Tips for Organizing your Mail

MAIL! It drives us crazy! Yes, me too. I had a beautiful command center system set up until 2016 and with the flood, came chaos for my system. We haven’t gotten back on track until just recently. 3 years people….I’m an organizer who was letting mail get the best of me! Until now…

My old system was perfect for our busy family. We had a piece of furniture with 4 drawers in it so each person had a drawer. My husband and I would put the mail items that needed our attention in our drawers, which was handled daily or weekly. The kids kept their papers that needed referencing throughout the year in their drawers. Their drawers were cleaned out at the end of each school year and the papers were either recycled or filed into a file with their school year at the top.

Simple, right?

Well, after the flood, we remodeled and that piece of furniture is no longer where we walk in the door. What was I thinking? While the mail was getting handled (kind of!), the solution was piles on my dining room table or kitchen counter. Not a solution at all. It was time to find a new system.

Tip: Never handle paper more than once if you can.

Because the old system worked so well, I wanted the new system to be similar. I decided to use my vertical wall space. I ordered a set of these wood wall files from Ballard Design and I love them. Now each person has a pocket. The pockets are (file) deep so our action items are kept in a file folder. (I’m thinking of adding a cup hook for keys on the side as well)

TIP: My junk mail never enters the house. It goes straight into my recycle bin.

School/medical papers that are necessary to keep go into a file in that person’s bin.

My own bin has the following folders.

• Pay/Do: This file usually contains bills, invitations that need a gift (I immediately put the date on the calendar before dropping it into the file.), insurance explanation of benefits for me to double check, etc. If you are one that needs to see items to remember them, try adding a bulletin board or magnet board to your command area.

• Reference: Anything that I may need to refer back to in the coming months. This file is usually empty, but every now and then, I need to hang onto something.

• File: This, too, stays pretty slim. I don’t keep copies of anything that can be found online or that I can easily get a copy of such as statements or bills. I’m pretty brutal about the things I keep in my filing box. (Yes, a box! Not a cabinet!)

I do keep anything I would need for taxes or that would be more difficult to attain. (Lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, birth or wedding certificates, dog’s rabies vaccination and microchip papers, etc.) What do you need to keep? That is something to decide on your own with guidance from your accountant or attorney. I try to file once a month. If you keep more, weekly filing may be needed.

Since I love my SBO community of organizers, I thought I‘d share some tips and tricks from some of the other organizers that I admire. Enjoy!

Tidy Tip from Sort and Sweet if you need help with organizing your taxes! Watch video here.

Christy Lingo @ Simple Solutions has a podcast dealing with paper clutter. (There is an awesome cocktail recipe too!)

Zoning The Southern Pantry

“Dear Mrs. Chaos,

I was cleaning out my pantry and trying to follow the pantry zones from Pinterest. They don’t say where to put my file’ for my gumbo, my crab boil or Maw Maw’s May Haw jelly.

I need some help!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Boudreaux”

Well Mrs. Boudreaux, 

Let’s go organize that pantry!

Here are the general organizing zones of a Southern pantry:

Dry Goods - Baking Supplies

Flours, sugars, herbs and spices, pasta, rice, beans (Here’s where your red beans and rice belong!) Zatarains Fish fry can also be grouped with these items.

I love to put these items in pretty air tight containers.  I have learned its best to keep your Camillia red beans in their 1lb bags so you don’t have to measure to cook! Your surplus Community Coffee can be stored here as well.

Canned (or jar) Goods

All cans and jars, but they are separated into like items.  Jars of Roux (Not that any true Louisiana chef will ever admit to having this!), dill pickles, canned okra, homemade jellies (May Haw!), and preserves can be grouped with these.

Snacks

Salty, sweet, popcorn, nuts, protein bars, etc.

Breakfast

Cereals, grits and oatmeal for a quick breakfast. Of course, I know grits can be for supper too, but they are easy to find if you keep them in the breakfast area. 

Spices

We here in the South really love our spices so we need more space than a typical spice drawer or cabinet.  Your file’ powder, Slap Ya Momma Spice, Zatarains crab-boil, crawfish boil, Cajun Injectable Seasoning and all that salt will belong in this section.  

Oils and Vinegars

Olive oil, peanut oil and any variety of oils and vinegar gets stored in this section.  A Lazy Susan is a great way to contain these so you aren’t reaching over bottles. I keep the kitchen bouquet here too.  

