HIS ARGUMENT: ·When I buy groceries, she always claims that I buy wrong brands. ·When I forget to put dirty dishes away, she sees it as a personal attack against her ·When I clean up, it’s not good enough. There’s no pleasing her, so why bother. ·Why can’t she understand that I need to unwind before I do housework?

HER ARGUMENT: ·I’m tired of doing all work around here and picking up after everybody ·It’s emotionally and physically draining because I have to be responsible for things he should take care of. ·For once, I’d like him to show initiative and do things without having to be asked ·How come, he can change oil in his car but doesn’t know how to turn on washing machine?

FUNCTION FIRST, LOOKS SECOND That means that when you buy bookcases or other types of furnishing with shelves, make sure these items have five or six shelves. Two or three shelves per item are just wasted space. When it comes to home organization, you want to buy furnishings based on criteria of function first and then looks second.

So if two items are both of acceptable appearance to you, always purchase one that is most functional. If one item is slightly prettier than other but other item has more vertical shelving, cubby holes and nooks, choose that second item. The peace-of-mind you'll get from having a more organized home will be much more valuable to you in long-run.

DON'T FOLLOW YOUR EMOTIONS Always remember that stores want to sell to you based on your emotions. That's a fact. Most marketing research agrees with that statement. If seller can hook your emotions, they're closer to a sale. For example, you see a pie safe cabinet that's outrageously priced but beautiful. So you say to your spouse who's shopping with you: "Oh, look at that pie safe cabinet. It's gorgeous. Look at that blue color. It's a little a high priced but maybe we can get it on credit..."

Stop right there!

As a smart shopper (and a smart home organizer), you want to buy based on what your brain tells you. So for example, now you look at that same pie safe cabinet and say: "Oh, look at that pie safe cabinet. It's gorgeous. What a pretty blue color. But we need something a bit more functional. That cabinet only has four shelves and one next to it has six shelves and is cheaper. The second one is maple stained, not blue. But that's okay. It's still a handsome piece of furniture and it's more functional. We'll get more space to use in our home and more product for our money."

Use your head, not your heart, to make decisions about furnishing items for your home. Then you'll have functional home furnishings that double your home storage space. Think like a home organizer versus a home decorator. Think function first.