Staging Your House for Less

Something about spring makes me start watching all of those home shows. You know the ones where couples and sometimes singles look for the perfect house, fix up and put their homes on the market or just do some renovations. Maybe it is because spring is the most popular time of the year to list a house and get a buyer. While the housing market has promise of turning around, there is still quite a lot of “stock,” houses on the market. This means that in order to make yours sell, it needs to shine. One thing that helps house … Continue reading

De-Cluttering Boot Camp: Making Room for Your Goals and Dreams

When you de-clutter what exactly are you making room for in your life? Why are you de-cluttering in the first place? Of course it is nice to have more space and have things organized. This makes day to day living a lot easier and calming. But the funny thing is that when you get rid of your stuff, when the burden of all of that clutter is gone, you may find that it leaves a space to be filled. This is not space in the physical sense necessarily, but more of a space to fulfill your goals and dreams. Our … Continue reading

De-Cluttering Boot Camp: I Can’t Get Rid of that! 2

When de-cluttering, it is easy to get sidetracked by items that have no place in your world but are still hard to get rid of. A good example was given in Sherry’s post, Treatment of Special Items when Conquering Clutter. In that blog, she talked about taking some old trophies and giving them a place of honor in the home because they really couldn’t get rid of them. If you have an item that deserves that place of honor, by all means take it out of the box or the dusty corner and display it proudly. But what about all … Continue reading

Home Week in Review: July 7 – 13

If you have not had a chance to check in this week, here is our week in review: Summer is going by so fast, but that does not mean there isn’t still time for Making your own Summer Accessories. While there are many nice items available, you can create great accessories with a more personal touch. Maybe you are working on a specific room in your home? If it is your daughter’s room, you’re in luck! You can follow along with Mary Ann and check out all her tips in the following articles: Dressing a Daughter’s Room Dressing a Daughter’s … Continue reading

De-Cluttering Boot Camp: I Can’t Get Rid of that!

If you have been following our de-cluttering boot camp, you should have made some progress going through items box by box, bag by bag or section by section. Some items are obvious keepers, such as the cooking pot you use every day, while others are obviously not keepers, such as last month’s newspaper. Everything you own should do one of the following three things, if not all three: Be useful Be beautiful Make you very happy Inevitably in your de-cluttering process, you will come across items that are none of these things, but you find that you just can’t part … Continue reading

Home Week in Review: June 30 – July 6

Wow! July already? If you’ve been as busy as we have, you might have missed something this week, or maybe you would just like to take another look at one or more articles. Here is a handy recap: Welcome to De-Cluttering Boot Camp De-cluttering Boot Camp is a series of articles written by Mary Ann to help us not only get going but keep going when it comes to the battle with clutter. Don’t miss these installments: De-Cluttering Boot Camp: Roadblocks De-Cluttering Boot Camp: Finding Time De-Cluttering Boot Camp: Being Overwhelmed Are You ready for Fourth of July? Have you … Continue reading

De-Cluttering Boot Camp: Being Overwhelmed

How are you doing in your mission to de-clutter your home? I watched Clean Sweep’s special episode last night profiling (and helping) the “Messiest Home in America.” The house lived up to its designation. There was stuff everywhere and in every room. The couple that lived in this home was so completely overwhelmed with clutter, and as a consequence, dirt. There was literally no where to walk in the home. Board games were stacked in the kitchen, and floor to ceiling was stacked with all kinds of stuff. It was just overwhelming, and the couple didn’t know where to begin. … Continue reading

De-Cluttering Boot Camp: Finding Time

Finding time to de-clutter can be a big issue for many of us. There are so many other priorities that can get in the way. But de-cluttering your home is important. Clutter can cost you money in a number of ways, such as when you need a bigger home. To look at more ways in which clutter can cost you money, you can read this article: 4 Ways Clutter Can Cost You Money For now, though, let’s find some ways to deal with de-cluttering when there isn’t enough time. At the end of this post, you’ll find your next assignment. … Continue reading