by kathilipp | Feb 5, 2014 | Home |
Step One: Your Plan of Attack
Find a system that works that will keep you current with laundry. If you do not have one, here is what we use:
In our hall, we have four, 30 inch tall, plastic laundry hampers. Each one is a different type of laundry:
* Whites
*Colored underwear
*Everyday clothes
*Jeans, towels, sweats
This helps all of us to be able to sort the laundry quickly and easily.
Step Two: Sort It Out
Get your laundry room area cleaned out in order to be most efficient. This might take an afternoon if your area is small. If it is larger, I suggest taking fifteen minutes a day to get it in order. The best tip I have for this step is that we have a permanent “Give Away ” box in our laundry area for our clothes our kids have outgrown. When the box gets full, I take it to Good Will.
Getting rid of clutter can be a blessing to someone else as well. {click to tweet}
Step 3: Clean It Up
Before you start stocking up the shelves, give them and your washer and dryer a good wipe down. Deep cleaning makes any space a good one.
Step 4: Label It and Put It Away
This is the fun part! Label everything in order to make it easy to find. Some examples are stain removers, dryer socks, and socks (Mismatched Socks might be a better title sometimes).
Step 5: Keep It Up
The best way to keep up with laundry is to do it every day. The other thing that will make your life a lot easier is to remember this rule: Until the clothes are put away your laundry isn’t done. Just because the clothes are clean, and dry does not mean the laundry is done.
These steps will change laundry from something you dread to something that you can get done quickly in order to bring blessing to your self and your family.
by kathilipp | Feb 3, 2014 | Home |
The number one question I get when it comes to organizing is about ALL THAT PAPER. What do I do with it? What do I need to keep? How do I keep it from coming into my house? Please make the MADNESS STOP!!
Sigh…
I strongly suggest you gather all your loose paper into one place—every clutter pile of mail in your living room, all those magazines you want to save but aren’t sure why, the random sticky notes, coupons, envelopes. Search every nook and cranny around your house, and everything that was once a tree (except your furniture) goes in the box. It might be hard at first. I know that large stacks of paper make me want to roll up in a ball in a corner and weep uncontrollably. If you are already there, here are a few verses for you for FREE to comfort you!
Fist off, keep the paper from coming in the door. Here are a few tricks to stop the incoming flow:
- Stop It at the Source: If you aren’t reading the magazines, don’t let them renew. Call the customer service number of catalogs you receive to get off their list.
- Stop Giving Out Your Address: Don’t enter that sweepstakes to win a boat or free windows for your house. Or at least check the box that says they can’t share the information. (And don’t worry – we here at KathiLipp.com NEVER share your info.)
- Keep a Recycle Bag in the Car: I would have my kids go through their backpacks in the car and any paper they didn’t need (or I didn’t need to see) got put in the bag.
- Have a Plan: Our mailbox is in our garage, right next to our recycle bin. At least 60% of paper never comes into the house as it goes directly into the bin. If your box is outside, sort the mail at the box and walk into the house with two piles: one to handle, one to recycle.
You will need to organize this pile of papers into three boxes:
FILING –
This box is for anything that you need to file. Every household should have a simple filing system for receipts, warranties, tax returns, and all those other papers that aren’t currently “in motion” but may need to be referred to at a later date.
Try to keep your files as lean and mean as possible. You don’t need to keep your check stubs from college or warranties from a fridge you no longer own. Since so much of our lives are stored on our computers, we can get rid of a lot of the paperwork we no longer need. You can find most instruction manuals online, scan articles to keep on your computer, and put reminders directly on your digital calendar.
If you are still getting bills in the mail from your regular utility companies, get online and ask to go paperless. Yes – it will save some trees, but more importantly, it will save your sanity.
GIVE AWAY –
Do you have magazines that your library or some other organization would love? Ask first, and then drop them off.
GARBAGE AND RECYCLING –
You shouldn’t have much for the garbage, but I suggest a shredder for any sensitive information you want to get rid of.
Set aside one day a week to do all your paperwork. If only for fifteen minutes that day, being consistent will make the difference in a home cluttered with paper and one clear for real living!
Finally – my gift to you! 
This little filing system keeps all my papers organized and where I need them, when I need them. It has saved my bacon more times than I can count!
What do you struggle with as far as papers? Please tell me I am not the only one…
by kathilipp | Jan 27, 2014 | Home |
Everything I learned about organizing, I learned in kindergarten.
If you are participating in the 2014 Things Challenge, you know that we need to not only get rid of things, but organize the things we have in an easy way.
The most organized rooms most of us will ever experience are at either a school or a hospital. Since I frown on having to go through minor surgery in order to gain organizing tips, I choose instead to draw my inspiration from the classroom.
I have an inside track. My stepdaughter, Amanda Lipp, is an associate teacher at a childcare facility. While she and I were discussing how she wants her room to be set up for her students, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between a well-set-up classroom and a well-set-up home.Here are Amanda’s guidelines for a well-run classroom:
1. Everything has a place and everyone knows where that place is. Everyone in the house knows where things are because items have an established place.
2. Clearly label items with words and a picture. Label your drawers, bins, tubs, and baskets in a way that everyone in the house can understand.
3. Keep the room clutter free so children can easily roam and play. I stay on top of clutter so that we don’t have to clear off a table before we eat dinner or move piles of paper from a desk before I can work on it.
4. Clean up areas when “children finish playing” and before beginning another activity. After I’m done with a project, I put it away so that I don’t get overwhelmed by the mess.
