Organizing For Everyday

Tame the Mail Monster with a Paper Sorting System

elizabeth — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:00:05 +0000

Nikki and Elizabeth, her Professional Organizer, are setting up a mail and school paper sorting system. Elizabeth calls all the paper that collects in a home, “The Mail Monster.” He will never go away, but he can be tamed.

Nikki and Elizabeth talk about Nikki’s current mail/school papers/bill paying procedure. Nikki calls it “management by panic.” She explains that she wakes up in the middle of the night panicking that she has forgotten to pay a bill. Then she stays up the rest of the night catching up with all the mail and school papers that have piled up in various places around the house. The Mail Monster has taken over Nikki’s house and her sleep.

Elizabeth shares her techniques for taming the Mail Monster and the mess he makes:

A. Make a place for the mail and put the mail and school papers there every day. It must be close to where you enter the house with the papers. A basket or tray works well. Make sure it is large enough to hold periodicals as well as letters. Train your family to put all the papers and mail in the basket. You must be careful to keep the Mail Monster contained in one place, or he will once again spread his paper tentacles all over the house.

B. Open mail only ONE place in the house. You will need a letter opener, trash can, and a shredder at your side. If you don’t have room near the basket that collects the mail, then take the basket with you to where you will work on the mail. Always put the basket back when you have emptied it. Otherwise, the Mail Monster will trick your family into, once again, dumping their paper anywhere.

C. Schedule a time to act on the mail. Schedule some time, at least once a week, to empty the basket. Put this time on your calendar.

During your scheduled time to work on paper:

Open the bills. Either pay, and file them, or put the due date on the envelope and file in the Bills to Pay file for the next scheduled mail time. This is also when you will pay any bills you receive on-line and file anything that needs to be kept.
Open the letters. Read and discard or act on them. If there is something you can’t act on right away, put the paper in an Action file and make a date on your calendar to work on it
Read and act on the School papers. If there are things that need to be signed and returned put them with the kids’ backpacks so they can take them back to school. Write important dates on the calendar.
Shred anything that might be used by identity thieves
Put the periodicals where you read. If you read in bed, put them beside your bed. If you read in the Family Room, put them there.

You can cut the Mail Monster down to size by reducing the amount of junk mail you receive. Go to www.directmail.com/directory/mail_preference/ , Enter your information and you will get taken off many of the lists. To reduce credit card offers, go to www.optoutprescreen.com. This will notify the three credit bureaus that you do not want to receive prescreened credit card or insurance offers.

Elizabeth warns Nikki that she must be constantly vigilant. She can’t let the Mail Monster slip back into his old habits, or she will have to dig herself out from under his mess once again.

Next post: Nikki and Elizabeth organize the home office.

Learn along with Nikki as she and Elizabeth, the Professional Organizer, get the house organized room by room.

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Organizing the Kitchen Pantry

elizabeth — Sat, 11 May 2013 11:00:08 +0000

Nikki and Elizabeth, her Professional Organizer, are organizing the kitchen pantry. The first thing they do is throw away any expired food. They also get rid of the “I was hungry when I went shopping” things that will never be used.

Elizabeth tells Nikki she should think of the pantry like her own private grocery store. In a store, similar items, and things that are used together are placed together, i.e. canned peas with canned corn and flour with sugar. They choose one shelf for all the soups, tomato products, and canned items. Cereal and granola bars are put on the breakfast shelf. One shelf has spares of items like condiments and olives that are kept in the refrigerator once opened.

To increase storage space in the pantry, a wire shelf rack is hung on the back of the door. Small lightweight items can be stored on the back of the door and be easily seen. Plastic bins placed on the shelves will also be used to collect small cans and packages that are difficult to store on a shelf.

When they were clearing the counters, the canisters and half-full bags of staples on top were moved to the pantry. Nikki tells Elizabeth that the packages end up on top of the canisters because the whole bag won’t fit in the canister. Elizabeth suggests that Nikki look for new canisters that will hold the entire package. (Amazon askville says that a five pound bag of flour needs a canister larger than 5 quarts.) Since they won’t be sitting on the counter, the canisters don’t need to be a matching set or go with the kitchen decor, they just need to be functional. Elizabeth recommends Nikki get square, stackable canisters to save space.

