How to Make the Most of a Small Closet

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If there is one area of the house that never seems to be big enough, it’s the closet. While constantly stuffing and shoving your clothing into a small closet can be frustrating, the thought of downsizing your wardrobe may be even worse. Fortunately, there are many ways you can optimize your closet space so that you don’t have to sacrifice your style or your sanity. Here are some helpful organization tips on how to make the most of a small closet.

Put seasonal clothing in storage

Rotating your seasonal clothing in and out of your closet throughout the year is a great way to free up some extra space, making it a simple way to make the most of a small closet. After all, there’s no point in stocking your closet full of bulky winter clothing during the middle of the summer.  According to Fair Indigo, embracing long-lasting clothing and building a capsule wardrobe can make a significant difference in managing limited closet space, helping you keep only the essentials without sacrificing style.

Instead of allowing clothing that you only wear for a few months of the year to maintain a permanent residence in your closet, consider sorting through your wardrobe each season and taking out any items that won’t be useful for the foreseeable future. Then, pack up and store away your winter clothes or summer clothes until the weather calls for them again.

Think outside the rack

If all you have is a single rack to hang all your clothing on, you’re likely wasting a ton of closet space. When you have limited room to work with, it’s important to make the most of all usable space. That means you should aim to increase your closet’s storage capabilities both above and below your clothing rack.

If there is room below your clothing rack, installing a second rack can easily double your closet’s storage potential. Above your clothing rack, consider adding a shelf to store extra clothing and accessories, such as sweaters or bags. Another way to increase the storage potential of your closet is by adding hooks on your closet door to hold belts, scarfs, and other accessories. Anything you can do to help maximize usable space will help your closet look less cluttered, despite its small size.

Opt for thinner hangers

When it comes to making the most of a small closet, every millimeter helps. While the thickness of your clothing hangers may not seem like it would make a big difference, the additional space that they provide over their thicker counterparts pays off. Opting for thinner hangers allows you to easily fit a noticeably larger number of clothing items in your closet without having to make any major structural upgrades.

Paper Organization: Estate Planning

On March 11th the WHO officially declared a pandemic. In order to “flatten the curve” we have been spending much more time in our homes enabling us to tackle projects we usually do not have time for. After organizing the attic, basement, and other areas which never seem to get done, now may be the time to organize paper as well.  Paper can be challenging. Sometimes piles of paper are waiting to be filed, or things have been filed for 20 years and they are outdated. You have been meaning to review and update but it is never the right time, never a priority.

During this quarantine, one area clients have asked for our advice is estate paper organization. For example, what papers will be needed if something happens to me? Where do I store these papers? These are things that we don’t like to think about but they are very important to keep current.  Organized papers can make a huge difference in helping our loved ones should something happen to us. 

Here is a list of information/paperwork you will need to gather and store:

• Copy of your current Will

• Checking/Saving/CD information. Which bank, credit union, or financial institution do you use?

• Safe Deposit Box. What bank is it located, where is the key located?

• Money Market Accounts/Stocks/IRA’s (Roth and traditional)/Bonds/Other Investments/CD’s. Which institution handles them, who is the contact person?

• Mortgage Documents

• Life Insurance Policies (Whole life, Term, Long Term Care Policies) 

• Home Insurance

• Jewelry /Personal Property Insurance if applicable

• Cemetery/Funeral Information

• Pension and/or Social Security information 

• Vacation home or Time Share information

• Military Records (possible death benefit?)

• Royalties/Dividends 

• Organization memberships with payable upon death benefits

• Annuities with payable upon death benefits

• Deeds for cars, trucks, motorcycles and boats

Keep all paper current. No need to include old Life Insurance Policies or outdated Deeds. 

Decide where papers will be kept. Safe Deposit Box? A fire proof safe in your house? Let a family member/executor know where everything is located should something happen to you. 

Consider documenting the above on a single sheet to make the executor’s job easy should they need to access your information. 

Getting all these things together may take some time, but when done you will feel a great sense of relief knowing your papers are organized and can be easily accessed when necessary. Should you need additional help or advice, contact us .

Tips for Keeping Your Home Office Organized

For many working mothers across America, working from home has become the new normal. Though this gives us more time to spend with our families and the comfort that comes with staying indoors, it can be difficult to keep ourselves productive. Even those with a home office to retreat to often struggle with maintaining their focus throughout the day. So, if you have one of these spaces yourself, it’s crucial that you find ways to organize it that enhance your productive time. Utilize these tips for keeping your home office organized to start you off right.

