Top 5 Tips for Organized Living

Many of us like to wait until the New Year before tackling any new projects, especially the resolutions we make to ourselves about getting our lives in order. I can completely understand this; in fact, I don’t even think it’s a bad idea.  Well…I don’t think it’s a bad idea right now, considering 2013 is only a couple of weeks away!  That said, there are some small, painless changes you can make to your daily routine starting today, that can help get your home back in order.  Here are my top 5 tips for more organized living:

1. BEDS: Make your bed every morning.  Taking the extra 5 minutes in the morning to make your bed is TOTALLY worth it!  Coming home to crumpled sheets after a long day at work is not relaxing.  Even if the rest of your room is a mess, a freshly made bed will at least give you a little bit of serenity and hopefully a better nights sleep!

2. DISHES: There is nothing worse than having a rough day at work and then coming home to a sink full of dirty dishes.  Whether it means washing the dishes before going to bed at night, or before going to work in the morning, take care of the dishes so that it’s not something you have to face when you come home from work! An empty kitchen sink = Happiness!

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3. LAUNDRY: Most of us have laundry baskets or hampers to put our dirty clothes, however not all of us have a place for our dry cleaning.  These items usually end up piled up on a chair or lumped on the floor somewhere in the corner of the room.  This is not a cute look.  Invest in a second hamper for these items too.  Putting your clothes away, even if that means simply throwing them into the dirty clothes hamper, is a great way to get back control of your room!

4. MAIL: Sort your mail daily!  If your mailbox is located outside, sort your mail right there.  Take out all the junk mail and flyers and throw them out before you even step foot into your house!  It would be great if you had a designated place for the mail to be placed, but perhaps that’s a project for 2013.  In the meantime, start with sorting!

5. DONATIONS: Decided to donate something so that someone else can make use out of it is a great thing. Deciding to donate something and then making piles of junk throughout your home is NOT a great thing.  Once you have decided to give something away, put it in your car and donate it immediately. Don’t worry about making multiple trips to Good Will.  Most likely you wont be finding donate items everyday or even every week for that matter, so you really wont be saving yourself that much time, but you will be saving on space by getting rid of what you don’t need!

Decorating for the Holidays

I have always loved decorating for the holidays.  Bringing home the most perfect tree Orchard Supply has to offer, putting up lights all over the house, hanging stocking up by the fireplace…it all just puts a smile on my face!  Twinkle lights make everything seem magical! This year is no different, except for the fact that I was recently challenged to a holiday decorating contest.  I am not super worried…he’s an engineer.  Which made me think that decorating for the holidays can be difficult for some; here are some things to keep in mind when getting your home ready for this month’s festivities:

Decorate your home for day and night.  Putting up lights are great, but often times we forget that our homes are just as visible during the day (if not more!) and could use a little holiday cheer then too!  This can be done through adding garlands and wreaths to your exterior décor. 

Another way to do this is to incorporate your landscaping into the design.  This year we added red flowers to all of our window boxes.  Poinsettias are a holiday favorite of mine.  By simply adding two of these potted plants on either side of your front door you can immediately bring holiday cheer to your entryway.

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For those of your putting up Christmas trees in your homes, keep in mind that lighting your tree is just as important as picking out the right one.   Don’t just wrap lights around your tree.  Weave the strands around branches.  Start at the bottom and work your way up.  It takes about 6 strands of 100 lights to light a 6 ft. tree (For safety reasons do not string all 6 strands together...use extension chords! Also consider switching to LED lights). Be sure to test out all lights and extension cords BEFORE putting them on your tree!

If you are using ornaments of varying sizes place the larger balls towards the center of the tree and smaller ones at the edge of the branches. Also try to place your ornaments near lights so that they reflect more. If using wire hooks to hang your ornaments be sure to press down around your branches to prevent them from slipping and falling off the branch.

So, if you are reading this Mr. Verma, good luck!  Perhaps next year you should hire me or just ask your girlfriend for some help.

It's not just Santa that's coming into town...

It’s that time of year…time to get your house ready for visitors!   Creating inviting guests’ spaces can be a challenge.  Making a great guest room is as much about giving your guests a great experience as it is about you enjoying their stay.  There is nothing worse than tripping over your guest’s belongings and counting down the days until you have your space back! Here are some must haves that will help make their visit that much more enjoyable.

1.     Clear out some drawers for your guests and leave a supply of hangers for them to use in the closet.  Giving your guests the ability to unpack will make them feel more relaxed and prevent you from having to deal with unsightly suitcases lingering around.

2.     Keep a supply of toiletry essential for your guest to use (toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, shower gels, razors, lotions, towels, bathrobes).  Especially with regulations in air travel, your guest may not be able to bring these items with them, so save them the stress of hitting up the nearest CVS after landing!

3.     Nowadays the most debilitating thing is to be lacking power.  If you can, keep extra phone chargers, usb cables around for your guests’ phones, iPods, and other such devices.

4.     Keep books, magazines, and newspapers around for your guest to enjoy during downtime. 

5.     Stock your fridge and pantry with their favorite foods and snacks.  If you know of any specific dietary restrictions they might have, do your shopping accordingly.

The most important thing to remember is to enjoy your time with your friends and family.  Don’t think of the responsibilities of hosting as a burden. Instead let it be a time where you can kick back, relax, and have fun with your loved ones!  Of course, if the guests you have coming in town aren’t the most pleasant people, ignore everything listed above and have them sleep on a lumpy sofa bed and hope they are uncomfortable enough to want to stay in a hotel the next time!