Organizing Tip

Are you one of those moms who never throws away crayons?

I have a confession...

I used to be one of them.

Our crayons usually lived in an old recycled baby wipe container that was overflowing with broken pieces, missing wrappers, and crayons that had definitely seen better days.

Every once in a while, we'd add a brand new crayon...

Usually one that found its way home from a restaurant.

Why?

I honestly have no idea.

A new box of crayons only costs a few dollars!

Looking back, I'm not sure why I didn't just replace them every few months.

I've always been a fairly simple person.

I don't like clutter, and I love having a place for everything so I can actually find it when I need it.

Eventually, I found a solution that completely changed the way I organized all the little things around the house.

I picked up these photo storage boxes from OfficeMax, and they've been one of my favorite organizing purchases.

Each box holds six smaller containers, making it easy to separate everything.

I have one box just for craft supplies: crayons, Twistables, markers, pens, scissors, and all those little odds and ends.

Another box is filled with games like matching cards, puzzles, and card games.

No more torn game boxes!

My third box holds educational activities: homemade preschool books, phonogram cards, math activities, learning games, and everything else we used during school time.

It's such a simple system, but it keeps all the little things organized and easy to find.

And my favorite box?

The one labeled $$$.

Inside are separate envelopes for tithing, groceries, spending money, piano lessons, kids' lunch money, housecleaning, and other budget categories.

It has helped me stay organized with our finances just as much as it has with our craft supplies.

Sometimes the best organizing ideas aren't complicated.

They're simply finding a place for all the little things.