Holidays

How To Prevent Holiday Clutter

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A couple of weeks ago (before my computer crash) I sent out a newsletter listing things you can do to help prevent cluttering up your holidays with too many things to do and/or buy. Here is the list again. I’ve included links to articles I have written that can give you more information and tips on those subjects. Planning ahead will help you keep your life and finances under control.

1. Make a list of who you are buying gifts for. On this list write out what you want to buy this person and how much you can spend (maximum).

2. Always take this list with you when you go shopping. It will help you stick to your budget and make it less likely to get caught up in the marketing ploys the stores use to get you to buy what they think you need.

3. Plan out your holiday meal on paper. List what dishes each guest will be bringing (if you do it this way). Confirm this with your guests a couple of weeks ahead of time so they will be organized.

4. Check all your recipes and write down any ingredients you will need to buy. Buy non-perishables a week or two ahead. Buy the perishables a few days ahead of the day.

5. Make out your holiday card list before you buy those cards. Check out my article, “Holiday Greeting Card System” for more information. http://bit.ly/aXvbwE

6. If you are traveling this holiday season you can make a Travel Planner that will help you pack the things you need and leave home the things you don’t need. (clutter) http://bit.ly/bt3WlX

If you haven’t already signed up to get my free newsletter be sure to do so now. You don’t want to miss out on any tips. Plus you get a free eBook filled with tips for year round decluttering and organizing. You can sign up on the sidebar of this blog or go to my website. https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

Janice

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The Holiday Rush Has Started!

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The holiday rush has already started! There’s Thanksgiving to prepare for. Holiday cards need to be bought along with presents for Hanukkah and Christmas.

As Willy Wonka said:

“So much time, and so little to do! Strike that, reverse it.”

The cooking shows and magazines are giving ideas about how to make a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner along with having the best Christmas or Hanukkah ever. In theory, it looks and sounds great. In reality, it’s a whole other story.

Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas can be simple and great at the same time. All three holidays are celebrating: being grateful, hard work, miracles, and compassion and understanding for our fellow man/woman. If we think about these basic reasons for celebrating it will be easier to keep from being caught up in the commercialism of fancy cooking, elaborate decorations, and over the top and expensive gifts.

To help counteract the media pushing us into believing these high expectations we need to have a written plan for the holiday season. The best way to do this is to create a notebook and write out your plans for each holiday you will celebrate. These plans should include what you want to accomplish and by what date.

Here are some links to help with the planning of Thanksgiving:

http://www.oceanspray.com/planit/essentials/planning_book.aspx

http://www.bhg.com/holidays/thanksgiving/planning/

If you don’t know where to get started with Christmas then Flylady.net has some great information.

http://www.flylady.net/pages/HolidayCruising1.asp

I have written an article on how to set up a holiday card system that I’ve used for years. It may take a little time to set up at first if you have a lot of people on your list, but in future years it will save you tons of time. You can check it out here:

http://bit.ly/aXvbwE

If you are mailing gifts this holiday season then check out the USPS site for dates. Write in your notebook who you want to mail gifts to and when you need to buy them and mail them. You may want to mark your main calendar with the “mail by” dates to make sure you aren’t late.

http://www.usps.com/holiday/shippingcalendar.htm?from=home_ftpromo&page=holidaymaildates

Below are links a few more links to help with Thanksgiving planning. I’ll be adding links for Hanukkah and Christmas on the next blog post. Be sure to check back soon.

turkey

*Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 25

http://www.butlerwebs.com/holidays/thanksgiving.htm

http://www.history.com/content/thanksgiving

http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanksgiving/

http://www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

If you have piles of paper clutter then you need to get my eBook, “Cut Out The Paper Clutter”. It can help you clear out the piles and organize the important papers.

3Debook_Clutter8 http://organizebythemonth.com/CutOutThePaperClutter.html

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Only 18 Days Till Thanksgiving

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It’s hard to believe there are only 18 days until Thanksgiving. For the last 10 plus years we have gone over to my sister-in-laws so I haven’t had too much work to do. I would make homemade rolls and pumpkin pie. Other than that I just had to show up.

