Putting like things together

guest post by my mom

When we moved to our new house, we took a little bit of extra time to really think about where we wanted things and to properly organize. It really didn't take much time above what we were already doing and in the past 4 months it has really paid off in organization and preventing the purchase of unnecessary items.

We had the benefit of doing this during a move, which I think is always a great time to evaluate your needs and what you currently own. When else do you have the opportunity to literally touch absolutely everything you own? During this "touching" you can have a quick mental evaluation of whether you should keep it, sell it, or give it away. This is also a good time to properly place like items together.

In our last several houses, we didn't take the time to do this, but this time we did. Mind you, it's nothing major, but it's really helped make sure we don't buy duplicates or even triplicates of items. Trust me, I'm sure we're not the only ones who've done this. you know. Where you keep a bottle of Tylenol in the master bathroom, in the kitchen, maybe one in your purse...and next thing you know, you own 6 bottles of Tylenol. Or rolls of tape. Or pairs of scissors. Or dental floss. And the list goes on and on. Try this at your own home (even if you're not moving). It'll probably boggle your mind to discover how many pens and pencils you actually own. If you're spring cleaning, you can do this as you work your way through each room and it'll be done in no time!

This will definitely save you time and money in that you'll know exactly what you have and where it's located. Rather than checking 3 different rooms in your house to find hand lotion, you'll know you stashed it under the sink in the hall bathroom (or where ever).

What item(s) do you find you end up with too many of?