Do you prefer to store your household items in drawers? It makes sense since they make great use of space and it’s easier to reach things towards the back.

But if you have too many items in there, especially smaller things, then they can soon become junk drawers. And junk tends to breed…

Trays are the simple solution.

While drawers are a great way to store the items in our home, they can also become cluttered and messy from too many items rolling around. Trays make it easy to store your items into categories as well, especially smaller items that easily make a mess. There are many options from whole tray dividers systems to individual trays or my favourite.. trays that interlock together and can be switched around to suit the size of the drawer and your needs. These are from the Madesmart multi pack.

Where to use trays.

Junk drawers are one of the most popular areas that trays are really useful in. Madesmart make an awesome Junk Drawer Organiser with clever compartments and a sliding top level tray to make lower compartments easy to access. This organiser is super useful in stationery drawers too but equally handy storing jewellery or miscellaneous items in your bedroom drawers – like hair accessories which can be a nightmare to store!

Garage items like nuts, bolts, screws and nails need trays to keep them all together. Utensils and cutlery are a perfect example of how some simple dividable trays keep items in their place, neat and tidy and help you know where to put these items back. Can you imagine the mess they would make if your knives, forks and spoons were left to slide around your drawers with no dividers?

The same concept applies to any drawer in your home. And getting your drawers organised is as simple as starting with one drawer at a time and making sure all your items are contained to their own space. Make sure you de-clutter at the same time!

See you next time!

Mei x

For helpful tips, advice, humour and inspiration on getting organised, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media – click on the links below.

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Do you use trays in the drawers in your home? Send me a comment as I’d love to hear from you 🙂

Is your office filing shelves full of dull lifeless coloured files? I know that files are functional but they can be fun too…

Colour coding your files is just a simple way of categorising your file types, making them recognisable at a glance. This type of filing is used in large corporate offices but the basic principle can work for your home office too.

Group like files together.

Once you have grouped the same types of files together you can get started on colour coding them. For example, you may want to keep all household expenses together, investment files together or taxation info together. Each family member may have their files in different colours or you may prefer to group categories such as insurances or health together instead. You get the idea.

Recognise them at a glance.

Not only will you recognise your files at a glance, making it easier to locate them, it also makes them easier to store as the same colours should be filed together – and they will look out of place if filed incorrectly. I would still always recommend labelling your files so you know exactly what is filed inside – colour coding is just categorising your system one step further.

Your usually boring toned office will have a more cheerful vibrancy to it once you colour code your files. And if you’re like me and love arts and crafts, then you can go crazy using different patterned papers, designs and colours.

This is also a good excuse to overhaul your office filing system and de-clutter that paperwork that is no longer required – just make sure you shred your personal information though!

See you next time!

Mei x

For helpful tips, advice, humour and inspiration on getting organised, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media – click on the links below.

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Do you have colour coded files in your office? Send me a comment as I’d love to hear from you 🙂

Have you run out of storage space in your home? While most homes have run out of space, we also have a lot more ‘stuff’ to store.

And there are certainly better ways we could be storing our things to really maximise the space. And one of my most use tricks to creating space where you just didn’t think there was any – is by using hooks.

Are you using your door and wall space?

There is a lot of unused space on our doors and walls and by simply installing a hook system, we can utilise vertical space.

You might be thinking that you can’t or don’t want to drill holes (although this is advisable for holding heavy loads) – hooks don’t always need to be permanently fixed into place.

Other options include over the door hooks or suction material hooks. These solutions are perfect for those renting their homes or who just want to try a temporary system first. They are also reusable which makes them super versatile for any areas around your home.

Where to use hooks in your home.

Hooks in your kitchen cupboards are great for storing tea towels and hooks on your walls can store commonly used utensils, making them easily accessible.

Hooks in your bathroom can store towels to dry when not in use. In bedrooms they can store dressing gowns or winter jackets and coats that are worn every day. And entry ways can store school bags once the kids come home from school or keys so they don’t keep getting lost.

By creating an allocated space with hooks for items that are used regularly, it will also keep them from being left around making the house look messy. Plus they can easily be reached as required.

