Good at many things...Great at none- Part 2

There are a few beneficial things I've learned from living in 400-700 sq. foot spaces in Manhattan. If you knew me growing up, you know that keeping things neat and tidy was not always my strongest trait. Once I went away to college, I vowed to be a much more tidy person. Sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I didn't...but I did learn a lot about picking up after myself and cleaning.

I loved the year I had an apartment by myself. I decorated the way I wanted to...and I thought everything looked so cute!! It made me want to keep everything neat. Also, the fact that it was a new, fairly big apartment, helped a lot.

Necklaces hanging in my closet (no longer in a shoe box under the bed).

But now that I'm in NY, and living with my husband who doesn't always agree with my decorating style, I've had to learn even more!

I've had to learn to purge, purge, purge. My new motto is "When in doubt, throw it out." Sure, I've gotten rid of clothes that I wish I had now, but how hard is it to go find another black dress or white button up shirt? Not hard at all. If I find that I can't find a place for that 99 cent glass votive candle holder...I throw it in the donate bag I always keep around or the recycling bin. If I need another one in a few months...then I'll get another one and make sure that it's lovely enough to leave out or that I can re-purpose it for something else (like a mini-vase) or have a place to put it.

Under my kitchen sink.

I got rid of a ton of cleaning supplies when we moved into our new apartment. I now only have the necessities...window cleaner, bathroom cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, dish detergent, wood polish, floor cleaner, and laundry stuff. For some reason I had almost a garbage bag full of other random cleaners, polishes, etc. Now there is room for everything to be neatly organized. The clear boxes group things, and one holds tape, touch up paint, hooks, and other random items.
Under the bathroom sink.

The bathroom was the same as the kitchen. I got rid of a ton of unnecessary items. There were so many random bottles of body spray, bubble bath, face wash, etc. I used to get some of it for free from work, so it got a little out of hand. Once I purged, I put the things that can stand up in a basket to keep them contained and from falling over, and the rest was put in a clear bin from the Container Store. These clear boxes were all under $3 or $4 a piece, and really worth it. It's great that they have a lid, so I can stack things on top of them for more vertical storage.

Really, I'm just trying to make sure that everything has a place and that everything has a purpose. I don't have the room or the storage options to keep the extra stuff around that I don't need. I'm learning to be good at organizing, but I'm certainly not great, because, my shoes are usually in a heap in the bottom of my closet, and I still have areas that need major organization, but at least I feel like I have made some progress. It's been so great to get these lessons right now. Someday, when I have a house, I hope I can use these same methods to stay organized on a much larger scale.

Do you have any storage organizations tips?