Every time we go on a trip I’m the one that packs the car. Over the years I have become a pro at finding ways to get it all in the car and still have room for kids, dogs and the hubs. If Greg packs the car rest assured that someones stuff will be left behind or someone will have to hold a suitcase in their lap. I found out early in my mothering days that I was good at finding wasted space and organizing things.
If you go into anyones home most of the time you will find space unused but they will complain about clutter. So lets explore wasted space in a few rooms.
Kitchen’s these day seem to be the one place that need more storage than ever. If you are lucky to have tons of cabinets good for you but most of us don’t so we gotta get creative. I for one use the hutch in my dining room to store dishes I only use a few times a month. All my holiday dishes are packed away in tubs in a closet until Christmas rolls around. I try hard not to have dishes that I don’t use. Like all those plastic cups that pile up over time and no one uses them. I keep a few for the pool and the rest go out the door. I do a clean out ever so often to keep things from over flowing with unused and unwanted dishes. If you have space above your cabinets that is a great space to claim. Buy nice boxes or baskets and store holiday dishes or serving dishes you only use on occasion. One last place I see unused is the bottom of the pantry. It’s a great space to grab and organize for tons of extra space. I’m not sure why builders leave such a big space at the bottom of the pantry unused. Most of the time it ends up a catch-all and clutter. I’ve blogged before about pantry boxes. I’ve made them out of old drawers and casters. I’ve had one for years the caster helps me pull it out with ease so I can access what is in them. This is my daughters box I did for her new house. Heather knows I use mine all the time and it was a no brainer for her. I’m currently working on one that will be at the sidewalk sale Doc Holliday’s is having May 13th.
Oh the Laundry room another space wasting room in the house. Small or large you have to get in there and claim this valuable space. Most laundry rooms are typical washer, dryer with a small shelf above them. In my old home I had the typical set up and it never served me well. We changed all that when we had to purchase a new washer and dryer set. I bought a stackable set and it changed every thing and the space went from wasted to organized. I then had room to put both my dogs kennels stacked or course right next to the washer and dryer. On the other side of the room I now had a space for a folding table. This made my laundry days go so much smoother. I set up a basket system on the back of the table one for each family member. When all was done each person took their basket to their room and put it away. It was a magical moment in this momma’s life. To finish the room off and use all the space I added large baskets over the washer in dryer on the plain shelf that wasn’t really good for much. The basket organized odd and ends that weren’t used much. The baskets also cleaned it up so it didn’t look cluttered any more. I had labels on each basket so you didn’t have to look for things. Although my laundry room to-day is a split room it’s still much the same. I don’t have a shelf but both the washer and dryer have a cabinet over them. I added a wood counter top for folding and a place for my recycles. It’s a small space but I have pulled out all the space I could from it. It works well and it never gets messy because everything has a space.
This is a small space in your home but if organized just right it will be the best place to start your families day. Weather you enter and exit from the front door or the back door it’s important that you make it family friendly. Even if it’s a small area carve out a place that you can make a family organizing spot. Hooks for back packs, wall baskets to put things that need to go out the door the next day and even a spot for shoes so you don’t have to look for them. If there isn’t any space right inside the door you could find a space somewhere near that area to make a family organizing spot. Time in the morning is precious so making it easy to get out the door with no drama only makes sense.
For what it’s worth that is my two cents on how to use wasted space to work for your family. Go to each room over time in your home and really think about where the wasted space is and how you can use it. Make sure you take advantage of the space over head to put away things not used all the time. Making your home work for you instead of clutter your life is the best way to live a Blue Happy life.
