|
Post by ogeezer on Mar 15, 2007 10:07:44 GMT -6
Helpful gadgets for saving space: Check out under-counter refrigerators, 20-inch-wide ranges, counter-top dishwashers, and small European washer-dryer all-in-ones. To see some, go here: www.compactappliance.comIf the exotic washer-dryer combos are beyond your budget (or you worry about getting parts for them), then of course a stacking washer-dryer pair is your friend. I looked at apartment-sized versions but ultimately realized the full-sized models didn’t take up much more space and were a much better buy. Replace your desktop computer with a laptop. The traditional problem of the laptop keyboard being too small and cramped for comfortable use is being solved by the new widescreen laptop models. And you can usually attach an external keyboard. They even have folding keyboards if you really want to save space. Another computer solution: a rack-mounted computer rather than your standard consumer off-the-shelf desktop model. Rack-mounted computers are more expensive, but they’re usually higher quality. And the thing that makes them perfect for small spaces is that they can bolt to the underside of a table, inside a cabinet (if well-ventilated), or in storage space under a platform bed. Then the only space-consuming item you need to worry about is your monitor. And with flat-panel LCD monitors now becoming affordable (under $300), no problem. The kitchen has extra storage near the ceiling. Use hooks or ceiling hung racks, instead of cabinet space, for frequently used items like pots.
|
|
|
Post by ~WineMe~DineMe~69 on Mar 15, 2007 12:11:54 GMT -6
those are some really good idea's ogeezer. i'm definately going to consider them during the remodel.
|
|
texas_gal
Founding Member
aka srvchild
Posts: 3,027
|
Post by texas_gal on Mar 15, 2007 13:48:10 GMT -6
Thanks for the website, Ogeezer! I love little nifty stuff like that. Neat
|
|
|
Post by ogeezer on Mar 18, 2007 14:03:02 GMT -6
Tho we're out here in the boonies, miles from Wharton, with 40 acres of our own & access (lease) to 220 more, we live in a modest house -- kinda small to the standards of today's homes. But it fits us fine & being modest keeps the taxman from pursuing large spikes in the ever-increasing annual property re-evaluation many homeowners live with year after year.
Over the years, tho overall the house hasn't changed in size much, it has evolved as its functionabilities changed. When our kids were small, and my oldest son & daughter (from a previous marriage) lived with us, the space was cramped but we managed to make it thru by learning to live with fewer specialized accumulations per individual, meaning we banished clutter from the entire house.
It was almost like re-inventing the wheel. Except around here, we called it Closet-Cycling where each individual had a modest closet size space for themselves, made for clothes (on hangers) and a built-in set of cabinet with drawers for what-nots, what-fors, and whatevers.
When my elder daughter married, and oldest son went away to the U.S. Naval Academy, we found ourselves expanding the volume of items we previously had rejected, permitting us more space for stuff we wanted tho probably really didn't need, tho in the younger kids view, their accumulations of playthings kept growing like Mt. St. Helens summit before the 1980 blast.
It became a two-part process of identifying and assigning storage, while at the same time decluttering and revamping existing areas in the home, as the younger children grew from adolescence to teen years and their departures for college.
In the initial stage, we had identify storage needs and match them to available storage areas, regardless of what's being stored where at the moment. Once we knew what should go where, the active phase began. The need boxes, lots of them, and time took over -- quite a bit of time. Starting at the front door, move from room to room placing boxes in front of each storage area: cabinets, drawers, closets, and shelves.
Then begin at the beginning once more. Start, for example, at the table in the hall. Remove any and all items from the table that are not assigned there: gloves, mail, keys, change, handbags. Place them in a box. When the table is empty, except for the vase of flowers that belongs there, circle the house with your catch. Gloves are placed in the box before the coat closet where they are supposed to live. Mail is dumped into the box in front of the desk area. Handbags and change are delivered to the owner's launch pad area.
Items to be thrown away are delivered to the garbage can. Stuff still usable by others was put in a box that found its way to a resale shop (for modest income) or one of those yellow GoodWill containers or the recycling center.
