ASSIGNMENT #13: Final Prep Day

Consider this day your final day before your move. Things you need to do:

1. Get back to “like goes with like.” I’m sure you’ve been living in your house while doing this challenge, which means that stuff has gotten moved around. Do a quick run-through of your home, and make sure “like goes with like.”

2. Stations. This is the time to make sure everything you need in each station is actually where it needs to be!

2a. If you’re needing suitcases for this move, PACK THEM NOW. And do yourselves a favor, and everything that is personally going with you, whether by car or plane, get it out of the house NOW. Hide it in your car, or at a family’s home. Just get it all out-of-the-way of the movers, or you risk important stuff being packed where you won’t be able to access it. (Trust me. Hubbie almost went without underwear one move.)

3. If there are other items that need to get out of your house before the movers arrive, GET THEM OUT OF THE HOUSE NOW. Get the donations where they need to go. Put garbage out by the curb. This is the time to get everything where it needs to go! You don’t want this stuff going with you!

4. Get your house ready for movers to walk in. Take a quick look around. What kinds of things do you need to do if your movers are arriving tomorrow. Are there small, quick things you can do to make the job quicker and easier?

5. LAUNDRY. Yeah, this is not my most favorite chore, but you don’t want to be packing dirty sheets and towels! Are your curtains washable? This would be a good time to get them clean!

6. Hire someone to clean after the movers are done! I know, yes, you could always do this step yourself and save some money. But if you can get away with it, don’t. I did it myself this time and it about killed me. Seriously, if you have burning the candle at both ends to get this move organized and ready, then the general stress of moving in general, YOU WILL BE BURNED OUT. Really. The second the movers are done and gone with your stuff, you’ll be done too. Emotionally, physically, everything. I was just so over the whole process, and then to be faced with what turns into a COMPLETELY new challenge?? Yeah, worth every single penny to have someone come do the hard scrubbing for you.

And your house WILL be a mess when you’re done. I have never seen so many scary, mutated dust bunnies in my entire life. And I’m a clean freak, so I have no idea where they came from. I almost broke the vacuum cleaner on them. Ugh.

So, just work this into your budget and get someone else to do it.

***If you’re not really moving, then this might be a great time to celebrate by getting a cleaning person to come in one time and do the big deep clean for you! Just a thought!***

At this point, our “Big Organizational Packfest Challenge” is done!!! Congratulations! If you are really moving, the movers will come pack up your stuff and haul it away at this point! (Again, if at all financially possible, I really do recommend getting professionals to pack and move your items. If at all possible. Yes, you could save money doing it yourself, but you need to balance that against your sanity during one of the most stressful periods in your life. I honestly do not recommend it. If at all possible.)

I would love your feedback and your own tips! Goodness knows I’ll be going through this quite a few more times in the next several years, so I can use all the help I can get!

Thanks for participating!

To link to today’s Assignment #13, Please click the link below!

ASSIGNMENT #12: Kitchen

I’m sure you all thought I had forgotten about the kitchen, right? Nope. Just saved it for last because in my experience folks always get hung up here. And, by now, you should all be fully in the purging mood, which will help this go so much more quickly!

So remember, our basic steps are:

1) Purge – Toss or Donate

2) Sort and Organize

You will need to go through every single cabinet you have in your kitchen and dining room area. You need to go through your plates, pots, fine china, etc. Where I notice that a lot of “stuff” gets accumulated: contraptions and miscellanous extras.

Think hard – do you really need 60 different kinds of machines in your kitchen? When was the last time you used that juicer or bread maker? This is the time to think realistically about all those well-meaning ideas that never got implemented or ended up being more trouble than they are worth.

Of course, some of you do make your own bread, or create funky, healthy juice mixes. I actually have my own machine that actually makes almond or rice milk, because overseas I have to do that due to my youngest’s allergies. (Personal Note: it tastes nothing like what you  buy here in the grocery stores in the US. And is a COMPLETE pain to make. I’m not kidding. Stick with the storebought, you will be much happier.) So, I’m not saying you should get rid of everything, but think hard about what you actually do use, and if there is stuff that hasn’t seen the light of day in over a year and is just collecting dust, by golly, get rid of it and gain more cabinet space!

Oh and plastic tupperware type items. If you can’t find the top to it, toss it!

