We're ramping up to my blog's 20th anniversary on Sunday! I'll post a list of twenty things every day between now and Sunday and it will culminate, anticlimactically, on Sunday.
Today I'm ripping off an idea Stephany had that she got from the Girl Next Door podcast. Here's where we keep things in our household.
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1. Kleenex
I am befuddled by this one. We have tissue boxes in our living room, the primary bedroom, and the guest room. We buy it in bulk at Costco and keep the extras in the basement. We also have mini packs of tissues in each car, every purse I own, and in my desk upstairs. Basically we're both going to blow our noses multiple times a day. Is this not true of everybody? Or maybe this is a thing for people dealing with allergies (including allergies to our very own pets) or, if it's not allergy season, it's coming in and out from the cold multiple times each day?
2. Medicine
Most of our medicine is in the kitchen cabinet next to our fridge. All our daily meds are in there, as well as Tylenol and ibuprofen. We do keep some Dayquil in the bathroom.
3. Bandaids
We have clear plastic tote that is about shoebox sized that holds all our first aid things, including Bandaids, Nexcare bandages, wrap, guaze, several finger splints, and a sling. Neosporin and Cortisol are also in the clear plastic tote.
4. Heating pad
We don't own a heating pad, but I have a bear that can be heated and it lives on my nightstand.
5. Nail polish
I have one bottle of nail polish and it's in the fridge.
6. Winter hats/gloves/accessories
We have a giant blue tote in the basement packed with scarves, hats, and gloves. If you come visit us and you're not dressed appropriately, we've got you covered.
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| Hannah's coat is on top because it was the last item put away. |
7. Scissors
We have kitchen shears in the kitchen, as well as a pair of regular old scissors in the cutlery drawer. We have scissors in the downstairs and upstairs bathroom, a pair in the desk in our living room, a pair in each of our desks upstairs, and a pair in the guest room. I also have a pair of sewing shears that are just for fabric in our sewing room, as well as two or three mini pairs that I use for snipping thread and the like. I WILL NOT BE UNABLE TO FIND SCISSORS.
8. Tweezers
We have tweezers in the downstairs bathroom, the upstairs bathroom, there's a pair in my makeup bag, and a pair in my travel toiletry bag.
9. Slow cooker/air fryer
We don't have an air fryer, but the slow cooker lives in a bottom cabinet in our kitchen. The Instant Pot lives in an upper cabinet that is easy to access because we use it nearly daily.
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| Our slow cooker is pretty big and it works well for stews. |
10. Dirty towels
In a laundry basket in the linen closet in the downstairs bathroom with all our other dirty clothes? Do some people have a different place for dirty towels?
11. Tape measure
We each have a fabric tape measure (like for measuring bodies) in our desks, there’s one in the sewing room, one in our downstairs desk, and one in my purse. There’s also hard tape measures (like for measuring floors and walls and such) in the basement, the living room, and there’s one in my husband’s desk upstairs.
12. Gifts bags/tissue paper/wrapping paper
All this stuff is under the bed in the guest room. And we have a lot. Some of you may remember that "organize the totes under the beds" was a perpetual goal of mine in 2023 and it never got done. Now you can sort of see why it needs to get done. (I'm never going to do it.)
13. Library books
Library books that need to be returned (I'm talking about you, I Capture the Castle) are kept in my library tote bag which I hang on the hall tree in our mudroom. Library books that I have borrowed and haven't read yet are kept in a bookshelf in the mudroom. Library books I'm currently reading are strewn around the house.
15. Bookmarks
I don't have very many, to be honest. I use one to mark the place in my goal tracking journal and that's really the only formal bookmark I have. I have some old library cards a librarian friend gave me as bookmarks and I keep those in my desk upstairs.
16. Pens
Where aren't there pens? They're in every desk in the house (three desks) and on every table in the house.
17. Suitcases
These are kept in my husband's closet upstairs. I do have a Detroit Lions duffle that I keep under the bed in the primary bedroom. That duffle is ripped and the zipper only works in one direction, but I'm holding on to it.
18. Water bottles
We have a drawer in our kitchen where water bottles go to die. We each have a thermos we take to work each day and those are either actively being used or are in the process of being washed. I have a thing about water bottles and hate to drink with plastic ones, so we're in a constant battle with trying to find metal ones that I approve of.
