by kathilipp | Nov 25, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
Refer back to your gift giving list to identify anyone who will require their gift to be shipped. Now think of the least stressful ways to make this happen. A gift card to their favorite store or restaurant is a great gift and extremely easy to ship. You can also ship gifts directly to people from whichever website you are ordering from. You know I am a fan of Amazon and if you aren’t a prime member, order all of your gifts at one time so you have an order of $35 for free shipping.
Assignment: Plan Your Out–of-Town Friends and Family Gifts.
Think about what you are going to get for whom and by what day you need to have it in the mail. Put the dates on your calendar and plan purchases accordingly.
Consider e-gifts or something that is easy to mail.
Be sure to check out the mailable gift ideas in the book and over on Evite.
For More Details: Get Yourself Organized For Christmas – Page 65
Supplies: 1) Your gift list 2) Calendar and 3) ideas.
Share Your Thoughts:
Share ideas for gifts for out of town family and friends? Any tips on mailing gifts? How many gifts do you usually mail?
by kathilipp | Nov 24, 2015 | Clutter Free |
Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away. It’s never too early to ask yourself:
What do you do about Christmas gifts for out of town friends and family?
Where are all your supplies?
Where is Aunt Marge’s recipe for her famous appetizers that are a MUST for Christmas dinner?
How do I avoid the last minute rush to the grocery store because I thought I had that one ingredient, but turns out, I don’t?
What if I missed one of the Get Yourself Organized for Christmas project days?????
Breathe……. Kathi is here to help you!!! This podcast episode will cover projects 8-14 (hint: there are built in “catch up” days!) of Get Yourself Organized for Christmas – Simple Steps to Enjoying the Season
FREE DOWNLOAD
Get FREE printables to help you get and stay organized for Christmas.
Click HERE.
by kathilipp | Nov 24, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
Time to catch up on anything you haven’t been able to finish thus far. Check your binder. Take a breath. You’ve got this!
If you are not sure of the last time you took a breath it has been too long! Your next step is to slow down and breathe deeply. Did you know that you think much more clearly when you get a good amount of oxygen to your brain? Did you know that by filling your brain with more oxygen you are opening receptors to help you react faster, think more clearly and get more done? This is scientific fact, so if you are feeling busy or stressed it’s time for a nice walk. 20 minutes at a good pace should do all of us some good.
For extra credit, do something to bless your spouse and get him in the holiday spirit. This can be another form of getting oxygen to the brain! Go ahead – have fun with this.
Share your thoughts:
Chat with us and tell us what YOU did on your Catch up Day.
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Use promo code CLUTTERFREE15 at check out. www.evite.com Expires12/6/15
by kathilipp | Nov 23, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
Do you know how much you actually spend on Christmas? It can be a real eye-opener. A few dollars here for eggnog, a couple dollars there for the boss’s gift, $5 for the new set of lights because the old ones don’t work or you can’t find them, $20 for the ingredients for the cookies and before you know it you have spent over $100 you hadn’t planned on spending.
It isn’t just money, sometimes it is activities. You say yes to too many Christmas parties, too many shopping trips, or too many volunteer requests. For some reason at Christmas our houses have to be cleaner than normal, we cook and bake more than usual, we have presents to wrap, gifts to make, extra church services to attend and the list goes on. Sometimes we need to put our activities on a budget so we can enjoy the season.
Take some time today to identify anything you can cross off your list whether it is something causing you stress or unnecessary spending.
If you’re looking to save money this year, throw a budgeting party with friends or family. Exchange gift giving ideas and your favorite coupons or ways to save. You could also bake goodies to gift, work on crafts to give, or order items together to save on shipping or buying in bulk. You’ll get some of your gift giving taken care of, save money, and have fun while doing it!
Assignment: Plan Your Budget for the Holidays (Expenditures of both money and time!)
Use the budget sheet to outline where you anticipate spending money. It is a big holiday and often a huge part of our fall and winter expenses. Planning now will save on surprise expenses and impulse spending more later.
Also, use your calendar and carve out a few evenings or a Saturday when you don’t have outside activities. Keep that time free for you to do the things that matter to you.
For More Details: Get Yourself Organized For Christmas – Page 56
Supplies: 1) a budgeting sheet 2) Calendar
Share Your Thoughts:
How does it feel to have a budget in advance? Will this project change how you spend money during the holiday season? How about putting free time on your calendar, did that give you a sense of relief? Did you eliminate an activity?
