Getting Organized and Simplified-- Starting with JUNK Drawers

Somewhere between a Disney trip, finding out we were expecting baby four, bed rest, having baby number 4, a kitchen remodel, and just life in general we had accumulated stuff and clutter and it was getting the best of me as a mom. My husband and I have become intrigued by the tiny house movement and mostly their ability to live with less (Not so much the smaller space because with 6 people I feel we are small enough thank you very much). So, we have begun several projects in order to scale back and do more with less. Lots less. I mean a LOT less.

The first place I began was our kitchen junk and silverware drawer. This is the entire contents dumped out. Yuck! I always dump and clean out whatever I am organized so I can have a "fresh" slate to work with.

I got some small organizing bins from the silverware drawer aisle at Target. I used the long ones here and the rest I saved for another project. I have since labeled each bin so the hubs and kids can see where everything's place is. I also waited a month to share this to make sure this worked. You see, it's not like I totally neglect these drawers-- I would clean and "organize" them and then within a week they'd be pretty much right back to their hot mess of clutter. I'm happy to report that a month later our drawers still look like this which is a huge victory!

Next, I tackled under the sink. We use all cloth napkins, paper towels, and Norwex cleaning cloths, so it can get crazy underneath with everyone putting them away in all sort of disarray. We needed a better system.

I got four bins that seal (also from target) and applied some cute labels and stored everything away nice and tidy. One bin for norwex cloths, one for napkins, one for kitchen towels, and one for small misc. cleaning items.

Ahh-- so much better!

Now, onto our night stand drawer which is the other junk drawer in the home. I started with these two junk drawers because we needed these two to be cleaned up and an example of how great a better organized and simplified life can be. I didn't get a before picture-- but trust me, it was stuffed! Here is my cute little helper staying busy and keeping me on task! Our nightstand is was a catchall for everything from old Christmas card pictures to pacifiers to bobby pins and safety pins and books-- just about everything got tossed inside.

I used some more of the drawer organizers from target and cleaned out all of the paper. Things that were meant to be saved went into files or picture boxes and things meant to be trashed met their end. This is so much better! A little cubby for hair ties, one for medical/baby items that we often need in the middle of the night, and a spot on the side for our badger rubs which we often use at nighttime. Books and tablets go in their basket on one of the shelves under the drawer. This has made our lives so much easier-- truly I don't know if that makes us sound shallow but truly-- I don't have time to waste digging around for things or cleaning out the same space every few weeks only to have it go right back to being trashed.

Our next project that I am hoping to share is a shared "closet" space for all of the kids in one room-- it's been amazing! AMAZING!!!

So, how about you? What's an area you have mastered in home organization or one you cringe about?