Home And Garden Articles

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 to). 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!

Karen Fritscher-Porter writes about home organizing solutions at http://www.EasyHomeOrganizing.com

Visit http://www.EasyHomeOrganizing.com to read more than 50 FREE articles containing dozens of home organizing ideas and solutions. Plus subscribe to the FREE newsletter updating you about the latest home organization products sold in stores.

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

MORE ARTICLES:

Working From Home: The Main Benefit Of Working Online
There are numerous benefits which individuals experience by working online. Perhaps one of the most highly rated benefits felt by individuals working online is that they are able to do so from the comfort of their home. This single benefit has many beneficial factors associated with it which makes it a highly desirable option for individuals who are capable of working online as their main occupation.

Reasons You Should Get a Home Inspection in Miami Real Estate
Some would think that home inspection is not that important in a home buying process. But take note that would be one of the best things that you should do for your investment.

Area Rugs Will Add That Special Look And Feel To Your Home
Decorating with area rugs is one of the easiest ways to update, revitalize and beautify your home. Rugs can add dramatic color and design to every room; create a focal point or define areas; add warmth to the look and feel of tiles, stone, or concrete; protect hardwood floors or wall-to-wall carpeting; and tie elements of a room together.

Paying Points Instead of Higher Interest Rates On Your Home.
Decreasing the higher interest rates on your home starts with paying points. However how does paying points lower the interest rate? The way the mortgage point system works is that the point is expressed as part of the total loan.

Network Marketing From Home
Network Marketing From Home

Home Equity Loans: What You Should Know
Home Equity Loans: What You Should Know

Why home security camera is good for you
Why home security camera is good for you

Finding Home Based Business Ideas
Coming up with home based business ideas is a simple task for some people They can quickly rattle off a list of ideas that range from the overdone to the seemingly impossible

How To Find The Lowest Home Equity Loan Rate
Many people would like to take out a loan, however they are worried about the high interest rates that are associated with traditional loans. Many of the financial institutions want your business and will offer lower rates then their competitors. It will still leave the question as to what type of loan you want to apply for.

10 Inexpensive Outdoor Fixes to Help Sell Your Home
Many experts recommend updating your home?s exterior to improve your chances to sell. Rightfully so! Most of the fixes you can do outdoors that will pay big dividends at closing are low cost and relatively easy to accomplish with a minimum amount of tools.

Take Action To Protect Your Home
According to the FBI, law enforcement agencies across the United States reported an estimated 2,154,126 burglaries in 2005, 65.8 percent of which involved residential structures. This is a 1.8-percent increase in burglaries when compared with 2001 estimates. In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau?s ?victimization study? indicates that only about one out of three crimes is reported, making the actual number of burglaries in 2005 closer to six million. Statistics also show that about 30% of all U.S. homes were touched by crime in this same period. Yet, the vast majority of residences still do not have a home security system. Why is this?

Ways To Make Your MLM Home Based Business Profit
Making your MLM home based business earn money is a bit different from working on improving the profit margins of a traditional company This doesn?t mean you?ll do anything illegal, of course, but rather, it requires you to occasionally consider unconventional approaches

Practical Tips On How To Manage A Home Based Business
Starting a home based business is a truly wise decision and perhaps the best in years that has been taken, but you can make it better and livelier with some practical steps to enhance the range of home based business opportunities that are waiting to be exploited. You can devise novel strategies to improve your well-conceived home based business by adopting and formulating an unique business plan model which includes two mundane philosophies but nevertheless extremely effective, Outsource and Refocus.

Home Business Success-3 Major Keys
As I research more about home business successes, I keep learning amazing things about the small but successful home entrepreneurs. I just wanted to share with you some traits, which have motivated me highly.