Think you’re the only disorganized person in your neighborhood? The National Association of Professional Organizers reports that we don’t use 80 percent of the stuff we keep. We wear 20 percent of the clothes we own, while the other 80 percent hangs there just in case, and 25 percent of adults say they pay bills late because they lost them.
If you have stacks of papers, frazzled mornings or lost car keys, use the following ideas to help you organize your family and home!
Evenings/Mornings:
1. Make lunches, set out clothes and put everything you need for the next day in a designated area the night before. Have kids pack homework and books in their backpacks to be ready for the next day.
purple backpack – High Sierra Fat Boy Pack from eBags.com2. Place your purse, briefcase, cell phone and keys in a designated area every day so you always know where they are.
3. Decide on a breakfast menu the night before. If the family is to have cereal, set out the cereal boxes, bowls and spoons.
4. Make a “to do” list for the next day and prioritize the tasks. (Be sure to refer to it regularly!)
5. Fill the gas tank the day before so you won’t have to worry about getting gas if you are running late the next morning.
Bathrooms:
6. To organize countertop clutter, purchase a plastic tub with a handle on top. Place all of your accessories (such as hair spray and lotion) in the tub and place under the counter. Take the tub out when you are ready to use it, and put it back under the counter when you are finished with it.
7. To organize your bathtub/shower, place your soaps, body wash, shampoos and conditioners in shower caddies. Many different kinds of organizers are available at both discount and department stores — including those that hang from the shower head pipe and others that have several shelves attached to a long pole you put in the corner of the tub.
8. To help keep your shower doors clean, buy a water squeegee (like you use on your windows) and keep it in the shower. When you are done taking a shower, just wipe down the doors with the squeegee for a clean and dry shower door. Many of the squeegees come with a hole in the handle, which is convenient for hanging it up in the shower with a suction cup. (See a shower squeegee from Lowes at right.)
9. Install a simple magnetic strip in your medicine cabinet and hang tweezers, nail clippers and scissors from it.
10. Store reading material in a decorative magazine rack. As you add new magazines, recycle or give away the older ones to keep the magazine rack from overflowing.
11. Throw away old or unusued items in your bathroom: Makeup, lotions, old razors, sunscreen and perfume. Return old medications (including prescriptions) to your local pharmacy for safe disposal.
12. If you are out of space in your bathroom cabinets for towels, roll them up and display them in a decorative basket next to the shower or bathtub.
13. Install hooks on a wall or the back of your bathroom door for towels and robes.
14. Use drawer organizers for makeup, jewelry, ponytail holders and other loose items. (Plastic silverware trays, found in the kitchen aisle, are inexpensive and fit the bill.)
15. Place a shelving unit or etagere above the toilet for storing extra towels, washcloths and other accessories.
16. Put a clock in each bathroom so there are no excuses for being late.
Closet:small closet storage
17. Place baskets in your closet for laundry and dry cleaning.
18. Sort through, bag and donate anything you don’t wear anymore to a local charity. This includes clothes that are no longer in fashion, no longer fit, or you haven’t worn in a year. Also, get rid of those worn-out and/or uncomfortable shoes you no longer wear.
19. Separate your clothes by season. If you have a tall closet with several rows of hanging rods, place the current season’s clothes on the lowest level, and move out-of-season clothes up to the tallest rods.
20. Categorize your clothes by purpose: Work, casual, cold- or hot-weather wear and formal.
21. Gather all of your unused wire hangers (remember Joan Crawford!) and take them to the dry cleaners to recycle.
22. Hang scarves on a hanger or scarf rack, and belts and ties on hangers or racks.
23. Use a shoe rack to keep shoes organized. Recycle old shoe boxes that clutter the floor. (You don’t need to keep every pair of shoes in your closet all year long, either!)
24. Install hooks on the closet wall to hang up hats, handbags and tote bags.
25. Store clothes that you want to save in a vacuum-sealed plastic bag. These bags compress the clothing, making it much easier to fit under the bed or in a closet. Save only the clothes that you think will be worn!
A Brooksville incon, Papa Joe’s was destroyed by fire last week-end. They have served the comminity for over 30 years. A benefit yard sale is being held at their location Feburary 1st to help their loyal employees. Store Right is taking donations to assist them with their plight. Papa Joe’s plans to be rebuilding and be back in business next year.
I’m very pleased to announce that StoreRight Self Storage in Lecanto has partnered with Cayla’s Coats. Cayla’s Coats is a wonderful local organization! They provide coats for children in need, specifically in Citrus County. The charitable organization is run by Jessica Barnes, in honor of her daughter Cayla. The volunteers with Cayla’s Coats want to honor Cayla Barnes by helping local children. With the unseasonably cold weather that Citrus County has been experiencing lately, what better time to help out the local kids who need warm clothes? I am very excited to help out this most worthy cause!
Please check out Cayla’s Coats Facebook page for information on drop off locations for the coats, and also for information on their upcoming events. They are planning a big Casino Night fundraiser soon, which will be held at Tuscany on the Meadows. That will be a fun night for sure, and I’m going to get my ticket as soon as I can, because they’re expecting a big crowd, and it might sell out! I hope it does! I hope our community continues to be so generous to those in need.
