My car, filled with a client’s donations headed to Goodwill.

Do you have to move clutter out of the way in order to fit passengers into your car?   Have you envied people who drive around town without fast food bags, smelly shoes, jackets, dry cleaning, toys, cups/water bottles, papers, items to return, and backpacks taking over their seats and the floor?   We spend a lot of time in our cars.  Let’s make that time less stressful and less cluttered with my simple tips to keep your car clutter free.

1. Empty the trash every time you re-fuel.  It couldn’t be any easier; the trash is right next to the fuel pumps.

2. Have every person grab one thing from the car when you return home.  Make sure those items are then put away, not just adding clutter to your entryway.

3. Provide a home for your trash.  Your car should have a trash container or even 2 trash containers.  One in front and one in back.  It doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy, just re-use a small plastic bag.  Hook it around a headrest for back seat passengers.

4. If you have children, use a container for their toys and books and then have them toss those items into the container at the end of the day.  This will keep the clutter in one location.

5. You can save time and sleep later if you pack the car the night before.  Sporting equipment, work stuff and returns can be stowed in the car if you have a secure garage.

6. Save money on drive-thru or convenience store purchases by stocking the glove box or a container with non-perishable snacks.

7. Spend a few minutes de-cluttering your car after it’s last use for the day.   Won’t it be delightful to start the next day in a clutter-free car?

Imagine driving around in your clutter-free car and the looks of admiration you will receive:)

What is the strangest item you have found while cleaning your car?

The post 7 Steps to a Clutter Free Car appeared first on Simply Organized With Jill.

If you want to honor your mom, grandmother or someone who has been “like a mom” to you, there are some wonderful, meaningful options that will not add clutter to their lives.

First of all, consider the following:

Has she dropped gift hints?  If so, then at least you know she wants the gift and will use it.

What hobbies does she enjoy?

Now for some options:

• If she enjoys reading she might like a gift card to a local book store, Amazon.com or I-tunes for book downloads.
• If she gardens give her a potted outdoor plant, gift card to a nursery, or offer to help plant her garden.
• Is she a bird lover? Present her with seed for her bird feeder.
• Does she love to cook?  A gift card to a store that specializes in spices, oils or vinegar may be nice.
• Has she been asking you to teach her a skill you excel at?  Spend time teaching her to knit, paint, cook, play golf, tennis, garden, play the piano or organize.
• Is she in need of some pampering?  A gift card for a massage, pedicure or manicure may be perfect.
• Do you enjoy each other’s company? Take her out to lunch, dinner, to a movie, or a concert.
• If she is sentimental a handwritten note telling her how special she is would be lovely.

Make this mother’s day a clutter-free day!  Leave a comment with your clutter-free gift ideas.

The gift of organization is clutter-free!  Contact Jill if you are interested in learning about her gift certificates. 608-575-7467

The post Perfect, Clutter-Free Mom’s Day Gifts appeared first on Simply Organized With Jill.

My husband, Doug, enjoys hunting, fishing and camping.  Can you tell by his storage closet?  He is fortunate to have this large space in our basement to hold his equipment.   Doug is an organized guy and he has creative ideas for storing his equipment.  You can see in the two  ”before” photos that he knows how to efficiently use the space.

Fall and winter are busy hunting and ice fishing months for him, thus his storage space became a bit disorganized.

On a rainy Saturday he spent a couple of hours in his “man cave” errr, storage closet, straightening it and purging clothing that he no longer needed (some of which was from his teen years).

Doug pulled some of the items out of the closet and sorted them on the large floor of our basement.  He then started tossing, donating and categorizing things.  He had a trash bag and a donation container near him and his i-pod in his ears for entertainment.  By the time he finished he had a full trash bag as well as a full donation box.

When the sorting was finished it was time to return the gear to the closet.  Doug organizes his closet by grouping items according to the sport: ice fishing, hunting, open water fishing and camping.  The gear he is currently using is stored in our garage.  Off-season gear is in the basement closet.

Here is the re-organized space.

I like the way Doug uses an old dresser for his clothing, installed a rod for hanging clothing and installed hooks for heavier items like his waders, and his ice fishing bibs.  The shelves offer more vertical storage.  There isn’t anything sexier than an organized man:)

The post Organizing a Basement Storage Closet appeared first on Simply Organized With Jill.

It’s not easy to put together a meal when you haven’t planned ahead.

What if you knew what to serve for dinner for the next several nights AND had all the ingredients in your home?  Could life get any easier?  (besides having a professional chef on staff)

Join me for my next teleclass on April 30th, 2013 to learn the simple steps to meal planning plus my best kitchen organization tips.  Save money (less take-out food), your sanity and time.  Click here for more information.

If you can’t be on the live call, the class will be recorded and all registrants will receive the recording.

The post Avoid Adding More Stress to the End of Your Day with the Meal Planning/Kitchen Organization Teleclass appeared first on Simply Organized With Jill.

