HOME SAFE HOME - Tips for Keeping Your Home Safe When on Vacation

Take these simple precautions to keep your home safe while you’re away.

• Don’t put out the “we’re not home” sign – install timers on lights and a radio or television so your home looks and sounds lived in. I never leave on vacation without setting my timers.

• Let trusted neighbors know how long you’ll be gone and how to reach you in an emergency. Ask them to keep a watchful eye on your place. Have them collect your mail and newspapers, or suspend deliver until you return. Perhaps they could park their cards in your driveway occasionally. In snowy climate, ask them to shovel your walk and driveway

• Remove home address and phone numbers from your luggage tags and add your cell-phone number instead, in case an unscrupulous baggage handler gets any shady ideas.

• Lock up and hide your valuables. Keep some shades partially closed to keep expensive items (such as big-screen TV) out of view. (But don’t completely close all window covering, or it will be obvious that no one is home)

• Set the thermostat to an energy-saving level. Unplug most appliances to save electricity.

• Remove all perishable items from your refrigerator, and take out the trash so you don’t return to unpleasant odors.

• To avoid a musty smell from having your home closed up, before leaving on your trip, place small bowls of distilled white vinegar in each room. The vinegar will keep the air fresh, so you’ll breathe easier when you get home.

• If you’ll be gone long enough for mildew to form, place the top of a cardboard storage box in each bathtub and pour some clay kitty litter into it. It will absorb moisture and prevent mildew while you’re away.

• It may seem obvious, but don’t to forget to lock all doors and windows. If you leave a vehicle in the driveway, be sure to remove any garage door openers.

• Lastly, hire a housesitter to bring in your mail, remove newspapers or flyers at the front door, alter the lights inside and out, and water plants.

Here’s a great service to check out to find a reputable housesitter, babysitter, petsitter, caregiver, or nanny:  SitterCity

Reduce Household Spending One Coupon at a Time

Everyone is worried about the current state of our economy, with good reason. But much of what is going on globally is out of our control.  What we do have control over is how we spend our own money.

One of the easiest ways to reduce household spending is to use coupons when you shop. It’s a no brainer … if you found fifty-cents, seventy-five cents … a dollar on the floor, wouldn’t you pick it up and feel like luck was on your side that day? Isn’t using coupons like finding money on the floor?  You bet! Yet a small percentage of Americans even use coupons, let alone have a system for organizing, storing and redeeming coupons. Consequently they spend much more of their hard-earned money on household purchases than necessary. Yes, it takes some time to get set-up ~ all the more reason to have an organized system in place to greatly reduce the time it takes to use this free money when you shop. I’ll be highlighting three tools and systems here that you can use to stay organized and find the most savings possible with coupons.

To get started learning about the world of couponing, I found a helpful guide written by a money-conscience mom Stephanie Nelson, Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom. This 165-page guide is a quick read and a great resource to help you learn how to find, clip, sort and organize coupons for saving money on every household purchase. Stephanie shares all of her coupon-clipping, money-saving tips and tricks.

 

Another very helpful organizational tool for saving money with coupons is The Couponizer, developed by Amy Bergin, another cost-conscience mom. Amy developed this system for her family when other systems she tried were too cumbersome. The Couponizer system she developed gives you all the tools you need to clip, organize, store and use your coupons to reduce household spending. Included with the Couponizer system are:

• a clear zippered storage bag
• scissors
• Money-saving Guide
• shopping list
• Coupstacker, which is an organizing mat for sorting clipped coupons to insert into.

The Couponizer categories.

Some of the categories are: Meat, Vegetables, Breakfast, Dairy and many more.

The Couponizer even includes a plastic sleeve to store your frequent-buyer cards and coupons that are about to expire.  One of it’s best features is that The Couponizer is designed to lay flat in your grocery cart, making it easier to find and retrieve a coupon and maneuver the cart at the same time.

I’ve heard people say that when they have coupons they often buy products they wouldn’t ordinarily, so they actually spend more money when they use coupons. The solution for this is to never go to the store without a list of what you truly need. In our home we use a shopping list called ALL OUT OF notepad, which is a 6 x 9 sized shopping list pad shopping list pad which adheres to your refrigerator with a heavy-duty magnet.  The ALL OUT OF notepad saves you the hassle of having to write out a shopping list each time you shop. As we deplete household items, we circle the needed item on the ALL OUT OF notepad on our refrigerator. We tear off the already prepared shopping list and take it with us to the store. 

