Getting organized after the holidays

Now that the holidays have come and gone, my itch to get the decorations and tree put away has begun.  My husband keeps bugging me to leave it since I got a late start this year and to enjoy it a while longer.  I am just finding that I want some order in the house and the decorations are standing in my way. 

Many of my friends have mentioned that getting organized is part of their resolutions this year.  I have this as a continuous goal.  Staying organized gets to be quite a challenge at times with two kids and a busy household.  I have good intentions but then there doesn't seem to be enough time and things slide unfortunately.  I commit to keep plugging away at this!

Since organization and decluttering can take pages to discuss, I plan to have different posts on ideas and tips that might help all of us.  If you are planning a move this year, the task of decluttering is a key component.  More to follow in future posts.  If you are interested in a home staging consultation, contact me here to see how I can help you get your home ready to sell.

As you get ready to put away your decorations, make sure you look through all your items.  If there are things that you have used and don’t really want any more, consider donating or giving them away.  Why take up space for things you are not planning on using.  I put together a bag before I starting holiday decorating this year and gave it to our local Value Village.  Hopefully someone else will be able to enjoy my items. 

I have found some neat and interesting ideas on Christmas storage.  There are some good ways to store decorations using household items that can be cost effective.  Click here to read more.

Do you find you always have a tangled mess of Christmas lights? Here is a good idea found on Martha Stewart.com.  You keep them organized by winding each strand around a piece of cardboard cut to fit in a plastic bin (picture pieces are 20 by 14 inches). Use scissors to cut a 1-inch slit at the top of one long side and the bottom of the other long side of the cardboard. Secure one end of the lights in a slit, wind lights around, and secure the other end in the other slit. Store stacked light between layers of bubble wrap in bins. 

There are many great storage bins that you can find to store your decorations at stores such as Wal-Mart, Rona, Canadian Tire and Home Depot.  January is usually a great month to find sales on storage containers.

 


Rubbermaid

 

Snapware Corp.

If you have a lot of holiday clean-up to do, don’t try and do it all in one day.  You might find it overwhelming.  I try and do the Christmas tree in one day and then get all my other decorations done another day.   This way you can concentrate on one area at a time and have time to organize well.

Well best of luck if you are conquering the task of organization this year.  If you have any good ideas or tricks that have helped you, please share them!