An Organized Home
Today on the blog I want to talk about the oh-so daunting topic of organization. In the age of Pinterest, where we’re bombarded by images of mason jars and wire baskets perfectly in a row, how does one balance the expectation vs reality of what an organized home looks like?
When we moved from our tiny one bedroom condo to our three bedroom home, James and I knew we wanted our place to be much more organized than our condo. I loved our little condo so much (check out our dining room, living room and bedroom tours here) but man oh man was it ever terrible for organization! We had a small storage bay in the parking garage but it had a concrete pillar right through the middle of it so that severely limited our storage capabilities. A small front closet was our only storage outside of our bedroom closets and small closet that held our stacking washer and dryer. It truly was a challenge trying to stay remotely organized in that space.
So- when we started looking for a new home we knew storage was an absolute must! What we loved about the homes in Creekwood was that they all were large enough to have layouts that allowed for lots of storage. We feel like we hit the jackpot in our new place. With a full garage, front and back entry closets, our basement, a huge laundry room and multiple small storage closets there was definitely lots of opportunity for us to get it together and become far more organized.
This month in the winter issue of CreekLife Magazine, I’m sharing some of my tips for organizing your home and de-cluttering. Just call me Marie Kondo ;) (I kid, I kid…). If you’re not in Edmonton and able to go pick up your own issue from any showhome in Creekwood or in Safeways and Save On Foods around the city, I’ll share just a few tips.
Implement the “One In, One Out” rule. This one is a little easier said than done but if you can make it happen, man oh man does it feel good. If I buy a new pair of shoes, I try to donate an old pair to charity. Buy a new sweater? Maybe it’s time to get rid of one you never wear. Read this post on my tips for deciding what to give to charity and the life changing event that totally switched how I look at my material possessions.
Make sure everything has a spot. When you bring something new into your home decide right away where it’s going to “live”. Every item you bring in should have it’s place in your home and if you can’t find one - make one by getting rid of something you no longer need. By making sure everything has it’s place, you’ll avoid unnecessary clutter and your home will feel much more organized.
Check out my other tips by picking up the next issue of CreekLife on stands tomorrow! And if you’re in Edmonton or the area and looking for a fun family day activity - come by the Family Day Frolic on Sunday! It will be lots of fun and you can pick up your issue there!