When the box is empty, move on to the next storage area in the hall: the coat closet. Empty the coat closet of all unassigned items, while adding the gloves to their assigned area. Again, circle the house with your coat closet box, delivering items to the new storage area where each belongs.
As we work, we're sorting and decluttering in two directions. Removing clutter and improperly-stored items, while collecting and replacing the things which belong in any given area. A Closet-Cycling is a big undertaking, and it doesn't work well if performed in fits and starts. Choose this method if you have a block of two or three days to devote to a major declutter. While you'll work hard during that time, Closet-Cycling can take giant strides toward a more efficient, easy-to-manage home.
As the kids aged, their tendencies to assist in the decluttering became easier. Thru it all, along with harping on conservation such as turning off the light when leaving an unoccupied room, cutting of the TV or radio if no one is watching or listening to it, shutting the door stormdoors to keep the cool air (in summer) and heated air (in winter) in, not only save us money on utilities but have been carried on into our's & my children adult lives.
There's a belief among the clutter-afflicted that if they could only get rid of all the clutter, just once, the clutter problem could be solved. It's not quite so simple. True, it's easier to maintain a decluttered environment than it is to achieve it, but there's more to the problem than the mere absence or presence of clutter.
Clutter doesn't arise out of nothing. If everyone in the family dumps book bags, briefcases, handbags and outer clothing on the living room sofa, clearing the sofa today isn't going to prevent tomorrow's deluge. Twenty-four hours later, the clutter has returned.
Decluttering alone will not cure the real problem. It's got to be a family effort. De-cluttering & staying that way has to be based on HABITS. Build good habits to choke off the tendency to create clutter by focusing on stuff-related household activities to get a handle on the clutter process.
For example, establish a "returning home" habit or routine. As you shut the back door, hang the car keys on a hook just above the light switch. Remove jackets and coats two steps inside the house, and hang them on the coat rack. Place purse or briefcase in the launch pad area next to the coats.
Bringing in the mail? No more slumping down any old where to review the day's catch. Instead, form a new habit: sort mail over the trash can, dumping the junk, then file it quickly in a plastic pocket filing unit on the adjoining wall.
For more exotic clutterers, adopt a one-in, one-out rule. From here on out, when you buy a new pot, shirt or magazine, an old pot, shirt or magazine must be discarded, recycled or donated. One-in, one-out keeps the level of stuff below the clutter point by limiting total numbers.
Finally, focus on out-of-house resources to whittle down the sheer number of things that enter home. For example, there's no need to buy, keep, sort and store back issues of magazines once you realize that the public library provides this very service for free!
Rent, don't buy, paint sprayers and specialty tools for home repair projects, especially if you're only gonna to use it only once. If it's cheaper to buy than rent, donate or sell it to a resale shop or run an ad in the paper or forum to get some money back. Swap garden tools or hobby equipment with a neighbor. Borrow books, CDs, and videos from the library or video rental store. The less you permit stuff to get a foot in the door, the less clutter will grow in your organized home!
Then, you don't need a big house to store all your possessions, most of which are likely to be mostly clutter.
These are just a few of the ways we defeated our Clutter Monster. Tell us, how you solve your clutter problems and drove this monster from your home too.
|
|
|
Post by txreddog on Mar 18, 2007 14:12:47 GMT -6
hmmm... living alone I dont get alot of clutter and stuff.... I tried doing like ogeezer said and if you buy something new that something old is taken out... ended up becomming more frustrated tryin to figure out what was gonna go so I quit... But I do agree with the renting home improvement tools such as sprayers and other stuff. I usually do spring cleaning every couple of months and get rid of trash and pointless things I havent used in a while. My motto is if you havent used or worn something in the last 6 months you dont really need it so dontate it, sell it but just get rid of it. Have alot of books I'll buy em at garage sells and read em and then pass them to friends who wish to read them and they can just keep passing them down to people who wish to read them.
|
|