Choosing Containers

Alexas Fotos via Pixabay

Last week, we brought my daughter home from college. When we sent her off to school last year, we weren't sure what her storage space would look like, so we sent a variety of containers -- soft and squishy, round plastic without lids, rectangular see-through plastic with lids, rolling....

It was quite a combination. Some have survived the transition from one year (and one dorm room) to the next; others have been abandoned based on space restrictions, functionality or both. 

Container selection is one of my favorite parts of organization, but it can also be the most overwhelming, especially when each year brings a new room in a new building. There are so many choices, both functional and beautiful, that it's easy to get lost in the aisles, trying to narrow the choices. Add responsible shopping (matching your styles and your budget) to the list, and it can be tempting to run screaming from the store, empty-handed. 

Confused about what might work for your styles? Check out this chart, which summarizes the preferred container qualities for each personal and organizational style. As you look over the chart, think about whether or not the recommendations match your personal preferences. Where can you find crossover? 

As an I need to see it/drop and run person, I can use containers that are clear, color-coded, labeled and/or unusual/unique because these container attributes match both of my styles. My container preference, however, will change depending on what I'm storing and where I'm storing it. In addition, two people who identify themselves as the same style will have different personal preferences. Clear drawers may be a perfect match for one I need to see it person, for example, but be a disaster for another because she can’t see what’s at the back of the drawer.  

What if you've identified yourself as one style, but you're drawn to containers listed in another category? As long as they haven't proven unsuccessful in the past, give them a shot! There’s no harm in trying different things to get an idea of what works and what doesn’t. 

Once the chart reflects your personal preferences, tuck it into your wallet, your purse, your glove compartment or your reusable shopping bag so you have it with you when you go to the store. 

If you’re still in the sampling stage, there are many worthwhile containers to be had at dollar stores, grocery stores and on sale at variety stores. 

If you know just what you're looking for, more power to you! Feel free to buy those perfect containers in multiples if you already know they work for your styles. Just keep the receipt in case you over-buy or underestimate in terms of size or usefulness. (Not that I would know anything about that).

What's your favorite container?

3 Keys Thursday: 3 (+1) Keys for Sending Them off to College

Dodgerton Skillhause via MorguefileWhen 

I've spent this past week at my daughter's disposal as she prepares for her sophomore year of college. As they did last year, shopping lists replaced my to-do list nearly every day, leading me to re-visit my posts  from last summer about packing her up and moving her out.

This year, though, I'm approaching the trip to dormville with some experience under my belt. What follows is my advice from last year's move-in, updated with this is year's knowledge, experience and perhaps a bit more laissez faire than was good for either of us.

Last year's advice: Make a list--early. This year? That was the plan, but my daughter was much more relaxed (admittedly, so was I) and so the lists didn't materialize until much later than I would have liked. Last year, the comprehensive list of all the things (and then some) my daughter might need for school (one I found online) was a wonderful starting point. I started chipping away at it right after graduation, picking up extras of toiletries on each trip to Target so we didn't have to do a massive shopping spree the week before she left. This year, a combination of knowledge (knowing what stores were near campus), experience ("Mom, I don't really need that") and leftovers made the process simpler. Our lists were much shorter, allowing us to finish on time, despite a much later start.

Pixabay

Last year's reminder: You will forget things. This year? Still true. We had a list of three things I needed to send her (in addition to the list of things to buy once we got her back to school) before we even got to campus. Reduce your stress by making it your goal to forget as few things as possible rather than to forget nothing at all. If you haven't done this before, or haven't done this since your own college days, you will forget something. If you're putting your child in charge, s/he will forget something. Aiming to do otherwise merely adds unnecessary stress to an already stressful situation. Why do you think the parents who've done this before recommend Amazon Prime?

Last year's advice: Be flexible. This year? If you haven't already accepted this as the cardinal rule of parenting, now might be a good time to do so. Make lists and make plans, but expect them to change. In addition, be prepared to be flexible about who's in charge and when your child is leading the way, resist the urge to micromanage. This is their life they're preparing for, so let them own the preparations as much as possible. Not only is it good practice for what lies ahead, but sometimes, they have good ideas. 

