Another not-Tuesday tip: you need a home for homeless things bin

 Hey.  It's not-Tuesday again.  Here's a tip for you.  Or maybe a revelation?  Or a cautionary tale?  Feel free to use this (or not) however you wish.

I was listening to one of my favorite organizers and she said, among other things, that everyone needs a spot to put the things that they don't know what to do with: everyone needs a home for homeless items.  So when you come across something in your space, and you're not sure where it should go, you put it in the home for homeless items.  I know you've all heard the whole a-place-for-everything-and-everything-in-its-place mantra.  I have always had a problem with that, because I have always had things that I wanted to hold on to, but that didn't have an actual place.  This solves that issue!  

This is so smart!  The number one cause of clutter for me (and probably for most other people) is indecision.  If I don't know what to do with something, or where to put it, I just put it ... somewhere.  And then people (both me and other people in my household) see the thing there and think to themselves, "this must be the place to put things."  And before you know it, there's a pile, and no one's exactly sure what's in the pile, but it's messy and hard to look at and seems impossible to deal with.

While I was listening, first I thought, "that's brilliant!  We need a home for homeless items in our house!"  And then I thought, "um.  We actually already have a home for homeless items in our house, and it is our lonely socks bin."

This is our lonely socks bin.

In it, is one sock.

And a bunch of other things.

These are things that we don't know what to do with.  So we put them in the lonely socks bin, conveniently located in our laundry/mud room where we most often enter and exit the house.

The lonely socks bin has a purpose.  Its purpose is to be a place to put socks that have temporarily lost their mate.  Its purpose is not to hold thumbtacks a random screw, split ring, Webelos colors, tennis ball, large bells, command hooks, walkie talkies, disposable face masks, or anything that is not a sock.

This is our lonely socks bin now.

I brought the sock to its brothers*, and distributed the other items to more appropriate locations, including, in two cases, the trash.

I've decided that one, we need a smaller lonely socks bin, so that it's less tempting to throw random stuff in there, and two, we need a home for homeless things bin.

Now.  Where, exactly, I am going to put this home for homeless things bin is the question.  The laundry/mud room is the obvious choice, since that's where our unofficial HFHT bin showed up.  But the shelves in there are pretty full, so I'll have to do some rearranging. 

I'll keep you posted.  Maybe.

How about you?  Do you have a designated home for items that don't have a designated home in your space?

*bonus tip: buy socks that are all the same so you don't necessarily feel compelled to match them, and you don't feel like you need to throw away a perfectly good sock just because its mate developed an unfortunate hole

A tip (not on Tuesday)

 Yesterday, I was driving along that curvy road when I saw ... 

Toasty Crunch.  

And Charlotte.

... scratching in the tall grass on the shoulder.

Um ... what?  

That was pretty surreal, considering I was 2 or 3 miles away from our house, and when I left home about half an hour previously, Toasty Crunch and Charlotte had been safely ensconced in their secure run. 

When I got home, I walked out to the coop before I did anything else, just to make sure my girls were where they were supposed to be.  They were.  Whew.  Toasty Crunch isn't a terribly popular breed, but there are a lot (really a lot) of similar breeds that look just like her, so it's not that unusual to see a chicken who looks like her, but Charlotte's breed is even less popular, and there are not many (I can't think of any) other breeds that look like her.  Seeing that combination of chickens, doing something I see my girls do every day, without actually being my chickens, seems unlikely.

So TC and Charlotte have doppelgangers out there.  That's fun.

TC and Charlotte (literally) hanging around with me in the hammock
(Charlotte was on my belly--which didn't make for a very good picture, but we take what we can get)

Anyway, you came here for a tip, and here it is.

Use containers to contain.

I know.  I'm so good at tips.  Or maybe you call them hacks?  I'm good at those, too...

I have this area in my bathroom.  Hubby and I are the only ones who see this area, aside from the very occasional overnight guest.

These are things that I use frequently, but not necessarily daily.  At least not all of them every day.  I didn't want to keep them on the vanity--that would make it seem too cluttered, but I also didn't want to keep them in a cabinet or drawer, because I do use them frequently--so I keep them on a shelf of an above/behind the toilet storage cabinet.  And it still looks cluttered, no matter how careful I am to put them back neatly.

So I decided to contain them.  In a container.  This is a cute basket that used to sit on my desk, but it's spent the last 17 months or so in a drawer of the desk, so it was available for a new job.

These items take up about the same amount of shelf space as they did before, but now there's a boundary to their space, and through some mysterious psychological process, this little spot automatically looks less cluttered, just because it's contained.

Isn't that crazy?  Now my brain perceives this as one item, the basket of stuff, versus the six separate items my brain used to perceive.

