Do you have a Brother P-Touch labeler? If not, it is well worth the money IMO. I have organized and labeled everything - the pantry, the linen closet, the kids' dresser drawers, the bins under the sinks in the bathrooms, our office supply closet, you name it. If it's labeled, nobody can say, "Well, I just put it in (whatever weird place) because I didn't know where it was supposed to go!" Nothing makes me crazier than that! So organizing and then labeling really helps.
Second, I bought a Neat scanner. They are not cheap, but it tames the paperwork monster in a hurry. We run a business, so we have to keep every receipt and have them organized for taxes. I scan all of those. Likewise, I scan receipts, business cards, etc etc. Once scanned, I throw them away.
On my bathroom and kitchen counters, anything that stays out on the counter all the time (from olive oil, salt, garlic, to toothpaste, deodorant, sunscreen) is all contained. For my kitchen counter, I put out a cute metal bin, and all of the use-all-the-time items are in it. This makes the counters look neat and tidy, AND when it's time to wipe down the counters, I only have to move one thing out of the way to do so. For the kids' bathroom counter, I actually got terra cotta pots and let them paint them. Super cheap (less than $1 each) and personalized.
I saw an idea on Pinterest the other day that I love. Take 5 drawstring bags (maybe half the size of a pillowcase?) and label them Monday - Friday. Then on Sunday, have your kids pick out their clothes for each day of the week, down to their socks and underwear, hair bows, etc. Then it's no big deal for them to get ready for school each morning! With 2 little girls, you can imagine how much I LOVE that idea! ;)
Looking forward to reading the other responses!
