Well, we are finally at day two of our garage organization! And as you can see, we did manage to fit the mini-van in the garage after all.
So how did we do it? Well, on day two, we got a bit of a late start. But fortunately that is all that we needed. We pulled out all of the remaining stuff that we stored away the night before.
Next we moved the car in, making sure that it actually did fit in the garage with the door closed. We wanted to be able to stop the door just in case the arm of that door had the potential to scratch up the car. But all was well.
Looking at the car sitting in the garage, we made a vow that only stuff that fit into the garage while the car was in it would be able to stay. This led to a second round of purging. It also helped us make some logical decisions about where we should put the items that we were keeping. For example, it made sense to create an area on the floor, near the garage door to park the kids bikes and the doll stroller. The kids played with these items frequently and could easily take them in and out, whether the car was parked in the garage or not.
Next, we lined either side of the garage with put together sturdy shelving that was flexible enough the be reconfigured if our needs changed. The side furthest from the door to the house was designated for paints, tools, a portable heater and other home or home improvement items that weren’t used on a daily basis but still needed. On the opposite side went the more frequently used items, such as the kids outdoor toys and sports equipment, the birdseed for the feeders, and the brooms and rakes that were used for daily or semi-weekly maintenance.
The organization has really made our home life a little bit easier. We will be able to protect our car in the winter, and we still have room for some extras, such as an upright freezer.
This organization was a great family adventure for us, and it helped reinforce the idea that we are finally home in our new house, as opposed to just hanging around for a while.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
Related Articles
Organizing The Garage: Day 1, Part 1
Organizing The Garage, Day 1, Part 2