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Spruce Up Your Home: A Guide to Budget-Friendly Decorating

February 7, 2024

by Jenny Morin and Sharon Wagner

attractive living room sofa with cushions

Spruce up Your Home: A Guide to Budget-friendly Decluttering & Decorating

Is your space lacking that spark? The atmosphere might need a spruce up, and the good news is it won’t break your budget.

We will dive into uncomplicated, effective ways to invigorate and energize your home.

Give Old Furniture a New Lease on Life

Before you discard that aging sofa or dining table, think about giving it a second life. By sanding down rough edges, applying a fresh coat of paint, or reupholstering the cushions, you not only save money, but also create a piece that’s uniquely yours.

This form of recycling is also environmentally friendly. Plus, the satisfaction of reviving something old can be deeply rewarding.

Delegate the Fix-it Jobs With a Home Maintenance App

Problems like a leaky faucet or a drafty window need attention but can often be time consuming. By outsourcing these tasks to a skilled handyman or repair service, you can free up your own time for activities that you enjoy.

See Jenny’s blog about outsourcing here. https://efficientspaces.org/how-much-does-a-professional-organizer-cost-anyway/

If you are a DIYer, utilizing a home repair app to is convenient, and can help eliminate repair-related stress. You can fix a problem while a trained professional skilled in general repairs walks you through the entire process.

Hire a Professional Organizer

A professional organizer can transform and declutter your space into an efficient, well-ordered home, making your life more productive and stress-free.

In her book, Get Organized Quick, Jenny talks about how to set up a mail zone that will eliminate the piles of unopened mail. Avoid late fees and the overwhelm created by visual clutter when you follow her tips!

Other areas that easily turn into dump zones are the kitchen counters and dining table. When you declutter your space, you’ll be able to invite people over without stress.

When you have clear kitchen surfaces, (and a home for food & tools) everything is faster. Meal preparation and sitting down to eat at a table together are important daily activities!

If you haven’t received Jenny’s Give it a home: 111 Ideas to find homes for your Stuff please check it out. Anyone who signs up for my blog gets it free!  

Play with Textiles and Materials

Having a singular texture or material throughout your home can make it look and feel bland. To spruce up your rooms, consider adding a blend of textiles and materials.

For example, a metal coffee table might pair well with a wooden bookshelf, while a velvet sofa can be spruced up with contrasting silk throw pillows. This creates tactile as well as visual richness.

Scan Papers to Declutter

Decluttering your space by digitizing papers not only saves physical space but also makes document management more efficient. Using a mobile scanning app to quickly scan a document, you can easily convert all your important documents into digital formats, making them accessible anytime, anywhere.

Scanning eliminates a huge amount of paper clutter. Jenny approves of scanning; just make sure to store any documents you’ve scanned in assigned folders so you can find them later!

Scanning paper with your phone camera is easy, and you can create folders in your phone’s digital ‘photo album’.

You can store them in the cloud as well, on Google drive, Box or Dropbox, for example, which is a huge step to declutter your space.

Some documents you do need to keep (deeds, titles, legal documents and other signed documents). However, most tax preparers accept and encourage digital supporting documents and expense receipts now.

Boost Comfort with Cushions

Boost Comfort with Cushions

A straightforward way to amplify both the comfort and appearance of your living room is through accent cushions. Bamboo fiber pillows are not just comfortable, but also have the added advantage of being durable. As for maintenance, it’s advisable to fluff them regularly and use washable pillowcases that can be easily cleaned.

If your furniture is neutral colors, choose cushions & accents with bold colors like reds and yellows to brighten up your living room. This will punch up the color & add variety.

Switch Up Window Dressings

The drapery or window blinds you choose can dramatically change the mood of a room. The right choice will serve as a beautiful backdrop, subtly elevating the entire space. Whether you opt for something light and airy, like sheers, or a solid color for privacy, make sure it meshes well with the existing color palette.

Streamline Your Living Areas

High-traffic areas in your home, like the kitchen and restroom, often end up being cluttered. Investing in some nifty organizational solutions such as spice racks, drawer dividers, or vanity trays can make a world of difference.

