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Tuesday, April 2nd, 2019
Summer Home_Oval Cocktail Table: If you can invest in furniture that has storage units such as this one, then you’re doubling its purpose which is great for your simplistic living in the long run.
Why are a lot of people talking about simplifying their lives these days? We are all in an era where home life, work and other commitments all beg to take center stage in our lives. But we all know that we have to have time to breathe, be creative, and to love and be loved.
Simplification of one’s life means you have to be ruthless in cleaning up a few stuff. And this is not just about cleaning out closets or drawers but also other aspects of your life. But, of course, it is always easier to begin with the things that we see. Even when you’re overwhelmed by the idea, just go on.
It’s time to simplify your life in 10 days.
Get a Trash Bag
Look in every room of your home to search for trash. You will soon realize that your home actually has a lot of things that you and your family do not even use anymore. There are also going to be stuffs that are lying around such as empty boxes, expired coupons, empty bottles of shampoo, even dead plants.
Putting these trash in a black bag and bringing them out is a great decluttering motivator. By the time that you see the rooms that get cleaned, you will surely be inspired to do more.
Once you’re ready to begin, you can even do a second round. This time, you can search for more items to donate such as books which you will never read again anyway.
Stop Impulse Buying
Since you’ve just cleaned out the clutter, then it’s also time to stop those things that could begin another wave of cleanup project. If there have been companies that are sending you mails or catalogs, then request that you would be taken off their mailing list.
And when you feel like you’re reverting to your impulse buying routine, then you have to understand where this need is coming from. At the very center of your brain is the amygdala which is there specifically to warn us to keep us safe. This is also responsible for you to get on a habit that will drive you to do anything such as getting instant relief when you’re feeling stressed.
Feeling this way is pretty normal, Psychology Today says that there is nothing wrong with you at all. This just means that this part of your brain is perfectly working. The downside to this is that you tend to shop for things that you don’t need when you do impulse buying.
When you recognize that this is happening to you, it’s time to step back and to try focusing on the things that are important. Called the SOS technique, you can keep practicing this until it becomes a habit.
Be On Top of Your Laundry Tasks
A load a day keeps the mountains of laundry away.
You can begin a new habit of throwing just a load every morning and, pretty soon, it won’t even feel like you’re doing a chore anymore.
Embrace the Silence
If you want to feel happier then this means building and maintaining relationships with the people that you love. Turn off all gadgets or even the TV when it’s family time.
Don’t post everything that happens to you and your family. Your relationships tend to lose intimacy when you do it this way.
Digital Cleanup
Cleaning up your home also includes cleaning out your computer. Delete every unnecessary file then empty your trash bin. Be sure to complete the updates then restart your computers.
As much as you can, upload your important digital files to the cloud. You could use Dropbox or Artifact Uprising for this purpose.
Tags: decluttering, home cleanup, home organization, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
Posted in Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | Comments Off on How to Simplify Your Life in 10 Days
Wednesday, March 27th, 2019
Now that 25% of the year about to be over, it’s time to revisit your resolutions. This weekend, make it a point to recommit to the goals that you’ve previously set. You probably said yes to decluttering, eating healthy, and even exercising, so it’s time to be true. Get up and out of that cozy blanket and let this weekend be the beginning.
Deal with Holiday Returns
Do you have opened yet unloved presents that remain in the basement? It’s time to gather them to donate, exchange or return. You may have kept the gift out of being a gracious recipient but if you really didn’t like it, then it’s no longer your duty to keep it for a long time.
If, however, you received a handmade gift such as a quilt or a knitted sweater, it’s best to show that you used it at least once or twice.
Fine Furniture Harbor Springs Collection
Set Up the Kitchen for Healthy Eating
Eating smarter is surely an awesome 2019 resolution but if you still haven’t started it now that April is about to begin, then this weekend is the right time to start.