When your coupons are organized it will be much easier to find and use them to save big money during every trip to the grocery store. I get great satisfaction from seeing the subtotal at the register, then watching the total reduce as each coupon is scanned. It’s like getting free groceries.

Originally posted 2009-02-25 13:26:46. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Planning an Organized Vacation

Summer vacation season is upon us once again. We all look forward to the fun and relaxation of vacations, but sometimes the planning, packing and prepping leave you more stressed out than if you had just stayed home.

No need to fear – In my 5-Part series on organized vacation planning, I’ll help you plan an organized vacation, whether it’s a quick weekend getaway or a month-long European vacation.

From helpful packing tips to keeping kids (and grown-ups) happy on a long journey, you’ll learn how to leave home happy – not harried.

Here are the topics of my 5-part series:

Part 1 - PERFECT PLANNING (below)

Part 2 - PACK IT UP - how and how much

Part 3 - HOME SAFE HOME

Part 4 - THE ORGANIZED PACKING LIST

Part 5 - HAPPY TRAVELS WITH CHILDREN

Bon voyage!

PERFECT PLANNING - part 1

Perfect vacations rarely happen without some thoughtful planning. While not always as exciting as a spur-of-the-moment getaway, a well-thought-out trip may be less likely to deliver stress and frustration. To start the vacation planning process, compile all your trip details in a 3-ring binder or a spiral notebook plus a 2-pocket folder. Whether you’re in the early planning stage or just days away from your trip, gather these items so they’re at your fingertips when you need them.

- Your travel agent’s phone number and email address
- Airline or train reservation information, plus phone numbers and website addresses (to check in online or verify on-time status
- Car rental agency phone numbers, coupons, and confirmation numbers
- Hotel brochures, phone and confirmation numbers
- Maps of the area you’re traveling to, as well as maps and directions to help you get there
- Brochures of interesting places to visit on the way or upon arrival at your destination (museums, state parks, theme parks, historic sites, etc.
- Complete itinerary of your trip

Also, to keep your home tidy in the days or weeks leading up to the trip, dedicate one central location (such as a laundry basket tucked away in a closet or spare bedroom dresser) for take-along items.  As you encounter things that must be packed (such as travel books and beach towels), toss them in and forget about them until packing day.

Next up is Part 2 - PACK IT UP - How and how much

Home Organization Secrets for Busy Moms

If you’re like me, you’re anxiously awaiting warm weather fun and relaxation. It’s time to come out of winter hybernation, clear out the clutter and get organized so you and your family can fully enjoy all the season has to offer. To help you get your home in tip top shape, I’m delighted to announce my second book
“Home Organization Secrets for Busy Moms“.

To keep the price low, this valuable home management resource is available in an electronic format, commonly called an E-book. This means that you can immediately download this 75+ page guide and begin benefiting from all my insider home organization tips and strategies in less than 5 minutes from now!   No shipping costs and no waiting!

To celebrate my new book, I’m giving away a ten-part home organization mini-course (based on the strategies shared in the book) for all my valued subscribers! Each day for the next ten days you will receive a practical home organization strategy that will jumpstart your organizing efforts.

Receive our FREE 10-part Home Organization Secrets mini-course!
Name:
E-mail Address:
After submitting this form, check your In-box for an e-mail requesting your confirmation.




Here’s a sneak peak at what you’ll learn from Home Organization Secrets for Busy Moms:

- How to identify clutter in your life - physical and mental

- How to determine your “whys” for getting organized

- How to design your organizational goals for your home and family

- How to break through information overload and take action
- 13 must-do home organization strategies
-THE 5 essential home management systems no home should be without
- How to immediately identify where to place your stuff for efficient access

- Step-by-step “How Tos” for organizing any space
- insider tips and strategies that my personal clients learn from working side-by-side with me
- And so much more!

I’ve included two great BONUSES too!

BONUS: Shelf-Life Guide for 100+ Common Household Items (updated & expanded)
BONUS: A Parent’s Guide to Medicine Safety

You get all this for $9.99 for a limited time!

(the regular price is $14.97)

Visit Home Organization Secrets for Busy Moms to learn more.

Talk soon …

Janet Nusbaum, The Organizing Genie
(Mom since 1997, Professional Organizer since 2003)

Janet@SimplifiedSpaces.net
317-867-1540

NOTE: Home Organization Secrets for Busy Moms can also be found in our on-line store: www.TheSimplifiedHome.net

The Story of Stuff

Did you know that only 1% of goods you consume or purchase today will still be in use 6 months from now? Think about that! Isn’t this alarming? 

