I saw this idea on Unplggd and had to share it because it’s already how I organize my wires and cords. Using plastic baggies to organize your wires is perfect because it’s cheap, you keep them from getting tangled up, keep all the same types together, and can use the label provided to write in what it is. In fact, I use this for arts and crafts supplies and for my medicine drawer as well.  As organizing tools, plastic baggies are cheap and easily adaptable to whatever situation you need them in.

Another great vacation is coming to an end and I’m faced with my largest clutter battle – sentimental clutter. With everything else I find it fairly easy to toss things I no longer use or keep things put away. But ticket stubs, postcards and other paraphernalia is way too hard for me to get rid of and never seems to have a place to stay. With Valentine’s day just wrapping up I’m sure many people are faced with the same problem with cards and mementos.

This tip from YoungLove inspired me to take steps towards fixing this problem. If you create a cute way to display and, or store trip mementos and other sentimental items you can put them away guilt free. You could also take a snapshot of them arranged on the table – put the snapshot into the photo album or scrapbook with your other trip photos and save them that way rather than physically keeping them.

What do you do to keep sentimental clutter from taking over your life?

Katie’s entry on the makeup bag got me to thinking about overall makeup organization, which drives me crazy. I have a drawer at home that was so packed full that items got jammed in the back or fell through into the cabinet going missing for weeks. The drawer is even busted at the corner from being so packed! (see what it looked like before)

But now I’ve decided to go back to my favorite makeup organizer from the 90s, the caboodle. (I had no idea these were still around!) They have these nifty little clear boxes so it’s easy to see all your pretty eyeshadows that you don’t wear on a daily basis but want to remember you have for special occasions. That way you can keep the clear box in a separate cabinet or under your sink to pull out when necessary and not clutter up your everyday makeup drawers. (see what my drawer looks like now)

The boxes come in every shape and size and they also have some that feature compartments that hold cotton balls and tissues for easy access. See a full list of their products to chose one that’s right for you.

There are many ways to organize a DVD collection.  For large collections, organizing alphabetically is an easy and efficient way to keep all your favorite movies accessible and organized.  “But what happens when I buy a new movie?” you may ask.  “Do I have to reorganize my entire shelf/cabinet/tower?”  Never fear!  Leave a few blank spaces at the end of each row.  When you add a new movie to your collection, it’s a simple shuffle instead of a complete reorganization.  Spend less time organizing your DVDs and more time watching them!

For help on what to put ON those DVD shelves, check out Pop Goes the Culture.

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I still love to get the (snail) mail. The first thing I do after hitting up the mail box is sort out all of the junk – and there is a lot of it. That is why I recommend visiting DMAChoice.org to set your mail preferences. After you are done, you’ll receive less of the mail you don’t want.

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My life was forever changed by a $9.99 purchase. It’s true – the little set of drawer organizers send me into a burst of happiness every time I open my dresser drawers. White socks separated from colored socks? Check. Sports bras separated from frilly bras? Check. The list goes on, but the point is the same – organizing your drawers with separators or open storage boxes can ensure a tidy dresser, even when you are folding laundry in a rush. I love the Ikea Komplement set, which as you may have guessed is only $9.99.

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What good is a remote control if you have to get up to go find it? You can use a large glass cup to collect your remote controls and keep them close at hand. I modified this tip by substituting a utensil caddy that matched my decor better. The basic idea is to create a place where remote controls belong – whether you use a cup, a caddy or a basket is up to you!

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This Christmas I got a few new (awesome) electronic gadgets. When I got home it was pretty apparent that I’d need to do something to make charging all my devices a little easier, and a little less of an eyesore. I looked at some typical charging stations for sale, but they didn’t really fit my needs. Most were sized to accommodate about three gadgets and all of them pocket size – no good for my netbook or Kindle. A quick Google search brought back some great DIY projects, but all of them seemed to require tools I didn’t have or building skills I definitely don’t have.

I finally came up with a solution that I could do myself in under 20 minutes. If you got some new electronics this holiday season it may work for you as well.

Supplies: I went to the store and picked up two baskets of slightly different shape. One larger (base) basket and one smaller (accessory) basket that would sit on top without falling in. I also made sure these baskets had ‘handles’ or holes that the wires could be fed though.

Setup: When I got home I cleared out an area under my desk and set up the baskets one on top of the other. Then I threaded the wires from a powerstrip on the wall, through the handles, and into the devices. I adjusted things just a little bit and I was done.

Bonus: One added benefit of this setup versus other charging stations is that it’s fairly easy to unplug the wires and remove them entirely. That way if I need to take the wires with me somewhere it’s not too much of a hassle.

Finished look:

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If Santa brought you a bunch of battery powered electronics, you’re going to need to keep some extras on hand. Instead of saving the packages that batteries come in, use a small plastic storage box (or tupperware), it will take up much less space in your drawer.

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I got this tip from Real Simple and thought it might come in handy around the holiday season. If you’re thinking of throwing a little post-holiday or New Years party, you can use removable window decals as pretty markers for people to keep track of their drinks. This way no one’s left high and dry when the countdown starts. Bonus: since Christmas has already passed, many decorations will be marked way down and the little snowflakes and winter theme decals will still work perfectly. You can update this idea for every season simply by buying new packs of decals.

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