Rule #8 Organize into categories and then use clear, labeled containers to hold smaller things.

In some of my previous blog posts, but specifically in the one called "Organizing After a Junk Raid," (which you can read again here) I talked a lot about the basic organizing principles of putting things together in like categories and then labeling them.  Here are some examples around my home of where and how and why this works:

This is a picture of my kitchen pantry. You can see here that because I have used containers to hold like things, that all of my spaces, clear to the back of each shelf, are used to their maximum efficiency. It makes it so even the very top shelf that is hard to reach is totally usable.

See? The top shelf, even though it is barely reachable, is completely usable. All someone has to do is reach up and pull a container down, get the item they need out and then put the box back. It makes every inch of that space completely usable.

When you are organizing your spaces, always keep in mind the super important principle of SPACE PRIORITIES (have you forgotten what that is or are new to this blog and don't know?  If so, read about it here).  Which means that the things that you use the most deserve to be in your most easy-to- get-at spaces. So here, you can see that I use our medicines and bandages more than I use batteries or extra light bulbs. These are all things we need to keep (they are keepers!) but are used in different amounts and in different frequencies.

As far as figuring out how to group like items together and pick a container to use, you can see on the shelves in my pantry that what I have done is determined a general category or "grouped like minded things together" -- things like bandages and creams and internal medicines -- and then put them together in one medium sized clear box. Some people make the mistake of grouping items together in such SMALL groups that it overwhelms them. So, for example, I wouldn't have a specific container for pain relievers, and another one for antihistamines, and another one for anti-acids.  One big one for every type of medicine that goes INTO your body was good enough for me.

The same thing is true for batteries....it's an overkill to have one box for AA and AAA batteries and another for C and D batteries. If I had rechargeable batteries and a charger I would keep it in here too.

One of the things I love about using containers for all sorts of items is, not only is it easy to pull out the box and reach the item clear far in the back (as opposed to having to climb up there and try to reach clear far back to get at it) but it sets a limit for you on how much of that thing you can hold before it's time to go through and dejunk again or figure out what you really don't need.  I talked a lot about setting limits in a blog post recently that you can read here and it comes up again when talking about how to use containers and labels to keep your home organized. I LOVE that containers give me the option of keeping things up to a certain point but then force me to "limit the chaos" and keep things under control.  Which brings up another good point. Every few months or so, when you see a container reaching capacity or feel a sudden "this is a mess" feeling, take just a minute and pull a few things out to get rid of. This especially happens to me in the "internal medicines" box when medicines expire and need to be discarded or when one medicine is almost gone and can easily be combined with another of the same kind. Your containers do not need to necessarily be super organized as in all things lined up, alphabetized or neatly stacked (a good example of that is my batteries container you can see above). As long as it contains what the label says and you can reach in and find things fairly easily, you are doing great!

Another thing I love about using containers to organize is that it makes things really easy to see....for you and for your family members. Especially if you use clear containers, which I think is best if you can make it happen, it's pretty easy to see what the box is holding, how much you have of it, and it makes it very accessible to get at the item you want. Take, for example, this container of match box cars. Not only does it set a limit for my boys and how many cars and trucks they can have but it is also really easy to pull these containers down (one at at time is usually my rule) and my boys or their friends can reach in and find what they are looking for, usually without having to dump the whole thing out.

One of the places I have loved using the labeled containers idea is this area next to our family room.

