Keep your Car Organized and Simplify Your Life on the Go

American driver spend on average about 15 hours in their car each and every week. With busy hectic schedules, our cars are quickly becoming our home on wheels, so it should be as no surprise that our cars can easily become infested with clutter. And just as we have a system in place at home, so should we in our car. An organized car keeps distractions at bay and essential items within easy reach.

Visor CD holders and passenger seat organizers are great items to have to keep your life in the front seat calm, cool and collected at all times. Each of these organizing tools keeps important items within easy reach, such as your water bottle, toll money, or map.

If a good portion of your time in the car involves hauling your children back and forth to daycare, on shopping excursions or to weekly activities, it's likely that your backseat is a toy box on wheels. There are simple and affordable mesh nets that can be placed over the back of the front seats so that books, toys, and allowable snacks can be kept within easy reach. Encourage your children to place their items in these organizers when they are getting out of the car, and you'll encourage them to learn how to pick up after themselves in your home as well.

Trunk organizers are a great storage tool for keeping those needed items from floating back and forth in the trunk during car rides, and provide a safe haven for your groceries to travel home in. Cargo nets can also be installed in the trunk to accomplish the same secure environment.

Lastly, keep your pooch safe and secure in the back by placing a dog divider in the back of your minivan or SUV. This keeps them safely contained in one area during the commute, thereby decreasing the likelihood of him bounding onto your lap and getting in your way during the drive. It also contains him in an enclosed area if he's dirty from playing in the mud or water.

Optimize your Kitchen Organization and Simplify your Life

Our kitchens are easily the busiest room in our homes. From cooking and entertaining to a place for your kids to do their homework, play board games or work on their arts and crafts projects, it can be easily overrun with art supplies, outdated spices and unused or damaged utensils.

Go through your kitchen and discard anything you don't use, along with any food, spices or medicines kept in the kitchen that are beyond their expiration dates. Then take everything out of your cupboards and drawers, and wash the insides with warm soapy water. Rinse, let dry and replace cupboard and drawer liners with fresh, new ones.

Store pots, pans and cooking utensils near the stove, nesting the pots and pans together to conserve space. Make sure each one you choose to keep has a matching lid. This is also a good time to make sure handles are securely fastened, so keep a screwdriver handy to tighten down skillet handles or pot lids if necessary. Keep your dishes and silverware near your eating area or your dishwasher to shorten meal preparation or cleanup time. Plastic storage containers should be inventoried to ensure each has a matching lid and that they are free from cracks or other damage. Store them near your refrigerator to ease meal cleanup time.

Alphabetize your spices and keep them near the stove on a spice rack or in a nearby cupboard on a revolving rack. Store food items that you use on a daily in a place you can easily grab them when needed. Organize your pantry so that similar canned goods are in the same place and can be found easily when it's time to cook meals. Make sure your children an easily reach items they use on a regular basis, and make sure items such as knives, scissors, and household chemicals are out of reach and secured in a locked cabinet. Utilize airtight food storage containers to lengthen the shelf life of your foods.

If you have small appliances on your kitchen countertop that you don't use on a regular basis, remove them and store there in a nearby cupboard or pantry. A countertop storage cabinet for those appliances that are used on a regular basis keeps them out of site and helps reduce the countertop clutter.