19. Dog leash
Hanging up on the hall tree in the mudroom unless there's a walk in progress.
20. Jewelry
I keep jewelry in the closet of the guest room and hanging up on a jewelry organizer in our bedroom. My engagement and wedding rings are in a lockbox we keep in the sewing room.
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How many boxes of Kleenex do you have in your house? Where do you store winter gear when it's not winter? Do you want to come over and clean out the totes under our beds?
I'm so happy to see this post again!
ReplyDelete- Well, I only have two kleenex stations in the house - one on each floor - but it's a must. If I need a kleenex I need a kleenex! If we have guests I don't want them to have to guess where it is - so it's loud and proud in the downstairs powder room. I buy it in 3 packs, and haven't needed to stock up beyond one 3 pack.
- bandaids - Hubs is in charge of maintaining and storing our first aid stuff. He knows where everything is, and on the rare times when I need bandaids, such as this week when I fell and left some skin on the ground, I can never find the right size.
- heating pad - I have a rice pack, which is either in my dresser or in my bed on cold nights.
- winter stuff - two pairs of gloves that are stored in two of my three coats, scarf & hat in our entry way shoe caddy, spare hats in my car.
- scissors - duh in every room in the house and heaven help you if you use scissors and don't put them back.
- Tweezers - one pair in the bathroom, and I also use the pair on my Swiss army knife that is in my purse frequently. C'mon doesn't everyone carry a Swiss army knife with them at all times?
- Slow cooker & Instant Pot live in the basement, the air fryer has a dedicated spot on the counter.
- Dirty towels go right from the towel rack to the laundry when I clean the bathrooms. We use the towels for a week.
- gift wrap is under Hubs's domain.
Wait...you only have three coats? Like three winter coats or three coats total? Because, ahem, I have a lot more than that...
DeleteWe have three boxes of Kleenex in use, they are in the bathrooms. Of course I have giant packs of backups, but those are in the pantry downstairs and the laundry room closet upstairs. Winter gear is in baskets in various closets - and mine in particular is in my own closet. The guys' stuff is in a basket in the laundry room closet. Bandaids are also in the laundry room closet (I have a lot of closet space) but medication is either in a kitchen cupboard or - for my husband's myriad prescriptions - our bathroom. Everyone has their own laundry basket, so towels go in various ones. I do try to do towel-only loads for the cream coloured ones though.
ReplyDeleteWE HAVE SO MANY WATER BOTTLES. They are in a cupboard adjacent to the medicine/ vitamins in the kitchen.
Wait, we have four boxes! I forgot about the box my husband has on his side of the bed.
DeleteWater bottles, man. They PROLIFERATE.
DeleteI need to copy this post!!! So fun!
ReplyDeleteI also keep our extra water bottles in a drawer. Storing extras is such a nuisance, but my kids have a tendency to lose them and/or when their friends visit and need to take water on some adventure I want to have extras to share around.
How many boxes of Kleenex do you have in your house? I keep a stash in our main bathroom closet, and then we have a box in each bed room, one in the office, one in the family room, one in the living room and, in the winter, one in the kitchen. I don't have open boxes in the bathroom; I guess I'd use TP if I needed to blow my nose in the bathroom? I feel like I rarely blow my nose. I have allergies, but it mostly impacts my eyes (and ears, oddly enough) and not my nose.
Where do you store winter gear when it's not winter? In our basement storage room. We have SO MUCH WINTER GEAR. The kids tend to lose gloves (sensing a theme?), so when I see a good pair second hand, I tend to buy it. So we have a lot of extras. In the winter, we each have a little bin in our entry way for our own winter duds, and then if things get lost or we need extras I just grab things from the basement.
Do you want to come over and clean out the totes under our beds? Is this a trick question? You know I do. Legit, Engie, I would LOVE to clean out the totes under your bed. Like it almost physically pains me you don't live across the street right now because I would be there. Cleaning out totes is my jam!!
@Birchie: I'm amazed how many tweezers you own. I own a single pair and I guard them with my life. I don't own a Swiss Army knife, let alone carry it with me.
