Friday Find: The Honest Company

A little while back I learned about The Honest Company, founded by Jessica Alba. Their goal is to provide families with 'honest' family and baby care essentials, ranging from diapers to cleaning products, that are free of harsh chemicals. I like the idea of using safer, greener products, but to be honest (no pun intended), I'm overwhelmed by all the choices out there and tend to hop around to different brands and products with no real direction.

So helping me choose good, safe products is nice, but the kicker for me is that The Honest Company delivers a personalized bundle of products directly to your door every month! This is a great example of automating your to-do's, one of my favorite time management tips. Since household products tend to be used up at different rates, it definitely take some effort to keep track of which items you need when...not to mention remembering to get them when you're at the right store. Having home delivery of family-safe, reasonably priced home and bath supplies sounded good to me...sign me up! So that's what I did. First I received the [almost] free trial (you have to pay for shipping). I liked what I saw, so I stayed on and received the standard family essentials bundle...it arrived just as I was running out of my old laundry detergent! My favorite part is that after your first month when you receive the standard (pre-selected bundle), every month you get to choose any 5 products you need - they have a variety to choose from.

From an organizational standpoint, I think this service is great. As already mentioned, it's a time management winner. It also helps me better manage my home inventory. It took me about 1 minute last night to go to my account and select the products I want in my next delivery. I can guarantee it would've taken more time to do a traditional inventory and shopping for the same products. I also see some value in product consistency. Once you find something you like, being consistent helps eliminate having 7 different partially used bottles of multi-surface cleaner under your sink! Beyond the organizing benefits, it just makes me feel good to know I'm buying family and earth-friendly products. They also donate a portion of their sales to charity - extra bonus!

If convenience and choosing safer, greener products is important to you, you might want to give them a try. I can 'honestly' say I'm a fan :)

The Honest Company Family Essentials

Friday Find: Curb Cookout Clutter

Memorial Day weekend traditionally represents the start of the summer season - yeah! For many households, this means weekends filled with parties and cookouts and family fun. But don't let your cupboards and pantries become overrun with plastic cups, paper plates and enough plastic silverware to feed an army. Having a mess of partially used packages of disposable party ware doesn't make it easy to whip out the supplies you need for an impromptu barbecue. Our suggestion, keep one good set of re-usable outdoor tableware and your cupboards and the environment will be better off. Here are a few options we've seen...the first one is even from a local company who's transforming trash into tableware - how cool!?

Preserve Tableware

Crate & Barrel Melamine Plates

Bamboo Studio BambooWare

Friday Find: Erin Condren Personlized Life Planner

I'm so excited to tell you about my new Erin Condren personalized life planner! I read about it online about a month back and decided I had to try it. Why, in this age of free online tools to manage just about everything, would I choose to spend my money on a [beautiful] paper planner? Let me explain...

For a couple years I've been strictly using Google Calendar, which works great when I'm able to be online regularly throughout the day and also has the benefit of easily sharing events with my husband. For me though, the online calendar concept has a couple of issues. First, I've never been able to make online task lists work for me when I'm not regularly sitting at a computer (which I'm not anymore). I also still feel this gravitational pull toward paper lists and calendars, especially happy, pretty ones :) There's just something gratifying about putting it down on paper!

So for a couple of years, I've been managing what productivity experts would call a hybrid system of online and paper, carrying around a notebook of some sort to corral lists, related papers, receipts, etc., but still using Google Calendar, which I mainly get to check and update at night. As a part-time working, full-time mom, I rarely get a chance to sit down at a computer during the day. Sure, I check my email on my phone throughout the day, but I'm not a big fan of managing Google Calendar on my phone. So as with many organizational systems, it's clear that my old system is no longer working for my new[ish] life.

Introduce my super-lovely new life planner...it's a compact, durable, all-in-one planner that can house my calendar, to-do lists, notes, papers...all in one lovely place. I think many of you would agree with me that you can't underestimate the power of pretty when it comes to productivity tools. They just make me want to get down to business and get stuff done!

Anyway, enough about me, for those of you who may be struggling with your calendars and to-do lists, here's my advice - it's ok not to go digital if it just doesn't work for you and it's definitely ok to find pretty, productive tools that make you happy! Check out ErinCondren.com for a look at the wonderful, personalized tools they make to help make your life easier. I purchased a discounted April-December 2012 Life Planner, but I believe they have a 2012/2013 version coming out in June. They also just released a great video about using a weekly calendar pad to keep all your family members on the same page! I may just have to give it a try.

Note: I have not received any incentive to write about Erin Condren products...just writing a personal review of my new planner.