All the various staples that Nikki uses when she bakes are gathered together. They put the small things, like baking soda, baking powder, cupcake papers, vanilla, sprinkles, the rolling pin, and cookie cutters in a plastic bin. The bin is placed on the shelf next to the flour and sugar canisters. When Nikki bakes everything she needs will be together.

To help the rest of the family know where to put things, Nikki and Elizabeth label the shelves. Nikki laughingly wonders if anyone in her house knows how to read? Elizabeth wonders the same thing about her family.

Join Elizabeth Monday, May 20^th at 6pm at Hip Stitch and learn how to be an Organized Cook.

Next post: Nikki and Elizabeth set up a mail sorting area.

Learn along with Nikki as she and Elizabeth, the Professional Organizer, get the house organized room by room.

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Nikki Works With Elizabeth, the Professional Organizer #32

elizabeth — Sat, 04 May 2013 11:00:16 +0000

Nikki and Elizabeth, her Professional Organizer, are organizing Nikki’s kitchen. All the cabinets have been sorted and purged. Elizabeth and Nikki have used Elizabeth’s Beach Vacation organizing system to store items as conveniently as possible. Items used most often are stored in easily accessible locations.

Nikki questioned Elizabeth about why they didn’t clear the counters first, before they started working on the cabinets. Elizabeth’s answer, “The things on the counters are what you use most often, or what won’t fit in the cabinets. Now we have cleared space in the cabinets, there is room to store those items. Before, we would have just stuffed more in the already overflowing cabinets.”

Nikki’s counters are crowded with small appliances, canisters, bottles of oil and vinegar, and a stack of school papers and mail. They decide to start with the appliances because they are taking up the most counter space. Elizabeth’s countertop rule: if an item is not used several times a week, it shouldn’t be on the counter. The crock pot, blender, and sandwich grill are put away in the cabinets. That leaves only the coffee maker, smoothie maker, and toaster oven still on the counter.

Nikki uses the oils and vinegars often, so Elizabeth suggests they put them in the top cabinet next to the stove. They put them on a lazy susan so Nikki just has to spin to find what she needs.

Elizabeth asks how often Nikki uses each staple she has in canisters on the counter. When Nikki thinks about it, she realizes she really doesn’t need to have all the beans, rice, pasta, and other staples on the counter. They put those items in the pantry.

Nikki finds a basket to put the papers in until she and Elizabeth can set up a mail sorting area. This keeps the papers contained and prevents them from falling down beside the fridge or onto the stove.

Nikki loves the new clean look of her counters. She vows she won’t let stuff pile up on them again.

Next post: Nikki and Elizabeth organize the pantry.

You can read the continuing story in the Albuquerque Sage Magazine http://www.abqjournalsage.com/category/blogs/ask-the-experts-blogs/elizabeth-tawney-gross-professional-organizer/“>online edition. Learn along with Nikki as she and Elizabeth, the Professional Organizer, get the house organized room by room.

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Nikki Works With Elizabeth, the Professional Organizer #31

elizabeth — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 11:00:16 +0000

Nikki and Elizabeth, her Professional Organizer, are organizing Nikki’s kitchen. They are about to open another cabinet that Nikki calls a nightmare, the one with all the small appliances. It is a tangled mess.

First Nikki and Elizabeth take everything out and untangle all the cords. As they are separating things, Nikki tells the stories of the duplicates, “I was going to get a new blade, but we make smoothies a lot so I bought a new smoothie maker before I could find a replacement blade. Then I forgot about it. I didn’t think it would be hard to find a new blender jar, so I kept the base. The kids bought me a brand- new blender for Christmas because they felt bad about breaking the old one. I never got around to getting rid of the old one.” Elizabeth puts the broken and unusable things in the trash, and the rest in the donate box.