I have absolutely no room to talk about winter gear. We have so much and people always send us winter accessories for Christmas. I feel like we should really clean out that blue tote and donate to people in need! (Ha ha ha! We KNOW I'm not going to clean out a single tote, don't we, Elisabeth? If you ever find yourself in southeastern Wisconsin, you're welcome to come organize the totes!)
DeleteWell, you are covered in the scissors, tape measure, and Kleenex department! I need to copy you- I can never seem to find a tape measure when I need it. We're not a big Kleenex family though- nobody has allergies, so we really only need it if someone gets sick (I think there's a box in our linen closet right now.)
ReplyDeleteSo- do you not wear your wedding ring? I'm just curious. I don't wear mine either, because I can't wear it while I'm working. I felt like if I wore it but then took it off at work, I would end up losing it, so it resides pretty much permanently in my dresser drawer. Every once in a while I wonder if it's weird that I don't wear it though.
I honestly think the no Kleenex thing is a Florida phenomenon. I honestly don't remember the last time I had a cold or flu (KNOCK ON ALL THE WOOD), so it's not for when we're sick. It's just allergies and coming in and out of the cold. I just cannot fathom not having a box everywhere!
DeleteI don't wear my wedding ring. I've talked about my eczema before, but it's on my hands and wearing rings exacerbates it. Also, truth be told, I'd probably have to get those puppies resized before I could wear them. My husband understands why I don't wear them. I wore them once for a family function because his aunt was appalled I didn't wear them and I had a terrible reaction that took about four months to clear up, so...
I have bad eczema too and my dermatologist said to me, "You should get a platinum wedding band and stop washing the dishes by hand." Neither of which has happened. Though I don't wear my wedding rings any more either.
DeleteOh, ha! Doing dishes is my husband's chore and I actually rarely do wash dishes. I do wash my hands eighty bazillion times during the day, though, so it's a constant battle between fighting germs and fighting eczema.
DeleteI only read number 1 and I have to comment! I am like you, we have tissue boxes EVERYwhere, and it baffles me to visit someone who has, like, one box in a whole large house. We have I think 8 boxes in our condo, because both Mom and I are always blowing our noses.
ReplyDeleteOff to read the rest of the list now.
Right? I find it just as baffling when people don't have a single bookcase or visible book in their house. Why is their way of life so different from mine?! WHY?
DeleteOh no! Your list of 20 things actually only has 19 items- looks like #14 is missing...
ReplyDeleteThis is fun! Here's my list:
1. Kleenex- We have a box on the kitchen island, living room, (finished) basement/man cave, bedroom, both offices, bathroom, my car, and several of the little pocket packs scattered around in my coat pockets/purses. Ironically, I rarely have to blow my nose but my husband has allergies and I’m used to being asked if I have a tissue handy.
2. Medicine- specific meds like Tylenol/ibuprofen/Imodium/Sudafed/allergy meds are kept in the hallway linen closet, as are my husband’s back up antacids. I take a LOT of different medications, so I have a giant box in the bedroom and once a month I fill up five weeks worth of pill-a-day weekly containers and I keep one week’s worth (for AM and PM pills) in the bathroom. My go-to-sleep meds are in the bathroom also, as is the container for the one med I need to take 3x a day. I also have a smaller container of those in my car in case it’s time to take one while I’m out.
3. Bandaids- hallway linen closet, along with all other first aid things
4. Heating Pad- hallway linen closet
5. Nail polish- I have a big box of it that currently lives on a bookcase in my husband’s office, which is where it was put when we were moving in. I do have a wall hanger display meant for nail polishes that I keep meaning to put up, but it’s been…three years?
6. Winter hats/gloves/accessories- in a container on the top shelf of our coat closet in the kitchen. I can’t remember the last time I wore a hat or scarf, but we also have plenty available
7. Scissors- two pairs of kitchen scissors, plus random pairs in my office, the living room, the basement, and the bathroom. Also a pair of tiny thread snippers in the bathroom for some reason, and two pairs of embroidery scissors in with my needlepoint stuff.
