Simply put, this will change everything. You will have more time than ever before; you will have clarity of mind; you will find a new sense of creativity; you will have hard earned peace of mind; and you will love to come home. Aren't any of these worth it? Just take one step (or even an hour) at a time and if you need a break, vow to keep going the next day. Remember the goal is to get your life on a smooth running track, not add more stress and guilt.
We are going to tackle your clutter, cleaning schedule, grocery shopping, cooking, financials, appointments and more. Soon the mundane part of your life will be running on autopilot so you can concentrate on the parts you love best.
Step 1: Get yourself a notebook or start a document on your computer. We'll call this your "Go-To List " Title the first page "House". Make a list of all the areas in your house that need to be de-cluttered. Start with the bathrooms, bedrooms, children's rooms, living areas (includes living room, family room, office), common areas (including the foyer and laundry rooms), kitchen, garage, attic and basement. Checklists are great because you can see your progress on paper. Besides, it's so satisfying to check off something when it's finally done.
You will need a spare room, part of a garage or even an unused corner of a room to start storing items to be donated and items to be sold. Choose that spot and clean it out first. Depending on the amount of the clutter and the size of your home, you may need to attack this in waves. There should be room for 3 piles: Sell, Donate and Trash. Before you start, make sure you have plenty of large garbage bags and empty boxes.
Step 2: Purging the House Use these guidelines for each room. Some rooms may be de-cluttered in one day but most will take a few days each. Finish one room completely before moving on to the next.
When choosing to sell an item, have realistic expectations if the item is truly sellable. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where you can have a garage or yard sale, you can be a little more forgiving. If you can't have a sale, you can still sell items on eBay or Craiglist (tips on selling online in another post).
BATHROOMS
Bedding and towels won't sell when used. If they are in good condition, put them in the Donate pile, otherwise Trash. There is no need to keep large amounts of sheets, blankets or towels. One set of bedding per bed plus one extra to make up the guest bed or couch is sufficient. Keep no more than four bath towels, 4 wash clothes and 2 hand towels per person. Throw out any old pillows and replace with new ones if needed.
When sorting through toiletries, keep only those you are currently using. Those "perfectly good" half empty shampoos and lotions are clutter and need to go. Same goes for makeup, razors, etc. Now is the time to be ruthless and throw out the lot. Keep only what you are currently using and stop stocking up. Even though you may have found a great buy. you may not end up liking the product. Your wallet will thank you later.
Bedding and towels won't sell when used. If they are in good condition, put them in the Donate pile, otherwise Trash. There is no need to keep large amounts of sheets, blankets or towels. One set of bedding per bed plus one extra to make up the guest bed or couch is sufficient. Keep no more than four bath towels, 4 wash clothes and 2 hand towels per person. Throw out any old pillows and replace with new ones if needed.
BEDROOMS
When sorting clothing, items to Sell must be in perfect shape and the more expensive the brand, the better. If it is not a name brand, but still in good shape, put it in the Donate pile. All underwear, socks and bathing suits go in the Trash pile.
Spend a significant amount of time in your closet and determine what clothes actually fit and look good on you. If it doesn't fit perfectly or isn't your style or color, get rid of it. This may seem wasteful, but in the long run you will save a ton of money by honing your style. Ensure that you have entire outfits. If you haven't worn anything in the past year (accounting for all seasons), it needs to go.
One trick I've used with people who can't bring themselves to part with some clothing is to put all the hangers backwards. One you wear something, you can put the hanger the correct way. After one season, every item that is still on a backwards hanger gets tossed. Ruthless, but effective.
For work clothes, a rule of thumb for woman is to have no more than 20 full outfits. That would cover an entire month's worth of clothing without duplication. For men, this can be downsized drastically. Depending on your laundry or dry cleaner situation. 5-10 work shirts and 5 suits should more than suffice.
For casual wear, be realistic about the amount you actually wear. Most wear the same comfortable jeans, shorts,or sweats over and over. Get rid of the rest including the majority of that drawer of t-shirts. Pick your five favorites and donate the rest.
Shoes…the holy grail. The problem with shoes is that they rarely wear out and new styles come out all the time. Again, be realistic and keep only the ones that fit really well and you have worn in the past year.
