Simple ways to Keep the House Tidy

Ever had that moment when an unexpected visitor pos by and you are thinking about how you can avoid letting them come in your house because it looks like a small tornado came through? Yeah, I think we all have.

Life for most people is busy and keeping the house tidy can be quite the time consuming task.

I grew up in a home where everything was always spotless and in its place. My mom is a wonderful housekeeper. I cannot say that I am as great at it as she is, but I have learned simple things to do to keep what can be an overwhelming task simple and manageable.

In the mornings I wake up just 5-10 minutes early and try to make sure these things are done to help keep things tidy.

1) Put all of my hair and makeup items away

2) Wipe down the counters with the towel I used that morning

3) Make sure that all of the clothes I decided not to wear that day are hung up or neatly put back in their place

4) Put my dirty laundry in with the dirty laundry

5) Unload or put away the clean dishes

6) If I need to, throw sheets or towels in the washer as soon as I wake up and have them washing while I’m getting ready. Then, when I come home I can throw them in the dryer

Before I go to bed I take a few minutes and make sure…

1) I load the dishwasher or wash the dirty dishes from the day

2) Take the shoes that have accumulated by the door throughout the day to the bedroom or put them in the closet

3) Wipe down the kitchen counter tops

4) Put items back where they belong (don’t let days of accumulation happen, that is when the task of tidying up becomes daunting)

5) Check the weather and plan my outfit for the next day (this will eliminate the need for task 3 in the mornings and give me an extra minute or two!)

Hope this helps. These are just simple things, but help in keeping your house looking nice in case that unexpected visitor pops by.

Bathroom Organization

   I have a bathroom that was clearly built by a man. I have NO drawers and minimal space to store all the things most girls keep in the bathroom. As you can see it isn't horrible, but it's not exactly neat and organized either. Everything is just thrown in a tub or basket.

Finding things obviously required some digging. Well, I got tiered of it and decided to invest in some organization. I found these drawers that screw into the bottom of the cabinets for $19.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond, but I used a $5 coupon on each of them and was able to reorganize my bathroom storage for a grand total of $30! It is so worth it to have everything neat and orderly.

Organizing Your Jewelry

This post is inspired by one of my very best friends, Kasey.

We both have a ton of great jewelry, but haven't found a great way to organize it.

I keep my jewelry in two jewelry boxes, but there is nothing organized about it! My necklaces get tangled, the drawers topple over all the time scattering earrings everywhere....it's a disaster.

To make it worse, these jewelry boxes are inconveniently located in my closet with clothes hanging down in front of them making it very difficult to see what is in them.

Most of the time I am rushing out the door as I put my jewelry on. Instead of picking out jewelry that would accessorize and compliment my outfit I just through on "the usual" because it is on my dresser and walk (rather run) out the door.

I racked my brain and here is what I cam up with. It will only take 3 dollars and an empty drawer.

::I like cheap!::

I went to Wal-Mart and purchased one of the organization boxes, slid it in my drawer and put all my favorite jewelry in there. It is wonderful and I actually wear more of my jewelry now. It doesn't have all my jewelry in it but it has the pieces that I  like the most.

I use a lot of makeup brushes as you can see. I use to keep them in a bush case but that is just asking for a bacteria buildup. What girl wants a brush they put on their face to hold bacteria? Anyway, you can make this quick and easy and for only 3 bucks! I bought all the supplies (except the brushes) at the Dollar Tree.  I chose to fill my vase with water beads. These beads start small and swell in water. You drain off the water and put them in the vase. I have also seen this done with coffee beans and marbles.

I think it could be cute to add a ribbon and a flower too. I’ll let you know how that goes :)