How do you organize your house stuff?

[flow321]

I'm looking to be more organized with the stuff my wife and I have in our apartment. I was looking into bar
/QR coding everything and then take it from there. Anyone have experience doing it this way. Or perhaps an app you use to organize all your things. All help and suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

[KBecks]

That sounds like overkill.  What is your goal? 

[John Galt incarnate!]

I'm looking to be more organized with the stuff my wife and I have in our apartment. I was looking into bar
/QR coding everything and then take it from there. Anyone have experience doing it this way. Or perhaps an app you use to organize all your things. All help and suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

I have typical drawers and cabinets in the kitchen and closets in the bedrooms.

For other storage of clothing, that I have WAY too much of,  I use large plastic containers w/ lids.

I  have a GINORMOUS bed that has a huge storage compartment underneath it.

I also use a large trunk for clothes.

I have an etagere  and  2 tables in the living room

I have 2 very large etageres in the master bedroom.

One has a large enclosed cabinet at its bottom and the other  in its middle.

There's also a simple bookshelf in the master bedroom.

[happy]

Own less things.
Decide on the function(s) of each room or space and keep things there that are relevant to those functions in that space.
OWN LESS THINGS.

[Moustachienne]

Haha - I can relate to the out there idea of bar coding to be able to inventory stuff!  But I think the answer is as others have stated - own less stuff. In fact, finding bar coding attractive is a good signal that you probably have too much stuff.

My best organizing results have come from a) minimizing the amount of stuff b) analyzing use patterns c) organizing areas to make use easy d) regular review and purging.  It is astounding how much stuff silts into our spaces and lives, crowding out things we might  actually prefer to own and do.

[Zikoris]

The best way to solve a problem like that is to get garbage bags and start throwing stuff out until you don't have the problem anymore. Or donating, recycling, etc. The point being, there needs to be a continual stream of objects permanently leaving your home. Oh, and no buying anything else either until the problem is solved.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

Um....what? I have a mental inventory for most stuff.....
For the stockpile and the freezer I have a whiteboard with a list of items and numbers of items. For the freezer, this is written on the side of the freezer. If I grab something or add something, I just adjust the number. That's the only place where I tend to forget what I have or what I need.

[Freedomin5]

Own less things.
Decide on the function(s) of each room or space and keep things there that are relevant to those functions in that space.
OWN LESS THINGS.

+1

We avoid buying storage furniture (shelves, cabinets, etc.). Anything that doesn’t fit into existing built in storage is purged.

[OtherJen]

Own fewer things, and keep the things you own in logical places. These principles have greatly helped us to keep better track of our things.

Um....what? I have a mental inventory for most stuff.....
For the stockpile and the freezer I have a whiteboard with a list of items and numbers of items. For the freezer, this is written on the side of the freezer. If I grab something or add something, I just adjust the number. That's the only place where I tend to forget what I have or what I need.

This is also good advice for specific items/types of storage. I should probably implement this for my knitting supplies.

[John Galt incarnate!]

Oh, and no buying anything else either until the problem is solved.

In another forum I committed to buying NO clothes for one year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[Metalcat]

I'll also chime in with: own less shit.

I pretty much know exactly where every single item we own is at all times.

The key for me is creating rational places for things. I don't organize where like things are kept together, I organize where frequently used items are stored in the most convenient places, and lesser used items are stored deeper/higher/more inconveniently.

For example: Instead of keeping all of my spatulas together, I have a unit that sits on the kitchen counter that stores my most frequently used spatula, ladle, wood spoon, etc.
The remaining spatulas, spoons, etc, are stored in a drawer.

Likewise, instead of storing all pants in the same drawer, my top two drawers are work pants and tops, and the lower drawers are my social pants and tops.

Basically, the items that are most frequently grabbed and put away get the prime real estate, while everything else is organized according to how often they'll be needed.
This way, putting things away is tremendously convenient and intuitive.

I developed this system by watching which items my DH was most likely to leave lying around the house.

[mm1970]

Another vote for own fewer things.

We have a small house, and 4 people, and kids bring home a lot of stuff.  It's very difficult keeping on top of clothing alone.