The other is the miscellaneous section – and can be my own personal downfall. In this section, I would put all my husband’s “bar” items and random cups and wine glasses. I would also put all of our hostessing items here. We host parties quite a bit, so my collection of “miscellaneous” has grown quite a bit in the past few years. Still, every move I reevaluate. Plus, if I make room, that means I can pick up cool new serving pieces at our next home!

Oh, and if you have those random pieces that were given to you as a wedding present that you hate and will never use, but don’t feel like you can get rid of because Aunt Bertha gave it to you, consider this my permission to do so. If it’s regiftable, you can do this (as long as Aunt Bertha won’t find out), or just get it out of your home. Unless it’s from your Mother-in-law and she expects you to use it every time she comes over!

Remember, the less you have, the less you have to pack and unpack later!

To link to today’s Assignment #12, Please click the link below!

ASSIGNMENT #11: Craft/Hobby Area

Aaaah, you could spend a million years organizing your craft space. Or at least I could! But we can’t. We’ve got to get ready for our move!

1. The very first step is that we need to purge your craft area of anything you are not going to use.

In my hobby group, we often set up “Rosie boxes” (aka. “ring around the rosie”, but with a box!) where we will fill up a box, and then pass it around the group, everyone taking out what they want, and adding items they don’t. This is a great way to get rid of items you no longer need (like leftover wedding album stickers after you’ve finished scrapbooking your wedding album, for example) and to try out a couple new things that you’ve never tried before. So, often months before our move, I might start one of these groups to get rid of some things.

I’ve also donated items to preschools or to friends, or found a worthwhile nonprofit to pass them to. But the main idea is toget it out of your house.

Oh and if there’s junk you will never use, and no one else will either? Toss it. Yup. Call it your very own “stupid tax” for buying it in the first place, and toss it.

2. Then you need to organize what is left. Perhaps you would like to organize by project, putting all the items you need for that project together. Or organize by color, or whatever. But when I’m organizing, I try to think of the space I’m moving into, and how would be the easiest to find it when I’m unpacking. How can I set up my new craft area in the quickest, most orderly and functional way possible?? (Don’t worry, I can hear you laughing! Yeah, the idea of my craft area being orderly and functional is comical, too. Notice I didn’t say that it would end up that way in reality.)

So, that’s it. Sounds so very simple when you write it out, doesn’t it. And yet, this can take up quite a bit of time. So get to it, so you can move on to the kitchen next!

To link to today’s Assignment #11, Please click the link below!

ASSIGNMENT #10: Office Space

Ugh, I hate this assignment. And one reason these posts really slowed down is because I got BOGGED DOWN here. And the main reason is because I have so much stuff shoved in my office space. Not that my office space is that big. In this house, my “office” is a desk in a converted closet! (Pretty brilliant remodel, actually. I’ll have to post a picture sometime!) But I used every bit of available space to store everything else. Office supplies and paper under the bed. File cabinets in my side of the master bedroom closet. A cheap bookcase in the corner of the room. I had stuff EVERYWHERE.

1. PRINT. Print everything you might need during your move. For example, TAX PAPERWORK and RECEIPTS. If you’re moving like me in January, you’re moving right in the middle of tax season! So all of that tax paperwork is gonna have to go with you – don’t risk packing that in a box that you might not find for another six months!

Plus any important personal documents – birth certificates, passports, medical records, school records, whatever. When we move, it is not unusual for me to have half a suitcase that is pure paperwork. And that is before our kids started school! So, while you’re going through your files, put these files aside to hand-carry with you! (And yes, that IS hand-carry, unfortunately. You can’t risk your luggage getting lost with all that info!)

****Special Extra Step!**** If you are really caught up here, then you can choose to do this extra step! (If this is your very first organizational purge, DO NOT DO THIS. This is not a step for beginners!)

1a. Scan! I did this for the first time this move. So now, instead of having to carry 30 pounds of paper around in a suitcase, I carry my little external hard drive!  I have a all-in-one scanner/printer and this is a must for this step.

Basically, I scanned in any important personal documents that I might need sometime in the next six months (Not this year’s tax paperwork. I’ve still got all that paper that I’ve got to deal with.) I spent several days scanning things like our completely medical files, school records, previous years’ tax records, my business files, you name it. Yes, this is a very “UN FUN” step, but it is my hope that this will be a huge stress-reliever in the future. I did this at the same time as step number 2.

