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On this Christmas day, take a step back from your busy lives and enjoy time with loved ones. There’s always tomorrow… Merry Christmas!
Photo: Boston Discovery Guide
3 Things to Do NOW to Gain Sanity During the Holidays
As a Boston professional organizer, I’ve seen how hard it is for my clients to make time for themselves during the holidays. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, stressed, and lose sight of the holiday spirit. Give yourself some much needed TLC by scheduling in a little time for YOU this holiday season.
- Take a Walk – A daily walk can help clear your mind, and sooth your body. Even though the weather is colder, take a walk and take in that fresh air! Simple breathing can work wonders for your peace of mind. Walk around your neighborhood, or if you live near an urban area, walk around to take in the holiday dé
- Schedule a Massage – Just when you think you can’t take another moment of holiday shopping or planning, pick up the phone and treat yourself to a massage. Schedule the massage on a day that’s completely free of holiday to-dos so you can make the most of your relaxation. After the tension has been released, and your stress has been reduced, you’ll be ready to finish the holiday marathon, and enjoy the finals days of the holiday season.
- Go to the Library or Bookstore – Sometimes we just need to get away. Now, a vacation would be nice, but right now we’ll have to settle for a local escape. Head to your local library, or quiet bookstore, and sink into a good book. Try a holiday-themed book like Elin Hilderbrand’s Winter Stroll, or find yourself in a tropical paradise with a summer beach read. If you can’t seem to get into a book, try reading a magazine.
Maintaining a stress-free life is a daily practice. Once the stress and anxiety snowballs out of control, it can be hard to reset. Try to wake up each morning and set a positive intention. By doing this you’ll minimize your stress, and be on your way to a happier holiday season.
Photo: prevention.com
5 Gifts for Neat Freaks
The gift lists are out, and the shopping has commenced. Chanukah has started and there are only 15 days remaining until Christmas. It’s time to start checking those gifts off your lists. Now, what do you get the person who is a self-proclaimed neat freak? Well, I have a few suggestions for you. Hey, it takes one, to know one, right?
- Reusable Labels – You can never have too many labels. I love these reusable labels. You can easily rename the label without having to create a new one, and they are removable and reusable. These also make great stocking stuffers!
- Clear Storage Bins – Colored storage bins are oh-so festive. Hey, it’s fun to coordinate with the holidays and get them in your favorite colors! But unfortunately, with colored storage bins you can’t see what’s inside. That’s why I always opt for clear storage bins. You can see how much room you have, and can easily add more items.
- Drawer Dividers – Every drawer needs a divider to ensure proper organization. Drawer dividers keep everything in place, and makes items much easier to find. Opt to use drawer dividers in junk drawers, or in deep kitchen drawers to organize objects like Tupperware or pots.
- Car organizers – Is your car organized? The likely answer is no. A person’s vehicle tends to be the least organized part of their lives. The one way to keep those cars and trunks organized is to get a car organizer. I use collapsible storage bins to hold essentials like windshield wiper fluid, a flashlight and other emergency preparedness items. I also keep one in my car to prevent grocers from sliding around! You can also use car organizers to store kids’ toys, blankets and sporting essentials.
- Battery organizer – Need I say more? It’s wonderful to be able to look in a drawer and find the size battery and quantity you need. This battery organizer by Range Kleen is a good buy. Ah, heaven.
Photo: The Container Store
3 Things to PURGE Before the Holidays
During the holiday season you will inevitably see an influx of items around the home. You’ll receive gifts, food, wine…all wonderful things! What’s the saying, out with the old, in with the new? Yes, you should hold onto this mantra and purge these items from your home to clean up the clutter!
- Holiday related items – As you are going through and decorating your home, look through your holiday decor and evaluate what you haven’t used in years. Why keep those items just to take up precious space when you don’t use them? Let them go. These items can be donated and ultimately another family would find use for them in their home.
- Food – Holidays will be a busy cooking time. Make sure you have plenty of room in your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Purge old spices, expired dressings or condiments, and old liquor or wine. Take inventory of what you have and try to use those items up to make room for the extra items one tends to have around the holidays. Also, if you have canned or boxed food you haven’t used and are nearing their expiration date, these can be donated to the local food bank.
- Toys – If you have children, please take the time to have them go through their toys. If they have toys on their list, have your kids let go of unused/outgrown toys so they can allow space for new ones to come into their lives. Also, let your kids know that their toys will be donated to other kids, and they will ultimately be making another child’s life happier during the holiday season.
Photo source: Pretty Providence
What you Need to Know When Buying an Antique Home
Thanks to our guest blogger, Tom Matthews from Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty. Tom and his teammate Joanne Taranto assist a wide selection of homebuyers and sellers in the Lincoln, Carlisle, Acton and Concord real estate markets.
