Back to School

Ready or not – back to school season is upon us! In addition to those early morning alarms, your house will also soon welcome the paper piles, lunch prep and gym bags. It’s hard to keep up with it all, even if you’re blessed with a helpful child or teen (luck you!), and before you know it the holidays will be here. Yikes!

So how can you get the family organized? Here are some tips.

Create a homework or “launch pad” hub.

Let’s be honest. School time is messy time. It’s difficult to keep it all under wraps (and not give your children an excuse to not have their homework turned in!). Create a central location in your home where the family master calendar hangs, cubbies for lunch or milk money live, and workspaces for each child. This will help cut back on clutter and inevitable “Mom, I can’t find my…” battles in the morning.

Ease the family into the new schedule.

Don’t try to change bedtime routines in one night. It likely won’t work and will likely irritate your kids. During the last two weeks of summer, close in on earlier bedtimes 15 minutes at a time, and conduct pleasant wake-ups 15 minutes earlier each day. One of the most difficult things about doing this is that it often conflicts with meal times. It’s vital that children get an adequate dinner and breakfast, so move those meals around, and have snacks available during the day to help with the transition.

Gather your papers and plan those shopping trips.

Every child needs the basics: folders, tissues, pencils. But for the random needs, create a list and collect coupons. Stores like Target will have savings on certain items and you can double up by using store deals with manufacturer coupons. Asses which child needs what items of clothing and develop a wardrobe list (and be sure to discuss this list with said child to avoid in-store tantrums and morning disagreements). Get it all done in one day and then you won’t have to worry about it.

Also – speaking of paperwork, don’t forget about immunization records and proof of medical exams for your student athletes. Get those physicals done ahead of time and be ready for when the paperwork is needed.

Do a practice run.

The first day of school is not the time to find out how long it takes to walk to the bus stop, make lunches, and get everyone ready for the day. If your kids walk to school, help them find a safe route. If car-pooling, perhaps take a test drive during busy hours to ensure everyone gets to school on tie. And make sure your bus riders know their bus number and a few friends to follow to ensure the right kids make it to the right school. 

Teen Bedroom Organization

If you have a teen, or know someone who does, you’re familiar with the inevitable disaster that is a teen’s bedroom. It’s the place they sleep, work, and play, so if you’re designing a space for your teen to live in, keep in mind some of these common problem areas and solutions.

Photo Cred: imgbuddy.com

Does your teen dump dirty (and clean) clothes under the bed or in the closet? Try taking the closet door off and open up the space. It will help provide incentive to clean up as opposed to tossing items on the floor and shutting a door. Make sure there are adequate quantities of hangars and shelves for storing jeans, shoes and accessories.

Desks can become dumping grounds for just about everything. Find a desk with lots of drawer space to keep items from cluttering, and create storage around the desk with shelves and filing solutions.

Speaking of shelving, help your teen show off awards, trophies and photos of friends by installing shelving units to serve many purposes. This will help keep items off the floor, out from under the bed and anywhere else that isn’t away and organized.

Containers and memo boards can be decorative and functional. If everything has a place on its own, like photos, notes, invitations, and calendars, there will be less of a chance of collecting clutter. Be sure to label containers so items always go into the correct space.

Don’t do this all yourself! Take a day and completely clear the room out with your teen. Plot out on a piece of paper where each space will be (sleep, play, work), and organize the space together. They’ll likely enjoy the finished product, and respect the space more if they get to choose how things will be organized.

As one of our founding fathers once said: “A place for everything and everything in its place.”

Battling the Paper Pile-Up

Bills. Coupons. Notes. Cards. Flyers. Junk. It all piles up quickly, and you add to it daily. That endless pile of paper cluttering up your counter space. It’s time to do something about it! Here are some tips to keep the paper mountain to a minimum—but remember, consistency is key with any organization tactic. Pick what works for you and stick to it daily.

Photo Cred: Andrew Mellen

1.     Sign up for online bill pay and email statements. You’d be surprised how much clutter you’ll eliminate with this. You’ll be nicer to the environment, too!

2.     Create one large communal calendar for the family on a wall in your home. Log doctor appointments, birthdays, homework due dates, sports events, and business trips on the calendar. Once you’ve logged it – toss the corresponding piece of paper.  Here’s a chalkboard calendar design you can try: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/396950154629188510/.

3.     If you really have a lot of mail and paperwork to keep track of, consider investing in a filing cabinet. Create two folders for each month or each quarter labeled: TO DO and PAID. Toss the TO DO items once they’re moved to PAID and do this each month or quarter. It would also be a great place to file receipts, bank statements, taxes, insurance paperwork, etc. If you’re keeping important documents in your filing cabinet, label a folder PERSONAL, and make sure you have a lock on the cabinet to keep these items safe.

4.     If a filing cabinet isn’t your style, make paper organization a design tactic in your office. Use magazine holders or decorative boxes to store paperwork and turn available shelf space into functional organization.

5.     Magazines, newspapers and catalogs can really take up a lot of space. Once you receive one, go through it and pull out the things you’ll actually try (recipes, crafts, workouts, etc.) and file them away in labeled binders. Recycle what’s left!

6.     Coupons are like magazines; they pile up and gather dust. Pick up a wallet sized coupon organizer and keep it in your car. Have sections for your favorite retailers and when you get new coupons, filter them in and rotate the expired ones out.

