Home and Garage Organization

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msnobody
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Re: Home and Garage Organization

Post by msnobody »

Gadianton wrote:
Tue May 07, 2024 2:37 pm
Building high shelves is a great way to pack away stuff not used often and make room for things more often used. For my highest shelves that require a ladder, where I put things used the very least that aren't excessively heavy, I began keeping an inventory file on my computer of what's up there.

I shy away from things like pegboard. It looks kind of nice but it creates lots of unusable space.

Of course, number one is resist buying things that you aren't going to use, and be willing to toss out or sell things that aren't used. Don't overbuy paint, and take pictures of the paint code so that you don't need to keep a hundred cans of dried up gunk around.

I'm not anal at all, really, I'm forgetful and sloppy by nature, but I've been forced to make the most out of small spaces. That's mainly because my wife makes the least out of large spaces.
I’ve got my Christmas decorations in an Excel spreadsheet, and fairly well organized with that. One day in the future, I’ll link pictures of the contents to the spreadsheet.
The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession... The LORD set his love on you and chose you... The LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery. Deut. 7
msnobody
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Re: Home and Garage Organization

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Jersey Girl wrote:
Tue May 07, 2024 4:31 am
So...moving right along. I would advise anyone who wants to organize a space to declutter first and figure out storage after. I've seen plenty of ads for storage containers and shelving that say it's the perfect answer to declutter your space. That's a lie! All that's doing is selling their product and smashing your clutter in containers and on shelving.

Declutter first.
Storage next.

See? I'm doing it. I'll try to stop myself.

But I won't succeed.
My thoughts are to work toward having shelving with casters, so it can all be moved around and swept under. Maybe I’ll live long enough to see that happen. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Maybe even a work bench on casters. Hubs may use that, but I don’t see myself using one. Call it a craft bench, and I’m all in.
The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession... The LORD set his love on you and chose you... The LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery. Deut. 7
msnobody
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Re: Home and Garage Organization

Post by msnobody »

High Spy wrote:
Tue May 07, 2024 6:34 am
msnobody wrote:
Tue May 07, 2024 2:54 am
Do you guys have any favorite garage organization items that you like? Or, an area of your garage where your tools, yard tools, etc. are stored that you’re kind of proud of? What’s working well for you? What’s not working for you? Do you have 35 sets of needle nose pliers because you can’t find that last pair you bought, or the one before that?

I’ve been doing some home organization (pantry, kitchen/bathroom drawers, closet) which is an ongoing process. My favs so far are The Home Edit clear plastic bins sold at Walmart, and smaller clear bins for drawers sold at Pop Shelf. Basement/garage will be tackled at some point in the future.

You can take an organizing style quiz here https://clutterbug.me/.

I think I’m a bee, wanna bee cricket.
I fill clear shopping bags and hang them on hangers. Small bags on kid hangers, and use heavy duty hangers for heavier stuff. Mount an extendable rod on the top of wired shelves with wheels, so the whole shelving unit can be moved. The best hangers are rubber coated or have notches to keep the bags from slipping off. I even mounted a pair of crutches way up high and use a folding step stool to ascend and access stuff that's easily viewable inside the clear bags with similar items grouped together.
This year, I have put some seasonal decor items in those holiday themed shopping bags that get put on clearance for like 50 cents, and used large S hooks to hang them. I do need to go through my Christmas stuff and purge some things.

Yes, shelving with wheels!!!

We have a basement. I had never seen this until we looked for our new home 2-3 years ago, and some of these houses around here that were built about the same time, including ours has a sprinkler system in the basement. That sort of limits how far vertical we could go.
The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession... The LORD set his love on you and chose you... The LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery. Deut. 7
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Jersey Girl
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Re: Home and Garage Organization

Post by Jersey Girl »

msnobody wrote:
Wed May 08, 2024 2:52 am
Jersey Girl wrote:
Tue May 07, 2024 4:31 am
So...moving right along. I would advise anyone who wants to organize a space to declutter first and figure out storage after. I've seen plenty of ads for storage containers and shelving that say it's the perfect answer to declutter your space. That's a lie! All that's doing is selling their product and smashing your clutter in containers and on shelving.

Declutter first.
Storage next.

See? I'm doing it. I'll try to stop myself.

But I won't succeed.
My thoughts are to work toward having shelving with casters, so it can all be moved around and swept under. Maybe I’ll live long enough to see that happen. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Maybe even a work bench on casters. Hubs may use that, but I don’t see myself using one. Call it a craft bench, and I’m all in.
If you are thinking about metal, we have some Style Selections Steel shelving with casters (wheel package) from Lowes. Some without. They aren't in the least decorative (think utility) but good for garage or basement, that sort of thing. Love them!

Casters are life!
We only get stronger when we are lifting something that is heavier than what we are used to. ~ KF

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Xenophon
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Re: Home and Garage Organization

Post by Xenophon »

Jersey Girl wrote:
Tue May 07, 2024 4:31 am
Declutter first.
Storage next.
I'm not sure there are truer words on this site. My father had meticulous storage for everything. It all had a place, a tote, a hook to hang on... nobody ask why he needed 6 weed whackers though or 12 wrench sets.

