Displaced Directions

Ever go to clean out a junk drawer and find pieces of paper with directions you may just need to use again? What do you do with them? A paper clip? An envelope?

For this dilemma, we have a small notebook kept in the glove compartment of the vehicle we use the most. The first few pages display a list or table of contents of sorts. (This way I don't have to thumb through the entire book, or try to remember if someone has been added. I can simply look down the list) Each time I add a new page into the book, I add the name of the location "Sunny Sommers Home" to the list at the beginning of the book. This has come in handy on more than one occasion.

The outline for the rest of the pages are as follows...

Sunny Sommers
555-4102
8008 Sunshine Ln
Sunland, AZ 01134

From Home (Phoenix)
L on 25th Street
R on Coombiya Ln
R on Cardinal Terrace
L on Morning Ln

This same concept works well using the Notes feature of a BlackBerry or Smartphone. Another route is using the text note features on most mobile device address books - add directions to each person's home or business in this section and you have no hard copy to mess with, or lose, plus it's easy to save backups.

Organizing Your Greeting Cards

Unused Christmas cards from years past, birthday cards purchased but unsent (If only I used the "You Remembered!? " tip years ago!), extra note cards, cards and or envelopes just lying around, and much more hidden within junk grouping areas, presented me a new "orderly home" project.

A central location for all of these cards, complete with dividers for easy access and filing. I use a 6.4x10.9x16.3in Rubbermaid container that easily holds all card sizes and has a little space for an extra holder for maybe stickers or stamps.

With my Brother PT-80 label maker,(LOVE this gadget) each divider (made from trimming manila envelopes) is given a category as follows.

• Birthdays
• Christmas
• Get Well
• Friendship
• New Baby
• Thank You
• Note Cards
• Cards w/out Envelopes
• Extra Envelopes

With the start of the new year, I am glad to have my "Card and Party Central" in place before I am enveloped :P with the next group of birthdays that seem to all arrive at once.

Keying In On Clutter

As a great complement to me, my husband teaches me the benefits of giving everything it's own place. Extra keys just laying around make him a little shifty. For good reason too... just leave it to someone like me to lock my keys in the car, and not know where to find the extra key.

This little arrangement was found at Home Depot. Kept in a discreet place on the pantry wall, the color coordinated labels ensure we put the keys back. We use this for the electric box key, gate key, car keys, even padlock keys.

Just one step in fighting the war on junk drawer clutter.