Speaking of those in need, Citrus County recently had several house fires, and again, our community has rallied! Last Saturday, I attended a fundraiser at Manatee Lanes Bowling Alley in Crystal River. Manatee Lanes stepped right up to the plate (oops! that’s a baseball analogy, I guess I should use a bowling analogy!)….but I can’t think of one, I guess cause I’m not a bowler. How about this? Manatee Lanes threw a strike! I know….kind of lame! So much for my sports analogies!
Anyway, Manatee Lanes wasted no time in setting up a fundraiser to help out one of the families affected by the house fires. I’m not sure exactly what the total amount raised was, but while I was at the fundraiser, the monetary amount was already significant, as well as the donations of clothes, toiletries and household goods. Just another example of how giving the folks are, here in Citrus County.
I have lived in 4 states so far, and I have to say, I’ve never seen such a level of generosity anywhere else. I feel privileged to live in such a caring community. StoreRight Self Storage in Lecanto is proud to be able to help out our local kids and families! Call me at 352-527-9777 if you have any questions about Cayla’s Coats, or if I can help you with any of your storage needs, for your home or business.
In honor of Martian Luther King Day, StoreRight Self Storage would like to share some interesting facts you may or not know about his life. Some or all may surprise you.
Dr. King delivered a version of his famous ” I Have A Dream ” speech at Detroit’s Cobo Hall on June 23, 1963. This speech took place more than two months before the March on Washington. In front of an estimated 25,000 people, King talked about his dream of having his four little children judged by others based on the content of their character and not the color of their skin.
Martin Luther King was actually born ” Michael King “. King’s father , who was also named Michael, reportedly changed both of their names to Martin Luther after a trip to Germany in 1931. The name change was never filed legally.
The ‘Mountaintop’ speech King gave the night before he was assassinated in 1968 almost didn’t happen. King was exhausted from his travels and had a slight fever. He planned to rest but was summoned to speak because so many had gathered at the Memphis church.
Dr. King was a fan of Star Trek. He personally convinced Nichelle Nichols to remain on the show as her character ‘Uhura’ after she had considered leaving just one season. Nichols met King at a NAACP fundraiser.
King entered Morehouse College at the age of 15. He graduated with a bachelors degree in sociology at 19. At 25 he completed his doctorate at Boston University.
Martin Luther King won a Grammy. In 1971, he earned music’s highest honor for Best Spoken Recording, “Why I Opposed the War in Vietnam”.
King’s assassination in 1968 was not the first attempt on his life. On September 20, 1958 a women named Izola Curry stabbed King at a book signing in Harlem. He nearly died from the incident.
Although Martin Luther King Day was first observed in 1986, all 50 states didn’t officially recognize the holiday until 2000. Utah was the last state to make it official, renaming its ‘Human Rights Day’ holiday after King.
King’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was in part inspired by a newspaper article in the Birmingham News. The article quoted several white clergymen who thought King’s presence was ‘unwise and untimely.’ King responded famously from jail.
Dr. Martin Luther King’s life was full of many incredible experiences and speeches, he marched for equal rights, fair housing and decent wages for all.
Tis a new year at last,
The old year is past,
It’s time to begin anew.
Resolutions are set,
Which soon we forget,
But we know what we must do.
The closet is cluttered,
I quietly muttered,
Wishing it wasn’t true.
A storage I need,
My thoughts planted a seed,
This chore I must see through.
I’ll call StoreRight storage,
After I finish my porridge,
And put on my other shoe.
Why can’t I get started,
My efforts only half-hearted,
I really don’t have a clue.
I must make that call,
If I do nothing else at all,
After a cup of coffee or two.
No more delaying,
My course I am staying,
I’m calling the green and blue.
StoreRight helped me out,
And I want to shout,
StoreRight can help you too.
Their prices are great,
You shouldn’t wait,
Their specials are really true.
No storage can beat,
Or even compete,
StoreRight is the one for you.
So heed my advice,
And don’t think twice,
Or get yourself in a stew.
Call StoreRight today,
It’s the only way,
To make this year brand new.
Your closets will glow,
Your car will show,
It’s parked in out of the dew.
So join the crowd,
You’ll be so proud,
StoreRight is part of you.
Your house will look clean,
And so pristene,
No more clutter to walk through.
StoreRight Self Storage,
Gave me the courage,
To do what I had to do.
The treasures I’ve stored,
And always adored,
Are guarded by the StoreRight crew.
I know they’re secure,
Locked behind the door,
At StoreRight of green and blue.
So for the new year,
Stand up and cheer,
StoreRight we need you.
Call StoreRight Self Storage today at (863) 421-5772 and reserve your unit for a happy new year. We are located at 6400 State Road 544 in Winter Haven, Fl. We sell boxes and packing suppplies and can help arrange for movers. Our prices and specials are the best around and our customer service is number 1. StoreRight offers climate control units, as well as covered and non-covered outside parking spaces. Come join our fmily and have a StoreRight Self Storage New Year.
