidelines so that the items will not take over…

To do that. Try asking yourself two questions:

• What will I and won’t I allow in my home?
  
• What is the designated allotment of a specific type of item that is allowed in my home (quantity-in) before it’s time to replace that allotment (quantity-out)?
  

Let’s use my lifestyle as an example…

I like to watch movies like everyone else. But I don’t like too many movies in my home at once. I feel that allowing only a certain amount of movies will help me maintain organization in my home.

So in order to keep the balance, I only allow myself to have about 5-7 DVDs in my home at once. However, my maximum allotment is 10.

Once I reach my 5-7 quantity-in limit and I’ve grown bored with watching the same movies over and over again, I sell them and buy new titles in place of the old movies. I may sell one at a time as I grow bored with it or all of them at once.

It depends.

So, I never end up with too many movies that sit around unnecessarily.

And to keep myself happy, out of that allotment of movies, I generally purchase one…

• Cartoon
  
• Suspense
  
• Adventure
  
• Sci-fi (or fantasy)
  
• Comedy
  

…in order to fulfill my taste for variety.

Let me also mention that I rarely ever purchase a movie I haven’t seen before. The reason why is because, out of a good portion of movies I’ve seen I rarely want to see most of them again.

If I’m in the mood for anything new or some other variety I’ll make it a point to check them out from the library first. Or rent them from a local video store as my second option.

This buy-then-recycle phase keeps me happy while keeping clutter and expenses down to a minimum. In the process it helps me indirectly keep my TV viewing habits down too (since I don’t have cable or an antenna).

Another example is books…

Although my books now sit on a bookcase I still use this method to keep books down to a minimum.

I use a “box” method.

The box method is simply using one medium or large sized box to take count of how many books I will allow in my home. I will allow as many books that fit in one medium or large sized box. This has worked out wonderfully for me and I’ve had no problems exceeding those expectations (and I’m a book lover).

This has been simplified also because I use the local libraries to check out and return books frequently.

These days when I’m considering a book I also make it a point to ask myself if I actually plan to make use of the book I want to buy in the immediate future. Because a large culprit behind book overflow (for me) is simply that I purchase a lot of books I want at the time but don’t end up using.

Most of them just sit on the shelf collecting dust because I want them and have “idealized” that I will use them.

These guidelines may sound a bit extreme to you, but the point is that you don’t have to live by the rules I’ve created for myself. These guidelines and examples were brought up to show you how I use them to create an organized quantity-in and quantity-out plan for myself.

You can simply use the initial set of guidelines to create a plan for yourself around your own desires and needs and adjust it accordingly.

Organizing Small Spaces – Culprit Three: Quality-Time

The quality-time culprit deals with you on an emotional level and how you live your life on a daily basis—the “quality” of your life and how you effectively manage your time.

Earlier we were speaking about quantity which had to do with the external part of your life. How much you allowed in your home versus how much you took out.

Now we’re going to talk a bit about quality which deals with the internal part of your life.

The quality-time culprits are emotional triggers that may be behind some of the disorganization in your home.

What you do from day to day is very important in terms of how much you achieve in your lifetime. As well as what activities you invest in on a daily basis that lead you up to achieving or not achieving your goals.

So an unhealthy lifestyle can also be a vital reason behind why you’re having trouble organizing small spaces in your home.

If you are spending too much time doing the wrong things you won’t have time to do much of the right ones.

So examining your daily habits is just as important as incorporating some guidelines in your life that lead to organization.

Though it may be difficult for some people to believe that your spiritual self affects your physical environment, it doesn’t mean the issue doesn’t exist.

If you’re not taking care of your spirit, frequently the results come out in other ways.

Take watching too many movies or too much TV for example…

The avid couch potato may also love collecting movies on DVD and watching movies everyday. Indirectly this cannot only lead to having an excessive amount of movies in your home but it can also lead to disorganization due to poor time management.

If you watch a lot of TV, it means you have less time to apply yourself toward more productive things. Whether it’s spending quality time with your family, volunteering, exercising, or cleaning up around your home.

Let me repeat myself, but more extensively this time.

Instead of creating a positive surrounding for yourself by doing those things, you may find yourself…

• spending less time with your family
  
• establishing and feeding an addiction
  
• overeating and gaining weight
  
• letting the dishes go
  
• delaying on doing the laundry
  
• allowing the house to get dirty
  

…which will inevitably create a negative surrounding.

Other similar, yet distracting habits that may lead to a consumption of items in the home and/or wasted time include…

• Playing too many games
  
• Shopping addictions
  
• Computer/Internet addiction
  

So, disorganization isn’t always just an external factor. Many times people live emotionally imbalanced lives and it starts with their “quality in” and “quality out” lifestyle.

