Desktop File Letter Stand

 

Desktop File Organizer

Desk File Tray

For tax related papers that you may be receiving now, consider filing them in a desk top file organizer or letter stand, like the ones shown here.  Paper trays may also work. At the end of the day, the key is to be able to find your papers when you need them!

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie is also the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com

The typical bathroom cabinet is cluttered and disorganized due to the abundant amount of items typically used in the bathroom.  Toiletries, make-up, hair appliances, linens, medicine and other personal items are often used on a daily basis, yet the average bathroom has very little efficient storage options.  The average bathroom cabinet is deep and tall, but due to large protruding plumbing fixtures, there is usually no shelving installed inside to help maximize the available space.  

One way to solve this problem is to purchase organizers for use inside deep cabinets.  Stackable bins and containers are one option, or you can use a roll-out drawer. Roll-out drawers come in a variety of widths to fit most undersink cabinets and are available in either one or two levels.   The two tiered roll-out drawers can really maximize the space underneath the average bathroom cabinet and are also very easy to install.  Plus, roll-out drawers can also be used under kitchen sink cabinets to store cleaning supplies and in any other deep cabinet or shelf that may be difficult to access.

For the budget-conscious consumer, roll-out drawers can be an affordable alternative to custom built-in organizational installations. Home Storage Warehouse has a couple of options to choose from.  

Roll out 2 tier organizer

Roll out cabinet drawer

Roll out undersink drawer

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie is also the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com

Now that we’re officially in the New Year, many of us have goals and resolutions in place for a better year.  One of the top 5 New Year’s Resolutions is getting organized and the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has named January “Get Organized Month(SM)”. When you’re more organized you can get things done in a timely manner, find the things you need and generally feel less stressed.  So who wouldn’t want to be more organized? 

Although containers, bins, shelves and baskets won’t make you organized, they can certainly help you to contain all of the important things you need.  Containers will also help you to create the systems you need in your home so that you’ll be more organized, and more importantly, remain organized!  Here are a few organizing products and organizational systems that may help you on the road to organization.

Food dispenser

Wicker storage chest

Jewelry organizer

Laundry sorter - 4 bags

Handbag purse organizer

Wall cubby organizer

So, when do you plan to start decluttering?  Pick one space today, and focus on getting that one space decluttered and organized.   Starting with one space helps to prevent overwhelm.  But if you feel overwhelmed regardless, enlist the help of a friend or hire a professional organizer.  According to NAPO, “Professional organizers can help you deal with everything from your paper to your professional responsibilities and give you parameters on what to keep, what to toss, and where to take action.”

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie is also the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com 

The home office, often a clutter filled extra room in the house, is now more frequently used as a home office for a small business owner or telecommuting worker.   This is especially true today because many home owners are using wireless mobile laptops as their household computer, instead of a desktop computer, so are not really using their home offices as before.  

Working from home is convenient.  There’s usually no dress code, unless you use it for meetings, no office gossip and most work at home professionals have a flexible schedule.  However, even if you work from home only 2 or 3 days a week, having a dedicated home office space is important. If you don’t have an extra room, you can create a space within a room that is used only for business. Your office needs to be comfortable and functional.  A comfortable ergonomic chair and aesthetically pleasing environment will add comfort.  Good quality office equipment, file storage, desk accessories and lighting will add function.

When decorating and organizing your home office space, you have a lot more flexibility to decorate and organize it to reflect your personality, than you would in a typical work environment.  Have some fun with your home office accessories.  Choose colors you respond to and designs you love.  You’ll want it to be free of clutter so that you are able to stay focused.  Staying focused and motivated can be especially difficult when you’re working without a boss hovering over you! 

When choosing desk organizers, avoid purchasing several desk accessory items.  That alone can create clutter.   Also, avoid excessive décor items, like plants, family pictures and ornaments.  Pick one or two favorites and avoid clutter accumulation.  Try to keep your office space organized by imagining someone dropping in at a moment’s notice!  The thought of an unexpected visitor will keep you motivated to file away papers, shred what you don’t need and minimize paper clutter!

