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Make the Most of Your Space with These Organizational Tips

Living in an apartment usually means being creative with the space around you. If you leave items strewn about the kitchen, living room, or your bedroom, you can drive your roommates nuts or contribute to your own anxiety. Clutter, especially in tight spaces, can leave you feeling stressed out as you frantically search for your favorite pair of jeans or your house keys. If you want to be happier at home, try using these decluttering tips to keep your apartment neat and organized.

Keep All Those Everyday Items in the Same Spot Everyone has items that they need or use every day. It's the last thing you do before you walk out the door and the first thing you do when you come home after a long day. You toss your keys down on the first available surface you see, kick off your shoes, and put down your bag. If you want to save time, try keeping all these everyday items in the same spot. You can use an entry table, a shelf or maybe the desk in your bedroom. When you come home, remember to put your stuff in the same spot and you'll never have to search for your keys, shoes, or sunglasses again.

Do a Clean Sweep Once a Week Trash piles up, especially if you have a busy schedule. We tend to keep empty plastic containers, old wrappers and scrap pieces of paper way longer than we should. Make cleaning up trash a part of your weekly routine. Depending on the size of your apartment, this should only take 15 minutes or so. Every Sunday afternoon, walk through the apartment and throw away everything you don't need or use. You'll be amazed at the results. While it's best to stay on top of your trash collection daily, coming up with a routine will give you some peace of mind.

Turn Nooks and Crannies into Storage Space If you need more space at home, try turning every piece of furniture into a storage unit. You can try storing large items under your bed, couch, or the desk in your bedroom. This is a great tip if you're just moving into a new apartment, but you can also modify your existing furniture to make more room for storage. You can buy some risers for your bed or the couch, giving you more room for all those old textbooks you've been clinging to.

Keeping your apartment organized can be a daily struggle, but if you spend a little time each day cleaning up here and there, you'll feel happier and less stressed.