This year is different. My mother has been ill so we will be having it at her house but I’m the one who will be doing most of the work. My sister and her family are coming in town but not until Weds afternoon. She will be able to help me with all the last minute preparations but I will have to plan, organize, and shop ahead of time. On top of that both of my sons and daughter-in-law will be visiting this year.

Now that I have a confirmed head count I will go to the grocery and order a fresh turkey to be picked up on Weds November 24. Because it’s been a long time since I have had to do so much for Thanksgiving I’m going to create a planner to help me keep on track.

I found a great website where you can print a customized planner and calendar that will help you keep track of what you need to do when and where. http://www.oceanspray.com/planit/essentials/planning_book.aspx

I just found this site today and ironically it has “order fresh turkey” for the task listed for today, Nov 8. I won’t be getting to the store today but I’m sure tomorrow will still be soon enough.

Here is another website where you can print out a Thanksgiving Countdown and get lots of other help with planning and organizing. http://www.bhg.com/holidays/thanksgiving/planning/

I’ve printed out some of the information from the above sites and put them in a 3-ring binder. This will be my Thanksgiving planner. As I gather my recipes, shopping lists, etc. I’ll put them in the planner. By reviewing it everyday it will help me stay organized so I can avoid any last minute chaos.

Below are some other links for Thanksgiving and for Veterans Day which is this coming Thursday.

*Veterans Day – Thursday, November 11

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/veterans/

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/veterans-day/teacher-resources/6674.html

*Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 25

http://www.butlerwebs.com/holidays/thanksgiving.htm

http://www.history.com/content/thanksgiving

http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanksgiving/

http://www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

If you have piles of paper clutter then you need to get my eBook, “Cut Out The Paper Clutter”. It can help you clear out the piles and organize the important papers.

3Debook_Clutter8 http://organizebythemonth.com/CutOutThePaperClutter.html

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November Holidays

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Below are the dates and some links for the holidays in the month of November. Mark your calendars and start planning your “to do” lists so you can enjoy the holidays without the last minute chaos. If you need some ideas on planning out those lists then check out this blog post. http://organizebythemonth.com/?p=300

*Election Day – Tuesday , November 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_Day_%28United_States%29

*Daylight Saving Time Ends – Sunday, November 7

http://www.nist.gov/pml/div688/dst.cfm

*Veterans Day – Thursday, November 11

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/veterans/

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/veterans-day/teacher-resources/6674.html

*Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 25

http://www.butlerwebs.com/holidays/thanksgiving.htm

http://www.history.com/content/thanksgiving

http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanksgiving/

http://www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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October Holidays and Observances

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It’s hard to believe September is almost over. The school routines should be in place by now and hopefully running smooth. The cooler weather (at least in the northern parts of the country) is setting in plus the daylight hours are getting shorter and shorter.

There are only a couple of holidays during the month of October but there are many, many “observances” for either a day, a week, or the month. Here are two sites that list lots of these special observances. It’s amazing how many different things can be celebrated during this month. I have not check out many of them but you can Google any that interest you.

http://www.brownielocks.com/october.html

http://www.gone-ta-pott.com/OctoberCalendar.html

I’ve listed some of the more common observances below. The one that has the most significance to me is “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”.  I’m a breast cancer survivor along with my mother and sister.  I have done a little more research for links to help educate you on the subject. Most people know at least one person or family that has dealt with breast cancer. Learn how to reduce the risks for yourself and your family members. Give generously (money and/or time) to the charity of your choice. The more we all contribute to finding a cure the sooner we won’t have to live in fear of cancer.

Ok, I’m getting off my soap box. Check out the links below. October is not only a month to educate yourself on a variety of topics (see above links) but to have lots of fun!

Holidays

October 11, (Monday) Columbus Day

This is a Federal Holiday so most Federal buildings and the post office will be closed.

http://www.history.com/topics/columbus-day

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/columbus/

October 31, (Sunday) Halloween

I’ll add more links as the month goes on so be sure to check this blog often. If you have any suggestions for Halloween fun please let me know in the comment section. Thanks.

http://www.history.com/topics/halloween

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/halloween/index.shtml

http://www.halloween.com/

Other Observances

October 3 – 9, National Fire Prevention Week

October 1-31, Breast Cancer Awareness Month

http://ww5.komen.org/

http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast

 

Janice

 

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