Organizing home & shop for happy SS living

[Joel_BC]

Someone here (I forget just who... sorry) recently mentioned that they wanted to better organize their home to make it easier to live their chosen lifestyle. This being an SS lifestyle of course.

I figured this topic might interest both the men and the women. Organizing makes life easier, and for sure makes your living environment more pleasant, and allows you to use your time more efficiently. No joke.

About 15 months ago, I reorganized my basement shop by getting some plastic bins for fasteners (different sizes and types of screws, nails, bolts, nuts) - plus I got a smallish second-hand set of transparent plastic drawers for electrical odds and ends, inlcuding scrap wire. Doing this and taking about six hours to organize stuff made a HUGE improvement in my workspace, with bench tops I could easily work on without having to clear away stuff! (The move was a big hit with my wife, who liked the visual improvement of my shop area.)

I wish I could say that I've moved as well and as rapidly in my office (I work from home). My office is still a mild embarrassment to me.

No, I'm no model of organization... kinda wish I were.

But I do know this. When you're better organized, you spend a lot less time looking for things... and being frustrated, and angry with yourself.

So..... BINS. That's my main contribution, at this point, for the home shop.

Ideas, anyone...?? Home?? Out buildings?? Shop??

 

[me&thegals]

Completely agree. My motto at home is "A place for everything and everything in its place." It makes like calmer, quieter, more enjoyable and more EFFICIENT!! A person can spend a lot of time in life searching for lost things. I have my mom's neat-freak gene, and it brings me great joy in life (not exaggerating here) to deep clean every winter and give away/throw out everything that has become clutter.

So, my contribution, is to go through EVERY inch of your house once per year to keep things relatively organized and uncluttered.

And get whatever is necessary to organize space well. We just bought a new small shed, so I'll be spending a fair amount of time thinking about what it will be used for and trying to make the very best use of that space.

 

[HeronsNestFarm]

We have a ton of stuff. We recently married and we are combining. My biggest suggestion when using bins is that you label the outside, Since you may reorganize again as things expand, don't write directly on the bins. Rather, Write on a piece of paper and then tape on with clear tape. This is like laminating and will help keep them from crinkling and when your dirty hands and dust build up you can just wipe off.

I like milk crates because I can pull them out easily and tote around the farm when needed. They are really sturdy. You do have to put tape on both sides of the paper label because there is no flat surface to affix the label to, but who cares.

buying containers that last is my biggest suggestion. It is just wasteful if you don't. It takes a while to get them, but...

I also have nice wood ones I have made over the years or happened upon.

Putting weed block down and then gravel is the next big deal for our storage area. We have a wood floor shop, but also 5 bays that need a floor we can put our shelving on and avoid pulling weeds!

Oh, and reals for all your cords is nice too.

 

[~gd]

Completely agree. My motto at home is "A place for everything and everything in its place." It makes like calmer, quieter, more enjoyable and more EFFICIENT!! A person can spend a lot of time in life searching for lost things. I have my mom's neat-freak gene, and it brings me great joy in life (not exaggerating here) to deep clean every winter and give away/throw out everything that has become clutter.

So, my contribution, is to go through EVERY inch of your house once per year to keep things relatively organized and uncluttered.

And get whatever is necessary to organize space well. We just bought a new small shed, so I'll be spending a fair amount of time thinking about what it will be used for and trying to make the very best use of that space.

I hate to ask but if you are so well organized why did you need more space? ~gd still trying to get enough space to move my mouse around freely.

 

[BarredBuff]

I actually re organized my feeds this afternoon, and its much better than having a bag here and there. Buckets of this and that everywhere.........plus I can lock the mice out

 

[Joel_BC]

I actually re organized my feeds this afternoon, and its much better than having a bag here and there. Buckets of this and that everywhere.........plus I can lock the mice out

That looks good, BarredBuff.

Heronsnestfarm... I like milk crates too. I use some of those in my shop. I agree, they're strong - tough and durable. When I can't find enough of those - and they've become harder to come by around here - I get these readily available type of plastic bins... fairly similar (but not as good). Things originally made for industry, like the actual milk crates, are usually heavy duty and long lasting.

 

[meriruka]

My storage trick is - when you run out of floor space, there is always the ceiling.
This pic is my 'drying herbs & making flower arrangements' room aka back porch. I buy old arrangements and boxes of silk flowers at auctions and quickly ran out of room to store them. I strung up some fishing line and stuff 'em up there.
The tool shed has a high ceiling (and a ladder) so all sorts of stuff hangs up there: bundled tarps, light fixtures, the spare wood/siding/trim/long stuff is across the beams, I even made a weird wired together ball of deer antlers and hung it to get them off the walls.

 

[Denim Deb]

Completely agree. My motto at home is "A place for everything and everything in its place."

That's my motto, too but for the rest of the family I think it's a place for everything, and everthing's all over the place!

Speaking of bins, this is something I want to do, just haven't had the time yet (hubby actually saw this in a magazine years ago, and promised to build it, I'm still waiting). For your laundry, have those big plastic bins, the ones that are about 18 gallons or so, and have them in some type of a frame. You want them in at an angle. Then, sort your clothes into the bins. When one gets full, that should be a load of clothes, so it can go right in the washer.

 

[BarredBuff]

I will soon be able to post pics of a pantry to organize our foodstuffs.

 

[hqueen13]

But I do know this. When you're better organized, you spend a lot less time looking for things... and being frustrated, and angry with yourself.

Ohhh, I'm organized, I just have a LOT of STUFF!!!! I know where all of it is, all million different things!! I rarely lose things, and when I do, that makes me really angry!

I do need to work on organizing... and I really love to do it, so I look forward to all the ideas here!

Speaking of bins, this is something I want to do, just haven't had the time yet (hubby actually saw this in a magazine years ago, and promised to build it, I'm still waiting). For your laundry, have those big plastic bins, the ones that are about 18 gallons or so, and have them in some type of a frame. You want them in at an angle. Then, sort your clothes into the bins. When one gets full, that should be a load of clothes, so it can go right in the washer.

Growing up we had a decent sized laundry room (I had no idea what a good thing that was til I moved!) and she had selves along one wall, and two laundry baskets on the floor below them - a light colored one and a dark colored one. And yes, light clothes went in one and darks in the other. It was nice to keep the dirty clothes waiting in the laundry room instead of in a hamper somewhere else. It also meant that when one was full, a load could be run. How I wish I could have that convenience again...