30-Day Organizational Challenge Results!

Wow, that 30 days went by quickly! But I met the challenge!

First, the answers to the questions, followed by the before and after pictures.

1. What was the hardest part of the Challenge and were you able to overcome it?

The hardest part for me was two-fold: being motivated because I'm a great procrastinator and then actually taking the time to actually work on the basement. I did overcome those obstacles because there was a deadline! And accountability!

2. Tell us what kind of changes/habits you have put into place in order for your area/room to maintain its new order?

To take the few minutes each time I go into the basement to actually put an item away - not just stack it somewhere and to get rid of like items!

3. What did you do with the "stuff" you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?

I either threw it away because it was broken beyond repair, put it in a box for a June neighborhood yard sale, or actually put it away.

4. What was the biggest lesson you learned from this experience?

I keep things "just in case I might need them someday." That just takes up space!

5. Now that you have completed this process, do you think having and keeping your space organized will make a difference in your life?

Definitely! I already feel so free! I plan to work on organizing other areas of my home. Some things are organized - my spices, CDs, and DVDs are alphabetized!

Here are the before and after pictures, with captions underneath:

This buffet houses some of the items I use for my Creative Memories business. This area is to the left once you walk into the unfinished basement portion. 2/3 of my basement is finished, which I use for my CM business for my customers to come over and scrap. I can leave it set up all the time - tables and products - which I love!

One before picture and two after pictures - This area is to the right - the first picture is before and then there are two after pictures. Most of the before pile was stuff to be put away. The 4 boxes in the after pictures are for the June yard sale. Once those are gone, it'll look a lot nicer! I bought a 3-tier cart at Wal-Mart which now houses my trash bags, light bulbs, and cleaning supplies for the downstairs. I also bought a rectangle storage box (on the bottom right), which now holds construction and color paper. The two storage tubs on top of that are other craft supplies - crayons, markers, etc. I also reorganized both of the shelves. I used my label maker to mark the drawers and storage boxes.

Reorganized and cleaned out laundry area. Rearranged some things - the silk flowers are now on a top shelf (see picture above - right), I moved some things over to the paint/household shelves (below), and I made better use of the old microwave cart that I use for laundry supplies. I stored some things behind the closed doors! And look, you can see my ironing board, which I used last night to iron some kitchen curtains. In the picture above these on the left, my ironing board was a storage base! The blue lid is there for a purpose - it keeps my cat out of the sump pump!

I did some rearranging here by putting like things together and got rid of the vacuum cleaner box that held the broken yard things on sticks/poles, which I also tossed in the dumpster!

Reorganized this area. Threw away the folding chair with no back and got rid of lots of empty boxes I was saving "just in case!" My cat likes to lay on the very top of the storage tubs so I put a piece of sheep skin up top for her. I didn't get that part in the picture.

All in all, I'm pleased as punch with the results! Thanks, Laura, for hosting this Challenge and for cheering us on!