You are doing a great job. One thing I have learned over the years is that round containers are not a good choice, especially in a cupboard. Unless it's a rotating tray, which I use for my oils and such in the kitchen. I just find they take up much more space and a rectangular or square container works better.
As your kiddos get older, it's typical to have to make changes that work better for you at that moment. I believe that your house is more than up to parr. Perhaps some organizational shelving in the garage may be useful. You can always add shelves in the bathroom. I put mine high enough that it doesn't make the room cramped. I use baskets on the shelves to make it look better. I also put otc's and our prescriptions on cabinet step tiers (commonly used in spice cabinets) so that we can see things easily and keep track of replenishment/expiration. I get feeling yucky when my house isn't what it needs to be. So, as you did, I tackle it and make it work better. You've got this! ❤
I use round 2-tier turntables in my kitchen for meds and supplements - it makes it so much easier to see what I want, and to get it out without making a mess. I actually store extras and occasional ones in the hall closet the same way. When I need to shop for more, it's so much easier to go spin those things around and check to see if I already have another bottle or not. I take a lot of supplements (trying to keep the fibromyalgia and trigeminal neuralgia at bay), so I try to have a replacement on hand for the ones that tend to go out of stock, or that I order online. Then, when I take it out of the hall closet to open it, I replenish the hall closet. We have one very small bathroom upstairs, which is the one I use. I ended up putting a couple small wire baskets on the wall above the towel bar, and I roll up my towels and washcloths and keep them there. The baskets are shallow and long, and they work perfectly! Under the sink, I have two plastic drawers that fit side by side along the bottom. They are super handy for all that stuff in small containers, like extra makeup, or squeeze bottles of stuff, or things like extra cotton swabs and cotton balls. And the tops of the drawers are a flat area where I can stack other stuff. I can even fit two 6-packs of toilet tissue in there. To make use of the vertical space on the other side of the pipes from where I stack the toilet tissue, I tucked my hair dryers and irons in a skinny tall plastic open weave pool tote. Fits perfectly! And my makeup bag sits right at the top of that, so I can just pull it out. It can take time to find the storage options that fit your space best, and mine are all mix and match if they're inside the cupboards. If you don't mind that, then you can just pick up cheap stuff here and there. Those photo storage boxes they have on sale at Michaels for real cheap now and then, make great stacking storage for little stuff in a closet, or cupboard. And you can grab a handful of matching ones that fit your decor if you want to keep them out. (they always have black, or kraft brown, it seems like) For example, you could put them on a high shelf in a kid's bedroom or playroom, if you put the shelf within your reach and not the kids' reach. It can keep small stuff that you don't always need out, looking tidy - but not far away if you need to get to it.
Just a thought… Is there a blank, appropriate wall, where you can put in a small pantry closet? I’ve also seen a garage where they put in long rows of wood, in the ceiling & then they slide in containers, like from Walmart. I’ll try & find the clip / video. Lastly, build some drawers, directly into the wall? Sorry if these are off base suggestions. 😊
We actually have some really nice shelves in the garage! Most of that stuff is Peter’s work equipment that he sometimes has to dump out of his truck. So once he takes that to work 90% of the mess will be gone.
OMG, this is exactly me right now 😳 I have fibromyalgia pretty bad, it just seems to take me so long to get through the physical stuff of reorganizing. And that doesn't count daily upkeep and cleaning, which I often have to put off while organizing and just catch up later. And the whole time I'm doing either one, I'm just pushing my body through pain. Then on top of that I have a facial nerve condition called trigeminal neuralgia. When that kicks in, it's excruciating, debilitating 24/7 pain. That put me out of play for all of October. Then, my body takes about a month or more to recover to having near the daily energy and stamina I had before the acute pain attack. I thought I was doing pretty good by Thanksgiving, so I cooked a turkey. But cooking it is one thing. Then you gotta carve that thing up. And I tried an expensive heritage turkey this year, so I wanted to get all I could out of it, which means a ton of gravy, and some bone broth. That wore me out for days!!! And then I've been trying from there, to get out Christmas decorations to put up, and to get the tree put up...I'm in so much pain from the fibromyalgia, it's really hard to push through. But *everything* in my house is that cascade of one pile needs to get handled before the things I want there can get put away. It gets really bad when you're mostly out of commission for 2+ months. And then there's stuff that cascades over years of chronic pain that isn't in piles, it's in boxes. And to declutter those, you have to pull them all out! I mostly just leave those for now, it's a lot of papers I need to eventually file or toss. I was really happy to have the energy to sort out a few boxes of Christmas stuff to give away, so I won't be storing those things that I don't want. Little victories. 🎉
I hear you. I've had fibromyalgia for decades (since I was a teen) & was recently diagnosed with trigeminal and occipital neuralgia. when the TN flairs, I can barely open my mouth to eat or take meds. it sucks so much. Recently fell on my knee and for past 2 weeks limping around, so i havent even gone Xmas shopping except online. Hope in spite of your health, you have a happy holiday
@@Karmagirl29 Oh nooo, I'm so sorry you're dealing with all that! This is just the worst time of year for all these challenges. 🥺 I've had knee problems for decades - it's why they put me out of the Army. My knees have been giving me SOOO much grief, I would just be couch bound if I fell on one. In at least a bit of good news, I was able to get 99% of the Christmas decorating finished!!! I'm so happy about that 😻 I just want to get some ornaments on the tree and it will be a done deal. Next step, get Christmas shopping done. I hope you are able to enjoy the holiday season despite your challenges, as well. 🙏
The space is large enough. Just add in the organizational touches and periodically purge what's not needed. Plenty of families live in homes smaller than this.
