Similar to how the new year marks a new beginning, for me, the same goes with each new month. I love being able to check off tasks from my to-do lists (hello, Type A), cross off goals from what I have planned out and succeeded in doing, and most importantly have a visual reminder of what I’ve done already and what’s to come moving forward.

When we moved into our home nearly two years ago, it was easy for us to designate each room and space purpose, and we made a conscious effort not to fill up a space with furniture and stuff just for the sake of filling it up.

During move-ins I always remind my clients that it can be helpful to live in the space a bit before settling on a plan. In some cases you’ll need to wait to identify how you are using the space rather than forcing a purpose on it. In our home, we had an extra area in our basement that sat purpose-less for a year and a half before it became clear how we should transform it.

Have you started your holiday shopping? If you’re like me, you take advantage of some of the crazy sales that started last week with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Of course, it’s no surprise that nearly every sale has been extended (seriously, there is no reason to pay full price these days) and I have a few more things I’d like to grab for people on my list. I find gift guides to be helpful because it’s easy to fall in a rut when it comes to gift giving, especially for picky people like your kids or for specific occasions like holiday parties when you don’t want to go empty handed but want an alternative to a bottle of wine.

During the transition between seasons I find myself reaching for the “in between” items. The light jackets and sweaters are the items that I rarely shop for but honestly they probably get the most wear!I know I’m not alone, as we have several clients requesting closet organization and refreshes. The turn of the season brings the “out with the old, in with the new” mentality, but in my line of work I have seen time and time again that it is more difficult for people to practice what they preach. I get it! So, here are the tips that I tell all of my clients. There are no strict rules that you have to follow, and honestly very little time that goes into it if you keep up with the process seasonally.

As cheesy as it may sound, labels are the glue that hold your systems together. They are the structure to support the system that you’ve worked hard to put into place (like organizing your pantry) and keep categories together. Labels can help you save time (especially with kids), cut down on waste, save money and make daily tasks easier. I highly recommend the company Mabel’s Labels, their products are durable, aesthetically pleasing and can be applied to multiple items.

To be completely honest, garages are one of the most difficult areas for us to get excited about. We are less concerned with making the space “pretty” with products that tie into the home’s aesthetic and more focused on figuring out how to make the pieces of the puzzle fit together in a way that makes it both visible and possible to access, which can sometimes be tricky in such a tight space. Here are our 6 tips for how to get started, what to consider, and how to make the most of your space to create a functional garage.

Like many families are currently experiencing, the beginning of summer signals the end of the school year and with that comes the beginning of a schedule (or lack thereof) that is far from our typical September-June routine that we’ve nailed down over the years. Despite all of the chaos and excitement from the last couple of weeks, I want to get back on track so that I can enjoy summer (which officially started yesterday) and I am already feeling behind in my Type-A mind. Here are some tips to help your summer be a little more organized. Things like making a plan, organizing to-dos and keeping lists around the house will make a world of a difference for you.

Today, June 1st, I turn 40. I am closing out my most challenging, rewarding, and life altering decade. In my 30s there were at least 5 major life changes where organization helped me…and when I say “helped” me at points, being organized actually saved me. Saved me from having to focus on the unnecessary and waste time, saved my sanity so that I could just stick to the routine and saved me money because I knew what I had and didn’t overspend which saved me lots of unnecessary stress. Here is a little insight into my life and how I navigated it all!

When I walk into an awkwardly-shaped room or tiny closet that I know is not functioning best for the client I am forced to get creative with the existing space (especially if it is not an option or within budget to change the layout of the space). So, I maximize the area that is available. Here are some of the tried-and-true tips that I incorporate into my client’s homes and that would work in any tight space from dorm rooms and studio apartments to older homes with teeny storage spaces. Choosing quality over quantity, investing in double-duty pieces, adding color and texture pieces are all key in getting the most out of your small space.

In this time of Thanksgiving, I want to thank you for supporting Rachel and Company.  Whether you are a current client, past client, potential client, newsletter subscriber, have purchased our DIY product, Organized in a Box, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.