Before you toss out another thing, look at it in a new light. You might just be chucking the key to clutter control.
Woman's Day offers 25 no-cost ways to get organized. Among them:
If you can't convince your city to ban them, at least re-use them: keeping old grocery bags in the car can come in handy for a number of reasons.
Utensil crock or sturdy wide-mouth vase: In the bathroom, it's a handy place to store your blow dryer, curling iron, hairbrushes and combs.
Coffee mugs: Who doesn't have too many of these? Use some in the bathroom or bedroom to help sort lipsticks, lip and eye pencils, mascara and other makeup. Put a few in the kids' rooms, too, to organize crayons, pencils and markers. On the kitchen counter they can store small "found" objects -- buttons, game pieces, errant screws, coins and the like.
Wire CD rack: Turn it on its side to organize bills or stack file folders on your desk.
Back-of-the-door shoe bag: Move it to the bathroom for hair bands, lotions and more. In the kids' room us it for crayons, stickers, balls and other objects.
Three-ring binders: Don't toss the old ones your kids no longer use. Instead, fill them with inexpensive three-ring plastic inserts (available at office supply stores) and organize recipes, CDs, takeout menus, craft ideas or important family papers.
Plastic grocery bags: Odds are you have a bunch of these leftover from your trips to the supermarket. Keep your car just as tidy as your house by tucking a stash of bags in the map pocket of the driver's side door. They'll come in handy for trash, wet clothes, kids' half-eaten food and more.
Old sheets and table cloths: Fold them in half, leaving a top flap. Stitch up the sides and use them to store blankets, comforters and pillows dust-free.
-- Canwest News Service
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