Playroom Organization Tip: Daily Baskets

When organizing a playroom for small children a great way to organize their toys is by using seven medium size containers or baskets, one for each day of the week. You can disperse small toys, activities, books, stuffed animals, and other favorite toys into the various baskets and change them out each day.

Using this system does two things for children; first, it prevents them from getting too many toys all out at once and makes it easier to clean up. Secondly, it keeps the kids interested in the toys because they are changing everyday.

Follow these simple steps to implement the Daily Toy Baskets into your playroom:

1. Dump all the toys out into a pile and pull out any toys that are broken, not working, or never get played with by your children.
2. Set out the seven baskets that you want to use for your toys and then ask your children to help you divide them all up into the baskets. This is great because the toys that they do not pick are also ones that you know you can purge out of their collection or replace with new, more interesting items.
3. Implement a rule that says each time a new toy comes in an old toy has to go out. This will help you maintain the level that you are putting in the basket and keeps them from overflowing.
4. Find a storage closet, shelf, or other area that will put the baskets out of the reach of your children when they are not being used.

Friday Five: Organizing Your DVD collection

If you are anything like our house... you feel like you have DVD's coming out of your ears! With three kids and a husband who loves to watch movies over and over again I too feel your pain.

Here are five quick suggestions and products to help your curb your DVD disaster zone!

1. GET RID OF THE CASES! They take up so much extra room when storing DVDs!!!! Consider using a DVD Storage Notebook like this one:

Books like this can store 48 DVD and for VERY large collections you can have several books and label the spine by what type of movies are inside. For example; Children's Movies, Adventure Movies, Comedy Movies. I love these because they are beautiful & look nice.

2. If you cannot let go of your cases... DVD Towers are also nice to use if you have the floor space for them and small children pulling on the DVDs is not a concern for your house. You can find them in numerous sizes and styles to match various decor styles. I have seen shelves that can hold under 50 DVDs to ones that hold more than 500!

3. If small children or floor space is an issue in your home, AND you still can't get rid of your cases... you may want to consider a wall unit to store DVD up and out of reach. These too comes in all different sizes, styles, and price ranges.

4. Check out these Storage boxes to store your DVDS in. This product Holds 30 CDs in full jewel cases, 60 CDs in slim cases, and 165 CDs in CD sleeves. You can see it yourself by clicking this link http://www.buyonlinenow.com/viewProduct.asp?SKU=IDESNS01521&tk=4853389 This same company also has a pull out drawer version of this product that you can stack up on top of each other. Again, like the binder, you can separate your large collections out by genre to make it easier to find your desired drama.

5. My favorite Product! I love the Discgear Auto retrieval systems... you can get up to 100 DVDs in here and with a push of a button you can have your favorite flick dispensed to you quickly. Simple to use, take the time to create a reference list so you will know what number each movie is and you are set to go! This one I found at WalMart.com click here to see it yourself http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10719860&sourceid=1500000000000003142050&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=10719860

Document Retention Guidelines

I have been doing a lot of work with clients in their home offices over the last few weeks. One of the most common questions that I get when we are working in this area is, "how long do I need to keep this?" As a client hands me a document, a receipt, or an old bill.

I know that it is not just my clients who are wondering this about pieces of papers clogging up their files and littering the tops of their desks. I have put this list together for you to bookmark and refer to when you are purging your files.

A great way to help you keep track of when you are safe to get rid of a document is to write an expiration date on it so that when you clear out files you can throw away all documents that have passed their expiration dates.

