Family is many different things to many different people. Almost everyone will agree that family is one of, if not the single most important part of a well-lived life. They’re the people we love and would do anything for. And they’re the people who would do anything for us in return. It seems like there’s nothing that’s beyond the power of a family’s love. There are those occasional annoyances, however.

The truth of family is that nobody can ever seem to just leave each other’s stuff alone. No matter what family it is, no matter what country or period of history, the family tends to just wander off with each other’s possessions. It’s annoying, but it seems to just be the nature of the family. It’s easy to just assume you can’t have one without the other. You pick up a backpack, a sweatshirt, a water bottle and assume that it is yours. You take it to the gym, to school, or to the park. When you return home, you do not have it anymore. Sound familiar?

The love that brings people together also invites an assumption of sharing. But it’s just really easy to lose track of things. We often have enough trouble remembering where we put our own possessions. But add in the difficulty of telling family members about the shirt you just left at the library and it all starts to add up.

The seeming inevitability of lost possessions

Nobody can blame the family for losing each other’s possessions. But there’s no denying how annoying it is. And it’s not just losing our family member’s things; it is keeping track of our own items that can also pose a problem. What’s really surprising is that there are easy ways to get around this situation. For example, labeling, such as LeeLee Name Labels, only takes a few seconds to start implementing once you receive them. These labels are custom, stick on clothing labels with enough room for a phone number, designed to fit on the care tag of garments. Browse from their wide selection of label colors. These clothing name labels are ideal for summer camp and even for nursing homes! The label goes on an easily misplaced item. This will definitely accomplish a few different things. No more lost coats, bags, backpacks, books, water bottles, shoes, etc. It sounds like the family is going to be happier already.

There’s an old saying that there’s a place for everything and that everything should be in its place, but with a family, that is not always true.

Finding the proverbial place for everything

People often neglect one very important point about the saying. It assumes everyone is well aware of the place that various things are meant to be kept within. This is especially true of larger family settings. Someone can easily confuse who the owner of an item even is. Home organization can even complicate rather than help the process.

For example, a household might have specific types of objects stored in a single drawer. But someone opening it up could assume that a particular instance of the item they’re looking for is theirs. When, in fact, it might just be the same brand and belong to someone else. This is one of the areas where labeling can instantly solve the problem.

With labels, someone can easily spot which item belongs to which family member. There are even advantages to the practice which go beyond losing things. It can even bring up a chance to compare how one’s items are faring against the ravages of time. People might note that their possessions have more wear and tear and know it’s time to get a replacement.

Reducing clutter while still ensuring the proper ownership

Labeling can also help people improve or even implement systems for organizing things. People often like the idea of carefully setting things together by the owner and intended use. But the actual practice can be far more difficult. It’s true for people living on their own too. But in a family environment, it just seems to need constant micromanagement. People all have ideas on how to change methodology or systems. But the entire household can’t be called in to discuss an idea for shoe rack placement or the like.

But when things are labeled they just naturally fall into place over time. And when something might be better organized, there’s no need for lengthy investigation as to who the item’s owner is. Instead, the label can suggest organizational methods. And the owner’s name will be right there on the label.

This fits into our culture’s newfound love for reducing clutter. People are waking up to the fact that valuing what we own and getting the most out of it is important. One of the best ways of doing so is to take a step back and really appreciate who owns what and how it’s being used.