It has a mud room feel with the hooks for backpacks and coats but the use of all of the clear containers makes it be able to hold so much more. In our home we have a basement that has a play room with lots of toys. But, especially when my children were young, all of the toys like these you see here that have lots of pieces were just NOT going to work down in the play room. Why? Because for some strange reason, one of the things kids love to do the very most is to dump well organized bins out. Have you ever noticed that? Did you think it was just the children in your life that did that? Well, it's not. Its pretty much any child anywhere in the world. The best solution I found was to have these containers hold the toys with lots of pieces AND put them up high where just an adult can get to them. If my children or children visiting would ask to play with the wooden blocks, for example, I would get the bin down and let them play right there in the family room. Then when they said "Now I want to play with the trains," I would say "Okay! Sure thing. Just pick up the blocks first and then we will put them away and get the trains down."  Every once in a while, the kids had big plans to make a fort out of blocks and then use the army men and dinosaurs. If that was the case, I would definitely make an exception and let more than one bin down. I love creative play like that!  But most of the time, the one bin at a time rule worked just fine and definitely helped in the management of messes.

Here are a few close-ups so you can see better:

As a side note, I really liked the method of storing children's books, like you can see here. I found that kids can pull out the bin, file through one at a time and find the book they want, pull it out and read and then put it back in and get another without making any mess at all. I liked having one bin for learning books (basically non-fiction) and then one bin for little board books (for babies who like to chew on books and tear pages) and then another for large fiction books. Like I said earlier, part of organizing is figuring out how to break things down into reasonably sized like items and this one for books really worked for me. I also liked how it limited the number of books we can have. I know that might sound like heresy to some of you but truly....just because books are "printed material" doesn't mean they are made of gold. AND, in this day of total affluence, they have basically no monetary value at all. You might disagree with me if you buy your books at school book fairs or Barnes and Noble but, as a frequent yard sale shopper, I'm telling you that really nice kids books cost 25 cents to 50 cents each--less than a candy bar or pack of gum. So, I'm giving you permission to buy a few, send a few out, and only keep a large but limited supply of your favorites. (You're welcome ;)

Another place I use labeled containers a lot is in this closet in the den.  In my next post I am going to be talking all about how to deal with a spouse who wants to keep everything (and the top shelf in this closet is a prime example of that :) and how to compromise and still maintain some order in your home.  So stay tuned for that.  But, as for organizing this closet with labeled containers, I think it's a good example of using different types of containers to get maximum efficiency out of a space and still be able to find everything pretty easily and quickly.  In a future blog post, I am going to be talking all about PAPERS but suffice it to say here that the middle shelf is where I spend the majority of my time here in this closet and thus it gets the middle shelf PRIME SPACE. My scrapbooking paper is up top which I use quite a bit and then family games are reachable for the rest of the family.

After you have dejunked and are ready to start finding PLACES FOR YOUR KEEPERS, organizing your keepers into reasonably-sized categories and then storing them in preferably clear, and for sure labeled containers in the way to go! I'd love to see pictures of the ways you have found to store your items and please send me questions of specific spaces in your home you are wondering how to organize. I might not know the answer every time but I'd love to give it a shot!

Next blog post:  Rule #9  People are more important than things.

Rule #7 Have a place for "extras" and "errands"

This rule is a direct result of Rule #1 Learn to Love Empty which you can read about here as well as one of the most important organizing principles Space Priorities which you can read about here.

The problem we have, in dealing with stuff and spaces is that
we might LOVE empty but have a hard time achieving it.
OR
We might really WANT to protect our prime spaces but have a hard time doing it.

Rule #7 is going to really help you with both of those.

Let me explain.

As you go about your day to day life, things are constantly coming into your home (and hopefully going out too :) And when you are protecting your PRIME SPACES and wanting them to be EMPTY, it is hard to do with so much in between stuff coming and going. What I mean by that is the stuff that really doesn't deserve to be in your prime spaces but can't be gotten rid of and needs a semi-permanent place to reside...sometimes for a while and sometimes for only a few days.

Let me show you what I mean

Do you have any of these things in the prime spaces in your bathroom?

In my post about space priorities, I specifically talked about the bathroom's prime spaces.
Remember these pictures of my master bathroom?

Remember how we talked about that the counter tops and even the drawers are your prime spaces. Only things that you use every single day deserve to be in those spaces, right?  But those aren't the only things you own and want to keep, right?