Check out some office organization products at Home Storage Warehouse.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007 and is presently the “Ask the Organizer” expert. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Contact Jacquie here. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com 

Getting the kids back into a routine of homework and studying can often be a challenge, so having a dedicated place in your home for this purpose can make all the difference. Studies show that children develop good study and work habits and will stay more focused if they have a specific area to study and do their homework.

If you live in a small space and cannot sacrifice one specific area, try to determine an area where you can set up a temporary homework station or mini office. Add more lighting, if necessary and a comfortable chair are essential. It’s also important to try to keep distractions to a minimum, like TV and siblings.
Use organizing products and accessories to hold the supplies needed for homework, e.g. reference books, pencils, paper, etc. Here are some desk organizing product ideas that will help to keep the school supplies at bay:

Magazine Holders: Magazine holders can be used, not only for magazines, but also for books. Be sure to purchase a magazine holder sturdy enough for the books you will be storing.

Storage cubes: Storage cubes can also be used to hold books. If they are turned sideways, they can be used as cubbies. Or you can simply place the books inside with the spine facing outwards. Or use for any school supplies.

Bookcases: You may want to even consider adding a bookcase to the homework or study area.
Try a tall narrow bookcase, like the one pictured on the right, which is less than 17” wide. This bookcase storage shelf takes up a very little wall space, but adds height and elegance to any room.

Folding shelves are a perfect temporary option, because you can simply fold them up and store flat whenever you need to!

Document trays: Document or paper trays can be used to organize school papers coming home. Teach your child to place incoming papers in the appropriate tray for you to review.

See the Modular Office System for some storage and organization ideas.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

We have observed that being organized comes more naturally to some, than to others. For some, it makes perfect sense that there should be a place for everything and everything in its place.  Yet to others, this idea would never even cross their minds. That’s why it important that children be taught organization skills from an early age.  If you are the parent, and also disorganized, then use this as an opportunity to learn together!  Plus, showing your children how to take care of their room from an early age teaches them responsibility. 

If your child has space issues in their bedroom and you find that clothes aren’t being put away and clutter is accumulating, most often than not, the child doesn’t know where things go. 

So what can you do to help?  You may begin with a task as simple as showing them how to put their laundered clothes away.  Begin by sharing with them how it makes sense to store tops with tops and bottoms with bottoms.  If they are early elementary school age, you could show them an example of how mixing tops with bottoms, socks and undies would result in confusion and disorder.  They will probably be amused by the mess and be happy to help you fix it!  

There are many inexpensive organizing products available for kids’ rooms that will help them to keep the clutter at bay. Here are a few useful products, including ideas on how to use them:

Hanging Accessory Shelves:  Hanging shelves have cubbies or pockets and attaches to a closet rod to store tops, sweaters, shoes or smaller items stored in baskets.  Some shelves come with drawers.

Storage Cubes: Very versatile storage that can help to organize clothes, toys, books, CDs, accessories and magazines.

Pop-up Hamper: Teach your kids to put away their dirty laundry in their own hamper or use for lightweight toys and stuffed animals

Under the Bed Storage Bag:

Take advantage of the space underneath the bed to store off season clothing or bed linens.  Bags zipper shut to keep out the dust.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

It’s no surprise to anyone that Americans are more overweight than any other industrialized nation.  According to a recent Gallup Poll, nearly 6 in 10 Americans (59%) would like to lose weight.  Americans live fast lifestyles, eat on the go, and many are no longer taking the time to eat proper meals.  Getting organized in the kitchen can make all the difference.  With some planning, preparation and the right equipment, it really doesn’t take that long to cook up a tasty and healthy meal.  Eating out at restaurants often take up more time than preparing a meal at home, and to make matters worse, we almost always eat more in a restaurant than we would if we ate the same meal at home.    

Take some time to find some easy, quick and healthy recipes and begin by preparing one or two meals per week.  Another way to really take control of your diet is to not only cook your meals at home, but to also weigh your food before serving.   Weighing your food will allow you to totally take control of your diet, instead of simply guessing your serving size.  For instance, the larger the dinner plate, the smaller the serving size appears, giving you the impression that you’re not eating enough.  So I recommend that you begin with using a smaller size dinner plate. 

