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| Budget Stretcher's Articles |
Activity Buckets:
Saving Time and Staying Organized
by Heather Harvey
Think about a few of the activities you do regularly. Better yet, think
of an activity that you have been putting off because of all the time
it will take to gather all of the stuff you need to do the job before
you can actually start doing the job.
How much time do you think it takes to find all of the supplies before
you can actually start working? Now think about how much time you could
save if everything you needed was in one convenient, easy-to-find spot.
How long would it take to pay the bills, if all the bills, stamps,
envelopes, pens, calculator, and checkbook were in one easy-to-find
spot? How much time could the kids spend on actual homework if they
didn’t have to tear apart the house in order to find all the rulers,
pencils, sharpeners, and paper they need?
How much easier (and less dreadful) would completing your income taxes
be if you were confident that every one of the necessary receipts,
forms, and other applicable paperwork were handily stored in one spot?
How much fun would you have putting your photos into albums if all the
supplies were stored inconspicuously near the chair where you watch TV
(hey, you might even get caught up!)?
That’s where Activity Buckets can help. Activity Buckets help contain
everything you need to complete a given activity. When you use them,
you won’t need to jump up in the middle of your work to find something
you need. Everything will be right there where you need it. Cleanup is
a breeze, too. Pile everything back into the bucket, store the bucket
in its place, and you’re done.
In the Beginning . . .
If you have (or had) a baby, you probably already used one of the most
common Activity Buckets: the diaper bag. Diapers, wipes, toys,
pacifier, changing pad, change of clothes, bib, medicine, shot record,
snacks--all there and ready to go. As a parent, you quickly learned
that if you left one of those items at home, that was the one item you
needed while you were out. You can stay out for days with a
well-stocked diaper bag.
You’re Doing It Already
The typical house is already organized using large-scale Activity
Buckets.
Your first Activity Budket is in your closet. I would be willing to bet
that you keep your socks close to your underwear, and your shirts are
probably stored near your pants. With exception to having to run across
the house to pull something out of the dryer or to iron today’s outfit,
you are probably able to get completely dressed without having to leave
the room (if not, that is your first assignment).
Another Activity Bucket is your kitchen. I would guess that you keep
your most-used cooking spoons in the kitchen where you use them all the
time. Your cooking pots are convenient to the stove (rather than
hanging out in the shed with the lawn mower).
We naturally store things where we’ll use them. We group things to save
time. It’s much easier to cook dinner if everything you need is right
there in the kitchen. Taking a shower is a piece of cake when you don’t
have to search the house for soap and shampoo.
PS: “Activity Buckets” are not necessarily buckets. They can be any
container, any size that is adequate to hold the contents of any given
activity.
Activity Buckets Save Time and Money
Put everything you need in one place and you’ll always know where to
find your stuff. This method will also save you money. By having
everything in one container, you can easily see when you are running
low on something. When you buy something new for the bucket, you’ll
know right where it belongs (in the Activity Bucket, of course) and can
put it away immediately. You’ll be less likely to buy duplicates
because you’ll be able to see at a glance how much of everything you
have.
For You Stocker-Uppers
If you do enjoy stocking up in quantity and happen to buy more things
than will fit in your bucket, you’ll need to store these things some
place else in your home. So that you don’t forget what you’ve already
bought, write yourself a note and leave it wedged on the side of that
item’s Activity Bucket. Example: “Bought 6 spiral notebooks. Stored on
shelf in coat closet “ You won’t need to run out and buy more notebooks
when your homework bucket runs low, nor will you have to turn the house
upside-down trying to find the needed notebooks.
Please, write the note. It may sound stupid now, but you’ll thank me
later. Don’t clutter up your head with this kind of information. Write
the note, and let your mind work on more important things. Trust me, in
my initial round of organizing our house, I found almost 20 cans of
shaving cream stashed in drawers and shelves. I didn’t remember where I
had put them. In fact, I didn’t even remember buying most of them in
the first place. Write the note!
Getting Started
To get started, think of an activity that always seems to take forever.
You put off doing it because it takes forever to gather the supplies
and put them away again. I started my Activity Bucket crusade by
containing my kids’ art supplies.
Before I had children, I’d always imagined myself to be the kind of mom
who did arts and crafts with her kids. But now that I’m a mom, whenever
my kids asked to make something, I had an excuse not to do it. I knew
that by the time I got the paints out of the closet, the paper from the
basement, and newspaper (to use as a drop cloth) from the recycle bin,
the kids would have moved onto something else; the art project merely a
distant memory.
