The San Diego Real Estate Expert
‘Tis the season to be… stressed? If you’ve got too much to do and too little time to do it all in, read on for a few quick tricks to get organized this holiday season.
1. Reduce Clutter! This is not a new idea, folks. Do you love it? Then display it proudly. Do you hate it? Then donate it (or put it on Craig’s List for free). For the “ishy” stuff… the extra stuff you think you might need later and just don’t have the space for… stow it! Decide after the holidays when you’re not entertaining just remember to go through it. Otherwise you soon won’t have room to park inside your garage or hang your coat in the closet!
2. Use Containers! Decorative boxes, jars, and baskets are a great way to store (or hide) excess stuff. Photo boxes are especially versatile I’ve even used them to store paperback books. They make dusting the bookshelves much faster! Magazine holders are great for holding binders and loose papers in addition to magazines and catalogs. If you need to keep the paper clutter, you might as well hide it in style… and let your guests think you’ve become quite minimalist.
3. Add shelves! Use shelves in cabinets and pantries to double your storage. Need ideas? Check out The Container Store.
4. Get a Lazy Susan! A Lazy Susan can make a deep cabinet more useful stack serving dishes or storage containers for easy access. Just remember to spin carefully! Lazy Susans are also great for spices… look for a rotating spice rack so you won’t have to dig for the pumpkin pie spice.
5. Hang a wipe board! Instead of losing your to-do lists and having 3 grocery lists at a time, plan using a wipe board. It can allow guests to request grocery items and keep your to-do lists organized. Keep a notepad handy to transfer grocery lists… unless you want to drag the board to the store!
6. Make a recipe binder! Compile favorite holiday recipes for easy use. All you need is a 3-ring binder and some sheet protectors. Copy recipes from cookbooks and add them to the binder for one handy guide. With the sheet protectors, there’s the added benefit of not destroying your cookbooks when something accidentally spills.
7. Keep a gift-giving budget and idea worksheet! Keep yourself on track and within pre-set spending limits when shopping for gifts. If you’re concerned someone will discover your list and ruin a surprise, call it a Budget!
I hope these tips make your holiday preparations smoother. If you would like a sample gift worksheet, please contact me. I’ll be happy to provide one!
Now that you’re all organized for the holidays, go have some fun!
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