I consider myself a pretty organized person, and an aspiring minimalist. Sometimes I succeed in both goals and sometimes I struggle. We all do. However all we can do is keep trying.
I love this little nook here; it is almost my idea of minimalism. It is clean and orderly but not plain. The simple white walls highlight the items and the beautiful greenery adds life to the area.
If I realize I have accumulated too many new clothes, I go through my closet and pare it back down. I try to stick to the “one in, one out” rule but it’s not 100%. I have followed a number of minimalism blogs for years now, and everyone has their own definition of what minimalism means. And this is the truest facet of minimalism — that it means something different to each person. Granted, there are plenty of examples of extreme minimalism (such as Andrew Hyde’s “The 15 Things I Own”) however that it certainly not realistic for most people. I know that I have more than 15 things in my purse alone!
One of the first blogs I discovered several years ago was Miss Minimalist. I absolutely love this post of hers, “Don’t Organize Your Clutter”. It changed the way I look at both organization and minimalism. Once I stopped and thought about it, it made so much sense to me. That true organization can’t exist without decluttering first. Her concept of “one” is quite intriguing.
One of my other favorites is Courtney Carver of Be More With Less. I’ve even gotten the chance to hear her speak! She is most known for her concept, Project 333. if you are new to the world of minimalism, I highly suggest you take a look at “How to Become a Minimalist“. She offers a handful of nice little ways to start minimalizing your life.
In addition to these overall minimalist articles, I have also looked into minimalist skincare, minimalist makeup, and a minimalist packing list. I look forward to discussing these specific areas in the near future.
I would love to hear your comments on what you want to minimalize in your life and what you have been successful in minimizing so far!
I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
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Meal planning and organization go hand-in-hand! If you aren’t meal planning, you are losing time and money at the same time.
About two years ago, I started meal planning for my family. In just the first week, I saw a difference in my grocery bill as well as the amount of time I had. I started packing all of the lunches in Sunday afternoons and weekday mornings changed forever! The dinner planning literally put money in my pocket. I could make the most of my pantry and freezer and just add what we absolutely needed, primarily fresh dairy and produce. I was able to plan meals according to what I already had available and what was on sale at the store.
What an amazing set of resources for such a great price of $37! Meal planning can put that cash right back into your pocket!
My personal favorites from this awesome bundle:
Grocery Savings PowerPack eCourse – because who doesn’t love to save money
How to Meal Plan eCourse – a great course if you are brand-new to meal planning
Meal Planning Success Kit printable – I keep track so I don’t duplicate meals too often
The Healthy Lunch Box eBook – great ideas and tips for kids and adults alike
Why do any of us want to be more organized? In order to maximize our resources! Planning ahead for your family’s meals will save you both time and money, and you can never really have too much of either resource. I saw such a drop in my grocery bill not to mention the time I got back. No more buying chicken tenderloins when I already know I have a bag in the big freezer, and no more scrambling to make multiple lunches on a Tuesday morning.
Sign up below for your library password and get your meal planner today!
Do you struggle with the clutter and disorganization in your home? Do you even know where to start decluttering? Is it hard to find the time to clean it all up? Are you ready to conquer your clutter for good this year?
I have 31 resources just for you, for under $30. It’s truly an amazing deal, whether you want to take a full inventory of your home, declutter your space and put cash in your pocket, or even create your own organization binder — this is the place for you!
Here’s how it works: My friends at Ultimate Bundles reached out to dozens of bloggers and authors who specialize in decluttering and organization, and got permission to offer some of their best resources at a 95% discount! Plus, they have a 30-Day Happiness Guarantee so you can try the bundle with no risk. The Conquer Your Clutter Super Bundle is your chance to get 31 resources, that normally cost over $670.34, for only $29.97!
I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
Home Management, Personal Organization, Planners
9 eBooks, 9 ecourses, 7 planners, 6 printables
Overwhelmed with where to start decluttering?
Try this Starter Kit!
Did you know you have money in your cabinets?