Consider these things again and ask yourself:

What do you do when you buy a pack of combs and only need ONE in your drawer?
What do you do when you buy extra razor blades in a pack of 5 and you only need ONE?
What do you do when you buy a package of emery boards,
or an extra pack or two or teeth flossers?
or a package of 2 pairs of shoe laces and you ONLY NEED ONE?

Do you know what most people do? They put all of them in their prime spaces.
Because they don't know any better.
And then their prime spaces fill up and they get grumpy and overwhelmed and embarrassed.

What's the solution?  Have an "extras" container. Have a specific place, kept fairly close to your bathroom (not a total necessity but it is nice) to keep your extras that don't deserve to be in your prime spaces.

My extras container for the bathroom is in the closet in my shower/toilet part of the master bathroom. It's down on a lower shelf, kind of out of the way, and having it has helped a lot with keeping only the things we use every day in our prime spaces.

The job of this "extras" container is to simply hold those things that do need to be kept and keep them away from the prime spaces in the bathroom.

 If you are wondering what is on the floor in that closet, it is another container of what you might call "extras" which are our travel supplies. There is a time and place when it's nice to have travel size toothpastes, deodorants and shaving cream. There is a time and place where it is nice to have toothbrush covers and toiletry bags and travel size shampoo and conditioner containers. But they DEFINITELY don't deserve to be in your prime spaces. That's why I strongly encourage anyone who is trying to get control of their spaces and stuff to consider having an "extras" container. It's the best way to protect your prime spaces.

Ready for another example?

How about the kitchen? Perhaps my most favorite place to try to protect prime spaces and one that I think, in my kitchens, is housing way too many things that don't deserve to be there.  Let's talk about it by looking at the example from my kitchen extras box.

In trying to run a household and be a frugal, responsible, happy homemaker, I find it completely necessary to buy some things in bulk or from yard sales. There are just some great deals out there! So, one of the things that I keep in my kitchen extras box is things like extra Bosch Mixer parts that I randomly/luckily find at yard sales or thrift stores. Do you see the metal whips in the middle of the box? That is a $25-30 part that I found at a yard sale for $1. 

How about the Pampered Chef corn butterer you can see in the bottom left?  During the summer months (June-September) we love to eat corn on the cob and I think this invention makes buttering your corn amazingly convenient and mess free. But during all the other months of the year (this picture was taken back in March 2016) my corn butterer does not deserve to be in my prime spaces.

What about the bag of chop sticks you can see in the top right area?  This big bag was a funny gift from a brother to his little sister who LOVES eating with chopsticks. Before Christmas, she would get my shish-ka-bob sticks out in order to eat her Ramen noodles with them. So one of her brothers bought her a package of her own wooden chopsticks as a Christmas gift. I thought it was so sweet! And she was thrilled! But there were 50 pairs of chopsticks in that bag. And she uses one pair at a time, usually more than once, before they get thrown away. What am I am going to do? Well, I'm certainly not gong to keep all 50 pairs in my prime space in my kitchen. I will keep 1 or 2 but not 50. So they get to reside in my kitchen extras box too.

I hope these three examples help give you an idea about what I'm talking about when I say a box for extras is really helpful in protecting your prime spaces.

Another way to protect your prime spaces is to have a specific "out of the way" space to keep things that need to go somewhere else soon.  A couple of specific examples of what I am talking about are things that need to be returned to a store or things that need to be returned to a specific person. Maybe you borrowed something and need to return it or maybe a friend was over and left something at your home that needs to be returned.  In most cases, I try to put the item right in my car and take to them right away but occasionally there are extenuating circumstances that make that impossible. And it is really nice to have a place to put it that you know where it will be and that is still a bit out of the way.

This is what I'm talking about. I call these hooks that are in the front entry closet "the errands hook" and sometimes refer to them when someone in my family says something like "Mom, do you know where that swimming towel is that Bailey left here? She's here to pick it up." And I answer "It's hanging in a bag on the errands hook."  Boom. They know where that is and the item is easily retrieved. Hope that makes sense.