@@2Cambell I agree - there are a lot of ways to add storage in space that isn't being used. Or, sometimes you can find a way to move furniture and stuff around, to optimize how you store things. Maybe a piece you're using in the dining room actually would work better in another room, who knows? Sometimes, a little creativity in storage can make a big difference. Our kitchen has no pantry, and there's windows above most of the walls in the dining area we have nearby. (it's made kind of like a sun room) So, we got a low and wide console with glass panels in the doors and that's where we store a lot of dry goods. And, this might not work well with kids, but we do have a rail along one side of the kitchen where the basement steps go down. It's a narrow space, but I found some CD/DVD racks that fit there, and I can put my canned goods, and that sort of thing there. The great thing is that I can adjust the heights of the shelves, so I can even fit taller bottles of unopened things like oils, condiments, sparkling waters, etc, along the bottom. With my canned goods out of the console, I have more room for other stuff in there! No, it's not pretty, but it's tidy, and it uses space where nothing else was going to go anyway. And they were cheaper than anything else as sturdy. And, you know, as long as you affixed them to the wall, the CD/DVD racks actually would be fine for kids. The ones I got have straps to secure them to the wall, even though they aren't very tall. If you had a rocking chair in the corner of a nursery, you could fit a couple of these behind the chair. Little stuffed animals would be perfect to line up on it - and that's recovered space! I have used and repurposed a bunch of stuff I got for free or very little cost. You are fortunate that you own your house. We are stuck renting right now at ridiculous prices, and trying to make things work that you can't take down or redo gets super annoying. 😕
You are doing a great job.
One thing I have learned over the years is that round containers are not a good choice, especially in a cupboard. Unless it's a rotating tray, which I use for my oils and such in the kitchen. I just find they take up much more space and a rectangular or square container works better.
As your kiddos get older, it's typical to have to make changes that work better for you at that moment. I believe that your house is more than up to parr. Perhaps some organizational shelving in the garage may be useful. You can always add shelves in the bathroom. I put mine high enough that it doesn't make the room cramped. I use baskets on the shelves to make it look better. I also put otc's and our prescriptions on cabinet step tiers (commonly used in spice cabinets) so that we can see things easily and keep track of replenishment/expiration. I get feeling yucky when my house isn't what it needs to be. So, as you did, I tackle it and make it work better. You've got this! ❤
Thank you for all of the suggestions 😊 sometimes you just gotta do the dirty work and it’s usually always worth it. 😉
I use round 2-tier turntables in my kitchen for meds and supplements - it makes it so much easier to see what I want, and to get it out without making a mess. I actually store extras and occasional ones in the hall closet the same way. When I need to shop for more, it's so much easier to go spin those things around and check to see if I already have another bottle or not. I take a lot of supplements (trying to keep the fibromyalgia and trigeminal neuralgia at bay), so I try to have a replacement on hand for the ones that tend to go out of stock, or that I order online. Then, when I take it out of the hall closet to open it, I replenish the hall closet.
We have one very small bathroom upstairs, which is the one I use. I ended up putting a couple small wire baskets on the wall above the towel bar, and I roll up my towels and washcloths and keep them there. The baskets are shallow and long, and they work perfectly!
Under the sink, I have two plastic drawers that fit side by side along the bottom. They are super handy for all that stuff in small containers, like extra makeup, or squeeze bottles of stuff, or things like extra cotton swabs and cotton balls. And the tops of the drawers are a flat area where I can stack other stuff. I can even fit two 6-packs of toilet tissue in there. To make use of the vertical space on the other side of the pipes from where I stack the toilet tissue, I tucked my hair dryers and irons in a skinny tall plastic open weave pool tote. Fits perfectly! And my makeup bag sits right at the top of that, so I can just pull it out.
It can take time to find the storage options that fit your space best, and mine are all mix and match if they're inside the cupboards. If you don't mind that, then you can just pick up cheap stuff here and there. Those photo storage boxes they have on sale at Michaels for real cheap now and then, make great stacking storage for little stuff in a closet, or cupboard. And you can grab a handful of matching ones that fit your decor if you want to keep them out. (they always have black, or kraft brown, it seems like) For example, you could put them on a high shelf in a kid's bedroom or playroom, if you put the shelf within your reach and not the kids' reach. It can keep small stuff that you don't always need out, looking tidy - but not far away if you need to get to it.