A few years ago I did some DIY ceiling tote racks to hold things we need less frequently: holiday decorations, some of the kids' old stuff that we weren't ready to part with yet, off-season outdoor stuff. I know you can get kits for it but the cost always seemed quite high. I've been pleased with them but they definitely have some limitations, namely making sure you have totes with good rim strength and ensuring you don't load them too heavy to get up the ladder (or overload the rack). In our current house we don't have great attic storage but I imagine you'd want to be careful about using them anywhere you also are storing things above in the attic. I've also seen them installed directly over the garage door but that always makes me nervous, ours are against the far wall away from any potential mishaps.
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Jersey Girl
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Re: Home and Garage Organization

Post by Jersey Girl »

Xenophon wrote:
Wed May 08, 2024 9:03 pm
Jersey Girl wrote:
Tue May 07, 2024 4:31 am
Declutter first.
Storage next.
I'm not sure there are truer words on this site. My father had meticulous storage for everything. It all had a place, a tote, a hook to hang on... nobody ask why he needed 6 weed whackers though or 12 wrench sets.
Never ask those questions of an Old School guy! You won't get anywhere with it and it's just not done! 8-) 12 wrench sets is amateur level at our place. Not even close to joking.
A few years ago I did some DIY ceiling tote racks to hold things we need less frequently: holiday decorations, some of the kids old stuff that we weren't ready to part with yet, off-season outdoor stuff. I know you can get kits for it but the cost always seemed quite high. I've been pleased with them but they definitely have some limitations, namely making sure you have totes with good rim strength and ensuring you don't load them too heavy to get up the ladder (or overload the rack). In our current house we don't have great attic storage but I imagine you'd want to be careful about using them anywhere you also are storing things above in the attic. I've also seen them installed directly over the garage door but that always makes me nervous, ours are against the far wall away from any potential mishaps.
I love, love, love, those storage systems! Our problem is that the older we get they'd be basically inaccessible to us so we have to compromise what we'd really like for what is practical. I envy you!
We only get stronger when we are lifting something that is heavier than what we are used to. ~ KF

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Jersey Girl
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Re: Home and Garage Organization

Post by Jersey Girl »

Wow I have a whole week unfettered by schedules so I can post a bit more here!

Let's talk Frogs! So there's this book called "Eat that Frog!" by Brian Tracy. I've never read it but a youtuber I watch regularly (Minimal Mom) covers the concept which basically like this--improvising here:

You wake up in the morning and find a frog on the kitchen counter. Someone tells you that before the day is over you have to eat the frog. The question posed is...Do you go about your day avoiding the frog while dreading it in the back of your mind all day long OR do you eat the frog right away, get it over with and go on about your day without that hanging over your head?

Then there is the "Eat the Ice Cream!" concept. I don't think there's a book about it. A youtuber (Clutterbug) I follow recently talked about it. Here's the gist:

You have a list of things to work on--Frogs. You also have a fun project you want to do. You decide you have to eat the frogs before you can do the fun thing you really want to do. In this case, you do the fun project first (eat the ice cream) because it'll give you the self satisfaction you need to continue on with the more mundane tasks.

Here's me today. And I mean today.

I'm currently eating ice cream. Finishing the organization and clean up of my craft studio. It makes me happy to know it'll be ready for me to work in when I'm ready. It's cheerful, has all the stuff I like to work with and it's all mine to do what I love in.

The frogs are sitting in my basement waiting for me. It's just random last bits of holiday decor that need to be put away. It won't take long. I just don't feel like it.

So those are the frogs and ice cream approaches ideas!
We only get stronger when we are lifting something that is heavier than what we are used to. ~ KF

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Jersey Girl
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Re: Home and Garage Organization

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Here's a decluttering and organization (cleaning, too) concept for God believers.

I'm not sure which youtuber I watch said it but when she did it make me think differently about what "I have to" do. So the concept is that we believe that everything we have is God given and we are grateful for it. You can change your way of thinking about it as "I get to run the laundry because we have clothes" BUT...that's not the thing I'm thinking about.

She said that if we believe that everything we have is God given and we are grateful for it, then homekeeping becomes a form of worship.

Blew my mind!

(You could say I just contradicted that in my previous post where I am eating ice cream today but...I'm grateful for my craft studio and the chance to create so it's not ignoring the above concept that everything we have is given to us by God to use and take care of.)
We only get stronger when we are lifting something that is heavier than what we are used to. ~ KF

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Jersey Girl
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Re: Home and Garage Organization

Post by Jersey Girl »

What does anyone think about the pantry transformations we see on social media including youtube?

For me, I was impressed at first but then I've seen some youtubers do it over and over and over again and let's be honest, they're making money off their transformations with affiliate links and sponsorships.

I say they don't work well. I've got a small collection of plastic see through containers (pandemic food storage) but really there's no such thing as perfect when you're talking about food consumption because our practices change with the food choices we make.

I do have Tupperware storage (modular mates) that I've had for over 30 years that never fail for baking supplies. Love them. I've never labeled any of them.

Do you do the pantry organization thing with clear containers and labels? Do you think decanting food products is a good idea and why? How's it working for you? Is it easy to maintain and practical for your use?

All I can say is with the Tupperware baking supplies I mentioned is that I can put in 3 pounds of flour and sugar, stock up on powdered and brown sugar, etc. and when I get going with the baking I really like having it in bulk that way because then all I have to do is purchase fruit and nuts or whatever. I also make my own vanilla extract so I have that year round.
We only get stronger when we are lifting something that is heavier than what we are used to. ~ KF

Slava Ukraini!
msnobody
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Re: Home and Garage Organization

Post by msnobody »

Cleaning out a front room that has been a catch all since we moved here. Moving along fairly well. Then, I notice through the window that my flowers are wilted, so I water them. Then, I think, the ones in the front must need watering too. While out there, hey, there is a weed or two that needs pulling. Well, while I’m out here I should go to the mailbox. Get hot all at one time, right? I resisted and didn’t pull the weeds.

Redirect, redirect, Msnobody and get back to the task at hand!!!

ADD or multi-tasking?
The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession... The LORD set his love on you and chose you... The LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery. Deut. 7
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