Last year's advice: Make your relationship with your child the most important thing. This year? Okay, maybe this is the cardinal rule of parenting. Long after these preparations are complete and your child is launched, he or she will remember how you handled these days -- and so will you. Some of my best days with my daughter were the crunch-time shopping trips we did just before she headed back to school. Cherish this time, even if off-to-school nerves bring out your child's more challenging side. Soon enough, the house will be too quiet, and then, before you know it, all the stuff you just took to campus will be back in your basement for another summer.

4Me2Design via Pixabay

And She's Off!

Pixabay

It's that time of year again. The house is a cluttered mess as we empty out my daughter's room and bring all the things that have been stored in the basement for the summer upstairs so we can jam them into the car. In a few days, when we return home, everything will look much too empty. The odds and ends I've been grumbling about all summer because they seem to be everywhere will have disappeared.

We're getting ready to take my daughter back to school.

Fortunately, the organizing habits my daughter and I have developed when it comes to packing transfer here as well. Though I'm not as good at traveling light as she is, I've definitely learned how to streamline the packing process.

Since we're not doing this for the first time, we can replicate what worked last year (using garbage bags to transport hanging clothes, for example). In addition, much of the stuff that came home in May is still packed which, theoretically, gives us a head start. 

Here are a few of the other strategies that we hope will see us through:

Pack inside the stuff that's going to live at school. Now that we know what stores and resources are in her neck of the woods, we know what we need to bring from home and what we can buy once we arrive. Since storage is at a premium in this year's room, we did purchase one drawer unit, which is stuffed with the clothing it will house once she gets to school. I'm a big fan of anything that does double-duty -- packing containers now, storage later--so anything purchased before we leave has to be cheap, efficient, perfect for the space or, better yet, all three.

Keep similar items together and label liberally. This is one of those at-home rules that applies to travel, too. Move-in day is chaotic and, though this year will probably be a less emotional endeavor than last year when she was a freshman, I suspect the move-in process will still feel very scattered. Any simple step that reduces the chaos is a good one. Packing things by category and labeling containers makes turning a dorm room into a home faster and easier. And, these strategies eliminate the need to deal with with multiple mystery packages.

Keep it flexible. Smooshy stuff compresses more easily than plastic bins. Duffel bags and totes stand out in a sea of bins and garbage bags bursting with clothing. A collection of smaller bags can be tucked into nooks and crannies too tiny for a foot locker or trunk. Under circumstances like these where every inch of space matters, assess your packing space and choose your containers accordingly.

Now I'm going to hand off to you. If you've been down this road, what suggestions can you offer?

Packing it In

Pixabay

I've spent a lot of time traveling this summer, and have really come to appreciate the organizing habits I've developed when it comes to packing. Though I'm not as good at traveling light as my daughter, who managed to get everything she needed for a weekend in New York into one backpack (thanks partially to supplemental space from her parents), I've definitely streamlined the packing process.

But now, we're getting ready to pack my daughter up and take her to school, and, from what I'm reading, this process comes with a whole new set of rules. While it can be hard to know what to pack and what to leave behind for a week long vacation, that's nothing compared to sending your first (and, in our case, only) child off to school with "the basic necessities." (Luckily, she's more low maintenance than her mother).

Then, there's the process of getting it all into the car. I still remember how stuffed my dad's car was when my parents took me to school. What I don't remember is how we got it all in there.

From what I've been reading, and from what I've learned, flexibility is key. I keep hearing about trash bags and laundry baskets and, while some of that makes sense (smooshy stuff compresses more easily than rigid crates or suitcases), my I need to see it style is cringing at the uniformity and wondering how on earth we'll distinguish one garbage bag from another upon arrival, making unpacking much more complicated than it needs to be.

So, while we'll use garbage bags to cover the hanging clothes, that's about as far as I plan to take that particular container. So far, here's the rest of the plan.