So at least 2x a year, we make an effort to go through our stuff.  Not very much Kondo-method, but whatever we can manage.  Like, my husband labeled our bathroom items.  I looked through it and realized - we have a bunch of soaps and shampoos from business trips.  I used up all the shampoos, and am using the soaps now.  But the lotion?  I didn't even know we had it, so I tossed it.

For kitchen stuff, we set aside 1/3 of the stuff that we never use.  We put it in a closet.  A year later, we took it back out.  We kept a few items (mostly serving spoons, because we kept losing them at potlucks).  Everything else: donated.

So it's Christmas time, and we will be doing this again with kids' clothing, books, toys, crafts, kitchen items, etc.  Being ruthless is better, but any amount of getting rid of shit is better.

[stoaX]

That sounds like overkill.  What is your goal?

Exactly.  Interested to hear the answer to that.

[SunnyDays]

Yes, if you need such a complex system, you have way too much stuff.  Said by someone who’s gotten rid of hundreds of items in the last few years.

(English lesson:  less stuff, fewer things.  When the noun is plural, you use “fewer.”)

[robartsd]

(English lesson:  less stuff, fewer things.  When the noun is plural, you use “fewer.”)

I've been taught this rule as use "fewer" if the noun in countable.

[happy]

(English lesson:  less stuff, fewer things.  When the noun is plural, you use “fewer.”)

I don't speak American English. I speak Strine.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

(English lesson:  less stuff, fewer things.  When the noun is plural, you use “fewer.”)

I don't speak American English. I speak Strine.

Less bloody roos in the paddock, mate, ya flaming galah.

[halftimer]

I organize where frequently used items are stored in the most convenient places, and lesser used items are stored deeper/higher/more inconveniently.
...Basically, the items that are most frequently grabbed and put away get the prime real estate, while everything else is organized according to how often they'll be needed.

Another vote for Malkynn's method. 
Regarding the amount of stuff - simple is better but most people have niche areas that need more organizing. You do you.

I keep a list of important serial numbers and year/model/make/purchase date and price info in the cloud for things like phones, laptop, bikes, digital camera in case of theft and for insurance purposes.  Supplement that with a few sweeping photos of your home saved in the cloud or a fire proof box and you should have what you need in case of an insurance claim.
If you have a special collection or a few precious items of monetary or sentimental worth (ring inherited from grandma, heirloom instrument, hand painted collectibles) that would be hard to replace make sure those are documented the best - photo of each if needed, etc.

For ongoing daily organization, I have an app with pictures of my clothes so if I'm tempted to buy or thrift something I can see if it matches 3+ other items or is too similar to other items. I don't even have a big closet, I just like to be organized! I can also plan outfits for the work week, know my total wardrobe cost, and make packing lists. Overkill for others, but I like it since it is set up once (per infrequent new item) and always in my phone in case I want to see.

My partner uses Goodreads religiously to track a to-read list and what books we own. We only have 1 bookshelf, but between books coming in on library loan, audio books, and other reading it helps when we see a title on sale to decide if we should we buy it, put it on the library loan list, or pass it by.

I had bad storage set up for awhile where seasonal shoes and boots were put completely out of sight and mind, so every change of seasons I thought I needed to buy the same pair. Having clear shoe drawers near my closet now makes it much easier to find what I put away months ago and not just wear out the same few favorites.

I find all this organization is better for the way I think, even though I aim for minimalism and capsule collections and am not a collector in any sense of the word. Also, I just like lists ;-)
In drawers and shelves, the Kon-Mari style folding is great so you can see all the folded items easily and not mess up any piles.

I have seen some apps with bar-coding from your phone to use for inventory purposes. Maybe that will be good for you. The caution is to pick your focus area, or it could take over your life. Hopefully in getting organized you find the right amount in each stuff category for your personal situation.

I look forward to seeing more organizing suggestions here.

[nancyjnelson]

Another vote for less stuff.

[Weisass]

Own less things.
Decide on the function(s) of each room or space and keep things there that are relevant to those functions in that space.
OWN LESS THINGS.

Yesssssss...but HAOW???????

[Cassie]

Less stuff is the key and things need to regularly go out if you buy more.