USAGE
- You don't ever want to buy a home
organizing product without knowing its exact intended usage. Doing so doesn't
help you get organized and instead may create more clutter in your home.
EXAMPLE: Ask yourself what exactly do I plan to put in this bin, chest,
box, jar, etc.? |
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DIMENSIONS
- What are the dimensions of
the item you want to place in this organizing product?
EXAMPLE: I want to store game boards in their boxes and they are each
three feet long by two feet wide and the entire stack will be three feet high. |
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FUTURE NEEDS
- Consider and allow for
future expansion when you buy home organizing products.
EXAMPLE: If you collect ornaments that hang on Christmas trees, you'll
want an expandable ornament box or one with multiple layers, even if you don't
use all the slots this year. |
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BUDGET
- Don't buy home organizing
products that bust your budget. Shop around for coupons and deals. Or just get
creative and think out-of-the-box.
EXAMPLE: A 9" X 12" envelope box when empty holds letter-size file
folders upright as well as any file storage crate or file cabinet. Just tear off
the lid and you have a file box. Need something fancier? Do the outside in
decorative contact paper sold at any dollar store. |
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LIST-MAKING
- Make notes of the
characteristics mentioned earlier like dimensions and shapes and take that list
to the store with you. Otherwise, you'll be surprised at how similar all the
bins and other home organizing solutions look in the store. And then you might
buy the wrong size.
EXAMPLE: Write that you need a translucent bin that's three-feet long,
about two-feet wide and at least three-feet tall to accommodate storage of that
dancing Santa ornament after the holiday. Also write that the bin needs to be
stackable. |
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BUY FOR YOU
- Only buy a home organizing
product for someone else if you have their input or at least a thorough
knowledge of their needs, home space, home decor and personal tastes and
behaviors.
EXAMPLE: Your neighbor may not appreciate the cute red leather foot stool
with the storage compartment if she owns house cats with long toe nails and her
living room contains all blue and brown furniture and accessories. |
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LOCATION
- Before you buy a home
organizing product, know exactly where you will put it.
EXAMPLE: I have room to stack a set of four bins in my garage rear right
corner. |
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THINK EASY
- Only buy home organizing
products that make your life easier somehow. Cute doesn't necessarily mean
functional.
EXAMPLE: A beautiful storage trunk that contains items you use frequently
is a hassle if you have to keep it stashed in a closet because you have no
appropriate floor space for it elsewhere. |
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RETURN IT
- You can return any home
organizing product that doesn't work. Don't delay in doing so.
EXAMPLE: If despite your best planning efforts, you find that vertical
shelving unit looks tacky and too enclosed in the space where you anticipated
placing it, put it back in the box and return it. |
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Shopping is fun. But stick to window shopping when it comes
to home organizing products until you're ready to follow these nine suggestions. Your wallet
will stay fuller and your home will stay less cluttered that way. |
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