Home :: Books :: Reference  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference

Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
Confessions of an Organized Homemaker: The Secrets of Uncluttering Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life

Confessions of an Organized Homemaker: The Secrets of Uncluttering Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life

List Price: $11.99
Your Price: $8.99
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: i should have known...
Review: by the price, the look, the description, and most of all by the advertisements listed on the cover and elsewhere for numerous ~1001 hints~ types of books that this would be a waste of money. time to rack another one up as a learning experience.

this book can be summed up in a few words, and many less pages than the 212 you would end up paying for: kitty litter trays, dishpans in "designer" colors, ice cube bins, drawer dividers, cup hooks, shelving units made of boards'n'bricks, and a calendar-style planner.

ponder deeply the implications of using those items in your life, and save the $10.00 you would have spent to learn "the secrets of uncluttering your home" from this book. it may sound as if i'm spoiling the ending for you, but as far as i can tell none of those items has been a secret for the last half-a-century.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Writer and content can sound nutty but it's actually good
Review: Despite the author's protestations to the contrary, she does come across as an extremely [...] person but that doesn't detract from the good ideas in the book and there are many. When it comes to the process of organizing, decluttering and storage, nothing is better or as indispensible as Julie Morgenstern's book, Organizing from the Inside Out, but this book is a good second book to have on the topic. This is really more of an "idea" book with lots of different ideas of ways of doing thing. The sheer quantity of ideas is enough for you to either find something that would work for you or to get you started coming up with your own. It really is a very systematic system for organizing and storing your stuff and presents you with some general principles that can guide your own efforts or just get you steered in the right direction, especially if you're new to this and really don't have an idea of where or how to begin. I lent the book to a friend whose house is fairly well organized and she thought the book was completely nutty or obvious. But what may have been obvious to someone who is already organized, was useful for me. And chances are someone who isn't organized or doesn't need help in storage and decluttering, probably won't be shopping for a book like this anyway. So if you already have Organizing from the Inside Out and are looking for a few more tips to supplement that book (although that book can stand on its own, unlike this book and most other decluttering/storage/organization books, where not one of them is sufficient to really help you turn things around the way you want them to be and to maintain a system that works for you), then this is a good choice. (Be forewarned though, some of this book can sound so rigid and extreme that it can be easy to simply dismiss the contents outright and thereby miss out on some excellent ideas.)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: There is hope!
Review: I have never read a home organization book before and I am glad this was my first. It was light and easy to read. It has many 'earth-shattering' ideas that I immediately put into effect. If you are putting off getting organized, at least read this book so you will know where to start!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: i should have known...
Review: I've had this book for several years (probably about 5) and it has served me quite well. Although there are very few 'new' ideas for organizing the home, this book is an excellent reminder of everything I know but keep forgetting about.

I enjoy the tone of this book and go back to it everytime I feel like things are getting a little disorganized and I need to remember how to get them back under control.

I would definately suggest this book to friends.

P.S. Her system for organzing bills has worked so well for me that I started it the first time I read the book and have used it unfailingly every month for the last 5 years...I never stick with anything that long unless it's really good.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is a book you'll want to share!
Review: My husband would swear that the house was fine before I got this book, but it has worked a miracle at my house. The book is not preachy or too Martha Stewarty. The advice the author gives is practical and easy to follow. Time management,agenda books, groceries, storage space and coffee filters are just some of the topics this book covers. It is truly a lifesaver!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not as great as others would lead you to believe
Review: Okay, I suffer from a severe case of NDD (Neatness Deficit Disorder) and this book was a lifesaver for me. It has simple ideas (of the 'why didn't I think of that' kind) and they are easy to implement. Having workcenters is absolute commonsense and makes a huge difference to my kitchen.
Placing my kid's books in plastic bins worked wonders until they were old enough to sort them onto their bookshelves and the toy storage ideas were great - although I can't bring myself to get rid of all those jigsaw boxes yet.
If your house is anything like mine was, definitely, definitely give this book a go!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A guide for both parents.
Review: Read this one and then: Confessions of a Happily Organized Family, same author.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An absolute must for every new family.
Review: This book is a lifesaver for anybody with children. When I bought this book, I just had my first baby. Lack of organization has thrown our household back with tons of chores piling up every week. This book has given me a lot of good ideas about the way to run a house smoothly. The best thing about it - you do not have to do it all in one day. The author stresses out that you can do it bit by bit and you will eventually get to a clean well-organised home.

The most valuable thing for me was the idea of a monthly planner. It does not matter if you are a busy professional or a housewife. To catch the bull by the horns you ought to have one.

One more thing, after reading the book you will understand that there no picture-perfect homes (of course, if somebody lives there). If your house is, and you are a clean-it-all slave of it, read this book. It will help you ease your cleaning passion and start enjoying life instead.

I am planning to stock up on a few copies of the book. Next time I am invited to a wedding, I will have an exellent addition to a present.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Why didn't I get "Organizing Plain and Simple"?
Review: This book was a terrific read and an excellent starter book for one, like me, who has great motivation, intentions, and energy, but just can't seem to get it all together. As opposed to several other books I've read on the same topic, this book had many practical ideas that I was able put to use immediately without spending a fortune on organizers. I love the theme and it has become my mantra: spend five minutes doing it DAILY and you'll never have to spend hours at it again, whether it's clutter, laundry, junk drawers, whatever. Very motivating and practical. Highly recommended by a former slob!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Motivating and Helpful!!
Review: This book was wonderful! It really motivated me to get organized. I enjoyed reading it [it is "easy reading" - the author writes very well] and couldn't wait to get started organizing our family. This book is exactly what I needed to get myself going.

One thing that really helped me was the chapter on throwing stuff away. I never realized that I had such pack-rat like tendencies till I read this book. I am now a firm believer in throwing stuff away [or recycling it, giving it to charity, etc] and our home is so much more uncluttered and nice to live in.

She has so many great ideas in this book that it would be impossible to list all the ways I've been helped by it. She does have some ideas that didn't work for me [I spent a long time trying to organize my recipes and shopping like she suggested, but it just didn't work for me], but they might work for others. I found this a great book to use on a "take what works, leave what doesn't" basis. I think our lives have been improved as a family because I read this book and used many of her ideas and suggestions. I highly recommend it to anyone - but especially to young families!


<< 1 2 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates