I wish I could say I lived in a meticulously organized home that was clean and tidy 24/7. But I don't. Nope. I stepped on three legos and a cowboy hat before I got to my desk to type this blog post.

However, I have learned a few ways to simplify and streamline some areas of our home. While none of these are grand, ground breaking, earth shattering ideas, but they have really worked to create a more cohesive space in different areas of our home.

Best of all they are ALL super frugal.

1. Hanging drapery rods in our laundry room.

Nope, there aren't curtains in our laundry room. But I needed a place to hand clothes that I wanted to let air dry. Since I personally air dry most of my clothes I got frustrated when I ran out of places to hang them. (You can only fit some many cardigans over the back of your couch.)

I picked up a few of these rods made for heavy drapes at Lowes. They were about $13 each.

They take up minimal space in our narrow laundry room. And since they were made for heavy drapes they are perfect for wet jeans and coats.

2. One size sock fits all.

I hate matching socks. I hate it. And matching little child socks is even worse. (First world problems, I know. I mean, wahhh, my kids have warm feet. I get it. But I still hate it.)

So I rounded up all the child socks in my house and donated them to Goodwill. Then I bought a pack of white cotton socks from Walmart in one size. I am fortunate that my kids are close in age and shoe size and can wear the same size socks. Now there is not matching involved and if one sock gets lost, oh well, there are nine more JUST like it.

3. Keeping shoes in one place.

While we are on the subject of children's feet, let's talk shoes. Shoes are usually left strewn from one end of our house to the other. So I got a kid's cubby at my local Goodwill for $2 and stuck it in the boy's bathroom.

When it's time to clean the house I just say "pick up your shoes and take them to the cubby." Boom! Done. Even my two year old is done.

4. Keep a master list.

I can't remember my name anymore lest I write it down. So I have started keeping a notebook on the counter in our kitchen where I can jot down notes and things for Jason to read. When he gets home I have the notebook, I read him the notes I took and life is a little easier.

We also keep a master to do list in there of long-term things our house needs as well as keeping a running shopping list.

Again, I know that none of these things are truly life changing, but sometimes those small things in life add up to be big things.

What about you? What have you done to simplify and streamline your home?

Featured