What Two Words Will Double the Space in Your Home?
Just two words and a bit of explanation about them will help you
to double, maybe even triple, the space in your home now. Those
two words are "Go vertical."
FUNCTION FIRST, LOOKS SECOND That means that when you buy
bookcases or other types of furnishing with shelves, make sure
these items have five or six shelves. Two or three shelves per
item are just wasted space. When it comes to home organization,
you want to buy furnishings based on the criteria of function
first and then looks second.
So if two items are both of acceptable appearance to you, always
purchase the one that is most functional. If one item is
slightly prettier than the other but the other item has more
vertical shelving, cubby holes and nooks, choose that second
item. The peace-of-mind you'll get from having a more organized
home will be much more valuable to you in the long-run.
DON'T FOLLOW YOUR EMOTIONS Always remember that stores want to
sell to you based on your emotions. That's a fact. Most
marketing research agrees with that statement. If the seller can
hook your emotions, they're closer to a sale. For example, you
see a pie safe cabinet that's outrageously priced but beautiful.
So you say to your spouse who's shopping with you: "Oh, look at
that pie safe cabinet. It's gorgeous. Look at that blue color.
It's a little a high priced but maybe we can get it on credit..."
Stop right there!
As a smart shopper (and a smart home organizer), you want to buy
based on what your brain tells you. So for example, now you look
at that same pie safe cabinet and say: "Oh, look at that pie
safe cabinet. It's gorgeous. What a pretty blue color. But we
need something a bit more functional. That cabinet only has four
shelves and the one next to it has six shelves and is cheaper.
The second one is maple stained, not blue. But that's okay. It's
still a handsome piece of furniture and it's more functional.
We'll get more space to use in our home and more product for our
money."
Use your head, not your heart, to make decisions about
furnishing items for your home. Then you'll have functional home
furnishings that double your home storage space. Think like a
home organizer versus a home decorator. Think function first.
ANALYZE FURNISHINGS IN YOUR HOME NOW Look around your rooms. Do
you have a two shelf horizontal bookcase? Do you have a tiny
three shelf freestanding pantry in the kitchen? Do you have a
little three drawer jewelry or lingerie armoire in the bedroom?
Go room-to-room and make a list of any type shelving unit like
these or others (e.g. microwave cart, television cart/stand,
etc.)
Unless these items truly hold sentimental value, it's worth
selling them to a used furniture store or at a yard sale for a
bit of cash. (I'll tell you why sell in a minute.) Or spend a
few bucks to put an ad in your local "Pennysaver" type newspaper
advertising the item for sale.
SELL HIGH; BUY LOW Then negotiate with the potential buyer so
you get the best price possible for the item you're selling.
That means you must suggest a price that's beyond what you
expect to get. Why? Because these days potential buyers will
almost always ask you to come down on the price. In fact, I
guarantee three out of four buyer prospects will try to get you
to lower the price. So start high so they feel like they're
negotiating the price down.
Why sell the item in the first place? Because you want to use
the cash you make to upgrade to a taller unit of the same item.
If you watch those home decorating/organizing shows on
television, you may recall that there is a certain show that
uses just this strategy. They have a big yard sale with all the
participant's useless items and use the money to upgrade to more
useful and stylish items for the same space in the home. The
difference in the home is usually extraordinary at completion.
You're striving for a similar method and outcome.
NOW DOUBLE YOUR SPACE You want to use the cash to buy a
comparable piece of furniture that serves a similar function as
the piece you just discarded. You can even put the new furniture
piece in the exact same spot where you had the previous piece.
But make sure the new piece of furnishing is taller with more
shelving or nooks. Remember, the big two word secret in this
article is "go vertical." So in the end, you'll use the same
floor space in your home but double its storage capacity.
And when replacing your items with comparable items, don't
hesitate to buy used furniture (even from the same shop you sold
yours too). If it's in good shape in regard to quality (e.g. no
rotting, flimsy wood panels, etc.) but not exactly your favorite
color, you can fix that. Get a four dollar can of spray paint
and a primer spray coat and change the color. Or get creative
such as use some pretty contact paper to redo the outside. And
one final piece of advice: Don't forget to negotiate when you're
the buyer!