• Copies of Tax Returns: 7 Years
  The IRS has 6 years to challenge your return if you under reported your income. They can challenge anytime if they thing you committed fraud.
• Warranties: Length of the product
  Reference use.
• Quarterly Retirement and Savings Plan info: At least one year
  Keep the quarterly statements until your annual report comes for tax time.
• Annual Report on Retirement and Savings: Indefinitely
  You should hang on to these documents until you close the accounts or retire.
• Pay Stubs: One Year
  To check against your W2 at the end of the year. If it the information matches you can throw out your stubs.
• Copies of Paid Bills: One year
  To dispute any arguments and show proof of payment.
• Legal Papers (Divorce Papers, Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates, etc…): Forever
  You will need to show proof of at anytime.
• IRA contributions: Forever
  You will need these to show that you paid tax on the contributions when it is time to withdraw your money.
• Audit Reports: Forever
• Bank Deposit Slips : 5 years
• Bank Statements: 5 years
• Brokerage Statements: Keep until you sell the security
  You will need them to show gains or losses at tax time.
• Credit Card Receipts : Till the end of the month
  When you get your monthly statement check the receipts against the statement and if all matches up you can throw receipts away.
• Credit Card Statements: 7 years
  If Tax related expenses are recorded.
• Current Contracts and Leases: Life of the contract plus three additional years.
• Housing Records: As long as you own the home plus 6 years.
  Anything documenting purchase price, cost of permanent improvements, remodeling, installations, expenses you incur in selling and buying property like legal fees, real estate commission. Keep to help lower your gains tax.
• Insurance Records: Life of the policy plus 10 years
• Investment Records: 6 years after the sale of the investment
  You can keep only annual statements
• Personal health records: Names and contact info of doctors, medication lists, your medical history and family history: Indefinitely
  This complete information can save you time and energy in the future.
• Medical Records: 7 years or until the condition is gone.
  If you deduct medical expenses keep for 7 years.
• Medical Insurance Documents: 5 years from the date the service was received.
  Premium statements, doctor bills, copies of prescriptions, hospital bills
• Home Insurance: 5-10 years
  The burden of proof will fall on you and not the insurance company.
• ATM receipts: A month until you check against bank statement.
• Utility Bills: If not using for tax purposes than 3 months
  If using for tax purposes 7 years.
  To show proof of residency.
• Mortgage Statements: Length that you own the property plus 7 years
• Documentation of donations to charities: 7 years
  To claim on taxes.
• Child Care Expenses: 7 years
  To claim on taxes
• Education Expenses: 7 years
  To claim on taxes
• Gambling winning or Loses: 7 years
  Date and location you were at, people with you, amount you won or lost, type of activity
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Give Dad the gift of organization

Today is Father's Day, a day to honor fathers everywhere for working so hard to provide for their families. Do you ever notice that we typically honor our dad's with the most ridiculous of gifts? The most common ridiculous father's day gifts are normally:

• Tacky Ties
• Homemade gifts
• Novelty gifts
• Golf or Fishing equipment
• Unwanted Cologne or similar products
• Workout Equipment

Poor dad... he works so hard all year and then on the day that is set aside to honor him, he gets stuck with stuff that will most likely just clutter up a garage or closet for years to come.

This year a great alternative to these ridiculous gifts would be the gift of organization. Dads are normally so busy taking care of everyone else that they have limited time to enjoy hobbies and time for themselves. And on the rare occasion that they do take time for themselves... normally their workshops, sheds, and hobby areas are so cluttered that it takes most of their free time just clearing space for what they would like to do INSTEAD of actually DOING it!

This year consider helping dad organize his shop area or his "getaway" area so that when he does actually take time for himself this year... he can enjoy himself. He will be able to start a project and work on it instead of planning for it.

Simple*Organized*Sanity's Gift Certificates are a perfect Father's Day gift for just this reason... we can help you get dad's special area organized and that is a gift that he will thank you for and not just store on a shelf or in a closet. Visit our website today for more information www.simpleorganizedsanity.com

Friday Five: Five creative uses for Old paint cans

Old paint cans can be used in many creative ways around your house, just make sure that you wash out the cans before using.

Check out these five ideas:

1. Use them to store small items in the shop like paintbrushes, screwdrivers, ratchets, and more that you can set on top of the work bench to keep things in easy reach.

2. You can mount them to the wall and use them as small round cubbies that you can cover in matching paper or paint. These are great to store small items in bedrooms, kids rooms, and toy rooms.

