School and Office Supplies Chaos....... NOT!

One of my favorite places in the whole wide world is the office/school/art supplies department of a store. It makes me happy to see pens and papers in all colors and variety. It makes my imagination go bazinga with all the project that I can do with it. Ohh I love them like a fly to a fruit. :D

Most of us have this kind of department in our house, specially when you have school kids around. And sometimes we are just unaware of it. Because this section is quite all over the place. UNTIL, something is missing. It's hard to look for like scissors or glue when you need it most when you rely on memory alone. Like many other things it has to have a proper place in your home. It should be treated with utmost respect. Even if it is inexpensive per piece it wouldn't be if you keep on losing them one after the other.

Here are some tips on how to keep office/school supplies organized.

1. SEGREGATE 
             ~ collect all the supplies that you have and divide it according to their use or category. 
                 (ex. pencils, adhesives, paper, ruler, pens, crayons, punchers, etc)
             ~ divide them on how you want it to be categorized, in this case, it's how your mind works.
             ~ to each his own, what goes with what. :)

2. HOME FOR EACH
             ~ find a suitable container for each materials that was put together. 

 I used to use microwavable containers like these to segregate :

but it didn't work for me because they can  easily be separated from each other. Next thing I knew, only one container left on the shelf. :(

Then  I found this. Plastic drawers commonly seen in the HOME section of SM under plastic wares. Come in different colors and sizes. Depending on how many drawers you need.

 Here is some quick tip on how to remove those nasty price tags:

 Yes, honey, good old hair dryer does the trick! Turn the heat on and point it on the tag for a good 1 minute. Feel it if it is warm to the touch.

 AND VIOLA!!! It can be easily peeled. Glue residue seldom happens, but if it does, oil on a cotton ball will clean it swiftly. :)

3.  LABEL
                  ~ Label according to your chosen category

              ~ whatever container you choose, whether opaque or NOT opaque, labeling it nicely will make it look decent.

               ~ when these containers are properly labeled, it is easier to put things back in it, with out confusion, hence, saves time. (consider it like your home address, it has a house number on it.)

               

What I have is this classic Dymo labeler which I bought and  available in National Book Store .

I also have a slightly bigger drawer that can fit an A4 size paper. Each drawer can fit 1 ream of an A4.  This is where I keep my bond, sticker, colored, parchment, newsprint papers,(which I stop buying cause it ruined the printer head of my Canon Pixma, me ending up buying new printer. ) envelopes and some forms I usually need.
This container is ideal for me because it keeps my paper clean from dust and dirt. It also keeps my paper free from creases and folds which I hate most. It fits most shelves and cabinet.
 Since I dont have suitable labeler then, when I first bought this, I printed out my label like so. I attached a self adhesive business card pocket. The pockets are semi permanent but you can always change the label inside to your hearts' content. ( which reminds me to print new ones because these are not anymore what's inside.)


 4. A PROMISE TO KEEP

               ~  More than segregating, coming up with extraordinary container and labeling, keeping things together is the most laborious of all. With all the efforts done,one has to realize that this effort should come to last. So just follow this simple rule that is by the way you can print out so everyone who sees it will have the idea how this sudden organizing came about. :)

              "... place for everything, and everything in its place."