This month I’m cleaning out my CD, DVD, and book stashes. It is too easy to accumulate more of these little guys than you even know, until you put them all together and realize how many you actually have! And I don’t know about you, but I tend to stick with the digital side of things these days. There are SO many resources out there for FREE and MOBILE music and movie access, who needs their wall collection of DVDs anymore??  They can take up space we could use for other storage or display.

I find this topic interesting too because I’ve been reading articles lately that address this aspect of de-cluttering. Certain theories justify getting rid of books and movies by asking how many times you will actually re-read or re-watch them. I started asking myself this question. I realized, I tend not to return to something unless it really made an impact on me the first time around.

I’m not a big book reader or collector but my husband appreciates a good book and the way it feels in his hands. He also is the type to re-read most of his books, so those we keep. As for the movies, we tend to have different opinions on those. I could easily purge most of his movie collection; they tend to circle around genres that don’t interest me. He could just as easily get rid of my “chick flick” cache because he can’t stand to watch most of them.  Therefore those movies rarely get watched, but at the same time, we have trouble agreeing on what to donate. Our solution? Every so often, we roll a dice and each remove that number of movies from our reserve.

Some of our other movies are ones that we thought we‘d love, so we purchased them, but it turned out that they weren’t so great. Others were purchased during a time where the $5 bin at Walmart was popular. You know, before Netflix and Hulu and all of these other “instant access” apps were prevalent? I always felt prepared for unexpected company or a late night study session, when I had my big selection of pop-in movies.

Some of those I still adore and keep for times where I need some noise but also need to work. Or maybe on a night when I can’t fall asleep. Plus, who doesn’t love a classic love story?

To help get our collection under control, I’ve created a system to help evaluate the “keepers”. If you’re struggling to pare down your “media” reserve, try these 3 tips I use to keep myself in check.

1. I’m honest with myself when asking if it has been watched a second time. If I’ve had it longer than a year and the answer is “no”, I get rid of it. If it turns out that I really miss it, I can probably head back to that $5 bin and pick it up again.
2. I ask myself if it still fits my style and personality. I have to admit that I still have CD’s from when I was a teenager. Back then, I craved a good love song or a strong female-power ballad. Don’t get me wrong, I still appreciate them but I’m drawn to many different genres these days. Those have to go too unless I’m really attached.
3. Lastly, I keep a limit for our family on how much space can be used for storage of these items. If there are more objects than space, something’s gotta go. It isn’t always fair for the unsuspecting guy that gets tossed from the bunch, but hey, that’s life.

After I separate out what CD’s and DVD’s are going to donation, I like to regroup the items I’m keeping. We have a little media stand that holds most of our DVD and CD collection but for the series sets and overfill I found these cute boxes that I hide them in and store on our bookcases. There are tons of different designs out there that allow them to serve two purposes, hiding our media and adding a cute flair to our living room décor.

If you’re a movie fanatic but short on space, there are also tools out there that can assist you in transferring your media to a digital file so you can easily view it from your laptop or tablet. Then you can ditch the hard copy!

Looks like I’ve got another pile ready to be dropped off at Goodwill!

Best,

Melissa

The post Spring Cleaning: Media Edition appeared first on Modified By Melissa.

Check out my article originally posted on the MilTribe blog here.

Anyone else taking a road trip this summer? That is one thing I LOVE about Texas. Multiple beach areas within driving distance! I recently took a trip with some girlfriends down to Corpus Christi and had too much fun! We walked along the beach catching up on life’s latest triumphs and tragedies, had delicious food, and stayed up until all hours of the night just TALKING. It was incredible! There is something about staying up all night snacking and chatting with your oldest friends that feeds the soul.

Whenever you take a vacation, the most difficult part seems to be everything you have to do BEFORE you actually get there! Making the reservations, planning the route, researching the area and finding cool stuff to do. It’s a lot of work. But it’s so worth it to be able to experience something new and spend quality time with the ones you love.

