This is pretty sad.

Woman’s Body Found Under House Clutter After Four Months [link]

The 67-year-old woman, Billie Jean James, was described by her friends as a hoarder who constantly bought small items and knick-knacks from thrift stores. Her husband, Bill, and police had reportedly searched the house on several occasions, even using police dogs to help locate the woman. Apparently, the sheer volume of clutter in the house prevented even the dogs from tracking the scent of the missing woman.

It wasn’t until last Wednesday when Bill James spotted a pair of feet poking from beneath a “floor-to-ceiling pile of junk,” that he released his wife had actually been in their home the whole time.

So. Anyone up for some de-cluttering?

1. Remove all of your scribbled napkins and post-its from around your area & record the info
2. Grab and test all of your pens, markers, and stick them into an office mug on your desk
3. Grab a small stack of papers from your Inbox: Eliminate, File, Sign or Scan each piece
4. Do a quick survey of your office and return borrowed items, or recycle that dead stapler

Your last option?

Go minimalist like Mr. Steve Jobs here, back in the day:

STEVE JOBS AT HOME IN 1982 — “This was a very typical time. I was single. All you needed was a cup of tea, a light, and your stereo, you know, and that’s what I had.” —Steve Jobs

1. Old, expired items — My parents are notorious for sour milk.
2. Leftovers — I eat everything I make until it’s gone. Then I cook something new.
3. Condiments you don’t use often — Anything past 6 months should be tossed.
4. Things you hate — Hate that new soy sauce but can’t bear to toss it? Give it away.
5. Duplicates of items — 2 ketchup bottles? Why?
6. Restaurant sauce packets — My parents again, are notorious for this.
7. Unidentified items — What is THAT in that old Chinese takeout box? Toss.
8. Anything in a metal pot – My mom is awful for this, keeping soups in metal pots.
9. Non-food items — My dad keeps film in the fridge. I understand why, but USE IT!!
10. Tomatoes — They should be kept out of fridges, or else they lose their delicate flavour.

While I have quite little, and just stick everything into a drawer, I sometimes dream about new ways to organize them so they’re easy to grab at a moment’s notice.

It’s a far better option versus rooting around in the drawer frantically while my sauce is burning browning .

There seem to only be 3 options:

1. Stick it in an organized drawer
2. Put them all into bowls on the counter
3. Hang them up

And here are some inspirational pictures!

1. STICK THEM IN AN ORGANIZED DRAWER

My favourite option of all time. Simple & easy.

This picture really makes me happy.

I am not convinced about the spice jars being so tight in there (hard to grab), but I like the organized style.

2. PUT THEM ALL IN BOWLS ON THE COUNTER

If I only have a couple of cooking things, why not?

But if I had a lot, I hate how crammed they are in there, and you have to sift through it all.

Plus, dust would collect inside the bowls.

3. HANG THEM UP

I’d be afraid of this option because I am very clumsy and could see myself pulling too forcefully on the knife towards my face.

I hate struggling with hooks. They annoy me in stores, and will annoy me at home.

If you have a whole stack of old magazines lying around, here are 10 ways to make them useful again.

1. Donate them to a hospital, dentist’s or doctor’s office. They’re always in need of material, and we all know magazines recycle their content with new pictures every month/year.
2. Give them away to family members. I always take old magazines from my friends.
3. Snip out the important articles you are keeping those magazines around for & file them.
4. Use the magazines to teach. Keep all the magazines on an event, and when everything is said and done, you can see the big picture and perhaps teach about media literacy.
5. Sell it. You’d be surprised how many people collect certain covers (Al Roker’s face on the TV Guide from George Costanza’s father in “Seinfeld”, anyone?).
6. Keep around the relevant magazines for your profession to peruse through to get fresh, new ideas from old material, or to check some facts.
7. Cut out interesting images or pictures, and do D-I-Y collage, papier-mache or fun crafting activities with kids.
8. Make a Look Book of styles and accessories you like, so you can look to it for inspiration when you dress in the morning.
9. Shred them to use as packing material for when you move.
10. Use it to prop up a shaky table. All right, I was out of ideas. Not bad right?