For Inside or Out week, I am going to implore your help! As keepers at home, we are always faced with the climbing mountains of junk . . . uh . . . I mean inventory (as my husband so lovingly calls it.) So what do you do about it? How do you keep order in your home? What is your favorite/most helpful tip you can offer for reducing clutter? What about the yard? How do you control the ongoing projects and flung toys?
I would like to share a few tips I have, but look forward to your tips!
Outside toys stay in a rubbermaid tub outside. It has a lid so that keeps the rain/snow out. Just keep it out of the sun so it doesn’t get brittle. The real trick to this is reminding the kiddos to put their toys back in the tub! But this keeps them outside and not in my house, but they aren’t all over the yard.
We have lots of wind here, so trash can be a real problem in our yard. So I pay my son (or daughter) to go collect it. Sometimes they will use the wheelbarrow and think it’s great fun.
For homeschool, I found 3 plastic magazine racks at the dollor store. Since they are skinny, they fit perfect on the school table across the back. Each child has their own. This has been a great way to keep up with school papers that uses a space otherwise never used.
In the kids bathroom, I also found 3 cute plastic baskets for their individual stuff. They fit on the shelf above the toilet. This gives them each a place to store their personal soaps, deodorant, hair clips, etc.
I’m anticipating all your ideas!
I have a small tv-table (the kind you used to eat tv dinners on in front of the tv before we realized that just made fat, alienated families) and put it just inisde the front door, whichever kid checks the mail dumps it in a basket on that table for mom to go through it. Dad has a metal deal (like a hanging file “in box”) hanging just inside the garage door and there is a small waste basket on the ground so good mail gets read, Dads mail is moved daily to the garage and junk can be easily thrown away right away.