As I said, they spend too much time in front of the TV, playing games or surfing the web and not enough time at the park, exercising at the gym, or just going out with friends and family.

The home gets neglected, friends and family get neglected and even they neglect themselves.

Believe me. I know. I have been guilty of many of the things mentioned above. But the good news is that it’s never too late to change. Spend time taking care of you and others around you.

The quality of your life affects how much you achieve. From big goals like winning a marathon to small goals like keeping your home organized and cleaned.

The more emotional junk you get rid of, the more time you’ll have to put toward getting rid of the “real” junk in your home.

If you’re harboring things in your home that you don’t use or need you’re simply wasting money. Not only that, you’re wasting valuable space in your home that you could use for other things. You’re also harboring things that other people could use in a much better context than you do.

So understanding the benefits of organizing your home isn’t hard to see when you think in terms of “losing out” by holding on. How so?

Well let’s go over the reasons again, so it’s clear…

• You could be making extra money in your spare time.
  
• You’re losing out on free space that could be used for better purposes.
  
• You’re wasting extra time cleaning your home or working around these things simply because your home isn’t organized.
  
• You’re not growing spiritually by loving your neighbor as yourself and allowing someone else to use the item in a much better context than you do.
  

It’s easy enough to get lost in the “quick-fix” of the moment but in the long run that wastes a lot more of your time. And that’s the major problem with disorganization.

Let me repeat myself (again) in other words to make it clear.

Disorganization is a “right now” short-term solution. It deals with your life at the very moment you are dealing with it, but in the long run it wastes a lot of your valuable time because you have to deal with it repeatedly.

Catching up takes much longer than keeping up. Organization is a long-term solution.

It is the wise plan-ahead option because it deals with your life in the present and future.

It takes some time in the beginning to work out the kinks but in the long run it saves you a lot of valuable time because you deal with it once and after that it’s just simply a matter of upkeep and consistency.

Ways to Begin Organizing Small Spaces

Think of the items in your home as a way to make extra money in your spare time. Do a major clean up about every 3-6 months. Once you do your major clean up it’s a matter of upkeep every 3 months or so.

But let’s go over some ideas on what you can do from start to finish…

The first thing you’ll want to do is sit down and assess which culprits may be affecting your home (and life). Whether it’s a culprit mentioned here today or another culprit that is individually your own.

Create an outline for quality-in and quality-out flow—that is, spend some time thinking about how your emotional life can be improved for the better. Whether that’s by spending less time watching TV, surfing the web or something else altogether.

Create a goal list for the things you want to achieve on a daily basis. A simple Sunday through Saturday outline. Excel is a wonderful program to do this in. Or you can use Open Office, a free alternative if you don’t have Excel.

Mind you, you won’t always achieve each daily goal but trying is what counts. If it doesn’t get accomplished one day simply move it over to the next day until you get it done.

Maybe you want to include a small portion of time for TV viewing each day? If you watch 2 hours a day maybe you’ll want to challenge yourself and reduce it to an hour a day? And as time goes by you may want to reduce it even more and replace it with an activity that’s equally satifying to you.

Also pick a specific day for the day you want to house clean, do laundry, grocery shop, etc. and stick to it. And lastly, consider cleaning the dishes as you use them (if you don’t use a dish washer).

Create an outline for quantity-in and quantity-out flow. This will be the outline you live by on a day to day basis. Ask yourself what items you would like to allow in your home and how much of each item. This outline can be a mental outline in which you don’t write it down or, if you so choose, you could actually put it down on paper.

When you’re ready to buy a new item for your home it’s time to consider your quantity-in and quantity-out flow. Have you reached your maximum allotment? Are you ready to sell another item before you buy the new item so you can use some of that money to pay for your new item?

Do a major clean up (quantity-out) every 3-6 months. Once you do your first major clean-up, a routine clean-up is recommended at least every 2-3 months.

You have some options on how to make a few bucks on the things you decide to get rid of.

Some options may be obvious to you but others may not.

So let’s go over the list now…

Have a Yard sale, Garage Sale, or Indoor House Sale

The yard sale is the most obvious option for getting rid of things you don’t want. Yet, although it may be the most obvious option, many times it’s the most inconvenient. It’s a wonderful idea only if you have a lot of stuff and actually live in a house or know someone that does.

The wonderful thing is that it’s easy to get customers but the downside is that sometimes you can get more money for some items through other venues.

Also yard sales are mainly seasonal so if it’s winter time, then it’s a bit more difficult but it doesn’t stop you from having an indoor house sale or even perhaps a garage sale. Customers are also often cheap and even if you price an item at a more than fair amount some of them still want to barter.

