Clutter Free Coupledom

Ahhh, togetherness, and I just don’t mean those blissful post wedding days spent together.  I’m talking about his, hers and ours!  The merging of two households, her shoe collection, and his numerous pieces of sports memorabilia…you know what I’m sayin’. 

 Setting up some very basic organizing systems from the very start will prevent the dreaded “underwear on the floor argument”, the possibility of late bill payments, misplacement of important paperwork, piles of miscellaneous clutter, and so on and so forth.  

 
Please read on for some sweet and simple solutions to get and stay organized:
 

You need a home and so does your stuff

·        Make sure to give all items a specific “home” and ensure they get returned to their “homes” at the end of every day

·        Label these “homes” to make it very easy for everyone to not only find items, but to also return them to the proper places.

·        Use an attractive container to place mail, car keys, cell phones or other items you need on a daily basis. This will prevent wasted time searching all over the house for those blasted car keys!

·        Keep bills where they are visible and handy to prevent late bill payments.  Use a file or bin to store these papers.   Keep a trash can handy so you can instantly sort the junk mail.

·        Use under bed storage containers to store items you seldom use---formal shoes, sports memorabilia, bulky sweaters or winter clothing, extra blankets, wedding dress, etc.

Start a Filing System

·        This may be the most important task you can do as a couple!

·        Make sure you set up files for all paperwork and have a central storage location

·        Use clear, easy to read labels for each file

·        Make sure that you label files together to ensure that you each know where papers are kept and can find easily when needed

·        Important documents (marriage certificate, birth certificates, passports, etc.) should be kept in either a fire proof container or safety deposit box (recommended)

·        Purge these files every year at tax time (since you’re most likely to be in the files anyway) to prevent being overrun by paper piles!

Maintain

·        Spend just 15 minutes before bed to pick up the days accumulations.  You’ll wake up to a neat and orderly home that will instantly make you feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day!

·        Clean as you go.  Enough said.

These solutions really are as simple as they seem.  Ensure that you have many, many harmonious days long after the wedding is over by getting and staying organized!

Jessica Dolan is the owner of Room To Breathe Home & Office Organizing.  Please submit your questions to Room To Breathe at info@roomtobreathe.us or call (814)360-1063.  She looks forward to helping you create room to breathe!