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.

Taking Command of Your Summer | Essentials for Creating a Family Command Center

With a few weeks of school remaining, summer bucket lists have been dreamt up, camp is booked, and lake weekends are scheduled. But have you ever found the fun moments being overshadowed by the stress of keeping up at home?

Enter the Family Command Center, a solution that keeps the entire family on track with everything that needs to be completed during the week.

Here are five essentials to help you create one of your own:

The Baer Minimalist's Wedding Registry Guide

I recently grabbed coffee with a bride-to-be who was struggling with putting together her wedding gift registry. She asked if I had any recommendations for what to buy and what might end up gathering dust, which got me thinking about what I would do differently if I were to register again (after almost nine years of marriage)!

Since you can add virtually anything to a registry these days thanks to Amazon and Zola, it is super easy to get overwhelmed. Stay true to who you are as a couple - if you like quiet nights at home, reconsider ordering 50 wine glasses. And vice versa, if you love hosting elegant dinner parties, go all out with crystal and china!

Don't forget that you can always borrow items from family and friends when entertaining if you are tight on storage space or happen to only need a certain item once a year.

My husband and I LOVE to entertain, but keep things pretty casual when we do. We didn't register for china or crystal, and I haven't regretted that decision a single day of our marriage.

DONATION RESOURCE // Project Purse Indianapolis

If you've ever crossed paths with Chelsea Marburger, founder of Project Purse Indianapolis, you instantly feel a connection. She is making a huge difference in the Indianapolis community by gathering donated purses, toiletries and stationary to spread to some of the most deserving individuals all through the #PowerOfThePurse.

I've shared bits about Project Purse often but wanted to highlight their donation drive taking place this month. Old National Bank is hosting a donation drive at each of their 20+ Indianapolis locations, providing you the perfect chance to declutter your purse collection or pass off those travel size toiletries that have been gathering dust. You can drop your items off at any of their locations through April 25!

How to Turn Your Closet into a Boutique

No matter how big or small your closet is, I promise these easy DIY tips will make it infinitely more fun to get dressed each morning.

1. UNIFORM HANGERS: This is the quickest way to transform a closet! Think about your favorite store for a minute. When you walk in you are drawn to the clothes, maybe there are lots of colors in the store or maybe they have a more minimalist approach, but regardless you are focusing in on what is hanging in front of you not distracted by the hangers holding onto the items.

I absolutely love velvet hangers (and despite what some may think, they don't shed onto your clothes). They preserve the shoulders of your blouses and work well for heavier sweaters too.

PROJECT // Nursery to Kids Study Conversion

I'm SO excited to unveil this space to you as this was quite the transformation! The evolution of this room has been pretty interesting - initially it was a storage room when my client's purchased their home. About five years ago they converted it into a nursery, but their boys are now sharing a room down the hall.

So, it was time to transform this space into a little nook perfect for studying, crafting and building some pretty incredible Lego creations. I think we have a couple of future engineers on our hands with some of the designs I saw!

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