Elizabeth then asks Nikki about each of the other items. There are several appliances she has only used once. Because Nikki loves gadgets, she has bought all sorts of equipment that is only designed to do one thing. These devices are usually difficult to put together and clean so they end up not being used. They will be donated.

The remaining appliances are the ones that Nikki likes and uses. Elizabeth asks Nikki where she uses each item. Many of them are used in other parts of the kitchen. Elizabeth reminds Nikki about the Beach Vacation organizing system to decide where things should be stored. The things she uses most often should go as close as possible to the place of first use. The hand mixer will go under the island and the smoothie maker next to the refrigerator.

Before they put things away, Elizabeth shows Nikki how to use ponytail elastics with twin beads like tiny bungee cords to tie up the cords. Nikki loves that the cords are not all tangled and says she will use the mini bungee cords on every cord in the house.

Next post: Nikki and Elizabeth clear the counters

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Nikki Works With Elizabeth, the Professional Organizer #30

elizabeth — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 11:00:33 +0000

Nikki and Elizabeth, her Professional Organizer, are organizing Nikki’s kitchen. They are going to attack the plastic storage container cabinet. Nikki calls this the “Tupperware Tomb” because things go in there and never come out.

Just like they did with the pots and pans, Nikki and Elizabeth start by dividing the plastic containers into frequently and infrequently used. Anything that is broken or cracked is thrown away.

The next task is to match tops and bottoms. Any container without a lid is thrown away. After the lids are matched, all the containers are sorted by size and type. Containers that use the identical lids are grouped together.

Elizabeth shows Nikki how she can save space, but still find the right lids for her containers. She shows her how Tupperware is labeled with a letter on the bottom and the same letter on any top that matches it. They’ll use the same system with Nikki’s other plastic containers.

Containers and lids of a certain size and type are interchangeable. Nikki has five rectangular dishes that are the same and all take the same lid. Those dishes are assigned the letter “A.” Using a permanent marker, the letter “A” is written on each of the five dishes and its matching lid. Then the six identical square containers with six interchangeable lids are assigned letter “B.” “B’ is written on each of the six tops and bottoms. Each different size and shape is assigned its own letter.

When every piece has been labeled, Nikki and Elizabeth take the lids off and nest the matching bottoms to save space. The lids are put in a bin that will slide into the cabinet like a drawer. Now Nikki will pick out the container she needs and find the matching lid in the bin by matching up the letter. This method saves space by letting Nikki nest the bottoms, and makes it easy to find the correct lids.

Nikki says she’ll have to find a new name for the “Tupperware Tomb” cabinet.

Next post: Small appliances have turned into a big nightmare

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Nikki Works With Elizabeth, the Professional Organizer #29

elizabeth — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 11:00:53 +0000

Nikki and Elizabeth, her Professional Organizer, are organizing Nikki’s kitchen. They are working on the cabinet where Nikki keeps her pots and pans. The cabinet is so full that it won’t close completely. Nikki’s biggest complaint about her pots and pans is that she is always searching for the correct lid.

As they pull out each item, Elizabeth asks Nikki how often she uses it. The infrequently used pans are placed on the island. The pots and pans Nikki uses all the time are put on the counter. Some of the pans they pull out Nikki says she has never used. They are sizes she doesn’t need, but they came with the set she bought. They are put in a box to donate.

Once the cabinet is empty, Elizabeth and Nikki match up each pan with a lid. They make sure that all the frequently used pans have their own lids, even if it means borrowing it from a pan that is not used as often. Nikki decides she will donate any pot that doesn’t have a lid that fits.

Elizabeth suggests that they put the pots that Nikki doesn’t use except for holidays or party cooking into a box and store them somewhere else. When Nikki needs a huge soup pot or the pressure cooker, she can go to the box and get it. Nikki laughs and says that she is learning Elizabeth’s “Beach Vacation” organizing system and knows that the box will go in an “Ocean View” location.

