by kathilipp | Dec 2, 2015 | Blog, Christmas, Clutter Free |
It is time to make a plan for stockings! Spend time today deciding how much you would like to spend for each stocking and/or how many gifts you would like to put in each. Next come up with a system for storing and keeping stocking gifts organized. Once you are planned out, it is time to start shopping. You can buy a few stocking stuffers each time you go out this month if you have not already started stockpiling. Online shopping is another easy way to shop for stockings.
Stockings are a great area to help us remember to be intentional. Be sure you are filling stockings with items the receiver will love and use. Getting a small amount of items you adore is much better than an overstuffed stocking where the majority of the items will soon find their way to the trash or donation box.
Assignment: Get those stockings ready.
- Make sure you know where the stockings are and that you have one for each person who will be there on Christmas.
- Make a plan (How many gifts you will need depends on the size of the stocking and gifts)
- Come up with a system of storing the stocking stuffers.
- Shop as you see things when you are out and about. Make it your goal to pick up one or two things for stockings each time you go shopping, and you will slowly whittle away at your list.
Check out Kathi’s Quick Tips in the book for ideas for stocking stuffers.
You can always include one small gift that is a bit more expensive in the stocking.
There are lots of cute things over on Evite that would be great stocking stuffers.
For More Details: Get Yourself Organized For Christmas – Page 88
Supplies: 1) Stockings 2) Small Gifts (You won’t need these today) 3)Hooks
Share Your Thoughts:
What are your favorite small stocking stuffers? When do you empty the stockings at your house? Do you have any family traditions surrounding the stockings? What item would you like to see in your stocking this year?
by kathilipp | Feb 26, 2014 | Home |
Quadrant Clean –
Divide the car into four quadrants and do one quadrant fully before moving one the the next one. Otherwise, you will start at the front, follow along to the side, get distracted by the gum on the back of the car seat, start picking at that and the driver seat still has Wendy’s Frosty stickiness on it that need to be wiped off.
Three Box Reminder –
Do not forget your three boxes of PUT AWAY, OTHER ROOMS, and GIVE AWAY. You will also need your two bags GARBAGE and RECYCLE. You might have to use two mini boxes of PUT AWAY. One for the items like the good silverware spoon that has peanut butter with carpet pieces now stuck to it from a left over snack and another for the school report you just found three days late. The main thing is to get it out of the car!
Do I really Need it in Here? –
You need to be realistic but simplistic for this one. An extra a pair of safety scissors could be really helpful sometime in your car. And husbands often need that quick nail clipper time so a pair of those is fine, but four coffee mugs? Probably not.
By getting rid of extra clutter in your car, you will also be saving money since it will make the car more fuel efficient. {click to tweet} Sure, a few extra homework folders will not make much of a difference, but hauling those bags of used sports gear that you are supposed to drop off at the gym will make a difference.
And once you have cleaned it out, use containers to keep what you want in there neat and easy to find. My friend uses a cosmetics bag for all the restaurant gift cards and she keeps it in the glove compartment so anytime the family is out, they can go to the restaurant and have the coupon handy!
What are some organizing tricks that you use in the car to keep it swept out and clutter free?
by kathilipp | Feb 12, 2014 | Home, Uncategorized |
Here are three important tips that you need to remember when packing your toiletries bag:
1. Go for the smallest toiletries bag possible. It seems easier to get a big bag, you know like those old train cases that our parents used to pack, but when you try to pack a big bag, you end up bringing things that you do not really need just because you have room. And you will end up with every cream, lotion, and perfume you own. All of a sudden you are bringing face cream that you have not used in ten years! If you must have room, larger bags can be handy in organizing your items as long as you get one with separate compartments that you can put your hair products in, first iad supplies in , and cosmetics in for quick finding.
2. Think about your traveling style. If you are going to be carrying on your luggage, you will have to put liquids in specific bottles that carry less than 3.4 ounces. The guidelines are specific and will be checked! And remember, toothpaste is considered a liquid. Yep, I had a friend who had to dump a brand new tube! Of course, it was the extra large whitening kind. Be prepared so you don’t waste money!
3. Pack extra baggies just in case. Besides putting each container in a separate baggy so liquid does not accidentally open and spill, it is a good idea to bring extra baggies. Whether you need them for a quick clean up or to bring stained clothes home, it is good to have extras. Believe me, you will thank me when your little one decides that he is done potty training and decides to go right.then.and.there.
