Organizing Must-Haves

I thought it would be fun to pull together all of my favorite organizing tools and must-haves and make one big post showcasing them all (and showing off similar items that are currently available to buy!) Hopefully it will help some of you find inspiration for organization and some fun shopping list items for the next time you're out and about.

1. A Planner. I am nothing, if not lost without my planner. In fact, I have more than one. (One for me and one for the mommy in me) My planner's have to have months and weeks, a place for notes (I randomly get genius ideas throughout the day, and if I don't write them down, they're gone as fast as they came. It didn't always used to be that way, but that's Mommy Brain for ya.) They also need address/phone numbers. I currently use a Franklin Covey. I can't seem to let go of it - I keep buying the refills. Here are some great planners available that I also adore:


Sarah Pinto @ http://www.seejanework.com/



Kate Spade Spiral Desktop Planner @ http://www.katespade.com/



myPlan Planner @ http://www.momagenda.com/

2012 Life Planner @ http://www.erincondren.com/

2. Bins, bins and more bins! I can't get enough of them! All shapes, sizes and colors. You can use bins for ANYTHING, ANYWHERE. Pantry, linen closet, kids' rooms, play rooms, kitchen storage...the list goes on and on. Here are some of my favorite bins right now:

ClosetMaid Cube-icals

ClosetMaid Nickel Wire Drawer @ www.target.com

3. Dry-Erase Wall Calendars & Bulletin Boards. I love having an area in my home that is sort of the "scheduling hub" for the entire family. It's in plain sight every day in the kitchen and my husband and I can keep on track with each other and our kids' schedules. It's also a great place to post reminders for school or activity things, bills due, etc. These are some great wall organizers available now that I recommend:

Daily System Collection @ www.potterybarn.com

Board Dudes Magnetic Dry-Erase Calendar Tile (available at Target Stores) - I have this and use it for my menu planning!

Board Dudes Magnetic Dry Erase Combo Board (available at Target Stores) - I have a couple of these! Love them!

4. File boxes and accordion folders. These are great for family documents and record-keeping, coupon sorting, receipt-filing...you name it.

Greenroom Recycled File Box with Hanging Folders @ www.target.com

5. Large Storage Totes. These are a must-have for garage storage. I use them for holiday decor, maternity clothing, beach toys, etc. I love fancy-ing them up with my own labels so I always know what's inside!

Sterilite 35-Gal Latch Tote

6. Labels. I love to label! Especially if those labels are sweet and pretty. I like to make everything have a place and make it easily identifiable for everyone (ahem, the hubby). I use them in the pantry, in the kitchen, in my office, in the boys' rooms, the linen closet...I LOVE LABELS. Here are some great ones I found:

Martha Stewart Spice Labels (Image Courtesy)

Chalk Labels (Image Courtesy)

7. Personalized totes and bags. I love having personalized items, call me crazy, but it just makes me more likely to use them for anything and everything. The boys and I have personalized canvas totes from Lands' End and I also received a wonderful Christmas gift from my sister-in-law this year - a Thirty-One Gifts market tote with "The Smith's" embroidered on it.

Canvas Tote @ www.landsend.com - I love that their website photo had "Morgan" as the monogram!

8. And last, but certainly NOT least, my biggest organizing must-have is a husband that understands and respects my need to feel organized in this chaotic (yet wonderful) life we live. A husband that knows how wonderful I feel when I come home to a clean house; a husband that happily does his share around the house.