Kitchen Pantries - A Place for Everything

I think one of the favorite sayings of all professional organizers is "A place for everything and everything in it's place."  It applies to every organizing situation and if you only remember this strategy, it can put you on the right track.  But I think this is especially poignant for kitchen pantries.  Kitchen pantries are one of the most used areas in a busy household.  Whether you like to cook or not, people have to eat and they need a place to put all their food in the meantime.  Food comes in, food goes out.  It's a mini grocery store, but most people don't organize it like that.

I recently worked with a client who needed some help with her pantry.  It was stressing her out, but she didn't even know where to begin.  It had been ages since she'd cleaned it out and the top shelf had become a catch-all that stalled any intimidated attempts that she made.

We started by taking everything out.  We put it into piles that would help us reorganize later - dinner items, cleaning supplies, dog items, stuff to put some place else, recycling, etc.  Since it had been a while since she had done this, we were able to cut out a lot of the clutter simply because the food item had expired.

Then we revamped her existing pantry shelves.  She had the simple wire shelving that many homes have.  While shelves of any kind are a necessity, sometimes the wire shelving for a pantry can be troublesome.  It doesn't allow things to slide easily and sometimes causes jars and cans to tip over if they aren't positioned just right.  To remedy this, we used foam board and contact paper and fit it to her existing shelves.  Not only does this allow things to slide easily, it cheered up her sterile pantry space!

Then I bought some clear pantry/fridge bins in a couple different sizes.  Bins that fit the depth of your shelf and slide make it easy for you to access things that must go in the back of the pantry.  I also bought two, stand-alone mesh shelves to make use of vertical space.  I created cute chalkboard-esque labels that matched the motif of the contact paper and put them in the proper places.  Labels are a must in a pantry that is accessed by more than one family member!  How can anyone help you keep things organized if you are the only person who knows where things go?  Labels make it clear to everyone that SALTY SNACKS GO HERE!

We put all of the appropriate items back into the pantry and voila!  A beautifully organized space to help nourish her family.  I'm happy to report that the messy top shelf no longer appears in her nightmares.

Organizing Work Materials

Working from home can be a true blessing...no commutes, more family time, more flexibility...but it can also mean a lot of extra "stuff" in your home that might not otherwise accumulate.  What do you do with all of it?

I recently worked with a client who is a Corporate Trainer for a living.  When she isn't traveling, she works from home.  Thus, all of her training material has to be kept in her basement.  Now, we weren't talking a banker's box worth of materials...we were talking binders upon binders upon bags upon boxes of stuff that littered her basement and left her feeling overwhelmed.  Because she didn't have an organizational strategy for housing her materials, she would end up searching for the ones she needed for a class for an unnecessary amount of time and would just throw them on the floor of her basement when she was done with them.  This was not a great plan for helping her reduce stress and maximize efficiency.

This client was working with a small budget, so we decided to repurpose some organizing tools she had in her house already.  We also bought an inexpensive, ugly grey filing cabinet on Craigslist and I revamped it to suit her tastes.  We determined a strategy for organizing her training materials - binders that weren't used often went on a bookshelf, training modules that required a lot of material stayed housed in the company training bags and put on a shelf, and smaller, frequently used materials were bagged and filed in the filing cabinet for easy retrieval.  It all fit in one closet in her basement and everything became a cinch to access and put back in no time at all.

My client said "You created organization heaven out of my trainer material hell!"  I was happy to help and even happier that she reports less stress and loves how easy it is to take out and put back her materials after a long business trip.

What about your work materials?  Do they cause stress or help you be effective?  Have you figured out a system that works for your day-to-day needs?  I'm always a phone call away if you aren't quite there yet!

April's Special Promotions

This month, in honor of ORGANIZING abc's launch, I am offering a money-saving special.  When you book 3 organizing hours, you'll get your 4th hour free!  This offer is only good until May 4, 2013, so be sure to book your free consultation with me soon.