Purses sell very well online so if you have some good name brand ones, seriously consider selling them. All others can be donated.
CHILDREN'S ROOMS (Bedrooms, Playrooms)
Children's rooms offer a gold mine for garage sale items. Get them involved by allowing them to sort their own toys giving them the incentive of helping to sell them at the garage sale and using some of the proceeds towards a special gift. I have rarely seen a child not get excited about trading old things for new. Capitalize on this excitement and set their toys in a special sale pile that they can oversee.
Good children's clothing is always in demand at charities and donation centers. Let the kids know that their old clothing will be a gift to some other children that could really use it.
Children's books do not normally sell well and they are not easy to donate at a library. They will probably need to be donated to a large organization like Goodwill or Vietnam Vets.
LIVING AREAS (Living Room, Family Room, Office)
Take a good look at your living spaces. Do they feel open and inviting or cramped and suffocating?
Try to picture your living area with less furniture. Would it be more or less functional? If you were to sell what you have, could you buy less but have it be the right furniture for that space and your taste?
Now look at all the surface areas in the room. Are they all covered? Each spot you look should be pleasing to the eye and be a vista all it's own. It's always better to have too little than too much.
Books can take up a ton of room, but luckily most libraries and charities will take donations. Obviously you may have some special books you'd like to keep, but try your best to be realistic. If you have some first editions or signed books, these can sell quite well. Coffee, art or older books may as well, I used to work with rare books and I have found that the best sites to research book prices are Bookfinder.com or ABEbooks.com. You can also look for a used book dealer in the area and bring the whole lot in wheeled suitcases.
DVDs and CDs - do you really need them any more? With the availability of Netflix, OnDemand, Amazon Prime Video, and iTunes, you can have instant access to almost any movie or song. Sell those movies and CDs at a garage sale or donate.
Go through your entire living area and get rid of extra pillows, pictures, etc and it will instantly feel much more open and inviting. Picture what your house should look like if it was for sale. Why not have it look that good all the time?
DINING ROOM
This is a tough one because there is probably some sentimental china or crystal from some long lost family member or wedding gifts from someone special. I guarantee that these people would most want you to live well and not dwell on the past. Material items are just that, material. Memories are what matters. Choose wisely and you will not regret your decision to get rid of items you will never use anyway. Worst case, you can alway give the ones you don't really like or use to another family member. They may love them and you won't feel guilt that the items left the family!
KITCHEN
Keep only one set of the following: daily dishes, coffee cups, silverware, glasses, utensils, pots and pans, mixing bowls, and a good set of knives. Go through each cabinet and drawer and get rid of anything that hasn't been used in a year: baking pans, extra mixing bowls, plastic storage containers, extra utensils, old knives, etc.
Realistically look at all those small appliances. If you haven't used one in a year, put it in the Sell pile for a garage sale or Donate it.
Sort and check the expiration dates for all the food in your pantry. Now is a great time to get rid of all the junk food and unhealthy snacks. Get rid of anything with processed sugar or high amounts of sodium (and stop buying it). Refill the pantry and fridge with healthy snacks like fruit, nuts, hummus and carrots, low salt cottage cheese, etc.
GARAGE
This is why there are garage sales. Time to clean it out so the car can go back in! Find out where to drop off all that old paint and just get rid of it. Sort through the tools and see if you can fit them all in one toolbox, getting rid of the rest. If you're using the garage for storage, what are you really storing there? Do you really need 6 boxes of holiday decorations? Get rid of that extra cooler, old bikes, rusted wheel barrow and rakes. Again, if you haven't used something in the last year, get rid of it.
ATTIC/BASEMENT
The last frontier. Old furniture, rugs, clothes, toys, pictures, extra luggage - so many things can be put away up in the attic. Now is the perfect opportunity to go through those boxes and finally Sell, Donate or Trash it all. Imagine that you are downsizing to a home without an attic or basement. There is no place to store all this junk so it's time to start making some tough decisions. If you are actually using this stuff, shouldn't it be out where you can see it? Obviously you aren't, so get rid of it.