Cash for Clutter
I love The Essential Decluttering Starter Kit printables. It has so much inside this one resource:
The Secret to Decluttering Success
Step-by-Step Decluttering Instructions
Planning Worksheets
Decluttering Schedules
The Secret to Decluttering Success
Step-by-Step Decluttering Instructions
Planning Worksheets
Decluttering Schedules
After you complete your decluttering goals, one of the great things you can do with the items you’re getting rid of is to sell them!
All of the how-tos about hosting a successful Yard Sale, including checklists and even signs to print
You can sell your items online and the handy tracker and calendar will help so much!
You can also sell on Facebook or on Craigslist
In addition to my favorite products above, I also want to mention a few other amazing products in this super bundle since you know I love my printables and my planners:
Declutter 365 Planner Labels – This terrific creator has given us daily decluttering and organization stickers as well as task-specific stickers. You can print and add these stickers into any planner that you currently use.
Cleaning Planner Pack – So many printable planner pages! Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Seasonal, Spring, Declutter List, To-Do list, and even Chore Charts
Household Inventory Workbook – This extensive workbook has so much to offer, including suggested lists, a bunch of room by room checklists, and log pages. This is so helpful for your home or renter insurance.
Make It Easy Cleaning and Organizing Binder – There are so many checklists to choose from so you can customize your approach and pick and choose what works for you.
If you’re like me, you want to live in a clean, organized house. You wish you had the peace of mind that comes from tidying up. But when you look at the piles and think about actually decluttering, you start to feel overwhelmed. Make 2021 the year that you CONQUER YOUR CLUTTER!
Click on the timer to get your bundle today!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 20/20 rule for decluttering?
This rule states that if you can replace the item for under $20 and within 20 minutes, it can be safely decluttered. Although I would recommend only using this particular rule for items that you are on the fence about anyway.
What is the 90/90 rule for minimalism?
I actually like this rule better. It asks whether you’ve used the item within the last 90 days or will use it in the next 90 days. If it’s no to both, you can probably declutter it. Obviously this won’t really work for annual decorations such as a menorah or a Christmas tree.
What is the fastest way to declutter?
There are several theories about where to start. You can go room by room or category by category. You can start with the spaces you live in most of the time. Personally, I like to start with a good sweep of the whole house and gathering things that legitimately no longer work. I mean, what am I still doing with them? From there, I check hidden spaces next because chances are that the stuff at the back of the cabinets isn’t getting used at all.
Let’s get our organization on track! Inside this five-step plan you’ll find the first steps to getting organized.
Ultimately, the last few years have been unorganized. That could include physically from staying at home, emotionally from being isolated or from loss, financially from a loss of income. It can mean so many things for all of us.
There was overwhelming negative news, worldwide distress and trauma, and some days it was hard to just get up and get moving. Personally, I even struggled to get through a new novel since my focus was all over the place.
With the new year, I think almost all of us are ready to open a new book and move forward. Let’s work together to make a plan to get organized!
But what are the first steps to getting organized?
1.MY GOAL – What do I want to organize? Are you looking at your garage in frustration? Are your bathroom cabinets overflowing with face cream and body lotion? Is your email inbox so full you avoid it altogether? Do you struggle to find enough time for your to-do list? The first step is setting a SMART goal. it’s hard to make a plan if you don’t know where you are going! Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Once you have set your personal goal, it’s time to work on your motivation.
2.MY WHY – How will I stay motivated? Why did I set this particular goal? What will I do with the extra time or space that I am creating? Decluttering and organizing are good in their own right, but focus on your true goal. An organized garage is so nice to see but is the real goal to be able to fit a second car in there? If you keep that final mental picture with you, it will be easier to stay on track.
3.MY PLAN – How will I get there? When you consider your overflowing bathroom cabinets, what do you have in mind to really clean it out? If there are tons of tiny hotel shampoo bottles, consider giving them to a local shelter. If you have piles of unopened eyeshadows, there are websites where you might be able to swap or sell them. When addressing a product accumulation like in a bathroom, one of the biggest tips I can offer is to stop shopping until you have addressed the products you already have.