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2. Computer Backup. Before you move, make sure you back up everything! First of all, it might be a while before you can see your computer again. AND, in my last move, the computer CPU was destroyed. But since I had everything backed up, I was covered! I just had to deal with the insurance folks to get it all replaced.

And always make sure you back up your back up! I’ve just started using AboutOne.com. This is not technically an online backup site, but there is space for that! I also love how this is a perfect family information management system! There are lots of features like address and contact manager, family calendar, childcare provider reports, picture organizer, etc. I haven’t taken full advantage of the program yet, but plan to start that very soon! Regardless, be sure to look into online backup programs!

3. Purge and shred! Start going through all the paper and files in your office and PURGE away! This is a great step to get the hubbie or older kids involved with – grab your pile of “needs to be shredded” stuff and hand them the shredder! That way you can keep on working!

4. File. The next step is to get all of that paper put away! So file everything and get your desk cleared off!

5. The “everything else” in the office step! This is the catch-all step for your office. Bookshelves, office supply stash, random drawers full of junk, whatever. Purge, Donate, Organize!

Next up: First the craft area and then the kitchen! (We’re almost done!)

To link to today’s Assignment #10, Please click the link below!

ASSIGNMENT #9: Closets and Remaining Storage Spaces

Now we all know that the closet part of “organization” can really freaking stink. Cause of course this is where we all shove stuff when we need to get it out-of-the-way!

First of all get those garbage bags and laundry baskets ready.

1. Let me give you permission to CHUCK IT ALL. Really, if you haven’t put your hands on it in the past six months, you don’t need it. Really. You don’t need six sets of sheets for the same bed! You don’t need towels that are mangled and completely worn! Look at what is in there. And trust me, if you are having to shove and wedge stuff in, you have too much for the space you’re living in.

(Hint: If you happen to be living in an old house that has those completely pitiful closets, consider getting those plastic bins that slide underneath your bed! I keep all of our linens under the bed they belong to. Including extra blankets – it always stinks if you’re staying in someone else’s home at night, and you’re freezing and have to pry through their house at 2am looking for blankets. And see, instantly prepped for guests!)

So, sort and purge. Purge, purge, purge. Donate, Donate, Donate.

2. Remember our “like goes with like” principle. Organize remaining items in your closets so it will be easier for your packers. Plus, when you get to your new location, being organized now will make life easier when you have to un-pack.

3. Lather, rinse, and repeat this process through ALL of your closets AND your storage spaces. For some of you, this might be your garage, your basement, your storage bin, attic storage space, etc.

Somewhere in this process you’re going to come across your holiday decorations. At the very least get all of your decoration bins in one place and clearly labeled. I’m not suggesting that you sort each of these bins right now! That is a huge challenge project for another time! But, if you see stuff that you haven’t put out in years and is clearly falling apart or no longer your style, or you put aside to get rid of “later,” feel free to toss or donate it now!

And as always, DON’T GET BOGGED DOWN! Keep it moving along, and push through! If you are thinking too much, just make a decision and keep going. 

Next up: The “Office” Space! (Not the TV show, unfortunately)

To link to today’s Assignment #9, Please click the link below!

ASSIGNMENT #8: Kids’ Rooms

Hopefully by now, the kids’ rooms are the scary thing they started out to be. I know days and weeks and months could be devoted to dealing with kids’ rooms, so I won’t really go there. Let’s just work on a basic “we’re about to move” purge/organizational job for now.

And yes, you’ll need to do this for each child’s room. My girls’ share, so it’s easy for me. Hopefully you will be able to get your kids’ rooms all done in one day. Feel free to draft your kids in to help. Heck, they made the mess, right?

What I’ve learned in my moves, is that for kids, having their own stuff is KEY for helping them to adjust to a move. That is why we always take their blanket and their pillow with us in their suitcase. Their sheets and toys (as many as we can fit) go into our “quick” shipment (too complicated to explain). And any larger, or heavier items will come later. We also let each of the girls pack their backpack with as much as it will carry. Often this is what we use to entertain them on the plane, but it must also keep them satisfied until our “quick” shipment shows up (usually a week later).

Since you’ve already purged and cleaned out the toys that part of the move won’t be so hard. But I just want to mention it here, because during a move it’s important to find out what a kid needs to make things feel like home. FAST. Trust me. If your kid isn’t handling a move, no one else will get to either.

So let’s review the steps you used in the Master Bedroom:

You will need that laundry basket and more garbage bags.