Get rid of all the unhealthy snacks such as potato chips, those hardened pizza crusts, candies, and sweet goodies. It’s time to replace those with citrus fruits, berries, and vegetables.
It’s time to clean the kitchen counters so you could get started with your healthy cooking. Store all the appliances that you do not use daily and get rid of all the kitchen clutter.
Remember that good nutrition involves changing your diet for the better, making smart choices each time, and cleaning up the kitchen so that the meals you prepare are also clean each time.
Don’t cook and serve the same food over and over, you’d get a fatigue that way. Fill up your fridge with varieties of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, dairy, poultry, fish, nuts, and beans.
You can be adventurous with your food selections, too. Spend more time in the produce section of the supermarket and you’d soon realize how many options you actually have.
Declutter, But Of Course
A weekend project that’s common to a lot of families is decluttering. Join the fun. Getting organized needs a little motivation. Be excited to declutter the growing mountain of books by donating some of them.
If the inspiration still won’t come, you could read a few books about the subject such as Cary Telander Fortin’s New Minimalism.
Clear your desk this weekend. Put on some great music as you also set the timer so you remain focused on your desk-decluttering task. Shred the papers that are no longer needed and then put away the things that you no longer use on that desk or in any of its drawers.
Do Some Pipe Maintenance
You’ve just come out of winter so you know how much damage low temperatures can do to the pipes. Find the shut-off valve for your main water line and show this to the house sitter if you’re going away. If the area’s had a cold snap, then have the thermostat set to 55 degrees and keep it going, round the clock.
Never put antifreeze in the water sprinkler and swimming pool drainage unless explicitly directed. Antifreeze is dangerous to any form of life so be very careful.
Install insulation to the basement, attic and the crawl spaces in your home. Check your home for areas that are unheated. Search in the garage, in the bathroom cabinets, and under the kitchen sink. See if the hot and cold water pipes are insulated and if they’re not, you know what to do.
Tags: declutter, decluttering, home organization, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, weekend organization, weekend project
Posted in Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | Comments Off on 4 Easy Weekend Organization Projects
Wednesday, February 15th, 2017
The Stanley Furniture Bedroom Upholstered Storage Bed Queen 518-13-43 offers drawers for extra clothing, socks and other accessories.
Some people have admitted to hoarding; some keep denying their obsession. Hoarding is characterized by someone having a hard time parting with possessions. Such a behavior can have a harmful effect on the physical, emotional, financial and social life of the sufferer.
Well, we’re not here to discuss about a psychological disorder, this is not the site for that. You also won’t read about symptoms leading to hoarding. Let’s just discuss how you can keep your home clean and clear from stuff that you don’t really need.
The basic guidelines include the following –
Under Two Years
The guideline to not becoming a hoarder is to let go of things that don’t have any sentimental value to you. Or, if you have not used the item for more than two years, then you know that it’s really time to let it go.
At times, these items could not mean anything at all. It might be as ordinary as empty butter containers in your cupboard. These may have been intended, originally, to become storage containers but they just ended up taking space. If this is the case, then it’s time to throw them away. Allow other people to recycle them and turn them into something more useful.
Minimalist Clothing
What about those clothes that you have kept for a long time?
Clean up your wardrobe by, first, removing all your clothes from the closet. Do you see any empty hangers? Set them aside then start sorting your stuff into three boxes – keep, donate or trash. Take a careful look at your keep box. Take a second time to sort through it again. You will observe that there is more clothing there that can be classified under the donate box.
Take out the box that’s labeled trash.
Keep Photographs and Sentiments
Of course, there are a lot of items that were given to you by your loved ones. This does not mean that you should flood your home with items that you no longer use. If these items are sentimental to you, then have them displayed. If the collection has been hidden all the while inside the cupboard, then it was time for it to go a long time ago.
Don’t fear the feeling of letting go. This is letting go of your kids’ clothes when they’re already adults. The secret to having a clutter-free home is to admit that you need to let go of some stuff. You can take photographs of these sentimental items instead and have them kept in an organized container.