In the end, having spaces that hold things for you away from your prime spaces and that help you protect those spaces is a real help. Take advantage of it and have a place for "extras" and "errands" in your home too!

Next blog post:  Rule #8 Organize into categories and then use clear, labeled containers to hold smaller things

Rule #6 Set limits for yourself and others

lim·it  noun

1. a point or level beyond which something does not or may not extend or pass.

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     1. 
        

     They looked at me in total bewilderment but with obedient hearts and they proceeded to negotiate and figure out which Barbies were staying and which were not. It was a tough decision. In the end, we had at least 12 Barbies (in various conditions) that were set aside to go to new homes. And the rule of SETTING LIMITS was established.
     We wish we could keep everything but we can't.
     WITH SMALL TOYS AND BOOKS....My feelings are the same when it comes to toys or books. They are so CHEAP to buy (especially second hand) and so PLENTIFUL on birthdays and holidays. Setting limits on them is the only way I know to really keep it all sane.  Here is our collection of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. There are a lot more pieces that I could have bought through the years and, I admit, they are a very fun toy. But....enough is as good as a feast, right? Enough is enough. And this box really helps me see what is ENOUGH.
     In fact, one of the most eye opening experiences of my life came when I was getting ready to set limits on the matchbox car situation at our house.  I haven't been to too many places around the world but my husband started traveling a lot for work about then. One of his first trips was to the Philippines and he came back with stories and pictures that amazed us all. One of the things that affected us most were the pictures he took of the "squatter camps." There are so many extremely poor, homeless people in the Philippines that they have just started setting up cardboard shacks right on the sides of the streets. They live there, cook in the gutters, and sleep in their makeshift homes. The children usually don't have clothes at all, forget about toys. My husband saw two boys happily playing naked in the street with an empty milk carton squashed up to be a ball. Anytime we think our children here don't have enough, let's think about their only toy being a piece of garbage that they happily play with.  My husband's coworker was headed back to the Philippines the next week and I said to my boys "why don't you pick out some cars for her to take and give to the little boys there who have NONE." They were so happy to do so and gave her some of their most favorites with little notes attached telling the Filipino boys exactly how the features on the car worked. I was so touched. It made me realize what a blessing it can be to our children to 1) become aware that there really are people with NONE and 2) to give up things to better the life on another. Books are another thing I really think we need to set limits on. It used to be that the feelings about books were almost to the point of worship. People felt like if something was in print it was basically gold. And that sentiment is really not true anymore. Have you seen the thrift stores and yard sales? They can hardly GIVE books away, let alone sell them. There are a lot on the market and they really are not hard to replace. My advice with books? Set a reasonably sized limit and keep yourself (and your family) to it.
     The application of this idea of LIMITS is really endless. I feel like it is one of the most important parts of keeping your home and spaces clean and organized. 
     We simply have to say to ourselves and our families:
     Next post:  Rule #7  Have a place for "extras" and "errands"
2. 2. a restriction on the size or amount of something permissible or possible.

Why is setting limits such an important part of managing stuff?

Ummmmm...because we have TOO MUCH OF IT!

What exactly do I mean when I say "set limits?"  Let me show you in the form of a common problem at our house (and maybe yours)....toys.

Take a pile of Barbie dolls. 

Did you know, back in the day (said in an annoying old person voice) when I was a little girl no one had more than ONE barbie doll. My parents weren't rich but we weren't wanting for anything either. When I was a girl (which was not that long ago, really) ONE Barbie doll was enough. I had one beautiful long-haired blonde Barbie and her husband Ken and I played and played with them. My mom made me little small Barbie and Ken outfits that I would change around constantly as they went to various activities and dates. It was a great life.