3. You can decorate them to match a bathroom and store hairbrushes, curling iron, etc in.

4. You can use them as cute and creative gift baskets: Movie night in a Can, Spa Day in a Can, etc... (You can decorate the outside and fill them with small gifts.)

5. They make great storage for art rooms. You can keep rulers, paint brushes, colored pencils, and scissors in them.

Keeping it under wraps

As a mother of three young children, you never know what crazy and creative thing they are going to try to pull next. The other day, my youngest daughter pulled a stunt that I had to share with you:


Our next door neighbor’s cat has had kittens and they are old enough now to be walking around and exploring the yard. I caught my daughter pulling on the small, defenseless cats through the chain link fence onto our side of the yard so she could play with it. I immediately explained to her that they are not our kittens and we can’t just take them to our home.


Unfortunately, I could not explain the same thing to the small kitten who knows has learned it can fit through the fence and believes that the grass must somehow be greener on the other side so it refuses to stay on its side of the fence now. This of course delights my daughter to no end, though it makes my husband upset. He is not a cat person and terribly allergic to them.


I told Bella, my daughter, that it was time to go inside and leave the cat outside. I turned around to pick something up and when I looked at her again there was a wiggly bump moving under her dress. Every step that Bella took towards the door she would say, “Ouch” or “Eww” or “Stop”. I tried hard not to laugh… but it was just too funny. She was enduring pain so she could try to sneak her new friend into the house in a way she was sure was unnoticeable. It wasn’t until I finally asked her, “Bella, where is the cat?” When she lifted up her hands to tell me that she did not know, the kitten came tumbling out from under her dress.


The whole scene made me think about how many of us do the same thing with our clutter. We shove it into drawers, cabinets, closets, and under beds in hopes that no one will notice or see it. We tolerate the uncomfortableness that it inflicts on our daily life because it is easier than dealing with it… or so we think.



Having to dig through countless drawers to find a single piece of paper is painful and a huge waste of time. Having to search through piles and piles of clothes to find the exact shirt that you know you bought last week to wear with your new jeans is frustrating and again… a waste of time.


Just like with my daughter and the cat, it wasn’t going to stay under that dress. One way or another it was going to find a way out of there. It would have either continued to scratch and claw until it was released or take the first escape it had when Bella moved her arms. It is the same thing with our clutter… at some point there will be a breaking point.


It could be when you open a closet and find yourself on the receiving end of an avalanche of clothing and clutter. It could be when you search and search to find something that you are positive you put in a safe place but now simply can’t find that safe place again. For many of us we wait for that breaking point… but why? Why not take an honest look at the clutter that we are trying to keep undercover now and deal with it before it causes us anymore pain and frustration.


If you have clutter and no idea where to begin in dealing with it I encourage you to visit our website at http://www.simpleorganizedsanity.com/ for more information about how we can help you win the battle once and for all!

Our Friday Five: What to do with old magazines.

1. Recycle them at your local recycling center. Simply keep a box in your garage area to collect already read magazines and when the box Is full haul it to your recycling center. You will want a smaller box… because a large box of magazines will take up space in your garage and be very heavy to move.


2. Donate them to local doctor’s offices or other local areas that have waiting rooms for patients to use when they are waiting. Simply take a black marker and block out the name and address on the cover so no one can get your information.


3. Donate them to your local schools, day cares, or churches so that they can use them for craft projects with kids. They love to cut out pictures that go along with letters or colors that they may be studying that week and old magazines are perfect for this project.


4. You could send them in care packages to soldiers overseas who do not have access to new publications like current magazines and they enjoy the new reading material and connection to things they are familiar with.


5. Pass them along. Consider starting a Magazine swap with your friends, where each of you subscribes to different magazines and then you swap them with each other when you have read yours. This will allow you to read all the articles you want while sharing the cost of subscriptions and reducing the number of magazines that you end up accumulating.

Taming the Clothes Monster!

Clothes, Clothes, more Clothes!!!! Does anyone else share this feeling when you look around your home? We have clothes hanging in our closets, sitting in our drawers, clogging up our laundry rooms, and probably strewn across floors and beds somewhere in your house... Clothes sometimes feel like they overtake our life and our Homes!