If there’s anything positive that can come from our current economic recession is that we are consuming less stuff. Which means that if we are consuming less, then each household is producing less waste that goes to landfills.  That’s a good thing. 

This short film will teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change forever the way you look at all the stuff in your life.

Originally posted 2009-02-13 13:24:25. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Janet In the News - How to Get Kids to Help Around the House

Last Friday I received a call from Julie Marsh, a writer/reporter from a small city in northern California, who was writing an article for her Redding, CA paper about how to get kids to help around the house. I was excited to learn that she had found my blog and read about my book ‘Mom, Can I Help Around the House’ on-line and wanted to interview me for her article.

Even though we live on opposite ends of the US, and will likely never meet personally, as moms of two children of the same ages (12 & 9), we were like old friends in no time. We had a wonderful conversation about bringing our children up with Christian values, how we felt about our role and responsibility to our children to teach them to be self-sufficient, yet servants to their family, and later to be self-sufficient servants as adults in society. We also shared what life was like in our little corner of the world and some funny stories about how we each get our kids to help around the house. 

I thoroughly enjoyed sharing time on the phone with a fellow Christian mom.  Our conversation strengthened my belief and mission to continue in my role as my children’s first and most consistant teacher of home management and of life.  Thank you for that Julie ~ you did a great job on the article.

Here is a link to the article that appeared in the Redding, California newspaper on Feb. 9.

Julie’s Article - How to Get Kids to Help Around the House

I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on how you see your role as your child’s first and most consistant teacher of life.

To learn more about my book and household chore system that she references, visit: http://www.KidsandChores.net or The Simplified Home.

Janet, The Organizing Genie

Originally posted 2009-02-10 20:05:52. Republished by Old Post Promoter

iRobot Roomba Review - the Greatest home invention since the washing machine

Being the organizing and efficiency freak that I am, I have been fascinated with the iRobot Roomba since I first heard about it. What could be better than to have a Robot to do my vacuuming? But was it worth the $300+ price tag? I began my research in the hopes that the Roomba was as wonderful in reality as it appeared.

In my continuing efforts to simplify my life, we just built a new low-maintenance town home. We moved in during my kid’s 2008 Christmas break. How freeing it was when I sold all our yard stuff knowing that our move to a town home meant no more yard work! One more step to a simplified life.

After reading many glowing reviews and comparing pricing, I found the best pricing on eBay, so I rewarded myself with a Christmas present by purchasing the Roomba 560 on eBay! The retail price in stores, even with discounted holiday pricing was still about $100 more than the same product on eBay. I paid $254.00, when retail in stores and elsewhere on-line was around $360. Find Roomba on eBay.

There are several models of the Roomba available at progressive price points. Based on the reviews I read, especially from pet-owners (we have 2 cats), I decided the 560 model was for me. I’ve never been this excited about the purchase of a home cleaning gadget, but the Roomba promised to make my life easier and I was all for that.

When it arrived and we opened the box, we immediately felt a bond for this pancake-shaped robot, like we’d just adopted a new pet. He seemed to have a personality all his own. We named him Bob.

Here’s what came with the Roomba 560. 

• Roomba vacuum
• 2 Virtual Walls / Lighthouses
• Extra filters
• 1 set of attached side brushes
• Self-charging home base
• And very simple to understand set up and maintenance instructions

Set up

The set up couldn’t have been easier. All that was needed to set him up was to set him in the home base, set the date, time and cleaning schedule and charged him for about 12 hours.

How Roomba Works

The way that Roomba works is to move along the floor in a circular pattern, while somehow detecting and avoiding its home base so that it thoroughly vacuums the entire room before returning to its home base. The lighthouse/virtual wall serves as a barrier that tells Roomba to stay in and clean one room before going past the lighthouse barrier to vacuum the next room. Using the virtual wall function on this sensor blocks off an area creating a barrier that you don’t want Roomba to cross over. In our case, we still have some boxes stashed behind the sofa, so I set up the Virtual Wall in front of the boxes which created a barrier that Roomba won’t cross.

The front of Roomba has a bumper that, when it bumps into something, like a wall or furniture, it changes directions. A feature that helps with this is the visual sensors it has on the front that will slow Roomba down before it bumps into a wall or furniture. It travels in a slower speed than I would vacuum myself with an upright, so it takes about 30-40 minutes to clean an average-sized room. One of the great features of the Roomba however, is that it’s flat and round so it easily travels under and around tables and chairs getting to tough to reach spots that a traditional upright vacuum can’t. The photo here shows how Roomba is about to travel under a baker’s rack that I would have bend over or move the furniture to get under there.

