Top Five Consumable Gifts for 2018

I’m constantly working to help others declutter their spaces, so when it comes time for the season of giving, I’m always trying to think of gifts that are consumable or feature some sort of new experience as an alternative to gifting another ugly Christmas sweater!

Of course there are exceptions, but the idea of treating those you love to something unique that doesn’t add clutter to their space is the perfect way to be a gift-giver extraordinaire. And that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative when it comes to wrapping if you still want to create a thrill around opening!

Here are five gift ideas to add to your arsenal this holiday season:

Indianapolis Food Tour Experience: This past summer, our wonderful city launched food tours in Fountain Square, Fletcher Place and Mass Ave. Food tours have got to be one of my FAVORITE things to do when exploring a new city, but I feel like this is also a really fun thing to do right here in our own backyard. Foodies will be pumped to receive this as a treat to use in the new year, giving them the chance to devour bites from a number of restaurants AND see behind the scenes of some innovative Indianapolis establishments. Tours start at $55 per person and can be booked here. Gift certificates can be ordered through Sarah Frey with the Indy Cultural Trail (sfrey@indyculturaltrail.org).

Organized | LIFE, Organized | HOLIDAYSMaria BaerDecember 3, 2018The Baer Minimalist, LLCGift Guide, HolidaysComment

Tried + True Strategies for Taming Toys

Phew, we made it through Black Friday, but gift giving season is just getting started. In your house, this might mean that it looks like the Target Gift Catalog is being shot for 2019 the minute the gifts are torn into. I’m talking dozens and dozens of new play sets with 1000’s of little pieces that are strewn across your living room. Don’t worry, I’ll be joining you next year as we have twins on the way.

With that in mind, I wanted to address some ways to tame the toys without being a scrooge. I enlisted a few moms to help tackle this beast and the tips were amazing!

Toy organization is a different animal compared to general home organization. Toys can range from a thousand tiny pieces to over-sized and oddly shaped, but I promise you, there is hope. By creating a solid foundation, installing creative organization systems and taking the time to keep things organized, you can slay this giant.

Organized | LIFE, Organized | PARENTHOODMaria BaerNovember 26, 2018The Baer Minimalist, LLCToys, Kids Space, Kids, Organizing TipsComment

Hacking Your Way to a Chic + Organized Holiday | Part 2

We’re back with Part 2 of our guide to hacking your way to a Chic + Organized Holiday Season. If you missed last week’s ideas, hop on over to learn the importance of a Holiday Checklist, best practices for hosting and attending events first.

These ideas are the brainchild of Caryn O’Sullivan, CEO of Drapery Street, and myself and were presented to an amazing crowd at the Indiana Design Center on November 8.

Hacking Your Way to a Chic + Organized Holiday | Part 1

Raise your hand if you are in charge of shopping for gifts each holiday season?

How about prepping the meals?

Planning out outfits for family photos? Not to mention scheduling them?

My guess is everyone has three hands raised, so we don’t even need to mention wrapping the gifts, booking flights for distant celebrations, hand addressing the holiday cards, decorating the house. I mean the list is LONG, and can certainly be a major stress during the most magical time of the year.

So when the Indiana Design Center reached out to see if I’d be open to sharing best practices and tips for a chic + organized holiday season, I jumped at the chance. I partnered with Caryn O’Sullivan, CEO of Drapery Street, and last Thursday we presented to a full house.

But I couldn’t leave you out of it, so without further ado, here are a few tried and true holiday hacks to add some joy back into your season.

Tips for Organizing Large Sports Equipment

As a Minnesotan who went to college in North Dakota, hockey was the big sport growing up. Now, don’t mistake that for me ever having picked up a hockey stick, but I do know my way around the ice rink on good ole’ figure skates.

With Fall sports in full swing, a question was recently posed to me about how to organize all of the “stuff” that comes along with sports. Whether you or your kiddos play football, hockey, or lacrosse, you are bound to have a ton of equipment taking up prime real estate in the garage or mudroom.

Recipe for a Gorgeous + Functional Pantry

Chances are, your pantry is one of the top contenders for the most trafficked storage space in your home. Whether you have a large walk-in space, or a small reach-in pantry, it is way too easy for this space to get crowded.

I've put together a simple recipe to turn your pantry into a gorgeous and functional space in no time, that the entire family can help maintain.

1. Discard Expired Goods and all Packaging – It's amazing how many items are hidden inside the pantry that expired one, two, sometimes eight years ago. Toss anything expired and consider donating items to a local food pantry that won’t be consumed in time. From there, pull all beverages from their cardboard containers, toss the bulk packaging that eats up valuable space and give those shelves a good wipe down.