Over the past six years, I’ve been lucky enough to do an abundant amount of traveling and therefore perfect my trip prepping skills. Keep reading to see how my speedy yet thorough trip prep gets me out the door faster and onto the fun.

Packing the Suitcase

For me packing my suitcase used to be such a chore. I would dreadfully wait until the night before I was supposed to leave and stay up all night running around, trying to wash last-minute laundry or running to the convenient store to get the travel-sized toiletries. It was a nightmare! I would be so stressed and exhausted by the time morning came, that I didn’t even want to go anymore. Ugh! I shiver when I think about those days. Why did I do that to myself?!

Thankfully, due to our somewhat consistent travel (and my annoyed husband), I had to figure out a better system. So here are a few tricks I use to get that bag packed in a snap.

1. Have a set bag for your toiletries and leave everything you can in it. I now have a complete set of shower items, hair products, and even a separate toothbrush that I keep in that bag at all times. So when it comes time to pack, I toss my contact case in and I’m ready to go.
2. Check the weather where you’re going and pack accordingly. I am always cold, so I tend to pack outfits that can be layered so I’m comfortable when it’s warm and then have a sweater for the cooler temps.
3. Pack less and utilize the space you have in your suitcase. Back in the day I would lug a huge suitcase around and pack extra outfits. I broke that habit quickly after we started traveling in Europe and found that a lot of places didn’t have escalators or even elevators. Spaces were also very tight. No bueno! Tip: I like to fold up my socks and underwear and put them inside of my packed shoes to save space. I also love using these cubes to help keep things separated and to protect my clothes from my shoes.

Packing the Car

Next up is packing the car. Depending on who you’re traveling with and for how long you’ll be in the vehicle, this can be quite the challenge. However, I LOVE road trips! Being able to load up and jump in the car to go on an adventure is so exciting!

So a few tips that I review when loading up are:

1. Go to the store and stock up on snacks and drinks. It’s much cheaper than grabbing snacks at the gas station and you’ll have more opportunity to get the things you like. Plus it saves you from having to make more stops along the way.
2. Bring a cooler. I used to think this was a waste because you’d have to toss out and then purchase new ice each day. One day it dawned on us to use the ice machine at the hotel to restock our cooler. Now we bring it on every car trip!
3. Pack garbage bags, napkins, and hand wipes. I used to think my mom was crazy when she’d pack all that stuff in our car for the trip. But now my husband LOVES how prepared I am! You just never know what you may need and when you’re driving down the highway in the middle of Texas, you don’t have a lot of options to pull over and clean up your spilled drink.

Follow these tips and tricks and you’ll be all the rave on your next road trip! Do you have other go-to tips for traveling? If so, let me know! I’d love to hear them.

The post Rocking Your Next Road Trip appeared first on Modified By Melissa.

Originally posted on MilTribe.

In the spirit of PCS season, I go back in my mind to last year when we had just arrived in San Antonio. Although our boxes were nicely stacked in every room, in my mind, it looked a lot like that picture below! It’s easy to become overwhelmed and think that it can’t be conquered.

Meanwhile, life persistently keeps “happening” all around us, and sometimes we just don’t have the time to stop and regroup! We jump into survival mode and that one area becomes our dumping ground, when we haven’t had time to clean, and visitors are coming to welcome us to our new neighborhood or family is coming to see our new home. I would do a quick sweep of the house, and drop these items in that room where I could shut (and maybe lock) the door, and no one would be the wiser.

As things start to settle down, we attempt to get back into that room and clear it out. But, sometimes, we just don’t have the energy to use our “free” time to clean up. If the pile gets really high, we open the door just to quickly shut it, again, because we get completely overwhelmed. If you’re in that place, call a friend, and ask them to come help you get started. Maybe offer bribes of wine and food…. I hear that works! Better yet, call a professional organizer, like me, to help you figure out a plan to get things under control.

Quick Tips to Get You Started

If you find the courage to tackle that dumping ground of “I’ll deal with it later,” try these three quick tips to help you get started.