Pack inside the stuff that's going to stay. We're not buying a lot ahead of time, but my daughter does have a few things in mind (including the aforementioned laundry basket, which she already got as a graduation gift from a clever friend). Those will need to do double duty--packing containers now, storage later.

Keep similar items together. This is one of those at-home rules that applies to travel, too. Why make extra work if we don't have to?

Label liberally. It's going to be a very emotional day. No need to add to the drama with multiple mystery packages.

Keep it flexible. As I said before, smooshy stuff compresses more easily. Duffel bags and totes are easier to distinguish from one another than a whole cache of white garbage bags.

Now I'm going to hand off to you. If you've been down this road, what suggestions can you offer?

Pixabay

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys to Furnishing a Small Space

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

So you're getting ready to organize that space that's much smaller than you'd like it to be. Or, maybe your son or daughter is ready to tackle dorm life. While we can get away with things that are cute but not functional in a large space, we have no such luxury in a small space. In a small space, every container must earn its keep. By choosing containers carefully and remembering the rules of homes and locations, we can make a small place attractive and functional.

• Choose containers carefully. Match them not only to the space you have available, but to personal and organizational styles as well. If every container is useful and serves a purpose, staying organized -- even in a small space -- is do-able. Choose "Goldlocks" containers -- storage that's just the right size for what it holds -- in order to use every inch effectively. Not sure what to choose? Check out the charts at the top of this page for hints on matching your containers to your styles. 

• Choose locations wisely. Store things close to where they'll be used and make most frequently used items easily accessible. If you store something in the place where it's most often needed, you'll find it effortlessly. In a dorm, this means study supplies are in or near the desk, in-season clothes are in the most accessible clothing storage and out-of-season clothes (if they're in the room at all) are tucked into nooks, crannies and faraway spaces. 

• Give everything a home. There's much less margin for overflow in a small space, so keeping the old adage "a place for everything, and everything in its place" in mind becomes essential. Begin by choosing containers that make it as easy to put things away as it is to put them down. Then, make sure homes are not only logical (as described above), but also style-savvy. Take advantage of strategies like clear containers, labeling and color-coding to remember which logical home is which. Remember to store similar items together, and perhaps find homes for complementary items (things that go together or are used together) near each other as well. 

New beginnings are very exciting, and creating a plan that works with what comes naturally from the start paves the road from the initial plan to easy upkeep. 

Organizing Big in Small Spaces

photos-public-domain.com

This fall, I'll get to put all of my organizing by STYLE ideas to work in a new realm: my daughter's dorm room. Actually, she'll get to put this all to work -- I'll merely be the consultant -- both because this is her space, and because our styles are different.

Or, are they?

When she was little, my daughter was the embodiment of the I love stuff personal style. A collector of such proportions that she'd bring mulch from the playground inside in her coat pockets, she had difficulty parting with anything. Over time, she's become much more discriminating -- so much so, that I no longer think that I love stuff is a style that fits her -- which is wonderful because in a little more than a month, she'll be entering an environment where that style will be a challenge, to say the least.

At home, in shared spaces, my daughter shares my drop and run organizational style, exacerbated by her dad's I know I put it somewhere need to pick up that things she leaves in her wake and put them, well, somewhere. This style is in evidence in her room as well, but she tolerates it for much less time there. At least once a week, she reaches the point where the telltale trail of the drop and run organizer begins to get to her and she turns on her music and whips her room into shape.

Buzzfeed

All of this will need to be taken into account as she furnishes her dorm room. Her drop and run predisposition will mean that she needs easy access containers, preferably those that make it as easy to put things away as it is to simply put them down.

Finding the intersection of cheap, cute, portable and functional will be tricky, but it can also be fun. which containers work best for each style will make shopping easier, especially since there's a good chance that she'll be rooming with someone whose styles are different. Merging styles and preferences, along with personal taste can lead to wonderful brainstorming and intermingling of success stories and strategies.
Keeping in mind

Are you getting ready to furnish a small space? More tomorrow on three keys to consider as you tackle the fun of preparing a brand new space.