Frugality is quite in vogue now. Instead of living in McMansions, Americans are doing more with less these days. As much as I would love to help you and your friends ‘up-size’ to a larger home to keep all your stuff I’m happy to help you make the most of your current home.

At the turn of the New Year, I have been working on those piles of paper on my desk and all that stuff stored in my garage. My desk now looks much larger and my car actually fits in the garage! I have more room! In my more than 20 years as a Realtor I have seen lots of homes overtaken by clutter and useless stuff. It’s been my job to coach sellers through the task of consolidating and organizing to free up space. Buyers need to see what they are buying. I have some good tips for getting organized, getting back on track and reclaiming valuable square footage. I thought you might be interested so I am enclosing a checklist for gaining back some square footage.

—————————————-

Free Square Footage

  Eliminate

• Start with the big items. Try to gain as much space as quickly as possible. It will help you mentally and will make room to do the sorting. Borrow a pickup for a dump run and try to fill it. Move quickly; cover what you have loaded so you are not tempted to take it back out. Don’t double think.
• If you have stuff for Goodwill separate it and take it right away. Don’t be afraid to make multiple trips, saving up for a trip was probably what started it all anyway.
• Turn items into cash by using Craig’s List, E-bay, consignment stores, etc.
• If you have a nick-nack collection consider taking photos of your precious prizes and store the real thing for safety and space saving.

Compact & Consolidate

• Place like items together first; this will help with organization later.
• Use nesting to make the most use of storage space. A picnic cooler could contain all of your picnic items, napkins, cups, tablecloths, etc. saving lots of space.
• Eliminate duplicate items.
• Use Space Bags (the ones you vacuum the air out of). They fit nicely under beds.
• Get your photos scanned. Best to have this done professionally. Provide your own blank CD’s and save some money.

Organize

• Use clear storage containers and label them well so you can stack ‘em high. Avoid using shelving as too much space is wasted.
• Consider using an online organizer tool like www.Springpad.com. Here you can store your favorite recipes and get rid of those bulky recipe books.
• Have trouble with organizing your file cabinet and remembering where you put stuff? Take a look at www.thefileharmonic.com.
• If you need a professional organizer call me for a great referral.

Scan & Shred

• Most newer all-in-one printers can quickly scan those copies of receipts and important papers into your computer freeing up all that space occupied by file boxes. Shred and recycle when done.
• The IRS allows electronic record keeping.
• If you don’t have a shredder… Don’t miss our shredding party (see below).

Store

• Consider a storage unit. Most items need to be in heated storage (60F) to prevent mildew.
• For electronic data, skip saving to CD’s which have a shelf life, a decade from now the data may be gone. Instead consider using online storage for all your files. You can get 2GB free from www.Mozy.com.