Thirty-One also has a special promotion for April - when you spend $35, you can get the Jr. Rec Duffle for $10 or the Pro Duffle for $25.  If you host a party, you could get them for free!  Contact me about your order today.

As a running incentive - when you refer a friend to ORGANIZING abc's and they book organizing hours, you will BOTH receive $25 off your next session.  I value my customers and love good word of mouth because it means I've done my job well!  Keep it coming!

Thirty-One

As part of ORGANIZING abc's mission to organize with style, I decided to become an independent consultant for Thirty-One gifts and organizing products.  I love their products - they are stylish, easy, and cohesive.  It makes organizing a room and pulling all the decor together a cinch!  This addition to my business felt like a perfect fit.

Thirty-One works like many other independent consulting companies like Pampered Chef or Lia Sophia.  You can order directly from a consultant from the catalog or you could choose to host a Thirty-One party for all your friends and family to get in on the action too!  Hosting is really easy and it allows you the opportunity to get free products!  Why wouldn't you host?!

Check out my direct website for the catalog and product information.  I'd be happy to place an order for you if you see something you like!  I'd love it even more if you wanted to host a party!  The site has my contact information so you can get in touch with me.

This month, Thirty-One has a special going on!  From April 2nd - 30th, for every $35 you spend you get the new Jr. Rec Duffle for $10 or the Pro Duffle for $25!  Don't pass up these awesome savings!  Perfect for all those spring sports!

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

"Where do I start?"  This is the question I asked myself as I thought more about the nagging voice in the back of my brain telling me to start professionally organizing.  How would I even go about that?  And just like any good organizing task set before me, I took it one step at a time and made a lot of to-do lists.

There are probably three hobbies I love most in this world - organizing, planning, and crafting.  I love it.  I'm great at it.  It makes me happy.  The problem is that I only have so many things to organize, plan, and craft plan at home without driving my husband crazy.  I needed an outlet and making some income while I'm at it was a big added benefit.

For any big organizing project, it's important to break it down into manageable goals.  Your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant/realistic, and timely/time-bound (in other words, a S.M.A.R.T. goal).  If you can meet these requirements, your goals are sure to be motivating and rewarding.  I know you probably have heard of this cheesy acronym before and I'm not usually a bit fan of things like that, but this is actually really helpful.  It an easy way to make sure you are going to be successful.

Have a lot of clutter smothering your house?  Have guests visiting soon?  Break it down:

Let's start in the basement because that's where the guests will be staying (specific and relevant).  This weekend (timely) we will go through all of the holiday decorations (measurable) and decide what we want to keep, throw away, or donate (attainable).

I think that's doable in this busy life so many of us lead.  And if you break down all of your organizational dilemmas into smaller goals, you'll be clutter-free in no time!

The Launch of ORGANIZING abc's

I am so proud to announce that ORGANIZING abc's is open for business!  ORGANIZING abc's offers professional organizing services for anyone looking to de-clutter and reorganize with style and beauty.

My name is Ashley Clark and I am founder and Professional Organizer of this new venture.  I live in Bartlett, IL with my husband and young son.  We have two dogs and one cat, although it always seems like I am caring for a zoo-full.  I went to Illinois State University for my undergrad and graduate degrees and worked in higher education for several years before having my son.  At that point, I decided that my new family was priority #1 so I chose to be a stay-at-home mom.  I have been loving every minute, but I also sensed I needed another outlet for my adult brain and creativity.  Thus, ORGANIZING abc's was formed.

I am here to teach you the skills you need to solve a lifetime of organizing problems.  I can help you take control of your surroundings, your time, your papers, and your systems for life.  I do it all with regard to your personal tastes and aesthetics because I believe that you will be more excited about your newly organized life if it's also nice to look at!

This blog will be a journal of my adventures in clutter.  I plan to post helpful organizing tips, inspiration photos, and business news and updates.  I hope you'll subscribe to the blog or check back often!

Find out more about my services at MY WEBSITE and schedule a free consultation today!  I can't wait to organize with you!