87 UNIQUE STORAGE SOLUTIONS

January is all about freshening up the home and getting organized.  It's a good time to store away the holiday decorations, do a thorough wipe-down (using zero waste cleaning products), and purge any non-essentials.

I always found that the fun begins soon-after by organizing with beautiful yet functional displays.  With everything looking pretty, it's easy to keep up things orderly the rest of the year.

Here are 87 unique storage solutions to help you keep organized, room by room.

PLANT LOVE

Plants make me happy.  I have plants in almost every room in the house.  A little excessive?  Probably, but there's a good reason for that.

HOW TO END JUNK MAIL FOREVER

One of the easiest ways to stop clutter from entering your home is to refuse junk mail.  The weekly coupon mailers, sweepstakes scams, AARP membership sign-ups (when you're only 35), and countless credit card applications can really add up to a lot of unnecessary waste.  The average American household receives 848 pieces of junk mail per household, equal to 1.5 trees every year.  That's a lot of junk and not to mention, the number of trips to the dumpster.

While you can wait for the junk mail to pile up on the kitchen counter before deciding to throw it into the recycling bin, just say "no" by eliminating the clutter before it begins.

JANUARY DETOX

Happy 2018!  There's nothing like starting off the new year with a new perspective.  That means creating a cleaner, more organized and peaceful home.

Speaking of new perspectives,

STORING HOLIDAY DECORATIONS

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Holiday decorating can be fun but putting them away can become stressful.  To help you get it done faster so you can enjoy more time sipping hot cocoa next to the fireplace, here are a few organizational tips.

CALLING ALL MINIMALISTS :: WHICH TYPE ARE YOU?

The minimalism movement has grown in the last few years, as Marie Kondo and the likes have sparked an international trend to only keep what you really love.  I'm a firm believer of decluttering and being mindful of the things we bring into the house. 

A YEAR-ROUND MINIMALIST WARDROBE

Luckily for me, living in Northern California where the seasons don't change too much makes it easy for me to transition my wardrobe from spring/summer to fall/winter.

5 WAYS TO BE ZERO WASTE AT THE DRY CLEANER

I wrote a few blog posts ago about an at-home dry cleaning method that I use (here) for two reasons:

1.  Save money from expensive dry cleaning fees, and 
2.  Avoid the use of harmful dry cleaning chemicals on my clothes.

However, I do take an occasional trip to my local dry cleaner to launder and press my husband's dress shirts.  He prefers his shirts extra crisp.

Here are 5 easy ways you can make your dry cleaning trip a zero waste success:

HOW TO SAVE MONEY WITH THIS AT-HOME DRY CLEANING METHOD

2015 - Maximizing my cost-per-wear by dressing down a silk dress with sandals

Dry cleaning clothes can be harmful on people, the planet, and not to mention - your wallet.  The liquid solvent used at 85% of all dry cleaners, called perchloroethylene or "perc," has been identified as a possible human carcinogen.

HOW TO BUILD A CAPSULE (OR MINIMALIST) WARDROBE

Have you ever stood in front of your closet and felt like you have nothing to wear, even though your closet is filled with clothes?  Me too.

(ALMOST) ZERO WASTE HOME :: CLEANING

In the past, I used a variety of cleaning solutions (i.e. bleach, Windex, Scrubbles, Comet, Draino, Clorox wipes) that I thought kept my house clean.  I remember my eyes would tear up uncontrollably and my hands started itching every time I cleaned.  I thought "maybe I'm just allergic to cleaning...or dust."  

MONEY SAVING TIP :: HOW BUYING TOILETRIES IN BULK SIZES SAVES YOU MONEY

Here is a price comparison to show you how you can save up to 57%, just by purchasing the same product in a larger size.  The reason for the higher cost of the smaller product is due to the cost of more packaging.

25 THINGS TO GET RID OF RIGHT NOW :: A NO-BRAINER SPRING CLEANING GUIDE

Getting ready to spring clean, but don't know where to start?  Here are 25 things you can get rid of today without giving it a second thought.  I hope this list will make spring cleaning a little easier for you.  Happy cleansing!

FOOD BANK DONATION

I spy lots yummy goodies that I can donate to our local food bank.

DECLUTTERING BABY ITEMS

The company that I work for recently hosted a donation drive through LovedTwice.org.  These clothes that my little babe Jace has outgrown will be going to a good home & not in the landfill.

Over 900,000 babies will be born into poverty in the U.S. this year. (Source: LovedTwice.org)  Baby clothes are expensive and they grow out of them quickly.  Rather than throwing clothes away, here are some resources I have discovered that fit my goal of decluttering while helping other families seeking less expensive baby essentials.

THE BEST MULTITASKING HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS

Whether you live in a studio with minimal space or in a large home with plenty of room to spare, having less products makes it easy to store, keep track of, and restock.

5 EASY STEPS TO DECLUTTER YOUR BEAUTY PRODUCTS

As a girlie girl, I love beauty products.  They can help you unwind after a stressful day, make you feel fabulous for a special event, or cover up those dark circles from lack of sleep.  (I can definitely relate to that last one with a new baby!)  My beauty counter