February 15, 2024

Organizing Tips for Military Families on the Move

February 15, 2024/ Jeannine

San Diego, with its vibrant military community, has been a backdrop for my journey in assisting numerous military families with their organizing needs. Whether they're transitioning to a new station, settling down in San Diego, or embarking on retirement, I've had the privilege of guiding them through their organizational challenges. The unique lifestyle of military families, marked by frequent relocations, presents a distinct set of needs when it comes to organization. They face crucial decisions about what to pack, what to part with, and how to maintain a sense of calm amidst the upheaval of moving. My role has been to help them navigate these transitions smoothly, ensuring they feel prepared, unburdened, and ready to embrace each new chapter.

Decluttering as a Lifestyle: Regular decluttering is essential for military families. It's not just about preparing for the next move; it's about creating a home environment that feels peaceful and joyful, no matter where you are. Adopting principles from the KonMari method, ask yourself if each item in your home sparks joy. If it doesn't, thank it for its service and let it go. This approach not only simplifies packing and unpacking but also ensures that your home always reflects what's truly important to you.

The Joy of Keeping Only What Matters: Each move is an opportunity to reassess what's necessary in your life. Keeping only what sparks joy means your belongings have a purpose, whether functional or sentimental. This practice can significantly reduce the stress associated with moving, as you'll only be handling items that contribute positively to your life. Moreover, it teaches all family members, especially children, the value of simplicity and cherishing what they have.

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint: Moving frequently can have a significant environmental impact, but mindful moving practices can help reduce this. Opt for eco-friendly packing materials, like biodegradable bubble wrap or recycled boxes, and consider the carbon footprint of your moving company. Donate items you no longer need instead of throwing them away, ensuring they find a second life with someone who needs them. This not only declutters your home but also supports a more sustainable lifestyle.

Why Storing Isn't Always the Answer: While storage units can seem like a convenient solution for what doesn't fit in your current home, they often become out-of-sight, out-of-mind spaces for items that no longer serve us. Before deciding to store something, consider whether it adds value to your life. Frequent moves are an opportunity to live more intentionally, keeping only what you love and need.

December 13, 2023

The Art of Maximizing Kitchen Storage: A Professional Organizer’s Guide

December 13, 2023/ Jeannine

In the heart of every home lies the kitchen, a hub of daily activity and culinary creativity. However, it's also a place where clutter can quickly accumulate, making cooking and meal prep more of a chore than a joy. As a professional organizer, I’ve seen how a well-organized kitchen can transform daily routines and enhance the joyment of your home. Let’s explore some effective strategies to maximize kitchen storage and create a more functional and welcoming space.

1. Embrace Clear Containers: One of the simplest yet most impactful changes you can make is to transfer pantry items like grains, pasta, and baking ingredients into clear containers. Not only do these containers make it easy to see what you have (and when you’re running low), but they also provide an aesthetically pleasing, uniform look to your shelves. This approach eliminates bulky packaging and makes use of vertical space, allowing you to store more in the same area.

2. Invest in Adjustable Shelving: Fixed shelves often leave unused space, especially with varying sizes of kitchen items. Installing adjustable shelving solves this problem by allowing you to customize the height of each shelf according to your needs. This flexibility is perfect for accommodating everything from tall appliances to short spice jars, ensuring that no inch of space goes to waste.

3. Categorize and Label: Organization is not just about where things go, but also about how easily you can find them. Categorizing your kitchen items and labeling shelves and containers is a game-changer. This system helps everyone in the household know exactly where to find and return items, reducing clutter and saving time during meal preparation.

4. Utilize Vertical Space: Don’t overlook the potential of vertical space. Wall-mounted racks for utensils, pots, and pans or hanging baskets for fruits and vegetables can free up valuable cabinet and counter space. Just remember to store likewise items together so everyone knows where to find them.

5. Drawer Dividers and Organizers: Drawers often become a catch-all for miscellaneous kitchen gadgets and utensils. By using drawer dividers and organizers, you can designate a specific place for every item, making your drawers as efficient and easy to navigate as your shelves.

Maximizing kitchen storage is more than just a way to keep things tidy; it’s about creating a space that supports and enhances your daily life. With these strategies, you can transform your kitchen into an area that’s not only functional but also a pleasure to use. Remember, the key to effective organization is to tailor solutions to fit your unique space and lifestyle. As you implement these tips, you’ll find that an organized kitchen is the ingredient you need for a more harmonious home.