Spring is the time of year for filing taxes, disappearing piles of snirt (snow+dirt), de-cluttering and FREE paper shredding events.

If you live in the Madison, WI area, click here for a list of local events.

These events are happening all over the U.S.  Search the internet for events going on in your area.

The post Free Paper Shredding Events appeared first on Simply Organized With Jill.

Spring is the time of year where I really get in the mood to lighten up and let go of the clutter.  How about you?  Are you ready for a change?

If are ready to kick out the clutter, join my 30 Day Spring De-Cluttering Challenge.  Receive support, motivation, and daily organizing tasks.  It begins on Monday, April 1st, 2013.  Here are all the glorious details:)

The post 15 Minutes to a De-Cluttered Home appeared first on Simply Organized With Jill.

If you have donated to charitable organizations in the past you probably receive several donation requests in your mailbox every week.  Did you know some charities sell, share or rent your information with other charities?  It’s confusing and time consuming to keep up with the solicitations.  You wonder, didn’t I donate to this charity already?  When did I donate to that charity, this year, last year, never?

How do you keep track of all those requests and plan your giving?  Before you become more confused and frustrated,  take back control and organize your giving with the following steps.

1. Create a budget for your total annual contributions and revise this annually if needed.
2. Do you want to give monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually?
3. List the charities you want to support on a piece of paper or in a computer document (spread sheet or word doc.)  Now you know what organizations you want to support, when you want to support them and your budget.
4. When you collect your mail you can be confident and toss, shred or recycle solicitations from charities you do not support, charities you are not scheduled to support, or duplicate solicitations.  Don’t let fear prevent you from tossing.  You will receive another mailing or you may find the charity on-line when it’s time to donate.

Have you received solicitations from new charities and you want more information before giving?  Check them out at the website Charity navigator.

The post Too many donation requests from charities? appeared first on Simply Organized With Jill.

Most of us have collected one thing or another during our lives.  Our collection grows, sometimes out of control, once we tell someone about our collection.  We receive pieces to add to our as gifts than we may have intended to collect.

What do you collect?

I was a collector, until I outgrew my collections.  I started out collecting soap from hotels when my dad traveled for business.  He was very frugal and convinced me, rather easily, that the hotel soap he presented to me upon his return, was actually a great souvenir! My collection grew until it filled  a large box that resided under my bed.  When my sister did a semester abroad, she brought home soap from other countries.  I was thrilled!  This collection brought me joy, believe it or not.  Friends had to look at it and smell the soap when they visited.  Weird, huh!

During one period of my life, I was an avid figure skater.  Because of this skating obsession, my mom began giving me skating ornaments.  This was a wonderful collection because I had something to put on my tree when I married.  I looked forward to trimming the tree with my skaters.  I have since out grown this obsession and given most of the skaters away to charity.

So what is the point of my sharing my collection’s story?

I would like you to think about your current collections.  Do they continue to bring you joy?  Are they a burden because you feel guilty when they no longer bring you pleasure?  Do you continue to receive pieces for you collection as gifts and you have run out of space?  Does your collection require space you no longer want to devote to the collection?  Think about it.

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, it may be time to part ways with your collection.

What is the worst thing that would happen if you donated or sold your collection?

The post Is your collection meaningful or a burden? appeared first on Simply Organized With Jill.

How can you achieve success?

What are some tips for success?

What is your definition of success?

I’m a guest blogger this month on the topic of Success at the Organized Assistant Blog Carnival!  Specifically on overcoming overwhelm and moving forward.

Other guest bloggers covered different angles of success.  From helping ADHD students achieve to failure equaling success.

Click here and become inspired to succeed!

The post Strategies for Success appeared first on Simply Organized With Jill.

Has your dining room become a room to dump items you bring into your home, items you recently purchased, or a room for projects?  When was the last time you dined in your dining room?  Even if you rarely this room, wouldn’t it be nice to have it organized and clutter-free?

Set up containers for trash, recycle, donate and items that belong in another room and follow these 5 steps for a dining room you can dine in.

1. Clear the floor.  Put items where they belong or donate.  Vacuum.  This will make a big impact.
2. Clear the surface of the dining room table and dust.  Put items away.
3. Clear other surfaces and dust.  Now you are beginning to see the light!
4. Donate decorative items you no longer like and no longer want to dust.
5. Go through every drawer and cabinet.  Break it up into small bits, one drawer or cabinet each day or each session.  Donate excess.  How many table linens and serving dishes do you need to keep?  Beware of keeping items because of guilt.  This won’t help you become clutter-free.  Evaluate every napkin holder, candle, candle holder, trivet, and salt shaker.  Use a clip style clothing hanger to hang linens in a spare closet keeping them wrinkle free.

Choose just one of the above steps to focus on at a time and in a matter of days or weeks you will have a clutter-free and organized dining room once again.

The post Organizing the dining room so you may dine appeared first on Simply Organized With Jill.