How to Clean Out Your Closet

While it's not the most fun thing to do in the world, cleaning out your closet can help your everyday life a little easier and possibly make you some extra money. In this article, I'll show you some easy steps and tips to make this project get done quickly and more easily.

1) First, I find it's easier to start with clothing first and then sort through other items such as shoes and other miscellaneous items that usually get stuck in closets.

Basically the two boxes or garbage bags are going to serve two purposes: a sell/donate pile and a throw away pile. If you have a big closet or are sorting through more than one, you'll probably need more.

2) A general rule with clothing is if you haven't worn it in a year and it has no sentimental value to you, either sell or donate it.

Having one of those "I didn't wear it this past year but maybe I'll wear it next year" moments? Take a twist tie and wrap it around an area of the clothing where you'll notice it if you do wear it but won't damage the clothing. When this time comes around again, you'll basically be able to face yourself on what you're never going to wear. Just be sure to remember to take the ties off, or you'll get some funny looks from people.

3) Next, you should be able to sort through your other items and accessories in a similar fashion of either selling/donating what you never use and throwing away anything that's too worn.

4) Now I'm not the type of person that's obsessed with organization, but give some thought to how you put everything back into your closet in a practical way.

Do you have trouble finding certain things? Maybe you can find a creative way to solve this or at least make it easier when you get ready in the morning.

5) Based on the weight and brand of the clothing and other items, try eBay first before selling them in a consignment shop or in a yard sale.

I've known people who've made pretty good money this way. Donating is a good option as well, especially if you're not so much wanting extra money as you are wanting extra space.

Best wishes to you!

How to Be More Organized

Something I've realized about everyday life is that the average person is so busy that organization has become a big priority. I used to tell myself I was too busy to really get myself organized, but I've learned that taking the time to do some basic things will help most people have more time long-term.

1) First, I think the most important step in all of this is taking the time to look at your daily routine.

What are your biggest daily hassles? Do you find yourself forgetting where you placed something or remembering appointments at the last minute? I'm not a big fan of organization for organization's sake (alphabetizing my CD collection is not big on my list because my time is limited), but if you give it some thought we all have areas we could focus on that would improve our lives and reduce stress we wouldn't otherwise have.

2) Finances are a big area of life that it's helpful to improve your organization.

You can start this by creating a simple budget. It doesn't have to be complicated but will let you know where you stand on things. Below I'm including a helpful budget template below from Dave Ramsey's website.

Another thing my husband and I did was buy a marker board, where we could list out when everything was due and how much needed to be paid. Put it somewhere you'll see it on a daily basis but not where guests will typically see it. We chose the hallway between our bedroom and our bathroom.

3) A few years ago, I started carrying a small notebook with me.

It was originally to help me keep track of writing ideas before I forgot them, but I found it useful for just remembering things in general. Keep one with you in your car, your home, and at work. For less than $5, you have a great organization tool. I'm a high-tech person in other areas, but storing things in my cell phone honestly didn't work as well for me. A PDA or PDA-like phone probably would work better if you're willing to keep track of it.

4) Periodically it's good to go through your home and get rid of clutter.

This way when you go to find something you need, you have less to deal with. I'm pretty quick with this process and do a little at a time. You just need two trash bags, one for things to give away and one for things to throw away.

More Tips:

• If you hate junk mail, consider canceling mailings of pre-approved credit card offers by contacting the three major credit card bureaus. This cut our junk mail significantly after about two weeks.
• Realize that this is a process and not something you just have to come up with overnight. I think a major mistake people make is that they treat organization like a fad diet and quit after a few weeks of trying--instead, you need to make minor changes that you can live with and then gradually work your way into being more organized. Over time, you'll notice a major difference if you just work on this a little each day.

Resources:

Dave Ramsey's Free Budget Template

How to Do Interior Design on a Budget

While I definitely don't look down on people who hire interior decorators, with your own home you may want to try doing it yourself. Here is what I consider to be a good list of alternative actions a person can take to get a nice look on a budget:

1) Before you start, take the time to gather resources and information for your project.

