17 May Project Organize 2011: The Results are In!

Contest winner Cindi Moore and family.

Cindi Moore found herself overwhelmed by the amount of stuff she, her husband and three kids had accumulated in just three years. The Moores moved into their house in Old Hickory in 2008 and, up until recently, they also worked out of their home.

“In August, we moved our home business out to a retail location, and we were in the process of trying to convert our home back into a home,” said Moore. “We had three rooms that were just a mess.”

Before winning.

Just one month after the big move, Moore entered our Project Organize contest. Moore and about 100 others sent in pictures of their three messiest rooms, and told us in 200 words or less why they needed help getting organized. The winner would get one free organizing session with Tanna Clark, owner of Complete Organizing Solutions, one five hour house cleaning from Angel Maids, a $500 gift card to The Container Store and a $100 gift card to Goodwill.

Moore got the call in October. “I about hit the floor when they told me I had won. I was ecstatic.”

The process started in January, when Clark came out for a brainstorming visit. “I loved working with Cindi because she was very crafty, and she had great ideas,” said Clark. During Clark’s second visit, they started the purging process. Moore loaded up three big boxes full of stuff and took it to Goodwill. In March came the fun part – the shopping. Moore had $500 to spend at The Container Store. To help her get organized, Clark helped her pick out the right purchases. That included several containers to store the stuff they decided to keep. Then it was off to Goodwill to spend that $100 gift card. “We found some great things at Goodwill, including several baskets,” said Moore. And those baskets and containers are now being put to good use in their newly organized home.

After the Moores got organized, Angel Maids came out to the house for a five hour cleaning. “They got us sparkling just in time for Easter.”

Without Project Organize, Moore says the family would still be living in an unorganized home. “Because of the time and cost, it would’ve taken us three to four years to get organized.” Three to four years turned into three to four months, thanks to a little assistance and some new and gently used purchases.

Project Organize 2012

Professional organizer Tanna Clark

Do you have a clutter problem? You could be the next Project Organize winner. Our next contest will take place in September. Look for more information on our website this summer.

In the meantime, Clark has some advice:

• Whether it’s from a professional organizer or a friend, get help. It takes so much more time to do it yourself, and when someone is helping, we tend to make it a priority.
• Also, if you are faced with an entire room or house full of clutter, stop focusing on the big picture and mentally separate your house into manageable goals.
• Don’t buy a single organizing product until you have sorted and weeded out what doesn’t belong.

Remember: when you are boxing up the items you no longer want, be sure and donate them to Goodwill!