Find It Friday – Oh, That Kitchen Counter

This is Find It Friday! Today we are dealing with that kitchen counter hot spot where everything seems to get buried. I will help you implement a system that will allow you to find what you need in just a few seconds.

The topic today comes from a question I received:

I have a very troubled kitchen counter at my house. It has always been a bad clutter spot for me. I was thinking of getting some kind of wicker sectional basket thing. I don’t know. Any suggestions? It’s a place where bills get piled, papers, and such.

Papers and junk mail are one of the most common complaints when it comes to organization.

This has always been a problem for me personally and it still can be when I don’t do the necessary steps that I know I should do to control the mess. So, this is the solution I came up with for my family and have implemented it for several other families. After checking in with those I set it up for, they say it still works like a charm, as long as they stay on top of it.

Here is a list of the most common counter clutterers:

1. junk mail
2. kids’ school papers
3. invitations to a number of events
4. books
5. important papers that you don’t know where to put them so they won’t get lost. So you put them on the counter and well, then they get lost
6. bills
7. landing spot for kids’ stuff
8. landing spot for parents’ stuff

Basically it becomes a hot spot for everything and anything. How do you solve this problem? Well, the number one rule to setting up any system is: No matter how good your system is, if you don’t follow some daily steps, the area will get messy again.

Side Note: If you do not have a lot of counter space you will need to get a little creative. The last thing you want to do is to take up very valuable counter space that you really need. One family I worked with had that very problem. We set-up this area at a nearby desk that was right by the kitchen. Now, if you are really in the habit of setting down the mail in one particular spot, it can be hard to retrain yourself to put it somewhere else. I usually recommend putting a system in place where you are used to doing that particular thing.

For example: If you always pay the bills at the kitchen table, instead of trying to retrain yourself to pay them somewhere else, set up bill paying area near the kitchen. Another alternative is to put all your bill paying supplies in a portable container. All you have to do is go grab the container and sit down at the table.

Here are a few products I recommend purchasing for the counter area:

product #1: A filing container of some sort. Here are two possible options.

Boorum & Pease DecoFlex® Letter Size Hanging Folder File

File Box – Wicker Basket – (Natural)

Let me briefly explain what I use a portable filing system for. This helps me with all the junk mail and regular mail and, well, a number of things. Here is what I have some of the tabs labeled as that work for me:

*1st – 15th: These are the bills that are due the first half of the month. We put them there whether they come out automatically or not. We like to sit down and check over all the statements.

*16th-31st: These are the bills that are due the second half of the month. With these two file folders, when it’s time to pay the bills, we grab the file folder and we are good to go!

*To File: I know this is a general category, but this is how I use it. When we are done paying a bill, or we get a piece of mail that we know we need to hold on to for so many years, we put it in the to file folder. When the file gets full, we take it to our large filing cabinet and file it away.

*To Shred: With all the identity theft that is going on these days, we shred anything that has to do with credit card offers or anything that is an offer. We don’t want to take any chances.

*Household Receipts: I use this section to put all my receipts for the month. If you would like to keep several months worth of receipts, you could have separate little envelopes inside the big file folder.

*Recipes: I am always collecting recipes and if I don’t have one general place for them, then they will get misplaced or thrown away.

*Each member of my family has their own file folder. I haven’t been using these folders much lately, but you could use it for a number of things. If something comes in the mail that you want to read at some point, put it in your folder. Or if your kids get a lot of mail, you could place it in their folder and then they could check it everyday.

Come up with what works for you. It took quite a bit of experimenting for me to find just the right system that worked for my family. We are all different and what works for me, may not work for you. So play around a little until it’s just right.

Product #2: A basket.

Tiddliwinks Safari 2-pk. Baskets with Liners

I use a basket for a number of things. I use it for putting things that I need to return to people. Let’s say someone loaned me a book. When I finish the book I put it in the basket and the next time I am headed out the door and know I will see this person, I go to the basket and grab the book. I know it’s there. I don’t have to go searching.

I keep my kids’ Bibles in there also. It never failed that on a Sunday morning we were searching high and low for their Bible. Also, if they read it throughout the week, they know where to put it back.

Think about what kinds of things you are always searching for when you are trying to leave the house. Having a central location like that will save you time and energy.

Product #3: 3M Clip

5 Pack of 17005 SPRING CLIP

Can I just say that this is one of the greatest inventions ever!?! I love these things and use them in different places in my house.

For the mail center/catch all counter, I have one of these clips mounted on the side of the cabinet. We clip the outgoing mail there, checks that need to be deposited, movies that need to be returned (We use Blockbuster Online, so the movies come in little envelopes. In case you were wondering.:) ) or any other important lightweight papers that need to go out the door with us. It’s such a little thing, but has a big impact on heading out the door!

Side Note: I know that kids school papers are also a big problem. I don’t put them in the mail area. In fact, my kids know it’s a big no-no to put any of their papers there. I will share my system for tackling those school papers on one of our Tame Those Toys Thursdays.

So, there are a few tips on gaining control of that counter area. Like I said before though, it will not work if you do not go through your mail at least every other day. I know that some people say to go through your mail as soon as you walk in the door, but honestly for us, that is just not practical. There are usually other things that need to happen first. With this system though, the mail can wait a couple of days for us.

I hope you enjoyed these tips and please, I know I am not the only organized person on the planet, so share what works for you. Your idea just might be exactly what the doctor ordered!