Organized | LIFEMaria BaerSeptember 10, 2018The Baer Minimalist, LLCkitchen, pantries, Organizing TipsComment

Back to School Organization Tools + Tips

Every summer growing up, I couldn't wait to go back to school shopping! Beefing up my collection of Lisa Frank products, multi-colored gel pens and planning out my locker decorations made me borderline giddy to get back to the classroom.

I had the chance to help a young client this year get organized for the school year and came across some amazing products that would help make the transition back to school much easier.

My Life as a Minimalist | Part 2

And we are back with Part 2 of my chat with Lauren Mofatt of Spark HR. If you didn't check out Part 1, make sure to read it first before digging in.

You’ve got a husband and two kids. Were they on-board from the beginning? If not, how did you go about working with them to ensure you could all be on the same page about your new lifestyle?

The husband and kids were NOT on board in the beginning. So I did a lot of the decluttering when they weren’t home. I’d like to say that none of them noticed, but they did. At a certain point, I did shift with the kids and wanted to include them in the process so they would learn and be able to help manage their stuff too.

What helped with my daughter was to create 3 categories: Keep, Sell, Give Away. If she wanted to keep something, I really forced her to have a place for each item she wanted to keep (which included a used ice cream coconut shell, just wanted you to know what I was dealing with). :) That really helped resolve a lot of the unnecessary stuff she just wanted to keep for keep’s sake. The best part was, after she did go through her room, she felt so much better! She loved being in her room and could see what she had.

Organized | LIFEMaria BaerJuly 30, 2018The Baer Minimalist, LLCMinimalism, Declutter, Master ClosetsComment

My Life as a Minimalist | Part 1

Earlier this year at the Indy Chamber Women in Business retreat I met Lauren. This girl is an inspiration, I tell ya!

She and her family of four have been on a journey toward minimalism for the past few years - I'm talking downsizing their family home, ridding themselves of excess possessions and taking advantage of a life with less. We gabbed about the whys behind her decision and how she and her family have embraced this life.

I couldn't keep this chat to myself and wanted to inspire each of you - maybe you aren't ready to go full-on minimalist, but maybe, just maybe, you will be motivated to think twice before hitting up the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale this year. ;)

So here we go....

Organized | LIFEMaria BaerJuly 23, 2018The Baer Minimalist, LLCMaster Closets, MinimalismComment

Why We Love What We Do | #foundHERs at Work

Remember last winter when I got together with my fellow #foundHERs and we shared some tips for getting organized around the holidays? Each month we tackle a new topic to get ideas and best practices flowing between our small businesses and it has been such a powerful group to be a part of.

These ladies all run incredible businesses, so if you are in need of a redesigned space (Polish Interior & Art Design), a painting to spruce up your space (Alicia Zanoni Art), a change in careers (Careerable), or an updated marketing plan or website (Kahunify), these women are my go-to gals.

So here we are, back at it again this month sharing our what makes us tick at work - from customer stories to the reasons we love what we do.

Pack Up + Go | The Gift of an Experience

I'm all about experiences over physical presents and am glad my hubby feels the same! Last year I came across the amazing concept of a surprise travel agency, ala Pack Up + Go.

I feel like there are so few times in life when you can truly be surprised, and generally it means that the people closest to you are in on the surprise. Pack Up + Go plans surprise 3-day domestic trips for you and boy, are they good at what they do.

Back in January, we decided that June 6 - 8 would be the weekend for our trip. We filled out a questioniarre about places we'd recently been, what we liked to do on vacation and the type of weather we preferred. And we recruited some friends to join us in the experience who are also the type to always be up for anything!

From there, it was in Pack Up + Go's hands!

Maximizing Profit & Minimizing Time | Your Guide to Reselling Clothing

Who here has an overstuffed closet and yet has nothing to wear? My guess is most hands are raised right about now.

I have totally been in this boat, but have tried really hard to minimize my wardrobe down the items that FIT, that work with my CURRENT LIFESTYLE and showcase my PERSONALITY.

Along the way, I've sold (and donated) all sorts of items and while it never makes up for the initial cost, it sure does make it easier to part with those pieces that are just never going to work (so long 4" heels...insert wheepy face).

So as you go about Kon-Mari-ing your life and decluttering the closets in your home, you might run across a few items (or dozens) that could benefit from being given a second life. Today I'm revealing the secrets I've learned along the way to maximize your profits and minimize your time as you recoup a bit of cash in the process of clearing the clutter.

Here is a handy-dandy cheat sheet that explains the ins and outs so that you can maximize your profits (and minimize the time invested) as you clear your closets of clutter.

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