It’s a Spring Cleaning Round-up

As I continue this series on tips to help you save by getting organized, I hope you see the savings potential of having order. A great place to start is with your childrens’ toys and their spaces. On the last post, hold a swap-out, I provided examples on how to hold a toy swap for savings. Not only do you save money by not making new purchases, but you rid the clutter in your space. Once you have completed your clean-up, it’s time to create a simple organized solution that you and your family can follow. Though there are fabulous designs to inspire us, I want to share some simple and affordable solutions, along with some must-haves.

The key to a successful toy space is for the children to participate in the process and find it easy to maintain. Here are a few ideas:

• Choose your storage: Buckets, baskets, cubbies, and lockers all come in a variety of materials, colors and  prices. You can also be creative with what you already have in the home. For example, cover plastic bins, cans, or shoe boxes in fabric or paper and label.  It is important that your solution not require them to dig deep. If they can’t easily access items, they’ll be underused.

• Hang it up: If space is an issue, consider a creative solution to mount storage bins or crates on the walls-be sure it’s within reach.

• A place for everything: Staying organized means that all belongings have a home. Keep your budding artist in order by setting up a creative corner with caddies for supplies. Then, completed work can be displayed on wall mounted clips, magnet boards, or hung on twine…be creative.

• Label it: Keeping storage labeled according to the contents is key to ensuring items make it back to their assigned home. Check out BHG free printable labels or make your own chalk labels like those shown on Hoosier Homemade.

• Maximize your space: Consider an empty wall a wall of possibilities. Use hooks and a painted pegboard for hanging buckets, toys, and more.

• Individuality is key: Children like their own spaces and have toys that are favorites. To head off sibling squabbles, create bins or buckets that are unique for each child. Be sure to create a meaningful label; such as, names, initials, numbers, or an object.

Start with some inspiration, review your space and needs, and select the tools to make it work well for you and your family. Keep it simple and affordable with a little creativity. Take a look at these…

See my Pinterest page for more ideas and photo credits. What creative solutions have you used? Be sure to leave a comment and share the post!

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