Tidy Thoughts
Articles, tips and inspiration all about attainable minimalism for moms and families.
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2/17/2022 0 Comments Is your home automated? Incorporating systems (the roadmap) and routines (the action) increase efficiency at home, saving you time, energy and money.
The term “home system” comes from the home automation industry, meaning a tech solution to automate the bulk of electronic tasks and connected devices. When it comes to this more technical term, I am thankful to have an engineer husband who works to make efficient solutions for customers every day; he incorporated that digital efficiency small-scale in our own home. I have some background knowledge about the home automation industry was just getting big years ago - the possibilities are incredible! When it comes to daily life, home systems for families can be as manual or digital as you like - whatever works best for YOU. Adding digital systems and solutions to your daily routine can significantly increase efficiency and productivity - it sounds contradictory to use technology when you’re trying to live simply BUT, it’s just another, new(er) option to save time, energy and money! Amazon (Alexa) and Apple (Siri), have brought simple automation solutions to the masses in recent years, although I’d argue these are more conveniences and not necessarily true home automation solutions. I’m talking about taking that next step after decluttering - organizing and systemizing for the whole family thru the end of February. I hope you’ll join the conversation!! Do you currently have any home automation systems set up? What do you DREAM of that your home can do?
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 If you're home isn't working the best it could for you, does it even feel like home?
Evaluate your needs honestly before you transform your space into something that WORKS for you and your family. What season of life are you in? Where's the most ideal place to put the stroller (near or in the garage)? The piles of shoes (near the frequently used door, but do you even wear them all)? The baseball bat you hope your son will use one day (storage, OR the DONATION BIN - gotcha 😉😂). I created this less than $200 "mudroom" space - a great place to hang up the diaper bags, hubby's backpack and store a bunch of kid equipment that was taking up valuable laundry room countertop and cabinet space. This is a "try before you buy" for us - it's working great right now, and since it IS working so well, we'll plan to do permanent cabinets in this area in the future. It was an empty hallway for 2+ years and went from nothing to good-looking and functional with things we already had around the house! If you bought this new, it would still only cost $200. We use this space to hang bags /backpacks and store equipment, travel gear and a few other things for the kids. The only things I specifically bought for this area were the heavy-duty Command hooks (they were black - had the brushed nickel spray paint!) and the foam for the bench seats. Yes, the hooks are holding my diaper bag and are incredible. The IKEA Kallax units are my favorite inexpensive and versatile shelf units ($49.99 each for these 1x4 cubbies). They have been with us for years and have moved from all different rooms and served many purposes! Here's what you would spend if you bought everything all at once: $49.99 x2 - Shelf units (IKEA) $10 - Cube bins (Amazon) $10 - Rug (at auction) $50 - Foam (Joann) $10 - Home decor fabric remnant (Joann) $20 - Hooks / spray paint (Amazon) $0 - Painting (hand me down from my grandma!) Have any spaces that you can repurpose and change up in your own home to improve functionality? Sometimes all it takes is a little switcheroo! |
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