This can include watching home and garden cable networks (which have shows hosted by professional designers), consulting design magazines for ideas, and seeing what resources you can find on the Internet. I believe just because you're doing something yourself doesn't mean you have to go into a project not knowing what you're doing. If possible, you want to have people somewhat surprised that you did it yourself.

2) Consider the look you're wanting, along with the purpose of the room.

A room can look very nice and still not make guests uncomfortable about moving a throw pillow two inches to left and "ruining" it. I've actually laughed at some covers of interior magazines I've seen after picturing a real family living in such a pristine room. There's organized, and then there's impossibly organized. I think when it comes to this we all have to find a happy medium.

3) Prior to any action, get input from everyone else who uses the room.

For example, a desk may look nicer in a certain part of the room but may be too far away from a power source for your family member to use it for their computer very long. There are little things you may not think about where you need feedback just to be considerate of other people who use the room.

4) As with anything you do yourself, give yourself room to learn and even make mistakes.

I think when it comes to our homes, it's more important that we enjoy living in them than becoming frustrated with trying to create the "perfect" look. It's really comes down to a personal decision on what you want and how much time and energy you're willing to dedicate.

More Tips:

• Many home and garden websites not only have general tips put project documents that you can print and download for free!
• Consider looking up design principles such as color theory and perspective as well. While they're mainly in the general art field, they are helpful.
• With things such as paint and wallpaper, always get samples and check to make sure you like them in different light conditions. Just tape the sample to the wall and check it throughout the day. Otherwise it may cost you extra time and money to change it again.

Resources:

HGTV's Website
HGTV Pro
DIY Network

How to Use Color in Decorating

Using color to decorate can sometimes be intimidating, especially when you've never done it before. As someone who grew up in a home with white walls and beige carpet, I used to think adding color to a room meant covering it with artwork. Through school, I had studied art and the psychology of color, but I had never seen color applied well in a home until I met my husband's family. I want to offer you a few tips in this article that I've seen applied by my mother-in-law that I thought were impressive.

1) Decide if you need to change what size the room feels like.

The lightness or darkness of a color can visually affect how big or small the room seems. If you have a large room that you want to seem smaller and more cozy, you'll want to use darker colors. Lighter colors will open up a small room.

2) Think about the emotion you want the room to have. Color does impact people's moods.

A light sunny yellow for instance is a great shade if you don't want to go neutral but don't want too bright either. Psychologically, we associate this color with happiness and warmth (smiley face, sunlight, etc.)

Red can be used as an attention-grabbing color. You can have one focal wall painted red and the others painted a more neutral color. Your eyes will automatically go to the red wall first. It's a great way to showcase artwork and possibly distract from any negative aspects of the other walls. I've also seen were the upper part of a room was painted red, bringing your eyes up as opposed to the darker color on the lower half of the room.

Cool colors such as blue and green are more soothing. They're great options for bathrooms and bedrooms.

3) Don't forget about textures.

One of the best effects I've seen done in multiple houses is clouds on the ceiling. This can be done by sponging both light blue and white into cloud patterns. There are more detailed books with photos that I suggest you research before attempting it, but it looks very nice.

There are also kits that if you want to do a sponged combination of two or three colors. You don't have to have a lot of painting experience and the process is very forgiving if you make a mistake.

More Tips:

• Try it out first. When you're thinking of changing a color of a room, get a small sample square. Post it on the wall to check different lighting conditions. You may love the color during the day but find you dislike it when it gets dark. Better to find it out in the early stages than have to live with it or paint it back.
• If possible, plan your whole house even if you're not painting it all at the same time. Do a little planning to see if you have a set of colors you'd like to carry through your whole house. It doesn't have to be the exact same in every room, but houses look nicer if they have common colors spread out as opposed to unpredictable colors in each room.
• Don't forget about floors, furniture, and accessories. Walls aren't the only place you find color. Similar decisions can be made with your flooring (wood tones, stone or carpet), furniture (the colors of your couch, for instance), and accessories (curtains, rugs, artwork, etc.).
• Don't feel like you have to have a house that looks exactly like the home and garden magazines. They are designed to spark ideas for you, but you don't have to use every one of them. You want rooms to fit your personality and daily life. It doesn't have to look like a magazine cover, but it can definitely be what you want for you and your family.