Spring…. Fresh breezes through open windows, sleeping trees come awake with bright new leaves, flowers begin to bloom and the grass becomes green once more. Now along with the obvious, there is another sign that the season has arrived, our yearly pledge to clear the clutter and organize our homes. I’m not sure why this happens, maybe we humans after months of cold, gray winter days are over come with the feelings of clean, fresh and new. Well, whatever the reason, we always start with good intentions, but like those New Years Resolutions, many of us rarely follow through. So let’s try something new this year by making a pledge to really get stuck in and finally accomplish our task. The following are a few ideas and tips to help make the "Clear The Clutter" task a little easier and maybe even fun. 1. One Room At A Time The first thought to keep in mind is that this particular project is not one you can hurry up and have done by yesterday. By working through one room at a time, you will have a much better chance of successfully completing the job. Here is a thought to keep in mind. “You did not accumulate all your stuff in a day, so why does it have to be cleared out in a day”. 2. Sort Items Into Categories Your first step will be to sort items into the following 3 categories, it will make the task go a lot easier.

a) Have to Keep b) Maybe…Not 100% Sure c) Definitely Not

Once you have completed this part of the project, you will more than likely find the “Definitely Not” pile is the smallest one. What is it a professional might call this “Separation Anxiety”? However, don’t worry, almost everyone ends up this way, after all it is not easy parting with our things, even if it is something you have not used in years. 3. Re-Sort Once More Try to be as realistic as possible here, remember the goal is to “Clear The Clutter”.

a) Not Sure Group This group is easy: If it is already here, more than likely, you will never use it so into the “Definitely Not” pile it goes.

b) Have To Keep This could be the hardest pile to sort, so a tip to remember: If you have not used something in the last year, chances are you probably will not use it again. This applies to everything from shoes to car cleaners; however if there is something you never use but has a special memory attached, keep it.

Gifts can be a tricky area, one thing to keep in mind just because someone gave you something, it does not mean you must keep it forever. So that figurine that great aunt Edna gave you years ago or the bird made of shells from a friends vacation does not need to keep collecting dust on your bookcase.

Now, you may wonder about things from your children. I use to keep everything my daughters brought home from school. Finally, I decided to go through and keep one or two items from each grade, put them into a plastic storage box labeled Sherri & Ashley – School – K-12. Now all school memories are safe and in one place, this is a useful idea for grandparents.

Once you have finished your resort, you have a couple of choices for those “Definitely Not” items, depending on their condition, either just pitch them, give them away or have a tag sale and make yourself a little money. 4. Organize & Store What Is Left Now is the time to put what is left away, by organizing you will not only have tidy shelves, closets and cabinets but you will be able to put your hands on what ever it is you need.

There are numerous storage options for every room in your home. Plastic boxes come in a variety of sizes and colors and are inexpensive. Stacked on a closet shelf, clear smaller sizes make perfect storage for extra shoes, winter gloves, pictures or how about extension cords, nails, packages of hooks or hand tools. Larger sizes can keep extra winter coats, blankets, odd season clothes or seasonal decorations neat and in one place. Baskets, hampers even seldom used suitcases can be useful, stacking plastic milk crates are perfect for kids room.

How about those cluttered kitchen cabinets, plastic tiered risers work wonderful for stacking cans of soup, veggies or spaghetti sauce, this makes use of wasted space and you are able to see at a glance what you have. One area everyone has is the famous “Junk Drawer”; these can be kept organized with silverware trays. By buying individual pieces in different sizes, you can customize each drawer to fit exactly what you need. The lesson here is that by having a little patience, taking your time and giving some thought to your storage needs, you can not only “Clear The Clutter” but also have an organized home.