How do you keep organised?

[Butterpie]

So I keep finding lovely websites, books, project ideas and so on but they are for older kids or different seasons or just not what we are doing at the moment.

DD1 will occaisionally do a lovely picture or such that really makes me think she is doing well and that would be great to wave at people who say I can't possibly teach her without a teaching degree and a school full of stuff.

I take loads of pictures and print them out for DD1 to use in collages and scrapbooks (she can't really read or write yet but she loves to do little collages of things she has seen and I write down what she tells me about them, we also use the pictures to look things up at home)

We are keeping an eye out for resources in charity shops and so now have things like a big number line, a microscope/magnifying thing, loads of little games and toys, loads of craft stuff and so on. Some are used all the time now, some are for in a few years.

So, with one 3yo and a baby, we already are getting quite a lot of...stuff. We are still preschool so I imagine we will have loads. Any tips for keeping on top of it?

We have bought ahead quite a lot of stuff and I keep them in boxes in the attic till they're needed. I did have some lists somewhere of what I have, it's probably around somewhere. I keep the materials we're using currently on bookcases and work surfaces so they're easily accessible but other stuff I put away for later, but I do organise them into boxes and label them so I can find them.

It's easy to get carried away with buying stuff in the early days - there's so much out there that looks useful but in fact you might never use it. It might be worth taking a break for a while and getting yourself a system for what you already have before adding to it. Perhaps you need to be more disciplined about what you buy - we reached critical mass after about six months and just didn't have room for all the stuff we were collecting, so we're a lot firmer with ourselves now .

I think I'll need to set limits too - even if my DCs do end up at school I'll probably keep buying anything vaguely educational! In fact we've just set a 2-month ban on any toys, DVDs etc (for us too).

Will watch this for tips!

ButterPie I can't remember how old your baby is but at least in a year or 2 (unless you have another?) you'll be able to get rid of all your 'baby stuff' as that takes up a horrendous amount of room doesn't it! High chair etc...

The baby is seven months and does have quite a ridiculous amount of stuff, considering she generally wants to be held and breastfed so she doesn't actually really need...well, anything, really! EG she has FIVE "sitting places" (playmat, bouncer, bumbo, walker, highchair) which even I can see is excessive...

I buy and sell a lot on ebay, and I work for Usborne Books, so I lot of the stuff is from my stock, if that makes sense. If I get ten of a game in for ebay, I will put one or two aside for my two. This is meaning that I have quite a bizarre collection of resources though :D

You will probably end up with shedloads of bookcases!! I also find that IKEA Trofast units are great for toys, art and craft stuff, sewing things etc. As MrsvWoolf says, a place for everything.

Having said that, my house is still a tip!!!

I second the IKEA Trofast storage. And a place for everything. But also would warn against the overwhelming desire to buy up everything educational you see! It's good to have a few stock things, but really it's very easy to buy things cheaply online when you need them, then you're less likely to risk wasting money.

If you have your parents and PILs on board, you may find that they are keen to help and will buy things too. My parents give me a bit of money each month to spend on HE stuff - trips, books, whatever, and remind me it's no different to grandparents who contribute to private school fees!

Sorry, that digressed a bit from storage to money!

Be judicious about what you keep too. Declutter regularly and sell/freecycle things that just aren't being used. And I also agree with the poster who said about getting rid of baby stuff. Like you we have very little baby stuff compared to the average family, but I'm really noticing a difference as DD4 grows older - just things like getting rid of baby toys, whole sets of clothes (making our loft more spacious!), giant car seats, buggies....