Recognize Commonly Hoarded Items
It is also important to recognize the items that are commonly hoarded. These are papers (especially old newspapers), clothing, plastic bags, car parts, tools, bolts, nuts, screws, electronic equipment, and building materials.
Old furniture should also be discarded and replaced with sturdier ones.
As soon as you identify your hoarded stuff, then it’s time to declutter. Find them one by one then label every single one of them. Create homes for these items and ensure that they are always returned to their rightful places.
Horizontal surfaces must be kept clean at all times. Remember that flat surfaces can easily gather dust. Keep your paper files to a bare minimum. In your kitchen, be sure to label pantry items in order to save time in finding ingredients.
FFDM American Cherry’s Warwick Corner Cabinet Deck is great for those tight, often unused corners.
Decluttering Takes Time
Admit to yourself that you have to begin slowly. Don’t go through all your stuff in one day then have a mound of them dumped the following day. Doing so could lead to negative feelings such as anxiety and regret. Instead, go through one small space or collection at a time.
Keep yourself from saying, “I’ll put this aside for now”. Get things done and do them now. Don’t trick yourself. In place of this, you can try framing only the best item or two from your collection. You can then consign, recycle or donate the rest of the pieces.
Tags: decluttering, decluttering tips, home decluttering, home organization, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
Posted in Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101 | Comments Off on No Space for Hoarding – 4 Decluttering Tips to Commit to Memory
Wednesday, October 26th, 2016
Look for furniture that could double as a storage unit just like this Jessica Charles Living Room Dare Storage Ottoman 81-SO.
When you’re about to move in to your new home, cleaning up is the primary task that you need to focus on. But this mostly means that it’s time to clear up stored items that have been accumulated over a long time – if not your entire lifetime. So you’re thinking of becoming more organized this time? It’s not impossible, but it’s not easy either.
Here are several organization methods that should help you with your cleanup goals –
Practice One In and Another Out
You may begin with this rule. As soon as you have decided on which things to bring with you to your new place, then you need to make enough room for it. There may be situations when this rule would not apply, though, such as when you’re starting with your first apartment and you still don’t have that many furniture and accessories.
This rule may not apply also when you’re about to move all across the country or the globe. It simply wouldn’t be practical to bring your prized furniture on the airplane or to have them sea freighted. Other than these scenarios, you can make use of this basic rule.
Consider which objects you would need to purchase and what furniture pieces you’d be keeping.
If you’re beginning to think that you’d miss a shirt, a pair of shoes or even a mug, then think if it is a part of a collection. If it’s not, then let go. Even collections need to be evaluated now and then.
Begin with Storage Spaces
Organization is equal to having ample storage space. With this in mind, then you should begin your organization goals with storage spaces. Consider whether your attic, basement, garage or closets would be able to hold some of your not-oft used pieces.
Purge items that have long been stored (a month or longer) and no longer have any use. Unclutter or free up storage areas – not just rooms. This means letting go of stuff that has long cluttered your cabinets, drawers, bins and other such useful storage units.
Organize, Don’t Just Store
What most homeowners think about when organizing their home is simply decluttering. An organized home is a home with ample shelving units, boxes, and cabinetry. Know how to align, stack and heap stuff in a neat manner. Even the greatest storage solutions are useless if you only dump your stuff in them.
The Hickory White Dining Room Quinn China Cabinet 240-44M is the best home for your glassware, cutlery and porcelain ware.
Make Use of Labels
Once you have decided on how to store items, it’s time to have them labeled. It would be pointless to stack storage boxes one on top of the other if you’re not able to recognize what’s in each. You would end up opening every single box looking for an off-season curtain or bedding.
Take the time to attach those labels on every box if you don’t want this scenario to happen to you. Check some label templates online. Print them out and start labeling your storage bins. There are small, medium and large labels, choose which ones you need according to the size of your boxes.