8. Tweezers- a good pair in the bathroom for eyebrow plucking and a meh pair in the hallway linen closet for splinters
9. Slow Cooker/air fryer- slow cooker is in the bottom drawer of our kitchen island, air fryer is on an open shelf nearby because we use it a lot
10. Dirty towels- we have a basket in the kitchen pantry for dirty dish towels, placemats, cloth napkins, etc. and another hamper in the bathroom for bath towels and wash cloths. I wash towels separately from our regular clothes since I like to use fabric softener on our clothes, but it’s not good for towels.
I can’t remember the last time I wore a hat or scarf - lololololol. Our lives are so very different.
DeleteAlso, ha ha ha to missing #14. I'm keeping it like that.
DeleteExtra water bottles at our house also are waiting to die in a drawer under the microwave in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteAre we wrong to keep a box of kleenex in every bedroom and in the family room and kitchen but NOT in the bathroom? Maybe it's bc we have lots of people and if the bathroom is occupied then what if you need a Kleenex?
We don't have Kleenex in the bathroom, either. There's toilet paper in there if you really need to blow.
DeleteMy comment was too long (I'm sorry!). You'd think I'd take the opportunity to edit myself, but no, here's the rest:
ReplyDelete11. Tape measure- this floats around to wherever it was used last. We should really figure out a home for it! I also have a smaller (3’) cloth measuring tape in my desk drawer.
12. Gift bags/tissue paper/wrapping paper- regular supplies are on the back shelf of our basement, holiday wrappings are with the holiday decorations. I have boxes for actual wrapping paper, plus another for gift bags, another for tissue paper, another for wrapping paper scraps that are too big to toss but too small to use for most things, another box for ribbons, another for bows. I really should declutter this area one of these days.
13. Library books- I’m all kindle, all the time now. I can’t actually remember the last time I took a physical book out of the library, but I’m pretty sure it was in the beginning of the pandemic
15. Bookmarks- I don’t actually have any. My husband keeps his in whatever book he’s currently reading.
16. Pens- “Where aren’t there pens?” SAME
17. Suitcases- stuffed into my office closet in a precarious stack. They’re such a pain to get out that I usually just use my backpack for travel, unless we’re flying somewhere for at least 2 weeks
18. Water bottles- on each of our nightstands, plus on the coffee table in the living room. Plus I have one that I keep in the fridge at night and take out to my desk during the day, since I’m weird about liking very, very cold water
19. Dog leash- no dogs here, but we do have several cats. Their carriers live at the foot of the guest bed in my office, and their toys live everywhere else in the house
20. Jewelry- I have a jewelry box in the closet in the bedroom that I never go into. I wear my wedding and engagement rings every day, unless we’re traveling to somewhere where there is a beach, in which case I leave the engagement ring behind, stuffed into my sock drawer.
YES! Our cat carrier lives in the dining room and we always know the cat doesn't feel well when she holes up in there. Ironically, there are few dog toys in our house because the dog doesn't play with them, but there are cat toys EVERYWHERE.
DeleteOh now this is a fun post!
ReplyDelete1. Kleenex
We keep one open box on the counter in the kitchen. This house is open concept so it's always easily accessible. Back ups are kept in the master/linen closet.
2. Medicine
Most of our medicine is in the kitchen cabinet next to our fridge. Same. To a tee, the cabinet next to the fridge. I do keep my vitamins in the drawer of my night stand since I take them before bed.
3. Bandaids
We have clear plastic tote that is about shoebox sized that holds all our first aid things, including Bandaids, Nexcare bandages, wrap, guaze, several finger splints, and a sling. Neosporin and Cortisol are also in the clear plastic tote. Again same. Except this box also holds random cold medicines that aren't needed at that time.
4. Heating pad
This lives in the bottom drawer of my nightstand. I also have a couple of those rice wrap things that you microwave. One is currently in a basket in the bedroom the other is sitting on the chair in my dressing room.
5. Nail polish
I have a whole box dedicated to nail polish/care and it resides in the master/linen closet off our bathroom. I should probably just get rid of it since I've resorted to keeping my nails ultra short because I kept scratching myself in my sleep! When they say your skin thins as you age - they weren't kidding. I just woke up to fresh scratch on my face this morning...time to cut my nails.
