This year when mailing out your Christmas cards, consider entering all of your address into a label program such as Microsoft Word. You can save this file to use year after year. Not only will it help you to organize and remember addresses, it will also allow you to quickly see to whom you have mailed a card.
Buying the larger bags of pet food is an easy way to save some of your grocery money. Two main problems arise, however, when you try to buy your pet’s dry food in bulk. First, the bag can be too bulky to handle and is hard to store. Second, the food often goes stale before your pet can finish the entire bag.
We tried several solutions and many different pet food containers before we solved our pet food problems. We now keep our dog and cat food in Iris Storage Containers. They are attractive, air tight, and easy to maneuver.
A 40 lb. bag of dry dog food fits perfectly in the 45 quart storage container.
The wheels are my favorite feature. I’m so thankful for this container every time mopping the kitchen comes back around on my chore list. I just easily wheel the dog food right out of the kitchen.
We use the 21 quart container for 18 lb. bags of cat food.
It’s a tight fit, but it works very well. The food stays fresh down to the last bits.
Photo by _hlian
Paper clutter can easily take over a home office. This can lead to a less efficient work space, create a stressful work environment, and slow your progress which ultimately wastes your time.
You can get a handle on your paper clutter by breaking your project into these 3 phases:
Phase 1: Sort all your papers. Don’t worry about what you are going to keep or where it is going to go! Right now, you just need to get all like papers together such as policy information, recipes, bills, etc. Depending on the amount of paperwork you are facing, you can either sort into piles or you can use several boxes to hold each category.
Phase 2: Purge your papers. Tackle each stack/box one at a time. Put a bag or another box next to you and go through each paper in your category. Ask yourself why you still have each paper and do you still *really* need it? If it’s a hard decision, purge it. Anything you plan to keep, put back in the box or keep stacked together in a pile.
Phase 3: Organize your papers. Again, tackle each stack/box one at a time. Chances are most of the papers will go to the same place or be put away in a similar fashion. As you are organizing, try to think outside the box.
Do you need to keep a physical copy of each paper? Is it something you can scan in and save on your computer to reference later? I’ve been able to eliminate a lot of my product manuals by looking for a copy to download online. That alone has freed up a lot of space in my filing cabinet.
Consider each stack/box separately and tackle each project one at a time.
The purchase of a brand new calendar is the perfect time to schedule your appointments for the year. It’s easy to put off vital semi-annual and annual appointments. Make scheduling all of your appointments a priority with the start of the new year (and new calendar). Don’t forget annual checkups with:
for each member of your family.
Now would be great time to schedule veternarian appointments for your pets as well!
After Christmas clearance time is the perfect time to stock up on storage containers for your Christmas decorations. Storing your Christmas items in red and green totes is the perfect way to save time in years to come. Not only will your items be organized for easy decorating and wrapping, but they will be easy to recognize amongst your stored belongings.
This year I saw many new (and old) storage bins created specifically for Christmas.
Some notable containers include:
Ornament Storage Tote – They come in various sizes and styles, but the one common feature is ornament size compartments that keep each ornament protected from breakage and each other. Breakable ornaments are always a concern, but intricate glitter details are also at risk without proper storage. An ornament bin will save your valuables and your money.
Divided Storage Tote – Containers like the one pictured here allow you to save and store non-ornament decorations such as ribbon, cords, and tinsel, as well as odd shaped ornaments that will not fit in the average ornament divider.
Wrapping Paper Storage Tote – I’ve had a tote like this one for years and it truly makes every gift giving occasion easier. The large compartment on the bottom houses your rolls of paper, gift boxes, and gift bags. The smaller compartment on the top is perfect for gift tags, scissors, tape, and ribbon.
Wreath Storage Tote – This is the perfect way to keep your wreaths safe and dust free. It’s a great way to keep your wreaths gorgeous year after year.
Your table and home decorations can be stored in regular sized, green or red Rubbermaid style containers.
