One of my most obvious yet helpful happiness-project 12 Commandments is to “Identify the problem.” I’ve been struck by how often I allow myself to be bugged by problems that I haven’t made any effort to solve – and by how easily I manage to come up with effective solutions, once I take the time to focus on the problem.

One minor but constant source of irritation in my life was that I couldn't figure out what to do with my two daughters’ various keepsake papers. I wanted to keep a copy of their birthday party invitations, the family Valentine’s cards we send out each year, my sister’s wedding invitation, their class and camp photos, some typical schoolwork, etc. But what where the heck should I store these items? Making piles of stuff in out-of-the-way cabinets and pinning papers to the bulletin board wasn’t a long-term solution.

“I keep a scrapbook for each of my kids,” a friend told me. But I just couldn’t face doing that. I was barely keeping up with our photo albums.

Then I had a brilliant idea. File boxes. You know, the kind of cardboard box used to transport files. I decided to splurge a bit (my happiness-project resolutions include “Indulge in a modest splurge,” “Spend money to further my goals,” and “Be a storehouse of happy memories”), and instead of buying ugly cardboard file boxes, I bought two slightly fancier boxes.

I fitted out each girl’s box with a pack of files. In the first file, “Baby,” I put a copy of her birth announcement and the invitation to her first birthday. Then I made a folder for each year of school. I only included a few samples of schoolwork, because I want to limit these files to special items. When the girls are older, I’ll include report cards.

I get a ridiculous thrill every time I see these boxes. They’re such a great solution to a problem: now it’s easy to put these mementos away; the boxes are very compact and organized; they’ll make great keepsakes for the girls when they’re older. I imagine my three-year-old daughter, in 50 years, looking back on the birthday invitation we sent out last month!

Has anyone else come up with any brilliant solutions to kid clutter or keepsake storage?