6. Winter hats/gloves/accessories
Most of our coats are in the entryway closet - which is kind of dumb as we don't usually use our front door. The coats we wear the most often reside on the hooks in the hall leading to the garage. I usually put them away after winter; but this year I didn't; so they are still there. I don't wear hats. My gloves are usually shoved in my coat pockets. I think I have a couple extra pair in a hatbox in my closet and scarves are mixed between a box in my closet and a dresser drawer - but I don't wear them often either.
7. Scissors
This is a scissor friendly house. Currently in the kitchen there are kitchen shears, three pairs of scissors and garden shears (with another pair in the garage). I have a pair in my sewing kit; I have fabric shears all in my dressing room. I have a pair of scissors at my desk along with two pairs of embroidery scissors. I have a pair of scissors in the guest closet for my wrapping gift needs. I have small pair in my dressing room to remove tags, etc. And finally we have small pair in the bathroom for The Husband to trim his facial hair, etc And, I think, there may be a pair in the garage somewhere.
8. Tweezers
Two sets in the bathroom. The preferred pair and the back up pair. There is also a pair in the kitchen junk drawer for removing splinters/glass, picking up tiny objects or for the random use of fixing a link to a necklace/bracelet.
9. Slow cooker/air fryer
The slow cooker should be in the standalone cabinet in the kitchen but I think it's currently in the garage where The Husband left it after he took it somewhere. The air fryer has a permanent spot on the limited kitchen counter, much to my dismay.
10. Dirty towels
Towels go straight from the towel bars right into the wash.
Oh, my gosh, are you right about thin skin! AND everything takes SO LONG to heal now. I imagine a paper cut will take me two months to heal by the time I'm 60.
DeleteI've never come across a "this comment is too long" before. Part two:
ReplyDelete11. Tape measure
We have several tape measures. At least two that I know of in the garage (probably more). The Husband keeps trying to find a home for them in the house and I'm like NOPE. I also have a small tape measure that I used to keep in my purse (pre-COVID - I don't carry a purse anymore) for those on the fly measurements when I was out and about. It currently resides on the dresser in my dressing room for me to grab if I think I'll need when I go out.
12. Gifts bags/tissue paper/wrapping paper
This is all stashed in the guest closet. Wrapping paper mainly contained in a box. Christmas gift bags stashed inside another Christmas gift bag. All other gift bags stuffed inside a different gift bag. Two big boxes of ribbon; one for Christmas and the other for all other ribbons.
13. Library books
Library book that I am currently reading lives on the nightstand. Books to be read or returned usually end up on the stool under the bar so I can see them and remember to take them back on my way out of the house.
15. Bookmarks
I have a few stashed in my nightstand. But generally I use the receipt from the library or from when purchasing the book.
16. Pens
Where aren't there pens? Same. We have them at my desk, in the kitchen and in the credenza in the dining area.
17. Suitcases
Again same. Except I have a weekender that stays in my closet.
18. Water bottles
We don't have water bottles. We have a few Yeti-type cups and those are kept in the free standing cabinet in the kitchen.
19. Dog leash
No dogs, no leash.
20. Jewelry
I keep all my jewelry in my dressing room. The stuff I wear all the time in a little dish. Most of my necklaces hang on something similar to yours or are tucked away into a jewelry box I never use.
You're not the only one in this thread who had to post two comments because it got long. I love it. This is such an interesting discussion because we all do things so differently and yet we all have these things!
Deleteoh how much do I love posts about quotidian things!
ReplyDeleteWe have Kleenex in the kitchen, both bathrooms, our bedroom, and the kids' room. Yet the boxes always seem to be empty when we need a tissue. I keep wanting to buy our tissue from Costco, but the Husband doesn't believe we need that many boxes.
Our winter gear is in our our coat closet, with the stuff we aren't using in the downstairs coat closet. But it's a lot of winter gear to keep track of - five people with different sized heads and hands.
I mean how unorganized is the underbed situation? Is there anything other than wrapping paper/gift bags down there? If it's a location for a single category of objects, I would call that organized.
Also - if you don't have bookmarks, how do you keep your place in a book??? I had a friend growing up who would use Kleenex as a bookmark and periodically she would rip the Kleenex in half and blow her nose with one half and keep the other half to mark the book. I actually still do periodically use a tissue when I need a quick bookmark, because of her. Except when the Kleenex box is empty.
