I have only two different magazine subscriptions {Real Simple and The Oprah Magazine}, and I have a spot to store each of them in my living room. So far so good. 

The thing is, after a while, you will end up with a pile of magazines you
already {hopefully} read, and a lack of space.  

Does anyone relate to this? ​

So one of theses days I woke up feeling a little down, but somehow I got inspired.

*What could make those days you feel low better?* 

With a list of things that includes drinking some wine, watching your 
favorite show, or a DIY project, I chose it all: 
Cheer myself up while de-cluttering, drinking wine and watching TV.
Organizing things {of course} always cheers me up!

I started with my Real Simple issues. The goal is to toss the old ones, but I also wanted to save articles that I find interesting, plus use some images for my DIY projects.
So if you also want to save some articles, rip them off. I will show you what I did with them later. 

My husband loves cooking, so he prints recipes and adds them to a simple white binder.
​I promised him I would make this binder look great, so I did!
I cut out images related to food and cooking, I gathered them, and I started building what would turn into a cover for my husband's binder. I mean... Cookbook.  

All you need besides old magazines is scissors, glue, a few white papers, and creativity. 
So easy to make, and it is such a therapy!
And new cookbook? My hubby loves it now! <3

There are many DIY projects you can do reusing old magazines and newspapers. 
Pinterest for sure will bring you ideas, but I love doing this kind of work, so I have two more binders to decorate! #excited 

The work did not stop with the DIY project done.
Since I wanted to keep some {many} articles, I separated them by category, and added to another binder. One binder is more than enough {at least to start with}.
What was left from the magazines went to the recycle bin, and I ended up with space for the next issues that are coming, a beautiful cookbook, and a better mood. 

Isn't it great?! 

​We do it. We download apps that we don't even need... Then there they are, cluttering not only the screen, but also the memory of the phone. 
Time to make some tough decisions! Go on your phone and let go of all those apps you don't use {or never did}, delete them {make sure you have the paid ones on your cloud}. 
If four months later you decide it is actually useful, nothing will stop you from downloading it again. 

​Now that you deleted the apps that were on your way, how about organizing the ones you have left? You can make "folders" by category. Example: Social Media, Work, News, Tv & Videos, Photo & Editing, Finances, etc. Or you can also use these same categories to organize the apps by "page". If you like the way your screen looks, that's also fine. 

​I don't know about you, but I create a lot of notes on my phone. The problem is that I keep forgetting to delete the ones that are not useful anymore. Then I end up not really seeing the ones that are actually important, because they are far on the list. So now I just delete the ones that I don't need anymore, as soon as I use the info of that note. 

​​How many photos and videos do you have on your phone? I know... But you need to let those selfies go. 
We all have those photos and videos we won't ever use, not even to make jokes later. So deleting them is important before the next step. Don't forget to also do a backup, so you can still keep the ones you like, just not all on your phone. 

​How about adding those pictures to albums? For me, I have a "Before & After" album {or folder} on my phone to keep my photos from clients, and another one to keep photos I might use for social media like my for my Instagram {@iamaneataholic}. It helps finding what I need and saving time. 

​Decluttering the phone is important to save time and conserve memory. Your text & talk may be unlimited, but your phone memory is not. And decluttering is easy. You can do it while waiting in line at the supermarket, or anywhere you have time to kill.

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I am Izabelle Azevedo, the Professional Organizer behind Neat-a-Holic Solutions

Let's do this. Let's declutter 5 spaces around your house this week. 
Don't worry - it might sound like a lot of work, but it won't be. Yet, you will feel like you took some weight off your shoulders. 

1. Medicine Cabinet 

Or wherever you store your medicine, let's start with that. 
Take out all the medicine you have, including vitamins and such, and check their expiration date. 
If it is expired, do not even think twice - toss them. 
Tip: try to store your medicines inside the bathroom, or in a space on a shelf inside a kitchen's cabinet. You can use bins, boxes, or little bags. If you have some more space left, you can even separate pain medicine from flu medicine, etc.
If you like to keep your vitamins in the kitchen, and the medicines somewhere else, it is smart too. Just remember to check for expired ones both places.

