The dreaded basement storage, you know what I'm talking about. Don't even pretend like you don't have it mama, because we ALL do. Maybe it's not in your basement, but it's there. Lurking. Reminding you that you don't quite have it as together as you thought. My basement storage situation overwhelms me and even more so now that we have a little guy. There are a good solid 20-30 totes lining one section of my basement wall packed full of baby/toddler clothes, toys, decorations, photo albums, holiday gift wrap - you name it, it's down there. And the worst part about it? IT. JUST. KEEPS. GROWING.
As much as it pains me to tackle, the basement has become the elephant in the room. Everyone knows it is there but no one wants to talk about it, especially me. Do we need four Christmas trees and five hundred ornaments?? No. But if you think for one minute I am downsizing my Christmas miracle you are sorely mistaken. So my only option? Organize it.
How many times do you throw things in a tote only to come back a few weeks or a holiday later for "said item" with zero recollection of which tote you put it in? Let alone any clue as to what's inside all of these dang things. So what do we end up doing? We waste away half the day opening each tote one by one, while turning three shades of crazy. You have to label those totes, mama. Yes, I know it requires a little work up front, but you will thank me later - trust me.
Now, I am crazy when it comes to labeling so believe me when I say I have tried every label available and I have finally found the one you guys. Non paper adhesive so no sticky residue and it comes with a pocket, so if the contents in the tote change you can just swap the label out. Can I get an amen?! I have linked these time savers along with my all time favorite storage totes below. They stack on top of each other, so they save on space.
While on the subject of accumulating "stuff" let's take a minute to talk about our kiddos papers. As mama's we are required to stay on top of all things sentimental, but truthfully these sentimental papers, projects and certificates just get scattered around our house and shoved in whatever drawer we can find available. Would I love to scrapbook all of my child's most precious and memorable moments? Absolutely. But as a working mom, that's just not going to happen. It was during one of my late night Pinterest scrolls that I happened upon the most genius idea ever. All it requires is a portable file box and hanging files. One box, per kiddo. Yep, you read that right. Label each of your folders and you are set from birth to high school. All you have to do is drop in those special items and go. You can use any standard file box, but I opted for a weather tight option since I am storing it in the basement. I have linked it below along with a listing of the labels I chose to use. Obviously you can tailor these to whatever works best for your family. But regardless, life simplified.
Age 0-3 Age 4-5 Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade Freshman Year Sophomore Year Junior Year Senior Year Certificates
Programs
Sports
Portraits
Cards/Letters
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