Okay, what about those school projects, report cards, beautiful finger paintings and Lego monstrosities? Take pictures of them to make a Shutterfly album, then throw them away. Believe me, it will be much more meaningful to your children to have something they can actually look through rather than a wall of boxes.
What about those shoe boxes of photos? Scan them. It's easy with almost any multifunction printer and by doing it in front of the TV, they can be scanned, sorted and put in virtual photo albums in no time.
OUTDOORS
Outdoor furniture sells very well and quickly on Craiglist. If you really don't need it or use it. clean up the yard and sell it so you have the money for something else.
CONGRATULATIONS! It's now time to get rid of everything you sorted. To keep clutter free make a pact with yourself to get rid of one item for every new item brought in. Better yet, get rid of an item first, and it will be a lot for fun to look for the perfect replacement.
Step 3: Get rid of all the trash and schedule a donation pickup. In some cases it might be worth it to call a service like 1-800-GOT-JUNK. Research the donation places in your area. Many will pick up depending on the types of donation you have. Consider Vietnam Vets, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Purple Heart, or Habitat for Humanity. Make a pickup appointment for after your garage sale if you can have one.
Step 4: Get your for sale items ready for a sale. Either have a garage sale this coming weekend or take pictures of all your items for Craigslist or eBay. Things that are tough to ship could go on Craigslist while clothing and other smaller items could go on eBay. Look at my other posts for helpful hints using both.
Have a garage sale or list all your items for sale online. This will be an ongoing chore until the sales end and items are shipped out or donated.
Step 5: Make a plan for keeping your now clutter-free house clean. Know where everything belongs and enforce that everyone puts things back after using them. There can be many rules and guidelines but find which one works best for your house. If you have smaller children, setting a timer and have a mini race putting toys away using them can be a game in itself. With older children, set a time right after dinner to get the house back in shape before everyone does homework or settles down for the night.
Step 6: On Saturday mornings, if everything has been maintained all week, it won't take long for the weekly cleaning. While laundry is washing and drying, sweep and wash the floors, dust, vacuum, clean the bathrooms. Wipe down the inside and outside of all appliances. Share the responsibilities and set a goal for it all to be done in an hour. Obviously this will be a bit longer if outside maintenance is needed so plan accordingly.
Step 7: Going grocery shopping and cooking for yourself or family is never ending. In order to keep fresh fruits, vegetables and deli meat available at all times, you will need to go at least once a week. By having the week's menu planned and getting the groceries by midmorning Sunday, you will have time to do some preparation for the week. Get a crock pot, precut meat and vegetables, and freeze entire meals in vacuum or freezer bags. Cook an entire turkey on Sunday for lunch meat and leftovers for the week. Mix it up but do the bulk of the planning and preparation during the weekend so the week can be stress free.
Step 8: On weeknights, ensure that everything is ready for the next day: make school lunches, put meat or frozen crockpot meals in the fridge to defrost. Lay out tomorrow's outfits so no one needs to stress over what to wear. Put backpacks and briefcases near the door so they are easy to grab and go.
Step 9: Make a new list labeled "Appointments". Start with health related appointments such as primary physician, dentist, gynecologist, mammogram, eye doctor, etc. Look up the phone number for each and write next to the name. Write down the last time you visited each of these doctors - if you don't know, call and find out.
Start a new section for "Other". List all other appointments made throughout the year: the vet, oil change, etc. Again, write down the corresponding phone numbers and last dates.
The goal is now to try and make these appointments well in advance and predictable. Try to schedule all medical appointments the same every year around your work schedule. In my case, the end of summer is the slowest, so I book everything during a 2 week period in August. And I mean everything. Doctor, dentist, eye doctor, vet, mammogram, gyno, you name it. Schedule as many as possible well in advance starting as soon as offices open after the New Year. The dentist is twice a year, so set up appointments 6 months apart.
Step 10: Get your financials in order. Take a year's worth of checking/bank/credit card statements and figure out where everything went. A simple spreadsheet works get to started but there are specific programs like Quicken. Mint.com is a great free cloud-based program that securely connects to all your banks and credit card companies to automatically update your budget and keep a bottom line for you. You can set a retirement goal and see exactly how long it will take to get there.