One generation later, my husband I were in a similar financial situation as our parents. We weren't rich but we had enough and then some and were living a good life. ONE GENERATION later though...the entire Barbie scene had changed. Barbie dolls must have gone way down in price relative to income because my two daughters started receiving Barbie dolls for every birthday and Christmas. Before you know it, with two little girls and plenty of opportunities to GET and BRING IN, we had a big 'ol pile of Barbie dolls! It got to be ridiculous honestly. 

That's when I started implementing the rule of LIMITS.  

The conversation I had with my 4 and 6 year old girls went something like this:

"Now girls, I know you have a pile of Barbies and I'm sure you would like to keep them all. But we just can't keep everything, even though we want to. So here is a clear, labeled box that says "Barbies" on it. We can keep as many Barbies and their clothes as you can fit in this box. After that, the ones that don't fit will get to go to some other little girls that don't have any Barbie dolls."

This idea worked so well that I started using it on everything. Setting limits starts with the line (and sometimes you are saying it just to yourself) "We wish we could keep everything but we can't."

And then you decide on a reasonable size box or container to hold that/those particular item/s (how big? when in doubt challenge yourself and make it smaller rather than bigger!)

That is your limit.

Whatever you can fit in there can stay. The rest has to go.

AND, remember this.....the established limit stays the same as new things come in (and they will come). That means that tough decisions have to be made.


For example, here is the limit we have put on the DVDs at our house. Here are the G-rated and PG-rated DVD's including TV shows (the ones I don't mind anyone of any age watching):

(The movies are two deep because our shelves are that deep and you can see on the top shelf that we have our special collection of Harry Potter movies to one side and Star Wars movies to the other. They are stacked on the back.)

And here is the smaller collection of what I call "teen" movies. These are the ones that are rated PG-13 that I am fine with the older kids and their friends watching when the younger kids have gone to bed. 

As a family, we have determined that this is a reasonable amount of space for movies and that is the limit. That means that if a new DVD were to come in to our house, one of these here would have to leave. 

Remember my last post about being careful when you shop? This "limits" idea really helps with that too. If we know the DVD shelf is already full then we go to the store and see a new movie we want, one of us says "if we buy Zootopia today which movie at home are we getting rid of?" Sometimes it's worth it to still get the new one, sometimes it's not.

This same principle applies to just about anything...but here are a few more examples around my house.

WITH TOYS......

My daughter Carly is a big Littlest Pet Shop fan. I have picked up most all of these toys at yard sales and have seen a lot more that I could have bought. But this space is the limit set aside for these toys. When/if she gets a new, more amazing Littlest Pet Shop toy, she has to decide which one is leaving. The same holds true for the smaller pieces that go in the drawers. The drawers are the limits for those and when they are full and cannot be shut, choices have to be made and things have to be discarded.

WITH RECIPE BOOKS.....

This is the space I have set aside as the limit for my recipe box and recipe books. I am a fan of new recipes, I really am, so it is a very good thing for me to have limits set. Otherwise, this shelf could be four times as big and I would have it full. Sometimes I will acquire a new recipe book and slide it in there, try it out for a few weeks and then determine if it gets to stay. Not many of them do, honestly.  And that means that every one of these are truly awesome!

WITH KEEPSAKES.....

Keepsakes are the treasures from your life and they can be hard to get rid of. But having limits for things like keepsakes makes it so much easier to decide what to keep. Remember: We wish we could keep everything...but we CAN'T! Fit what you can in your limited space and be grateful you have some mementos for your future posterity to know you by.

This rings true for your children and their keepsakes too, by the way. Each one of my children has a keepsake box or drawer where they get to keep whatever they want. Once it's full though, tough decisions have to be made. "Would you rather keep that rock or that Popsicle stick collection?" or "Would you rather keep all 28 of your drawings from the 1st Quarter of Kindergarten or would you like to keep your 3rd grade report on China?" In my opinion, it's really good for kids to understand the concept that we can't keep everything. Let's teach them early to make those tough "what to keep" decisions so maybe they will be better at it than we are!

