This coming Saturday May 28th is the best event of the Spring ,for me anyhow, as its Yard Sale for the Cure http://www.cbcf.org/en-US/Home/YardSale.aspx

and I have been helping people declutter and use this date as the way to get the stuff out of their homes

.Some are hosting their own sales and others are donating to bigger ones in the area.

Planning in advance is the best way to start., as you decide to organize an area in your home set aside items that you feel you could sell,

if you don’t have alot maybe get  friends and neighbours to donate stuff, the profits can be donated or used for a night out to celebrate your hard work.

The most importantthing to remember is to enjoy yourself and have fun!!!

This is my favorite time of year, it is a time of new beginnings, new life all
around. The tulips and their vibrant colors, fresh new leaves on the trees the
birds building nests, warm sunshine, fresh and clean air (no humidity!)

Thisweekend on my street it was like everyone came out of hibernation. The street
was buzzing with families out washing their cars, tending to their lawns,
others were cleaning their garages, the patio furniture was being hauled out
and set up others were having a garage sale and their neighbours were bringing
out stuff from their homes and donating them.

Springwas definitely in the air and the spring cleaning/organizing/de-cluttering bug
was in full action.

Forsome people, they just don’t know where to start, so they just don’t bother and
you notice the homes that are a little neglected.

Top Five ways to get started:

I. Write a TO-DO list

II. Choose a task from the list

III. Set a date  that you are going to do the task and let family members know

IV. Set  a time limit, and small goals
Reward yourself or the family for all the hard work and effort
Indoors: Organizing/Cleaning

Winter clothing e.g. coats, boots, hats, mitts, put them all away for
the season Change your wardrobe from Fall/Winter to Spring/Summer each family
member having their own storage area.

Bedrooms: open up the windows, wash the ledges where all the
condensation has been building up over winter and it has a black color, wipe
down doors and around light fixtures; dust off furniture, vacuum under the beds
and under furniture.

Kitchen: organize the pantry and cupboards clean out and
organize the fridge. Wipe all surfaces and exterior of cabinets wash the floors.

Bathroom: Organize the vanity, throw out dated products (eco
friendly way) sanitize around the toilet and wash out the shower and tub. Give
all the surfaces a good clean.
I have lots of great cleaning product recommendations. Eco friendly, Homemade and old favorites’ of mine.

Get in touch and I will share!

Outdoors

Organize the garden shed, taking out the
summer stuff and putting away the winter. Check the lawnmowers; ensure they are
in working order.

Patio furniture: Check that it is clean and in good repair

Garden: Rake off all the dead grass and put on fertilizer, prune plants, weed
flowerbeds, sweep off the driveway of salt and gravel.

Garage: This area is probably the most cluttered of ant
household and therefore it may require a full day. My mother always said “A
little goes a long way” so if you make a start, by deciding that you will work
on an area and maybe remove all the stuff you don’t or won’t use and get rid of
it. Wait until the “large item garbage pickup” some areas its monthly others it’s
twice a year.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

Leonardo DaVinci

CLOSET AFTER CLOSET BEFORE
I decided that it was time to do it, as it bothered me every
time I went to find anything. I took everything out of my closest, went through
it all asking myself these questions, when have I worn it last? Am I ever going
to wear it again? How many of the same items do I already have? Does it even
suite me? Was it an impulse buy? And then there were just some things that were
just had to go, as they were old and worn. While deciding this I had three piles:
1. Keep, 2. Donate, 3. Consignment. Most things being in the donate pile.

Next, I had to put it all back in the closet in some kind of
order. I decided to categorize, i.e. short sleeve tops, dress tops, jackets,
pants, skirts, etc. I categorized my jeans into work, dressy, and casual. I
bought a hanging organizer for my sweaters. Some shoes had to go. Finally I sorted
through all my scarves and bought a special hanger for them so I can find a
scarf to match an outfit when needed.

Sometimes when we go through our closets’ and find that we
have a lot of the same items, maybe colour pattern or design. This tells us
what our personal style is, and what we feel comfortable wearing. When we go
shopping, we sometimes get carried away with all the different styles and
colours so we impulse shop. When you go shopping know what you want, know your
style, try to buy more classic pieces and mix and match.

It took me forever to get round to doing it but I am so glad
I did, now I have to go through all my Spring and Summer stuff and sort them
the same way and change over my closet. I love doing this as I feel  like I have been shopping and have a whole new
wardrobe.