December 15, 2021

Unsubscribe to get your email inbox organized

December 15, 2021/ Jeannine

If you are annoyed by never-ending spam emails, subscriptions and constant dings from your notifications, consider unsubscribing to declutter your mailbox and take your peace back. To manage your inbox and organize it, means to divide it into categories and start tidying, just like physical stuff. You want to say goodbye to clutter and only keep things that are important or spark joy. Ideally, your email inbox is empty and only has new emails that have not been read and/or emails that need to be answered. Here are some tips to get your email inbox organized:

Unsubscribe from subscriptions. Remember that one time you signed up at a store or inline to receive a discount? Well, the company has automatically subscribed you to their email list and is not authorized to send you advertisements daily. You can manage your subscription preferences either in your customer account by the company or unsubscribe through your email provider.

Spam emails. Mark as spam and delete them right away. If there is not an unsubscribe button and the sender keeps sending you unsolicited offers, you can block the email and/or flag them, so they won’t show up in your inbox anymore.

Archive Important emails. Emails that are important, such as order confirmations, client correspondences or anything else that you need to get back to in the future . The Archive action removes the message from view in the inbox and puts it in the All Mail area, in case you ever need it again. When you archive an email, you file it away for future reference. And if someone responds to an email that was archived, it will reappear in your Inbox. Archiving is the best solution for emails that you want out of the inbox but for which there's a good chance you might need them later.

Maintaining your inbox. Be cautious about revealing your email address. It is a piece of personal information that scammers like to get a hold of, some even sell it to third parties that keep the spam coming. Alternatively, you can create a “throwaway” email account to sign up for offers and discounts or use a temp email service to keep your personal information safe. Schedule some time (15-30min) each month to edit and organize your inbox to keep it neat and tidy.

December 11, 2021

Six Eco-friendly gift ideas for your enterpreneur, mom or zero waste friend

December 11, 2021/ Jeannine

Only two more weeks until Christmas and if you still have some gifting to do, look no further. We made a list of six sustainable and green gifts to give this season that won’t break the bank and do good for the planet. These gifts are great for the hardworking entrepreneur, busy mom or your zero waste-oriented friends. Whether they live in San Diego or Chicago using these items will reduce waste and make sure to spark joy.

Laundry detergent sheets. Say goodbye to single-use plastic jugs and packaging that pollute our landfills and oceans; even the package is made from natural materials, is recyclable, and is septic safe. The concentrated sheets have strong cleaning power and are biodegradable. They work in all water temperatures and are compatible with front and top-loading, high-efficiency washing machines. 
Reusable straws. Whether you choose metal or bendable silicone straws, they are both eco-friendly alternatives to one-use-only plastic straws. One set of reusable straws can be used for years, replacing hundreds or thousands of plastic straws. They usually come with a travel bag, cleaning brush and are dishwasher safe. 
Mesh produce bags. Skip the plastic bag in the produce isle and use these lightweight high-grade organic cotton bags with double stitching that can carry over 20 pounds. These kitchen reusable grocery bags are zero waste and fully biodegradable. Forget about any plastic or heavy metal toggles and closure beads. Use these drawstring mesh bags hundreds of times and they will still retain their quality. Each reusable bag is safe for the storage of food. The mesh allows for easy identification of contents and provides excellent air circulation. You can hang full bags of onions, potatoes, and garlic by the drawstring for extra pantry space. 
Reusable Make up remover pads. Ever wonder what happens to all the disposable cotton rounds when you throw them in the garbage? They take several years to degrade and impact our environment. These washable cotton rounds not only save you money but make a substantial reduction in waste.  
Beeswax food wrap. These reusable food wraps are ideal for any family that packs a lunch for school or work. They are not only environmentally friendly and highly sustainable but also make sure your food stays fresher for longer.  
Eco-friendly beauty bars. Over 40% of the plastic comes from product packaging; 80 Billion plastic bottles disposed of around the world each year are from shampoo & conditioner alone. Beauty bars are made for the hair, face and use biodegradable ingredients and compostable packaging so all solid bars leave no trace.

April 29, 2021

Weekly, monthly and annual cleaning check list

April 29, 2021/ Jeannine

Hi Tidy Friends,

Remembering when to clean and what to clean, can be a daunting task when you don’t have a routine schedule for home management. The biggest lie I tell myself every day is that “I will remember that”. If this reminds you of yourself you might find the lists I created below helpful in scheduling home cleaning tasks. They are suggestions on when to clean what, but of course, they can be personalized to your own needs. Let me know what you think, I hope they will help you stay on top of things!

Happy cleaning,

Janine

“All time management begins with planning ”

— Brian Tracy

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May 14, 2020

My five favorite Products for home and office organization

May 14, 2020/ Jeannine

Organizing your home can be fun and energizing, but having the right equipment in hand can also save you space and make all your hard work look even more pleasing. Here are my top 5 picks for organization products: