LITTLE things that help keep you organised?

[starrychime]

There's a lot of threads about cleaning routines, 15 min sessions etc which I love to read but never get round to following (one day, one day I will!)
Wondered if anyone has some little hints and tips that make things just a little bit easier about the house?
I use paper plates for morning toast, lunchtime sandwiches etc as I HATE washing up (no washer) - and it keeps it down a little bit.
Also keeping a small Ikea drawer sorter in the bathroom with DD's bobbles and clasps so they're to hand in the morning helps a bit.
Anyone else have any little tips?

This thread reminded me of this

Nice story Squirrels - reminds me that even I do do quite a few things !

LOVE this thread - marking my spot!

Started doing the bedding in the pillowcase thing a while ago, and I get a little rush of self-satisfaction every time I open the airing cupboard!

Yy to Costco. I buy a bulk of loo roll, a big box of soap powder and a massive bag of cat food. Usually all run out around the same time, after around 10 weeks, so off I go for another job lot.

I buy a year's worth of birthday cards in advance. I've worked out the best way for me to do this is to spend an hour with the catalogue from my friend who sells cards, one of those franchise things, choosing individual cards for people. Sounds laborious, but when the order arrives, i scribble a small post-it with the name of the recipient on, then have all birthdays in my diary and can locate the right card for the right person quickly and it saves loads of money. Was spending about a tenner for a couple of cards in the likes of Smiths, so buying a year's supply for about forty/fifty pounds is working out really well.

I also look out for half-price soap powder when its on offer and order about a million boxes on my internet shop. Keeps us going for a couple of weeks or so

Love this thread.
I could always be more organised.

I'm a big fan of 'don't put it down - put it away' rule and a quick look around a room to see what I can clear away is a great idea.

I keep a vac upstairs and one down. Likewise for the cleaning stuff.

Ditto on school slips/payments being done the same day and popped back into bookbag.
I have a basket for stationery and keep various size envelopes, note paper, stapler, spare pens and pencils etc in desk drawer. All in one place.

Thanks to MN I now buy all the same style school socks for dd so that I don't have to try and match pairs. This saves me a lot of time and I have started doing this with dh's socks too (colour matched toes)

We use an ex art carrycase for dd's bobbles (and keep the brush in there as well). I also keep a spare brush with a few bobbles in the car in case we need in a hurry (haven't had to yet).
I keep spare 5p 10p and 20p coins in pot in the hall (sits on a bookcase). I also try to keep some spare change in a money bag in the glove compartment - both of these have been timesavers for last minute tuck shop, or bake sale requests.

I remove frozen foods from packaging and pop them in freezer bags, label and date them. This saves space, I really can't bear a box of 16 fish fingers in the deep freeze only to find one or two in the bottom (thank you dh).

Bottom drawer in guest bedroom stores all the toiletries. If we are low on anything it's easy to see at a glance and make a note.

Ironing board is always up in the utility room.
I make sure that we have a clothes drier kept in the upstairs airing cupboard, so that the airers in the downstairs utility stay where they are.

Washing machine is put on a timer before bed, using night rate. Ready to hang out the next morning.

Every evening before bed, I make sure dd's jacket, shoes and bookbag is put together next to her chair, otherwise she time wastes in the morning 'looking' for this and that and becomes distracted.

In the mornings I set the baking timer for getting dressed, a few minutes for brushing teeth etc to combat any dilly dallying. This is new for us and it works!

Everything has a home is my motto. Sadly not dh's...or dd's, just mine.

Sorry, overlong post.

Birthday cards I usually buy ahead but only a few months at a time. I'm now going to buy for the year, don't know why I didn't think of that before. Thanks

For birthdays of family members or people where I need to post stuff, I put a reminder in my diary a week before to get the present/card and then about three days before to post it. Rather than getting to the day and being all "bollocks" and realising I hadn't sent anything.

Ample I'm definitely going to use your keeping a pot of change trick.
HOW many times do I not have the correct change for dinner money etc......

I keep a pretty basket in my bedroom - in it goes random clothes items that need dealing with,for example at the moment its got a dress in there thats too small for Dc's to pass on,trousers that need a name label, a top to mend,and a swimming costume for me to try on.

I have another pretty basket next to my desk with library books in,so they're mainly together when I go.

Make a "Where is it?" book.

Get a plain address book and whenever you have something important you may need to find (i.e. boxes/receipts of items that may stop working/need returned) write it in the book under the letter.

Example: Our fish tank filter gave up after only a few months and I had that thing where I remembered thinking I was so smart putting the receipt in the box and putting it in a SAFE PLACE, only then couldn't remember where that safe place was. So now I would go to F in the address book and write fish filter box and the location.

Also, use a pencil as then if it needs moved you can change it.

Just thought of one. I put a stickly label round all the charger leads and write 'My camera', 'DS', 'Samsung phone' etc on the label and keep them all in a medium size Really Useful storage box - means no panic when phone about to run out and charger nowhere to be found!

