Organizing “Roughly Right”

Hello everyone!

I have a confession to make: I am not perfect. I know it may come as a shock, but even I fall victim to life's accruements piling up while my back is turned.

I noticed that a corner area in our basement had become the dumping ground for our camping supplies, fishing gear and home repair tools. Sleeping bags, tackle boxes and drill bits were stuffed into several wooden shelves. All items that are infrequently used, if at all. Despite the lack of use, I knew there would come a day when someone did actually need one of these items, so I did what I do best: organize.

I started by grouping like items together. I got rid of broken items and duplicates. At one point, I gathered 15 screwdrivers. I initially planned to buy a new elfa system to store all these items. However, once I sorted through the piles, I decided it was not worth spending more time or money to organize items with such limited potential use. My son and husband took their last fishing/camping trip about four years ago.

I chose to organize with bins I already owned and purchased a few inexpensive plastic crates/drawer dividers. Functionally trumps aesthetics due to the low visibility to this part of the house. Who knew there could be such joy in being able to quickly locate an air mattress?

Here it is in all of its glory:

Just a few hours and a few dollars were spent on getting this mess in order, and I am very pleased with the results. Did I mention I can find my air mattress?

I recommend organizing areas (both functionally and aesthetically) in your home that are used on a daily/weekly basis and to organize areas "roughly right" that are infrequently used. Sometimes it is more important to get your stuff in order than waiting until you can get a new system.

Happy Saturday, Happy Organizing!

Best,

Laura