Declutter Calendar Update

Do you remember that

 2012 Declutter & Organize Calendar 

we talked about?

If it has already taken a back seat to other, more pressing priorities, try again!  Tomorrow is March 1^st, and getting back on track towards Getting it All Together is a great way to begin the new month.  

This calendar is great because it’s easy and you only need to take baby steps.  There’s nothing too complex or involved that should take up your whole day.  (whew!)

  

Examples:

• Monday-      Set up a donation station - I love that this is first!  This way you're prepared for future    donations.  (A great idea from January’s calendar.) 
• Tuesday-       Clean off one kitchen shelf  
• Wednesday-  Clean off the left side of your desk 
• Thursday-      Clean off the center of your desk
• Friday-          Clean off the right side of your desk 
• Saturday-       Label boxes in the storage area
• Sunday-         Take a nap

Tomorrow’s job is to “declutter your end table in the living room or family room.”  

Don’t worry about starting with past challenges.  If you try to “retro-declutter”, you may overwhelm yourself and get discouraged.  Just start with today.  Then, if you feel up to it and have the time, go back and get ideas of other places to work on.  The important thing is to keep going— don’t stop.  

Keep your calendar where you can see it and be sure to give yourself a big, satisfying, red check-mark for a job well done. 

Have you started busting the clutter bug in your home?  Start today!

Science Experiments Gone Wrong

Eeewwww!

Just because National Clean out Your Refrigerator Day isn’t until November 15^th, doesn’t mean you should wait until then.  Let’s face it- we’ve all had a few science experiments gone wrong in the fridge and they’re always awful (not to mention smelly) to clean out!  So, let’s try to prevent them. 

 Here’s how and it’s so easy!

Make a routine of scanning the fridge each night before you put the garbage out for pick-up.  Usually trash is picked up once a week, so this gives plenty of chances to cut down on the fermenting process.

Example:  If you put the trash out each Wednesday night, scan your refrigerator for all containers.  Can you name what’s in each one?  If you can’t, find out what’s in there & either keep or trash. 

I have 2 rules for keeping food:  

1. If In doubt, throw it out!  
2. If it’s been 5 days or longer, I throw it out.  (unless certain circumstances apply)

How do I remember how long this experiment has been here? 

Great question! 

1- Look for expiration dates.  If it’s past the date, throw it out.  If not, keep it.

2- If there’s no expiration date & it’s the homemade variety it gets a little more complicated.

• Try to remember when you made the dish.  Sometimes I look back on the calendar to remember what was going on & sometimes I get lucky enough to remember!  :) 
• Other times I write on the calendar what we’ve had or check the meal plan. 
• A great way to remember is to write on the product!  Let’s say you opened a jar of spaghetti sauce & you saved the rest for later.  Simply take a permanent marker & write on the label the date you opened it.  Or, if it’s a Tupperware you’d rather not take a Sharpie to, use a Post-It note instead.  Both methods have saved me many times!

While science can be fun, let’s start today by cleaning it out of our refrigerators.  Taking small steps each week is a great step towards designing the type of home you want & doing it in manageable pieces will help you Get it All Together.