I'm So Organized, I File My Pop Tarts

Not really, but I thought that made a splendid post title. 

A more apt post title would be Somebody Stop Me Already With The Containers. 

I've already told you that I've declared 2008 The Year Of Less Stuff.  I'm continuing to purge mercilessly, and it feels good.  Taking a cue from some of my favorite organizing blogs, I'm putting the stuff we're actually keeping in containers.  Because I reason that if it resides in a cute plastic bin, I will never lose it, right? 

We'll see.

I have a sordid history with containers and organizational systems in general.  If you don't believe me, you can just ask my Hubs, who has witnessed the whole 13-year journey (and has the garage full of empty containers to prove it).  I seem to be able to get things in a good container-y system, labeled all pretty, but then I forget where I put them.  Or I get in a hurry and stop using the container.  Or I just change my mind. 

But I'm determined that 2008 will be different, and I am madly containerizing this whole darn house.  My most proud accomplishment so far has been the Pop Tart box.  I hate it when my kids open a twin pack of Pop Tarts, eat one, and then just toss the the unsealed pack back in the cabinet.  It gets stale quickly, and that's just wasteful.   

Enter the freakishly organized Pop Tart box.  If I were actually this organized, this next picture would probably be kind of scary.  Rest assured in the knowledge that next month my pop tarts will most likely have resumed their stale little spots in the back of the cabinet.  But for now, this is my crowning glory:

Look!  A spot for the Pop Tarts.  And look!  A hinged lid:

Is that the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?

But the containerizing doesn't stop there.  I also emptied out the cabinet we use for kid art supplies and computer supplies.  If I had a before picture, this next shot would be considerably more impressive (but that would have required forethought, and we're only tackling one organizational skill at a time around here.  Baby steps, y'all.)

I moved most of the kids' art supplies to another cabinet, and I was left with this:

The bin on the lower left is for new computer paper.  The bin on the bottom right is for old paper that has printing on one side, leaving the back side still perfectly fine for drawing.  Because oh-yes-indeed we are reducing, re-using and recycling.  I feel so green I could ribbit.

Thus concludes today's foray into my mad organizational binge, and you are most welcome to ask me in two months if any of it still looks like that.  I'm not hopeful. 

Tell me--what's your most clever use of containerizing?  Because there are a handful Rubbermaid containers in the state of Oklahoma that I haven't bought yet, and I'd love to find a reason to nab those last few.

Comments

[JCK]

You are scaring me...just a bit, with the poptart container. But, truly they look SO fresh.

I've got no container insights for you, but am in much admiration of your determination to organize!

[Julie]

Silly me, I just put the left over Pop Tart in a sandwich bag. J/K. I am very impressed. Hubby and I tackled the garage today and strangely I have about 20 various sized lonesome lids. How did that happen?

[chrissy]

That is a solution to a problem I didn't even realize I had. They DO get really stale!

I've joined you in manic organizing for '08, simply because I can no longer function amid the clutter, plus I can't find anything.

My biggest container accomplishment was buying one of those fishing tackle compartmentalized things to keep hairbows in. It has all these tiny see-through drawers so you can sort them however you want. Now if I could just get the girls to return them to the drawers when they yank them out of their hair.

[Laura]

Okay I CANNOT stop laughing! Oh I love it when a plan comes together...you've crossed over to the junkie side! That was a mighty nice "fix" you shared here with me today. I mean seriously, a pop tart container, with a HINGED lid!! Girlfriend you are so speaking my language, I think I have to go lay down I'm shaking so bad.

It's a good thing we live in two different countries so we can share in the container madness that consumes all org junkies everywhere!

I LOVE it!!!!!

Laura
(orgjunkie)

[Krista]

I bow down to your organizational skills. I too am trying to rid my (teeny tiny) apartment of unwanted/unused items so that I don't feel like my house is going to eat me! However that is easier said than done (especially with a 9 month old who likes to get into everything!)
Good luck to you and please send a little of your vibes my way!
Also, best wishes for your Compassion trip. I'm SOOOOO jealous they picked you. I have a boy in Columbia now, but my first child graduated in Peru and I never got to visit him. :(

[The Chatty Housewife]

Good job! Everything looks great!

[JanMary, N Ireland]

Pop tarts today....tomorrow the world!

[toni]

The title hooked me alright! And those Pop Tarts look great. It's been awhile since I've had some!

Will you be filing your cereal anytime soon? :)

[Trixie]

Hi there!

Pop Tart Organization?!I'm starting to get hives :)

This is too funny, it comes at such an appropriate time, I've been on a miracle organizing binge lately too. I wrote about it just yesterday.

http://farmhomelife.blogspot.com/2008/01/organizational-bragging.html

Take Care,

Trixie

[susan]

my husband and kids are coming home tonight after a 4 night trip so that i could be alone in house and organize and purge. it's been magical. almost everything in my house is container-ized (technical term) or basket-ized (more technical lingo). i've lost track of the number of times i've just gazed upon the linen closet. the beautifulness of containers and baskets and labels is, well, *something*.

[Erin]

Pop-tarts :( I wish I had some to file - I can't find anywhere in Australia that sells them anymore.

Here is a tip to help you get rid of stuff; - Move twice with in 5 months - being surrounded by packing boxes and realising that I will have to do this again very soon has made me want to give everything away!

