Do you have a lot of "One Time Use" items in you home or office? These are things that seemed like great purchases in the beginning but after the battery, ink, or other goo ran out you never replaced? This is how stuff can end up cluttering up our lives. We buy it thinking we are going to use forever and never replace the required supplies. Now it just sits there taking up space and collecting dust. Next time you are thinking about purchasing a toy, appliance or gadget make sure you the "supply included" is easily available and stock up now. If the items are not available now, how and where will you purchase when needed? Also, check out the cost for the little "extras" it requires. Is it worth buying this particular item or should you maybe upgrade to a better model right from the beginning that does not require so many parts? Think about this when trying to stay organized.

I was looking for my favorite DVD. It wasn't in my cd wallet, not in the DVR and nowhere near the entertainment center. Now the search was on! I spent the morning searching and searching where I thought it might be. I began pulling things out of boxes, drawers, and off shelves. As I sifted quickly through items, ready to put back where I found them I thought for a minute, "I dont need some of this stuff and Im not going to put these back in the drawer or on the shelves." I wasn't going to spend another minute on these items again contemplating the value. I realized I was at the beginning of my own organization project, sorting, purging and making decisions about what to keep and what to toss. Everywhere I looked for my DVD I ended up reorganizing. Some of the things I found may have had value at sometime but not now and I would never look for these things again. So, out they went!

Organizing your closet is an ongoing process. The seasons change, styles come and go, and weights go up and down. I think its important to look through your clothes each season and evaluate what you want to keep for the next season. Only a small percentage of your wardrobe should be "trendy" clothes because by the next year unfortunately they will be out of style...sorry. The clothes that don't fit should not be in your closet taking up space. If you want to have one inspirational piece great, but pack up the rest and revisit at a later date.

Are you suddenly working with less space? If you are moving to a smaller home or downsizing your office you know you will have less space to store items. Some items will have to go. But its not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to organizing. I recently lost an large drawer in my small kitchen because it broke. I had to downsize kitchen items to even less stuff than I already had. The funny thing is after rearranging the drawers to accommodate everything they are even more organized and I less stuff.

Are you a handy person? Do you like DIY projects or can you fix basic problems that come up in your home? Changing a light bulb is pretty easy but it can get involved when you need special tools for a tall ceiling. What about fixing leaky faucet or putting up a shelf? Its good to have basic tools on hand like a hammer, screwdriver or pliers that you can keep in a tool box under the sink for quick fixes. But when it comes to specific tools that you need for one time projects think again before buying. Once you purchase these tools you have to store and keep organized. Is it worth your time, money and space to store these tools once the project is completed or is it better to just hire someone else?

I love the simplicity of a guest bathroom. It has the basic requirements of a bathroom, toilet and sink but not a lot of extra storage space. It is not meant to be cluttered with excess items but easy to keep organized when it just the basics such as toilet paper, tissue and some extra hand towels. This brings me to the hand towels. The hand towels can really add a nice detail to the room but you also have to wash and replace a lot if this is a busy bathroom. One suggestion is hang your nice towels but also have disposable hand towels for guests. I just saw this great Hand towel dispenser from Kleenex that fits on the counter, back of toilet or on your towel rod. During the months of colds and coughs I think its a great way to keep everyone from using the same towels.

Do you find gadgets, cords and other things you think belong to your computer? Maybe they belong to your camera, phone or other electronics? Here's a quick tip on keeping some of these mystery items identified. As soon as you open a new product put the accessories in a resealable bag with a label. Or keep a home inventory of your electronics and other parts with pictures. Take a picture with your camera or cell phone and name each picture. Keep it in a file on your computer so you can refer to it when needed.

Chicago is in the middle of a major blizzard. Cars have been stranded on streets and highways and the snow continues to fall. Some people are without power unable to heat their homes, cook a meal or even make a phone call because their cell phones have run out of power. Be sure your are prepared for emergencies by keeping an old corded phone to make or receive calls. Be sure it does not need to be plugged in to an electrical outlet for power.

Almost everything we purchase comes in a box. Its designed to display products, transport and protect during its journey from factory to store shelves. It sometimes contains product information, pictures and numbers. But once you study the product, purchase, open and inspect contents, your relationship with the box is over. It made its journey to your home or office and now it belongs to you. You don't need the box anymore. But here are a few situations where you might need that box again.

#1 If you are required to keep the original packaging for shipping back to manufacturer for service.
#2 You are returning product

#3 Product is not used often and fits easily back into original package for storage

#4 You are moving soon and would like to protect during relocation.
If you are unsure of how long you would need to keep this box call the manufacturer.