by kathilipp | Dec 1, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free, Home |
It’s time to give the kitchen a little TLC. Spend some time today clearing any clutter hanging around your countertops. Put away mail, Christmas cards, leftover Christmas decoration containers, etc. Here are some basic tips of things you can do to spruce up real quick.
Assignment:
- Clean your sink up so it is nice and shiny.
- Clean out any science experiments from the fridge.
- Wipe out your pantry, fridge or cupboards of tiny crumbs.
- Complete your meal plan for the month finishing the shopping list.
- Pull out any serving dishes, holiday dishes or platters you may need and wash off any dust.
- Restock your pantry of any essentials you will need for cooking or baking.
For more details: Get Your Christmas Organized Page 83
Share your thoughts:
Share with us all that you accomplished! For some this may have taken a while, for others, it may have been easier than you thought. Did it go by quickly or did you take the time to gut your kitchen? Do you have any tips to share with someone else? What did YOU do?
Does prepping your kitchen (or the fact that it is December 1st ) give you the holiday jitters?! Check out this article about how to nix those pre-party nerves.
by kathilipp | Nov 30, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
“It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go.”
Today is the day to start making your home look like Christmas. It is time to get our all of your Christmas decor. You don’t have to do all your decorating today but time to get a start on things, especially outdoor decorating. If you live in a climate that has a cold winter season, you need to get those lights and decorations out before the snow starts if it hasn’t already.
This also gives you some time to take inventory and go and purchase items you still need.
Today is a fun day and if you haven’t starting feeling the Christmas Spirit yet, today should get you in the mood. Amp up the Christmas spirit by turning on some holiday music, or your favorite Christmas movie, and inviting your family to help you decorate. Decorating can become something fun for everyone, and you will not feel like it is entirely your responsibility.
Assignment: Get some of your decorating done.
- Decorate outside as soon as possible.
- As you are unpacking your holiday trimmings, be sure to set aside anything you no longer use or love and give those items to charity.
- Make use of the boxes you are emptying and pack away some of your regular decor to make space for your holiday decor.
- Make a list of decorative items you need to purchase. (Remind yourself to make a list of items needed for next year when you are putting this year’s décor away.)
For More Details: Get Yourself Organized For Christmas – Page 77
Supplies: 1) Your Christmas décor boxes from last year. 2) A Christmas tree removal bag. 3) Ornament hooks
Share Your Thoughts:
Any tips for decorating? Were your decorations organized neatly from last year? If not, any tips for improving how they are stored for next year? How does it feel to have some of your decorating done? Did you throw away anything or donate to charity?
Love to decorate and be creative? Try your hand at making a candy wreath with these steps from our friends at Evite!
by kathilipp | Nov 29, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
Today is another freebie day and we are more than half way there! Use this day to catch up on any projects you have been meaning to finish and cross them off of the list! Nothing feels better than to put a checkmark on your list.
If you are already all caught up on all of your projects use today to bless someone. Maybe you could pay it forward to someone at the restaurant. Maybe you could bless the gas attendant with a Random Act of Kindness card with $10.00 inside. You could also go visit a local nursing home with your children and have them sing a few of their favorite Christmas carols.
Don’t forget to share with us what you did today! Did you catch up on that lingering project or did you have the opportunity to BLESS someone? How did it go? How did you feel afterward?
FROM OUR PARTNER EVITE:
Evite helps you plan, enjoy and re-live events this holiday season – from everyday to extraordinary, small groups or large.
Exclusive Offer: Stay clutter-free with digital holiday invitations from Evite. Send a premium invitation to up to 15 guests for FREE!
Use promo code CLUTTERFREE15 at check out. www.evite.com Expires 12/6/15
by kathilipp | Nov 28, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
That favorite fudge recipe you always make, that delicious marinated carrot recipe your mom used to make, and Aunt Edna’s pumpkin pie recipe are yearly Christmas treats. The problem is every year you have to search to find them. Wouldn’t it be great to have them all together in one place.
Assignment: Gather your holiday recipes and organize them.
Now is the time to gather all of your favorite holiday recipes in one place! Print, copy, scan (whatever is easiest for you), all of the recipes you use and love each year. Get them into page protectors in your binder. You will be blown away by how helpful this will be to you!
This is also the time to discard any recipes you never use.
If you have a few free minutes, you can go through your recipes and jot down ingredients you will need when you go to the store.
Another great way to save time this holiday season is by making a couple extra copies of each recipe. Keep the extra copies in the same page protector as the original. This way, any time someone asks you for your recipe, you will have an extra copy ready to pull out and give them on the spot.
For More Details: Get Yourself Organized For Christmas – Page 72
Excellent instructions for how to organize your recipes in the binder are located in the book.
Supplies: 1) Page Protectors 2) Your favorite recipes
Share Your Thoughts:
How many recipes did you include? Any tips on organizing your recipes? How does it feel to have them all your recipes in one place before you need them? Did you throw any recipes away and how did that make you feel?
FROM OUR PARTNER EVITE:
Evite helps you plan, enjoy and re-live events this holiday season – from everyday to extraordinary, small groups or large.
Exclusive Offer: Stay clutter-free with digital holiday invitations from Evite. Send a premium invitation to up to 15 guests for FREE!
Use promo code CLUTTERFREE15 at check out. www.evite.com Expires12/6/15
by kathilipp | Nov 27, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
Originally this project was going to be “Buy your stuff”, but I know that all of us probably have enough gift wrap, tags and ribbon to supply Santa’s workshop. Problem is, most of us find it December 26th.
So dig through your basement, garage, spare closet or under the bed and gather together:
- wrapping paper
- ribbon
- tissue paper
- tags, etc.
- Scotch tape
- scissors
Assignment: Elf Supplies
Once everything is rounded up in one place, put it into a container to keep it together. If you can keep it out for a week or two do so, this will allow you to wrap a few gifts at a time. If this is not possible, wrap them up as soon as possible and get them under the tree. This will keep the clutter at bay. This would be the time to also purchase anything that you are short on (I end up buying tape every single year.) Organize your supplies with these fun labels.
Another fun idea is to have a wrapping party with your friends so you can wrap, chat and me merry (see what I did there).
The idea is to think outside of the box and give something new a try. You never know if something else works better if you don’t ever try something different!
For more details: Get Your Christmas Organized – Page 69
Share Your Thoughts:
What is the most stressful part for you about wrapping gifts? Do you feel stressed for time? Is it the space it takes up? How about the idea of wrapping with friends or family? Could you host a wrapping party and make it more enjoyable?
Host a wrapping party with Kathi’s special Evite designs created with you and your friends in mind. Happy wrapping!