WE WISH WE COULD KEEP EVERYTHING BUT WE CAN'T!

and then set limits for the amounts we keep. 

Rule #5 Be Careful When You Shop

One of the problems with being affluent, (and remember, according to the world's standards, as Americans we are ALL affluent) is

we have too much money to spend on non-essentials.

For those of you who don't know, 

the essentials in life are:

SHELTER
UTILITIES
FOOD
TRANSPORTATION
and
BASIC CLOTHING

Not a lot actually. Now think back to the money you have spent in, let's say, the past 3 months. Think about the trips to the mall, Costco, Target, Kohl's, Walgreens, and Home Depot. Think about the orders placed on Amazon, Zulily, or Overstock.com.  Think about the quick stops at a thrift store or yard sale or the "run" into the dollar store. There are so many places to spend our money that the list could just keep going, right? And just how many of those purchases were for things that were "needs?" 

It's time we be a little more careful when we shop.

If you really want to be blown away by how much Americans spend in a day, click on this link here  and watch the numbers! It's fascinating...and a little scary actually. Try it. Really!

The bottom line is we spend A LOT....and usually without even thinking about it.

The "spending too much money" part of this problem is one aspect but we will leave money talk for another day.

On this blog we talk about having, dealing with, storing, juggling, being grumpy about and apologizing over TOO MUCH STUFF. 

And when you shop...you bring stuff IN.

So....BE CAREFUL!

Here are some questions to ask yourself when you shop:

1.  WHERE am I going to put this? 

This question helps me a lot, especially when I am tempted to buy new frames, pictures, pillows or other decor for my home. It also helps when I want to buy books or clothes or when my husband wants to buy a new tool. When it feels like your spaces are already completely FULL, (the closet seems too full, the bookshelf seems to be overflowing, the work bench is covered in tools, etc etc.) figuring out where you are going to put it before you buy it and bring it home is really smart. 
For example, if you are buying a new kitchen appliance ....

you just have to have that Wok

 (you know... to go with your run ;)

picture in your mind coming home from the store and opening the box, and then putting the wok away. Is it going to fit? Can you picture it sliding right into a spot on the shelf? Is there really a place for it? If not....if it is going to be a struggle to figure out a home for it and have a place for it to go permanently don't buy it!

2.  Do I already have something really similar to this that I could use instead?

I wrote about this question in a previous blog post about dejunking (you can find it here) but I think it's important to go into when discussing bringing stuff into the house or your life too. When speaking about shopping, it shouldn't come as any kind of surprise, but it is pretty common in our shopping excursions to be drawn to things that are the same types of things or the same style. Or, in other words, when you are out shopping you are going to be steered toward the types of things you have at home. It is imperative, in the battle to have LESS stuff, that we realize it and think about it when we shop. Before we put something in the cart or go up to pay, we should always ask ourselves "Do I already have something similar to this at home?" and/or "Do I have something I can use or wear instead of buying this?" Chances are the answer will be "yes." And then it's time to say "no" to the purchase.

3. Am I buying something today for the wrong reason?

Have you ever thought that you might be shopping for all sorts of reasons other than that you need a particular item? 

What are some of the reasons you might buy?
How about these?

* I'm bored and have extra money this month so I might as well.

* I feel bad that I haven't done much with my child lately so I'm sure buying him/her this item will make them feel better. (and me too :)

* I like the ones I have of these so much that one in another color or slightly different style would be great.

*  I haven't spent very much money on myself lately so I deserve it.

My point is NOT VERY OFTEN are we shopping and buying and bringing new things into our homes for the simple fact that they are NEEDED. In fact, most of the time there are other reasons we buy. And all I suggest is that we ask ourselves, before we fall for it
WHAT ARE THE REAL REASONS I AM BUYING THIS TODAY?