Guard extensively against identity theft by keeping a shredder in your kitchen and shredding every piece of mail with your name on it every day. Use online statements and payments for everything virtually eliminating the need for any paper. If you must mail out checks, send them out in secure mailboxes. Use your bank's online notification systems to alert you of your daily balance and if a large purchase was made.
Research has shown that it is much easier for an identity thief to get information from your mail and outgoing checks than online. Check out sites like CatalogChoice.com to eliminate most junk mail and credit card offers.
Step 11: Make a list of all birthdays, anniversaries, or other yearly celebrations and make fill them all in on your smartphone and/or computer calendar. Set an alert a week before each event so you have time to get a card or gift out in time. You can even spend a delightful afternoon picking out the perfect card for everyone you care about at one time and keep them handy to send out when the time comes. Pick up some thoughtful sympathy and get well cards as well.
Step 12: Make a specific time in the schedule for yourself. Set aside an hour every night telling the kids that moms aren't allowed to work past 8:00 - you can say it's a new law and you just don't have a choice. That will get them motivated to get everything done by a specific time and give you some much needed rest. Set a schedule for exercise - whenever and whatever you enjoy the most. Set a schedule for a social life. For example, save every other Saturday for date night or the first Friday of every month for a girls' or guys' night out.
Okay, that's it! I hope you enjoy your new, organized life. Keep looking for new ways to keep your life simple and peaceful. Good luck and let me know how you do!
One last thought if you're moving: Consider consigning, selling or donating the bulk of your furniture. Depending on your move, you may save a ton (possibly thousands) on moving costs. Now that the rest of the house is so slimmed down, you might be able to move yourself or at least just hire a few college students instead of expensive movers. Saving moving costs along with the money gained from getting rid of your furniture may have you close to having enough money for all new things. Think about it! I did this for my last move and had a great time decorating. Between selling most of my furniture on Craiglist (and donating the rest), selling tons of clothes and items on eBay, and moving myself, I actually had more than enough money to buy all new furniture that fit perfectly in my new home.
My background: I've moved 19 times in my adult life and every time I had to do it all myself (except for hiring movers for the furniture and heavy stuff). After getting out of a 20 year marriage to someone who felt the need to get a new job and a new life in a new city every few years, I flipped a few houses myself and now live debt free. I plan to stay where I am now through retirement (which is in 9 years, 3 months from now according to Mint.com). What saved me through all these moves (and never-ending house showings) is that I am logical by nature. I am a computer techie and programmer and naturally think in flowcharts. I am not a professional organizer but I have been able to help countless others with the techniques above so I hope they work for you as well.
You will need a spare room, part of a garage or even an unused corner of a room to start storing items to be donated and items to be sold. Choose that spot and clean it out first. Depending on the amount of the clutter and the size of your home, you may need to attack this in waves. There should be room for 3 piles: Sell, Donate and Trash. Before you start, make sure you have plenty of large garbage bags and empty boxes.
Step 2: Purging the House Use these guidelines for each room. Some rooms may be de-cluttered in one day but most will take a few days each. Finish one room completely before moving on to the next.
When choosing to sell an item, have realistic expectations if the item is truly sellable. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where you can have a garage or yard sale, you can be a little more forgiving. If you can't have a sale, you can still sell items on eBay or Craiglist (tips on selling online in another post).
BATHROOMS
Bedding and towels won't sell when used. If they are in good condition, put them in the Donate pile, otherwise Trash. There is no need to keep large amounts of sheets, blankets or towels. One set of bedding per bed plus one extra to make up the guest bed or couch is sufficient. Keep no more than four bath towels, 4 wash clothes and 2 hand towels per person. Throw out any old pillows and replace with new ones if needed.
When sorting through toiletries, keep only those you are currently using. Those "perfectly good" half empty shampoos and lotions are clutter and need to go. Same goes for makeup, razors, etc. Now is the time to be ruthless and throw out the lot. Keep only what you are currently using and stop stocking up. Even though you may have found a great buy. you may not end up liking the product. Your wallet will thank you later.