Condiments

Ketchup, mayo, horseradish, mustard, BBQ Sauce

Hot Sauces (any other sauce gets put in the condiment section) - Tabasco, and the 30 other hot sauces get contained in this section.  This is also another great place for a Lazy Susan.

Syrups

These don’t typically get there own space, but in South Louisiana, we like our Steens Cane syrup!  I also keep honey and maple syrup on hand for those that aren’t fond of the Cane syrup.

Breads 

Hamburger and Hot Dog buns, tortillas, and loaves of bread!  (I only keep the one that we are using out, the rest go in the freezer.)

Beverages

Your Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix, Soda’s and water can go here.

Non Essentials

Paper plates, paper napkins, to-go cups, plastic utensils, tailgating gear, lunch boxes.

To be successful at zoning your pantry, it’s truly about grouping like items together. Using tools such as Lazy Susans, clear bins that are labeled, and can organizers can really help keep your essentials an arms reach.

Here’s a few of our favorites.

• OXO Clear Airtight Food Storage

• Bed Bath & Beyond Clear Bins

• Bed Bath & Beyond Lazy Susan Turntable

• Bed Bath & Beyond Can Organizer

And don’t forget, always label as much as you can so that your family can find things too!

And lastly, Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

5 Solutions for Getting Your Tupperware Under Control

I have a confession to make.

Recently I was a guest on the podcast “This Organized Life“ hosted by Laurie Palau. At the end of every episode, Laurie asks her guest where they excel at organization and where they are a hot mess. I told Laurie I am a hot mess when it comes to technology, which is true, but I have a dirty little secret, I have one cabinet in my kitchen that is a total hot mess and that, my friend, is my Tupperware cabinet.

Do you call your food storage containers Tupperware? For me these containers will forever be called Tupperware even though half are probably Rubbermaid or Glade. I guess it’s kind of like Kleenex and tissue. It’s such a frustrating area. Even my husband has complained about it!

So I am now on a journey to find the best solution for our containers. As I have mentioned before, organizing is NOT a one size fits all. It is a curated approach to systems that help your family function at its optimum level.

Here are some “Tupperware “solutions that just might work for you and me!!

XOXO – Lisa

1. Rev-A-Shelf Food Storage Container Organizer Soft Close, Natural

2. Chef Buddy Food Storage Organizer with Swirl Around (49-Piece)

3. interDesign iDesign® Cabinet Binz™ 3 Compartment Lid Organizer

4. White Mesh Food Storage & Lid Organizers Container Store

5. Umbra Peggy Kitchen Cupboard, Shelf and Drawer Organizer Tray - Adjustable Storage System For Food Containers

4 Tips for Organizing Your Refrigerator

What is living back there?  Have you ever had this thought?  Many of us will be doing a whole lot more cooking than we normally do from now through the end of the year.  That means our refrigerators will be working overtime. Things might get lost in there if we don’t put some thought into this space.  

Yes, our refrigerators are no different than any other cabinet in our homes!  We should put the same amount of consideration, if not more, into organizing this space so that it works for not against us.  Here are some of our favorite tips to keep your refrigerator in tip-top shape this holiday season:

1. Dividers

I have found dividing my refrigerator space into categories helps tremendously.  When I put items in the same location, I can easily see what needs to be replaced.  I can also easily tell guests wanting to help in the kitchen where to find things.

Containers like these spotlighted below work extremely well.  

I use this one to store my dairy products such as butter, sour cream, and cream cheese.

2.   Lazy Susan Turntables

Using lazy-susans, also known as turntables, in my refrigerator allow me to easily grab items without having to move things around.  Turntables are also wonderful for cutting cleaning time down in your refrigerator.

3.   Shop Around

There are so many new organizational products for organizing your refrigerator.  Oftentimes I use my house as a test kitchen trying out many of these products, so I am confident when recommending products for my clients.  

4.    Use What Works For You

Pro Tip: A refrigerator item not worthy (in my humble opinion) of my hard earned money or yours:  Egg containers! Because knowing the expiration date of an egg seems to be a good idea, and I like seeing that date on the original egg carton!  Just saying!!

Today’s challenge:  Clean out your fridge in honor of “Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day,” and make a list of the items you need to purchase to prepare your holiday meals.  Being prepared will help you take advantage of the holiday specials.

We want to hear from you!

Comment below to share your family’s favorite holiday side dish.  We are always looking for fresh ideas!

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