Organizing Tips for March

Spring arrives this month, at least on the calendar. Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 11^th.  Set your clock ahead one hour.  This month we are concentrating on the attic and clothing.

• This is the time to get indoor tasks finished so you can enjoy the outdoors as soon as the warm weather is here.  Whatever the project, do not let it drag on or remain unfinished until next winter.  Make that final to-do list and get it done. 

• The Attic.  Unless you are storing items for another family member, the goal is to keep as little as possible in the attic.  It is usually inconvenient to access and too hot or cold to spend time there.  The extreme temperatures are also not good for many items to be kept there safely.  In addition, you must take care to prevent invasion by critters.

      If you are storing items for adult children or other friends or family consider  asking them to retrieve them.  Setting a deadline to have them removed or they will be donated may spur them into action.  In my professional and personal  experience, I have found that most people don’t really want them after being without for awhile.  You may be surprised that is the case with items you may have stored for others.

            For safety reasons and convenience, add lighting and secure floor boards in areas of the attic you must use.  

            For items you must keep, create zones for the types of items you are storing.  For example, holiday items can be labeled and stored together. 

            Use color coded containers or labels to help identify containers quickly.

            Take care to cover wood furnishings with sheets or blankets.  Upholstered furniture should not be stored in the attic for many reasons.

            The attic is not suitable for candles, photographs, soft plastics such as in dolls,  electronic media such as tapes, and many fabrics.

            If there are many items left to store after sorting, purging and cleaning the attic space, it is a good idea to create a map of where items are located.  This will save much time when it is necessary to recover them.

• Clothing   As the days are longer and warmer, remove the heaviest clothing you will save to summer storage.  This may mean to the back of the closet, to another closet or storage area, or out of the house permanently.  If they will be part of a future yard sale, store them in the area set aside for that.

      Winter clothing takes up lots of room in closets and drawers because they are  heavier and have long sleeves.  If there are items you did not use or those that children have outgrown, consider moving them out now. 

      Clothing closets are one of the most frequently requested areas to organize.  While there are great strategies to use in setting up closet systems, the biggest problem is too many items.  Pareto’s rule applies here.  You usually wear only 20% of your clothing 80% of the time.  Being willing to let go of those items that you don’t wear, for whatever reason, will make the task of organizing the closet much easier.

      While consignment shops usually only take current season clothing, removed items can be donated to a charity or sold in a yard sale.  Moving them out will give you more space for the items that you do love and wear.

• If you have considered the possibility of having a yard or tag sale. It is never too early to plan and prepare for one.  This month is the time to set the date and work towards that goal.  May and June are great choices as it is not too hot and people are on the move.  Consider going in with neighbors or friends to draw more customers onto your street. 

In the March 2011 checklist, I promised not to complain about the summer heat after last year’s cold temperatures and I kept that promise.  The mild weather this winter was my reward.  My fall camellias were still blooming in January while the spring varieties were just beginning to blossom.  I love it! 

Organizing Checklist for August

Organizing Tips for August

This month brings us the back-to-school events, the end of summer sales and final trips to the beach and other vacation destinations. Planning for fall activities is a good idea, too.

There are two areas that benefit from organizing in August: school and office.

Many states have a weekend of freedom from sales tax to help with school supplies.  Many office and stationery supplies are covered, too.  These stores will identify covered items for you. In Virginia the tax holiday is August 5-7, 2011. What's Exempt: During this three-day period, purchases of qualifying school supplies selling for $20 or less per item, and purchases of qualifying clothing and footwear selling for $100 or less per item will be exempt from sales tax.

Most stores have increased their inventory of school and office supplies.  You can find a better selection and better prices this month. Make a list and try to find those things you need while there are good choices.   Plan ahead for consumable items like printer paper, notepads, etc.  Be sure you have room to store these items.  Clean out items that are no longer useful or in disrepair.  Organizing your files is a great indoor activity when the weather is too hot for outside work.   For children, check the supply list created by the specific school or teacher. 

Think ahead in purchasing children’s clothing. My oldest child grew 3” the first two months of his 9th grade year. The clothes I purchased early in August to get the best selection were too small in October. (This was before long baggie pants were acceptable.) 

If you plan on having a yard sale in the fall, begin planning now. Start gathering items that you need to move on, clean and price them. Young children have probably outgrown last year’s school attire. Take an inventory to see what you can sell or donate now. As colder weather and winter approach, you may need to take another look at heavier clothing to see what can be eliminated.

Go to Craig’s list or EBay to determine a reasonable price for selling your items. In fact, you may want to put some of the items up for sale there now so they won’t take up storage space in your home. If you want to join with others in a sale, pick a date now that is good for everyone.

Organizing Checklist for June

It is the end of the school year and the children or grandchildren will be around so now is the time to prepare for the summer months ahead.  Don’t forget our resolution to remove a bag of items a week and to eliminate and hour of electronics a week.  If you have not been diligent, don’t give up.  Just pick up where you left off and start again. 

This month we will tackle keepsakes, children’s rooms, travel and more.