NOTE: The use of expired medicines may cause adverse effects.

2. Nail Polish

​Nail polishes don't come with an expiration date, but they will show you when it's time to let go - the consistency changes. When it happens, there is nothing we can actually do about it, but toss it.
Tip: keep all your nail polishes and nail care products together, so you will know where everything is, and visualize what you already have.

3. Pantry

​Let's move to the kitchen! The organization of a pantry is, for sure, a subject that deserves a whole post for itself. But speaking of decluttering, finding expired items on my client's pantries is something I consider part of my routine. 
We buy stuff, we forget about them, they go bad. And we forget to check them later... 
This is a situation you can avoid if you buy things you might really need, be careful with quantity, and take a look on the expiration date before purchasing - some have different dates, so try to buy the ones that will last longer. 
And try to declutter {and organize} your pantry once a month, too.

4. Fridge

​One more step for the kitchen, as important as the pantry! This one is harder. We don't know the expiration date of the food we cook, we don't really know when it goes bad. In fact, sometimes we even forget when you stored that leftover, or when we opened that can of olives. The thing is, all these things we keep inside the fridge go bad, and actually can poison us! So more than an organization issue, it can become a health problem. 
It is also a subjet for a next post... But for now, let's declutter the fridge, and keep an eye on it. 
Tip: set a reminder on your phone, or add a note on your calendar to clean the fridge. It is so important, but sometimes we won't remember for ages... It's true.

5. Desk

I don't know how many times I have talked about the importance of having a tidy desk. All of us say that, it even became cliché. I also don't know how many of you have followed this advice, but if you haven't, this is the time. 
Now that you have done the other areas, you are probably excited {hopefully} with your accomplishments, so why not finish with your desk or work station? Give some papers a destination - either a folder, a pile, or the recycling; Get your office material in place; clean around... And enjoy the view after that! 


If you accepted this challenge, and finished all these tasks - congratulations! 
I don't need to tell you how proud I am. And I am pretty sure you are proud of yourself!
Now, let us know how it went, how you feel, and if you will keep doing this from now on! 
Don't forget to invite more people to do this challenge by sharing this post!

Let's keep the organizing on! ;)

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To contact me drop a line to neataholic@gmail.com
I am Izabelle Azevedo, the Professional Organizer behind Neat-a-Holic Solutions

Kitchen: Plates, bowls, mugs and glasses {including wine and cocktail}; Plastic containers {different sizes and shapes}; silverware organizer; all kinds of utensils {the garlic press might not be a good idea though}; Ziplock {different sizes and brands}; Ice cube trays {2 for $1!}; Clips and measuring spoons; Place mats and coasters; Kitchen towels, oven mitts and pot holders - also with holiday themes and I love it!

Laundry and Closet: Hangers; Laundry baskets and bags; Clips; Hooks; Storage Bags; Vacuum storage bags. 
Organizing: a sort of bins and baskets, different sizes, shapes and styles for you to get organized. 
Bathroom: shower curtains, sponges, soap holders, soaps, and more.
Random stuff: candles, candle holders, frames, pill organizers, cards, mailing supplies, and many more! Always something new...

Cleaning: A good variety of hand soaps and bar soaps, sponges, brushes, towels, clothes, scrubs, dusters, and some other cleaning products that are safe to use. 

The store is packed with ornaments, gifts and arts and crafts supplies, dishes, glasses... Things you need to light up the season and get your home prepared for Christmas!

The products I haven't tried, and I am not sure if I would are on the food and beauty sections. I may be wrong, and there may be exceptions, but I don't feel safe using their makeup or eating cheap food.

There are still many items I could add to this guide, but I want to encourage you to give this dollar store a chance. Even if it's to buy office or school supplies {here is what I almost forgot}, or toys for your kids.

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To contact me drop a line to neataholic@gmail.com
I am Izabelle Azevedo, the Professional Organizer behind Neat-a-Holic Solutions