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Organizing tips for a stress-free Thanksgiving holiday

October 14, 2019 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

Every year it seems like the holidays sneak up on us earlier and earlier, and it’s not uncommon to feel like you are never prepared! Maybe you have your family over every year for Thanksgiving and are looking for ways to be more efficient in your preparations. Or maybe this year you are hosting the family for the very first time! I am here to help you sort out your plans and get organized for Thanksgiving and other celebrations so you will enjoy the holidays!

Following are some organizing and planning tips to help you prepare for Thanksgiving and eliminate stress so you can focus on having fun with your family and friends.

• Make a list of the people you are inviting to your home for the holiday. Most people invite family and friends who live in the area, but if you are inviting out-of-town guests, it would be best to send out the invitation a few weeks in advance so they can make travel plans.
• Inventory your table linens and napkins to see if you need to send them to the dry cleaners and to make sure you have enough for the number of guests that you are expecting. And if you need to purchase new linen sets, check out the stores for great deals now.
• Check your serving flatware, glassware and dishes to make sure you have enough. Did any of the dish pieces break last year and need to be replaced? Or are some worn out and need replacement? If you need to order them online, make that a priority on your to-do-list.
• Think about what table decorations you would like, or change out your pillows or throw blankets for the party. Some people change out their paintings to holiday or winter scenes during this time of year, so decide if you want to do that, and purchase new ones now if you don’t already have some.
• Check out the condition of your guest room if you are having family or friends stay at your home. Do you need to put away items that ended up in that room? Do you need to clean and/or purchase new linens for the bed? This is a great time to decide if you need to keep any items that are being stored in the guest room for safe keeping. Now is the time to donate or throw away items that are no longer needed.
• Review your recipes and cookbooks and find your favorite dishes for the holidays, or consider special dishes that your family members request every year! If you want to experiment on some new dishes, try them out a few weeks ahead of time to see if they might become a new favorite for family and friends.
• If children are coming to your party, put out toys or movies for them if they need to be entertained. This is a great way to have all of your guests comfortable in your home. If you and your guests like to play board games, make sure you have all of the pieces to the games before the party.
• To plan for leftovers from the Thanksgiving meal, try to make some space in your refrigerator and freezer, and eat or throw out any leftover food so you have extra room.

These are just a few tips and ideas so you are as prepared as possible to make the most of your Thanksgiving with your family and friends! This is a great list to use for Thanksgiving or other celebrations that you may have in your home.

If you need help getting your home organized and prepared for the holidays, please contact me and I would be happy to help out! I hope you all have a blessed holiday season!

Paperwork Organizing Tips

August 30, 2019 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

This is the question that everyone asks me to talk about
and help them with – the dreaded paperwork! I know if I
even say the word paperwork, people shudder and want to
run and hide. But I am here to say you do not need to be
afraid! The following information will help you with organizing
your paperwork.

As many of you have heard me say
before, there are 3 CATEGORIES that
papers fall into: Action items –
File/Reference – Recycle. That is all!
Every piece of paper that comes into
your life falls into one of these 3
categories. To help you through this
process, here are the questions that
you need to ask yourself first.

What is this piece of paper?
What is the purpose of this piece of paper?
And most important, what is the
consequence if you do not have this
piece of paper?

THE FIRST DECISION: Is this piece of
paper an action item? For example,
do you have to pay the bill, make a
phone call or write an email to
complete this paperwork? Do you have
to write it on your calendar for an event coming up, or
the paper is for a special project that you are working on?
Once you know this is an action piece, then you need to
have a place, a tray, bin or basket, to sort it out to deal
with between today, this week or next month. You must
take care of this action item in the time allotted or the
paperwork will get out of hand. If you tend to neglect taking
care of the paperwork in a timely manner, you
need to ask yourself, do you really want to do this task or
can you file the paperwork or just recycle it?

NEXT DECISION is to file the piece of paper. Most people
file papers away as a reference and reminder that they did
something which is fine, but remember the filing rule:
80% of what we file away, we only need to retrieve 20% of
that information. When you file papers,
they should be in file folders that are
easily labeled. For example “Homeowners
Insurance 2019”, “Tax Donations 2019”,
Tom’s Medical Bills 2019”. If you are not sure
if you should file or recycle a piece of
paper, this is where the question comes
in – what is the consequence if you do
not have this piece of paper? For
example, do you need it for tax
purposes, does it relate to household
expenses and you need to refer back to
it? But if you do file things away, please take
time out to purge your files either
every year or every
couple of years and do a big purge!

And the LAST STEP OR DECISION you need
to ask yourself with paper: Can I just
recycle it? Try to do this process when you get your mail.
Go through and discard the selected junk mail right away,
which can be done most of the time. If you have papers
you want to shred, you can take them to an OfficeMax
store where they can shred your documents for a small fee depending on the amount of paperwork.
Or watch for free Shred-A-Thon events
at your local bank or community centers.