With everything in its designated place, your daily tasks become a breeze. Your quality of life is enhanced when we declutter your space.

Finding homes or enclosed spaces for the types of things that clutter up your surfaces is a key to living an uncluttered life. Things like keys, glasses, remotes, purses, wallets, etc. need a place to ‘live’.

Why Everything Needs a Home

  1. So you can find items when needed
  2. So clutter doesn’t take over your desk or dining table

I found a solution for my teenager leaving his wallet and keys scattered around the house. I gave him a 10-inch wide basket to hold his personal stuff and put it on a corner of the counter. (I don’t let people put their stuff on my kitchen desk.) This works great for him—as long as he puts his stuff there when he gets home, that is!

Conclusion

Ready to declutter your life and boost your productivity? Visit Efficient Spaces now and transform your space today!

You don’t have to go through a major renovation to bring zest and flair back to your home.

With straightforward solutions like digitizing your documents and hiring a professional organizer to declutter your space, your home will be transformed into a place of beauty, comfort, and efficiency. Make just a few key changes, and you’ll see your place re-energized!

Resources:

Thank you to guest blogger Sharon Wagner for contributing to our article!

Invite a friend to check out this great resource with pictures & links:

Find Homes for All Your Stuff: 111 Ideas

Jenny’s book Get Organized Quick: 15 Minutes a Day to Organize Your Life

by Jennifer Morin
Bright living room with fireplace

Decluttering Living Room Tips Featured in Redfin Blog

November 15, 2022

One of my tips for decluttering living rooms is featured in the Redfin blog! 19 Must-Read Storage Hacks for a Cluttered Home. You’ll find my insights in Tip 17: Involve Your Family.

And here are some EXTRA tips to keep your living room looking neat!

1. The Clutter Buster

Here’s one creative idea I used in my family of 4 children. When the house started looking cluttered—which it often did—I would warn them ahead of time that we’d be doing a cleanup and give them some transition time. Then we started a 10 to 15-minute clutter buster. I asked everyone to stop what they were doing, pick up 10 things and put them away. It’s amazing how much better your house looks when 40 items of clutter get picked up! You can also use a timer so it’s a race against the clock.

2. Maintaining a tidy living room

In the living room especially, blankets, magazines, electronics (and cords) and gaming devices become an issue. One thing that bothers me is how messy the blankets look when strewn haphazardly over the couches.

An easy solution for a tidy living room is to get a large, attractive basket, then fold & put away the blankets every night. That way, at least the living room stays neat all day, until family time the next evening! It takes regular decluttering to keep up with the chaos.

3. Cords, Cords, Cords!

Cords are such an eyesore. I especially detest black cords cluttering my living room. So, I went to an organizing store and bought a small grey bin that fits a power strip, and a couple game controllers with room for coiled up cords. It works well and looks MUCH better.

Another solution is to get a cord “tube” (it looks like an old-fashioned spiral telephone cord) and channel all your cords through it. They come in a variety of colors, and you can hide them along the baseboard or under the couch. This is a great help in decluttering your living room and making it feel more orderly.

The Redfin blog has a lot of other great tips (besides my own), so I hope you find something that will help you work through your current organizational challenge! And don’t forget to check out my other blogs, which cover topics from holiday shopping to food storage strategies. You’ll find them all on my website, efficientspaces.org.

by Jennifer Morin

Good advice for letting go as you downsize

September 19, 2017

8 Great tips to Let Go

I recently spoke at a senior fair about downsizing. When I asked everyone ‘what is the hardest thing about downsizing?’ many answered: the memories. Another reply that resonated: the decisions.

When downsizing is a must, the time to let go of some memories has come. I know a lot of clients who save things from their children’s childhood and high school years. This is a burden for most parents, because it sometimes fills an entire room in their home.

Other times, the mementos that get saved are family heirlooms like furniture, quilts, and photos.

