Notes from a Nester: A Most Unusual Nester…
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a blogumn by Debra Barlow
I was at a bit of a loss this week as I sat down at the computer. Nothing is really going on to inspire a column. I baked some more bread and it turned out better, but still not perfect. I’ve started using a new organic laundry detergent, but I haven’t been using it long enough to have a useful product review. All the material I have these days centers around working all the time on tough production deadlines and having no time to think, let alone cook and clean.
So I Googled ‘nesting’…
Since I’m not a homeowner, a professional decorator, a pregnant woman or a mother… it seems like I don’t fit into what Google seems to think nesting is all about. I would perhaps like to be one or all of those things when I grow up, but right now I’m just a young working wife who really likes household gadgets.
I also like organizing, but like a lot of people, I don’t really have the time to commit to organizing my house on the level that I’d like it to be. If I had my way, everything would be labeled to within an inch of its life. As it is, I’m a little anal about how my kitchen is put together. My husband learned long ago that he should never help unload groceries b/c I will just take everything out and put it back myself. Canned goods must be organized by type, with the oldest can towards the front. Every shelf has designated things it can hold. Put the rice on the shelf meant for soup and I have to take it all out and reorganize. I even went through and organized my refrigerator by condiment variety.
Outside the kitchen, it’s a different story.
Stacks of bills to be filed, old cards, photos to be sorted, receipts all sit stacked on my kitchen table and desk. But they are in very specific piles. Each weekend before I clean the house, I tackle the new piles that have accumulated over the week. Sometimes, I never make it past the kitchen table and cleaning takes a back seat to sorting through mail, magazines, grocery store circulars and old newspapers. I fantasize about taking a week off work and just organizing the entire house, head to toe. But I know that if I ever took that week off, I’d probably find a lot of things I’d rather do than file and label. It’s probably just time to come to terms with my variety of organized chaos.
Are you organized? Do you have any tips for staying on top of the piles? Or have you just learned to live with the chaos?
I love the kitchen tips. Mine has been completely out of sorts lately and I keep on rebuying things that I already have. I should take some time to get it all organized this weekend. Unfortunately, the rest of the house is the same way. If you send me a paper bill for anything, chances are it's going to take me a while to pay just b/c I can't wrap my head around sitting down with bills and actually paying them. That's why I always opt for paperless electronic billing — best thing to ever happen to my credit score.____Lately, we've been having to keep the house very clean (for reasons that I'll discuss in a later blog), and we've been finding that it's actually quite easy to spray method in the sink after you brush your teeth and put the mail in it's proper place when it comes in and so on and so on. Basically, we've been learning to leave no evidence that we are actually living in our home. ____So NOT letting things pile-up at all is the best way I've seen to keep your home organized so far. Maybe try imagining that you will have visitors every afternoon, and add cleaning and organizing to your morning routine.
I love the kitchen tips. Mine has been completely out of sorts lately and I keep on rebuying things that I already have. I should take some time to get it all organized this weekend. Unfortunately, the rest of the house is the same way. If you send me a paper bill for anything, chances are it's going to take me a while to pay just b/c I can't wrap my head around sitting down with bills and actually paying them. That's why I always opt for paperless electronic billing — best thing to ever happen to my credit score.____Lately, we've been having to keep the house very clean (for reasons that I'll discuss in a later blog), and we've been finding that it's actually quite easy to spray method in the sink after you brush your teeth and put the mail in it's proper place when it comes in and so on and so on. Basically, we've been learning to leave no evidence that we are actually living in our home. ____So NOT letting things pile-up at all is the best way I've seen to keep your home organized so far. Maybe try imagining that you will have visitors every afternoon, and add cleaning and organizing to your morning routine.
it takes more than a week to organize your house, that's for sure. i've been unemployed for a couple of months, and i've been using a good deal of that time to "organize." i've only gotten through about 60% of my stuff (photos, books, clothes, kitchen)… it took me about 3 days just to organize my computer files (pics, music, documents). i strongly believe organization is the best way to procrastinate. it exhausts the left side of your brain (the sequential, analytical side), leaving the right side free to create. (note: even though i got an A- in bio psych, i don't know what i'm talking about.)
it takes more than a week to organize your house, that's for sure. i've been unemployed for a couple of months, and i've been using a good deal of that time to "organize." i've only gotten through about 60% of my stuff (photos, books, clothes, kitchen)… it took me about 3 days just to organize my computer files (pics, music, documents). i strongly believe organization is the best way to procrastinate. it exhausts the left side of your brain (the sequential, analytical side), leaving the right side free to create. (note: even though i got an A- in bio psych, i don't know what i'm talking about.)
Real Simple has GREAT tips for cleaning and organizing. Here's their checklist for a quick and easy way to keep your house clean: http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleanin… It totally works when you do it, which I often don't. And here is their section on organizing: http://browse.realsimple.com/home-organizing/orga… I haven't looked at it in depth, but bound to be something useful there.
Also, personally, I find a little letter organizer thingy (I can't find a single page pic of it, so look for Eldon (Rubbermaid) Wire Letter Holder on this page: http://www.office1000.com/discount/sorters.html) is useful — when you pick up the mail, throw away the junk and put bills/things to be dealt with in the organizer-thingy. That really helped me not lose bills,and I got mine at Staples for $5. Still haven't figured out a way to deal with the piles, except, as Ernessa says, don't start them.