Friday Find: Keep it Together with a Simple Inbox

Things are a little chaotic around our [new] house! We moved in on Saturday, so we're still swimming in boxes and packing paper and definitely don't have all our systems set up. We are far from my comfort zone of 'a place for everything and everything in it's place.' But amongst the exciting and overwhelming chaos of settling into a new home, one very important but simple organizing system is helping me keep it all together and save my sanity...my inbox. It's the most basic of organizational principles...keeping like things together. I use my inbox to stash all important papers, ranging from bills to receipts to ideas to assembly instructions. It gives me a safe place to put anything that comes my way, but that I don't have time to further process (i.e. file, do, read) at the moment.

Of course the inbox can't be the end of the system. You need to follow through and process what goes in or your inbox will just be a ever-growing pile. But take it from me, a corralled pile in a consistent inbox is A LOT safer than papers strewn around a house that's in a partially unpacked and not-so-settled-state. Last night I finally sat down for the first time in a couple weeks (eeek!) to take stock of and start managing what was in my inbox. It always makes me feel a lot better when I wade my way through my inbox, but just knowing that I had a safe place to put things was a life saver during an especially hectic couple of weeks in our life!

My inbox happens to be a very simple Ikea Kassett box with a lid, but you can choose any letter-size box that suits your fancy. So this week's Friday Find is less of a noun and more of a verb...if you don't have an inbox, go find yourself one this weekend!

Friday Find: Ikea Hackers

Here at Organizing Boston, we love to re-use what clients already have for organizing purposes. It saves money and resources, but it's also fun to find purposes for items that are being under-utilized or not used at all!

I've been thinking recently about re-purposing some Ikea furniture in my own (or soon-to-be) home. We are about to move into our first real house - yeah! - and I'm looking to re-purpose some Expedit shelving as toy storage in my daughters playroom, but espresso isn't exactly the color I'd like for her bright, cheery room (or at least that's my vision). So I was looking on-line for tips on painting Ikea furniture and of course found some good info over at Apartment Therapy.

But in the process, I was also reminded of a neat site entirely dedicated to re-purposing and customizing Ikea furniture - Ikea Hackers. How cool! A lot of us own Ikea furniture - they make some great products from an organizational standpoint and let's face it, it's hard to beat the price. Personally, we own several Ikea items, including Expedit shelving, Effectiv filing cabinets and a few others. Many of these have been in our possession for several years, surviving moves, re-purposing and general household use and abuse. So if you're re-organizing, re-arranging, or moving, why not check out Ikea Hackers for some ideas to breath new life into your furniture and your space. If I follow through with my first Ikea hack, I'll keep you posted!

Friday Find: Follow us on Pinterest!

This week's Friday Find is us...on Pinterest! We love to bring you great organizing ideas and Pinterest is proving to be a great virtual bulletin board for gathering them together! We're pinning organizing ideas we see and use in our travels with a touch of our organizing expertise to help you figure out how to apply these fabulous finds to your own organized life. So if you're already on the Pinterest train, just search for Organizing Boston. We'd love for you to follow us and can't wait to see your organizing finds as well! We've got boards including home, kitchen, closet and office organizing as well as organizing products we love. It's a work in progress, but we're having fun along the way. Come join us!

Friday Finds: Smart Ways to Refresh Your Wardrobe

Today I've got 2 Friday Finds for you! They're both clothing-related but that's about all they have in common :)

The first is a great local event where you can celebrate Earth Day by refreshing your kids' closets the green way! Itsy Bitsy Thrifty is holding it's spring/summer seasonal consignment event for children's clothing this weekend in Woburn, MA. With free admission all day Saturday, this is a great way to get some 'new to you' items for your fast-growing kids. We always think of donation and consignment as great ways to get organized without trashing all your unwanted stuff, but buying used items (as long as you need them) is another great way to keep it green! Thanks to my friend, Kristi for mentioning this great local event!!

On a different note, I've got an interesting Friday read from the NY Times for those of you who might be having trouble clearing out your closet clutter. Turns out that many of us get attached to certain brands and might have a hard time 'breaking up' with them as the style and our lifestyle grows apart, whether we realize it or not. While there was way too much fashion in the article for my non-fashionista brain to digest, the article definitely made me think about how much trouble we all have letting go of clothes, styles and brands that may no longer fit or fit our current lifestyle. Give the article a read and then give yourself permission to let those old clothes and brands go! Thanks to home design guru, Sabrina Soto, for mentioning the article on facebook. She's got a great little spot in the article, having recently undergone her own brand breakup!