Bedding and towels won't sell when used. If they are in good condition, put them in the Donate pile, otherwise Trash. There is no need to keep large amounts of sheets, blankets or towels. One set of bedding per bed plus one extra to make up the guest bed or couch is sufficient. Keep no more than four bath towels, 4 wash clothes and 2 hand towels per person. Throw out any old pillows and replace with new ones if needed.
BEDROOMS
When sorting clothing, items to Sell must be in perfect shape and the more expensive the brand, the better. If it is not a name brand, but still in good shape, put it in the Donate pile. All underwear, socks and bathing suits go in the Trash pile.
Spend a significant amount of time in your closet and determine what clothes actually fit and look good on you. If it doesn't fit perfectly or isn't your style or color, get rid of it. This may seem wasteful, but in the long run you will save a ton of money by honing your style. Ensure that you have entire outfits. If you haven't worn anything in the past year (accounting for all seasons), it needs to go.
One trick I've used with people who can't bring themselves to part with some clothing is to put all the hangers backwards. One you wear something, you can put the hanger the correct way. After one season, every item that is still on a backwards hanger gets tossed. Ruthless, but effective.
For work clothes, a rule of thumb for woman is to have no more than 20 full outfits. That would cover an entire month's worth of clothing without duplication. For men, this can be downsized drastically. Depending on your laundry or dry cleaner situation. 5-10 work shirts and 5 suits should more than suffice.
For casual wear, be realistic about the amount you actually wear. Most wear the same comfortable jeans, shorts,or sweats over and over. Get rid of the rest including the majority of that drawer of t-shirts. Pick your five favorites and donate the rest.
Shoes…the holy grail. The problem with shoes is that they rarely wear out and new styles come out all the time. Again, be realistic and keep only the ones that fit really well and you have worn in the past year.
Purses sell very well online so if you have some good name brand ones, seriously consider selling them. All others can be donated.
CHILDREN'S ROOMS (Bedrooms, Playrooms)
Children's rooms offer a gold mine for garage sale items. Get them involved by allowing them to sort their own toys giving them the incentive of helping to sell them at the garage sale and using some of the proceeds towards a special gift. I have rarely seen a child not get excited about trading old things for new. Capitalize on this excitement and set their toys in a special sale pile that they can oversee.
Good children's clothing is always in demand at charities and donation centers. Let the kids know that their old clothing will be a gift to some other children that could really use it.
Children's books do not normally sell well and they are not easy to donate at a library. They will probably need to be donated to a large organization like Goodwill or Vietnam Vets.
LIVING AREAS (Living Room, Family Room, Office)
Take a good look at your living spaces. Do they feel open and inviting or cramped and suffocating?
Try to picture your living area with less furniture. Would it be more or less functional? If you were to sell what you have, could you buy less but have it be the right furniture for that space and your taste?
Now look at all the surface areas in the room. Are they all covered? Each spot you look should be pleasing to the eye and be a vista all it's own. It's always better to have too little than too much.
Books can take up a ton of room, but luckily most libraries and charities will take donations. Obviously you may have some special books you'd like to keep, but try your best to be realistic. If you have some first editions or signed books, these can sell quite well. Coffee, art or older books may as well, I used to work with rare books and I have found that the best sites to research book prices are Bookfinder.com or ABEbooks.com. You can also look for a used book dealer in the area and bring the whole lot in wheeled suitcases.
DVDs and CDs - do you really need them any more? With the availability of Netflix, OnDemand, Amazon Prime Video, and iTunes, you can have instant access to almost any movie or song. Sell those movies and CDs at a garage sale or donate.
Go through your entire living area and get rid of extra pillows, pictures, etc and it will instantly feel much more open and inviting. Picture what your house should look like if it was for sale. Why not have it look that good all the time?
DINING ROOM
This is a tough one because there is probably some sentimental china or crystal from some long lost family member or wedding gifts from someone special. I guarantee that these people would most want you to live well and not dwell on the past. Material items are just that, material. Memories are what matters. Choose wisely and you will not regret your decision to get rid of items you will never use anyway. Worst case, you can alway give the ones you don't really like or use to another family member. They may love them and you won't feel guilt that the items left the family!
