New Year Organizing
By Martha Matthews
It's the beginning of another new year. What
better time to get organized. Try these helpful tips to get your New Year
started in the right direction.
1. Schedule it.
Schedule all annual appointments for you and your family –doctor, dentist and
veterinarian (for the animals of course!)
2. Calendar it.
Get a new calendar and transfer over all birthdays, anniversaries and other
important events. Don't forget to add appointments that you have already
scheduled for this year. Color-code each event by category using highlighters in
different colors so that you can see what's coming up at a glance. Purchase a
calendar wall hanger and hang up your calendar for daily viewing.
3. Get it on Sale
Purchase Christmas cards, wrapping paper, tissue, bows, ribbon and decorations
for next year while they are on sale now.
4. Make a List and Check it Twice
Make a list of all the people you mailed cards to. Put each name and address
into Word's label feature (under tools, letters/mailings, envelopes/labels) so
that next year you so you can save time by printing out address labels. Print
them on festive label stock.
Make a list of those you purchased gifts for and make another list to keep as
master lists for next year.
You might want to consider drawing names among the adults instead of buying
something for everyone.
5. Write It Down
Write out your New Year's Resolutions/Goals. See our article "Making Successful
New Year's Resolutions" at
http://www.christian-homemaking.com/resolutions.html
6. Perfectly Put Away
Organize your Christmas ornaments, lights and decorating items as you store them
away. Try using a cardboard wine case for your ornaments. They can be picked up
for free from the grocery store and have dividers that are just the right size
for most ornaments. Label your boxes as you go so you know what is in them. Try
combining all the ornaments that you use on a regular basis. That way you can
pull out that box to use right away and then go on to the others as needed. You
can also apply this strategy to all your holiday decorations. Group each season
or holiday and mark each box accordingly.
Purchase organizing containers on sale at home improvement warehouses for
organizing throughout the year. Home Depot has some really great boxes that fold
down to a compact size when not in use. They can be stacked and stored for later
use. Buy as many as you think you will need for the year.
7. Budget for Next Christmas
Take a look at your Christmas receipts from last year and plan a budget for next
Christmas.
8. Hidden Agenda
Find a hiding place for Christmas gifts that you purchase on sale throughout the
year. Make sure it is "child proof". Make a list of each gift and who it is for.
Keep that list in your wallet so that you can note each purchase. By doing this
you will keep tract of what you have purchased and avoid spending too much.
9. Filing for the Future
Start getting your files and records in order. See the article "The Benefits of
a Filing System" on our web site at
http://www.christian-homemaking.com/filingsystem.html for how to set up a
system that works.
For more organizing and homemaking resources, subscribe to our free ezine called
Wives of Excellence.
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Happy organizing!