It is difficult for most of us to let go of possessions which stir memories. I think some of us grow more sentimental as the years pass. I know it’s hard, but sometimes has to be done, especially if you need to move to a smaller place. To make it easier, I have some advice that has helped my clients.

How to let go

  1. Ask yourself: ‘Why am I keeping this? Does it mean anything to me?’
  2. Ask yourself: ‘Do I use it?’
  3. Ask yourself:  ‘Do I love it?’ And if so, do you display it somewhere so you can enjoy it, or is it packed away in a box?  If you don’t use it or love it, let it go.

From a recent article, Organizer Jodie Watson shares her favorite trick. “In any given category, let’s say artwork that you have hung on the wall, ask this question, ‘If I could only take three pieces with me, which three would they be?’ With books, the question might be, ‘If I can only take 20 with me, which 20 would they be?’ This will help you discover the ones that are more meaningful than the others. These are the ones to take with you, the rest are negotiable.” (Watson owns Supreme Organization)*

  1. Be ruthless, not reckless. This means getting rid of all the paraphernalia from a craft you don’t do any more. Or, be ruthless by getting rid of ALL your old magazines. An example of being reckless would be to get rid of an entire box full of things without quickly looking through it. There might be money or a piece of jewelry inside. One of my clients found a check for 300 dollars in a box of old mail and magazines!
  2. Stop saving things for children or grandchildren. You are not the family’s storage unit! Plan ahead by asking children what they would like to have from their mementos and your house. Then you know you can let go of the rest of their stuff, because it is not important to them. Box up what they want and ship it to them, or give them a few months to come and get larger items.
  3. Let go of gifts from others that aren’t bringing you enjoyment. It’s hard to do sometimes. But just because someone gave you a gift doesn’t mean you need to keep it forever. Ask yourself, ‘Does this have a future with me?’ Remember the love is in the giving; you received it with gratitude, and enjoyed it but don’t need it any more.  Your friend wouldn’t want you to be burdened with toting around that gift for the rest of your life!
  4. Make it easier to let go by having a favorite charity or thrift store to donate to. Many hospitals run a thrift store, and the Gospel Rescue Mission helps people get back on their feet. Picture someone enjoying those shoes or that extra winter coat you don’t need any more! Visualizing this will be very helpful when you are letting go. And don’t forget to get a receipt when you donate. It is helpful to jot down a quick description of what you’re donating so at tax time you can get an estimate of the value. For example, I usually state how many bags of clothing I donate, and mention larger items specifically.
  5. Get help. If you find you want to keep everything, here’s a great trick. Invite a friend to come over and help you. Have them hold the item, then you decide by just looking at it whether you will keep it or let it go. Many times, touching an object like a book or a sweater will cause you to feel more attached to it.

If you’ve tried these ideas and you’re still having a hard time letting go, this means you are “stuck”. It is a good time to look into hiring a professional organizer to help you. Organizers are skilled in helping people come to decisions that they will be happy with. Downsizing is much easier and less stressful with a professional to guide and assist you. You may even start to enjoy it!

 Good things to keep:

  • Important documents like deeds, wills, medical records, birth and death records, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, social security cards, pension plan docs, insurance policies, passports, power of attorney docs, investment records, education records, genealogy records, diplomas, military service records and vehicle titles.
  • Family photos. Keep antique photos, and if you have mountains of family snapshots, scan them and keep them on your computer and on a backup disk.
  • Basic kitchen supplies.
  • Emergency supplies like first aid kits, an extra blanket for the car, etc.
  • Journals and a reasonable number of favorite books.

*Resources:

http://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/organizing-tips/advice/a3173/never-throw-out-when-downsizing/

link to Jodie Watson’s webpage: http://www.supremeorganization.com/wordpress1/

by Jenny Morin

Easy switch to Fall clothes for kids’ rooms

September 29, 2016

Make purging Quick for kids

Today, I got frustrated with my 11-year old’s room. Jacob is a typical boy, with lots of different interests. Sports, video games, TV, rocks, toys. Clothes are not one of his interests. As long as he has a t-shirt to wear and some shorts (clean or not) he is good to go.  So every day before school I inspect his clothing to make sure he doesn’t shame the family by wearing a T-shirt with ketchup stains on it to school.