How about you?  Do you have an area that would benefit from a well-placed container?

Tuesday's Tip: Guard your wallet

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I know it's Friday.  But it is completely acceptable to post Tuesday's Tip on a Friday.

Because I said so.  And I'm in charge around here.

So, because I'm all about serving the public, here's a tip for ya.  On Friday.  Because this one's just too indispensable to wait.

Don't leave your wallet 

in the vehicle 

that someone will be 

parking at the airport 

for the next 4 days.

Especially 

when you have no cash and 

you promised to take your kids to the pool 

with the climbing wall and zipline, 

but you also need to buy gas, 

because whoever drove the big ol' 'burban last left it near empty, 

and drive children 

all over creation

because it's the first week of school

and sports happened.

You are so welcome for that helpful hint.

OK, so maybe that tip is just a tad bit narrow in focus.  Maybe you don't have access to a vehicle that gets parked at the airport frequently.  Or ever.  In that case, here's another tip.  Again, on Friday.  Because it's still Friday and I'm still talking.

Photocopy (or scan or take a picture of) the contents of your wallet, front and back, and leave a copy somewhere secure, but accessible.

Here's why.  If you are ever unfortunate enough to misplace your wallet, or your wallet is stolen, having a copy of all of your cards and identification will make it easier to 1. call everyone who needs to be notified that your info is stolen and/or possibly compromised and 2. work on replacing said items.

Here's the deal.  All of your debit and credit cards, insurance cards, even your library card, have your account information and a phone number to call if you need assistance.  If those things are not in your possession, how quickly will you be able to assemble that information?  And will you even remember everything that's in your wallet when you're all flustered about not knowing where it is or knowing that it's in the hands of some criminal?  Yeah.  Didn't think so.  Photocopying the contents of your wallet is a quick and easy way to get all that information together in the same place, just in case you need it.

Also?  It's a good idea to keep cash somewhere other than your (or your 15 year old son's) wallet.  Just in case you are temporarily separated from said wallet.  For four days while it's at the airport.  And you can't get in to retrieve it because you need a credit card to get in to the parking ramp.  *ahem*

I hope you enjoyed this helpful non-Tuesday tip.

That is all.

Tuesday's Tip: Keep the Sheets Tucked

It is a pain in the patooty to change my kids' sheets. 

Number one, because all three of them have loft beds, which means that one has to actually be on the bed in order to change the sheets.  Have you ever tried changing the sheets on a bed which you are currently occupying?  It's not easy.  Try it.  You'll see.  Your body weight pushes down on the mattress making it very difficult to tuck anything under, not to mention the impossibility of getting wrinkles out.  It is quite the ordeal.

And number two, well, you don't need a number two, because number one is reason enough. 

Is it any wonder I try to avoid changing sheets on those beds as much as possible?

The trouble is, the beds don't stay made.  The sheets and blankets end up in a tangled mess after just a few days.  All that effort...wasted.

I noticed an interesting thing, though, and that is, the farther under the mattress you tuck those sheets and blankets, the more likely they are to stay tucked.

I noticed something else.  If you place twin-sized blankets perpendicular to a twin size bed, they cover nearly the whole bed, from head to foot.

Let's put those two facts together to see if we can solve that problem, shall we?

Here's what to do.

Over the fitted sheet, place the flat sheet the regular way, which leaves an overhang of 8-12" per side.
 

Place the blankets perpendicular to the bed, leaving an overhang of about 3 feet on the long sides of the bed.  See how they stretch nearly the whole length of the bed, head to foot?  If your kids are taller than mine, you can even alternate the way you place the blankets so you get full coverage lengthwise.

Fold down the sheet at the head of the bed, sandwiching the blankets and keeping them together.
 

Tuck everything in.  That means there are around 2.5 feet of blanket tucked under the mattress on each side--the two ends of the blankets meet under the mattress.  (If your bed is up in the air, stand on a stepstool or chair and lift the mattress up to get the sheets under.  If your bed is on the floor, you can just lift the mattress up).  That's not coming untucked very easily.

Cover the whole thing with a bedspread and you should be good to go for a couple of weeks.

Oh, and the number two reason it's a pain in the patooty to make my kids' beds?  The twenty gazillion stuffed animals, books, legos, socks and other miscellaneous items that find their way into the kids' beds that need to be removed and then replaced... Oy!

Tuesday's Tip--Ask for a Discount

I bought some smelly markers the other day. 

Let's just pause here while I bask in your envy.

I have always wanted smelly markers.  You want some, too, don't you?

