My friend Toni Anderson at www.thehappyhousewife.com/ (excellent site!) asked me to post some information about organizing life with zipper-style plastic bags, in conjunction with her series called "Itch to Pitch." Summertime is a great opportunity to put your little things in order, whether you are at home or on the go! Trust me when I say that I am not a neat freak. I do this just to survive, and it works!
Zipper-style bags, such as Ziploc, are are more than just for sandwiches. If you plan to use them frequently, you can buy them in bulk at Sam's Club or Costco. We try to keep all of the sizes -- snack, sandwich, quart, and gallon -- on hand. You can also reuse them, especially if it is for dry items. I like to label my bags with a permanent marker.
Here are some things we have done with our family of 12 over the years:
Game pieces: If the box is damaged or you don't have a lot of room on your shelves, take everything out of the box and store the pieces and instructions in a quart or gallon size bag. We put the bags for all of our games in a plastic bin, and stack all of the boards underneath....
Puzzle pieces: We put all of the pieces for a puzzle in one bag, and then cut out the picture portion of the box to put in with it. It can also help to label the back of each puzzle piece with an abbreviation for that puzzle. That way, if pieces get separated from their sets, it is easy enough to see which bag they need to go back into. If your kids have specialty Lego sets, such as one that makes a helicopter, that they don't want to get mixed in with the others, store them in a labeled bag.
Sets of flash cards: Label the bag with a description of the card set (i.e. Addition 1-20). Store several sets, labeled edge up, in flip-top plastic box, and you can easily find the needed ones at a glance. ...
School backpacks or travel amusement bags: Pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers, tape, and other school supplies can go in a bag within the backpack to keep them from getting lost or from damaging books and papers. If you wish, you can put a set of items, such as colored pencils, in its own bag.
Booklets: A set of phonics or other educational booklets can be kept together in a bag, and stored with other sets in a magazine holder on a bookshelf. (I like Dr. Maggie's phonics readers!)...
Books-on-the-go: If you are taking along books to read with you in a tote bag or carry-on, put them in a bag to keep the pages from getting ruffled up during transit.
...
Purse: Keep a small bag in your purse to keep organize receipts, business cards, other stray papers, hair supplies, cosmetics, etc. (Actually, I use a small plastic first aid box for much of this. I don't carry a checkbook most of the time, so I put my driver's license, debit card, YMCA and library cards in one, and then just put the receipt in it when I buy something. I use another one for small supplies. But a zipper bag is good, too.) I often put my MP3 player, along with its earphones, in a snack size bag to keep them from getting damaged or tangled in my purse. I also like to carry Gospels of John with me to give away to store clerks or other new acquaintances along the way, and a bag keeps them from getting damaged. (I get them for free from the Pocket Testament League. The web site is http://www.pocketpower.org/
...
First aid kit: We keep a first aid box in our cupboard, but we organize it with small bags. I especially like to keep one bag stocked with whatever I would need in a hurry to dress a wound. This might include various size bandages, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment, and steri-strips. When I pack a first aid kit for a trip, it is easy to grab this one bag and know I have the essentials.
...
Medical On the Go: When we do travel, I also put a variety of children's liquid medicines -- such as pain reliever, anti-nausea, and decongestant -- in a bag to prevent leaking, and then use another bag for an assortment of adult pills in their labeled foil-pack wrappings. When our church sends medical teams to Bolivia or other countries, they pack a lot of the medical supplies in zip bags, along with the instructions!...
Traveling: Store groups of small items in quart or gallon size bags to keep them together in your suitcase, or to keep toiletries from leaking all over everything. If you have small children who need help with matching clothes, pack a complete outfit in one gallon sized bag. Then they just need to grab one bag when they get up in the morning, and it will have their shirt, shorts, undies, and socks all ready to go. If you will be staying overnight in a motel en route, pack ONE suitcase for the whole family to take in, rather than one for each family member. Each child can have their own stuff in one bag within it.
...
