Are you a parent wondering how the heck all your children’s toys keep getting scattered all over the house? And no matter what you do or how often you pick those toys up they still end up everywhere?
After years of pulling all my hair out since having my own military brats and and not being able to tame the toy monster, I finally decided that enough was enough and came up with a solution: A Catch-all basket or container.
How It Works:
- Used to compile miscellaneous items throughout the house that get spread out and end up in places they should not be.
- Put in the center of the house where you know you’ll be walking by it all day. Whenever you find something out of place simply pick it up and throw it into the basket until you can put all the items away at the end of the day.
- Take 5 minutes every day to sort through the basket and put items in their rightful places.
This is especially great for when there are children living in the vicinity who always end up getting their little hands on things they shouldn’t. And of course their toys end up all over the place!
Find A Basket Or Container:
Look for something large enough to hold quite a few toys and miscellaneous items, but small enough so it doesn’t get in the way.
I had a medium sized basket that had no use that was perfect for this job. I put it in my dining room since it’s right smack in the middle of the house and I walk by it constantly. Eventually I would like to get a chest so that I don’t have to keep looking at all the junk in it like this one:
However, I don’t want to spend the money for it right now so this works fine:
At the end of the day I try to pick up the basket and deposit all the items into their rightful places. If you get into the habit of doing it every single day (ehem, unlike me) it really does take 5 minutes or less.
Where To Find A Basket Or Container For FREE:
- Shop the house: Chances are that you have something in your house somewhere you can use. It may not be pretty, but as I always like to say, “Spending money is uglier than having pretty stuff, especially if you don’t have the money.” Please do NOT run to the store to buy a pretty basket or container before you shop your house first. You may have a box you can decorate (or not, it’s up to you), or a Rubbermaid 3 Gallon Roughneck Storage Box 10.3″ x 7″ x 15.8
…think outside of the box.
- Check Craig’s List’s FREE Tab: If you really don’t have something that will work then wait for a week and scour craig’s list’s free section. I’ve seen people give away hundreds of containers and baskets for free constantly (among many other things).
- Ask Friends and Neighbors: Don’t be shy!!! Talk to your friends that you’re looking for a container and you may be surprised with the response. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve mentioned that I needed something and suddenly I had more than I needed! Use that thing God gave you called a mouth and let people bless you with their garbage.
Does anyone else use a catch-all container or not? Tips? Comments? Let us know bellow!
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