Martha Stewart suggests that you clean your closet every month to keep up with it. Ha ha, once a month!?! How 'bout once every 5 years? And her wonderful clean closet photos! Get real, Martha! Who has only 8 shirts?

The professional organizers agree the best way to clean your closet is to empty it completely, then have at ready 3 boxes labeled 'toss' 'keep' 'donate'. This weekend, when I tackled my own closet, I added a 4th and 5th box for 'seamstress' and 'consignment.'

I had my daughter there to critique my stuff, nothing gets past her evil eye. We only did one side, we would have never finished a whole closet project, and I would have been dressing out of a mound of clothing piled high on my bed for who knows how long!.

She's brutal, the line of the day was 'toss it.' I kept sneaking things from the toss box to the donate box. "Mom, you don't have time to drive these things around town, just throw them out." It's a generation gap thing...can you throw things away?

There were plenty of things that got a thumbs up, but as we found items that fit (scary..you know those dumb dry cleaners, they shrink everything...wink, wink) I made a list of things I need to complete outfits or pieces to replace.

If I have inspired a few of you to tackle your own closets, before you start, buy yourself a few packs of your favorite hangers. It's nice to toss out the cracked or broken ones as you go. Have fun!

14 great ideas from professional organizers

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If anyone needs her closet organized, it's me. I have literally lost items in my closet. Clothes or shoes I know I have vanish into the far reaches of my closet never to be found again.

Well, that's at least until I clean it. Guess it's time to wade through, weeding out my old clothes. No use hanging on to any piece of clothing I haven't worn in six months, maybe less. And, no, I won't ever fit into certain outfits again.

So I'm investigating closet organization systems, but I don't want to pay the price.

The Container Store in Hallandale Beach and Kendall is having a 30 percent sale on its Elfa system, but that closet system rangers in price from around $400 upwards to nearly $2,000 -- and that's on sale!

Ikea's closet system is another alternative, but also not inexpensive.

I'm going to start slow: throw items out first and then see where I'm at and what I need. Wish me luck. Meanwhile, if you have any great closet organizing ideas, post them. I suspect others have lost shoes in their closets as well. -- Marcia "Bargain Hunter" Pounds

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Did you make a New Years resolution? Is it the same one you make every year?

I switched gears this year. I have to accept the ten pounds and get on with my life. But I don't have to live with the overcrowded condo anymore. Years ago I moved from a 4 bedroom house to small condo, and have been struggling with my possessions ever since. I have too much furniture, crystal, china, art, clothes, shoes, you name it.....I have it. Slowly but surely I'm whittling away at it...some to my kids as they set up their households, sold stuff on eBay, donated some to charity.

It's like Sophie's Choice....how do you decide what to keep and what to discard? I need an intervention!

Did I mention Martha Stewart? I know, enough of her already, but she does have great space saving/organizing ideas on her website. I love the corkboard inside the bookshelves in the picture on the right. Isn't this great? I just gave my double bookshelves to my daughter for her 2 little guys....you might catch me at Home Depot this weekend getting some corkboard and glue. And this might be the reason MY house isn't getting done...is it adult onset ADD?

Please share with us your New Years resolutions. Is anyone else working on simplifying your life? Any ideas for great space saving products?

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My daughter emailed me the link for these rattan storage boxes, knowing how much I love boxes that don't need to hide in a closet. Closets hadn't been invented yet in the middle ages when my condo building was built!

I NEVER have enough storage space. I'm a big fan of decorative storage, hopefully I can eventually get to that elusive stage where I have 'a place for everything, and everything in its place.'

The three wooden boxes were $89 at retail, marked down to $69, and with an additional 15% off were $59. Still not cheap, but if they help me get even a fraction my life in order, it'll be worth it.

I ordered two sets. I plan on storing my grandkids little toys and books in the two big ones. If they are as nice as they look in the picture, I can stack them and use them as a small side table. You'll just have to hold your drink if the kids are visiting. Any suggestions for a good use for the two smaller ones?

Ballard Designs is having an Anniversary Sale, 15% off everything until September 15th. Have a look at the 'Estate Sale' section for the boxes. In this case, the extra 15% covered the dreaded shipping charges.

Ballard Designs Website

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I'm a fan of InStyle magazine http://www.instyle.com/instyle/
I'm a much bigger fan of any help that gets me to that state of fabulosity (Kimora, thank's for coining that word). So when I heard that the magazine's editors created Instant Style, I had to buy.

Although I know what looks good I don't always do justice while shopping or getting dressed (there have been a few fashion faux paux). If your fashion impairment has to do with putting an outfit together, then start turning these pages.

The book's useful layout is full of pictures and explainations on what works for different body types. There are tips on wardrobe pieces that are a must.

These suggestions won't be soon outdated because as every fashionista knows, classic pieces of clothing, shoes and accessories are timeless. Not that your wardrobe doesn't need the occasional update, but if you invest wisely, purchases go a long way.

The book retails for $29.95 at major book stores like Barnes & Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/index.asp but there is currently an online offer for $23.96 and members pay $21.56. Check Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/ for prices ranging from $19.77 or less for used copies.

Wishing you a stylish life,
Heather.

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The latest issue of Blueprint magazine has inspired me to get my closet sweater shelves in order. They suggest using these $13 plastic clothing dividers from stacksandstacks.com.

My colleague Angie suggested these would also be great to organize magazines. You could also do towels and sheets in the linen closet.

-K.V.W.

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No more wire hangers!

Tired of listening to all those organizational gurus who tell you that your closet would be perfect if only you spent a fortune on matching wooden hangers? Me, too. I spent a big bucks on a few quality wooden hangers at the organizational stores and never quite could afford enough of them to finish the job.

Then Costco came to the rescue. I found a box of 50 wooden hangers in solid wood with a cherry finish. They're notched and have a non-slip rail for slacks that really works. Even those slippery travel pants stay on. My closet looked great in just 20 minutes. The price? $22.99.

C.V.S.

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