Organizing the Home for Fall
Page 06
I believe with every change of season, there should be a thorough de-clutter and reorganization of the home. The Fall season is especially important because we are sending the kids back to school. At this point we all know that the more organized our homes are, the easier it is to get out of the house drama free. I have a few tips that should be done before the summer is over. The key is to not overwhelm yourself by waiting to the last minute. Please do enjoy the last few weeks of summer vacation, but at the same time, there is a little bit of work to do
The first place to begin your organizing would be the kid’s bedrooms. I chose this first because you will begin the back to school shopping and you must take inventory on what fits, what doesn’t, what’s still suitable to wear and what is not. This would be a great time to go through the kid’s things while its in the middle of the afternoon and its too hot to be outside. I know the kids will not enjoy this whatsoever so try and do as much without them as possible. Because mine are so small I usually just bring their drawers in my room after they go to bed and sort their clothes out. I do feel you should get their input as far as their clothes though. You do not have to put away the summer clothes just yet, just make sure there aren’t clothes that they have outgrown and no longer need in the closet before adding new things in. It’s sort of like grocery shopping. You always clean out the old leftovers and spoiled milk before a big shopping trip, right?
At this point you can see exactly what the kids need. There’s really no reason to buy more mittens if you found four pair, already right? Well, unless the kids just absolutely have to have new ones. Make sure you make a list of what you know they need as far as clothes and undies. After you sort through all the clothes, you know exactly what you need to get. If your budget is going to be tight all summer, I say get this task done sooner than later. This way you have plenty of time to slowly buy things all summer instead of just 1-2 shopping trips at the end of vacation.
The next thing you should get organized is where you keep all the kids supplies and the area where the homework station is. I am sure over the summer the homework station has becoming a crafting command center or a place you hold tot school. Go through and take inventory, make a list of everything that you have, and a list of what you plan to buy. This would include general supplies you keep on hand to have for homework. The homework station can pretty much be anywhere. It does not have to be a huge area at all. It can simply be a place where there is enough room for a notebook and a textbook and a place to write. Maybe even have a caddy where you hold supplies so that the homework station is portable. Stocking up on supplies can be a bit tricky. The biggest sales are usually right before school starts. Honestly, I always stock up so much that I only need to shop once a year. My teens favorite notebook is usually almost $10, but during the back to school sales, it is nearly half that price. Being a military family, our Exchange usually has the greatest back to school deals, but I am noticing the sales aren’t as great as they used to be. Before I could get a ten pack of pencils 3/$1, last year they were 2/$1. Who knows what they will be this year. Also, don’t sleep on office supply stores sales. They are one of the best deals I’ve seen when it comes to back to school shopping. So be sure to keep that in mind.