Too many of anything means none of them are special.  This includes collections such as china, dolls, salt and pepper shakers, stamps, etc.  If space is limited and many of these items are stored in the attic or closets, consider saving only those that have special meaning and letting the remainder go to someone who will appreciate them and has room for them.  Put those that you keep in a place where they can be enjoyed and given the honor and respect they deserve.  If you cannot let any go, then consider rotating those on display.

Photographs are another source of keepsake clutter.  Save only the best from each activity.  No one needs 100 pictures of the beach vacation.  A few special pictures are all that is needed to capture that special time.  There are lots of ways to sort and save them in colorful scrapbooks and online.  Each Christmas I receive a calendar with pictures of my grandchildren taken each month the year before.  They are a mini scrapbook of 12 pages and all I need to remember those special occasions for that year.

An avalanche of school papers may be arriving for you to handle this month.  My best advice is to let the child decide which to keep.  Keepsake boxes or binders can be used for these.  Give one to each child and let it be the only place for special items to save.  If it gets too full, let the child decide what to keep and what can go.  Resist the urge to get more or bigger boxes.  Think about how many things you really need from your childhood to remember the good times.  (We don’t want to relive those not so good times!)

Children now have time to go through their rooms and eliminate items they have not used or no longer want or like.  Clothing that no longer fits can be sorted for sale or donation.  Children grow quickly and by fall most of what they wore during the past year will not fit.  Thankfully not much variety in clothing is need for the summer months

Make a point of enjoying the outdoors while the weather is nice.  Keep outdoor umbrellas closed when not in use.  It will extend their usefulness and prevent damage during high winds or thunderstorms.  I have personal experience with this one.

And speaking of storms, this is the beginning of hurricane season.  If you live in an area affected by hurricanes, high winds or rising waters, you should review the list of necessary emergency items and secure those now.  Be sure to update your household inventory.  More information on it can be found on a previous Blog I posted:  http://organizingtipsfromorderlyplaces.blogspot.com/2009/06/pictures-for-inventory.html

If you will be traveling this summer, create a permanent travel kit with activities for yourself and family.  If it is only used for travel, the items will appear to be almost new and more interesting. 

If you travel often and if you have storage space, create a permanent supply box or bag with items you always need.  Some of these may be duplicates of items you use everyday at home but you will not need to disturb those.

A permanent travel checklist that you keep on your computer or in a convenient notebook is a great strategy to prevent forgetting items you always need.  I keep one just for quilt retreats, my favorite travel experience! 

For information on organizing your suitcase, check out this article I posted recently:

http://hrblogs.typepad.com/homeandgarden/2011/05/organizing-your-suitcase.html

 

The days will be hot and humid for the next few months but I am thankful.  I was too cold for too long last winter and I vowed not to complain about the summer heat when it arrived.  Even with the mosquitoes, I go outside everyday and appreciate seeing green trees and flowers.  I also appreciate returning to air conditioning!

November Organizing Tips

The holiday season has arrived and it is time to get busy.  Here are the organizing items that should be done in November.
1.  Purchase and address holiday cards now.  They should be ready to mail by the end of the month.
2.  Review or create the gift list so you can take advantage of sales on those items.  Look for free shipping offers if ordering online.  This method also saves time and money in the long run.
3.  Mail out of town packages by the end of the month.  Overseas packages may have earlier deadlines.
4.  Send out invitations for Thanksgiving Dinner as soon as possible.  Create a menu, grocery list and time schedule for that meal.  If you are not inviting guests, create those for yourself.
5.  Save lists, names, addresses, gifts, menus, grocery lists and any other related items in folders for reference next year.  Make notes as detailed as possible to save time in the future.  These can be saved as documents in folders on your computer or as paper files in folders by categories in your file box or cabinet.
6.  Avoid the Black Friday and after Thanksgiving sales unless you vow to stick to your gift list.  Otherwise clutter may become a holiday issue you do not need.

October Organizing Tips

For more organizing information, visit my website:  http://www.orderlyplaces.com/

1.  As cool weather approaches, check your wardrobe for clothing that is no longer useful.  Plan to sell, donate or give away those that you no longer need.
2.  Clean and store outdoor furniture.  If mildew has appeared, use a diluted mixture of bleach and water to remove it.
3.  Clean and store yard and gardening tools.  Sharpen any that have become dull with use.  Save the rakes until after all of the leaves have fallen and been collected.
4.  Clean the outside of windows while the weather is still pleasant.  If other area on the outside of the house need cleaning, do that now.
5.  Clean and organize the attic as the weather permits.  There is a limited amount of time between the cold of the morning and the heat of the afternoon to get this job done.  Some areas may need to wait until November in order to avoid excessive heat.
6.  Plant grass seed and any new shrubs that your yard needs.  Cool weather will give the roots a chance to develop without the heat of summer sun.
7.  Think about the upcoming holidays.  The decorations are already out in local stores.  You should have already made travel plans but if not, do it now.
8.  For the best selection, look for you holiday cards now and watch for free shipping on phone and online orders regardless of the size of the order.
9.  Purchase gifts that are to be mail and get them ready for early mailings.  Overseas packages should be mailed before December.
10.  Bring out the fall decorations and enjoy this time of the year.