Recycling Options

 

Organizing Tips

  • Take the time at the beginning of January to fill in your annual calendar with birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, school breaks and vacations.

  • Use a silver sharpie to label black electronics cords
  • Get ready for cold weather now. Find those hats, scarves and mittens and put them in their proper places. Make sure the boots fit and put them by the door on a boot mat. Stock up on sand and get that shovel in place. Locate the ice scraper for your car and make sure you can get to it quickly in case of an unexpected storm. Keep some snacks, water and a warm blanket in case you get stuck on the road.
  • Make holiday tasks fun for all. Do you need to wrap presents or bake cookies or writing thank you notes? Invite a friend or two to help with these chores. You'll get things done quicker and enjoy the company. Return the favor and everyone's happy and the check list is completed.
  • Start planning for the tax man now!  As you receive your  year end
    statements in the mail, put them in a big envelope or folder in an easily accessible location.  When you are ready to do you taxes, you'll have everything you need to get stated.
  • Organizing is really about routine, about establishing a pattern for doing things. If you are a morning person, take 10 to 15 minutes every morning before leaving the house to put things away, and teach your kids to do it, too. You come home to a less stressful environment. If you are not a morning person, use 10 to 15 minutes before going to bed every night. You'll get to wake up to a clean room, less stressed, less anxious.
  • Now that spring is here set aside some time this month to get your winter gear in order. Gather all the winter coats, go through the pockets, make any repairs, wash or dry clean as needed. Then pack them away for another season. Do the same with hats, scarves and mittens. You may want to store a coat with the accessories inside the sleeves to keep everything together.
  • Donate outgrown outerwear and make a list of what you need to get for next year.
  • You are probably thinking about switching out your winter clothes and replacing them with your summer wardrobe. Here’s a tip that will help you tremendously come the end of the season. As you put your hanging clothes into your closet, put the hangers in backwards (hook on bar from back to front). Throughout the summer season, as you wear something, return it back to your closet normally (hook it on the bar from front to back like always).At the end of the summer, whatever is still backwards, you know you didn’t wear and you can more easily make the decision to donate it or give it one more season.
  • It’s hot outside! You never know when you might get the opportunity to jump in a pool or splash in the ocean or pond; and when you do…take it! Keep a swimsuit and a towel for everyone in your car. Toss in a bottle of sunscreen and some bug spray and you will be ready for anything. No need to waste valuable cooling off time by having to run home. You are ready to join the fun!
  • The frost is on the pumpkin… time to pack away the summer stuff to make room for fall fun.  When you make the “big switch” whether it’s clothing, sporting gear, or décor, be systematic and judgmental!  Try to use the same storage bins or system that you use for the last season so that you don’t grow your collection beyond your intention!  As you pack each item away…if you didn’t use it at all…time to purge it from the house.  If there is something new that came in, that means something old must go out!
  • Spring has sprung and that means it’s a great time for a big purge.Use your time now to walk through the house, basement, and garage with a laundry basket and collect those items you don’t use, love or need, and get them out of your house!Recycle, donate, consign and make room for all the sunshine that will start pouring in.You will feel cleansed and be ready to enjoy the great weather.
  • Back-to-School time is right around the corner.  Whether you or your kids are getting back to the books or it’s just time to get back on a schedule it pays to prepare!  Start to adjust your bedtime and alarm clocks to your new schedule about two weeks ahead of time, it makes it much easier.  Also, do a practice run or two complete with breakfast, bag lunches, getting dressed and out the door on time.  Practice makes perfect and helps eliminate surprises!
  • Recycle shipping peanuts by using them at the bottom of your plant pots for drainage.  They offer great draining properties, plus your pots won’t weigh a ton like they do using rocks.
  • Print coupons online rather than clipping them. If you know that you need something specifically it’s better to save this way rather than clipping them for items that you might not really need.
  • Make sure everything is in good repair and cleaned before storing clothing for the off season. It is a major bummer to unpack those items 6+ months later and find that you have to sew a button or repair a seam (especially when you are excited about wearing some of your favorite seasonal clothes again).