Spring Cleaning

Oh it is that time again. I know most people probably have plans for Spring Break, but I just can't wait to get some spring cleaning done. It just makes me feel so much better knowing that everyting is clean and organized! Here are some tips that help my sanity!

Organizational Tips

I love to organize! It just makes my life more peaceful. Even better, is to help organize someone else. I blame my mother. You see, after a long nice week at Camp Garawya in Clinton, MS, I often came home to everything I owned being on top of my bed. My mother would simply look at me and say “Organize it.” Which I did, however, I have tried to figure out why the rest of my sisters never had to enjoy this activity. I guess my mother thought as long as she had one daughter who could do this, it would be fine. I guess it did work out, because I would often help my sisters organize their bedroom, pack for trips, etc. Then I got smart, and try to leave a list for them to do. I get lots of eye-rolling from them. I am also glad that my husband is like me and likes to keep things nice and tidy. Bliss, I tell you!

Organizing closets, drawers, rooms, etc, etc, etc.

• About once a season, I organize about every closet, drawer, etc. in my house. I have to tell myself to throw it away or that someone needs it worse than you, so I give it to goodwill. (I get my pack-ratness honestly; therefore, I do have to force myself).


• Start in a room, put the timer on if you must (I don’t), and clean out as much as you can. I work until I am satisfied. Start on a different room next time.


• Have a box for goodwill and one for “iffy” (what you want to keep, but don’t know IF you need to. Have someone go through that box with you to help decide.) Put other items away.

Find more space

• Draw out your house, kitchen, bathroom,or other rooms. Draw all the storage space down to the drawer, label what you would like to put in there. Make it happen.


• Organize according to how you live – dog lease by the door, silverware by the stove, glasses by the dishwasher, etc.


• Define space. Put linens in one closet for easier access.


• Find space in your house to create more storage. Add shelves to the sides of a closet on the bottom part for more room. Look around your house and just think of what you can use – baskets, and empty draw (very few of these at my house), or recreate or combine items in a specific place.

Lists

• Keep a notebook in the kitchen and write down grocery lists, store lists, and other important reminders.


• Plan a day in the week/weekend that you can shop.

Meal Planning and Couponing

• I select about 8 recipes a month to actually cook and then buy some quick foods such as pizza, chicken strips, Voila meals (we cook for two, so depending on your family, you may need more recipes).


• I think about all that we have going on that month, and may even sketch out when we will have certain meals.


• I try to do my big shopping once a month. I still have to go and get milk and creamer about once a week.


• Once I have my recipes, I plan my grocery lists, go to www.southernsavers.com, and see which store has the best deals for what I need. This is usually Kroger.


• I organize my coupons according to what I need and put them at the front of my coupon organizer. These are also organized in the sections that they match – grocery, frozen, meat, dairy, etc. (So I am a nerd. My great husband bought me the organizer probably as an encourager to save money.)


• Once I find the item, I put the coupon in my pocket so I will have all of them ready at check out.


• Here lately, I have been cooking several meals a night for the week. This really helps when you are tired and all you have to do is put it in the oven! If I can divide them into two meals, I freeze one for later. We are trying to watch our portion size, so this really helps us.

Other Helpful Tips

• Keep laundry sorted during the week. It takes no time to match colors, so that when it is laundry day, you know exactly what to throw in the wash.


• Get as much ready for the week the night before or the beginning of the week. Most of the time on Sundays, I choose 5 outfits for the next week. (Yes, I am a dork, but I am also really late to everything, so this helps me)


• Fix your lunch as much as possible the night before and put it in your lunch bag.


• Fix your coffee, water, gym bag, etc the night before. It will really save time in the morning!






Don’t stress yourself about being organized. Just do the best you can and enjoy life!

Cleaning Tips

• Keep laundry sorted during the week. It takes no time to match colors, so that when it is laundry day, you know exactly what to throw in the wash.


• It helps me to select a day to do certain tasks. Thursday is my cleaning day. I make sure that I have a quick meal to fix so that I can clean my house. I don’t want to do any of this on the weekends! It works for me.


• I make my own cleaner – ½ vinegar ½ water and lemon juice. This can be used to clean the kitchen, bathrooms, and I recently learned, mirrors. It is wonderful to have one cleaner to do all of this.


• Listen to music as you clean. Growing up, it was the BeeGees (we had a record player). Music makes cleaning have a nice fun flow about it!


• Have a routine. Even though I know it is probably better to vacuum first so that you don’t have to dust twice, I like to vacuum last because that is a chore to me. Unless, my husband does it for me, which he usually does.


• Routine: Mirrors, bathrooms, kitchen, dust, vacuum, sweep and mop.


• About once every 6 month, I clean windows, window jams, baseboards, walls, etc. Normally I do this in the spring and fall.


• Make sure you reward yourself for a job well done! This could be collapsing on the couch, blogging, or doing a fun craft project. Normally this means collapsing on the couch and watching a movie or going through the many seasons of 24.

Happy cleaning and organizing!