4.MY TOUCHPOINT – What will get me back on track if I waiver? Life gets in the way, it happens to all of us. We get distracted and lose track of our goal from time to time. What will you use to get back on track? If you need some help figuring out this step, revisit #2. Getting rid of the extra spatulas in your kitchen is all well and fine, but it really isn’t motivating on its own. If your ultimate goal is to have a tidier kitchen so that it takes less time to clean, then focus on that! Looking forwarding to having a few extra minutes in the evening after dinner to enjoy a cup of tea will keep you moving forward.
5.MY NOTES – Break down the goal into doable tasks This is the ‘meat’ of the five-step organization plan. The step-by-step that will get you on the journey and keep you moving forward. Sometimes by itself, the goal can seem overwhelming. To clean out the entire garage? That’s a lot! But break it down into small doable pieces. Maybe one weekend a month, you focus on one side of the garage. Four weekends later, you are done with the space! Is your inbox just overflowing with messages you automatically delete? Make a promise to yourself to start opening them instead, and clicking that “Unsubscribe” button. It is a small investment of time that will pay off in the very near future.
If you want to take your organization to the next level, I invite you to take advantage of the Complete Personal Planner in my Etsy shop. It has all kinds of checklists, planners, and tracking pages!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top three tricks to stay organized?
While there are no shortcuts to getting yourself organized, there are a few tricks I can pass along. Among the first steps to getting organized:
Don’t get discouraged if you have setbacks. Evaluate what went “sideways”, adjust, and move forward!
Don’t do it by yourself. If you live with at least one other human being, you will need their active participation to make this happen.
Stop shopping
What are the five rules to getting organized?
The short and sweet version:
Understand that this is a journey and not a destination
Stop shopping (I know I’ve said it several times, but it bears repeating – stop adding to the clutter!)
Declutter before organizing
Reward yourself for small achievements
Appreciate your progress
What are the best three tools to stay organized?
You’re ready to take the first steps to getting organized but you’ve not even sure what you need to have available. It may sound overly simple but the three best tools in your toolbox are:
Then you have to take a look at this incredible set of resources! My personal favorites are 5 Days of Cleaning Motivation (eCourse), The Essential Decluttering Starter Kit (workbook), and Time Management Freedom (eCourse). As part of my ongoing dedication to organization, I have been devouring these goodies.
I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
The Essential Decluttering Starter Kit workbook is amazing — tips, step-by-step instructions, planning worksheets, schedules, trackers, checklists, motivational cards, and even printable labels! Schedule 1 breaks down different areas of the house into 30-minute blocks. How realistic and doable!
I think that before you can truly organize a space, you have to declutter and clean it out. Instead of buying more Rubbermaid totes to store things, take a look at what you really need to keep and then decide how you want to store the items that remain!
Oh the value!
The contents of this Ultimate Homemaking Bundle are unbelievably generous! Let’s talk about the value — $1298.36 worth of products for $29.97. I mean, under $30! I still remember the first bundle I bought and I still use the resources that I discovered.
14 eCourses
9 eBooks
8 printable packs
8 planners
9 workbooks
3 membership sites and summits
Topics include Home Management such as cleaning, decluttering, organization, and decor. For your entire family, there are products especially for your little ones as well as homeschooling, marriage, and parenting resources. To guide your spiritual development, there are also several resources for you and your kiddos.
Oh and one of my favorite parts of an Ultimate Homemaking Bundle are the bonus deals! I’ve already ordered my face cloths from By Jillee as well as my Puro Co and MadeOn skincare treats.
So please check out the resources that they are offering. I have taken Personal Time Management courses before, and paid over $100 for the class. Imagine getting a class like that $30! Plus everything else!
If you have any questions about how Ultimate Bundles work, please feel free to drop me a line at touchoforganized@yahoo.com. And enjoy your new tricks and tips!
