Clutter drives me insane. I didn't care about it as much when I was younger because I was always able to wander into another room of the house if MY room was messy. But ever since I went to college and had to live in jail-cell sized dorms, my tolerance has gone nowhere but down. I'm sure my mom is just laughing her head off right now, but it's true. There was a big upswing in my anti-clutter feelings after I started working from home. I guess because I'm here to stare at it all day.
One area we've always been really lazy with is the mail. Since the day we moved in together our system has been to just dump it on the table and leave it there. Well, not anymore!
Ooooh, aaaah! Look at my new organization corner! (But don't look at that old phone jack we haven't ripped out of the wall yet. It's on the list.) Hubsey and I have been talking about getting some kind of mail/calendar system in place since we bought the house and the stars aligned for it last week. I cruised through GoodWill and found the cork board for $2 and the huge calendar for $3. Then I went to Target and got the cardboard paper sorter for $10.
The calendar is where Hubsey and I will write down major things each of us have going on, like his travel for work and my craft shows. I also plan to stick the grocery list up there, because no matter how many times we tell ourselves we can make a list right before we go to the store, we always forget something.
Aren't the feathers pretty?
And look, the paper sorter has fun chevrons on the inside:
It's only been a few days, but so far it's working really well. And it's nice to have more space on the table for reading blogs while I eat my breakfast. (It's the little things.) Do you have a system for sorting mail? Or keeping track of the grocery list? Who else gets twitchy when there's too much clutter? Have you many any minor updates to your abode?
We have a basket right at the entrance of apartment for mail. Prior to that the norm was to drop it on the kitchen table. I like the basket now. I used to write down things for Ryan such as work schedule or plans but he never paid attention so I just wait until the day before and remind him. I have two cork boards in our office. Once for all of my ideas and fabric swatches and then other for all paperwork reminders like doctor's appointments. I actually just recently moved to two because having just one was getting so cluttered it drove me insane.
ReplyDeleteCork board for $2...!? That's a find!
ReplyDeleteMy system is not as optimized as yours, but it manages to keep the 'landing' spot clear.
In our case it's a corner of the kitchen counter (apartment living!) where I keep any mail that is NOT spam inside a lidded wicker basket :)
I love organized spaces :) I sort through the mail as soon as it comes in. Junk goes straight into the recycle paper bin. I separate the bills into piles of urgency :)
ReplyDeleteJail cell...I'm still laughing. My dorm worm was made out of cinder block. What a nice system you have there, much better than dumping.
ReplyDeleteLoved your comment about your messy room when you were younger and yes I was laughing my head off!! You really are an adult now! I'm sure you'll find this amusing - your clutter has moved from your house to mine! You need to move back home so I can call and say have the place cleaned up before I get home. :)
ReplyDeleteLooks really pretty, I too am unorganized. Uh oh maybe that should have been one of my resolutions, ha!
ReplyDeleteFunctional and chic! And I love the prices too!
ReplyDeleteI keep a magnetic notepad on the fridge for our grocery list. I have a mail sorter, but somehow it never all fits in there!
We have a fancy mail/bill separator but somehow the mail still ends up in a pile on the counter. Sigh. This inspires me to get it together!
ReplyDeleteI have that same mail organizer! I hung it up last night and spent the whole evening organizing my desk area. Annddd there is still clutter. I blame it on living in a tiny house :)
ReplyDeleteI had the messy room, too! I cannot stand clutter. I can deal with it for awhile but then it makes me feel like my head is going to explode and then I'm like a madwoman putting things away. Our mail gets sorted right away. Junk to recycling, bills to in front of the computer, trash in the garbage. Things that need to be filed now have a little paper sorter thing that I got from the dump, which is in a cabinet out of the way, and the grocery list generally sits on the counter where I can see it. I love your finds, though. Cork boards are the best. I have one in my sewing room, just like Eyelah.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, fancy and all for a good price! I love your decluttering idea. We live in a tiny room (Jen's childhood bedroom) so mail wise, whatever is important we keep, junk gets thrown away and we read our magazines than cut them up for crafting or throw them away!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a wonderful idea! I love it. You'll have to let us know if it continues to work.
ReplyDelete<3 Melissa
wildflwrchild.blogspot.com
I am right with you about the clutter. I started to lose tolerance for it when I started college and lived in the dorms. Now that I work from home, I do clutter sweeps every day. Your new system looks great! Best of luck with it.
ReplyDeleteClutter drives me bonkers as well. I do a scrub of the house every couple of days and have thrown away important "clutter" more than once :).
ReplyDeleteWe had a mail sorter thingy at our old house but I haven't put one up in the new pad yet. I love what you found at Target! Something like that would be perfect next to our front door.
Thanks for sharing!
my boyfriend was a really hard one to "train" but i've now got him putting his keys, loose change and misc. into a bowl by the door as soon as he comes in. i think it has saved my sanity. =)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a good idea. Right now we are just throwing mail in a basket on the bottom shelf of the entry/console table by the door. But it's not organized at all. Clutter doesn't really bother me all that much, but I try to keep it under control anyway because I don't want it to look like an insane person lives here when someone comes over.
ReplyDeleteLooks good! Those were some great finds at Goodwill. I'm trying to start the new year off right and get more organized too. We put up shelves with bins in our dining room and are looking for a good paper organizer for the desk.
ReplyDeleteI am sooo trying to get the clutter under control. The mail is one of the easier ones for me. I work at it ALL the time.
ReplyDeleteLove your sorter! that's so cute. I have a sorter in one of my cabinets that was put away YEARS ago, full of goodies. I guess it's sort of like a time capsule. I should get it out, and let jamie "smash" it for me. hahahaha
great job Paige! good luck, stay with it, and it will make you smile, to have it under control.
gail
I really can't handle clutter, it drives me absolutely insane - especially if its someone elses, haha! My housemates are both guys and they just don't understand the concept of keeping things tidy. Love the idea of having a paper sorter by the calendar!
ReplyDelete