Anonymous wrote:Clear containers are your friend. And heaven is an attached lid.

I think this in combination in toy rotation could work -- in theory, dump everything into one clear container and take it down to the basement, bring up a new one. Keep favorites out at all times.

Personally, we've managed to keep things relatively organized with a few small spots for toy and book storage in our living room, eat-in kitchen, each child's bedroom, and master bedroom. It only looks chaotic if no one puts things away.

Clear containers are your friend. And heaven is an attached lid.

1600 sf house, and we are redoing an outdated garage to make it into more of a living area because it was packed with junk we never use. We purged like crazy and I can tell we will just purge again when it's done because honestly there isn't any reason to keep stuff lying around year after year.

I agree with everyone else. We have 1000 sq + 300 finished basement with toddler, 2 adults and one on the way. We clean regularly (easy with small house!) and purge regularly as part of cleaning. At least once a month I tackle one area for a couple hours (my closet, or the basement closet or something like that). I get to every area by the end of the year, and we regularly get rid of what we don't need. You would be amazed at how much unused crap most people pay to heat, cool and store in their houses. Our house is not cluttered or crowded.

The principle I work from, which has worked for everything from a tiny Manhattan apartment to a large house, is to establish how much storage you're comfortable filling your space with, and then fill that storage. Whatever doesn't fit into that storage can probably be thrown out. The things you truly need or love, you'll make room for. The things that are left will be the ones you don't really care about so much.

If all you do is buy more and more storage, eventually you end up with a home that's cluttered with storage systems rather than the stuff in the storage systems, and that's not really any more peaceful.

Anonymous wrote:
The truth is that you need to throw out half your things.

Seriously, with small spaces, figuring out how to live without a ton of stuff is the secret.
You can't tidy up what you can't put away, and there is a limit to how stuffed your closets can become. Too stuffed, and you forget what's at the back (or you forget what you put in the basement) because you can't get to it. Then you buy it again because you need it. And the vicious cycle goes on.

BTDT.

+1

You'd be surprised how much more it actually costs to be in a smaller home. BTDT also.

A very tidy friend taught me the basic principle of "a place for every thing. Every thing in its place". Such an easy concept but so hard to master. All your things must have a place. If there is no place to keep them you have to just purge until there is. There are a couple things DH and I have problems with, like we have can explosion of vacuums and steam mops. We have to purge this. Look and see what is really taking up valuable real estate. Some culprits:
-old toiletries. Sort your drawers into "everyday" and "special occasion". Toss the rest.
-extra hangers-it is amazing how much space extra hangers take. This is an easy purge.
-bags. This could just be me but I have the hardest time throwing out bags-shopping bags, gift bags, plastic bags etc. You are allowed to keep as many plastic bags as you can comfortably store (we have a bag holder thingie). Throw the rest away.

Anonymous wrote:
For what you keep, bins, bins and more bins. No shelves.

?? Why no shelves?

If you're asking folks for help with organizing your mess, it means you're already bad at organizing (some people have the will to keep 3 or 300 toys tidy and organized). So if you go out and buy special furniture, you're just going to have more stuff in your house with more mess.

Just throw it all out.

For what you keep, bins, bins and more bins. No shelves.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When your children are little you will have clutter and toys everywhere. But soon your children will grow and the toys and baby gear will be put away. My best advice is just to accept that your home will feel more chaotic when kids are young. Just do the best you can and enjoy your time with your kids.

Thank you. All the people saying that you must limit your kids' toys and pack away and bring things out . . . I'm impressed that they could do that, but it wasn't how I wanted to spend my time. I was happier just living with a certain amount of chaos for few years, knowing that eventually I would be able to become the most generous coworker ever: Toys! Books! More toys! Clothes!

Well, there's chaos and there's CHAOS. You will always have enough toys, always, even if you are good about purging. But, I've been to some homes where there were toys everywhere. You don't need to live with that. With reasonable storage (e.g., storage ottoman in the living room, baskets in bookshelves), you can still keep toys near by but easily out of sight at the end of the day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When your children are little you will have clutter and toys everywhere. But soon your children will grow and the toys and baby gear will be put away. My best advice is just to accept that your home will feel more chaotic when kids are young. Just do the best you can and enjoy your time with your kids.

Thank you. All the people saying that you must limit your kids' toys and pack away and bring things out . . . I'm impressed that they could do that, but it wasn't how I wanted to spend my time. I was happier just living with a certain amount of chaos for few years, knowing that eventually I would be able to become the most generous coworker ever: Toys! Books! More toys! Clothes!

We purged a lot but still end up with toys everywhere. It's just easier to pick up.

Anonymous wrote:When your children are little you will have clutter and toys everywhere. But soon your children will grow and the toys and baby gear will be put away. My best advice is just to accept that your home will feel more chaotic when kids are young. Just do the best you can and enjoy your time with your kids.

Thank you. All the people saying that you must limit your kids' toys and pack away and bring things out . . . I'm impressed that they could do that, but it wasn't how I wanted to spend my time. I was happier just living with a certain amount of chaos for few years, knowing that eventually I would be able to become the most generous coworker ever: Toys! Books! More toys! Clothes!