So, if you have plenty of items to sell, a house to live in, and want to do a yard sale, it’s a great way to get some money for the things you want to get rid of.

But I recommend a yard sale as the last step. Consider using the other approaches below first and then sell what is left locally through a yard sale. That way you aren’t getting stiffed in the process.

Sell Your Items through eBay.com

eBay is the next obvious option. It has many of the same pros and cons as a yard sale with the exception that it’s convenient and you can sell items any time. The seasons don’t get in your way. Large items such as couches, however, are usually best to sell locally (through eBay) because shipping will be too high. But the exposure you get is much more massive.

The customers may be cheap because it’s a price-oriented site.

But just because the customers want a deal doesn’t mean the item will sell for a cheap price. Also even if the item is a couch it doesn’t mean someone won’t travel a fair distance to pick it up or won’t use a bidding service like Uship.com to have it shipped to them. eBay is like having an internet yard sale for those who want to avoid the real thing.

Sell Your Items at Amazon.com

A great place to sell many used items. They offer auctions too. But for myself I consider Amazon the perfect place to sell the books, DVDs, and even CDs that I don’t want anymore. It’s where I also buy them.

Used items like software can also be sold but I won’t pretend to know too much about selling those things there since media items are the only things I’ve sold through Amazon.

If you want to get rid of used books and similar media, Amazon is one of the places to go.

A simple way to do it is…

• Go to Amazon.com

• Type the title or the ISBN of the item you want to sell in the search box (above) to find it.

• Check out the sales rank traffic (for books). If it’s under 100,000 it will probably take awhile to sell it. Then check out how much the items are selling at used. Check out the prices and the feedback of the sellers you view as competition. Do they have positive feedback of 95% or higher? (see note below).
  
  
  
  
  
  Consider This…
  If the seller who has the lowest price has positive feedback percentage of about 95% or higher I generally price my books slightly lower than the lowest priced book on the list so it’s at the top.
  
  

  If the positive feedback of the seller with the lowest priced book is 94% or lower I will generally sell my book a bit higher because buyers usually will go for a higher priced book from a seller that has 99-100% positive feedback.

  They feel a bit more confident about purchasing from a seller with such a positive response history, so it’s easier to price it a bit higher and get more of a profit. However, I don’t usually price my book more than $1.00 higher than the other seller.

  One other thing to note is if the item is selling for less than $3.00 at the lowest price and I have to under-cut that price I don’t generally sell it at Amazon since it’s nearly a waste of money to sell it when I include Amazon’s commission in the equation.

  When that happens I lay it aside and consider the other options below or if I don’t like the other options below I wait several months for prices to change if I feel they’ll change for the better (in my favor of receiving a better profit).
  

• Once you’ve observed the competition then select “Sell Yours Here” and follow each step until your item is listed. You may also need to set up your bank account in order to receive your money via direct deposit once an item sells.
  

Sell Your Items through Half.com

When I choose not to list a book (or other media) on Amazon I sometimes check out Half.com or compare the prices for what the item is selling for on each site. Yet most of the time Amazon is the best place to list concerning how much you can sell the book for.

Half.com is just another option if you want to consider it.

Sell Your Items to Music Stores or Half Priced Books

When I choose not to list a book or other item on Amazon I put it in my “Half Priced Books” box. When I collect enough of them I take them to the (local) bookstore and sell the books (CDs and DVDs that wouldn’t sell for much) to them. I don’t get much if it’s not a lot of books but I don’t expect much.

They take them off of my hands and I don’t have to make the effort to ship them. To me the deal is more than fair. I get a couple of bucks in return. For gas or joy money.

Half Priced Books also takes software off my hands that won’t sell for much online. I got rid of my voice recognition software because I no longer needed it (MS Word offers it). So I included it with a couple of books I no longer wanted and got $15 in return.

That was good for me. I no longer had to stare at that annoying red box in my closet and I got money in return.

Also, keep in mind if you have CDs you can also go to music stores that will take them off your hands. I know CDs sound ancient these days with all of the new technology and downloadable options on the internet, but they’re still out there and people still buy them.

So why not head there and see what they’ll offer you for your used CDs?

Sell Your Items to (or through) Consignment or Pawn Shops

Sell your furniture to consignment shops or take it to a consignment shop that will let it sit in their store for a good portion of time and take a percentage of the sale if it sells.

Sell your clothing or your children’s clothing.

Consigment shops like “Plato’s Closet” takes teen clothing and “New Uses General Store” takes furniture and other appliances.

Remember, if one consignment shop won’t accept an item it doesn’t mean another one won’t. Sometimes it’s also a matter of season or time.

