Demystifying Consignment Shopping // A Guide to Uncovering Secondhand Treasures

We have a team of incredibly talented organizers and I’m so excited to introduce you to one of them today. When Christie Congdon isn’t organizing for The Baer Minimalist, she also owns and operates an incredible vintage + secondhand fashion resale business called Wise Thrifts.

If you are aspiring to become a more conscious consumer when it comes to shopping and filling your closets, you might be wanting to step into the world of consignment and vintage fashion. But it can be a little overwhelming.

Lucky for us, Christie is an absolute expert and was oh so willing to break it down for us.

Organized | LIFEChristie CongdonNovember 12, 2024The Baer Minimalist, LLCconsignment, secondhand, fashion, clothing, thriftingComment

Introducing The Annual Heirloom Album

According to a Business Insider projection: People would take one hundred billion more photos than the prior year.

And that projection was for 2017.

Five years ago.

One hundred billion more photos.

Before smartphones, we didn’t carry around cameras 24 hours a day. I can list the top five photos that defined my childhood on one hand. Don’t ask me to choose the top five photos of my daughter’s first month of life.

While the number of pictures we snap is staggering, it’s so great, right?! Who cares if I blink anymore! Snap another! Sun in your eyes? Let’s just adjust our position and let the camera do the work (#portraitmode). I love love love what smartphones now offer us.

Four Reasons Why I Rent My Wardrobe

Organized | LIFEMaria BaerNovember 3, 2021The Baer Minimalist, LLCNuuly, Clothing Rental, Closets, FashionComment

8 Tips for a Digital Declutter

Alright, you may have tackled the clutter in your closet or plight in your pantry, but what about the chaos on your computer? Your ever-growing email inbox? The photos on your phone? You all know what I’m talking about...that little red bubble indicating the number of notifications we have for an app that just seems like it’s constantly growing. Believe it or not, this adds to our stress level more than we realize. So, how on earth do we tackle our technology?

Lucky for you, I’ve got 8 tips and tricks to help you declutter your devices!

Four. Years.

Goodness…four years have passed in the blink of an eye. Even through a twin pregnancy, maternity leave, and a pandemic, we have persevered and year five is bound to bring even bigger and brighter things. In fact, with some of the things we have in the works, I KNOW this is going to be our favorite year ever.

As I reflect on the last four years, I think back to the moment of walking into my secure, full-time job in Spring 2017 and letting them know I was going to take a chance on myself and head down the path of entrepreneurship. They were incredible as they let me continue on in a part time capacity while I took time to get the foundation of my business set prior to launch.

From there, it was roughly two years of client sessions, product plans and organized bliss prior to finding out we were pregnant…and surprise…with twins. I felt lucky to work until 36 weeks along, at which point I found myself with two weeks to get ultra-organized in my own space. And I documented it all here.

Organized | LIFEMaria BaerAugust 26, 2021The Baer Minimalist, LLCAbout Me, HighlightsComment

The Ultimate Guide to Organize + Stylize Your Dorm Room

Now that the littles are back in school, it’s time to prep for sending your older ones off to college! Whether this is their first year leaving the nest, or they’re returning for yet another fun year on campus, these tried + true tips are sure to help get them started off on the right foot!

With Maria as a professional organizer, and myself as a recent college grad, we have put our heads together to compile what we deem the ultimate guide to organize + stylize your dorm room. Here are a few tips from the pros…

How to Have a Healthy Relationship with Your Possessions

Have you ever been so close to donating something, and are suddenly overwhelmed with guilt? Maybe you tell yourself, “This was a gift from so and so - I can’t get rid of it!” Or maybe it was an heirloom passed down from your grandmother? Or an item you spent a little too much money on so you feel that you have to hang on to it? If you’ve ever experienced any of this, you are not alone!

A few months back I had the honor of doing an interview with Indy Maven on this exact topic, so I thought I’d give you a glimpse into the article with some of my extended answers!

Organized | LIFE, Organized | SPACESMaria BaerJuly 16, 2021The Baer MinimalistDonation Resources, DonateComment

5 Tips for Keeping Your Organized Space Looking Fab + Fresh

Alright, you’ve tidied your space and donated items that you no longer need...now what? You may be thinking, “Maria, this is the part where we pop the bubbly and relax, right?” By all means, yes! However, there’s still one more thing to tackle...how do you keep it this way?

This may sound daunting, but trust me! It’s not that hard, especially after we’ve taken the time to put a customized system in place, and will actually make your life much easier. I’ve laid out five tips for keeping your organized space, well...organized!

If a Residential Organizer Built a House...

I had the chance to present to a group of architects, builders and designers this past week as weDesign kicked off their year. As I scoured my brain for topics that would be engaging, I thought of something I run into all. the. time. A gorgeous new build or remodel is complete, is absolutely drool-worthy, deserving of being pinned all across Pinterest…with a smidge of a storage issue when it comes time to get all the stuff put away.

If you’ve moved in the last year, you can probably relate. You start unpacking and think, where is all of my stuff going to go. Sometimes we forget to let our design be influenced by our things…which can lead to quite a bit of frustration afterward. Of course, there are tricks for maximizing space, but you never want to be left with piles of things that just don’t fit in your newly remodeled space.

So the perfect topic popped into my head…If A Residential Organizer Built a House. I joked that I might be their best client (because the level of detail would be so intense) or their worst client (because the level of detail would be so intense), but we would, no doubt, end up with a finished space that makes sense for the items calling this new space home.

Here are 5 considerations so that you, too, can end up with a finished space that is EVEN better than your initial vision:

Organized | LIFEMaria BaerJanuary 29, 2021The Baer Minimalist, LLCRenovation, Remodel, Build, New HomeComment

The Baer Minimalist's Tips for a Seamless Move

When quarantine hits, and people are forced to stay at home more than normal, it seems like everyone and their neighbor puts a For Sale sign in their yard. Including us! We’ve got one week until the big move and I’ve loved reassessing our belongings as I pack and dreaming of all the ways we will make our new house a home.

I’ve been fortunate enough to help several families prepare for a move (in some cases, cross country; in others, down the block) and wanted to share my tips for a streamlined experience from start to finish.

How in the Heck Do I Organize My...Kid's Mementos

Over the last few years, I have helped a ton of parents make decisions on what is worth saving for their kids. We’ve tackled clothes, artwork, mementos, cards, teeth, locks of hair, you name it…

This last year, I also realized that I may be more sentimental than I had originally thought as I made decisions about what to hold onto for each of my kids throughout their first year of life. Yes, that first lock of baby hair was absolutely kept! On the flip side though, the vast majority of things were not. They’ve been donated to other families who can put them to good use right now, rather than collecting dust in my basement for the next 25 years until I can pass them off to my kids. And for that, I’m feeling pretty darn good.

Organizing Printables | A Stay Home Safe Gift for You

If we’ve ever worked together, than today’s resource probably looks familiar! Whenever I’m starting a new project with a client I pull out my handy organizing printables, which help keep track of which pile is which (because those piles can get pretty large after awhile).

I wanted to share this resource with each of you, because you may find yourself with a few minutes to tackle an organizing project of your own while we stay safe at home.

If you have the space, consider dedicating a portion of your garage for donations, or a spare closet for items that you intend to sell. Recyclables and trash can be dealt with as you go. And for those items that you wish to keep, take care of them! Put them on display, use them for more than a special occasion, tell stories about the items to your kids. Don’t let them collect dust or be boxed away for another time. Your future self with thank you!!

The Baer Minimalist® Blog -- Tips, Tricks and Hacks on living a more ORGANIZED + STYLIZED Life