You've Tidied, Now What?

For many of us, spring signifies a fresh start! We set to surveying our belongings, decluttering items, re-organizing what is left and finally figuring out what to do with all that unused stuff.

As a professional organizer, I find clients struggle with getting rid of items because they feel a sense of guilt – maybe you spent too much money and never used it, it was a gift from a loved one, or carries special memories for your family. The following options may help ease the burden of letting those items go.

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There are many organizations throughout the Indianapolis area where your items can be placed directly in the hands of someone in need. Hop on over to our homepage and download the Indianapolis Donation Guide (available here when you sign up for The Minimal-List monthly newsletter).

Show Your iPhone Some Love <3

I can’t believe this LOVEly month is coming to a close! But boy, am I ready to turn over a new leaf from this winter weather we’ve been having and kick it into Spring gear.

With so much hype around tidying and decluttering, you have probably tackled a closet or two in your home already this year. But what comes after that? I think that there is something to be said about taking some of these newfound decluttering skills one step further and applying them to your technology (desktop, photos, iPhone, etc).

If any of you have started to get the screentime updates, you are probably wanting to decrease the number of minutes (okay, hours) you spend on your phone each day. Having your home screen organized will definitely give you a bit of your precious time back. So today we focus on purging unloved and unnecessary apps and finally get after organizing our iPhones.

I am going to walk you through how to purge unused apps, organize and categorize your favorites and suggest a few new apps to keep your entire life organized.

Why on Earth Would I Hire a Professional Organizer?

Guys…when people ask me what I do for a living, my eyes light up as I tell them I have the privilege of helping families get more organized in their daily lives and homes (with a dash of party styling and event planning on the side).

But it is super common for them to say in response, “I didn’t even know that was a thing.” You see, everyone is aware of hiring house cleaners, wardrobe stylists and interior designers, but home organizing sits somewhere in between.

So if you are feeling bogged down with clutter, are prepping for a major life change or are convinced that there must be a better way to maximize the space in your home, enter the beauty of a session (or two) with a professional organizer. I wanted to lay out some of the reasons why I think hiring an organizer might just be the answer to your prayers (or at least help you whittle that To-Do list down this year).

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.

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:

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.

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

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