5. Arrange the art on the wall neatly, using frames, canvas, backgrounds. A room with too much artwork will feel chaotic and agitating. I keep things in my home simple and uncluttered. I want the people in my home, not the stuff, to be the focus.
These are easy first steps to take to create an intentional life where you have the freedom to do things, not spend time trying to find things!
Do you have any “tips” to help a home run like a classroom, organized and efficiently?
Any teachers out there that can give us the secrets to organizing?
by kathilipp | Jan 21, 2014 | Home |
Whenever someone starts to discuss the 2014 Things Challenge people have one of two reactions:
- “2014 Things? I desperately need to do this!!!”
- “2014 Things? I could never come up with 2014 things!!!”
I’ve been so amazed at the post to my Facebook Page of the number of Things you all are racking up!
A few of you have already racked up over 1000 things, and one brave warrior, my agent Rachelle Gardner HAS ALREADY COMPLETED THE 2014 THINGS!!!!
Here is what she said:
“Kathi, just FYI… we completed the 2014 Things challenge. Yep, in one day! And believe it or not, I haven’t even made a dent in my books. The challenge continues… perhaps we’ll make it into the 20,014 Things challenge???
And by the way, we live in a smallish house, maybe 1900 sq ft, so I know we don’t have as much clutter as many people! Once you get in the right mindset, getting rid of stuff is ridiculously easy and fun.”
I don’t want these success stories to make you feel behind. Instead, I want them to inspire you to know that it’s doable!!!
And to help you out, my team has come up with this great download: 75 Places and Spaces to Find 2014 Things
Tell me in the comments what space and place your plan on attacking next,(Roger and I have romantic plans to clean out the garage weekend after next. Pray for us,) and you’ll be entered to win a copy of The Get Yourself Organized Project
Happy Tossing!!!
by kathilipp | Jan 20, 2014 | Home, Relationships, The "What's for dinner?" Project |
Meal time can be one of the most hectic times in a mama’s day. With today’s busy schedules, it is easier to drive through than dive in to your kitchen.
These easy steps will help you make meal planning easy so that you can get to the fun part of connecting with your family and not just the food!
Step 1:
Create a master list of meals for the month. Click here for a list of FREEBIES where you can find a shopping/inventory sheet to make your meal planning easy! Keep in mind your family schedule as you create meals for each day. Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to be less chaotic in our home, so I can plan a little more elaborate meal for those days. Now, some days, elaborate may mean that I just put a pat of butter on the green beans before serving, but usually it means that I can make something that might take a bit more time or preparation. The “What’s For Dinner?” Solution is a wonderful resource to create quick, easy, affordable meals.
Step 2:
Put each of the meals into categories for easy planning. A few that I use are Freezer meals – ones that I have on the freezer already, Slow Cooker meals – ones that I will need my crock pot for and create ahead of time, or LOOP meals – Left Over On Purpose. This might mean a turkey pot pie from the leftover turkey from the dinner the night before. Once you have the meals, you can organize what you need for each meal.
Step 3:
Create the calendar and make copies of it for the next couple months. Some things might change, but when you have a template to work from, it makes life a whole lot easier. After you use it, you can evaluate if the system is working.
Planning your meals ahead of time will help you feel more in control and less frazzled at dinner hour. Thinking ahead gives you the freedom to enjoy your day. To help you start planning right away, just subscribe to my blog right over there in the purple little post-it and get a free copy of The Ultimate Guide to Man Food. Easy Peasy!
by kathilipp | Jan 14, 2014 | Home |
It was another “Get Rid of It” week at the Lipp’s house. You can see our list below.
One of the challenges I was coming up with during the 2014 Things was keeping track of all the things I came across that I knew I didn’t need anymore. I needed a dedicated place to put those things (that also had easy access,) until I could count them and donate.
Finally, I cleaned out a small portion of our closet in the office and put a box in there lined with a large garbage bag. Every time I find something that I no longer need or want, it goes to the closet. Once the bag is full, I count the “things” and then put the bag in my car to donate.
If your “Donation Station” is out in the garage, or down in the basement, you are less likely to go and put those things away, keeping the clutter inside.
Put your “Donation Station” somewhere that you will see it everyday. Let it be a constant reminder to you and your family that you are getting rid of 2014 Things. (And then feel free to hide it when company comes over.)
SO that’s what you do with the things you are going to donate, but what if you’re selling some of your items to take that trip to Disneyland this summer? Or to help pay for home school supplies.
Here is the question posted by Deb Dyer: “Getting a slow start, but looking forward to the challenge. Really enjoyed your message today. Will take some items to Salvation Army. Would like to hear of places to sell some items. Not into eBay though. Do you have any other ideas? Really appreciate it.”
So tell me in the comments below how you are planning on earning some cash from your stash and you could win this week’s book: 
Last week’s winner was JULIE DONAHUE!!!
And here is a list of what the Lipps dashed from the house:
10 Pairs
of Pants
2 Coats
4 Shirts
2 Dog Collars
1 Box of Cat Pan Liners
I Box of Plug In’s
1 Umbrella
1 Doggy bag holder
1 Dog Seatbelt
I Deck of Cards
1 Leash
1 Pair of Dog Toe Nail Clippers
1 Cat Brush
1 Food Bowl
1 Keurig Coffee Cup holder (I had 2 – now I have zero)
1 Hole Punch
1 Link Brush
6 Hangers
1 Craftsman tool caddy *
1 Bottle of Japanese soda *
1 Casserole Dish *
For a total of 40 THINGS this week.
* These were items that my kids left at the house after Christmas – they are gone now so they count!!!
Step One: Your Plan of Attack
