Quick, easy, and affordable fixes for getting organized in the new year
![SS March Cover]( "SS March Cover")
YONKERS, NY ― Some organizing challenges around the house never
seem to go away. The March 2014 issue of ShopSmart, from Consumer Reports, highlights 14 clever and inexpensive products used by organizing pros that can bring order to common messes.
ShopSmart worked with professionals who are in the business of helping people get organized to come up with a short list of amazingly simple and efficient clutter-busting solutions. All of the products on the list cured a variety of real-life clutter problems and helped people solve their ongoing organizing challenges.
"It's amazing how a simple organizing product can change your life," said Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart. "Every product in our organizing story was an epiphany!"
Below are some simple organizing fixes featured in ShopSmart’s March issue:
PROBLEM: Unsightly electronic clutter caused by charging cords.
SOLUTION: The bamboo multi-charging station, $20, from greatusefulstuff.com, doesn’t take up a lot of space and charges up to three cell phones at a time and has room for a laptop and tablet. Its base holds and hides cords, keeping a desk or counter clutter-free.
PROBLEM: An unruly pantry.
SOLUTION: Oxo pop food-storage containers, $50 for a five-piece set, from target.com, can be stacked or lined up neatly on shelves to showcase snack options and make them easier to access – eliminating open chip bags and other packages in the kitchen.
PROBLEM: Unorganized jewelry.
SOLUTION: The Umbra Little Black Dress jewelry organizer, $20, bedbathandbeyond.com, can be hung in a closet or dressing area and makes accessories easy to see and access.
PROBLEM: Greeting cards galore.
SOLUTION: The greeting-card organizer, $14, containerstore.com, is a specialized file box that has dividers that make it easy to store cards by occasion and to determine when stock is running low and needs replenishing.
The full list of clutter-busting solutions is featured in the March 2014 issue of ShopSmart on newsstands now.
About Consumer Reports:
Consumer Reports is the world’s largest independent product-testing organization. Using its more than 50 labs, auto test center, and survey research center, the nonprofit rates thousands of products and services annually. Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports has over 8 million subscribers to its magazine, website, and other publications. Its advocacy division, Consumers Union, works for health reform, food and product safety, financial reform, and other consumer issues in Washington, D.C., the states, and in the marketplace.
About ShopSmart magazine:
Launched in Fall 2006 by Consumer Reports, ShopSmart draws upon the publication’s celebrated tradition of accepting no advertisements and providing unbiased product reviews. ShopSmart features product reviews, shopping tips on how to get the most out of products and “best of the best” lists. It’s ideal for busy shoppers who place a premium on time. ShopSmart has a newsstand price of $4.99 and is available nationwide at major retailers including Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Kroger, Safeway and Publix. ShopSmart is available by subscription at www.ShopSmartmag.org.
