Do You Have a Command Center?

Happy Monday!  For many it is a holiday, off from work for President’s Day along with the kids.

Quick question, have you ever wished for one central spot to keep the kids and you organized?  I mean besides the pile on the kitchen counter or table when the kids unpack their bags from school?  Maybe you have a basket where everything gets dropped?

If you are like me, usually something gets lost in the “pile”.  Or something never makes it to the pile so it never gets done.  What if you had one spot for everything?

Does your refrigerator look like this?  Notes and lists everywhere.  Mine isn’t this neat and as a result, you guessed it, things get lost.

As women, we need to fulfill many roles and take care of many responsibilities in our families.  Everyone looks to us to keep them on track.

A Control Center is the communication center for your family where you keep track of all activities, as well as the plan for managing your household. It is in one central location so everyone knows the plan.  Each control center may be different BUT the common elements are:

Calendar:  to keep track of appointments, doctor’s appointments, music lessons, sports practices/games and family social events.  We have one on the fridge but the information never seems to make it past my planner or the calendar on our phones.

Meal Plan – A weekly meal plan will not only help you get dinner on the table but will save you time and money as well.  Since it is just hubby and I, there is not meal plan.  LOL.  I cook on Monday and Tuesday for the week for him and freeze.  A meal plan allows the kids to pitch in and help to get things ready.

Grocery List – Keep a grocery list on your fridge so you can mark when you are about to run out of items.  We use a wipe board and add to it as needed which is a HUGE help when it comes time to grocery shop.

Kid Plan – Chore charts and lists with morning, afternoon and evening routines will help to keep kids on track.

Household To Do List – Keep a list of home projects to be done such as seasonal cleaning and repairs.  

This is also a good spot for Emergency information for babysitters.  A list of phone numbers for neighbors is good to in case your children need to call them.

The Oh Snap Pockets by Thirty One are perfect for kids papers or to keep forms handy.  They can be personalized for tasks or for individuals OR you the chalk front which is easily wipeable to change as needed.  The Oh Snap Bins are great for keys or your cell phone.

The key to a successful system is to keep it as simple as possible.  Too many steps or ‘over-organizing’ can be a waste time.  Choose your most basic, essential needs and skip unnecessary elements.

Not a lot of space, how about the NEW Hang-It Pocket Organizer.  Get organized in the mudroom, office or playroom with this five-pocket organizer.  It can be tied on a door or hung on the wall. Extra-roomy pockets are great for craft supplies, file folders or even kids’ toys. Pair it with our Wall Together collection for the ultimate wall storage solution!

Printables are courtesy of The Peaceful Mom.  Be sure to check out her blog for more tips, tricks and printables.

My essentials in our control center is a calendar and the grocery list.   Choose what works for you.  What would you include?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Low Cost Organizing Tips

Let’s get organized….I may be showing my age but I am humming those words to the tune of Olivia Newton John’s “Let’s Get Physical”.  Anyone out there remember it?

Getting and staying organized isn’t easy.  The new school year has started and the organization plan you had in place for the first week may already be a little off track, right?  All of those pretty pictures on Pinterest look great but sometimes they just aren’t functional for us, in real life.

So, if you’re struggling to conquer clutter once and for all, here are some simple organizing tips to help you get started.  I know and so do you getting organized at home can be easier vowed than done. But even if you’re short on time (and budget), there are dozens of ways you can get your house in order. Here are some low-cost organizing tips; many of them are environmentally friendly, too!

#1 Keep a tray or basket on the kitchen counter where kids can drop off permission slips and adults can put mail requiring immediate action. A second tray can handle lower-priority paperwork.

#2 Don’t waste time constantly topping up cereal-sized food storage containers with dog or cat kibble. Use a metal trashcan to store one bag at a time in rodent-proof style.

#3 Use a recharging station to keep your cell phone, MP3 player and other portable device cords untangled and your gadgets fully charged.

#4 Can’t find fresh garlic or onions? Keep them in clean knee-high nylons. Hang in a cool, dry place.

#4 Post a sheet of paper (or use a wipe board) on the fridge to note groceries and supplies needing replenishing. On grocery day, just grab the sheet and go.

#5 Use small jam jars (or baby food jars) to hold cotton swabs, balls and other essentials inside your bathroom vanity drawers.

#6 A stash of bath towels rolled inside a basket helps, too.

#7 Store kids’ bath toys in a fine-laundry bag. Hang from the faucet ’til fully drained.

#8 Use a shower organizer and just the basics: mild shampoo, conditioner and a body wash.  Stash extra shower products in plastic caddies – one per family member.

#9 Keep cleaning products in a caddy, too.

#10  Got kids? Get large tubs that can be used to deploy toys – and quickly move them out of living spaces when company’s coming.

#11 Don’t hold on to magazines. Just rip out any pages you want to keep for future reference, keep in a file folder, then recycle the rest.

#12 Toss dirty socks into mesh fine-laundry bags. Orphaned socks will be a thing of the past.

#13 Recycle old plastic shopping bags. Store them in an empty Kleenex box ‘til you need them. Great for cleaning the litter box or poop bags if you have pets.

#14 Big, busy family? Paint one entire wall in your mudroom in chalkboard paint so everyone can easily leave messages for one another.

#15 Designate a back-to-car zone by your entranceway, and put anything there requiring to be returned to the trunk – i.e. reusable grocery bags, empties – so the next person to use the car will remember to bring them.

What are some of your best low cost organizing tips?  Share them with us.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!