So, if something won’t sell, hold on to it for a bit and try selling it to a few shops again a little later on in the year or the year after.

Sometimes patience pays off in the end.

Sell, Trade or Donate Your Items
through Classifieds or Community Groups

In case you haven’t heard of Craigslist, it is a popular classified ads website. Just about anything is listed there. From jobs to wanted furniture.

This site offers great free exposure for all to see. Consider posting to the site and selling your furniture there. They also have a giveaway section in case you don’t want to sell it but simply want to offer it free to someone who might want it.

Remember it’s free to put up a listing so what harm could it do?

Two other places to consider are PaperBackSwap.com and TitleTrader.com. Paper Back Swap allows you to trade books whereas Title Trader also allows you to trade things, such as VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs and more.

There’s also another great website called FreeCycle.org where you post all of your unwanted items on a local message board for people who want your items to come and pick them up. So if you’ve got some giveaways you can join the FreeCycle Community to find a new home for your unwanted items.

Donate Your Items to Libraries, Churches, Thrift Stores, Friends, Co-workers or Neighbors

The obvious give away option when you’ve gone through all the above steps and you can’t sell the stuff you have is to take it to a church that takes donations, the Goodwill, or Salvation Army and give it to them. For books and other small items, consider donating them to the library.

Or you could ask around and see if someone you know at work needs a certain item you have if you have friends that don’t want it. Sometimes people hear things through the grapevine about someone who is having a hard time and in major need so a little asking around can really go a long way.

Also if you’re chummy with any of your neighbors consider asking them. If you can’t make money from it, the least you can do is pay it forward, right?

What Does This Mean to You?

Think of everything you own as a way to possibly get back some of the money you put into the things you bought at one point.

As they say at YouSave.com…

“Recycling makes cents.”

There’s no reason why you shouldn’t get paid a little money in return for doing your recycling duties.

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Woven Hamper & Basket Set

If you have the room and prefer the put-it-all-in-one-place approach, aside from wicker baskets and storage bins, you can quickly and easily store a multitude of (cleaning) supplies in your bathroom in a small laundry basket or hamper under your sink or in any location you prefer. This will take up even more room and is quite a bit larger, but if you prefer more order, you can go for a laundry hamper that has sorter compartments (a laundry sorter) instead.

It will allow you to organize your items a bit better. Many sorters will provide you with three pockets–so you can have some leeway to get those miscellaneous items out of sight and clear clutter elsewhere.

Just remember if you decide to do this, proceed with a little bit of caution. Obviously, it’s not a good idea to throw some items in a “bin.” Liquids, perishables, etc.

There are various types of hampers/sorters. Low cost options include canvas and wicker. Higher priced options include wood–woven or otherwise.

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If you’re looking for one quick and cheap way to organize your home–if it hasn’t already dawned on you, consider mug hooks. Mug hooks are simply the larger versions of cup hooks. And they can save the day in so many ways. One simple way they help is they help you create more space in areas other than in the kitchen (to hang your mugs up with).

You can use them to help you gain control of those annoying supplies that would otherwise get in the way. They are especially useful in closets. Simply screw them in along the sides of the walls and hang small things on them like light nightlight bulb packs, shower curtains packs you’re not ready to open and use, and more.

For example, much like you see them hanging in a store.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, let me show you what I mean…

Get the picture? I thought you would!

Talk about a load off, right?

So if you need a bit more order. Go grab you some mug hooks or cup hooks. Or if you’re in need of something a little longer, try curtain rod holders (see the silver hook in the picture above). They look a lot like mug hooks–they just offer you a bit more room to work with. You can get all of the above at most stores. One that comes to mind is Wal-mart.

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Thanks,
Beth

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Not sure how to go about organizing a small closet? If so, I’ve got some good news for you…

I have some small closet organizing ideas that I think you’d like. So, today we’re going to talk about the best ways to organize a small closet.

As always it doesn’t have to be a difficult task. A little labor is required but with a few essential tips you’ll be well on your way and wonder why you never did it sooner.

I have 3 steps in mind that will take you from start to finish on organizing a small closet.

And they are…

• Step One: Categorize and sub-categorize your clothing.
  
• Step Two: Do a major clean-up each season.
  
• Step Three: Include the necessary closet organizers.
  

In fact, it sounds pretty darn simple. But let’s discuss each in further detail and so you can make your mind up for yourself.

Step One – Categorize and Sub-Categorize Your Clothing

Initially, if your closet is in complete chaos you will need to do what is considered a one-time major clean-up that will require you to sort through your clothes, divide them up, categorize them and get rid of what you don’t need.