Friday Find: Boston Area Earth Day Recycling Events

Earth Day is coming up on April 22! Celebrate by recycling your household clutter at a local recycling event. It turns out that several cities and towns in the greater Boston area are making it really easy for you to donate and/or recycle a variety of household goods and electronics. Here's a list of a few events we found posted on-line. Check out Mass.gov for more events or call your town to find out about recycling opportunities close to home:

NEWTON

City of Newton Electronics Recycling Collection
Friday & Saturday, April 20 & 21, 2012
8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon
Recycling Depot
115 Rumford Avenue, Newton, MA

Monthly drop-offs for Newton residents, businesses and non-profits for electronic recycling ("anything with a plug"). There is a $12 charge for each TV and computer monitor. All others accepted free of charge. Sponsored by City of Newton Department of Public Works. More information: http://www.newtonrecycles.com or 617-796-1000

BOSTON

19th Annual Earth Day Clothing Drive
Monday, April 23-Friday, May 11, 2012
7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Lobby of 89 South Street, Boston, MA

Donate clothing, shoes and accessories to benefit people in need in our community. Sponsored by Second Chances and The NonProfit Center.
More information:
http://www.secondchances.org/clothingDrives/NonProfitCenterEarthDay2012.htm or info@secondchances.org

MEDFIELD

Medfield Green Day

Saturday, May 5, 2012

9:00 am-12:00

110 Peter Kristof Way, Medfield, MA

Donate or recycle a variety of household items from clothing to baby gear to sports equipment and appliances. Check the website for more information:
http://www.medfieldgreen.org 

ARLINGTON

Community Collection Day
Saturday, May 12, 2012 (Rain or Shine)
9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
51 Grove Street, Arlington, MA

Outdoor event to collect materials for reuse and recycling. Residents can drop off a variety of home items to be recycled including CRTs ($10 per unit): bikes, books, old sneakers, confidential papers, old prescriptions, sharps, more. Sponsored by Arlington Public Works and Recycling Committee.
More information: http://www.arlingtonma.gov/Public_Documents/ArlingtonMA_DPW/Recycle/index

Friday Find: Finders Keepers

Today's Friday Find is a follow up to last week's discussion on how to tame your pantry. We talked about how simple organizing tools - clear bins, Lazy Susans (or turntables) and tiered shelving - can really make a difference in helping you find what you need in your pantry. So here's what we used to turn this pantry cabinet from 'ok' to organized!

Pantry Before

Pantry Contents

Of course as you empty out and categorize the contents, be sure to toss anything that's expired or simply isn't getting used. With the goal of making everything accessible and keeping like with like, I used a combination of tiered bamboo shelving and two kinds of clear bins - Linus Handled Bins and Linus Pantry Binz. Because I didn't have much shelf height to work with, I didn't ended up using any Lazy Susans. If I had a little more shelf height to play with, I probably would've used a Lazy Susan like this for commonly used oils, salt, pepper, etc.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the improvements. The bins help keep categories from getting jumbled together, the labels help everybody know where to find things, and the best part is that everything on the top shelf is accessible without a step ladder! But I'll let you be the judge...

Pantry After

Friday Find: Create Some Closet Space

Today's Friday Find is a great resource for creating some space in your closet...and who doesn't need that?! I realized the benefits of consignment a couple years back, but in December, I vowed to finally consign some of my clothes after employing the good old 'backwards hanger trick' to help me figure out what I actually wear. I'm pleased to say that I'm now on my second round of consigning with a GREAT store (actually multiple stores) in Needham, MA called the Closet Exchange.

As an organizer, I have to give it to them...they sure run an organized operation! From the phone inquiry to the intake process, they are very thorough in explaining what they do and what you can expect as a consigner. One thing to note is that I had to wait a couple months to become a first-time consigner, but it was worth the wait (and you don't have to wait for appointments after you're in the system).

What I love about the Closet Exchange is that they take a wide range of brands. Like most consignment stores, they have high standards in terms of the condition of the items, but they take more brands (from high to not-so-high end) than many other stores. They are also very nice, which I really appreciated! I am not much of a fashionista, do not generally buy designer clothing and have had intimidating experiences before that made me feel like I wasn't cut out for the higher end consignment world. But not here - by simply doing my homework and prepping the items as they ask, I was so pleased to find that they took most of my items each time. They also nicely explained why they didn't take certain items. It has been a very pleasant experience each time, which is more than I can say about my experience elsewhere.

Better yet, I am actually earning money - I earned a little over $70 from my past drop off - yeah! For full disclosure, I did spend it on several new items that I love, but that's allowed when you've created some extra space in your closet :) Speaking of, I took a picture of the wonderful space I created in my closet from dropping off my items today...

My New-Found Closet Space!

Friday Find: Double Duty Easter Basket

On Tuesday we mentioned that we have some new features to share more fun and useful content with you, including our new Friday Finds - great organizing products and resources that we can't help but share! Today's Friday Find comes from my friend Alison Coyle, super mom of 2 and sales consultant for Thirty-One Gifts. She recommended the Thirty-One Mini Utility Bin as an Easter basket. Brilliant!! Just add some paper Easter grass or tissue, eggs and cute or tasty treats and you're good to go. The best part is the bin can then be used for toys, dolls, arts & crafts supplies and more! Click on Ali's page if you'd like to order one or check out the other great organizing tools they offer.

Friday Find: Thirty-One Gifts Mini Utility Bin