Containing the Chaos

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robbiecupboard2Sometimes things can get a little messy. It’s like that when you have ADHD.

And sometimes it drives you so crazy that you rip everything out of the cupboard and try to organize it, which instantly overwhelms you.

I’ve actually been doing a lot of organizing lately. Just been in the mood, I guess. Or maybe it was my BrainStack. Who knows?

This picture was taken in December. I finally “re-did” his work in June. Hey, six months isn’t bad.

So with all of the organizing that I’ve been doing lately, I’ve learned a few things and found some really smart ladies pinning ideas on Pinterest.

I thought I would share some of the best ideas with you.

First, it almost always pays to go through what you’re storing in one place and see if it really belongs there.

This cupboard is supposed to be for plastic ware, but if you look closely, you will see some decorative items on the right.

Ideally you want like things stored together.

And of course, as you’re going through the contents, be sure to toss anything that you don’t need or use, or put it in a box for donating. When my mom passed away I found 17 punch cups in her cupboards. No punch bowl. Just cups. No idea what the thinking was there.

Now here is the real genius part: once you’ve figured out what you are storing and where it goes, put like things together and measure them. For instance, in this cupboard I have all the plasticware lids stored in a casserole dish I only use during the holidays. That casserole dish didn’t deserve prime space in my upper cabinets, but if I can put it to work here, it earns it’s keep.

It’s important that you get a rough idea of what size storage containers you need before you rush out to the store. That way what you buy will work for you.

Believe me – I know first hand. We have some lovely deck furniture aka 70’s era living room furniture. I got the sofa, 2 chairs, 2 end tables, and 2 lamps for $70 – delivered – at a garage sale. I found cushions to fit at Wally’s and it looks amazing. (It’s my biggest score ever so I had to share.)

But we need a place to store those cushions when it rains.

On Saturday we bought a deck box.

Did we measure?

Yes. A long time ago.

We did find similar cushions in the store along with a tape measure and we did measure those.

But we didn’t do the math. Cause it was too hard.

So we guesstimated and bought it.

Guess what?

It holds 6-8 of our 10 cushions.

Lesson learned.

So be sure to get a very clear idea of what size containers you will need. And don’t forget to shop the house for things you can use.

I’ve used shoeboxes, casserole dishes and other kinds of dishes, and baskets.

I was unable to add my Pins from Pinterest here, so I am adding the links instead.

Jen at I Heart Organizing shares her idea for making plain old cereal boxes into beautiful drawer dividers here.

And you must read Kaley’s article about dollar store organization at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring.

Chelsea over at Two Twenty One organized her purse! Yes! Read her tips here.

OK. You’ve done enough reading.

What are you going to organize first?

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle is the writer of Lacyestelle.com and the Podcast host for An ADD Woman.

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