Here are a few serving size recommendations:

 Meat, chicken, fish: 3oz

• Pasta, rice, oatmeal, potatoes, cooked vegetables: 4oz
• Bagel or muffin: 1oz
• Cheese: 1oz

Kitchen scales have become more popular in the U.S. and is the most accurate way to weigh your food.  It really isn’t that much trouble.  Keep your kitchen scale out on your countertop, ready to use at any time. There are many very attractive designs and some even measure calories.  Check out these and more at www.homestoragewarehouse.com.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

Football season is almost here and the American tradition of tailgating at football stadiums is still going strong.  

According to Wikipedia, a tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas before, and occasionally after or during, sporting events and rock concerts.

Organizing a tailgate party can be a lot of fun and relatively easy, especially when everyone is involved in the preparation.  Tailgate parties are usually a pot luck event, so don’t try to do it all yourself. Ask partygoers to each bring something to share or enjoy.  It may be a food item, cooking equipment or decorations. Some tailgate parties are huge organized events and partygoers bring their full sized grill, complete outdoor furniture set and more!  However, you can relax and keep it simple, yet still have fun.  Not everyone has a vehicle to transport these oversized items!

Typical equipment you’ll need include a tailgate cooler, grill, grill utensils, portable chairs, sun umbrella (if it’s hot outside), picnic basket and plastic ware, music/CD player and maybe some decorations.  Of course, don’t forget the food!  A tailgate party isn’t any fun without hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill.  Other fun food favorites include, chili, nachos, pasta salad, wings and ribs.  Actually, there are no hard and fast rules about what to eat.  Think superbowl party and it will be easy to come up with a menu.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

It’s officially picnic season and a wonderful time to sit back, relax and enjoy a picnic outdoors. Picnics are often avoided because it feels like to much work to prepare, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The key is to be organized and always have supplies on hand.

Begin by stocking up with everything you would need for a typical picnic and keep it in a convenient location. Supplies can be stored conveniently inside a picnic basket or a clear lidded container. Here are a few items you might want to have on hand:

• Picnic blanket
• Tablecloth
• Picnic basket, ideally stocked with dinnerware
• Beverages
• Real ice in freezer and/or ice blocks (blue ice)
• Pitcher sized beverage cooler
• Food cooler
• Paper napkins & plasticware
• Portable gas grill & supplies
• Kitchen towels or Food covers (to prevent bug contamination)
• Bug repellant spray & afterbite
• Sunblock
• Outdoor game set

If you prefer to picnic at a table, you may also have a folding table and camping chairs on hand. You can purchase a ready made picnic set that will also store all of your food and beverages inside a nice basket. This is the most convenient option and will save on preparation time. There are also ready made picnic sets for tailgate picnics, which include a small portable grill! Check these out at Home Storage Warehouse.

Finally, if you are having an adult picnic and plan to bring wine, don’t forget the corkscrew! Even better, bring along a wine accessory set, also including wine charms. When picnicking with a group, what better way to identify your wine glass than with a wine charm! Wine accessory sets come in an attractive case and can be stored with the rest of your picnic supplies. So stock up today on some picnic supplies and picnic at your leisure!

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

In a few days it will be the fourth of July and many Americans around the nation are currently planning and organizing an Independence Day barbecue picnic. We often tend to think of barbecuing as something we do for a special occasion, but a dinner barbecue can easily be incorporated into your schedule on an ongoing basis, especially if you have the convenience of cooking on a gas grill and are organized with all the necessary tools and equipment to grill whenever the mood strikes.

There’s something special about food that has been prepared on a grill. Barbecued food tastes better, cooks faster, and is usually healthier. Cooking meats, like beef and chicken, on a grill can be better for your health because the excess oils are able to easily drain from the meat during the cooking process.

Special grilling tools are required for barbecuing. For convenience, I recommend purchasing a set of grill tools that are organized in a hard case or bag. After each use, take the time to return your tools to the bag or case and you will always know where they are when you need them.

Also, purchasing the right quality grill tools will provide you with all that you need for a successful grilling experience. Check out these grill accessory sets and more outdoor organization and entertaining products at Home Storage Warehouse.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com