An Organized Home
by Crystal Miller - crystal@thefamilyhomestead.com

Description: Tips on how to organize your home.

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An organized home is such a blessing. Organization is an ongoing process and I believe is usually a continuing 'work in progress' in our lives. I don't think anyone could say, "Well now my life is all organized and I am done!". Because our homes are in constant use and life is always changing from month to month and season to season, the way we organize our lives has to accommodate this. We may find that what worked great at one time now is not working anymore. Maybe you have more children or maybe you changes something in your home or what you thought would work great in theory does not work great in practice. But whatever the reason that is part of the process.

I get inspired by reading about organizing and this in turn helps me to look around at my house and better evaluate where I can make improvements. Of course there may be areas that work just fine and don't need any improvement. I find the way I handle laundry and toys, at this point to be very organized and not in need of change. But on the other hand I have been struggling with my laundry room for some time. When you can walk into a room and find it simple to function in and things flow smoothly then you know you have had success in that room. Unfortunately that has not been the case with my laundry room. It also serves as my pantry and has shelves for cleaning supplies and it is also where I store my vacuum, mops and brooms. In one corner have large 5-gallon buckets stacked on the floor for my beans and grains. I am thinking that I basically have too many things going on in there! I am still reading and trying to come up with a better plan for that room.

There is one big obstacle that can get in the way of organizing a room. It is clutter. If you look at a room and feel a sense of being overwhelmed by the task of organizing it then you may want to start by de-cluttering the room first. Throw out unused items and toss or file away papers, and put other items in their proper place. If they don't have a proper place yet then simply put them in a laundry basket and come back to them as part of the organizing job. It also helps to clean the room as you de- clutter. Dust table tops, vacuum or mop floors, wipe down walls, etc. This way when you are done organizing, the room will be in beautiful shape!

As I am organizing the room I will often calculate how many storage containers or organizing type items I need to buy. I try and only go out and buy what I need after I have actually done the work of separating and getting rid of unwanted items and generally have a good idea how much needs to be stored or organized better. This helps my budget so I don't buy more and spend more than needed.

The time you spend organizing your home will be a blessing to your family and all who come to your home. It is worth the time and effort you spend to make your life flow smoothly. This in turn makes daily maintenance easier and helps to free up time for other important home and family pursuits.

Crystal Miller is a mother of 8 children and enjoys her God given role as wife, homemaker and mother! She has a homemaking and country living web site called The Family Homestead and has a free monthly newsletter called Homestead Happenings. You will find sign up information on her website.