Monthly storage of kid art

I have the kids put all their precious creations in a scrapbook storage box labeled with the month. I start a new box each month, and the old box works as an archive. The older box (in the photo, December) gets moved to cheaper real estate (basement, under parent bed, etc) and I have a month to pick through it for a few gems. The rest goes to recycling, and since it's been 6 weeks at that point, I don't worry about a kid coming to me to find some old piece of art.

Sticky-side-out packing tape inside a kitchen cabinet door

Collecting box tops for school is tedious, but I've made my life easier by putting a sticky-side-out length of packing tape in one of my kitchen cabinets. Now I just cut out the box top and stick it to the tape. When I run out of room, I send the tape to school and start a new one.

Reuse glass jam jars for nuts and dried fruit

My husband has expensive taste in jam. Or should I say fruit preserves. He buys this fancy, boutiquey brand. It seemed extravagant... until I realized how lovely and useful the jars can be.

The labels come off clean in the dishwasher top rack (without falling apart), and the jars and lids stand up to the dishwasher top rack for repeated washes. The 8oz size is just right for keeping snacks on hand.

We buy our raisins and craisins in bulk, so it's helpful to have a convenient jar to grab for sprinkling on cereal instead of the enormous Costco bag. The rest of the bags of nuts from Trader Joe's go in the freezer, to keep the oils in the nuts fresh, donchaknow.

I like to cut the labels from the bags and stick them on the jar with clear packing tape. The tape can weather a few runs in the dishwasher, but it's not a tragedy to peel it off and start over.

Clementines in glass vases

I think the wood boxes they come in are cute, but vases create vertical storage and take up a smaller countertop footprint.

Treat the whole house like a Target bathroom

Ever notice the back of the bathroom door at Target stores?

They keep a log of when the place was last cleaned. Brilliant! I decided to do that for myself, to keep track of the dates I cleaned, changed, or accomplished various things, by using masking tape and small magnetic dry-erase boards on the inside of the bathroom mirror/cabinet.
PLEASE NOTE: I DON'T ALWAYS REMEMBER TO RECORD EVERYTHING, SO SOME OF THESE DATES ARE COMPLETELY WRONG. For example, I rotated some toys just yesterday.
I admit; this would work much better if I kept up with it more. I'm usually better with it; the holidays got me off my game.

Velcro detergent cup to the side of the washing machine

A few weeks ago, the measuring cup for the laundry detergent mysteriously disappeared.
My husband joked that we should Velcro the next one to the side of the washing machine, so we don't lose it. I thought that was a brilliant idea.
This only makes sense if you use the same detergent all the time, or have a lot of little Velcro stickers. I put the fuzzy side on the machine and the hook side on the cup, but it probably doesn't matter much which goes on which.

Write the remaining balance on the gift card at checkout

I have lots of gift cards with store credit, and I tend to use them pretty regularly. In order to keep track of how much is left on a card, I often ask the cashier (at the time of purchase) if they have a price-tag-making machine (those little handheld things), and if they can use it to print out a sticker with my remaining balance. That is the best way to get the remaining balance onto your card, because pen wipes off too easily, and marker can be large and forever. The sticker can be peeled off OR you can write a new balance over the old. I usually also write the date of the balance, so I know when a card was last used. Some gift cards lose balance when they aren't used, so you have to be careful about that.

Repurposing milk cartons

Of course, you can take two milk cartons (the waxy cardboard things) and cut off the tops and fit them together to make toddler building blocks.
When you've had enough of that, try making each box into a little storage box. I've been doing that lately, and I'm excited about the growing collection. I haven't decided whether to keep the repurposed-chic look, or decoupage them into a less-busy looking collection.