1. Go through your inventory of empty boxes.

Pull out all of the empty boxes you kept from online orders that you received and kept in case of return or in case you might need them for something else, and break them down.

I like to reuse boxes when I send items to long distance friends and family, but I make sure to limit myself. I have a few conditions that I review before just keeping a box or packaging such as its condition, how many I already have and size. I recycle all of the rest.

   2. Set a sorting time.

Find a comfortable spot to sort the items from a mix-matched box. If you don’t have a full free day, pick one or two boxes to start.

You’ll probably find that the items in the box actually do have a “home” somewhere else in the house. Make a box of those items, and return them to their home.

  3. Move things around.

If the items don’t have a home but can’t be tossed, try to rearrange the box so it will close. When items need to be kept in storage, the way they are arranged and distributed in containers can help to optimize space. Most of the time, when we pile up things, we just toss them on top of whatever was previously there, and don’t think about consolidating. This makes the mess seem much bigger than it may actually be!

If you decide to take on the challenge of tackling your storage room, I bet you’ll come across a lot of “I forgot I had that, and bought another one,” or “why did I keep this?” And, when you do, don’t be afraid to let go of that stuff! You don’t need it, and I know that you will feel so much better when you have your space back. Items you don’t need can be given a second life by donating to a local non-profit such as Goodwill.

The best thing you can do is just start. Start with small steps, and start conquering that clutter. You’ve got this!

The post R.I.P. to Our Stuff appeared first on Modified By Melissa.

Originally posted on MilTribe.

In the spirit of PCS season, I go back in my mind to last year when we had just arrived in San Antonio. Although our boxes were nicely stacked in every room, in my mind, it looked a lot like that picture below! It’s easy to become overwhelmed and think that it can’t be conquered.

Meanwhile, life persistently keeps “happening” all around us, and sometimes we just don’t have the time to stop and regroup! We jump into survival mode and that one area becomes our dumping ground, when we haven’t had time to clean, and visitors are coming to welcome us to our new neighborhood or family is coming to see our new home. I would do a quick sweep of the house, and drop these items in that room where I could shut (and maybe lock) the door, and no one would be the wiser.

As things start to settle down, we attempt to get back into that room and clear it out. But, sometimes, we just don’t have the energy to use our “free” time to clean up. If the pile gets really high, we open the door just to quickly shut it, again, because we get completely overwhelmed. If you’re in that place, call a friend, and ask them to come help you get started. Maybe offer bribes of wine and food…. I hear that works! Better yet, call a professional organizer, like me, to help you figure out a plan to get things under control.

Quick Tips to Get You Started

If you find the courage to tackle that dumping ground of “I’ll deal with it later,” try these three quick tips to help you get started.

1. Go through your inventory of empty boxes.

Pull out all of the empty boxes you kept from online orders that you received and kept in case of return or in case you might need them for something else, and break them down.

I like to reuse boxes when I send items to long distance friends and family, but I make sure to limit myself. I have a few conditions that I review before just keeping a box or packaging such as its condition, how many I already have and size. I recycle all of the rest.

   2. Set a sorting time.

Find a comfortable spot to sort the items from a mix-matched box. If you don’t have a full free day, pick one or two boxes to start.

You’ll probably find that the items in the box actually do have a “home” somewhere else in the house. Make a box of those items, and return them to their home.

  3. Move things around.

If the items don’t have a home but can’t be tossed, try to rearrange the box so it will close. When items need to be kept in storage, the way they are arranged and distributed in containers can help to optimize space. Most of the time, when we pile up things, we just toss them on top of whatever was previously there, and don’t think about consolidating. This makes the mess seem much bigger than it may actually be!

If you decide to take on the challenge of tackling your storage room, I bet you’ll come across a lot of “I forgot I had that, and bought another one,” or “why did I keep this?” And, when you do, don’t be afraid to let go of that stuff! You don’t need it, and I know that you will feel so much better when you have your space back. Items you don’t need can be given a second life by donating to a local non-profit such as Goodwill.

