How are those New Year’s resolutions holding up? Crushing it at the gym? Good for you! Saving money? Keep it up! Staying organized? …Well, we know that one can be tough. But getting a jump start before you let yourself go another year wishing you’d have been more organized will be key. So, we’ve talked about the dreaded cabin fever we can suffer from during the wintertime. Staying busy by keeping tidy and working on projects around the home will curb your restlessness. So while you may be considering putting off outdoor chores such as window cleaning, gutter cleaning, and pressure washing til it warms up a bit, there’s plenty you can do now to gear up for a more organized spring cleaning season!
Purge & Replace – Less IS More
If you’re bored, here’s a whopper of a project for you. We promise, that while it’s time-consuming, it is worth it! From the tidy minds at Just a Girl and Her Blog, we learned the power of “starting over.” If you’re looking to re-arrange, re-decorate or just completely purge and organize a room… remove EVERYTHING from it, and only return the furniture and items you truly need. You’re then guaranteed to make contact with every part of the room, forcing you to analyze and consider its value before deciding it’s a keeper. During this process, you’ll come up with a lot of great things to donate or simply toss out.
Tax Season – It’s Here!
I know… BOOOOOORING. But tax season is almost here, so getting your taxes done NOW while you’re cooped up inside will be a relief come springtime. Once the sun is shining and you’re ready to “shake the house,” spring cleaning season will feel significantly less daunting if your taxes are a distant memory. If you have a trusted accountant to do the legwork for you, our first piece of advice is to stick with ’em! But if you’re doing them yourself, we have a few simple tricks that will have you feeling more in control:
- Designate a room or area that is dedicated to all things TAXES. Having everything in one place will keep your documents and your mind tidy during this hectic time.
- If you’re dealing with a lot of receipts and/or invoices, it’s best to organize these first before starting a thing. Create a system that categorizes these items in a way you can easily understand – better yet, scan each of them in and save each to a folder with related items.
- Look at tax returns of years past. Unless you’ve had major life changes in the past year such as having a baby, buying a house, or starting a business, referring to last year’s return will help you get your checklist started.
At the end of the day, filing your taxes may seem like a chore – but you get paid at the end of it! Chins up, good luck, and happy filing!
Re-Purpose Household Items to Organize OTHER Household Items
Rather than shelling out a ton of money at the Container Store, (which is a fabulous place, don’t get us wrong), you may find everything you need to get organized in your recycling bin, basement, or right under your nose in the kitchen. There are plenty of “disposable” items you may want to keep around… Whether it’s an empty sauce jar, yogurt container or coffee can, many of the receptacles your food COMES in can be re-purposed time and again. Store your leftovers, your nuts & bolts, or office supplies. Rip or scrub off the labels, paint, or leave plain – with a little creativity these can be decorative AND functional. And don’t just throw out your shoe boxes! A little wrapping or contact paper can transform these perfectly good storage bins that you won’t need to hide under the bed. Even your soda boxes can be decoratively re-purposed as a pantry saver! A little “going green” goes a long way – and the less you consume, the less you spend. Plenty of great ideas can be found online from the man himself, Bob Vila, and the folks at HGTV – so don’t just take our word for it! What are some of the indoor organization projects you’ll be tackling this winter? Share in our comments below!