Make Decluttering a Habit

Extra papers and files can quickly stack up on your desk when you’re working from home, making it hard to find what you’re looking for and raising your stress levels. It’s for this reason that, the more cluttered a workspace is, the more difficult it is to focus and complete projects in a timely manner. To ensure that you can begin each day refreshed and ready to work, make sure that you’re setting aside some time each day to declutter your office and prepare it for tomorrow.

Revisit Your Current Organization Method

If a decluttering routine isn’t helping you increase your productivity and efficiency at home, you may need to revisit and revise your old organization method. Whether you need to keep track of files, business records, or projects, it’s important that you establish a better method to separate them while keeping them close enough to easily access. It’s for this reason that many individuals use systems such as color-coding with colored resealable plastic bags and folders or alphabetizing to give them an idea of where everything is.

Hide the Wires from Your Tech

Between your computer, workstation, and other electronic devices, you probably have a lot of cords running through your office. When left untamed, these wires can be both a tripping hazard and a distracting eyesore. So, to ensure that you have the cleanest and safest workspace possible, properly secure all electrical cords and store them where you won’t typically see them.

Go Paperless

Going paperless is another viable option for those looking to minimize the amount of paperwork they need to keep organized in their home office. Recent advancements in organization technology have produced several different applications to store and track work documents. This makes them not only easier to find, but also less work to sort and maintain. Plus, you can copy and send documents with a few clicks of your mouse, rather than taking the time to scan them.

Guest Post - Benefits Of Organized Kitchen While Cooking

Who doesn't love an organized kitchen, as it will help in cooking? The perfection of anything can come from some organized form; the same goes for the cooking if you want to cook better organized your kitchen cabinet first. Another major factor of organizing is the cleaning factor, or you can clean the countertop easily for cooking as, without this, a kitchen looks the same as the body without a soul, so cleaning is the soul of the kitchen.

Firstly, we discuss with you the various ways to organize your kitchen. This can be done quickly, and you can do it yourself as you do not require any specialized person to do so. You must first remove the unnecessary items from your kitchen as it captures many spaces in your kitchen; secondly, put similar items in the upper kitchen cabinet, or you can organize the kitchen cabinet. For example, all the glasses in your kitchen must be organized into the same cabinet, or you can make a separate kitchen cabinet in the kitchen for glasses, in the lower cabinet you can include pans, cutting boards, salad spinners, etc.

The Various Benefits Of The Organized Kitchen While Cooking Are As Follows:

1.   It Saves Your Time: 

The foremost benefit or advantage of an organized kitchen is that it saves your time as, for instance, if your kitchen is unorganized, it is challenging for you to recognize where your spices or essential elements are and can use various techniques given above for the betterment of your kitchen. As organized utensils also a benefit for you to save your time while preparing your food or cooking.

2. Cleaning Will Become Easy:

Another benefit is that you can clean your kitchen easily as if all the elements or equipment used in the kitchen are put into the cabinet in the proper form; it will help you to clean your kitchen easily. Your countertop also becomes easy, or cooking will become so grateful that you love cooking in the kitchen and able to spend more time.

3. Save Your Money:

The advantage of an organized kitchen is that you can save much more money as if the wastage is reduced then it will surely save your money and helps you to increase your investment and buy some new equipment for your kitchen. You can also buy a cooking recipe book or online recipe magazine to increase your knowledge about new recipes.

4. More Space:

Your refrigerator is a progressively proficient capacity unit when you organize your items. Also, you can buy new items and store them in different cabinet areas of the kitchen. More space means more flexibility, which will also ensure you more enjoyment.

5. Fine Environment:

The Organized form of the kitchen makes a pleasant environment, which helps you to feel amazing while cooking.

Conclusion:

The perfection of anything can come from some organized form; the same goes for the cooking if you want to cook better organized your kitchen cabinet first. Another major factor of the organization is the cleaning factor, or you can clean the countertop easily for cooking as, without this, a kitchen looks the same as the body without a soul, so cleaning is the soul of the kitchen. Significant benefits for the organized kitchen are like it saves time, money, your space, and provides you a beautiful environment. So do follow these practices and make your kitchen an elegant look by properly organizing them.

Author Bio: Robert Helms is a freelance writer based in a NYC. When not writing for clients, he spends most of his time on DIY projects that can make his 800 sqft. apartment a home.