Step 1: Get that laundry basket and pull out any items that belong in the room that you are working in. Then, go through the room and find ALL the items that do not belong in that room and put them in the basket and get them out of that room. The only time you actually go put things truly away is when you need to go back to a room you’ve already completed. Otherwise, just toss it in, and know that you will get to it later.

Step 2: Purge. Get rid of everything that can possibly be gotten rid of. If the Master Bedroom is a vortex of junk, then kids’ rooms are where garbage hides to escape the executioner. So be sure to get under the beds, in the closet, drawers, bookshelves and every little crevice. You never know what you’ll find dying or growing mold in a dark corner. 

And this is a good time to go through kids’ clothes and figure out what is out of season and what is too small. Make sure all of that stuff makes it down to your consignment or donate piles. And if it’s too stained or torn up to actually get sold? Throw it away now. What’s the point of holding on to it?

If you are holding clothes to pass along to a younger sibling, have a plastic bin sitting right there and put the clothes automatically in. I label these and put “(younger child’s name)- TOO BIG) on the bin. I know, genius right? And actually, I usually have another bin in progress inside their closet that says “TOO SMALL” so all I have to do is pull that bin out when it’s time for consignment sales. As soon as I see them try to put on the outfit that no longer fits, I take it and put it in that bin. And make sure the bin is on a high shelf where they can’t reach.

Now I don’t allow toys into my kids’ room because they would never go to sleep. So the only thing I have to deal with besides icky hiding things and clothes, is books. What I would recommend is see if there are books you need to pass to a younger child’s room, or if there are baby books, etc, that you have completely outgrown. You either need to put them away for posterity’s sake, or find them a new home. I just did this a few months ago, and it was SOOOOOO hard to give books away for me. I have such an attachment to them. But, I knew a friend who just had her first baby and would appreciate them as much as we did. So I got an adorable little reusable little tote and stuffed it full of baby board books, and shipped it off to her in the mail. Which left me plenty of room to go get more books!

Step 3: Organize. This step is sometimes a simple “put things back where they go” but more likely, this is a “put things back to where they ought to have been in the first place.” For me, this will mean, putting clothes back on hangers like they should have been, and making sure there are clean sheets on the bed. (I tend to forget to change the girls’ sheets regularly since we are almost past the accident stage. So anytime I remember to do this, is a good thing.)

Step 4: Sort. Again, at this step, it’s time to sort the kids’ stuff for our “move.” Since I plan to be buying the girls the next size up in clothes at the next consignment sale, most of their current clothes will be going with us anyway. But I do need to sort out anything else of theirs that needs to come with us in our suitcases, which books I would like when we first arrive in our “quick” shipment, etc. Having those stations ready to go is a good thing by this point.

You might want to go ahead and start looking at what clothes you already have for next season and make a list of what you’re going to need to stock up on. And check their shoes! Goodness knows, I will go do a clothes run, and realize two days later the girls have outgrown all of their shoes.

Once you’ve completed the first kid’s room, move right on to the next. Keep rolling along, you want to make a big big dent very quickly, so we can ease into the middle of the month! Which is coming soon!

Next up will be all remaining closets and storage spaces of your house!

To link to today’s Assignment #8, Please click the link below!

ASSIGNMENT #7: Master Bedroom

Yes, today’s challenge assignment includes the Master Bedroom closets. Sorry.

This will be the hardest one for most of us. Instead of being a sanctuary for you and your spouse, the reality (if you’re anything like me) is that the Master Bedroom becomes a dumping ground. So, as we go through the rooms, we’ll do this step by step.

But remember, we are in a mad dash to get this all done! If you come up with a great organizing, decorating, or rearranging idea, that’s fine. WRITE IT DOWN. You are not allowed to do any of that right now! Set that list up for when this challenge is done!

Before you start get a laundry basket and several garbage bags. Big Ones.

Step 1: Get a laundry basket or box of some sort. Go through the room and find ALL the items that do not belong in that room and put them in the basket and get them out of that room. If you have extra time, you can go toss those items in the rooms they go in. If not, you can be like me and just move the basket around with you as you go from room to room. The only time you actually go put things truly away is when you need to go back to a room you’ve already completed. Otherwise, just toss it in, and know that you will get to it later.