Real Simple has GREAT tips for cleaning and organizing. Here's their checklist for a quick and easy way to keep your house clean: http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleanin… It totally works when you do it, which I often don't. And here is their section on organizing: http://browse.realsimple.com/home-organizing/orga… I haven't looked at it in depth, but bound to be something useful there.
Also, personally, I find a little letter organizer thingy (I can't find a single page pic of it, so look for Eldon (Rubbermaid) Wire Letter Holder on this page: http://www.office1000.com/discount/sorters.html) is useful — when you pick up the mail, throw away the junk and put bills/things to be dealt with in the organizer-thingy. That really helped me not lose bills,and I got mine at Staples for $5. Still haven't figured out a way to deal with the piles, except, as Ernessa says, don't start them.
ooo — i used to have a subscription to Real Simple and i cancelled it in an effort to be green(er). a difficult decision because i LOVE magazines. as a compromise, i allow myself to buy a copy when traveling, to read on the plane. i just bought the recent issue of RS which was full of clever tips for saving money (a popular topic these days). as obvious as you think an article like that might be, there's always a few things i'd never think of in a million years.
ooo — i used to have a subscription to Real Simple and i cancelled it in an effort to be green(er). a difficult decision because i LOVE magazines. as a compromise, i allow myself to buy a copy when traveling, to read on the plane. i just bought the recent issue of RS which was full of clever tips for saving money (a popular topic these days). as obvious as you think an article like that might be, there's always a few things i'd never think of in a million years.
I LOVE Real Simple. And I love reading their organization tips, I just never implement them. My biggest problem is bank statements, 401K statements — I know I should keep them, but my filing cabinet is so jam packed that filing becomes a much bigger chore than it should be.
I LOVE Real Simple. And I love reading their organization tips, I just never implement them. My biggest problem is bank statements, 401K statements — I know I should keep them, but my filing cabinet is so jam packed that filing becomes a much bigger chore than it should be.
I have a pile up problem too, but when we clean every Sunday, I organize them all then so nothing ever gets out of control. I'm not good at doing it daily, though, so I've accepted that it is a weekly job for me.
As far as statements and such, I keep all my bank statements online, and once a month I print it out, highlight anything I can deduct at the end of the year, put a note next to each transaction for that section of taxes (business meal, travel, gift, entertainment, research, etc.) punch holes and put it in a binder. Anything else pertaining to taxes ( Cash receipts, pay stubs, etc. ) goes into a small lidded box labeled "taxes" or if its big enough, i punch holes and put it in the binder. It only took me a few hours today to do my taxes b/c everything I need is in the binder or the box. When I'm done filing, I tape everything in the box to white paper and put it in the binder with a copy of my taxes. It gets a date label and then its put away with the other years in my cabinet and the game starts all over again…. if I ever get audited, all I have to do is grab my binder, freak out a little and go fight!
I have a pile up problem too, but when we clean every Sunday, I organize them all then so nothing ever gets out of control. I'm not good at doing it daily, though, so I've accepted that it is a weekly job for me.
As far as statements and such, I keep all my bank statements online, and once a month I print it out, highlight anything I can deduct at the end of the year, put a note next to each transaction for that section of taxes (business meal, travel, gift, entertainment, research, etc.) punch holes and put it in a binder. Anything else pertaining to taxes ( Cash receipts, pay stubs, etc. ) goes into a small lidded box labeled "taxes" or if its big enough, i punch holes and put it in the binder. It only took me a few hours today to do my taxes b/c everything I need is in the binder or the box. When I'm done filing, I tape everything in the box to white paper and put it in the binder with a copy of my taxes. It gets a date label and then its put away with the other years in my cabinet and the game starts all over again…. if I ever get audited, all I have to do is grab my binder, freak out a little and go fight!
Wow, Delia. I am totally impressed by your tax system. Ours involves a blue photo box that we just toss receipts in all year and then grumble about organizing them round about April 4th. You've inspired me to rethink our system!
Wow, Delia. I am totally impressed by your tax system. Ours involves a blue photo box that we just toss receipts in all year and then grumble about organizing them round about April 4th. You've inspired me to rethink our system!
I'm supposed to clean the house everyday??!!! The checklist would work if I had a dishwasher and no cats leaving fur and litter everywhere *sigh*. I swear when I clean I think everytime abput how long the house would stay spotless without kitties (though it would be a sad and lonely place). I try to straighten up each day, but it is hard when you have a hubby who leaves clutter everywhere and never goes through his mail. I usually end up throwing it all on his desk and shutting the door:)
I'm supposed to clean the house everyday??!!! The checklist would work if I had a dishwasher and no cats leaving fur and litter everywhere *sigh*. I swear when I clean I think everytime abput how long the house would stay spotless without kitties (though it would be a sad and lonely place). I try to straighten up each day, but it is hard when you have a hubby who leaves clutter everywhere and never goes through his mail. I usually end up throwing it all on his desk and shutting the door:)