Living On A Dime Newsletter

Today we are bringing an excerpt from mom's e-book on getting kids' rooms organized. Being the organizationally challenged person that I am, I am going to leave this one up to mom. ;-)

We were hoping to have our new "Saving With Kids" e-book series done today for you, but we had some problems and it's been briefly delayed. In today's newsletter, we are going to bring you an excerpt from the "Organizing Kids Rooms" e-book. One of the biggest problems we as parents face is getting rid of the beloved toys. Mom gives a few pointers to help you over the "mommy guilt" of de-cluttering the toys.

I can't stress enough how important it is to be ruthless in getting rid of your children's excess toys. As parents we know we are supposed to protect our children physically, emotionally and spiritually. Often we worry about others harming our children in these areas but more often then not we are the ones who do the greatest harm to them. One of the ways that we forget to protect our children emotionally is by allowing them to have so many toys and things that they become overwhelmed and frustrated.

I know this may seem like something trivial and small compared to what is going on in the world but it is important to realize your child's room and toys are his world. Kids really aren't interested in anything else but their own spheres and if that little world of theirs is piled with mounds of toys and other stuff, it can be overwhelming for them to deal with it on a daily basis.

I can't handle it if I have too many things to choose from and I'm an adult. How did you feel the last time you went to buy something new like shampoo or make-up? Were you overwhelmed with so many different kinds to choose from? There's nothing wrong with any of them. It's just that there are so many kinds. Put yourself in the place of your child, who isn't as emotionally mature as you are and imagine how he feels.

I just watched an organizational show where the parents (at the advice of the organizer) spent several hundred dollars on shelving and storage containers to store the children's toys. One container alone held 75 small cars. No child needs 75 or more of any type of toy at all. Do you know how much money could have been saved on shelving and containers if they had just gotten rid of more of those toys (Not to mention the headaches in keeping them under control)?

Is the speed of life costing you? Do you eat out because you're too busy to cook?

Don't feel guilty or tell yourself that you are depriving your children when you get rid of excess toys. You are doing your child a favor and he probably won't even miss them. Have you noticed how children usually play with the same handful of toys over and over?

In the same way, we keep 25 different colors of eye shadows, but only use 3-4 favorites over and over. If the rest of them were dumped we wouldn't even miss them and our kids wonlt miss most of their excess toys either.

Of course this doesn't mean to be cruel and get rid of your child's favorite bear or doll. I'm talking about all those things buried at the bottom of their toy boxes and closets that haven't seen the light of day for years.

Use drawers as toy boxes. Put 4 casters on the bottom and slide them in and out from under the bed.
Use a wicker laundry basket to store toys. Then you can slide it under the bed if needed.
Use a small kid's swimming pool to store things under the child's bed. They slide in and out easily.
Zippered bags that blankets come in will work great for collections of toys such as small stuffed animals, army men and cooking supplies. They also stack nicely and can slide under the bed.

The Living On A Dime newsletter is published by:
Kellam Media and Publishing, Inc.
P.O. Box 844, Andover, KS 67002