Walking through the mounds in my home last week, I made a renewed commitment to an old rule. For every new item (bathrobe, earrings, Mutating Mutant Ninja Turtle) that comes to live with us, three things have to say adiós.

 

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I have been as guilty as the rest of the family of bringing home unneeded goodies just because they were cute, cheap or (the toughest) free! But if you realize that three things have to go out the door before you can buy that deluxe knife sharpener/ice cream maker combo (that you know in your heart you’ll never use), chances are you won’t get it.

If you run out of ideas for what to get rid of — when you do eventually acquire a new item — go through your seasonal decorations. Anything that you didn’t use this year? Chances are you won’t use it next year either. Donation pile.

Go through your drawers, your closets. Yes, you want to keep a few old t-shirts and ratty jeans for Saturday sports or painting with the kids. But you don’t need 50. Toss, please.

And that collection of hotel shampoos that you’ve been working on for the last fifty years? Did they start out green — or is that part of the aging process? You don’t need them all surely. Toss 'em.

Divide, Conquer and Label

I suggest adding one item to your inventory that will simplify the organizational process tremendously: a labeler. I slap labels on just about anything that doesn’t move these days. Drawers, linen shelves, inboxes for each family member — these and much more are adorned with neatly typed labels. It makes all the difference in staying reorganized, because you and the family have visual directions for putting things back in their new places.

Seasonal Storage

When you take down seasonal decorations, take time to label each box. We not only put down what is in the box but also the category and a box number.

In other words, the label on a box would say, “Seasonal 1,” or “Seasonal 2.” On the last box, underline the number so that you know it’s the last number. That way next year you will know whether you have all your boxes.

Now find a corner of the garage, basement or attic to store all similar boxes together. I store my seasonal sweaters, jewelry and tins with decorations, so that all our seasonal stuff comes out at the same time.

It’s worth it to order your whole house, starting with closets and drawers, ending with your neatly labeled storage boxes and bins in the garage. Take everything out. Sift through it. Toss half of it, and organize and label the rest.