Invite your friends over for a “let’s get this done” party. Check out some ideas here of what you can get accomplished with friends by your side!
by kathilipp | Nov 22, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
When was the last time you were searching for the perfect gift for your cousin that was coming over for the annual gift exchange – the one that was happening tomorrow? It’s happened to all of us at least once, or four times. This is one way to ENSURE your holidays will be stressful. We want to avoid stress this year so here is the plan.
Assignment:
- Make a list of everyone you will be making or buying gifts for (jot down a date of when you need to exchange or mail them).
- Keep notes next to each name of things you think they might like, need or really appreciate. Think about whether they would most appreciate a gift that you bought for them, or maybe they would love to donate toward a cause and you could do it in their honor? Whatever the case, take a few minutes and decide your plan of attack.
- Another thing I do ahead of time is window shop. I write down or take pictures of things so I can later add them to my list with their price. That way I don’t go nuts spending way too much. Then I go home and make up my real list including what I am buying and how much it costs.
Supplies:
The Get Your Christmas Organized Gift List
I actually take this one step further and create this list on a spread sheet because I have a budget in mind for each person. All of this is then stored in one place and when I am at the store I know that I can get what I intended and make sure I don’t spend too much doing so! This has helped not only keep me organized, but also keeps me from spending way more than I should have out of guilt, loss of time or impulse purchases.
The idea here is for you to be giving gifts from a place of joy, not last minute stress. Be smart, shop in stages so the hit on the budget isn’t so severe!
For more details: Get Your Christmas Organized page 48
Need more ideas for gifts? Check out what Evite says about how to ‘Find the Perfect Gift’.
Share Your Thoughts: How do you tend to get your gift list going? Do you plan it out or just shop and then worry about it later? Do you buy for everyone or just a select few? Share with us what gift giving traditions you have developed or adapted over the years.
by kathilipp | Nov 21, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
If you don’t plan your time, someone else will. During the holidays it is especially important to plan in advance so you have the time to do the things that are truly important to you.
I schedule downtime. Life can get very stressful over the holidays and I schedule time just to relax and wrap gifts with music playing or to kick back and read a book. The time leading up to Christmas shouldn’t be so rushed and stressful that you are totally exhausted and can’t enjoy the holiday. I schedule mini-breaks or downtime throughout the season. This is especially important if you have small children and their schedules are being disrupted.
The downtime is every bit as important as the parties and other social activities during the holiday season. I review calendars and make sure we find time to attend church, candlelight services, and other events that matter to us, I schedule downtime, and then everything else is worked into the time that is left or we choose not to do it. Go back to your Christmas mission statement and make sure everything you schedule fits into your mission. If it doesn’t, you can skip it this year. There’s always next year!
Do what gives you joy and don’t feel guilty for saying NO to everything else.
Assignment: Schedule Your Time for the Holidays
Gather all your calendars and spend fifteen minutes scheduling your commitments (personal, family, church, school, etc.). Now it is time to schedule in some fun! You may want to ask your family what they would like to do this year. Consider dropping things that no longer bring you or your family joy. You may also want to set aside some special time for just you and your spouse.
Once you have completed your calendar, be sure to hang it where everyone has access to it.
For More Details: Get Yourself Organized For Christmas – Page 44
Supplies:
1) a blank calendar for November and December (or download printable blank calendars for November and December here.)
2) School, church, work and personal calendars.
Share Your Thoughts:
How does it feel to have things scheduled out in advance? Did you eliminate some activities? What activities will you keep no matter what? When you think about the holiday season do you feel overwhelmed, relaxed, confident or frustrated?
Bonus Idea:
Do you love having a ton of different cookies for Christmas but don’t have time to shop and prepare for a more than one type of cookie? Have a cookie exchange party and invite your favorite people (and the best bakers)! Invite them with a Kathi Lipp inspired Evite. Check it and other fun Clutter Free Christmas party ideas here.
by kathilipp | Nov 20, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
When was the last time you got to December 10th and took a deep sigh of relief that your cards were completely done and mailed?? Umm, I have to answer that one honestly and say never. But I can also honestly say that when they are done early, my stress level goes way down. I do the whole thing in stages.
Assignment:
- Go through the list of things necessary to prep your Christmas cards. Maybe you need to buy paper for your annual letter or get pictures taken. Jot down all of the steps
- Start working through the list and possibly enlist the help of others. Maybe your spouse can order the stamps and print addresses for you. Maybe your second grader can put the stamps on.
- Make an assembly line while watching a movie to make it more fun. If it is too overwhelming to get done all at once, take time today to decide on one thing to accomplish each day this week. Mark each day on your calendar. By the end of the week, you will be ready to mail off your cards!