So, there you go....something to think about.
Ask yourself these questions and...

Remember Rule #5
BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU SHOP!


Blog News:  Guess what I got for a Mother's Day gift? A blog makeover! So be watching in the next couple of weeks for a whole new LOOK here at www.aplaceforeverykeeper.com! 
And thanks again for your support and encouragement.

Next Post:  Rule #6  Set Limits for Yourself and Others

Rule #4 Learn to BORROW instead of OWN

In my opinion, there are a lot of benefits to borrowing an item instead of running out and buying it.  Let me give you just 2....and I'll do it in the form of a story.  I call it:

The Tale of the George Foreman Grill

Once upon a time, a new amazing gadget was invented by the famous boxer, George Foreman. Everyone you met could not say enough about the amazing Goerge Foreman grill. It cooked your steak or chicken or salmon to perfection in just minutes. It was magical. It sounded too good to be true to me but after hearing from several people that it was the best thing since sliced bread, I really wanted to try it.  The problem was:

A. they were pretty expensive for just a "try"

and 

B. They are big and bulky and would take up a lot of space in my kitchen--which is especially a problem if I didn't like it, right?

And then the brilliant thought came into my head...

"my friend and neighbor, Holly, who lives across the street had a George Foreman grill!" And Holly is gracious and lovely and unselfish and I knew she would let me "try it out" before I went and bought one.  And guess what? She did. (Thanks Holly!:)

And guess what else? 

I tried it and didn't really like it. I have a lot of kids and it couldn't cook everything I needed at the same time (and Holly had a BIG one).  And what it did cook wasn't moist and tender like I thought it would be. And my family felt like the food tasted bland and would rather have it barbecued outside or cooked in the oven with onions smothered on it.

SO, I washed it up and took it back to Holly, said "thank-you so much" and saved myself $50 and a whole lot of storage space.

And my love for borrowing things began.

Another time, my teenage daughter, Ashley, (who is tremendous in the kitchen by the way) wanted to try her hand at making a REAL cheesecake. (Usually I think Costco is the way to go on these things but...) The problem was I had never purchased or owned the spring foam pan that is needed to make a real cheesecake. 

And I wasn't really wanting to go spend the money on one, not to mention try to store it for the possible next time someone might want to try their hand at making a cheesecake.  So I started making calls. (What I have found, in the art of borrowing, is that someone in your mix of friends usually has the thing you need. (And, if not, at least you tried!))

And sure enough....on the 2nd call my neighbor Nancy said "Sure! I've got a spring foam pan. You're welcome to use it." Ashley ran and got it, went to work on making the cheesecake, found out they are a TON of work, and a few hours later we washed up the pan and took it back to Nancy with a piece of cheesecake in the middle of it. No $25 wasted and no large pan to have to store!

That's just two stories but I have dozens more of things that I have learned to borrow instead of buy and then own and store.

Borrowing is awesome because

1- It lets you TRY OUT new things without making the commitment to BUYING them, thus saving you lots of $$$.

That's the beauty of

the library

or Red Box or Netflix, right?

You HAVE to ask yourself...

why go to Barnes and Noble, Costco or Wal-Mart and BUY a book or movie that you can just borrow, watch, listen to or read and then return again? For FREE or just a few dollars?

and

2- It saves you from having to STORE, JUGGLE, MOVE AROUND, and DEAL WITH IT more STUFF! (Thus the whole point of this blog:)

How about some of these ideas?

Do you really need to OWN a bundt cake pan for the once or twice a year that you want to make a bundt cake (insert awesome pronunciation here from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding.") Or could you just borrow one from your neighbors and let them store it for you ;)

What about things like life jackets or other outdoor equipment?

Unless you own a boat and go out on the lake often, it really isn't necessary for you to own a collection of life jackets for the once or twice a summer you need them. Just figure out who in your life has a large supply and call them up to borrow one or two for the day. I can promise you from personal experience, as someone who owns a boat and lots of life jackets, we are happy to share!

