December 11, 2008
Holiday Decluttering and Organizing Tips
With the remaining holidays approaching fast, now is the perfect time to do some anticipatory de-cluttering and weeding out to make room for all that’s likely to come this month. Letting go of items that are no longer important, useful, wanted or loved will make room for things that are or will be.
TIP #1 – FOOD: With Thanksgiving behind us now is a good time to reclaim your freezer or refrigerator and prepare it for the bounty that is yet to come. Toss anything that's gone bad or you don't plan to eat. Donate extra, unopened food items that you don't need or want to a local food drive.
TIP #2 – START WITH VISIBLE: Decide which activities you and your family want to be able to do in every room this holiday season. Things for other activities should go to the appropriate room, be donated or tossed. Sometimes removing a few large items can make the room feel less cluttered very quickly, so remove the big items that don't belong in the room first. Start with what’s out in the open and visible in each space. Leave the closets and drawers for another time. Be sure to get rid of old newspapers, junk mail, anything that’s broken, etc. For the rest of the items, ask yourself when you last used it, if you can do without it or could borrow it, if you need to. If you can, get rid of it. If you have more than one of an item, keep only the best
TIP #3 – ONE ON ONE: Pair up each family member with a specific room. That family member is responsible for keeping that room clean and organized this holiday month. If a room is too much for just one family member to handle, assign two family members to the task. Try pairing an adult with a child or two older children together.
TIP #4 – HOLIDAY DECORATIONS: Holiday decorations can take up a lot of precious storage space. This year, as you unpack and reconnect with yours, remove any that are past their prime or you don't need or want. If your discards are still in good condition, donate them to a local thrift shop or offer them to family or friends. If they're not still in good condition, salvage whatever parts you can re-use for other purposes (bells, bows, ornament hooks) and toss the rest. Store your decorations - and even your holiday cookbooks, if you don't have too many - in one or two clearly labeled, large, plastic tubs. That way, you'll have a manageable amount of decor and know right where to find it next year.
TIP #5 – HOLIDAY AND WINTER CLOTHING: Not planning to wear last year's red velvet party dress or that Christmas-themed sweater again? Go through your wardrobe now and donate items like these to a local thrift shop so someone else can take advantage of them this year. An easy way to fix the yearly "What do I wear to the holiday party?" problem for women is to find a perfect, plain black dress or pantsuit that you can wear for years and simply change your jewelry, scarves, belts and other accessories for a new look each time. While you're at it, go through all your family's winter gear - coats, scarves, gloves, mittens, hats - and donate any that no longer fit or you no longer need or want to one of the many donate-a-coat events taking place this month.
TIP #6 – TOYS AND BOOKS: There's no better time than now to help your kids go through their toys and books and look at what they played with or read over the past year and what they didn't and encourage them to pass on any they don't use. Remind them that there are other children less fortunate than they are who would appreciate the things they aren't using and also that there may be new items coming later in the month for them. Encourage them to keep their wish lists in check and focused on a few special items only. If you do, you're less likely to have as much to donate next year!
TIP #7 – CALL IN A PRO: When it comes to tasks you don't enjoy doing and that eat up your time, it makes more sense to hire a professional who can accomplish the tasks quickly, efficiently and well, leaving you free to focus on other things. That holds especially true during the holidays. Don't like to cook? Hire a caterer. Hate house cleaning? Bring in a professional cleaning service. Don’t like to iron? Hand over your holiday linens to your local laundry service or dry cleaner to press for you.
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MILLER ORGANIZING. All rights reserved.
14 Stuyvesant Oval
NYC, NY 10009