Hello, friends! I recently spent an inspiring week at Alt Summit in Palm Springs with an amazing group of professional home organizers. We talked about everything under the sun, and of course, all things organizing. One of the things many of us had noticed was that most of our clients had purchased organizing supplies and home decor that just didn’t work out. Has this ever happened to you? If you want to shop like a professional organizer, and ensure you’ll avoid this common pitfall, follow the steps below:
Edit First
Before purchasing anything, make sure you have done a thoughtful edit of your space. Once you eliminate clutter you will have less to store and you may even find the perfect bin or basket when you review your belongings. I can’t tell you how many times a client has hired me to purchase storage solutions and by the time we are done editing and organizing we find that they already have everything they need!
Make a list
I have a rule that I can’t enter the Container Store without a list. Here’s why: All of those bins and baskets and organizers are so shiny and exciting! They beckon to us “buy me!” and it’s far too easy to get carried away. Instead, once you have edited, assess your space to see exactly what you actually need, then make a concrete list to shop from and stick to the list. A typical shopping list for a kitchen will look like this: x12 glass jars for food storage, x2 utensil drawer dividers, x1 spice organizer and labels, dish soap dispenser.
Measure
This is crucial. It’s a real pain to trek out to the store, shop, and return home only to realize that your drawers are only 2″ deep and your 3″ tall drawer organizer won’t fit. Save yourself the hassle and measure shelf and drawer width, depth, and height so you can ensure that the products you buy will fit just right.
These simple steps truly don’t take much time or energy, and will spare you from having a house packed with storage solutions you don’t need and can’t use.