For More Details: Get Yourself Organized For Christmas – Page 39-42
Do you need help with card ideas? Evite can help! Check them out for some great ideas.
Share Your Thoughts:
Have you broken down all of the steps before of getting cards ready? Even though it is many steps, much of it can be tackled over time and with help! Do you elicit the help of others?? What do you job out to save time, stress or a possibly a papercut on your lip? Come share with us what YOU do.
by kathilipp | Nov 19, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
If you’re not sending a Christmas card this year, or you’re sending a card sans family photo, you get to sit this project out. For the rest of us, it’s time to sit down and choose a photo or choose a date to take pictures. Enjoy this project by inviting your family to help select the photo this year.
Maybe enjoy some Christmas cookies and cocoa as you look back on the memories you made together this year. If you still need to take family pictures, make a day of it! Plan on taking your photos together then going to the movies, out to eat, or grabbing your favorite hot beverage and shopping to fill your Operation Christmas Child boxes.
Assignment: Pick your Christmas picture or set a date to take a family picture.
The earlier you get the picture taken, the better. It’s November so photographers are offering holiday specials and booking sessions quickly. Get your favorite photographer on the phone and get this scheduled.
Make your appointment at a time when your family is at its best. If you are all night owls, don’t plan an early morning appointment. Also make sure no one is hungry when you go for the picture.
Outfits don’t have to match perfectly, but they should coordinate and not clash! Clothes should be comfortable.
On a budget? Digital cards save you time and money and allow you to send a card to any number of friends and family. In addition you don’t have to spend a ton of money on a professional photographer because your pictures don’t have to be as high quality to really look great. Check out the options on Evite and see if a digital Christmas card is right for your family.
For More Details: Get Yourself Organized For Christmas – Page 32
Supplies: Cards, Picture, Printer paper if you do a letter, stamps, envelopes, address, and return address labels.
Share Your Thoughts: Will you be sending cards this year? Will your cards include a family picture? Is it a Christmas picture or one taken throughout the year? What made you pick that picture? Do you send paper cards or digital cards? Any tips for others who plan to get a family picture taken or use pictures in cards?
by kathilipp | Nov 18, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
Assignment: Create a Christmas Binder with Tabs
This binder is going to be your friend for the next few weeks. You know- the kind of friend that you count on to help you keep your sanity. This friend should reflect you but more importantly the vision you have for your family Christmas! Yesterday you made a list of what is important to you for the holidays, what it would look like for you if you started fresh this year. Use your mission statement and go from there. But don’t forget this is supposed to be quick and easy!
For More Details: Get Yourself Organized for Christmas – Page 28
Supplies: a 3 ring binder, tabs, (optional) colored pens, plain paper to decorate a cover sleeve to slide in the clear pocket.
Maybe you have an old binder lying around that contains your child’s old science fair project. Maybe you were on a committee for church a few years back and you can recycle one for a new purpose! Maybe you will take out a blank sheet of paper and decorate it and then slide it into the clear sleeve of the front cover of the binder. Maybe you make a fun label for the outside. Whatever you end up creating, make it SIMPLE.
Next get some dividers for the different categories. Get one for Cards, Recipes, Budget and Receipts, etc. Then place them in the order that makes sense to you. Keep a copy of the mission statement in the front however, to remind yourself of the core values and what matters most to your family.
Go to evite.com for some great planning ideas. Did you know that there are tabs on there that give you tons of tips, ideas and ways to get your planning started? (it looks like Pinterest) Click this link to take a look.
Then set a reminder on your phone or an appointment on your calendar to do a binder check weekly. This check will ensure you are USING it after you took the time to create it! It is so important for you to not get overwhelmed. Use this time to store away any needed items to keep yourself organized. Put that receipt in the receipt section now because when you are in a hurry later, it won’t happen. Doing a simple task now will keep you from feeling crazed later!
Share Your Thoughts:
Where did you get your binder? Is it newly repurposed? What tabs did you put inside? Did you list out your Mission Statement and enclose it?
by kathilipp | Nov 17, 2015 | Podcast |
Let this year be the best Christmas yet!
This time of year, we have great visions of the Christmas ahead, but unless we do something now to be prepared, things can become overwhelming and quickly turn into a stressful holiday.
That’s why we are breaking down the Get Yourself Organized for Christmas: Simple Steps to Enjoying the Season into easy to do projects over the next few weeks.
Listen as Kathi discusses projects 1-7.
Get the book, including the free Get Yourself Organized for Thanksgiving ebook, and free resources HERE.
