A word about Recycling...

I think it's a slightly misunderstood. When I was a kid, I remember it was extremely inconvenient to recycle. I remember it being taught in school but not being implemented in the homes of anyone I knew. When I was really young, one even had to crush pop cans and put them in the bin. You also had to separate each type of plastic, and that had to be separate from paper, ect. There was a list of things you couldn't recycle. You couldn't use staples or tape on paper that you had to recycle. It was not, in any way, something that was fun or easy to do.

However, we've come a long way.

I encourage everyone to do a little research. You can recycle pretty much anything these days. I was amazed when I started researching just how much trash we were making that could be recycled. My magazines, for example, can now be put in the curbside bin. I started putting empty ketchup bottles, milk cartons, and those silly advertisements that come every day in the mail in there too. I've been taking cans and bottles back to the grocery store for years. I also found out that I can take ANY number plastic to the local recycling center. That means even hard plastics like the cups from fast food joints and those red plastic cups from Costco. We've recently started replacing all of our lightbulbs with CFL's, which require proper disposal, but can be taken to a Home Depot or Lowe's (this is Michigan; there's one every five feet). Batteries and ink cartridges can be taken to Best Buy. The list goes on and on.

When you can't find the info online, don't hesitate to call your recycling company! I called mine and found out that shredded paper, when placed in a brown paper bag, would be collected from the curbside bin. This solved my quandary over whether to shred all those receipts.

The only problem is this: there's not a convenient place in the garage for the recycling bin. Right now it's outside with the garbage cans, and winter is coming. And this is Michigan.

To solve this problem, I'm going to clear some old junk from a place near the can receptacle and make something similar to this recycling center from Martha Stewart. Not exactly the same, because I have different needs than those shown, but I love the pegboard idea. This would be a major clutter buster, since right now these things, especially the stupid ink cartridges, don't have a home to stay in between the printer and Best Buy. I also plan on making a chart showing everyone which items can be put in the bin, which have to be taken to the recycling center, and which have to be taken somewhere else (such as the CFL's to Home Depot).

Don't worry, I have no delusions that anyone but me will read this list, since all my parents will have to know is where I am so they can say, "Hey, Kate, go put this in the recycling." :oP

Storage equals not organization, Mmmmm.

Listen to Master Yoda.

When we moved into our house nine years ago, we tripled our space. We marveled at all the cabinets and closets. It wasn't until we had lived here a while that we realized that our organized storage dreams would be much more difficult to actualize than we had hoped. I've now come to the conclusion that more space to store things doesn't mean they'll be organized or easy to find. In fact, in some cases, it makes it worse.

For example, in my bathroom I have three medicine cabinets and two vanity cabinets. In a room used only by me and a girlfriend who spends the night a lot. Oh, sure, should be organized, right?

Never in my life have I wished so ardently for a freakin' DRAWER!

Problems like these are the reason that stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond exist. And the Container Store. And California Closets. And...well, you get the picture.

BUT beware, because buying products that are meant to contain clutter without first knowing EXACTLY what you're going to use them for only leads to more clutter. I can't tell you how many half-empty plastic bins of miscellaneous stuff are in our basement.

One of the most important things about trying to clean and green this house is using storage products effectively, which also means occasionally using them creatively. You'll be surprised what you can do with photo boxes and sock organizers.

Stay tuned.

Magazines, Magazines, Everywhere...

I LOVE magazines.I subscribe to...5? 6? Something like that. And that's not counting the ones I buy off the newsstand when they strike my fancy. While I thoroughly enjoy reading these periodicals and would never give them up, they do present some problems.

First of all, there's a lot of them and they take up tons of space. I mean, I have five years worth of issues stacked up in boxes, which are sitting in the middle of the room. This is not an acceptable storage option. Also, it's impossible to find the article or recipe that you're looking for unless you have a photographic memory. What's the use of keeping all these magazines if you don't know what you're looking for? Finally, you do get a bit of Eco-guilt if, like me, you're trying to live a greener lifestyle.

Solution? Well, there are two options, really. You could get a photo album or binder and keep cut out articles and pictures, but that only solves two of the problems. Yes, the binders take up much less space and you can recycle the unused portions of the magazines, but it's still darn hard to find anything when you need it. The better solution is to use your scanner to save the articles onto your computer. That way, you can tag and label the articles so that you can find them simply by searching your documents.

Think of it this way: let's say you have a couple of chicken breasts and need one of your many chicken recipes. You could search through a bunch of magazines and binders. OR you could simply type "Chicken" into the search field and see all of your recipes pop up. It's a wonderful thing.

I save the articles into one of four general folders, Recipes, Holidays, Home, and Personal Care. Then I broke them down into more specific ones. I also copy and paste recipes and tips from websites into word documents (along with a link to the source) and scan pages from my favorite cookbooks so that all my recipes are in one place.

Receipts are Evil

I hate receipts. With a passion. I think that they should be phased out of existence. With the database capabilities that we have now, no transaction with a card is in need of a paper receipt. Yet they're a necessary evil, especially if you have to keep track of your expenses for work or tax purposes. I buy a lot of electronics and media, which is occasionally DOA and needs to be returned or sent in for repairs. Which means, I need the receipt.