AKD is doing a chromatography experiment, comparing different types of black inks, and this gave me the perfect excuse to indulge in my childhood fantasy of owning smelly markers.  We're using the black for AKD's experiment, and then giving the package to Bubby for his birthday in a few weeks.  So there are smelly markers in my house.  Win-win-win.

The chromatography markers, including Mr. Licorice Smelly Marker on the left

I went to the teacher supply store, giddy with anticipation at the prospect of having 24-7 access to my very own package of smelly markers.  They were $10 for the package of 12--totally worth it, considering they're the fulfillment of a lifetime of wishes--but you know my mantra.  Why pay full price if you don't have to (and you very rarely have to)?

So I asked for a discount.  I asked if they had any coupons or specials that I could use for the markers.

And they did!  A text coupon good for 15% off was expiring that day.  And even though my phone can't receive text offers (I don't know why, and I'm really torn up about it), they gave me the discount anyway.  AND gave me a free reusable shopping bag just for trying to sign up.

It never hurts to ask, my friends.  So often, there are offers available, and the cashiers or wait staff or front desk people don't think to offer unless we ask.  So ask.  Always ask.

Want some?  Only $7 on Amazon with free super saver shipping on orders over $25, or sign up for a free 30 day trial of Amazon Prime for free 2 day shipping on thousands of items.

 

This post contains affiliate links.  Click here for my disclosure.

Tuesday's Tip: Make a Gift List

In my family, it's kind of a point of honor to give gifts without asking for gift suggestions.  The idea is to pay attention to the recipient's interests and style, likes and dislikes, and come up with the perfect gift all on your own.

That's why it was such a surprise when Hubby's family started asking me for gift suggestions.  Before we were even married. 

And then, do you know what happened?  They started asking me for gift suggestions for other people.  Like my husband and kids.  Why they didn't ask the husband and kids directly, I don't know, other than the fact that they must think I'm a lot more "together" than I really am.

The trouble was, I can't think on the spot like that.  I would have ideas in mind, but when someone asked me, I'd go blank.  Ugh.  Performance anxiety.

So I made a running gift list.  Whenever I thought of a gift idea for myself or someone else in my family, I would write it down.  In one location, instead of on post-it notes and on the backs of receipts all over the house.

Now, whenever someone asked me for a gift suggestion, I was prepared.

My life was sooooo much easier (because, you know, the asking, it was constant.  No, not really). 

But there was still an itsy bitsy problem.  I didn't know which gift suggestions to suggest to which people.  It's a lot of pressure, deciding who should give me what.  And it doesn't feel right for me to be deciding that, anyway.  So I went high tech, and put our family's lists online (I use google sites--it's free and super easy).  Now when someone wants to give us a gift, all they have to do is navigate over to our family gift website and pick something.  They get good gift suggestions, and I get to be surprised.  Sort of.  Win.

Either way you go with this--pen and paper or electronic, it'll make your life easier.  Promise.

Tuesday's Tip: Corralling Reusable Bags

We all have them.  And they seem to multiply while we're not looking.

Reusable shopping bags.

I had amassed quite the collection, because, you know, they give those things away for free.  And it's really difficult for me to pass up free stuff.  Especially useful free stuff. 

So they were kind of out of hand.  OK, seriously out of hand, taking up way too much space in Bubby's closet because there wasn't enough space for them in the mud room, and I didn't know what else to do with them.

Do you have this problem, too?  Well, you're in luck, my friend, 'cause I'm gonna tell you what you can do about it.

First thing you have to do is get rid of some of your bags. 

I know, I know!  They were free!  And they're useful!  But believe me, my friend, unless you are buying $1000s of dollars of groceries at one time, you do not need 37 reusable shopping bags.  I went through my stash and took out the ones with torn seams or handles, and one or two that I just plain didn't like, which brought me down to a manageable 7 or so.

 (This is not my entire bag collection.  It is not even my entire weeded-out bag collection.  These are the two I used on a shopping trip and then decided to take pictures of the folding process so that you can contain your bags in a reasonable amount of space, too.)

 Lay the bag out flat.

 Fold the bag into thirds, with the handles at the top.  Or bottom.  They just need to be sticking out somewhere.

 Start rolling the bag from the side opposite the handles.

 When it's all rolled up, it'll look something like this.

 Take one handle and wrap it around the rolled-up bag one way, and wrap the other handle around the other way.  Then, tie the handles together.  That's it!  So easy.  And so much more manageable!

Store your rolled-up reusable shopping bags in a small tote bag or box near the door or in your car, and you're all set.  When you need a bag or two, just grab 'em from your stash.

I know this information is life-changing.  You're welcome, friends.  Yup, that's me, saving the world, one rolled-up reusable shopping bag at a time...