New Years Resolutions

Now, we all know New Years resolutions can be very hard to stick with. People tend to get overly ambitions and consequently overwhelmed. More often than not, we've given up by the time February rolls around. So this year, why not commit to the over all idea of getting your house cleaned, but make it easier on yourself by completing one task a month. Choose 12 different problem areas in  your home and give each one it's own month, or follow the guide below  and by 2016 your house will be in perfect shape!

Monthly Housework Resolutions 2015:

January
Organize papers. Shred or recycle paper. Set up 12 folders for monthly planning and filing. Use a filing system to plan ahead with birthday cards, coupons, recipes, holiday ideas and more. As each month ends, you can use the folder for notes of things to remember next year or for receipts to save.

February
Organize clothes. Pare down what we own and only keep in our closets what we actually wear. Sort clothes in closet by color or type. Invest in new hangers to make the best use of closet space.

March
Organize computer files. Create desktop folders, organize documents and back up important files to an external hard drive.

April
Organize accounting system and budgets. It’s time to organize bill paying paperwork and systems, and assess the budget and plans for the new tax year.

May
Organize the kitchen. Which dishes have we used in the past year? Toss out old spices, clean out the refrigerator and pantry. Assess the condition of the kitchen towels and aprons. Keep items you use and love, and give away the rest! Unless you have a lot of storage space in your kitchen, items you only use seasonally should be organized by season and put in storage. Wipe down all shelves and surfaces.

June
Organize and clean garage and storage. It’s time to find the excess that’s been hiding out in the garage or storage space! Give away or sell what you don’t need. Reorganize and sweep out storage spaces.

July
Organize kid’s toys, clothes and keepsakes. Set aside one box to store favorite memories, one box for toys to give away and one box for clothes that no longer fit. If your kids are grown and out of the house, reclaim space for yourself by decluttering their old items and sending them their mementos to store at their own homes.

August
Sort and organize linens, bedrooms and bathrooms. Toss or give away excess or worn out linens, and pare down or replace only the essentials for each bedroom and bathroom. Clean out under sinks and toss out old medications, cleaning supplies or cosmetics. Tidy up nightstands and dressers.

September
Organize photos. Delete blurry photos. Back up photos on your computer to an external or online storage system. Print out photos for gifts, albums or Christmas cards this year.

October
Organize for the holidays. What do you want your holidays to look like this year? Make plans for hosting parties, entertaining or family get-togethers. Gather new addresses for holiday cards. Save favorite ideas, recipes and plans in a holiday folder or notebook. Organize and pare down holiday decor to what you love.

November
Organize hobbies and crafts. This month as you are crafting or spending more time indoors, assess and organize craft supplies. Pare down to what you need and use. Make a few handmade gifts to use up some favorite crafts! Organize or toss out wrinkled or old gift wrap and tags.

December
It’s time for house cleaning and preparing for holidays. Spend a few days at the beginning of December deep-cleaning your house and setting up guest rooms or bathrooms for visitors. Clean the oven. Set up a wrapping station for gifts. Restock your baking supplies and set up a baking station so you can enjoy holiday goodies and make treats to give away.

Courtesy of: http://www.unclebobs.com/the-decluttered-home/index.php/new-years-resolutions-home.html

Fabulous Decorations Fast!

So the relatives are coming and maybe your house isn't quite looking as festive as you hoped. The holidays are hectic and maybe  you neglected to deck your halls. Real Simple has a bunch of five minute holiday decorating ideas that will help you in a pinch. The in-laws will be dazzled by your decor and no one will ever guess it only took you five minutes to toss together!

Garlands Galore

Holiday garlands are a great way to add pizzazz to your porch or glitz to your tree but maybe your traditional Evergreen adornments just are not cutting in anymore. There is hope! Martha Stewart has  13 beautiful, DIY garland ideas that are sure to dazzle your guests this holiday season!

Fun Holiday Decorations!

There is nothing more exciting than decorating for the holiday season but maybe you feel like your ornaments just aren't as spectacular and your lights just aren't as twinkling as in years past. Southern Living has created a list of 101 fresh, festive decorating tips to take your decorating to the next level! Start decking those halls!

Perfect Tree Lighting!

It's that time of the year again! Time to deck the halls and string up those lights! But, how exactly do you light the perfect Christmas tree? Follow these three easy steps and you can make any tree shine like the one at Rockefeller Center!

1. Divide the tree vertically into three sections and string lights by section.
2. Plug the lights in before you begin, to weed out defective strands. Leave them plugged in as you place them so you can spot dark spaces in the tree.
3. Beginning at the bottom, weave each string in and out of the branches, to the top of the tree and back.

By going from top to bottom instead of around, you're creating a net of lights that will glow brightly the whole holiday season!



Courtesy of: http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/christmas/art-christmas-tree-lighting

Properly Pack Your Closet!

The closet is the one space in the house that we tend to forget. Every day we keep adding to its contents, then quickly close the door and leave it for that magical day when we'll finally get around to cleaning it out. Well, that day has arrived! You're moving and it's time to throw open that door and unveil exactly what you've been keeping in there...so roll up those sleeves and get ready!

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: No set time.

Here's How:

1. Remove everything from the closet and I mean, everything! Don't sort it yet, just move it out into the middle of the room or hallway.
2. Now, after you've removed everything, grab a bucket, cleaner and a sponge, mop or whatever cleaning tool you have on hand. Completely clean it from top to bottom. Dust the shelves, scrub the floor (or vacuum) and wash the walls. It's probably been a long time since this closet has been so thoroughly cleaned.
3. While the closet is drying and you're enjoying the fresh smell that replaced the dingy, dusty one, start sorting the contents. Place them into piles of "keep" and "don't keep". You can even go a step further and sort the "don't keep" into a sell or donate pile.
4. Place all the donate or sell objects in separate bags or bins and set them in a place where they will be out of the way, but not forgotten.
5. Look at the items that you decided to keep. Go through each one to make sure you'll use it again. If you're hesitating, add it to the "donate/sell" pile. The things you want to keep, organize by type and select the appropriate sized boxes. For example, you may want to pack all the shoes into one medium-size box. Label the box with the contents and which closet it came from, i.e., "hall closet" or "bedroom closet".
6. For clothing, use large-sized boxes and carefully fold clothes before placing them inside. For ease of unpacking, keep items on hangers and simply fold them into the box. Make sure you don't pack too much into one box. Clothing can become heavy.

Tips:

1. Keep Pile: To decide if an item should be kept or tossed, ask yourself how often you've worn or used the item in the last year. For clothing, you should've worn it at least 2 times to warrant keeping it.
2. Donate Pile: Items that you haven't used or are unlikely to use and are still in good shape, add them to the donate pile. Make sure the items aren't ripped or stained. If they are, they should be put in the garbage or made into cleaning cloths. Don't waste a charity's time by donating unusable items. 
3. Sell Pile: These may be items that you know you could fetch some money for, things that you can imagine someone else using. Take clothing to consignment stores. Household items can be sold on eBay or in a garage sale.

http://moving.about.com/od/stepbystepguides/ht/pack_closet.htm

Making Use of Suit Cases...

Courtesy of Life Tricks user @kingraffit