For the Arts and Crafts Activity Bucket, I bought a large clear plastic
tub with a lid and filled it with everything that kids might possibly
need to satisfy their imaginations: things like paper, glue, scissors,
toilet paper tubes, and glitter. Also, I included a notebook of ideas
and instruction sheets that I’ve torn from magazines. Now, when we’re
ready to create, we can actually get busy without a lot of much fuss.
Some Bucket Ideas
Baking. Put measuring cups and spoons, electric mixer, spatula and
wooden spoon into mixing bowls (bowls serve as the bucket), then store
the bowls on top of your cookie sheets and baking pans.
Bill Paying. I’ve often talked about setting up a bill-paying center.
By having your checkbook (and spare checks), a pen, calculator, stamps,
envelopes, and return address labels all in one container, bill paying
will be a breeze. Of course, as your bills arrive in the mail, add them
to your bill paying container as well.
Car Care/Oil Change. Car washing supplies (soap, sponges, wax, scrub
brushes) can all go in the bucket that you’ll use to wash the car. Oil
change supplies (filters, replacement oil, filter wrench, funnel)
should be stored together close to where you typically change the oil
in your car.
Crafts. I’m a big crafty person--at least I like to start a lot of
craft projects. If I’m not careful, crafts will take up every last bit
of space in my house. I’ve learned to limit the projects in progress;
all others get stored in a box (or two) in the basement. I keep my
Craft Activity Bucket (for current projects only) in our hall closet.
Currently, it contains two skeins of yarn, a crochet hook, the pattern,
and the in-progress project. If I decide to work on something else, I
have to put the crochet materials back in the box downstairs so that my
new project will fit in the Activity Bucket.
If you’re like me, don’t try to store all of your craft supplies in the
bucket. Instead, store only what you’ll use for your current project.
When you pull out your Craft Activity Bucket, you’ll have everything
you need and nothing more.
Gift Wrapping. Wrapping paper (a wide selection of birthday, wedding,
holiday, and all-occassion papers), tape, scissors, gift cards, and
ribbon. I can’t believe how much time I’ve saved by assembling this
Activity Bucket. Check Wal-mart for plastic storage boxes designed
especially for gift wrapping supplies. Mine even fits under my bed for
extra convenience. I can locate y gift wrapping supplies, wrap the
present, and clean up in less than 10 minutes.
Homework. How much time do your kids spend on their homework? Now break
that span down into time spent on homework and time spent looking for
everything needed to get to the homework. Save your kids’ time and save
yourself the hadache by filling your bucket with pens, pencils, a
pencil sharpener, eraser, colored pencils and markers, highlighters,
erasers, glue, scissors, a ruler, stapler, cellophane tape, paper, and
whatever else your kids seem to need on a regular basis. When it’s
homework time, set the kids down at their desk and hand them the
bucket. You might just witness the most efficient homework session
ever.
Makeup/Shaving. Treat your bathroom sink like a dormitory bathroom.
Pretend that if you don’t remove all of your things every time you
leave, your things will disappear. Have a different container for every
person who uses the bathroom. Everything that you use in the bathroom
should go in your box: brushes, deodorant, makeup, shaving cream, etc.
Then, when you’re done primping, instead of trying to cram everything
into the medicine cabinet or just leaving it to junk up the
counter-top, dump everything back into your Personal-Care Activity
Bucket and hide it under the sink or in a nearby closet.
Manicure. All of your nail polish bottles, nail polish remover, cotton
balls, Q-tips, and files. When I paint my nails, I like to do it in the
living room so that my nails can dry while I watch TV. So, in my
manicure bucket, I’ve also put in a large light-weight (flour-sack
type) towel that I can drape across my lap to catch any spills that may
occur (because, honey, you know you can’t get nail polish out of the
upholstery on a La-Z-Boy).
Medicine. The Activity Bucket method has turned our medicine closet
into a work of art. I have four Medicine Activity Buckets: adult
medicine, kid medicine, first aid, and adult cold and allergy--all
clearly labeled.
Plastic shoe boxes work wonderfully and are just the right depth and
height to fit all four of them in the closet on the same shelf. It is
such a relief to know that when a kid comes in bleeding or is up in the
middle of the night that I only have to pull out the appropriate box
and everything I need will be right there.