Sometimes the best new home is not new at all. Many buyers fall in love with the history and character of antique homes. The Concord area offers many classic examples of New England architecture that simply cannot be replicated in new construction. While there’s a certain charm to living in an antique colonial, there are also some important things to take into consideration if you are looking into purchasing an antique home. Paying attention to a few of these details will ensure that you know what you are getting into before you make your purchase and that an older home is right for you.
They don’t build them like they used to.
Wide-planked wood floors, dovetailed joints, hand-scraped wooden beams, architectural molding, cast iron pipes, knob and tube plumbing, and older heating and cooling systems all contribute to the unique charm of an antique home and sometimes present challenges. Keep in mind that older homes can occasionally come with challenges brought on by older construction.
If you are considering an antique home it is important to have a very thorough home inspection to make sure that there are no surprises that may pop up after closing. This will ensure you know as much about any potential problems or additional expenses before you’re committed.
Neighborhoods don’t happen overnight.
While you can definitely find a developer who really pays attention to charm and character when building new homes, it’s important to remember that new construction is just that, new construction. If you love 100-year-old oak trees or well-established neighborhoods you are not going to be able to find that in a brand new development. Make sure you weigh the benefits of having a brand new home with the potential downfalls.
To remodel, or not to remodel?
That is the question. The current trends in home design include large, open floor plans, big bathrooms, and plenty of big closets. With some exceptions, you are not going to find this in the design styles of older homes unless a previous owner has gone through the remodeling process. Older homes tend to have smaller bathrooms and bedrooms and less storage than newer homes while offering large living, dining and kitchen areas.
If you plan to go through the remodeling process yourself to update your new antique home, make sure you check with your city, county, or historical society. Certain historic areas and some specific homes may have requirements on what you can and cannot do when updating.
Homeowner’s insurance and other hidden costs.
Last, but certainly not least, make sure you factor in the price to insure your new old home. Some home insurance companies will charge higher rates on antique homes.
One final bit of advice is to pay attention to your furniture and appliances before you decide to move them in. Older homes were built for smaller furniture and appliances. You don’t want to find yourself with a refrigerator that won’t fit through your door on moving day!
There are many reasons to buy an antique home. Older homes have history and character that you do not normally find today. It’s important to understand that with that history and character come possible complications. By being thorough and having a solid understanding of what you are getting yourself and your family into can make sure that there are no surprises down the road that might interfere with your enjoyment of your new (to you) home!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Giving thanks and counting all the ways you’re grateful can be a challenging task amidst the holiday chaos. Before or after you feast with friends and family, take some time to think about what or who you’re grateful for this year. This will open your heart even more, and make for a very fulfilling Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Photo source: Catch My Party
Tip Tuesday – 5 Tips to Stay Organized While Holiday Shopping
Christmas is 39 days away – yikes! It always surprises me how quickly fall turns into winter. All of a sudden, it’s Thanksgiving and the hunt for holiday gifts is on. If you haven’t started shopping for holiday gifts, you need to begin soon to prevent any last-minute-shopper stress! Here are some tips to help you stay organized while holiday shopping.
- Make a master list – There are so many balls to juggle this time of year and you don’t want to leave your many to-dos to memory. Make a master to-do list on an app like Evernote or simply write your lists down on paper or in your planner. Make a list for gifts to buy for friends & family, and also make lists for groceries you need to buy for entertaining events.
- Schedule time to wrap gifts – Once you’ve purchased all of your gifts, wrap them ALL at once instead of one at a time. Just think about the time it takes to pull out the wrapping paper, tape and gifts tags. By wrapping your gifts in large batches, you’ll save time and restore a bit of sanity.
- Plan Ahead – Shopping is exhausting. To circumvent even more exhaustion, plan your meals and make large quantities of food when possible. When you are making a casserole, why not double the recipe and put the second batch in the freezer? Now, on the days when you know you will be exhausted from shopping, just pull the frozen casserole out and viola, dinner! By doing this, you don’t have to rely on take out and you will also save money.
- Online Shopping – Driving around to physical store locations during the holiday season is time-consuming and tiring. Looking for a parking spot, standing in long lines, or realizing the item you drove all the way to get is now out of stock. These are all great reasons to stay at home and let your fingers do the shopping.
- Look for a bargain – Subscribe to your favorite retailers’ newsletters or social media channels. The stores will offer advance notices and deals to their subscribers. You can also download savings apps like RetailMeNot to save digitally in your favorite stores.
Staying organized and planning ahead can free up more time for you to actually get into the holiday spirit. Enjoy these moments with your family and friends – be present, be joyful!
Photo source: Huffington Post
Giving Back – 5 Organizations to Support Over the Holidays
It’s easy to get swept away into the insane holiday season. Your to-do list is long, there always seems to be insane work deadlines, and school schedules are packed. As you’re juggling the different areas of your life, it’s important to take the time to give back to your community.
