One thing I love to do is organize, and re-organize, things...anything and everything. I get a kick out of the myriads of containers that are available to me if I so choose. I have teeny tiny containers for teeny tiny things and big containers for big things. I've slowly collected them and I can hardly withstand the temptation to buy more! I admit I am an extremist about this, some might say I have an OCD problem, but frankly, it just makes me happy. So... I am going to start posting tips on here for anyone who might be interested in getting more organized.
TIP #1: Get rid of things! If you haven't used it in the past year, throw it away or give it to someone who will use it. Yes, the rare occasion may present itself when you have to re-purchase something you got rid of, but in all the years I have been giving things away, it has only happened a couple of times. No more keeping those old Cool Whip containers, no more washing Ziploc bags out to re-use them, no more keeping every single piece of mail, no more keeping the breadmaker that went on the fritz but you're sure you will fix it someday, no more keeping that exercise bike that is just collecting dust in your garage. If you don't like the idea of giving things away, have a yard sale instead. I had a friend who called them "garbage sales", but hey, one person's junk could be another person's treasure. Make it a community thing and have fun with it. Make time regularly to go through your cupboards, boxes, drawers, bins, freezers, and cubby holes; the more often you get rid of stuff, the more organized you'll be, because you'll remember where things are. Do you have things in a storage unit that you haven't seen in years? Take a big truck (don't look at anything!) and drop it off at the nearest thrift store. You'll be glad you did and you'll save money by not renting the space anymore. And if you have something for which you can't think of a use or purpose, it probably means you don't need it.