[Elizabeth]

I brought home that same container for my daughter's thread yesterday, right before I sat down in the middle of the dining room floor and put 15 years of recipes into sheet protectors. I would add that I put them into binders, but I grossly underestimated how many binders I would need!

[Beth@sportsmomma]

You Go Girl!!! I'm trying to get organized too. May even go by the space maker store soon- my pantry is in serious need of some organization!!!

Awesome job!!

[Beth_C]

Wow! A hinged container for Pop-Tarts and it is even labeled! I suddenly feel the need to put my bagles and English muffins in a Rubbermaid container!

Must get label maker....

[Gettysburg Mom]

Your kids leave pop-tarts uneaten? Wow! I have three different containers in my laundry room- one for each size sheet we use in the house. After I pull the sheet out of the dryer and fold it, it goes into the right container. I no longer have to hunt for the right size sheets when we have overnight guests. Some people might make up the guest bed long before it's needed, but that doesn't happen here...

[Multi-Tasking Mommy]

Sounds like you and I are cut from the same cloth. I organize so that I can be organized, but then I never remember where I put things. It seems all logical at the time!

I have the same resolution as you--LESS CLUTTER!!!!

I've already gotten rid of a microwave sitting in the garage, 2 garbage bags and two boxes full of junk from the basement! It's a start.

[Alana]

I love containers. I've promised myself I would not purchase any new ones until I have exhausted all of the empty ones collecting dust in the laundry room. Which pretty much means I can not go to the Dollar Store or Target ever again.

I do have to say my all time, all-purpose storage containers are the simple little Ziploc Easy Zipper Storage Bags. I rarely use them for food purposes, but the organizing possibilities are endless. Yesterday I took all the kids puzzles out of the flimsy cardboard boxes that take up way too much space, cut out the picture from the box and put all the pieces in the Ziplock bags. The zippers are easy for the kids to open and close and the bags take up a lot less space.

[Mandy]

Wow! I am impressed! I also have kids that love to leave a pop tart to stale away.

My most ingenious use of a "container" is when I bought one of those large plastic things with the drawers to put my two youngest girls shoes in. They share a room and a shoe size. I put sandals and flip flops in one drawer, gym shoes in another, dressy/church shoes in another and finally snow boats in another. Now we can actually get in the closet!

Keep up the good work, I am so jealous!
But not jealous enough to get off my lazy butt and actually do something about it!

[Adventures In Babywearing]

Ok, so now I'm craving Strawberry Pop Tarts. Great.

Steph

[michelle]

We use containers for 2 very important things in our home. Legos and Heroscape. Nothing out of the ordinary but here's how it works: The boys have a large, old homemade queen size bed platform to house their permanent Lego town and we keep the extra Legos in rubbermaid under-the-bed size containers: easy to slid in and out and pick up is a snap. Then for Heroscape game pieces we store them in rubbermaid drawers, easy to seperate the different pieces and keep them upright, easy to access and again easy to pick up.

I also use old ice cream conatiner tubs to house smaller toys, especially outside things like army men, if we poke holes in the bottom of the container cleaning them is easy- rinse and drain, of course that is if we actually clean them.

[caroline]

"I feel so green I could ribbit."

This line HIT my funny bone! I just HAD to comment that it made me laugh till tears came.

I may steal your poptart box idea. I've told the kids over and over again to put the one poptart in a ziploc bag but half the time it doesn't happen. Grrrr.....

[Jynell]

I don't want to rain on your Pop Tart Parade, but do they really stay fresh in those containers? I have those same containers & I know they aren't airtight... just curious- sorry!! I just put the extra one in a ziplock & make them eat that one before opening a new pack- but my kids are all still little, & I understand that can't always be done!

I do LOVE those containers for the collection of bouncy balls we've acquired. I also use them for the miscellaneous little cars that I would otherwise step on as well as my sons Little People Pirates.

I also just did the ziplock bag/puzzle organizing- LOVE that so far too! We'll see how long it works...

My favorite organizing to date would have to be what I did in my medicine cabinet. Wal-Mart also has clearish white or blueish/purple mini crates. They have holes in them & are meant for CD's. I separated all of the (junk) we keep in the medicine cabinets into categories. Kids medicine, Adult medicine, Hair stuff, Teeth Stuff, extra supplies, misc., feminine products, Jason's (so that my hubby only gets HIS bin messy!) and so on. If something does get disorganized, it's only ONE bin & only takes a few minutes to empty & re-do. I wasn't sure if it would work or not, but it's been almost a YEAR now & I STILL love it! I can't say that about other O projects I've done, but this one has been great. I'm going to start doing the WFMW this week, so I think I'll use this as my first one & put up some pictures! :D

Sorry this is so long!!

[Beth]

When you're tired of organizing at your house, will you come over help me? 'Cuz see, I got the "pack-rat" gene. I'm pretty good at donating unused/unwanted clothes now, but all the clutter is slowly taking over my house.

Rubbermaid to the rescue!!

(But my Pop-Tarts are safe in sandwich bags. Umm, tasty!)

[S.B.]

Just like Caroline, I have also organized all of the medicine and stuff I get from CVS. I bought one of those little organizers with the three drawers - one for nail polish, one for hairbrush and hair accessories and one for medicine. It has worked well.

[Carri]

Nathan, newly age 3, just asked if that was our house. Don't I wish. Want to bring some of your containers over here? Forget the pop tart one, though. That's a bit much. Haha.