To begin organizing a small closet, you can start simple and divide your clothes up by seasons…

• Spring
  
• Summer
  
• Winter
  
• and Fall
  

And while you’re dividing them up you can be on the lookout for things you no longer want, can’t fit and put them in your “Must Go” pile.

Once you’ve sorted through them all you can then get rid of the unwanted items and then focus your attention on the clothes you’ve decided to keep.

Organizing a Small Closet: Keeping All of Your Clothes in Your Closet

For the clothing you decided to keep you could choose to keep all of your clothes in the closet or if you prefer, you could remove all out-of-season clothes from your closet, fold them up and store them away.

If you decide to keep all of your clothes in your closet, it’ll probably be easiest for you if you make sure your clothes categorized under different seasons don’t get mixed together. And a simple way to do that would be to use something quick and convenient like closet clothes dividers or blank closet dividers.

They will be advantageous to you in most circumstances. That includes even if you decide to remove all out-of-season clothes from your closet and store them away.

If you choose to keep your clothes in your closet, when organizing a small closet, but also need more space or find that your closet is a bit too small for all of your clothes, there’s a solution for that too.

A simple way to maximize space is to use space saving clothes hanger hooks. For each bit of hanging space you’ll be able to hang five garments rather than one.

I’d say that really increases your chance of fitting it all in there in an organized manner, wouldn’t you?

Organizing a Small Closet: Storing Your Out-of-Season Clothes

If it turns out you’d rather store your clothes until they’re in season there are several ways you could go about it.

You could use under-the-bed storage, boxes or if your budget is low and your space is limited you could store them away in your suitcases.

The wonderful thing about using suitcases is that suitcases already take up space so storing your clothes away in them wouldn’t cost you any more space than you’ve already used up.

Organizing a Small Closet: Sub-Categorizing Your Clothing

Once you’ve done that, you may or may not wish to sub-categorize the clothes that remain in your closet. It really depends on the type of person that you are.

Some people excel with a more detailed-oriented system and others simply find it too restricting. So it is up to you what you decide to do after that.

If you do prefer a more detail-oriented system, some ideas on how you can sub-categorize your clothes are:

• Sportswear
  
• Leisurewear
  
• Formal wear
  
• Lounge wear
  
• Sleepwear
  
• Swim wear
  

• Shirts (Long and Short Sleeves)
  
• Pants
  
• Suits
  
• Dresses
  
• Skirts
  
• Shorts
  

Neither option is better than the other. It’s simply a matter of which way would make it easiest for you if you decide to sub-categorize your clothing.

When considering each sub-category, you’ll want to make sure you think about it on a long-term level. When organizing a small closet, keep in mind that sometimes being too detail-oriented can make it harder than it needs to be (in the long-run) to keep things organized.

Step Two – Do a Major Clean-Up Each Season

Once you’re done you’re initial major clean-up, to keep your small closet organized all you have to do now is keep it going.

Many closets tend to get cluttered by the simple fact that they aren’t routinely kept up. To keep it simple and easy, one of the easiest ways to keep your closet clean is to simply clean it during the change of each season.

So, that means you would simply clean your closet out 4 times a year in accordance with…

• Spring
  
• Summer
  
• Winter
  
• and Fall
  

During spring you will simply sort through the spring clothing that you have and get rid of…

• what’s not useful
  
• what doesn’t fit
  
• what’s too old
  

…and so forth.

And that’s how it would go for summer, winter and fall as well.

You may find it particularly advantageous to get rid of clothes at the beginning of spring (and every other season) and purchase clothes at the end of spring (and other seasons).

Especially if you shop for clothes during end-of-the-season sales in department stores.

This will help you keep your quantity-in in balance with your quantity-out flow.

In short, it simply means you won’t accumulate too many clothes. You will simply get rid of clothes that are no longer of interest to you at the beginning of the season and buy equal amount of clothes at the end of the season.

But that will only work well if you have a good amount of clothes after you’ve gotten rid of what you don’t need.

If it doesn’t work well for you to do it that way, keep in mind you can do it all at one time. That is, get rid of what you no longer need and buy equal amount of clothing during the time you get rid of the others.

Step Three – Include Closet Organizers

Once you’re finished organizing your clothes, there are still those small items that can cause big trouble.

Things such as…

• Shoes
  
• Belts
  
• Ties
  
• Scarves
  

And there’s even the possibility that you’d like to exchange out your entire rod and shelving system in your closet. If that is the case we’ll get to that too in just a moment.

But first, let’s talk about those significant items that can add up to big trouble in large quantities. Shoes are a particular problem for many of us. Even for those of us who don’t have many, they can often get in the way and create a lot of clutter.

For that particular problem I recommend using simple cardboard box if you have a very small amount of shoes and you’re on a tight budget.