Once they have cleared out the unused and infrequently used pans, they start putting the pans back in the cabinet. As they place them in the cabinet, they put the matching lids on. Now whenever Nikki reaches in to get a pan, the lid will be with it, and Nikki won’t be searching for the correct size.

Next post: Terror in the Tupperware Tomb

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Nikki Works With Elizabeth, the Professional Organizer #28

elizabeth — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 11:00:21 +0000

Nikki and Elizabeth, her Professional Organizer, are organizing Nikki’s kitchen. They are starting on the lower cabinets. Nikki has been dreading working on the bottom cabinets because they are so disorganized.

Elizabeth suggests they start with the cupboard under the sink. This cabinet holds the things that are used every day, sometimes several times a day. Nikki and Elizabeth take everything out and sort it into categories. They will use Elizabeth’s Beach Vacation organizing system to decide where things will be stored.

The first category is stuff used in the kitchen everyday, like dishwasher detergent, liquid dish soap, and the various dish brushes and tools Nikki uses to clean up the kitchen. They are “beach-front” items, so they will be put away in easy to reach places.

Next they sort the items into things that are used in the kitchen, but not very often, and stuff that is used somewhere else. Nikki doesn’t use the special granite countertop cleaner every day, but it is used in the kitchen, so it will be positioned in a “one block from the beach” location. Nikki doesn’t use bathroom cleaner in the kitchen, so it is set aside to be taken to the bathroom.

After they have sorted the things that need to stay in the kitchen, Elizabeth suggests they find containers. She recommends a plastic bin that can be pulled out like a drawer so Nikki doesn’t have to crawl into the cabinet to get what she wants. Nikki finds two bins that will fit under the sink. Elizabeth puts the less frequently used items in the back of the bins, the “one block from the beach” location. The things that are used all the time are arranged in the front of the bins.

Elizabeth asks Nikki for an old jar and places it in a bin. Nikki can now drop her brushes into the jar and let them drip into it instead of all over the inside of the cabinet. Elizabeth proposes that Nikki get a rack to hang on the inside of the cabinet door to hold her dish rags and towels. Nikki can use a clothespin on the rack to hold her rubber gloves. Nikki doesn’t use the gloves very often because currently they sit on the edge of the sink. They are always falling into the sink and getting wet inside, so Nikki can’t use them until they dry out. If she clips them to the towel rack, they will be dry and ready to use when she needs them.

Next post: Nikki and Elizabeth sling the pots and pans.

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Nikki Works With Elizabeth, the Professional Organizer #27

elizabeth — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 11:00:20 +0000

Nikki and Elizabeth, her Professional Organizer, are organizing Nikki’s kitchen. They have been getting Nikki’s extensive recipe and cookbook collection organized.

Nikki has realized that as much as she likes to cook, she doesn’t do it that often. With work, the kids’ activities, and volunteering, it seems that she is always making whatever is the fastest. And even on nights when there is time to cook, she usually forgets to defrost any meat, or doesn’t have all the ingredients for the recipe.

Elizabeth suggests Nikki plan menus each week. Having meals planned will give time to make sure all the ingredients are at hand or put on the shopping list. Nikki realizes that before she can plan menus, she has to know what is going on during the week. They start by making a master list of all the regularly scheduled activities each week. Nikki can use the master list then add any extra activities for each week.

There are four days next week that Nikki will have time to make a nice family meal. The other three days will be pretty hectic with little time to cook. Nikki picks out recipes for three of the four “cooking days.” On Sunday’s she knows that she’ll have more time to “play in the kitchen, ” as she calls it, so she plans to try out a new recipe that day. The three days that will be tight on time for cooking, she plans a crockpot recipe or a fast and easy meal.

Elizabeth encourages Nikki to put the weekly menu plan on the refrigerator for the whole family to see. With the meal already planned, someone else could get things started if Nikki gets home late. She also encourages Nikki to note on the plan when things need to be defrosted for the next meal. No more getting home with plans to make a nice meal and finding nothing to cook.