Car supplies: Pack a quart size bag with little essentials like bandaids, sanitary supplies, tape, pens, notepaper, small scissors, tissues, etc. Then store it in your glove compartment. You can give these as inexpensive practical gifts to other people, and make sure your teen children have them in their cars, too.
...
Homeless packets: Many of our friends assemble zip bags full of items that would be appreciated by a homeless person. This might include the items such as protein snacks (nuts, protein bars, peanut butter cracker packets, etc.), a gift card to McDonald's, bottled water or a juice box, first aid supplies, a tooth brush and toothpaste, a small bar of soap, a wash cloth, a Gospel of John or Christian tract, etc. They keep these in their glove compartment and give them to anyone who looks like they might need one. -- like the guys with signs that say, "Homeless! Will work for food."
...
Care packages: We like to send boxes of goodies and practical items to a pastor in Africa. I put loose wrapped candy in one bag, a few pairs of reading glasses in another, etc. This keeps items from shifting and breaking, especially if they are wrapped in paper towels or bubble wrap first. He can reuse the bags however he wishes. (I think I once wrote instructions for how to use them in case he hadn't seen them before.)
Care packages: We like to send boxes of goodies and practical items to a pastor in Africa. I put loose wrapped candy in one bag, a few pairs of reading glasses in another, etc. This keeps items from shifting and breaking, especially if they are wrapped in paper towels or bubble wrap first. He can reuse the bags however he wishes. (I think I once wrote instructions for how to use them in case he hadn't seen them before.)
...
Pantry: Store similar flavor tea bags once the boxes are nearly empty. Keep a portion of the box in the bag to serve as a label. You can also store spice packets, such as the small packages of taco seasoning so they don't flop all over the place and get in the way. (We buy bulk containers of spices, so this isn't as much an issue for us.) You can also use bags for birthday candles (especially to keep out bugs if they still have residue from the last use) or other small baking supplies. I put these bags in a larger plastic container....
Craft supplies: Beads, jewelry parts, scrapbooking stickers, and other small crafty items are prime candidates for zip-bag organization. Also, if you use a craft knife or rotary cutter, a bag can help keep sharp edges away from fingers that are groping around in the craft box looking for something else.
Tool bag or box: Group small similar items, such as electrical supplies, plumbing supplies, screws, screw drivers, hex wrench sets, etc. Be sure to check with your husband before you do this, and to show him what you have done so he can find things later. (How do I know this? Hmmm...)
...
...
...
...
...
...
Clothing storage: If you are packing away a bunch of baby socks or bibs or other small items that you aren't using anytime soon, put them in a bag to keep them together.
...
Mismatched socks: After I finish matching up dozens of socks into a wicker basket, I put the stray ones in zip bags labeled, "White socks with cuffs", "White socks without cuffs", and "Colored socks." Then the next time I do it, they aren't so hard to sort. (Or if someone is looking for a match in the meantime, they can find it more easily.)...
Dresser drawer: Keep your seldom used accessories, such as belts or scarves, in a bag to keep them from getting tangled with everything else.
...
Momentos and Souvenirs: You want to save memorable greeting cards, or your baby's hospital wrist band, or a seashell collection from the beach, or Grandma's vintage costume jewelry? These can go in plastic bags, at least until you figure out some more permanent way to display them, such as in a shadow box or a pretty glass jar. Or, you could just take a picture of them, and then let them go...
...
Photographs: Speaking of pictures, lots of us have them stuffed away in boxes. Get out a stack, and sort them into piles by year (or decade!). Then store each stack in a bag. It won't kill them, really! At least it's better than dust or spills! Later on, you can go back and put them in albums or scan them onto your computer to upload and share with relatives.
...
Diaper bag: Keep a zip bag in your diaper bag in the event of wet or stinky clothing. You can also use one to keep small or messy items like diaper creme organized.
...
Christmas ornaments: Set aside one bag for each of your children to keep their own ornaments. Store all of them in a larger container; we use large decorative popcorn tins!
...
You can read my blog post, A Place for Everything, for other ideas on home organization!
Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
No comments:
Post a Comment