Cohka’s Place

Make your Closet Easily Accessible

Okay, you’ve finally reached your breaking point. The stack of handbags and purses on the top of the closet shelf toppled over on top of you again, not to mention the mountain of shoes you trip over every time you have to get something out of the closet. You’re at your wits end about what to do, and haven’t a clue where to start. You’ve got to figure out a workable, affordable solution and make your closet more user-friendly. Try some of these simple tools to help you get your closet space under control.

A double hanging rod is a simple addition and gives you double the hanging space. It simply hangs from your existing rod. You can also hang sweater or shoe bags from your existing rod to store sweaters, purses and handbags, hats, and other accessories and place them within easy reach. There are also several clever options for storage that hangs from the top of your closet door.

Take a stroll down your favorite discount store’s home organization aisles. You’ll find many clever ideas for affordable storage. Sturdy bins and colorful baskets can be an easy and affordable addition to your closet, and make the job of maintaining it a snap.

And since you’ve most likely got a sizable investment in your wardrobe, it makes sense to do your part to care for your garments properly. Place coats, suits, furs, formals, and other expensive items in protective storage bags. Invest in some good, strong wooden hangers. Protect these items by having them properly cleaned before storing, and enclose in zip-up hanging bags.

Wooden clothing hangers are much better for your clothes. They’re durable and long-lasting, too. Depending on the size of your wardrobe, it might be expensive to replace them all at once, so you might want to consider replacing them gradually.

Organize Your Home Business and Reap the Rewards of Success

The time to realize how important home business organization is to your overall success is not when you need to find important tax papers or income statements quickly. To avoid problems in the long run, take some time and devise a workable organization and filing system now.

Get a sturdy lockable file cabinet and durable hanging folders. Buy manila folders to tuck inside the hanging folders, and make sure you’ve also got several manila envelopes on hand that you can tuck receipts into and label easily.

Organize your financial papers chronologically, and divide them by types. Sort all your financial papers into piles and stack them chronologically. Be sure you have folders for
bank statements, credit information, bill stubs, paycheck stubs, receipts, tax information, real estate papers, investment papers, insurance policies and statements, loan agreements and any other financial papers in separate hanging folders. Further divide your tax information by year. Include tax returns, receipts, copies of W-2s, 1099s and other pertinent tax information. Divide the bill stubs by the companies they represent and divide real estate papers by mortgage documents, home improvement receipts, second mortgages and so forth.

Important documents such as savings and certificate of deposit passbooks, car titles, stock certificates and yearly Individual Retirement Account, pension and profit-sharing statements should be kept in a safe deposit box, along with any vital records and valuables.

Make sure to keep on top of your inbox, especially your bills that need to be paid. Put them in a separate place where they are easily seen and handy.

When purging documents from your filing system, be sure to hang on to tax paperwork for at least seven years, and other financial documents for three years.

Financial planning software for your computer is available, and most are very user-friendly. Some include online banking functions. If you decide to utilize this, be sure to back up your data on a regular basis.

If you make a commitment to keep on top of your filing and organization system continually, you’ll benefit when the time comes to locate those important documents necessary for your continued success. If you don’t, the paperwork monster will easily overwhelm you again and could mean trouble for your business.

Careful Organization and Planning Helps Preserve your Favorite Photos
Photos can be a wonderful way to preserve memories and relive favorite past moments. However, they can also become a cluttered mess without an organized storage plan.
Probably the most important tool to have when you begin your photo organization project is a trash can. Statistics show the average person develops one roll of 24 pictures a month but only seven are worth keeping. That being said, you’ll probably find many photos in your collection that simply aren’t worth keeping.
Another tool you’ll need during your organization process is several manila envelopes. Do your best to sort the photos by year, and place each group in the envelope with the year clearly marked on it. Place these envelopes in a strong cardboard box or storage bin. You’ll probably be able to store a decade’s worth of photos in a single container.
Collages and shadow boxes are great ways to display several photos from a selected year. Include mementos and keepsakes in the shadowbox to add a unique personality. Special photos should be enlarged and framed to be displayed around your home.
Take special care to purchase photo albums that are made with acid-free paper. The acid used in processing everyday paper can be very damaging to photographs over the long haul.
Scrapbooking is a growing trend and a clever and creative way to display your photos. Craft stores have an abundance of scrapbook supplies, including stencils, decorative scissors, background papers, rubber stamps and permanent markers. You can also utilize everyday items around your house such as ribbons, magazine clippings, and fabrics. Again, take care to ensure that the paper you use is acid-free or is displayed separately from your favorite photos.
Lastly, just in case something should happen to your photos, make sure you have a backup plan to replace them. Store the negatives of your most important and cherished photographs in your safe deposit box to also protect against theft or destruction from elements such as fires or floods.

