Whether you’re in the Southern or Northern Hemisphere, the seasons have changed and it’s time to switch your clothes around.

My goal is to have all my clothes comfortably in one wardrobe. This is 98% – I have 6 pairs of corduroy pants hanging in another bedroom.

I remember YEARS ago when I first started working I had about 5 things to wear for work. It was so quick to get dressed in the mornings because there wasn’t much choice.

Even though most of my clothes fit in one wardrobe, I still switch things around because I put all the current season’s stuff on the right of my cupboard – the left door stays closed most of the time.

If you look closely, you’ll see long-sleeved shirts on the top left and long-sleeved suits on the bottom left. Those are my winter clothes.

Do you switch your clothes around? If yes, have you done yours yet? Can you declutter any items?

We moved into this new-to-us house in November 2005. In January 2006, the new owners of our old house phoned me (about something unrelated) and I asked her how she was enjoying the house (which I LOVED!!!).

She said to me, “Marcia, there’s not enough storage space”

The thing is there was more than enough storage space because even after decluttering stacks of things, we found that the new (bigger) house had far less storage than our old house.

Anywayyyyy, so what do you do?

I’ll confess that I had 3 guys out to give us quotes to put in more kitchen cupboards. Then I realised that I was being crazy to spend all that money – all I needed to do was buy one sideboard unit and declutter ruthlessly.

Declutter regularly —>>
Definitely make time to declutter on a weekly basis. The minute plastic containers look ugly (stained), I move them to another location either as drawer dividers if I need them, or I throw them out!

Make every item do double-duty
Choose desks with drawers and not just a table surface. Or use the space underneath for storing files.
Use a sideboard with lots of storage instead of just a table top.

Go vertical
Put up shelves along the walls. Hang kitchen utensils above the stove instead of in a canister or in a drawer. Use the inside of cupboard doors.

One in, one out
Or better still, one in, two out Use this for everything – t-shirts, mugs, tea towels, magazines, everything!

These are some of the ways I maximise our less-than-stellar storage situation. How do you maximise your storage?

There are some great solutions to organise your jewellery – hooks on doors, compartmentalised jewellery boxes, tool boxes from the hardware store, cutlery trays, etc.

To start with, analyse what you have (earrings, bracelets, necklaces, etc) and how much you have. Then only select your storage solution.

I have lots of small studs (well…about 8 – 10 pairs) so I just lump them all together in a small jewellery box.

I have some hanging earrings, bracelets and necklaces which I keep on hooks.

No need to get fancy – chop a coouple of nails on the inside of your wardrobe door and drape them over there. Have a look at a picture of my wardrobe door. Or hang them on a martini glass (I blogged about this here.).

I also like ice-cube trays (if you have that much space in your drawers) but I tend to advise going vertical with this kind of storage.

How do you store your jewellery?

You can teach your children to be organised. The earlier you start, the earlier you can delegate

While they’re organising, they’re learning valuable life skills. They can learn to sort, to return toys to their homes, to make decisions while decluttering.

What to use
ice-cream tubs
clear shoe bags
wastepaper baskets – for tall, thin items like swords, cricket and baseball bats, etc.
ziploc bags -for puzzle pieces, legos, etc

How
Make things easy. If you use a basket without a lid, it is easier to put things away.
Label clearly with pictures.
For smaller children, use the bottom bookshelves and free-standing storage bins on the floor.

Declutter regularly. Now is the perfect time right after Christmas to go through those rooms and get rid of the old stuff

How do you stay organised with your children’s toys?