If filing massive amounts of paperwork makes you want to cringe, try tackling the job when you’re watching TV or a movie. It’s easy to get mindless tasks done when you’re not swamped with other important things to do. Do you have other tips to share? Drop them in the comments!

Kitchen Organization

It’s easy to have your kitchen cabinets get out of control. Each week you’re probably going grocery shopping and adding more to the mix, then the husband goes looking for something (or the kids do), and your organization method has gone out the window. Fool-proof that cabinet with some of these tips.

Grab and go sacks are a lot easier when you prepare them in advance. This way, you have less little hands grabbing handfuls of pretzels, fruit snacks, or crackers. Find see-through baskets with handles and organize smaller items like snacks, dinner sides, pasta and sauces. Label the containers if you’re able, so there will be no excuses (less excuses?) for lack of organization.

Photo Cred: tidymoms.net

Many organizers often forget about useable space on the pantry door. Utilize that space to store canned goods, soda and more. You’ll be surprised how much extra room you’ll have in the pantry, and how much easier it will be to take inventory of what canned goods you have on hand.

Boxes upon boxes of pasta, candies, and baking goods. It seems the supply never ends, until you go to make something for dinner and realize you’ve run out. Use glass containers to store and display dried goods and keep track of what you have and what you need to buy on your next grocery run.

You can easily double your cabinet space by investing in hanging, attachable under-the-shelf racks. Store dinnerware, smaller boxes, napkins, or even utensils.

Pots and pans and their corresponding lids never fit well in any cabinet it seems. Invest in lid organizers that either sit in the bottom of a cabinet space or attach to the inside of the cabinet door. Save even more space by finding unique ways to hang pots and pans, such as above a large window or from an island light fixture.

Use small curtain rods to hang bottles of cleaning supplies below the sink. You’ll save room for other items, and have a better idea of what supplies you have and what you need to buy the next time you’re out.

Fall Home Checklist

As much as we hate to admit it, the warm days have gone and fall is upon us. While the temperatures are still tolerable, now is the best time to prep your house for cooler days (rain, sleet, and – yes – snow). We know how quickly the weather can change, so get out there and use this maintenance checklist

Exterior List

Number one on the list should be a roof check. Grab some binoculars if you can’t see well enough from the ground and a trip up is out of the question.  While you’re out there, do a perimeter check of all siding. Look for cracks and holes and repair the damages you see (or hire a contractor to help you out).

If you have a chimney or fireplace, have them inspected and cleaned. The same goes for your gutters. Fallen leaves from trees can build up and cause major backups when the rain and snow (there’s that S word again!) comes.

They’re a pain to wind up and store, but you should really stow away your sprinklers and hoses. Make sure they’re not full of water first, and toss them in the garage until next year.

It’s important to take a look at your landscaping, too. Loose branches on trees can cause serious damage if they fall around (or on) your home, and piles of leaves can cause outside mold very quickly.

Interior List

Check for drafts around your home on the edges of windows and around doors. Can’t tell if there’s a draft? Grab a candle and run the flame around the window or door and if it flickers, there’s a good chance you need to replace a seal or repair caulking.

Hire an HVAC contractor to test your furnace for leaks and check heading efficiency. The last thing you need is for your furnace to need a tune-up when it gets really cold. It’s a good idea to run a CO2 check at the same time.

Invest in a programmable thermostat if you do not have one already. When you’re not home, set the temperature lower so you can save money on energy bills.

Stock up on batteries and replace all batteries in smoke detectors and CO2 devices and make sure they work properly.

Garage Cleanup

They tend to become a catch-all in our homes for our miscellaneous items. No, not the basement, we’re talking about the garage. Does your garage need an overhaul? Here are some tips to help you reclaim your garage space and restore functionality.

1. Set aside time. It’s hard to find time for daunting tasks (especially those that likely contain dirt and bugs). If you can find a weekend to dedicate to the task, you’ll thank yourself in the weeks and months to come. Aim for a dry weekend and allow yourself the garage space and driveway to sort all of your items.

2. Group and label. Sorting in the following categories will help you see what can be stored elsewhere in your home: recycling, sports, automotive, seasonal décor, gardening gear, tools, and other equipment.

3. Dump or donate. If you haven’t used it in a year (discounting holiday items), you probably don’t need it taking up space in your home or your garage. Unsalvageable items can find a new home in a dumpster, while surplus items can be donated to a charity. Give AMVETS a call if you have a load ready to be picked up, or research other charitable organizations in need.

4. Determine a layout. Designate areas in your garage for certain functions. One area should be devoted to recreation, another to lawn maintenance, perhaps another for tools. Seasonal items stored in bins should be stored above everyday items on shelves so they are visible yet out of the way.

5. Storage storage storage. Invest in shelving and containers that allow you to label and see the contents within. Oftentimes, we purchase new items to replace those we think we’ve lost or misplaced. Being able to see your entire inventory will prevent such purchases. If you can hang it, hang it and keep it off the ground where it will collect dust and likely become part of a pile.

Don’t forget to keep your garage clean. A tidy garage that is swept monthly will aid in preventing unwanted clutter from gathering. Do you have other tips to share on keeping your garage clean? Share them in the comments here!