L2L: Staying Organized after Christmas

Okay so there are just too many link parties for me to keep up with!!! But hey, I'm a party girl and want to participate, when I can. So I decide that I would pick on link party each week and blog about it on Social Saturday. Sounds fun and doable, what do you think?

This week isn't really a link up but I was inspired by Happy in her Organized in 365 Series and thought I would play along.

The last two weeks of 2011 I went through each room, one by one and purged them. Papers, items not used, items that belonged in another room, clothes that didn't fit, clothes we don't wear; it all went out the house!!!!!

And yet this is what my stairs looked like after the New Year!

But not any longer. I've got a plan and here are the rules. Items left out on the floor are put in the green basket. The kids can pick the items out and put them back where they belong OR if any item is left in the green basket on Friday morning, it is mine to do with as I please!!!! And here is my plan of action. If it is a first time offense, it gets put in the Put Away basket:

If it is an item that we have not designated a space for, it gets put in the Find A Home basket. (This allows a grace period after Christmas and birthdays.)

If the item is just not being put up I get to put it in the Give Away bag or the Donate bag. I usually have an idea of who I want to give an item to so the Give Away bag is given away weekly. The Donate is put in our garage and awaits our twice a year donation trips. This give them a chance to miss the item and earn it back or an out of sight out of mind storage solution!

Here is my method in progress.

The last choice, I reserve, is to throw the item away. This week, there were only 3 things that were thrown away, so all my de-cluttering did do some good!!!