Keep Your Home & Life More Organized

It’s tough to stay organized, keep your home neat and still have a life. And if you could afford a maid, life would be so much easier. The following tips don’t take a lot of time once you get in the habit and even better, most of the tips don’t require that you spend a lot (if any) money. And the results are worth it. You’ll have a reasonably clean house, a card or gift at the ready for any occasion and you’ll still have time to enjoy your favorite TV shows.

Friends & Family/Special Occasions

• Use a program to set up reminders for people’s birthdays, anniversaries or other occasions that require you to send a card or gift. Programs like Outlook and even free email services such as Yahoo Mail allow you to set recurring reminders hours, days or weeks before events to give you time to make the phone call, mail the card or buy a gift. You’ll never forget a special occasion again. Enter in the most important people first and then gradually add in other occasions as they come up (and then they’ll be in the system for next year).
• When grocery shopping or at the drugstore, take a few minutes to get some cards in the 99-cent section. In about 10 to 15 minutes, you can usually find some funny or attractive cards for a variety of occasions. Pick at least two birthday, condolence, thank you (if you don’t want to buy a packet) and congratulations cards. Try to keep them as generic as possible (i.e. don’t buy a 40th birthday card) and then you can use it for anyone. Buy a few blank cards as well. If you do select a card you think might be appropriate for a particular person, just put their name on a Post-It and attach to the card so you’ll remember when it’s time to retrieve the card for that person. Store all the cards in a box or bin by event with the envelope. And when your reminder pops up for someone’s birthday, you’ll have one handy. This is also great for unexpected events so you don’t have to rush out and buy a card.
• Have a few gifts on hand to give to people. You’re suddenly invited to a housewarming party or a co-worker unexpectedly gives you a holiday gift. No need to scramble, just pick from your stash. Great items that can be used for almost any occasion include candles, a candle holder, attractive photo albums, picture frames, bath soaps or lotions. Many of these items can be found on sale throughout the year so you can give a more expensive gift without the expensive price tag.
• Buy general wrapping paper and have varying sizes of gift bags so wrapping that gift won’t be a chore either. Buy during sales or at discount stores so you’ll have an attractive presentation without going bankrupt.
• Use a spreadsheet to store addresses for holiday cards. The file can be exported to Microsoft Word to make attractive labels quickly and easily. At the end of each year and anytime you learn of an address change, update the file to be sure you have accurate information for next year. Then all you have to do is export and print.
• For events where you’ll get lots of gifts (i.e. a baby shower), send thank you cards as you receive gifts so it won’t seem overwhelming and people will appreciate your quick response. If you think you might not be as timely as you’d like, keep the card with the gift until you send the thank you so you’ll remember who gave you the gift.

Around the House

• When going from one room to another, take something with you. For example, if you’re heading to the kitchen for a snack and the laundry room is on the way, bring a basket of clothes to put in the wash.
• Before leaving a room, look around from the doorway to see if there are things that can easily be cleaned up – dishes, a finished magazine that can be recycled, TV remotes lying around. It takes only a few minutes but has a lasting effect – the room will be neater when you return.
• Make the bed every day. It really makes the rest of the room appear cleaner.
• Efficiently multi-task. While you’re waiting for something to cook, load or empty the dishwasher or wash/dry the dishes. Dust while you’re on the phone with a friend. Pour a little toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet while you’re waiting for the shower to get warm. Once you’re out of the shower, quickly scrub and flush.
• Once a week (pick the same day so you remember), spray down your shower/tub and let the cleanser sit while you dry your hair, brush your teeth, etc. Before leaving the bathroom, rinse it. After a good cleaning, doing this once a week will keep your shower/tub cleaner longer and require a lot less scrubbing when you want to more thoroughly clean it.
• Put like items together (especially silverware) as you load the dishwasher. This makes unloading a lot faster.
• Have dusting cloths in strategic places around the house (great places are centrally located closets and bathrooms). When you notice a little dust or on your way out of the room, quickly wipe down the furniture. Depending on the amount of furniture, this takes 2 to 10 minutes.
• Use Outlook or a similar program to remind you to do those special – and sometimes important – things that somehow get forgotten: testing smoke alarms, rotating rugs, balancing your checkbook, car oil changes, watering plants, etc.

For Pet Owners

• Keep covers on chairs and other furniture. Then when you have company, just pull them off and you have instantly clean chairs with no mad rush to spruce them up. This is a good time to wash the covers. Just remember to put them back on.
• Keep lint rollers in your car and in central location (maybe with your keys). Even if you roll your clothes right before you leave, you might need a touch up after you’re in the car
• Keep a folder for every pet you own. Put receipts from vet visits in there as well as copies of their license and vaccination reminders. Bring the file with you to the vet so you have all your information handy for scheduling follow-up visits or simply consulting with the vet.

Out and About

• Store your purse/wallet, cell phone, car keys and anything you routinely take with you in the SAME place. There’s nothing worse than running late and being unable to find your car keys.
• Whenever you leave your car, take a minute to see what you can quickly take with you. Are there any loose papers or garbage that can be thrown away? A quick sweep as you leave your car will ensure a neater vehicle and there’s nothing more embarrassing than someone unexpectedly wanting a ride and having to squeeze in around your fast-food containers.
• Be prepared and you’ll be a lot happier. Keep a bag in your car with the following: first aid kit, notepad and pen, spare batteries, a flashlight, blanket, umbrella, extra pair of clothes (for warm and cool weather), toiletries and a lint roller. You never know when you might get stuck somewhere. If you use anything, replace it the next time you use your car so it’s always fully stocked.
• If you have things that you need to take with you on your next trip (such as library books to be returned), immediately put them on the driver’s seat of your car. So the items will not only be in the car when you go out but if they’re on the driver’s seat, then you’ll be reminded to run the errand. If you have multiple items, then just put them in the back seat or have a designated area in your house (a front hall closet is great) that can serve as a type of “outbox.”

Shopping

• Keep coupons for fast food and department stores in your car. This way if you want to buy something, you can still get a discount.
• Keep a notepad in a key place (such as the kitchen) to jot down things you need as you think of them. For example, you just noticed that there are only two toilet paper rolls left, jot it down. Then when you go shopping, you’ll already have a list. If you want to be SUPER organized, create a spreadsheet with the common things you buy (milk, toilet paper, paper towels, etc) and then just check off next to the items you’ll need for the next trip.
• Keep product coupons and discount shopping cards with your shopping list so you can grab everything and go.

Household Filing

• Place shopping receipts in a folder or bin as soon as you get home. Hold onto receipts until you balance your checkbook. For receipts on expensive items, see next tip.
• Take receipts for expensive or important items (appliances, jewelry, bikes, furniture, etc) and store in one place. If there is an owner’s manual, staple or clip the receipt to it. Store them in folders (appliances in one folder) in a file cabinet or in an accordion file. If you ever need to consult the manual or have to return the item or get it serviced, all the important information will be together in one place.
• When you get the mail, immediately discard junk mail and packaging from other pieces. This will cut down on A LOT of paper clutter. Have a mail bin to keep the rest of mail that day and then on your next trip to wherever you pay your bills, etc., bring the mail with you and file it appropriately.