Good Friday morning to you! I hope you are all well and healthy. At this time, many of us are planning our yearly spring cleaning projects and trying to find more efficient ways to do our regular cleaning.
If you know me at all, you know how much I love making lists, especially if it’s a checklist. This week, I thought I’d share two of my printable checklists with you.
There are certain cleaning chores I like to complete each week, but sometimes we get busy and I need a visual to help me remember what I’ve finished.
To download, right click on the picture and save to your device. Please remember these are for personal use only and are not to be used commercially.
There are two types of people in the world: those who are naturally organized and those who must work to be organized. Maybe you fall into that second category- you really want to be organized, but you’re overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.
And as some of us are beginning to think about spring cleaning, closet spaces are a good starting point.
My once well-organized closet now looks like this. I;’m struggling to find what I need and I’m tired of it. Maybe you feel the same way.
Getting organized is possible, but it doesn’t happen overnight. With the following tips, you too can have an organized closet.
1. Think about your family and your needs.
Who lives in your home? What rooms do you use daily in your home? What spaces are currently giving you the biggest headache? When you consider your family’s needs, and organize accordingly, you’re more likely to stay organized. Apply this to closets, too. Who uses that closet? What do they use the most? What don’t you need in that space that could go somewhere else?
2. Simplify, declutter and purge!
When you’re organizing, remove everything you don’t need or don’t use. Keep only what you use and trash or donate everything else. Clutter doesn’t help you in any way and it only stresses you out.
3. Sort and purge all rooms at least twice a year to keep things organized and decluttered.
We like to declutter once around Christmas time and once again in the summer. We usually donate or repurpose what we no longer use. This cuts down on toy clutter and helps us to rid ourselves of the things we no longer need.
4. Start small
Don’t try to tackle your whole house in a day. Start with a closet first, or even a drawer. Organize all cabinets and drawers and then move on to closets and rooms. Before you know it, your whole house will be organized!
5. Have specific places for everything and put things away when you are finished with them.
Sometimes we get lazy and we don’t always put things away when we are done. We then forget where we put them and misplace them! It’s better to put away the items and be done with it.
Getting organized may seem overwhelming, but it’s easier than you think. All it takes is dedication and a little effort…and the patience to start small.
Most of us enjoy being organized, and others of us want to be more organized. Some of us fit into both of those categories. Better organization and a more simplified life is at your fingertips…look no further than your smartphone.
There are a few apps that have proven indispensable to our family and I’d like to share them with you.
1. Cozi family organizer (free, premium version available)
Do you have two or more children with several activities on the calendar? Do you struggle to plan meals, keep track of schedules and to-do lists? Cozi is for you!! We use it to catalog recipes, share shopping lists and keep track of schedules via the calendar feature. Each week, it emails all members of your family the events for the week.
2. Spotify Family
I was already a Spotify Premium user and I originally tried to share my account with family. This worked great until we all wanted to listen to something different at the same time. For less than $20, you can have up to five members on one account…not much more than one Spotify Premium account. We also take advantage of their under 12 account, where you can block explicit content and see what your kid listens to.
3. Poshmark
Are you cleaning out closets for the new year and getting rid of outgrown clothing? Make a few extra bucks by selling those clothes on Poshmark. You can also save a few bucks by purchasing gently used clothing for your fast- growing littles. We do!
4. My Macros
Take charge of your diet and fitness by keeping track of your daily food intake with My Macros! I have used this app for about a year and a half now and I love how easy it is to track my calories, fats, carbs and proteins. I highly recommend it.
5. Instacart
No time to grocery shop? Uncomfortable going into the grocery store? Give Instacart a try! I have been making a weekly grocery cart, adding to it throughout the week, and finalizing my order when it’s finished. Then, I arrange a pickup time, drive to the store, and pick up my order. I pay online so my stuff is already paid for when I get there, and they even load it for me. It saves me so much time.
What apps do you use to keep your family, food and fitness on track? Comment below!
Some of us have already taken down our Christmas decor and put it away. Some of us have taken down our Christmas decor and haven’t put it up yet. Some of us (like me) haven’t even started taking it all down. I’m going to do it tomorrow. No really. I promise.
Did you know there are all sorts of great Christmas storage solutions out there? It gets better: most of them are fairly inexpensive.
Ornament storage
I don’t know about you, but I get tired of breaking ornaments each year while they’re in storage. A specially made case for safely storing ornaments will solve the problem. You can find this soft case at Kohl’s for less than $20 or this plastic divided bin for less than $10 at Target.
Wreath Storage
If you’re like us, you have a bunch of wreaths. If you’re fortunate to have the space, you can always just hang them on the wall, but if space is at a premium, you can use a wreath box or bag. We have this wreath bag.
WalmartTarget
Tree storage
Some of you lucky people use real trees and you don’t have to worry about this. For those of us whose allergies don’t allow a real tree, well, storage is an issue. Get some tree bags!! I like this one because it has wheels and it’s much easier to move. I don’t even need my husband’s help!
Lowe’s
Happy un-decorating!! We will see you tomorrow for a post about vision boards. Here’s a look at what’s coming up:
I wanted a cute bulletin board for my daughter’s desk, but I wanted it to be cute. I also didn’t want it to cost a lot.
I decided to use what I had on hand and make it happen. I had an empty white frame and some foam poster board. I also had cute fabric that would match her room and some pretty ribbon.
I began by cutting my poster board to size with scissors.
I then used Locktite spray adhesive to attach my fabric.
After I got the fabric attached, I decided it needed a little something more. I chose to add ribbon and glue some white buttons to the board.
And then I popped it into a frame and hung it up. The eldest little Lumber chose some of her favorite pictures to display on her new board.
It turned out super cute and so helpful for organizing her desk area.
And best of all, it was super cheap and super easy to make as well.
