Getting Organized
By Fishmomma
@Fishmomma (11658)
United States
December 9, 2016 6:15pm CST
I am getting ready to work on some goals for 2017 and am looking for some tips. One area that has always been a challenge is a house with items all in their correct areas. In other words, no dishes in bedrooms, bathrooms, garage, back yard or any other place not named. I'm not sure how to solve this problem.
I realize I'm Mom and other family members are use to me picking up dishes in every room of the house. I have started to dread parties, as my silverware ends up everywhere. I don't use plastic, as our environment doesn't need more in the landfill.
If you have any ideas, I'm ready to try it, as replacing my silverware several times a year gets costly. My husband said use plastic, so if I can't come up with a better solution New Year's Eve will be plastic. I am certain that there is a great answer.
5 people like this
4 responses
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
10 Dec 16
i see that'cha already got a few brilliant, easy to follow ideas :) the hubs here t'was prone to runnin' off with my good silverware 'n somehow not returnin' home with such (he'd take forks/spoons to eat his lunch). He'd no idea what i'd paid fer that 's i'd bought't years 'fore we met. i told him he needed to replace these items 'n he nearly fainted. seems ya can't jest buy the forks but a 'set' (knife/spoons/both forks) which set him back $80/eac :D needless to say, he stopped takin' the 'good schtuff' 'n bought himself a really cheap set from wally-world.
1 person likes this
@Fishmomma (11658)
• United States
11 Dec 16
My husband has replaced several sets of the good stuff over the years and this last time he said that its so expensive that I need to find out where its going, so they can replace it. I now know one person that caused part of the missing items. as today I had rows of different color items for my husband and his pals to see who might know where other items are located. I did talk to all the other wives and we all agreed that our homes have replaced to many items the last few years. We confronted the men when one of the colors is missing and have found 4 boxes of my good stuff, as he was rinsing it off and putting it in the cupboard in the garage. I never look in there and was shocked to see all the stuff plus the new pink dishes. I don't know how I'm going to explain to my daughter one of the men hauled off with her color before she could claim it. Yes, I did think it was funny to see the pink disappear today. I'm going to see if she would like Trolls, as its everywhere. It turns out he had did the same thing at the other houses, as we all have entertainment in our garages.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
12 Dec 16
@Fishmomma hopefully y'all can get't all figured out, hun. perhaps a 'bring yer own'? lol
1 person likes this
@Fishmomma (11658)
• United States
12 Dec 16
@crazyhorseladycx That would be funny. I can just see me telling my husband's pilot friends to bring their own. Two of them are pilots for large companies and make more money in a year than we ever will make. They can easily afford to replace every dish in my house. My problem really was how do you ask friends to find your dishes and I didn't know what to do and couldn't afford to keep replacing dishes. The color coding actually worked and wish I had posted when my dishes first were being placed in the garage.
1 person likes this
@Fishmomma (11658)
• United States
10 Dec 16
I'll try the book, as haven't read it. She will probably have a solution that just wasn't one I even considered this year. The library is right near my house. Thanks and have a good night.
2 people like this
@sishy7 (27166)
• Australia
10 Dec 16
Oh, I always love to hear organizing ideas... I'm not sure what tips to give you as I'm also working on that idea of "a house with items all in their correct areas". Sometimes I imagine what I'd do if it's all 100% up to me how to organize things at home, but I have to be realistic and willing to compromise as I have other family members living in the house too whom I also love to have under my roof... 
1 person likes this
@Fishmomma (11658)
• United States
10 Dec 16
I do want my husband to have friends over just want my house to have dishes in the right places. This year bought new dishes twice and really can't afford to have a 2017 with expenses that shouldn't happen now.
Party time shouldn't mean a huge expense for dishes for household use. When I told my daughter that the dish problem needs to be resolved she brought a bunch of dishes from her bedroom. My husband added a pile from our bedroom. I saw the full sink and told them to get every one washed or in the dishwasher. They emptied the sink, so there is progress.
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
10 Dec 16
The rule that dishes can only be in the kitchen or dining area if a great one we have always followed. Another one that has helped us is color coding. One person has the blue mug, blue bath towel, blue hair brush, etc.
Little things can be a big help when it comes to keeping our sanity.
1 person likes this
@Fishmomma (11658)
• United States
11 Dec 16
Color coding worked today found a lot of dishes were in the garage cupboards. I had picked up all the ones off the work benches, but never look in the cupboards. I'll certainly look in them now. Now I have so many dishes that we will be donating a few to a local charity. Found a mixture of the good stuff and the low cost items, so color coding will continue with the men and other people that visit. This way I can figure out quickly who hasn't placed the items in the dishwasher or sink.