Get £20 in £1 coins when doing banking errands to keep in pot so DD finds her daily dinner money herself.
Small make up back in glove compartment of car with emergency sanpro supplies/wipes.
Clear zip up plastic pouch bag in handbag to contain otherwise easily lost items.
Ditto the bedding idea, I keep a spare set of bedding in each room so don't have to look far for it. (Stored under the bed works for some rooms.)
Extra bathroom supplies in bathroom/washroom cupboards.
Buy in bulk and when on offer but with caution - going overboard on the Boots 3 for 2 offers can have you stocked up for a couple of years if you're not careful!
That 15 minute hit does work. Dump the perfectionism and settle for improving some of the mess, more encouraging than pulling out more stuff than there is time to deal with and then getting daunted when the inevitable distraction occurs.
Try to think one step ahead, saves last minute panic.
All works. when I do it

Tie a brush with string to the hair bits box

I have a shopping list on the inside of a cupboard door ready to add stuff to as it gets used up. I've got an app that should let me scan barcodes and add it to my online shopping list but I always seem to forget and use paper and pencil instead.

I always have 2 sets of toiletries in the house. 1 in use and 1 spare. When the toothpaste etc runs out, we take the spare out of the cupboard and I order a new one to replace it. No more panics/smelling that way.

I also do the same job same day thing. Mondays I give the lounge a thorough clean, Tuesdays the kitchen gets an extra deep blitz etc. It stops it all getting on top of me and everything gets a good blitz at least once a week.

I've also changed the kids swimming lessons to be on the same day. It means one crazy day of going backwards and forwards to the pool and I get all the washing at once but then it's all done and dusted and I don't have to worry about it for the rest of the week.

My entire life is planned on my Outlook calendar and it's backed up to my phone with an app so I can check what we're supposed to be doing at any time anywhere.

Ooh, I like the tip of getting £20 in pound coins from the bank whilst you're there. I go in from time to time to pay in a cheque and will be good to use the time more effectively - and get them to do something useful for me in exchange for all the money they take off me

We have a pot of change for bus fares and all the mufty day/ cake sale projects but we're always running low - not surprisingly as there are endless requests I find !

Oh, here's a good one for you all - First class stamps are going up considerably very soon. Buy a year's supply or whatever you can afford next time you see an opportunity

Or if you're loaded and want an easy investment opportunity I heard you can buy several thousand off the Post Office website I think it was

(sadly not an option I can pursue as too broke !)

Pay your children to do it.
It comes from a conversation about pocket money. A friend of mine gives her children a pound for every year of their age each week. They earn their pocket money by doing a chore a day for every year of their age. so if they're six then they's get £6 a week put must do 6 chores each day in order to earn it.
Putting away laundry or sorting out their school bags for the next day would be suitable chores I think.

I cannot overstress how much easier "a place for everything and everything in its place" makes things.

Love love love the bedding in a pillow case idea! I have never thought of this and will definitely be doing it from now on!

When you're at the supermarket tills put everything on the belt in groups based on which cupboard it goes in when you get home. I do fridge/freezer, fruit and veg, dried/cupboard stuff, non-food stuff, bottles. It means when you get home you can unpack logically (and if you get fridge/freezer stuff done first and get interrupted by dc needing you you won't be met with melted ice cream at the bottom of an odd bag)

Juggling - sadly stamps have already gone up

when your at the checkout in the supermarket unpack the wrapping - this not only saves time at home but also saves bin/rubbish space and means you will not have to put the rubbish out so often.

A lot of products come with oddles and oddles of wrapping and I have never had any cashiers say a word whilst doing this - I just ask nicely if they can pop the rubbish in their bin - they seem to have one under the counter for madness like this

I also support the Cards and Wrapping paper stash. We have an Outlet shopping village nearby with a well known brand card shop and prices vary but was paying 67p on average for lovely cards normally priced at £2.50 plus. I saved a lot of money doing this, we have a lot of weddings and babies as well this year, so felt good stocking up. We have a drawer full of cards and wrapping papers.

I am a stasher so find it hard to get rid of fabric, yarn, ribbon, buttons etc that may come in handy at a later date [and they often do]. I do have to set myself a project just using what I already have.

My Ipod has a calendar and task list that is synched with my husbands, it's been a life saver, as we can both add things and see what we are up to. I add all things that interest me, like a jumble sale in the village or jubilee fete or such stuff.

I have a pre printed shopping list that I've laminated and using a board marker can tick what is needed.

Online Billing/Banking saves a lot of paperwork and it's stored online so you can see a copy quite easily. Less mess and not as much to store/put away.

I get rid of magazines once they are read, usually pass them onto friends or the Maternity Unit up the road. I was a terror for keeping them. Scan any interesting articles or recipes onto your computer.

Have regular clearouts of clothes/shoes/toys, either sell on eBay or charity shop.