KITCHEN
Keep only one set of the following: daily dishes, coffee cups, silverware, glasses, utensils, pots and pans, mixing bowls, and a good set of knives. Go through each cabinet and drawer and get rid of anything that hasn't been used in a year: baking pans, extra mixing bowls, plastic storage containers, extra utensils, old knives, etc.
Realistically look at all those small appliances. If you haven't used one in a year, put it in the Sell pile for a garage sale or Donate it.
Sort and check the expiration dates for all the food in your pantry. Now is a great time to get rid of all the junk food and unhealthy snacks. Get rid of anything with processed sugar or high amounts of sodium (and stop buying it). Refill the pantry and fridge with healthy snacks like fruit, nuts, hummus and carrots, low salt cottage cheese, etc.
GARAGE
This is why there are garage sales. Time to clean it out so the car can go back in! Find out where to drop off all that old paint and just get rid of it. Sort through the tools and see if you can fit them all in one toolbox, getting rid of the rest. If you're using the garage for storage, what are you really storing there? Do you really need 6 boxes of holiday decorations? Get rid of that extra cooler, old bikes, rusted wheel barrow and rakes. Again, if you haven't used something in the last year, get rid of it.
ATTIC/BASEMENT
The last frontier. Old furniture, rugs, clothes, toys, pictures, extra luggage - so many things can be put away up in the attic. Now is the perfect opportunity to go through those boxes and finally Sell, Donate or Trash it all. Imagine that you are downsizing to a home without an attic or basement. There is no place to store all this junk so it's time to start making some tough decisions. If you are actually using this stuff, shouldn't it be out where you can see it? Obviously you aren't, so get rid of it.
Okay, what about those school projects, report cards, beautiful finger paintings and Lego monstrosities? Take pictures of them to make a Shutterfly album, then throw them away. Believe me, it will be much more meaningful to your children to have something they can actually look through rather than a wall of boxes.
What about those shoe boxes of photos? Scan them. It's easy with almost any multifunction printer and by doing it in front of the TV, they can be scanned, sorted and put in virtual photo albums in no time.
OUTDOORS
Outdoor furniture sells very well and quickly on Craiglist. If you really don't need it or use it. clean up the yard and sell it so you have the money for something else.
CONGRATULATIONS! It's now time to get rid of everything you sorted. To keep clutter free make a pact with yourself to get rid of one item for every new item brought in. Better yet, get rid of an item first, and it will be a lot for fun to look for the perfect replacement.
Step 3: Get rid of all the trash and schedule a donation pickup. In some cases it might be worth it to call a service like 1-800-GOT-JUNK. Research the donation places in your area. Many will pick up depending on the types of donation you have. Consider Vietnam Vets, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Purple Heart, or Habitat for Humanity. Make a pickup appointment for after your garage sale if you can have one.
Step 4: Get your for sale items ready for a sale. Either have a garage sale this coming weekend or take pictures of all your items for Craigslist or eBay. Things that are tough to ship could go on Craigslist while clothing and other smaller items could go on eBay. Look at my other posts for helpful hints using both.
Have a garage sale or list all your items for sale online. This will be an ongoing chore until the sales end and items are shipped out or donated.
Step 5: Make a plan for keeping your now clutter-free house clean. Know where everything belongs and enforce that everyone puts things back after using them. There can be many rules and guidelines but find which one works best for your house. If you have smaller children, setting a timer and have a mini race putting toys away using them can be a game in itself. With older children, set a time right after dinner to get the house back in shape before everyone does homework or settles down for the night.
Step 6: On Saturday mornings, if everything has been maintained all week, it won't take long for the weekly cleaning. While laundry is washing and drying, sweep and wash the floors, dust, vacuum, clean the bathrooms. Wipe down the inside and outside of all appliances. Share the responsibilities and set a goal for it all to be done in an hour. Obviously this will be a bit longer if outside maintenance is needed so plan accordingly.
Step 7: Going grocery shopping and cooking for yourself or family is never ending. In order to keep fresh fruits, vegetables and deli meat available at all times, you will need to go at least once a week. By having the week's menu planned and getting the groceries by midmorning Sunday, you will have time to do some preparation for the week. Get a crock pot, precut meat and vegetables, and freeze entire meals in vacuum or freezer bags. Cook an entire turkey on Sunday for lunch meat and leftovers for the week. Mix it up but do the bulk of the planning and preparation during the weekend so the week can be stress free.