Store Digitally
When you’re thinking of storing stuff, don’t just think of tangible pieces. There are now things in this world that you can’t store in boxes or cabinets. These are things like digital files – from photos to videos, your favorite music and documents.
Declutter
Of course, home organization also means decluttering. So say goodbye to these items (yes, you have to!) –
Broken sunglasses
Wrong prescription eyeglasses
Inkless pens
Unused food containers
Old clothes
Mustard, catsup and soy sauce packets
Salt packets
Scarves that haven’t been used for a long time.
Tags: decluttering, home organization, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, storage, storage advice, storage systems, storage techniques, tips
Posted in Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101 | No Comments »
Sunday, March 20th, 2016
A home office such as this is a neat freak’s haven. Furniture set comes from the Brookhaven Collection of Hooker Furniture.
Has someone ever noticed that you arrange your books by color inside your shelves? They laugh at how organized you are but you have a deeper secret – they’re also arranged according to genre. You belong to the type of people who want to run their homes as they would a military – everything has to be in order or your day just wouldn’t be the same. Yet there is just so much clutter that can make even the tidiest homes, well, untidy. If you want to make a sense out of the messy world that the rest of the population lives in, here are some storage tips for all you neat freaks –
Every Little Thing Can Be Cleaned Up
To have a sense of fulfillment at the beginning of your day, you can start by making your bed. This simple act of plumping the pillows, putting them back near the headboard and carefully folding the blanket and bed sheet, can make a huge difference in jump starting your day.
Now take a look at the bottles and jars inside the cupboard and see if some of them have long been empty.
While for some it is true that out of sight is out of mind, in your case, it may not necessarily be true. A true blue neat freak knows that there is always something to clean up. This philosophy simply won’t apply to you at all. Even that cupboard door that keeps the clutter from spilling over is simply not tidy till it’s been emptied.
Imagine all the stuff that you can store in this wooden drawer. Featured furniture is from FFDM’s Vintage Classics.
Organizing Your Stuff
If some people are happy collecting stamps, the neat freak is happiest when she sees that her home neat and well-organized. Check the drawers in her home and you would immediately notice how stuff are color-coded and folded neatly.
A tidy wardrobe is also a stress reducer for neat freaks but this can also be a positive thing that others should follow. You can decrease the amount of time that you dress up if you have a well-organized closet to begin with. You get to save time because you also know where to look for a specific outfit.
The neat freak does not automatically classify stuff as clutter. In fact, she can also share her collections by displaying them. What matters to her is that they are all organized.
A Neat Freak’s Best Friend
If there are girls that collect bottles of different perfumes and you see them arranged on their vanity tables, then the neat freak also has her own products to stack. While she also knows the value of beauty, to her, it is a lot more than looking and smelling great. Cleaning products are a lot more important – especially disinfectants – as they can make homes free from dirt.
Another best friend?
Any storage unit such as a shelf, closet or drawer.
The Neat Freak’s Enemy
That family member who is a perennial bringer of chaos need not become your enemy. These minds, though they have wallowed in mess for so many years can still be educated. Tidying can be instilled especially among youngsters. Tell them that you will feel most comfortable in a place that is organized.
Be open; try to make every family member understand.
What If They Don’t Understand?
Untidy minds can be a bit difficult to educate and, sometimes, even your best efforts might not pay off. What you can do so far is just to lead by example. It could get upsetting if your tidy world is suddenly turned upside down by both human and animal activity. When this happens, just shrug it off, chant your little mantra, and just show everyone that you are tidying up.
Even the most committed neat freaks can become weak at some point. Let these inconsistencies remind you that it’s okay to break the rules of tidiness at times. After all, little Ms. Neat Freak, you’re still human.
Tags: decluttering, decluttering advice, decluttering system, decluttering techniques, drawers, home organization, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, spring cleaning, spring duties, storage, storage advice, storage planning, storage systems, storage techniques
Posted in Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101, Spring Season | No Comments »
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