Isn’t it frustrating when you’re in need of a pair of scissors and you can’t find one? You know you placed it right there, on the kitchen counter, the last time you used it. You look all over the place and then ta-da, find that it’s sitting in your living room. Oh right, you used it to cut out some magazine clippings earlier. Doh.
The same story applies to my search for markers, pens and notepads. I tend to leave stuff like this all over my home, thinking it would make it more convenient for me when I need them. Turns out scrambling for the right supplies makes it even more time-consuming and irritating!
Here’s a tip I learned from my Aunt (Thanks Auntie N!). Put all your supplies in a basket. It not only makes your pens, pads and tapes more organized, it also makes it more convenient for you to carry it from room to room when needed. This works great for small homes. If you have a large home, you can assign one basket for each floor.
That’s my Aunt’s supplies basket in the pic. It contains pens (markers and ballpoints), notepads, different sizes and kinds of tape, scissors, a stapler, staple wire, batteries, measuring tape, a cutter, calculator, matches and a fan. Hmmm, I don’t know why there’s a fan there. She keeps this basket on her kitchen counter, as her kitchen is central to all the rooms in her apartment. That’s easy access to the supplies when needed!
I’ve yet to find a strong and attractive basket to my liking. For now, my cute tough paper bag of supplies will do. I keep it in a little area central to all the rooms in our home too. It’s a great way to save time on looking for things and a simple, effective way of organizing your supplies.
So now, no more scrambling for scissors and tape! And remember, make sure to assign one specific area where the basket is to be returned. While you can carry the basket from room to room, you wouldn’t want to be scrambling around your home for the supplies basket when you need it. 😉
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
Toni
October 1, 2007 at 11:15 am (17 years ago)Oh, have you heard this joke yet? It’s pretty old but it still makes me laugh. Heehee.
http://www.aarons-jokes.com/joke-9882.shtml?sort_frm=&catagory_frm=08&count=
jojo
October 2, 2007 at 1:32 pm (17 years ago)are your family members all fans of martha stewart? 😀
Cat
October 2, 2007 at 8:15 pm (17 years ago)This is a great idea, Toni!
Unfortunately, this will not work in my house where there are 7 kids, all (except me) who do not know how to return things in their proper place.
This is one of my stepmom’s frustration. Her supply box is hidden under her bed!
Cat
October 2, 2007 at 8:15 pm (17 years ago)This is a great idea, Toni!
Unfortunately, this will not work in my house where there are 7 kids, all (except me) who do not know how to return things in their proper place.
This is one of my stepmom’s frustration. Her supply box is hidden under her bed!
cyberpunk
October 3, 2007 at 1:37 am (17 years ago)hehe this appeals to my office supplies fetish 😀
there are a lot of cute plastic baskets nowadays…similar to the ones used in the supermarkets, but a lot smaller and prettier
btw, you can divide the pens, notepads, and other supplies that you use often and put some in every room, placed in smaller containers…and have the other supplies (the ones you don’t use often) in the basket…
Junnie
October 3, 2007 at 2:04 am (17 years ago)i wont admit, i do the same thing with my supplies
sans the pamaypay 😛
sha
October 3, 2007 at 7:12 am (17 years ago)i use a tupper ware …
jen
October 3, 2007 at 8:43 am (17 years ago)I keep all of my supplies in a drawer. I like the idea of the basket though. Should be easy enough with all the baskets available nowadays.
I do a similar thing but with all of our electronic cables and chargers. I put all of the chargers in one bag in the bedroom. I think I’ve disciplined my husband enough to return the chargers in the bag once he’s done. hehehe.
rye
October 3, 2007 at 9:44 pm (17 years ago)What a great idea! Thanks for the tip..
Kay
October 8, 2007 at 10:12 am (17 years ago)Hey there! this is so funny as the other day, I was fixing my supplies and decided to place it all in a huge yellow box I got before from Dimensione as a gift. It may not be in a basket but it serves the same purpose. The basket idea is really good though as it will make it carrying easier.
I’ve changed my blog name and blog url. Feel free to visit and hopefully be inspired.