There are many organizations that would benefit from donated goods, monetary donations or volunteered time. Look locally to see what organizations would benefit, or find an organization that falls in line with one of your passions.
Below is short list of organizations to help generate some ideas of organizations you can support this holiday season.
- Food Banks – Food is essential to life, and these organizations are always in dire need of donated goods and funds. If you’d like to donate food, look at the list of foods these organizations need the most including juice boxes, canned vegetables and boxed pasta.
- Toys for Tots – Children are the heart of the holiday season, and truly look forward to opening that special gift over the holidays. There are Toys for Tots drop-off locations around every community, and all it takes is one toy to make the holidays a little brighter for a child.
- USO (United Service Organizations) – The holidays aren’t the same for military family members who are separated from their loved ones. Since 1941 it has been providing care packages and entertainment to military members. Because the government doesn’t fund the organization, it relies on support from donors.
- Local animal shelter – There are many ways besides donating money to support your local animal shelter. I take gently used towels and sheets to my local shelter and they are always happy to receive these donations.
- Senior Centers/Council on Aging – Your time is oh-so valued by seniors who might not have loved ones close by. All it takes is an hour or more to make someone’s day during the holiday season. Look up your local senior center to see what services you can provide or volunteer to spend time with seniors in your community.
By blocking out time to give back, you will move into the holiday season with a grateful heart, and a better appreciation for the season.
Photo source: boston.com
5 Spooky Realizations of a Professional Organizer
My chosen career as a professional organizer is a niche. I get it. I’m one of those rare individuals who have a passion for turning clutter into clean. And nasty into neat. This is spooky enough, isn’t it? As we get ready to celebrate Halloween tomorrow, I thought it would be fun to share some other rather “spooky” realizations about myself. I laugh looking at the absurdity of how true these really are, and hopefully they give you a good laugh!
- I love paperwork. Yes, it’s true. I realize we are all living in a world of less paper, but I still have a passion for the working with paper (my own and clients’). There’s something so fulfilling about organizing these tangible pieces.
- I’m a Teacher. At one point in my life I was considering a career change to become a teacher. Little did I know that my love of organizing and working with people in this field would combine those skills. It is so much fun watching clients have an ah-ha moment.
- My favorite tool is the label maker. I couldn’t live without one. How wonderful is it to look in your file cabinet or pantry and see consistent labels? They are clean looking and so easy to read. As we age, why strain our eyes?
- Organizing when shopping. I have been known to reorganize, straighten up, or put “like with like” when shopping. It makes me crazy to try to find something I want in my cart when the items are in a chaotic mess. It’s strange, but I can’t help myself!
- Comments from friends and family. I can’t tell you how many times my friends and family members have started a sentence with, “You would be so proud of me…” and proceed to tell me an organizing project that they accomplished. I’m happy to inspire them to lead a more organized life, and of course, I am always so happy to hear about their successes!
Stay tuned for November’s blog post as we turn the page from fall and start discussing wintertime and the holiday season. There’s a lot to discuss, so be sure to come back!
Photo: CBShome.com
Tip Tuesday: 5 Organizing Tips for Working Moms
A mom’s work is never done. Whether you are a mom that works out of the home, or a mother who heads to the office during the day, all women, when you become a mom, are working moms. You wear many hats, and there are many schedules and to-dos to juggle. While the proverbial plate is always full, organization can take a boatload of stress out of your life. Here are some organizing tips for working moms that can help out.
- Set realistic expectations. This is important. Sometimes we pile on too much work, fall short, and then start to feel guilty or angry at the situation. Be realistic about what you’re able to take on. Unless you want to spend all day Saturday or Sunday cleaning your home, enlist the help of family members. Or, if budget permits, have a cleaning company/person come to the house once a month to do a thorough cleaning.
- Use the ‘fringe hours’. There’s a new book, The Fringe Hours, that shares great advice on using time before and at the end of the day to get work done. If you can get up at least an hour earlier before your children, you can focus on getting yourself ready first and then focus on your children. Remember what they say on the airplane, put your mask on first and then others.
- Plan meals. Again, planning is king! I know this sounds a bit old-fashioned, but if you have your meals planned out, your trips to the grocery store go smoothly, you can set daily meal expectations with your family, and there is no more resorting to take out meals.
- Cut the clutter. Are you surprised this is a tip? Of course not! The less clutter you have on your kitchen counters and throughout your home, the easier it will be to do cleaning and have company over without spending hours preparing for their visit. Maintenance can save time and prevent stressful situations.
- Take a girl’s night out. Taking time for yourself is important, and it’s crucial to hit the ‘reset’ button when you’re running on fumes. You need to recharge your batteries, so be sure to share responsibilities with your significant other and have him take care of the kids one night. Friends help reduce stress and having time for girl talk will do wonders for you (and your family).
Photo: Women’s iLab