Shoeboxed is a service that allows you to scan your receipts and catalog them, as well as forward e-mailed receipts that you get from online stores. For 9.99 a month, you can even mail the receipts to them and they'll scan them for you, then shred and recycle them. There are also special scanners that you can buy that come with software, but I prefer the online option since you don't need an extra piece of machinery. I signed up for the $9.99 plan, but will probably end up doing the free one after the free trial is over (30 days).

Clutter Buster: Huge Honkin' Hard Drive

Ah, paper. A staple of Western Civilization. Did you know that paper was a major contributor to the Renaissance? Along with the development of fresco, the mass production of paper (which made it less expensive) allowed artists to create several, or even dozens of, sketches before beginning their final work. This level of experimentation simply wasn't possible with the expensive and hard to repair tempura method and led to the advent of new techniques which would change Western art forever. The availability of paper also led some to pursue the development of a machine that could mass produce books. The result? The printing press. This is all true.

However, it's also true that paper causes a LOT of clutter and just as paper replaced hand-made parchment, digital storage is quickly usurping paper. I think it will be a long time before we're "paperless", if that ever even happens, but you can clear up a lot of paper clutter with a nice big hard drive (properly backed up, of course) and the internet. Oh, and a scanner.

The next few posts will deal with ways I'm using my computer to reduce clutter.

Hooray for Hollywood...

When my brother moved out, I took over his room and turned into a sort of lounge for myself. Since all my clothes are in the closet in my bedroom, I decided to turn his into storage for other stuff, including DVD's. I have over 200 of them, and they're filling up the space that I allotted for them. Since I don't want the WHOLE closet dedicated to DVD's, I'm gonna have to downsize.

Space isn't the only consideration, however. With things like movies, music, and books, I feel one should go through every couple of years and weed out anything they've outgrown. Maybe this becomes less of an issue as one gets older, but many of these movies I bought in High School and haven't really watched since.

I'm not gonna throw away perfectly good DVD's, of course. I found a great site that buys DVD's and pays cash. I usually use ebay to sell stuff, but with something as cheap as used DVD's, I've found that the fees, uncertain pricing, and shipping costs often aren't worth it. What's nice about Second Spin is that they give you the option of getting cash and reimburse your shipping costs. Most sites only give "store credit" for trade-ins. You can, if you wish, get credit, as well.

Yet as we know, the hard part of getting rid of things isn't deciding where to send them or actually sending them there, it's deciding what to get rid of. So, I decided to be ruthless. I asked myself three questions:

1. Has it been over a year since I last watched this? 
2. Is it something I would rather have in another format, like blu-ray?
3. Do I pass this movie by if I see it on the TV?
   

If the answer is "yes" to any of those questions, it goes. No second thoughts, no excuses. I have a rental subscription to Blockbuster, so any movies I'm on the fence about I check if it's readily available to rent if I get the urge to watch it. If that's a yes, it goes, too.

What's the reward for this? Not only the money from selling the DVD's (which is always nice), but the chance to build a more "grown up" movie collection that includes films I'll actually watch now and in the future.

Purge.

It's an ugly word. One that we don't like. It connotes eating disorders and Josef Stalin. However, there are times when purging is good. I have way. too. much. stuff. Plain and simple.

So most of my early posts will be about purging, but the good kind. The kind that makes room for the stuff I actually use and stuff I might use in the future.

I have a lot of collections. Some that I still enjoy, some that I've outgrown, and some which simply need to be paired down because they're out of control.

First up: DVD's

A Clean House is a Sign of a Wasted Life

But a house that's too dirty is just a waste of time. A few years ago, my mom, a housewife for 25 years, had to return to the workforce. The rest of us, spoiled by years of her mom-magic, didn't step up in the way we should have to help now that she didn't have the time or the energy to cook and do housework (she works over 50 hours a week and is nearly 60). This is a sad thing and, given that we're all adults here, really without excuse. Since then, we've fallen into patterns of doing dishes on weekends when she's here, cleaning the house only when company is coming, and eating take-out on most nights.

I'm 23 and recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in Art History. I plan on starting my MA in the fall and to live at home until I finish that degree, which will probably take at least two years. My areas of the house are, by far, the worst. When my brother (seven years my senior) moved out I took over his room and turned into a lounge. So, I have two large rooms and a bathroom completely dedicated to my stuff.

And they're full.

I've decided I no longer wish to live this way. Now, I don't have any desire to be a "neat freak". I don't have to be Martha Stewart. I also don't want to be so uptight about organization that I can't enjoy life for fear of making a mess. However, I read something the other day that opened my eyes. There is a middle ground. One can be organized without being stifled. The rule stated in the article (I can't remember the source, unfortunately) was called the five-minute rule. Basically, everything you have you should be able to find in five minutes.

Another rule I've heard is that everything should have a home, even if it's not always exactly where it should be. That way, when you go to put it away, you can do so quickly and properly. The way I see it, if these two rules are followed, the house should be company-ready after about an hour or so of tidying. That would be so much nicer than getting up early on Christmas just to clean.

My mother and I promised ourselves, and each other, that we would be better organized by her 60th birthday, which is one year from this Sunday. She's simply too tired to deal with the mess all the time, and I can't see myself being successful in either Grad school or in my career if I'm stifled practically and creatively by my lack of organization. I have a lot of great ideas for getting it together, but I'm having a hard time sorting them. I'm hoping this blog will help me do that. It's an experiment of sorts.