Step 8: On weeknights, ensure that everything is ready for the next day: make school lunches, put meat or frozen crockpot meals in the fridge to defrost. Lay out tomorrow's outfits so no one needs to stress over what to wear. Put backpacks and briefcases near the door so they are easy to grab and go.
Step 9: Make a new list labeled "Appointments". Start with health related appointments such as primary physician, dentist, gynecologist, mammogram, eye doctor, etc. Look up the phone number for each and write next to the name. Write down the last time you visited each of these doctors - if you don't know, call and find out.
Start a new section for "Other". List all other appointments made throughout the year: the vet, oil change, etc. Again, write down the corresponding phone numbers and last dates.
The goal is now to try and make these appointments well in advance and predictable. Try to schedule all medical appointments the same every year around your work schedule. In my case, the end of summer is the slowest, so I book everything during a 2 week period in August. And I mean everything. Doctor, dentist, eye doctor, vet, mammogram, gyno, you name it. Schedule as many as possible well in advance starting as soon as offices open after the New Year. The dentist is twice a year, so set up appointments 6 months apart.
Step 10: Get your financials in order. Take a year's worth of checking/bank/credit card statements and figure out where everything went. A simple spreadsheet works get to started but there are specific programs like Quicken. Mint.com is a great free cloud-based program that securely connects to all your banks and credit card companies to automatically update your budget and keep a bottom line for you. You can set a retirement goal and see exactly how long it will take to get there.
Guard extensively against identity theft by keeping a shredder in your kitchen and shredding every piece of mail with your name on it every day. Use online statements and payments for everything virtually eliminating the need for any paper. If you must mail out checks, send them out in secure mailboxes. Use your bank's online notification systems to alert you of your daily balance and if a large purchase was made.
Research has shown that it is much easier for an identity thief to get information from your mail and outgoing checks than online. Check out sites like CatalogChoice.com to eliminate most junk mail and credit card offers.
Step 11: Make a list of all birthdays, anniversaries, or other yearly celebrations and make fill them all in on your smartphone and/or computer calendar. Set an alert a week before each event so you have time to get a card or gift out in time. You can even spend a delightful afternoon picking out the perfect card for everyone you care about at one time and keep them handy to send out when the time comes. Pick up some thoughtful sympathy and get well cards as well.
Step 12: Make a specific time in the schedule for yourself. Set aside an hour every night telling the kids that moms aren't allowed to work past 8:00 - you can say it's a new law and you just don't have a choice. That will get them motivated to get everything done by a specific time and give you some much needed rest. Set a schedule for exercise - whenever and whatever you enjoy the most. Set a schedule for a social life. For example, save every other Saturday for date night or the first Friday of every month for a girls' or guys' night out.
Okay, that's it! I hope you enjoy your new, organized life. Keep looking for new ways to keep your life simple and peaceful. Good luck and let me know how you do!
One last thought if you're moving: Consider consigning, selling or donating the bulk of your furniture. Depending on your move, you may save a ton (possibly thousands) on moving costs. Now that the rest of the house is so slimmed down, you might be able to move yourself or at least just hire a few college students instead of expensive movers. Saving moving costs along with the money gained from getting rid of your furniture may have you close to having enough money for all new things. Think about it! I did this for my last move and had a great time decorating. Between selling most of my furniture on Craiglist (and donating the rest), selling tons of clothes and items on eBay, and moving myself, I actually had more than enough money to buy all new furniture that fit perfectly in my new home.
My background: I've moved 19 times in my adult life and every time I had to do it all myself (except for hiring movers for the furniture and heavy stuff). After getting out of a 20 year marriage to someone who felt the need to get a new job and a new life in a new city every few years, I flipped a few houses myself and now live debt free. I plan to stay where I am now through retirement (which is in 9 years, 3 months from now according to Mint.com). What saved me through all these moves (and never-ending house showings) is that I am logical by nature. I am a computer techie and programmer and naturally think in flowcharts. I am not a professional organizer but I have been able to help countless others with the techniques above so I hope they work for you as well.
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