Did you know that the average American wears only 20 percent of their clothes 80 percent of the time!

Yet we as a society are obsessed with the need to keep countless pieces of clothing that don't fit us, we've never worn, or went out of style ten years ago. I myself am a major clothes horse... I love them. I love shopping for them, I love wearing them, and I love creating cute outfits out of them.

I have implemented an in and out rule for my closet... "for every new piece that I bring into my clothes collection one must leave and be replaced." This ensures that I maintain the level that I have in my closet space and eliminates the temptation to stuff my closet so full of jeans, shoes, and tops that I can't find any of the ones that I am looking for.

Here are five ways that you can pare down your clothes collection and finally begin to tame the Clothes Monster that lurkes in most of our closets:

1. Sell old clothes that do not fit yourself at a yard sale or on eBay.
2. Have someone else sell your old clothes for you... consign them and get money or store credit for new items.
3. Donate them to charities to help others who could use them more than you.
4. Gift them to someone that you know is a similar size as you are.
5. Recycle them in different ways. Used in craft projects, as dust rags, etc...

Happy clothes clearing!!!! If you need help with a project like this or another organizational project in your home contact us www.simpleorganizedsanity.com

Age appropriate Chores for kids

I have had a lot of clients ask me lately if I had lists of chores that are age appropriate for children to do around the house. I have been working on such a list and wanted to post it here to share with all of you.

I love the idea of having kids help with housework! I think that it is a great way to help teach them responsibility and it also helps them learn to begin to manage time by sharing the housework. It is a great first step in being organized!

2-4 year olds

• help dust
• put napkins on table
• help put away toys
• put laundry in hamper
• help feed pet
• Start picking up toys and clothes

4-7 year olds

• set the table or help set the table
• put away toys/things
• help feed pets
• water plants
• help set table
• help make bed
• dust
• put laundry in hamper
• help put dishes in dishwasher
• water the garden
• help wipe up messes
• help with yard work (rake with child's rake or plant flowers, etc.)
• help clear table
• Picking up room and toys with direction
• Wipe of the table
• Wash windows

8-10 year olds

• make bed
• water plants
• clean room with minimal direction
• set table
• dust
• vacuum
• feed pets (depends on type of pet and how your comfortable your child is interacting with the pet)
• help make dinner
• put laundry in hamper
• help wash the car
• help wash dishes
• help load/empty dishwasher
• rake leaves

11 year olds and older

• take garbage out
• set table
• clean room without direction
• vacuum
• mow lawn
• feed pets
• water plants
• put laundry in hamper
• help with laundry and eventually start doing own laundry
• help make dinner/make small meals on own
• help wash dishes
• clean room
• make bed
• help with yard work

One great way that we use this list in our home is to make chore cards. I take index cards and write several of these chores on them and then when it is chore time my kids can draw a card and perform the task. They are also great to use when kids are in trouble or fighting to have them draw an extra chore card... it is working great at our house!

Our company also offers custom chore charts for kids based upon thier age and interest! For more information about our custom chore charts or our organizing services for parents and kids visit www.simpleorganizedsanity.com

Mom's Night Out!

Want to learn more tips for being a more organized mom?
Consider hosting a Mom’s Night Out with your friends where you can earn and learn at the same time!

Simple*Organized*Sanity’s Mom’s Night Out Program:

The Learning Part
You get at least five or more of your friends together at your home, a coffee house, restaurant, etc…

You can provide your guests with snacks and goodies that you can munch on while we talk.
We will discuss LOTS of great tips to get moms more organized! Helping to save you time and frustration each day!

The Earning Part
· For hosting your Mom’s Night out you will earn one free hour of organizational services from Simple*Organized*Sanity.
· You can earn more free hours if any of your friends book services or their own Mom’s Night out Party.


Sound like something you could be Interested in ????

Contact Simple*Organized*Sanity today to schedule a time for your group. These appointment slots are limited and there must be five guests to have the class.
417-733-2089