Organize your Clothes Shopping Trips to Make the Most of your Budget
Some of us love it, some of us hate it. Regardless, clothes shopping can be an expensive venture, and without proper planning and the careful consideration of certain factors, it can well turn into an exercise in futility, resulting in wasted time and money. To make your clothing budget stretch as far as possible, consider a few of these points before making your shopping list.
Probably the most important thing to consider when purchasing your wardrobe is to find pieces that work for you. A warehouse job does not dictate a three-piece suit, just as an office job does not dictate work boots or gloves. Since you spend 1/3 of your day at work and sometimes more, it’s important to have practical items in your closet that work for your job.
Make sure you try things on and buy the size that is right for you. You might be required to go down a size for some clothing lines, and up for others. Pay attention to the way it looks and the way it fits, not what the sizing tag says. Proper fitting clothes help you look better, and feel better as a result. They’ll also last longer if there are no stressed seams or are the correct length.
Build your wardrobe around basic elements. Suits and separates can form the foundation of a great working wardrobe. Single and double-breasted long-sleeved blazers with matching skirts for women or pants for men or women are essential basics. Avoid using trendy clothes as building blocks for your wardrobe foundation, because one they become dated, it will cause the rest of your wardrobe to crumble as a result. Purchase basic building pieces in two or three colors that best complement your color and personal style to build your wardrobe. You’ll then be able to mix and match pieces to create various looks quite simply and affordably.
After you’ve obtained the basics in the colors and fit that’s best for you, work on sorting your closet to make your morning routine simple and quick. Organize and categorize your clothing for easy selection and wearing. Hang jackets by sleeve length, color and garment length, or place near coordinating items to make finding a workable outfit easy.

Optimize your Kitchen Organization and Simplify your Life

Our kitchens are easily the busiest room in our homes. From cooking and entertaining to a place for your kids to do their homework, play board games or work on their arts and crafts projects, it can be easily overrun with art supplies, outdated spices and unused or damaged utensils.

Go through your kitchen and discard anything you don’t use, along with any food, spices or medicines kept in the kitchen that are beyond their expiration dates. Then take everything out of your cupboards and drawers, and wash the insides with warm soapy water. Rinse, let dry and replace cupboard and drawer liners with fresh, new ones.

Store pots, pans and cooking utensils near the stove, nesting the pots and pans together to conserve space. Make sure each one you choose to keep has a matching lid. This is also a good time to make sure handles are securely fastened, so keep a screwdriver handy to tighten down skillet handles or pot lids if necessary. Keep your dishes and silverware near your eating area or your dishwasher to shorten meal preparation or cleanup time. Plastic storage containers should be inventoried to ensure each has a matching lid and that they are free from cracks or other damage. Store them near your refrigerator to ease meal cleanup time.

Alphabetize your spices and keep them near the stove on a spice rack or in a nearby cupboard on a revolving rack. Store food items that you use on a daily in a place you can easily grab them when needed. Organize your pantry so that similar canned goods are in the same place and can be found easily when it’s time to cook meals. Make sure your children an easily reach items they use on a regular basis, and make sure items such as knives, scissors, and household chemicals are out of reach and secured in a locked cabinet. Utilize airtight food storage containers to lengthen the shelf life of your foods.

If you have small appliances on your kitchen countertop that you don’t use on a regular basis, remove them and store there in a nearby cupboard or pantry. A countertop storage cabinet for those appliances that are used on a regular basis keeps them out of site and helps reduce the countertop clutter.