Attached on the bottom are a set of twirling brushes that spin as Roomba travels along the floor and baseboards, pulling in dust and debris to be picked up. Roomba travels easily over different floor surfaces. We have him set up to first vacuum our carpeted family room, then travel into our eat-in kitchen with hardwood floors.

Another cool feature is that he has a built-in dirt sensor that causes lights up in blue when it detects dirt in that area. He will circle around that area until it no longer detects the dirt.

Maintenance

We have scheduled Bob to vacuum twice a week and after each cleaning cycle, he needs to be cleaned out. He deserves that minimal amount of care ~ after all, he’s doing the work so that’s the least I can do for him. If his reservoir gets too full while in a cleaning cycle, he will stop and say in his computer voice “Uh Oh”. He will need to be cleaned out before he’ll start again. Obviously his debris reservoir is smaller than a traditional vacuum bag, but it’s a small price to pay to clean him out after each cleaning. Depending on if you have pets, the brushes can get hair tangled in it that needs to be cleaned out. But we have two cats and with cleaning two times a week, the maintenance is minimal. If we used Roomba less than twice a week, we’d probably have to clean him out half way through a cleaning cycle. But twice a week in both the family room and kitchen (both large rooms) he can finish both rooms without stopping to be cleaned out.

There are only a couple of parts that can wear out and will need to be replaced over time - the filter and the spinning side brushes, (the system includes and extra filter). Very clearly listed on the operations manual is the website for ordering new supplies.

Depending on the size of your home, you may want to consider purchasing an additional Lighthouse/Virtual Wall. The two that came with the system were sufficient for our needs.

When Roomba is finished cleaning a room, or the battery is close to being depleted, he will automatically travel back to the charging station to get recharged. Here’s the cool part … if Roomba wasn’t finished cleaning a room when he traveled back to home base to recharge, he will back out of the charging station once fully charged and will go back to where he left off and finish his job.

Because he got trapped under a recliner once, I feel more comfortable running Roomba when we will be home, so we’re there to rescue him if needed. And his sensors alert him when he’s approaching stairs so you don’t even need to help him in that regard. He’s very self-sufficient.

Do you need to still use your regular vacuum?

Since we just moved into a new construction home, the carpets are clean and new, so I don’t see a need to use the upright vacuum on the floor that Roomba is vacuuming. But for another household it would depend on the room size and if you have pets.

Overall, I think he does a great job on both carpeting and hardwood floors, and he transitions easily from one floor surface to another. The spinning brushes do a great job of getting debris out of corners.

So it is worth the price?  MOST DEFINITELY! As I coach my clients, the goal is to set up systems and routines in the home that will simplify life, so you have the time and energy to spend your time in high meaning activities. Roomba definitely puts vacuuming my home on autopilot and frees me for other things. And the peace of mind that I feel from knowing that the task is getting done without me having to do it is priceless. I liken it to on-line bill-paying - the bills get paid on time without me having to spend my time to get it done. When you put a value on your time and sanity, any home maintenance process that can be set up on auto-pilot, not requiring me to fit it in my busy schedule is worth its weight in gold.

I’ve included some current auctions on eBay so you can see the discounted pricing. It was a very in demand item at Christmas time so the prices may be even better now that we’re past the flurry of gift-buying. 

I hope you’ll find a “Bob” to welcome into your home to help make your life easier, like he has for us.

Originally posted 2009-02-08 15:00:39. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Organize Home Maintenance Records

When it comes to taking care of your biggest investment ~ your home, there are a lot of things that you need to manage and keep organized. In most households, these tidbits of information are spread out throughout the home ~ instruction manuals and receipts stuffed in a drawer, paint numbers on the top of a paint can in the garage. Does that sound familiar? With home maintenance and repair, it is important to be organized and current on everything that you have done to your house. It is easy to lose track of all of the home repair projects that need to be done and when.

 

Another item that is easy to lose track of are all of the home improvements and repairs you have made to your home over the years. Home improvements need to be considered when you sell your home for calculating the sales price and then for calculating capital gains after the sale. So where do you go to store and then easily find these important records about your home?