Halloween costumes are another favorite of mine to borrow or lend out to others. Occasionally I am on the ball and/or one of my children insist on being something specific for Halloween.  But most of the time, a few days before Halloween we start asking the kids "What do you want to be for Halloween?" and they usually say "I don't know...maybe a this or that or this?" And that's when I put out on a plea on Facebook or a group text to friends and say 

"Does anyone have a Harry Potter costume in size 10ish?" 

or 

"Does anyone have a great girl costume for a size 12 girl?" 

I've even gone so far as to ask for specific things like just the right kind of boots for a Flynn Rider costume.

And guess what?

I've yet to be disappointed.

As in, someone always has it and is glad to loan it to us for the week.

And with 6 kids, times 20+ years of trick-or-treating, I have acquired a box of costumes too and I loan some out almost every year. It makes me happy for others to get some use out of them!

I LOVE BORROWING INSTEAD OF BUYING!

Another way that borrowing benefits you is you actually get to know and interact with your neighbors. I've had a lot of great conversations with our neighbors through the years and a lot of those have been started because I asked to borrow something. Most everyone is more than willing to share and I think it makes them feel more connected to you after they have helped you out. A lot of times, when I borrow something, I try to return it with a plate of goodies or a treat. And, let's face it, any time you do something like that, it only BUILDS and ADDS to the relationship!

If you are convinced to give it a try, here are a few other ideas of things you might consider trying to borrow instead of buying:

*prom dresses

*party supplies like drink pitchers, serving utensils, or tablecloths

*air mattresses (for the occasional out-of-town guest)

*specific clothing to match for family pictures

*folding chairs 

*large yard work items like a power washer, extra tall ladder, or rototiller

*wedding decorations

And don't let that be the end of the list.  The main idea is to think before you just run out and BUY something (that you then have to maintain and store) 

"Can I just borrow this item instead?"

And in talking about the joys of borrowing, I would be remiss if I didn't also talk about the absolute 

RULES for BORROWING

1.  Return the item QUICKLY (as in within hours of finishing using it) and in as good if not better condition than when you borrowed it.

2.  If you find yourself borrowing the same item frequently, it's time to go and buy it.

3.  If you break or damage something you borrowed, fix it or replace it promptly.

4.  Be willing to let others borrow your possessions as well.

To me, these four rules go without saying. However, some may not have been taught as children the proper way to borrow or might not feel comfortable with borrowing. Thus, in borrowing from others, make sure you ask in an unassuming way that helps them feel comfortable in saying "no" to your borrowing request. That's why I like asking to borrow on a group Facebook page or in a group text. Some people feel more comfortable letting others borrow things than others do, and that's OK.  I've also found that if you establish yourself as an "excellent" borrower (you follow the 4 rules adamantly and repeatedly) people in your life learn to trust you with their things and allow you to borrow them more often.

 One tip in the area of letting others borrow from you is to keep a small "borrow journal" (I use a 3 x 5 card taped inside the kitchen cupboard) that keeps the simple information of who, when and what of borrowers.  Ours looks like this (although I recreated with different names to protect the innocent :)

When they return the item, you simply cross it off and put it back where it goes in your home. So simple and awesome.

Every once in a while (as in it has happened twice in my adult life) someone might borrow something from you and return it in a broken or damaged condition. I have found that a simple, kind conversation goes a long way here.  "Hi Tracy, this is Kim. You dropped off this dress and it looks like there is a stain on it. Would you be willing to take it to the dry cleaners and then bring it back?"  

It's really that easy.

Both times they have been happy to do so. 

Borrowing is an excellent way to help others out and to help yourself out. To me, it's totally worth it to be able to save money and space and not have to stumble over, worry about and store so much STUFF!

That's why I say....

Learn to borrow instead of own!

Next post:  Rule #5  Be careful when you shop.