Traveling can be fun, and with these quick tips, your toiletries bag will be a place that you can find needed supplies, not another area of stress. What good tips can you share as far as packing a toiletries bag?
by kathilipp | Feb 3, 2014 | Home |
The number one question I get when it comes to organizing is about ALL THAT PAPER. What do I do with it? What do I need to keep? How do I keep it from coming into my house? Please make the MADNESS STOP!!
Sigh…
I strongly suggest you gather all your loose paper into one place—every clutter pile of mail in your living room, all those magazines you want to save but aren’t sure why, the random sticky notes, coupons, envelopes. Search every nook and cranny around your house, and everything that was once a tree (except your furniture) goes in the box. It might be hard at first. I know that large stacks of paper make me want to roll up in a ball in a corner and weep uncontrollably. If you are already there, here are a few verses for you for FREE to comfort you!
Fist off, keep the paper from coming in the door. Here are a few tricks to stop the incoming flow:
- Stop It at the Source: If you aren’t reading the magazines, don’t let them renew. Call the customer service number of catalogs you receive to get off their list.
- Stop Giving Out Your Address: Don’t enter that sweepstakes to win a boat or free windows for your house. Or at least check the box that says they can’t share the information. (And don’t worry – we here at KathiLipp.com NEVER share your info.)
- Keep a Recycle Bag in the Car: I would have my kids go through their backpacks in the car and any paper they didn’t need (or I didn’t need to see) got put in the bag.
- Have a Plan: Our mailbox is in our garage, right next to our recycle bin. At least 60% of paper never comes into the house as it goes directly into the bin. If your box is outside, sort the mail at the box and walk into the house with two piles: one to handle, one to recycle.
You will need to organize this pile of papers into three boxes:
FILING –
This box is for anything that you need to file. Every household should have a simple filing system for receipts, warranties, tax returns, and all those other papers that aren’t currently “in motion” but may need to be referred to at a later date.
Try to keep your files as lean and mean as possible. You don’t need to keep your check stubs from college or warranties from a fridge you no longer own. Since so much of our lives are stored on our computers, we can get rid of a lot of the paperwork we no longer need. You can find most instruction manuals online, scan articles to keep on your computer, and put reminders directly on your digital calendar.
If you are still getting bills in the mail from your regular utility companies, get online and ask to go paperless. Yes – it will save some trees, but more importantly, it will save your sanity.
GIVE AWAY –
Do you have magazines that your library or some other organization would love? Ask first, and then drop them off.
GARBAGE AND RECYCLING –
You shouldn’t have much for the garbage, but I suggest a shredder for any sensitive information you want to get rid of.
Set aside one day a week to do all your paperwork. If only for fifteen minutes that day, being consistent will make the difference in a home cluttered with paper and one clear for real living!
Finally – my gift to you! 
This little filing system keeps all my papers organized and where I need them, when I need them. It has saved my bacon more times than I can count!
What do you struggle with as far as papers? Please tell me I am not the only one…
by kathilipp | Jan 27, 2014 | Home |
Everything I learned about organizing, I learned in kindergarten.
If you are participating in the 2014 Things Challenge, you know that we need to not only get rid of things, but organize the things we have in an easy way.
The most organized rooms most of us will ever experience are at either a school or a hospital. Since I frown on having to go through minor surgery in order to gain organizing tips, I choose instead to draw my inspiration from the classroom.
I have an inside track. My stepdaughter, Amanda Lipp, is an associate teacher at a childcare facility. While she and I were discussing how she wants her room to be set up for her students, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between a well-set-up classroom and a well-set-up home.Here are Amanda’s guidelines for a well-run classroom:
1. Everything has a place and everyone knows where that place is. Everyone in the house knows where things are because items have an established place.
2. Clearly label items with words and a picture. Label your drawers, bins, tubs, and baskets in a way that everyone in the house can understand.
3. Keep the room clutter free so children can easily roam and play. I stay on top of clutter so that we don’t have to clear off a table before we eat dinner or move piles of paper from a desk before I can work on it.
4. Clean up areas when “children finish playing” and before beginning another activity. After I’m done with a project, I put it away so that I don’t get overwhelmed by the mess.
5. Arrange the art on the wall neatly, using frames, canvas, backgrounds. A room with too much artwork will feel chaotic and agitating. I keep things in my home simple and uncluttered. I want the people in my home, not the stuff, to be the focus.
These are easy first steps to take to create an intentional life where you have the freedom to do things, not spend time trying to find things!
Do you have any “tips” to help a home run like a classroom, organized and efficiently?
Any teachers out there that can give us the secrets to organizing?
