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Save space and scratches by organizing your DVDs

At $20 a piece, DVDs present a problem. We buy them to keep our kids entertained while we get some much needed Mom time, but at that price we hesitate to let our kids touch them. Rather than be the constant middle man between the DVD player and my kids, I created this simple binder system.

The first step (and this is a tough one for some people) is to ditch all the plastic cases. The fact of the matter is that most scratches come not from using the DVDs but from kids trying to take them out or put them back in their cases. Save yourself the hassles, the space and the scratches by purchasing these inexpensive and compact CD cases.

I purchased three different colored cases to help keep my family organized. The first case is for kid's DVDs. The second is for Mom & Dad movies. The third holds all the "bonus features" DVDs that we never watch but can't seem to throw away.

The color coded cases and the easy flip-through, clear sleeves help them find exactly what they're looking for. Better yet, there's no particular order to the DVDs so when they need to put one away, they flip through the sleeves until they find an empty slot. The sleeves are made of soft, flexible plastic so scratches are a thing of the past.

We've also found them very handy for road trips. Rather than sort through which DVDs we want to keep in the car, we grab the entire case and slide it under the front seat. It's also very handy when you want to keep your Mom & Dad DVDs out of the hands of little kids or babysitters. It's not a fancy system, but it simple, cheap and makes life just a little easier. Just thought I'd pass it on.

More details on the 'Kid's Closet Organization' post

Thanks Erika, for you question about the details of the dresser system I listed on a previous post <http://meckmom.blogspot.com/2006_02_01_meckmom_archive.html>. Here are few of the specifics.

I have 5 plastic drawers in each kid's stack. I'll list them from the top down.

· Shoes & Accessories
This one holds all those miscellaneous items like belts, slippers, hats & cover-ups. It also holds any shoes they don't wear regularly. The shoes my kids wear on a daily basis (generally 1 or 2 pairs of casual and 1 pair of church) are kept in a big basket by the door.
· Underwear
This one is divided with foam core dividers (see previous post) into three sections. The first section holds undershirts and swimming suits. The middle section holds underwear. The last section holds socks and tights.
· Shirts
· Pants
· Pajamas

Dress shirts, jackets, and dresses hang on the rod above. My kids have fairly wide closets so I'm able to put two stacks facing each other in a closet with just enough room between for the drawers to open. However, when we had an apartment with smaller closets, I slid these under the beds and stacked one next to the crib.

As for the labels, I printed them on full-sheet sticker paper (I like Avery). I use laminating film (the cheap kind you buy in a roll) to cover and protect the label edges. I usually cut it about 1" larger than the label on all sides.

These drawers offer one more bonus in my house. There's about 8 inches of clearance between the back of the drawers and the side of the closet. I use that space as temporary storage for all the outdated clothes. Whenever I'm putting away laundry and come across something that doesn't fit or is no longer in season, I just toss it back behind the stack.
Once a quarter or so I pull the drawers out and retrieve all the old clothes. I pack them by size into big tubs, label them, and stash them in the basement.

If you're one of those people that can't sleep at night because there's a pile of unfolded clothes lurking behind your dressers, then this part of the system won't work for you. But it works great for me :). Just thought I'd pass it on.