The Frugal Organizer

I'm normally a very frugal person, but my first thought when I started my project of organizing my chaotic house was to hop in my car and go buy storage things to make my job easier.  I was thinking about closet shelves, drawer liners, cute baskets and boxes to put on shelves to make my "stuff" easier to hide.  I thought about those little magazine storage boxes that look cute on your book shelves and turntable gadgets for your kitchen cabinets. But then it hit me - I'm trying to simplify by getting rid of stuff, not buy more.

The first thing I did was look around my house - I haven't yet had the stamina to clean out my attic - that will be a wintertime chore.  We've had some 100 degree days lately, so I know what my attic feels like.  Usually when I open the door to my attic, I slam it shut again because I don't like what's facing me.  Besides, attics in 100 year old houses are scary.  Although it was scorching hot this week,  I braved it and found a few things I can use.  I found baskets, office organizers, vintage pretty bowls and dishes and even an old magazine rack.  There was even a unique little drawer that I had saved when my computer desk fell apart a while back (see, I can't throw anything away).  I found a neat old green wicker hamper and proceeded to haul out a few items - if not to use in my current project, at least I can use them as I progress in my goal to be organized.

My goal this week was to do a little organizing in my den.  I had some magazines and books stacked on the floor beside my reading chair that really needed to be cleared away and as much as I wanted them to, they were not going away by themselves.  The den was beginning to look a little disheveled so it was time for action.

Time to get rid of some of those magazines!  I had planned on clipping recipes and things out of them but it just never became a priority.  I began by throwing some of the older ones into the recycling bin, some of the newer ones I saved for my son-in-law's law office, and then there were a handful that I couldn't let go.   I took an office file folder holder and stacked them in it for display - magazine front covers are so pretty, they should be displayed!  The books were the same way - some I'll be giving away but I have a stack that I've been given or have bought and haven't gotten around to reading just yet.  They went into one of the baskets I found.

books to be read

Magazines displayed in a file folder upright tray.  Check out the article on the BHG cover - Get Organized - I think I need to read it.

I placed the small magazine rack I found on my old Eastlake table with some of my "coffee table" books that I had just laying around.  They look much neater contained.

My mother's handmade quilt went in the green wicker basket along with some throw pillows (I'll probably spray paint this basket another color since the green is a little wild for the rest of the room).

Pens and spare change go in old ruby red glass and the remote goes in a vintage rectangular milkglass bowl.  A gold chocolate tin is in the background to collect this and that things that hubby likes to put on the lamp table.

All of this organizing started a cleaning frenzy.  I pulled out all the furniture, took the rugs outside and aired and beat them before vacuuming them, swept, dusted and damp mopped the hardwoods.  My den and foyer haven't been this clean in a long time.  I've concluded that when you start organizing, one thing leads to another and all of a sudden you're really seeing your way through the clutter!  It makes it more fun to document what I'm doing and taking pictures along the way.  All I needed was some motivation - and a public declaration that I was going to do it!   I've got more accomplished in my house in the last month that I have in the year and a half since I've been retired!

Frugal me!  I didn't spend a dime.  Bring it on - I'm ready for anything now!  I'll let you know later what I did with the little drawer out of the broken desk - I knew it would come in handy one day.