However, if you have a bit of extra cash and you would prefer something a bit more organized, I recommend using a revolving shoe rack to store your shoes in.

It will not only save you space but you’ll also find it very easy to get the shoes you need at the time you need them since the racks revolve.

And clutter created by scarves, ties and belts can be solved by using a simple
tie rack. It provides you with an easy but efficient way to get them out of the way and keep them from mixing and interfering with your clothes.

But if your problem is bigger than that and you’re looking for a new closet system, then you can consider Rubbermaid’s Closet Kit which may take care of most of your organizing needs that we discussed above.

Many kits can expand and store your shoes, pants, ties, belts and similar items. But keep in mind you generally have to purchase additional items to accommodate those needs.

Remember, organizing a small closet doesn’t have to be a difficult job. It will require some work but with a few logical steps the task is pretty simple.

If you take it step-by-step and do a one-time major clean-up and after that clean up at the beginning or end of each season and then tidy up the small items like ties, belts and scarves that could also serve as a clutter problem, before you know it everything will be in tip-top shape and you’ll be wondering why you hadn’t done it sooner.

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If you’re suffering from a kitchen that’s out of order or you simply want some good ideas on the best ways to keep your small kitchen in order, you’ll be very excited to hear that we’re going to have a chat on how you can do that.

There are plenty of reasons why a kitchen can be a mess.

In fact, there are countless reasons which make the task overwhelming and difficult to decipher the exact culprit of chaos.

On top of that it can make it difficult to figure out where you should start organizing a small kitchen in order to get things back on track.

But let’s attempt to talk about these problems anyway, because bringing them out in the open is just as important as the act of organization. When you’re aware of the underlying problems it makes them easy to avoid so they don’t work against you once you have your kitchen in order.

Why is Your Kitchen Disorganized?

Well, I can think of 3 reasons right now as to why your kitchen might be out of order.

• Your supply exceeds your demand
• Items can’t be easily accessed
• You fail to re-evaluate the situation

Yeah, I know it all may sound so obvious at the moment but let’s dig a little deeper and keep talking about it. Because what might seem like common sense right now, you may find rather surprising. Or you might find yourself wondering why you never thought of it sooner.

Your Supply Exceeds Your Demand

Clutter essentially starts with mentality. That is, typically it’s the act of living above and beyond our means that starts the cluttering process. That means an overstock of things might be one of the simple factors which is contributing to why your kitchen is such a mess.

In order to fix that problem, one thing you can do is start…

Organizing a Small Kitchen By Assessing Your Average Experience

The first thing you might want to ask yourself is if you’re buying things beyond your average experience.

Do you even know what your average experiences are?

If not, then I’ll help you clear it up a bit by using my daily lifestyle as an example.

Let’s say I’m a single female living in a one-bedroom apartment. I’m interested in buying some dishware for myself. However, I don’t want to end up with an overstock of things. I’ve seen many kitchens full of plates, bowls, cups and silverware that filled up a large amount of space but went unused the majority of the time. And that’s turned me off from wanting my kitchen too cluttered.

In order to begin organizing a small kitchen, my first goal is to purchase just enough dishware to use and have a small quantity as back-up in case something gets broken.

I think about it for a brief time and come up with an answer. I decide to use simple math to keep the situation easy.

• plate
• fork
• knife
• spoon
• cup
• bowl

…in which to eat from during meal time.

That takes care of me, providing me with the barebone necessities.

However, I realize there are times in which I do have the occasional dinner guest over. But it’s rare that I have any more than that. Thinking of that I realize they’ll need something to eat with too. So I add them into the equation. And that is considered part of my average daily living experience.

• 2 spoons
• 2 forks
• 2 cutting knives
• 2 butter knives
• 2 bowls
• 2 drinking cups
• 2 mugs
• 2 plates

As implied above, accomodating for an extra guest also benefits me in case something gets broken. I then have a back-up plate, bowl or cup, etc. to use when accidents happen.

This barebone living also results in doing less dishes in the end (and possibly saving more water). Specifically because I have a bad habit of not washing the dishes as I use them. Instead I go through multiple plates, bowls, cups and silverware if I have too many in my possession.

To a stranger this may seem very strict, but for me this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Because personally I believe the wonderful thing about living under pressure is that we as humans naturally rebel. If at any point that lifestyle was too strict for me I would’ve altered it by purchasing more dishware when I became uncomfortable.

But it has been such a comfortable experience for me that I have lived the better part of 3 years with that small amount of dishware and silverware. In fact, once I began I found myself often wondering how I ever lived any other way.