Yesterday, I found a bag of Kyle’s jeans (he’s 16 now) that I had saved for Jacob, which were in the top of my girls’ closet. (The boys had been in the room the girls now use, so I must have just left them there when we made the switcheroo.)

With the purged clothes bagged up, Jacob’s room looks great!

Mid-project with all the clothes on the floor looks messy.

That is what inspired me to get

Jacob’s room in shape. I had him do a “fashion show” to try on the jeans and show me which ones fit.  I sat in the hallway  and folded laundry because I really dislike waiting time and the laundry always needs to be folded. (It never ends, does it?)

Turns out, only two pairs of the jeans fit him, so we put the ones that didn’t fit in a pile. On his own, he took the long pants that were too small out of his drawer and added them to the pile, which I had placed outside his doorway. That is one of the tricks I use when organizing: Get the stuff as close to its destination as possible. If it isn’t going to end up in the room, put it outside the doorway in a box, bag or pile. Then, as soon as you’re done sorting, take it and put it in a designated “giveaway” zone in the garage or, even better, in the trunk of your car.

Next time you pass a thrift store, take 5 minutes and donate it. It’s a great feeling for me because I like to know my things will get used by someone who may desperately need them. And if you’re into recycling, this is the ULTIMATE recycling!

Next, I moved to the shirt drawer. By this time, he was asking to go play a video game with Dad. I told him once we went through his shirts he could. So he speedily put the shirts that were too small in the growing pile. Some of them were designated “PJ” shirts because they are ratty but he still loves them. Then I looked at the shirts (because he frequently puts things away when they need to go into the wash) and sorted the dirty ones into a laundry basket. (I still have not learned how to get him in the habit of putting dirty clothes into the laundry bins, which are literally 6 feet from his bedroom door.)

As I sorted, I put the long-sleeved T’s in a separate pile, because I’d decided to place them in a basket in his closet since he’s not wearing them yet. That seemed to work well. We put his painting/work clothes in another basket there.

So how long did it take us? 30 minutes.

The other drawers didn’t need attention because they are not overflowing, so I moved to the laundry, where I put stain stuff on all the shirts. In some cases, I needed to use Lestoil or Kiss off on the grease stains. Lestoil is for any oily stain, but it smells really bad. Kiss off comes in a stick, and is so powerful it can remove oil paint. (But you can’t leave it on the clothes more than 24 hours or it will bleach out the stain and the fabric color.)

So, once the laundry was started, I sat down and ate a homemade chocolate chip cookie.  It’s been a good day already.

Clothes switcheroo tips:

  1. Have the child try on the clothes that may be too small.
  2. Make it fun (play music, give small treats) or give them a reward to look forward to when you finish.
  3. Put any stained or ripped clothing in a giveaway bag or box.
  4. Separate dirty clothes into a laundry basket.
  5. As kids grow, their clothes get bigger. If they need more room than the drawers or closet provides, add a basket or a set of opaque plastic drawers to the room. Utilize under-bed space using an under-bed box for off-season clothes.
  6. Put the remaining clothes, the “keepers,” in drawers.
  7. Take your giveaway container to the garage or car trunk and drop it off at a thrift store this week.

Another option for donating: See if your community has a resource which  provides free clothing to needy families. In Grants Pass, we have the Campus Closet, which gives clothes to kids age 5 to 18. It has moved locations from North Middle School to:  The United Community Action Network building: 125 Manzanita Ave. Check the district 7 website for hours. http://www.grantspass.k12.or.us/Page/2873

They are open selected Wednesdays from 4 to 7. Campus closet Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Campus-Closet-121572287883293/

See my Pinterest page for organizing toys http://www.pinterest.com/jennyrossomorin/organized-kids-toys/

Ideas for organizing closets: http://www.pinterest.com/jennyrossomorin/organizing-your-closet/

by Jenny Morin
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