This is definitely a simple job for you to tackle this weekend.

See you next time!

Mei x

For helpful tips, advice, humour and inspiration on getting organised, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media – click on the links below.

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Do you use hooks to store items in your home? Send me a comment as Id love to hear from you 🙂

When you need that favourite piece of clothing that’s perfect for your event, it always seems to be lost to the back of the wardrobe amongst clothes that aren’t even in season.

Storing absolutely everything we own, regardless of the whether we are wearing it, is a typical example of why our wardrobes are bursting at the seam – plus the fact that most of us have too many clothes!

Store It Right.

Winter clothes taking up majority of the space in your wardrobe when its summer, just doesn’t make sense. Not only does this make it hard to store everything but your clothing can become damaged when it’s just shoved in to try to make it fit. Or worse, in piles on the floor.

And while this will probably not stop us from buying in excess (we all love a sale!) storing our out of season clothing elsewhere, means we can really see the clothing that is wearable right now.

Space Bags Are A Space Saver!

My favourite product to use when storing out of season clothing, is space bags. Not only can they triple your storage space but they are airtight, waterproof, re-usable and will protect your clothes against dirt, mildew and odours.

My top tip.

If you have a large family and could easily store a number of space bags away for the season, then its worth also storing them in tubs. Vacuum the air out of the space bags once they are in the tubs ensuring that you push the bags into the corners of the tubs, using up every bit of space – repeat this till the tub is full. It is extremely difficult to store space bags in tubs after the air has been taken out as the bags stiffen up. Once done, your tubs can be stacked away neatly. Make sure you label the contents so if you need something, you know where to find it.

I also like to store my shoes in seasonal categories. All my summer sandals and strappy high heeled shoes fit nicely in a tub under the bed. They are easy to access when needed but aren’t in the way of my everyday shoes, especially in winter when I mainly wear enclosed shoes.

A lot of our hard earned money is spent on clothing and shoes, so storing them right so they last longer, is definitely a money saver.

See you next time!

Mei x

For helpful tips, advice, humour and inspiration on getting organised, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media – click on the links below.

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You know the daily tasks that need to be done every day. Your kids know the daily tasks that they need to be doing every day. However, when life gets hectic and distractions happen (as they always do) everyone seems to forget what needs to be done. So in the end, nothing gets done!

It’s hard to focus.

There is just so much going on in our heads these days that we struggle to focus on the tasks at hand and can forget even the simplest of things. When we finally get going, our progress is soon cut short with constant distractions and interruptions.

Create lists for recurring tasks.

Kid’s chores are a perfect example of tasks that need to be done constantly. Though no matter how many times they are told, they still seem to get missed. If you are distracted elsewhere then you know that nothing will be getting done. All you end up with is yelling and screaming and raised stress levels!

For tasks that are done on a regular basis, write up the list and laminate it. This way you can check off once done and wipe clean for a new day or week.

Weekly or monthly cleaning schedules help you check off what needs to be done so nothing gets missed.

Even though party planning can be different each time, having a basic checklist for the things that need to be done will definitely save you time and money.

Write your list the night before.

Your daily to do list should be written the night before so you know how your day is going to run – and what time to set your alarm clock. Creating this list also helps get the ideas out of your head and you can see potential problems or time wasters before they start. Like tasks that can be done at the same time or errands in the same locations.

Writing a list of the meals you want to make for the week is a massive time and money saver. It helps keep your stress levels down when you know what meals your family will be eating. Plus it makes it super simple to shop for these items and prep or plan around those crazy bust weeknights when activities or events can make life chaotic.

A word of warning though… Try not to write down more than five things on the list or you run the risk of being overwhelmed and just avoiding it altogether. If this sounds like you then aim for three tasks only, prioritise them in order of importance, then start at number one.

Creating lists will help keep your families schedules running on time creating a happier healthier household.

See you next time!

Mei x

For helpful tips, advice, humour and inspiration on getting organised, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media – click on the links below.

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Do you regularly use a To Do List? Send me a comment as I’d love to hear from you 🙂