How to Live Based on Your Own Average Experience

Keep in mind my average experience might not be your average experience. And if it is, remember I said comfortable lifestyle. If at any point it became uncomfortable for you, you’re going to naturally adjust it to your comfort zone by purchasing more dishware.

But before I move on, if you’re still confused about what your average living experience would be, in layman’s terms it’s simply this…

The amount of household occupants + the highest amount of dinner guests you have over.

That will give you the amount of dishware you’ll need for your household in order to live comfortably.

So if you were a family of 3 and you often received 2 guests over for dinner, the equation would go like this…

That would then translate to your needed allotment of dishware and silverware in your kitchen.

• 5 forks
• 5 spoons
• 5 cutting knives
• 5 butter knives
• 5 bowls
• 5 drinking cups
• 5 mugs
• 5 plates

Simple, right?

Just a matter of living neither above or below your means.

As I said, it shouldn’t be a painful circumstance at all. It should be comfortable. If it becomes a circumstance in which you’re living under pressure, something is wrong and you’ll know and naturally rebel by stocking up on more supplies if the time comes.

That’s the beauty of it.

Preparing For Special Occasions

When it comes to organizing a small kitchen be sure you’re not overstocking your home with dishware. Be on the lookout for the similar, yet different culprit of preparing for special occasions.

There’s nothing wrong with preparing for holidays throughout the year. However, be careful not to let a temporary circumstance make you permanently uncomfortable.

I’m sure it’s obvious what I mean but let’s go a little deeper so that it will be crystal clear once I’m done.

What I mean is that you might want to rethink your current situation if you’re living uncomfortably 365 days a year for the few occasional holidays that exist.

For instance, having too much china saved for special occasions might fall under that category. China taking up space that could otherwise be used with items that are more convenient to you.

If you think that might be the case, you might want to just check things out. If you have too many things, then just simply get rid of excess to make more room for day-to-day dinnerware. Or store them out of the way when they’re not in use.

Items Can’t Be Easily Accessed

When you’re organizing a small kitchen, the best way to keep order is to make it as simple as possible to get to everything you need. That is, most things should be easy to see on your first time around.

To make this possible you’re going to want to create At-a-Glance Centers. That’s right, it’s just like the calenders in which everything can be pretty much seen with no trouble. Once you’ve done that, your kitchen will then be well organized, clutter-free and easy to maintain on a continuous basis.

To begin organizing a small kitchen, first start by dividing your kitchen into 5 different sections.

You’ll want to assign certain parts of your kitchen to operate as 5 different types of At-a-Glance Centers.

• Serving Center
• Pantry Center
• Preparation Center
• Cooking Center
• Cleaning Center

Organizing a Small Kitchen with Your Serving Center

You can start by organizing a small kitchen with your Serving Center. Your Serving Center groups all of your dishes and eating supplies together so that everything is within easy reach when you’re not only setting the table, but when you’re dishwashing or doing dishes in the sink.

As implied, it might be best to create your Serving Center near your sink and/or dishwasher so that they’ll be within easy reaching distance to put away.

• plates
• bowls
• silverware
• cups
• napkins

Organizing a Small Kitchen with Your At-a-Glance Serving Center

Once you’ve decided on what you’d like to group together and you’ve defined a certain area as your Serving Center, your next step to organizing a small kitchen is to turn it into an At-a-Glance Serving Center.

When you open drawers or pantry doors you should be able to see things right then and there without too much trouble. There shouldn’t be much guesswork involved.

Your drawers and cupboards should be clean, neat and clutter-free—organized into mini stations within your center. Plates should be segregated from bowls, forks should be separated from spoons, coffee mugs independent from drinking cups.

To separate your plates and bowls so that you can see them at a glance, 3-tier dinnerware organizers are recommended to do the trick. And obviously a utensil organizer will take care of your silverware and place them in neat little piles in a drawer.

As for mugs, you may like a mug rack. And if you hate putting your napkins on a table, like me, you might find an under-the-counter napkin dispenser invaluable.

Organizing a Small Kitchen with Your Pantry Center

Secondly, begin organizing a small kitchen by choosing a Pantry Center. Your Pantry Center is where you store all of your foods. You may choose to use an actual pantry, storage closet, or simply certain cabinets in your kitchen for storing your food.

Since chances are good that you live in a small place, it’s likely that you’ll be using a portion of your kitchen cabinets to do the trick. If so, storing them near the refrigerator might be the best place for you.

Expandable Corner Shelf

• canned goods
• boxed goods
• snacks
• bottled goods
• soda cans and so forth.

Organizing a Small Kitchen with Your At-a-Glance Pantry Center

Once you’ve gathered where you’d like your Pantry Center to be, you’ve got one more thing to do to help you in organizing a small kitchen. And that’s turning it into an At-a-Glance Center so that canned goods won’t be difficult to identify and so forth.