 

To keep your house in tip-top shape, you need an organized system and home where this information lives for easy reference and retrival. I found a product titled the Home Maintenance Organizer that I now offer in The Simplified Home e-store (www.TheSimplifiedHome.net) and to my local clients. This home record organizing system provides a solution to, and a home for, all the home repair/maintenance clutter. The Home Maintenance Organizer is a binder where you can record and store all of the important information about your house, like window sizes, room dimensions, when you last had the furnace or refrigerator serviced, paint colors, and much more. This system also comes with an essential set of guidelines that will tell you what home repairs should be done and when.

 

The binder also has storage for ongoing projects that are happening around the house as well as places for important documents. The binder is an easy to carry with you system when shopping for window treatments, appliances, etc.

 

Another system to use for vital and archived home records, like home deed, mortgage, home title, etc. is our HomeFile Financial Planning Organizer Kit that is used in a file cabinet or filing box. This is a ready-made home filing system to hold all your vital personal and home records, most of which that you need to keep, but don’t need to access often.

 

 

Both these ready-made organizational systems solve the clutter problem of how and where to keep home maintenance records and will and make sure your biggest investment is always taken care of.

Originally posted 2009-02-07 13:23:47. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Ten Steps to Organizing a Downsizing Move

It’s true that our sluggish economy is keeping many people in their current home who desire to downsize to smaller quarters, because they fear not being able to sell their home. There is actually so much you can do during this economic downturn to prepare for the downsizing move, so when the economy begins to recover, you’re ready to take action. A downsizing move requires a different mindset than likely any other move you’ve experienced. The concept for a downsizing move is to determine how little you need to live a  more simplified life. Here are steps you can take now to prepare for a future move:

1. MAKE A PLAN

Moving requires a great deal of organization details and logistical coordination to happen smoothly. Establish a move binder to hold all checklists, a journal to record details of phone calls, deadlines, measurements, decisions to make, and much much more.  We just moved during the holidays and I found a great move organizer called the Moving.Kit by Buttoned Up.  This was my ‘go-to’ place for all details regarding the move. The Moving.Kit includes six sections to help you to move smoothly through the move process and lots of checklist for tracking your progress, like change of address forms, delegation lists, stickers for important boxes, a move time-line and more.

 2. START SORTING NOW

Sorting through possessions can be overwhelming, but is a necessity to accomplish a downsizing move. Pick one area to start with: the bedroom closet; the kitchen cabinets; your files. An hour or two a day is enough time to spend. The important thing is to begin.
 
3. WHAT DO I DO WITH MY STUFF?

Starting early allows you to find the right home for items that are not going with you. Now is the time to give the books to the library for their book sale; to find out whether or not your daughter wants grandma’s china; to see if the consignment shop will take the silver. There are many different ways to dispose of your items: antique dealers, consignment shops, yard sales, non-profits, etc. Each resource has its’ own guidelines. Don’t assume for example, that the local Goodwill wants your old exercise equipment (they don’t). Call and check.
 
4. MAKE A FLOOR PLAN

As soon as you know where you are going, make a floor plan. Cut out templates and arrange them on your floor plan. This will allow you to visualize where your furniture will fit and prevent you from taking too many pieces with you.
 
5. INVENTORY YOUR STAPLES

About a month before your move, take stock of paper products, canned goods and items in your freezer. Begin using up as much as possible. If you have too many items, consider donating them to the local food pantry.
 
6. NOTIFYING EVERYONE

Make a list of everyone who needs to know about your move: post office; utilities and other services; creditors and everyone you do business with, friends, relatives, on-line services, neighbors and organizations for which you belong.
 
7. DESIGNATE A “DO NOT TOUCH” SPACE

Several days ahead of time, set aside items that you will need the day of the move in a spot you have reserved. Items you might wish to include are: an overnight bag packed with a change of clothes and personal items (toiletries, medications); important papers; sheets and towels; basic tools (screw driver, hammer, flashlight); cleaning supplies (sponges, paper towels, cleanser); kitchen needs (snacks and drinks, disposable plates and cups, folding chair). Also include whatever form of payment the moving company requests. Most moving companies will not accept a personal check.
 
8. TAKE CARE OF THE MOVERS

Plan to have something cold for the crew to drink. They will appreciate it and will often take better care of you throughout the move process.