I mean, everything under the bed is in totes. The totes themselves are a disorganized mess. Yes, everything in that tote is tissue/wrapping paper or gift bags, but...it's hard to know how many of anything we have.
DeleteI generally take notes when I read, so I have a piece of paper as a bookmark and I jot down notes - things I should look up, lines of note, etc. Most of that time, that note is a receipt from the library. I don't want to use a bookmark because I can't write on it!
We also have SO MANY BOXES OF KLEENEX. But we have small children who are prone to runny noses so we need a box of kleenex in every room for our sanity. I also have one in the car. Phil manages the inventory of our kleenex and TP. We store the extra boxes on a shelf in our basement.
ReplyDeleteOur winter gear goes in a sort of storage bin in the shelving in our mudroom. I try to get rid of things when the kids outgrow them, otherwise our inventory of that stuff can get unwieldy very quickly!!!
I have no small children and have lots of boxes of Kleenex. I have NO SHAME.
DeleteOh, I can't even imagine how winter stuff must grow exponentially when you have kids! Egads.
Sometimes we hang really wet dirty towels over the sink in the laundry room, but their next stop after that is either the laundry hamper or washing machine...
ReplyDeleteIf the towels are super dirty or super wet, they'd go right into the washer, I think. But that rarely happens here with no kids!
DeleteWe keep meds in a kitchen cabinet too!
ReplyDeleteI take mine with breakfast and with my before bed water, so it makes more sense there than anywhere else. Also, you're not supposed to keep that stuff in the bathroom. I think a lot of us do this!
DeleteI would come over in a HEARTBEAT to organize those totes!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a downstairs bathroom or enough space to have a hamper in my (one) bathroom, so my dirty towels live in a hamper in my walk-in closet.
I think the beauty of this exercise is realizing we all organize our homes differently! I think that's what is fun about it. :)
Stephany, you are welcome to come and organize my house whenever you want. I think you'd be appalled at the winter gear.
DeleteThis is such a fun thing to do because we all have these things and everyone thinks their way is the right way! And it is the right way for everyone because our homes are so different.
I love these kinds of posts. I am nosy and love to learn where you keep your stuff :)
ReplyDeleteWe have four boxes of Kleenex around the house, and if you knew small our place is, you know that's a lot (two in the living room - one near my Peloton , one in the bathroom, and one by the bed).
I do not really store winter stuff in a separate space because a) we don't really get a real winter and b) I don't have a lot of winter specific clothing... so I just move long-sleeve stuff and jackets to the back of my closet ;)).
YES, San, you get it! If I need a Kleenex, I need one RIGHT NOW.
DeleteI am jealous of all you folks who don't have to find room for winter gear. It's big and bulky!
Wait, how many sets of towels do people have? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteI have 1 box of Kleenex (bathroom), 2 laundry baskets (1 in my closet, 1 in the bathroom closet for my workout clothes), and 2 pairs of regular scissors.
Winter gear lives in an underbed box, and I extract it in...t-minus 1 month. Before that, for my thin gloves that are usually required early October.
I think I have the same set up (clear bin and all) for my first aid kit. :) And most of the same product, lol.
We have eight sets of towels (four white, four grey) and each set is a big bath towel, a hand towel, and a washcloth. We also have another dozenish microfiber washcloths I use for washing my face. And a million kitchen towels. And four beach towels that are essentially used for dog-related things.
DeleteOne box of Kleenex? Even when I lived by myself in a one-bedroom apartment I had a box in my bedroom and in the living room! One box in the bathroom? Where there's already TP? I don't understand your life, friend.
This is so fun! How did I miss this? I love knowing where people keep all their stuff!
ReplyDeleteI have Kleenex in every room of our house. It's a good thing Costco sells huge packs of Kleenex. I also have tons of scissors, pens, and tweezers. I even use tweezers for sewing!
I don't have any nail polish. I have a closet dedicated to winter gear. Prescription medicine is in a kitchen cabinet, while all the rest is in a bathroom drawer with the Band-Aids. My husband and I don't wear our wedding rings because we've both had scary incidents - we're OK, but not excited about wearing rings!
These posts are so fun to read through. So interesting were we are the same and were we are slightly different.
ReplyDelete