The best thing you can do is just start. Start with small steps, and start conquering that clutter. You’ve got this!

The post R.I.P. to Our Stuff appeared first on Modified By Melissa.

Check out my article originally posted on the MilTribe blog here.

Anyone else taking a road trip for spring break? That is one thing I LOVE about Texas. Multiple beach areas within driving distance! I recently took a trip with some girlfriends down to Corpus Christi and had too much fun! We walked along the beach catching up on life’s latest triumphs and tragedies, had delicious food, and stayed up until all hours of the night just TALKING. It was incredible! There is something about staying up all night snacking and chatting with your oldest friends that feeds the soul.

Whenever you take a vacation, the most difficult part seems to be everything you have to do BEFORE you actually get there! Doesn’t it? Making the reservations, planning the route, researching the area and finding cool stuff to do. It’s a lot of work. But it’s so worth it to be able to experience something new and spend quality time with the ones you love.

Since becoming a military spouse, I’ve realized that I also married a life of travel, whether it be for a fun weekend trip to explore a nearby area or going home to visit loved ones!  Wherever my travel may be taking me, I’ve learned to perfect my trip prepping skills. Keep reading to see how my speedy yet thorough trip prep gets me out the door faster and onto the fun.

Packing the Suitcase

For me packing my suitcase used to be such a chore. I would dreadfully wait until the night before I was supposed to leave and stay up all night running around, trying to wash last-minute laundry or running to the convenient store to get the travel-sized toiletries. It was a nightmare! I would be so stressed and exhausted by the time morning came, that I didn’t even want to go anymore. Ugh! I shiver when I think about those days. Why did I do that to myself?!

Thankfully, due to our somewhat frequent travel (and my annoyed husband), I had to figure out a better system. So here are a few tricks I use to get that bag packed in a snap.

1. Have a set bag for your toiletries and leave everything you can in it. I now have a complete set of shower items, hair products, and even a separate toothbrush that I keep in that bag at all times. So when it comes time to pack, I toss my contact case in and I’m ready to go.
2. Check the weather where you’re going and pack accordingly. I am always cold, so I tend to pack outfits that can be layered so I’m comfortable when it’s warm and then have a sweater for the cooler temps.
3. Pack less and utilize the space you have in your suitcase. Back in the day I would lug a huge suitcase around and pack extra outfits. I broke that habit quickly after we started traveling in Europe and found that tight, busy streets coupled with old hotels that sometimes only have narrow stairways, did not work well with that. No bueno! Tip: I like to fold up my socks and underwear and put them inside of my packed shoes to save space. I also love using these cubes to help keep things separated and to protect my clothes from my shoes.

Packing the Car

Next up is packing the car. Depending on who you’re traveling with and for how long you’ll be in the vehicle, this can be quite the challenge. However, I LOVE road trips! Being able to load up and jump in the car to go on an adventure is so exciting!

So a few tips that I review when loading up are:

1. Go to the store and stock up on snacks and drinks. It’s much cheaper than grabbing snacks at the gas station and you’ll have more opportunity to get the things you like. Plus it saves you from having to make more stops along the way.
2. Bring a cooler. I used to think this was a waste because you’d have to toss out and then purchase new ice each day. One day it dawned on us to use the ice machine at the hotel to restock our cooler. Now we bring it on every car trip!
3. Pack garbage bags, napkins, and hand wipes. I used to think my mom was crazy when she’d pack all that stuff in our car for the trip. But now my husband LOVES how prepared I am! You just never know what you may need and when you’re driving down the highway in the middle of Texas, you don’t have a lot of options to pull over and clean up your spilled drink. ** I found an adorable little can (pictured below) at a dollar store type shop and used a small bungee chord to secure it in my car. **
   

Follow these tips and tricks and you’ll be all the rave on your next road trip! Do you have other go-to tips for traveling? If so, let me know! I’d love to hear them.

The post Rocking Your Next Road Trip appeared first on Modified By Melissa.