Once you put your papers in these 3 categories, you will
never have a problem deciphering their usefulness again!

Good luck and if you need any help with working through the 3 paperwork
categories, please let me know and I would be happy to help!

Organizing Kids Bedrooms

July 29, 2019 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

I hope you are all enjoying the summer months so far! The kids are home and may be bored at times so why not give them and yourself a project to get their bedrooms in order before school starts soon. I have a few tips and ideas that can help you and your kids with organization in your kids bedrooms. The tips here are for kids in grade school all the way up to college.

• Start with the clothes in the child’s bedroom. Determine if the clothes are too small or worn out. Then either save them for a younger sibling, neighbor or relative or donate them to charity. If they are ripped or worn out, it is ok to discard them because it is not worth donating clothes that are not in the best of shape.

• Arrange the clothes in the closet so the child can reach them and have easy access to them. For example, tee-shirts, pants or shorts. Also as your child gets taller, their clothes hang too low for some of the hanging space and the rods can be adjusted so the clothes fit better. Also you can try to adjust the hanging space for tall kids so their clothes hang properly in the closet.

• Sort through all of the toys in the bedroom. Does your child still play with them? Have they outgrown them? Toys can then to be thrown away, donated or put in a memory box for safekeeping.

• Put only one big bin in the room for the toys that they play with consistently. The rest of the toys should be put in a playroom if the house has one. They should not be all over the house, but should be centralized if possible.

• Keep all books in a bookcase in the room. In a bookcase you can store books, display some memory items and papers for the child.

• If you have a desk in your child’s bedroom, make room on the desk for homework, if they are at the age for homework. A lot of the time the child has small items or things they keep on the desktop. Have a separate bin or drawer that the items can be stored in. Sometimes the child uses that space as a display area and that is fine.

• Every child’s bedroom should have a wastebasket in it. They need a place to throw away paper, tissues, etc. So when you or your child clean up the room, you have a place for garbage to go instead of on the floor.

• ASK your child what they need in their room. A lot of items land on the floor because they do not have a specific place for things. Many parents are surprised to discover that when they ask their kids what they need to keep their room tidy, the kids will tell them. It may be they need a bigger dresser for their tops or pants to fit into or need more shelving for books.

• MOST IMPORTANT— everything should have a “home.” Clothes in the closet, toys in a toy bin/basket, books in a bookcase. This will teach the child where everything should go to stay organized.

These are just a few ideas and tips to help keep your kids room organized and a place where they can have their friends come over. I have worked with many families with kids and I always enjoy working with the kids and getting their bedrooms set up that works for them. Also getting it organized so they learn how to keep their clothes, books and school items in order and it is a calming place for them.

If you have any questions for me or would like additional information on how I can help you and your family with organization in your kids bedroom, please contact me. Thank you and I hope you all have a wonderful summer!

Holiday Organizing Checklists

November 7, 2018 By Beth Fuchs Leave a Comment

I know the holidays are coming up quickly and I do not know where the time went! I love the upcoming holidays and I hope everyone will not be to stressed out during this time and really enjoy the time with friends and family. To do this I wanted to send you some checklists and small projects to do before your kids and work schedules get crazy. Here are some ideas to think about as the holidays approach:

Start writing down a list of family, friends, neighbors and co-workers that you would like to give a gift to. This year could be the year where you give the gift of your time. This could mean offering your time to help with their grocery shopping, or doing some errands or help cooking for the holidays. Some people don’t necessarily need gifts but the gift of your time may be just what they need!
Consider making a change this year and donate gifts or money to charities in your area that you are passionate about. There are several ways that you can contribute a gift to a family members favorite charity, or donate money for a scholarship to your kids high school or college alma mater. And unfortunately we may know someone who is dealing with a death in the family and would be grateful if you contributed to one of their charities.
Before the holidays start and you know you will be cooking, go through your pantry and determine what food ingredients you have already that is GOOD to use for your meals. When I work with clients and they ask me how long a certain type of food is good for, I ask them “If you were to use this food ingredient today to cook or bake with, would you use it?” If the answer is no, then you should get rid of it and no need to keep it if you are not going to use it now or it may make you feel sick. If during the holidays is the only time you bake and you have not used those ingredients for a year, consider getting new ingredients.
Introduce your kids, friends and even co-workers to watch great holiday movies and attend holiday events! I know there are many wonderful movies now on the Hallmark Channel for the holidays, and classic movies on TV or purchase the DVD. Also check out your local community announcements for events for kids and adults. It is great to get out and enjoy the happiness at this special time of year and to spend time together!

If you need some holiday organizing help or consulting advice concerning your home or office, please let me know and I will be happy to help you. I hope you all have a great holiday season and a wonderful start to 2019!

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