Step 2: Purge. Get rid of everything that can possibly be gotten rid of. You know that the Master Bedroom is vortex of all junk right? (I just made that up. But it feels true if it’s not.) Do you like looking at all that stuff? Does it seem peaceful, tranquil, “romantic” to you? Well, you know that if you don’t get rid of it NOW, it will find its way back here. It’s Murphy’s Law. So get rid of it if you can!

Purge out the pile of laundry that needs to be folded (I refuse to fold clothes in my bedroom for that very reason), whatever junk you see. Are your drawers filled with clothes you never wear? Still holding on to those clothes that were pre-husband, much less pre-baby?? (Yeah, gals, you know what I’m talking about!) Put them in your donate pile. Did you recently purchase new undergarments but never get rid of the old ones? Or that pair of socks that has holes in it, but you keep wearing because you keep forgetting until it’s too late? Throw them out, for goodness sakes. 

P.S. I find it helpful to put these piles outside the bedroom door. That way you can see how you are making progress, and also the piles don’t end up staying in your room!

Step 3: Organize. This step is sometimes a simple “put things back where they go” but more likely, this is a “put things back to where they ought to have been in the first place.” For me, this will mean, putting clothes back on hangers like they should have been, cleaning up both bedside tables, and dealing with all of the stuff I have stashed under the bed. Because yes, I use the under the bed space for LOTS of storage.

(A side step here: My home office also happens to be in the Master Bedroom unfortunately. But I won’t do that to you guys. That will all be another major section of this challenge coming up soon!)

Step 4: Sort. This is where the “Moving” analogy comes into play. For our move, I am going to have to sort clothes by seasons, such as what do we need now, and what we will need when we first arrive, and what will we need later. I can’t tell you how much I hate this task. I can do anything else and be fine, but sorting clothes make me want to pull out my hair. And since this is one of the most difficult and most important parts of our move, this is where I usually end up getting stuck. Only so much can fit in a suitcase, and yet, do I have the right shoes if I wear this dress? What about if the seasons change while we’re stuck in that hotel in DC? The only thing worse than dealing with my clothes??? My husband’s clothes.

If you’re not actually moving, but just coming along for the ride, would be a good idea to sort your clothes via seasons. Or perhaps, pull out all of those “too big” clothes and get rid of them! Or get all of those maternity clothes out of your regular lineup and back into the bins where they belong. Or if you’re super organized, by item, type and color. Or whatever.

Oh, and make sure you do the same purge, organize, sort for your shoes. Remember, you “have to move and unpack” all that stuff! Do you really need 50 pair of black shoes?

Coming up next will be the kids’ rooms, and extra closets!

To link to today’s Assignment #7, Please click the link below!

ASSIGNMENT #6: Bathrooms

I apologize for being behind in posting, but hopefully that is giving you time to stay caught up!

Today’s assignment is to bathrooms. ALL the bathrooms. Depending on how many bathrooms you have, and how much de-junking you need, this could be either a small or extensive project. Good luck, either way!

Step one is to purge. Get rid of empty packaging, old icky makeup you don’t ever wear, and anything that has expired. Make sure you have lots of garbage bags handy!  Then of course, you need to sort through everything left and organize it and put it away.

Again, this might be a good time to go get that “master grocery list” you started when working on the “food stuff” and start making lists of all your regularly used items. Especially if there are specific brands/types you like. This will make couponing/ sales shopping easier when you see a great deal on something. BUT, only buy what you will actually use! Buying three cases of shampoo only work when you like the shampoo and use it!

Be sure to take a quick glance at what you have and what you might need to get on your next trip to the grocery store. (Nothing like being down to one roll of toilet paper in the entire house, right?)

As my friend says, “lather, rinse, and repeat” as necessary. I’ve got four bathrooms (thankfully one is a guest half-bath) so I will need to get all of these done in one day! Don’t let yourself get bogged down with thinking. Nope, quick, make a decision and MOVE ON!

When you are done with your bathrooms, guess what? You’re not done yet!

If you have a supply stash, it’s time to go through your supply stash as well. Remember to purge anything that has expired. If things are close to expiring or you realize you’re not going to use them after all, put them in your “to be donated” pile! (I know of friends who donate these items to firehouses, food pantries, and women’s shelters.) And add to your master supply list, marking which you have plenty of, and which items are getting low, and could use stocking up.

Coming up next will be the master bedroom, and kids’ rooms, and extra closets!

To link to today’s Assignment #6, Please click the link below!