Just a thought… Is there a blank, appropriate wall, where you can put in a small pantry closet?
I’ve also seen a garage where they put in long rows of wood, in the ceiling & then they slide in containers, like from Walmart. I’ll try & find the clip / video. Lastly, build some drawers, directly into the wall? Sorry if these are off base suggestions. 😊
We actually have some really nice shelves in the garage! Most of that stuff is Peter’s work equipment that he sometimes has to dump out of his truck. So once he takes that to work 90% of the mess will be gone.
OMG, this is exactly me right now 😳 I have fibromyalgia pretty bad, it just seems to take me so long to get through the physical stuff of reorganizing. And that doesn't count daily upkeep and cleaning, which I often have to put off while organizing and just catch up later. And the whole time I'm doing either one, I'm just pushing my body through pain.
Then on top of that I have a facial nerve condition called trigeminal neuralgia. When that kicks in, it's excruciating, debilitating 24/7 pain. That put me out of play for all of October. Then, my body takes about a month or more to recover to having near the daily energy and stamina I had before the acute pain attack. I thought I was doing pretty good by Thanksgiving, so I cooked a turkey. But cooking it is one thing. Then you gotta carve that thing up. And I tried an expensive heritage turkey this year, so I wanted to get all I could out of it, which means a ton of gravy, and some bone broth. That wore me out for days!!!
And then I've been trying from there, to get out Christmas decorations to put up, and to get the tree put up...I'm in so much pain from the fibromyalgia, it's really hard to push through. But *everything* in my house is that cascade of one pile needs to get handled before the things I want there can get put away. It gets really bad when you're mostly out of commission for 2+ months. And then there's stuff that cascades over years of chronic pain that isn't in piles, it's in boxes. And to declutter those, you have to pull them all out! I mostly just leave those for now, it's a lot of papers I need to eventually file or toss.
I was really happy to have the energy to sort out a few boxes of Christmas stuff to give away, so I won't be storing those things that I don't want. Little victories. 🎉
I hear you. I've had fibromyalgia for decades (since I was a teen) & was recently diagnosed with trigeminal and occipital neuralgia. when the TN flairs, I can barely open my mouth to eat or take meds. it sucks so much. Recently fell on my knee and for past 2 weeks limping around, so i havent even gone Xmas shopping except online.
Hope in spite of your health, you have a happy holiday
@@Karmagirl29 Oh nooo, I'm so sorry you're dealing with all that! This is just the worst time of year for all these challenges. 🥺 I've had knee problems for decades - it's why they put me out of the Army. My knees have been giving me SOOO much grief, I would just be couch bound if I fell on one.
In at least a bit of good news, I was able to get 99% of the Christmas decorating finished!!! I'm so happy about that 😻 I just want to get some ornaments on the tree and it will be a done deal. Next step, get Christmas shopping done.
I hope you are able to enjoy the holiday season despite your challenges, as well. 🙏
Welcome to LIFE, but don't beat yourself about do about. Do something one section at a time then it won't so overwhelming to you.
I was going to say something similar 😊
Hi💐
Hello 😊
The house is too small.
The space is large enough. Just add in the organizational touches and periodically purge what's not needed. Plenty of families live in homes smaller than this.
Exactly! Also, the size of our house isn’t something I can magically change. Unless someone wants to buy us a new house 🤣
@@2Cambell I agree - there are a lot of ways to add storage in space that isn't being used. Or, sometimes you can find a way to move furniture and stuff around, to optimize how you store things. Maybe a piece you're using in the dining room actually would work better in another room, who knows?
Sometimes, a little creativity in storage can make a big difference. Our kitchen has no pantry, and there's windows above most of the walls in the dining area we have nearby. (it's made kind of like a sun room) So, we got a low and wide console with glass panels in the doors and that's where we store a lot of dry goods.
And, this might not work well with kids, but we do have a rail along one side of the kitchen where the basement steps go down. It's a narrow space, but I found some CD/DVD racks that fit there, and I can put my canned goods, and that sort of thing there. The great thing is that I can adjust the heights of the shelves, so I can even fit taller bottles of unopened things like oils, condiments, sparkling waters, etc, along the bottom. With my canned goods out of the console, I have more room for other stuff in there! No, it's not pretty, but it's tidy, and it uses space where nothing else was going to go anyway. And they were cheaper than anything else as sturdy.
And, you know, as long as you affixed them to the wall, the CD/DVD racks actually would be fine for kids. The ones I got have straps to secure them to the wall, even though they aren't very tall. If you had a rocking chair in the corner of a nursery, you could fit a couple of these behind the chair. Little stuffed animals would be perfect to line up on it - and that's recovered space!
I have used and repurposed a bunch of stuff I got for free or very little cost. You are fortunate that you own your house. We are stuck renting right now at ridiculous prices, and trying to make things work that you can't take down or redo gets super annoying. 😕