To do that you will want to enlist the aid of organizers once again. In order to see canned goods at a glance, 3 tier shelves or racks will work wonders for you. Soda cans can be organized by soda can holders.

Boxed goods can be put in neat rows or put in canisters. They can be organized by type: boxes or canisters of macaroni stacked together and so on.
And although possible but not necessary, all snacks may possibly be thrown together in a basket.

Organizing a Small Kitchen with Your Preparation Center

Next, to start organizing a small kitchen you’ll need to choose where you want your Preparation Center to be. The Preparation Center is for mixing, blending, slicing, and dicing your foods. It includes a vast amount of supplies from cutting knives to mixers and blenders.

• cutting boards
• spices
• mixing bowls
• knives
• measuring cups
• spoons
• blenders
• mixers
• tupperware
• plastic wraps

Organizing a Small Kitchen with Your At-a-Glance Preparation Center

To turn your Preparation Center into an At-a-Glence Preparation Center consider getting a cutting board that can sit on your counter permanently like the acrylic cutting board. It won’t show knife marks or contain odors which will allow you to leave it in place all of the time if you so wish.

Or perhaps you’d like your cutting board out of the way but within easy reach? If so, then the under-cabinet cutting board by Dial Industries might be perfect for you.

As for spices, spice rack organizers will do the trick. Also consider when dealing with spices arranging them alphabetically or in the order of what you use the most (on the front row) to what you use the least (on the back row) might be the best way to see them at a glance.

Knives may be taken care of with knife organizers. Measuring cups may be hung on a hook inside your cabinet or along the wall.

Food storage containers (tupperware) can be seen at a glance by labeling each container and then stacked on a turntable so that you may turn the table to get to everything you need with no hassle. Lastly, plastic wraps can be easily organized with a
wrap organizer.

Organizing a Small Kitchen with Your Cooking Center

Next, choose a Cooking Center to start organizing a small kitchen. Your Cooking Center deals with all of your cooking items so that when you’re cooking meals everything can be prepared easily since everything is close together.

• cooking utensils
• pot holders
• (stirring) spoons
• spatulas
• pots and pans

Organizing a Small Kitchen with Your At-a-Glance Cooking Center

To continue organizing a small kitchen you need to turn your Cooking Center into an At-a-Glance Cooking Center. In order to do that consider putting all or some of your cooking utensils in a jar (near the stove). If all of them do not fit, you may just want to put the ones you frequently use in a jar and store the others elsewhere.

Pot holders can of course hang on hooks on a nearby wall or be put away in a drawer. Pots and pans may be organized and easily reached for with caddies or pot racks.

Organizing a Small Kitchen with Your Cleaning Center

Lastly, choose a Cleaning Center to finish organizing a small kitchen. Your Cleaning Center groups all of your cleaning supplies together so that you can effectively clean your dishes, countertops, stove, refrigerator and more.
Often a good location for your Cleaning Center is under your sink and/or near your Serving Center since your Serving Center includes your dishware and you’ll need some of your cleaning supplies to wash your dishes.

• cleaning supplies
• dish towels
• dish rack
• gloves
• trash can

Organizing a Small Kitchen with Your At-a-Glance Cleaning Center

After that in order to continue organizing a small kitchen, it’s time to turn your Cleaning Center into an At-a-Glance Cleaning Center. To do that you could use an organizer for your cleaning supplies.

Secondly, when considering your dish towel, if you don’t want to use the bar on your stove, you can use a bar mounted to your wall or a bar that mounts over a cabinet door preferrably near all of the other items that make up your Cleaning Center.

And lastly, you might want a discreet trash can. If that is the case you might want to use an under-the-cabinet trash can so that it will not be an eye sore.

You Fail to Reevaluate the Situation

• observe each center you’ve set up and straighten it up or remove items that you no longer need
• observe if you’re beginning to take interest in new ways to cook, new foods, etc.

And on the flipside of things, it will also help you become aware of the things you aren’t using.

That is, you’ll start to gain a small insight into whether an upgrade or downgrade will eventually take place with your kitchen appliances, cookware or bakeware and if your taste buds have changed.

You’ll then be able to understand that it’s time to donate canned goods that won’t be the least bit of interest to you.

A good time to do this is when you’re making a list for your groceries since you’ll typically be replacing the things you’ve used.

It will help you (re)evaluate each situation without allowing change to sneak up on you.

In turn it will allow you to be well prepared for the fluctuations of your lifestyle as they come and go so that you can eliminate clutter before it has a chance to occur and continue to keep your small kitchen organized and up to par.

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