Additionally, I have another Medicine Activity Bucket stored near where
we take our vitamins, aspirin, and other daily medications in the
cabinet over the kitchen sink.
Moving. We were getting ready to put our house up for sale and move
across town this past summer. I had been packing boxes like a fiend.
But despite this daily habit, I was still wasting 5 to 10 minutes every
day tracking down the packing tape, a pocket knife (to cut the tape),
markers to label the boxes, and my list (to help me keep track of what
was in those boxes). After muck time wasted, I finally decided to put
all of those things into a pretty basket (it’s my daughter’s Easter
basket . . . she won’t need it for awhile anyway). My family was
welcome to use anything in that basket to pack their own boxes (not
that they did much of that), but they knew they had better put
everything back in my House-Packing Basket (things got pretty ugly the
night my husband forgot where he left the tape). Every time I’m
finished packing for the day, I make sure I put the basket back in the
same place (I wouldn’t be saving any time if I still had to hunt for
the basket).
Picnics/Outdoor Barbecues. Plates, cups, plastic utensils, spatulas for
flipping burgers, condiments (use the leftover packets from fast food
trips), tablecloth, and matches. You might also include an outdoor
game, sunblock, and a small first-aid kit with anitbiotic cream and
bandaids.
Swimming/Gym. Swim goggles, fins, dry swimsuit. Exercise shorts, socks
and shoes. If you take a shower at the gym, also pack travel size
shampoo , conditioner, and hairspray; comb; and hairdryer.
Taxes. Yes, that time of year is upon us yet again. For the container,
consider using a paper-sized clear plastic box, a large envelope, a
dedicated paper-tray on your desk, or a file folder in your regular
filing cabinet--but pick just one place to store everything. Start
gathering your things now even if you don’t plan to actually start them
until April. By law, your employers, banks, financial institutions,
etc. should have sent all the necessary forms to you by now. If you’re
missing a form, call the institution right away so that they’ll have
time to send a replacement copy to you. Put in some sharp pencils, an
eraser, Post-It notes (for figuring, writing reminder notes, and
flagging information you need to come back to later), a calculator, tax
forms, and charitable donation receipts. You’ll probably have more
stuff than I have mentioned to put in this bucket so make sure the
container is big enough. As you come across anything that might have
anything remotely to do with taxes, drop it in the bucket. It’s better
to have too much documentation than not enough when it comes to taxes.
Traveling. Keep sample-size containers of toiletries always packed in a
smaller bag in your suitcase (shampoo, toothpaste, contact solutions,
etc.). Keep an extra toothbrush, hairbrush, an old pair of prescription
eyeglasses (an outdated pair is better than nothing at all when your
contact falls down the drain or your regular glasses get stepped on).
With these things always packed and ready to go, you’ll save yourself
the headache of having to remember them and the expense of having to
buy them at an expensive hotel gift shop.
TV Viewing. TV Guide and remote controls contained on top of the TV.
This one should be easy, but my family (myself included) still hasn’t
developed the habit of putting everything back where it goes.
Mending. Needle, small scissors, pins, assorted buttons, several colors
of thread (navy, white, red, and black will get you through most
mending sessions), and the clothing that needs mending. How many of us
might actually get around to sewing on buttons and hemming skirts if
all the necessary supplies were in one handy place? Because mending
tends to pile up, make sure your Activity Bucket is big enough to hold
several shirts.
Be honest with yourself with this one. If you know you’ll never get
around to mending, get rid of the stuff now. Don’t waste your time with
the Activity Bucket. If you do honestly mend clothing, having a Mending
Activity Bucket will save you loads of time.
Can You Think of More?
If you routinely have to run across the house to iron your clothes
before you get dressed, perhaps you should consider storing the ironing
board nearer to where you get dressed. Store things together as you use
them. Store them in containers and store the containers near where
you’ll be using those things. Practically every activity you do during
the day can be contained within an Activity Bucket. Examine your day.
Anytime you have to hunt for something is a good time to contain it in
an Activity Bucket.
by Heather Harvey, editor of Simplify! newsletter.
Simplify! newsletter is dedicated to helping you lead a more organized,
less cluttered . . . SIMPLER! . . . life. For a 1-year subscription (4
issues) to Simplify!, send $9.00 to Simplify! (c/o Budget Stretcher);
PO Box 260017; St. Louis, MO 63126.
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