The next step is to make a shopping list. Elizabeth recommends that Nikki develop a standardized shopping list with the staples she buys every week. Then she could list the specifics she will need to make the weeks menus. If she designs the list in the order that she shops her favorite store, she will be much less likely to forget things and have to make mid-week emergency trips. Elizabeth tells her that many stores already have forms showing what is in each aisle. With the store form, it will be easy to develop her own personalized shopping list.

Nikki is eager to start planning her menus so she will be able to “play in the kitchen” more often.

Next post: Nikki and Elizabeth, the Professional Organizer, get into the bottom cabinets.

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Nikki Works With Elizabeth, the Professional Organizer #26

elizabeth — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 11:00:08 +0000

Nikki and Elizabeth, her Professional Organizer, are organizing her loose recipes using three-ring binders. They discussed several different methods of organizing recipes: recipe boxes, scanning them into the computer, putting them into an accordion file, or putting them into three ring binders.

Nikki likes the idea of just dropping her loose recipes into clear page protectors and organizing them in the same binders she used for the recipes she copied from her infrequently used cookbooks. She also thinks it would be nice to be able to keep the pictures of recipes she tears out of magazines. The binders would be very flexible as recipes could be easily added. Smaller categories could be combined in one notebook and larger categories would have their own binder. The binders will open flat on the counter and the plastic sleeves keep the recipes clean.

Elizabeth points out another way the binder system can be used; to empty the recipe boxes that don’t work for Nikki. She has lots of recipes on cards that she got from her grandmother. Nikki has a habit of taking a card out then putting it away in the front or back of the box instead of taking the time to re-file it. When she wants to use a recipe again, she has to hunt through the box to find it. Once the card is put in a binder, Nikki will not have to re-file every time she uses it. She just has to put the binder back on the shelf.

Nikki’s only concern is about the amount of space the binders will take. Elizabeth shows her how to save space in the binders by taping several torn out recipes or cards onto a piece of plain paper before she slips them into the page protector. Since Nikki gave away some cookbooks and moved some to the bookcase in the den, there is more room to keep current recipes in the kitchen. If she adds those recipes to the index she made of her cookbook recipes she can easily find them.

Next post: Nikki plans more time for “playing in the kitchen.”

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Nikki Works With Elizabeth, the Professional Organizer #25

elizabeth — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 11:00:05 +0000

Nikki and Elizabeth, her Professional Organizer, are working on the hundreds of recipes Nikki has torn from magazines and newspapers.

The first thing Elizabeth recommends is that they gather all the loose recipes. They then separate them into two piles, the ones Nikki has actually made, and would like to keep, and the “wishful thinking” ones.

The “wishful thinking” ones are put into an envelope labeled with the date six months from now. If Nikki has not tried the recipe in six months, she will throw it away.

Elizabeth knows that Nikki will continue to collect recipes. What is needed is a way to limit the collection to the ones she actually uses. Elizabeth suggests that Nikki make a new envelope every month and use the six month “use it or lose it” rule. Nikki says the envelope system will definitely help her. When she wants to “play in the kitchen,” she can go to an envelope and find a recipe she hasn’t tried yet.

Elizabeth gives Nikki several suggestions for organizing the loose recipes she has tried and wants to keep. She could fold them up and put them in recipe boxes, scan them into the computer, file them in an accordion file by category, or put them in three ring binders.

Nikki doesn’t see any advantages to having to cram pieces of paper into recipe boxes so that option is immediately thrown out.

Scanning the recipes would keep them permanently on the computer, and they could be easily sorted. The negative Nikki sees to this method is the time it would take to scan in the large number of recipes, and then print them out. Nikki likes to have her recipes on paper. She often makes notes of any changes she would make the next time she uses the recipe.

The accordion file would be a quick way to organize the recipes. The con that Nikki sees is that she would still be sorting through piles of recipes in each category to find the one she wants.

Next post: Nikki and Elizabeth discuss the three ring binder system to organize Nikki’s recipes.

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