9. GET HELP IF YOU NEED IT

After helping my grandparents coordinate a downsizing move twice in a five year period, then dispursing my grandmother’s estate after her death, I felt a passion for helping the senior population through this transition. I incorporated into my Organizing services helping to coordinate downsizing moves in my local community (Indianapolis). I joined a wonderful national organization that lists its members - Senior Move Managers like me, throughout the country.  The organization is the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) and can be found on-line at: http://www.nasmm.org/.  By visiting the NASMM website, you can find a Senior Move Manager that services your area.
 
10. A DIFFICULT TIME or OPPORTUNITY for a SIMPLIFIED LIFE?

It goes without saying ~ moving is a difficult time for everyone at any age. It is hard to leave a home you have lived in for many years with all its’ memories. Moving is a transition and all transitions contain an element of loss. You are saying goodbye to part of your life. Expect to feel some grief along with your excitement and anxiety.

Originally posted 2009-02-06 12:50:14. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Ten Home Decor Items that Combine Flair with Functionality

When organizing your home, you typically desire an uncluttered and neat look, but you also want it to look nice.  There are so many options available that are well designed and fit into almost any décor.  There is something to fit any taste.

1.  Baskets are always a popular organizational item.  If they are wood baskets, they give a nice natural look to the room. They are handy for holding all kinds of things, from makeup to toys. I prefer square baskets without a handle. YoIf you want items to stand upright in the basket (like toiletries), look for baskets with minimal weaving on the inside bottom of the basket. Too much weaving will cause items to continually fall over. 

2.  Shoe organizers are an item no family should be without.  Who doesn’t get tired of either tripping over shoes dropped at the front door or not being able to find the mate to the kids’ shoes as you are getting ready to head out the door?  There are different styles available, from shoe racks that fit in the bottom of a closet to those that hang on the back of a door. I prefer a clear organizer that fits over a door (canvas works well too), allowing you to see shoes vertically rather than having to look under clothing racks. The canvas may look more attractive, but clear is more functional. Over the door shoe organizers can be used in the coat closet as well for storing gloves and hats. I use one there in my home ~ my gloves are stored in the highest row, oldest daughter’s are in the middle rows and youngest daughter’s are in the bottom rows.

3.  Closet organizers are becoming big business; as a matter of fact there are companies dedicated to helping you design the perfect closet organizer for your home.  They can be as simple as plastic or metal adjustable shelves, or beautiful wood cabinets that are built to fit in your closet.  They can have shelves, drawers, wire baskets, and places to hang clothes and baskets.

4.  Desktop organizers are a must-have for any home office or homework area.  In addition to the standard pencil can and paper clip holders, there are nice wood pieces that are great for sorting mail and important papers.  I use this exact desk top organizer on my desk. It holds many of the items that we often line up on our desktop, which takes up more space. Just be sure that any organizer you add to your desktop serves a specific purpose and is not just adding to desktop clutter.

5.  Clothes trees or hooks can add an old-fashioned flair to any room.  There are also more modern designs to choose from.  They can be used near an entry for guests’ coats, or in the bedrooms as a great place for kids to put their PJ’s, robes, or even a towel after a bath. Again, make sure that this home decor item is really serving a purpose and not just becoming the catch all and adding to a room’s clutter.

6.  Multi-functional furniture with drawers can be great in homes with limited space.  There are couches and beds that have drawers built into the bases that make great places to store out of season clothes or toys.  There are also coffee tables that come with built in storage. 

7.  Video and audio storage are often wonderfully crafted pieces of furniture.  They can be incorporated into a media center in the home, or used as a stand-alone piece.  Some of them are designed to look like antique pieces of furniture. 

8.  Jewelry boxes are a practical way to not only organize and protect all your precious pieces, but many are almost as beautiful to look at as your jewelry.  You can find hand-carved pieces, or boxes with inlay.  They look great on a dresser.

9.  Carts with wheels are a handy form of storage, as they can be used anywhere in the house.  Plus, if you don’t need it all the time, they can be tucked away in a closet, pantry or corner.  They can have drawers or shelves and offer additional workspace. They are great for kitchens, closets and offices.

10.  Caddies are great for things that may need to travel from room to room.  They can be nice looking buckets or baskets. There are also fabric caddies that have pockets that can be hung on the wall. These can be found in a wide variety of styles. They are great in kids’ rooms for storing small treasures. We use a caddy to store toys that the kids move around the house, and for cleaning supplies for each floor in our home. In the caddy, the supplies have a specific home, and will stay organized even when they are being transported from room to room.

No matter what your taste is in decorating, it’s pretty easy to find great accents to your home that add not only to the form, but to the function of your life.

Originally posted 2009-02-05 14:47:10. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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