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Getting Organized for the New
Year
by Martha Matthews
It's the beginning of another new year. What better time to get
organized. Try these helpful tips to get your New Year started in the
right direction.
Schedule it.
Schedule all annual appointments for you and your family doctor, dentist
and veterinarian (for the animals of course!)
Calendar it.
Get a new calendar and transfer over all birthdays, anniversaries and
other important events. Don't forget to add appointments that you have
already scheduled for this year. Color-code each event by category using
highlighters in different colors so that you can see what's coming up at
a glance. Purchase a calendar wall hanger and hang up your calendar for
daily viewing.
Get it on Sale
Purchase Christmas cards, wrapping paper, tissue, bows, ribbon and
decorations for next year while they are on sale now.
Make a List and Check it Twice
Make a list of all the people you mailed cards to. Put each name and
address into Word's label feature (under tools, letters/mailings,
envelopes/labels) so that next year you so you can save time by printing
out address labels. Print them on festive label stock.
Make a list of those you purchased gifts for and make another list to
keep as master lists for next year.
You might want to consider drawing names among the adults instead of
buying something for everyone.
Write It Down
Write out your New Year's Resolutions/Goals. See our article "Making
Successful New Year's Resolutions".
Perfectly Put Away
Organize your Christmas ornaments, lights and decorating items as you
store them away. Try using a cardboard wine case for your ornaments.
They can be picked up for free from the grocery store and have dividers
that are just the right size for most ornaments. Label your boxes as you
go so you know what is in them. Try combining all the ornaments that you
use on a regular basis. That way you can pull out that box to use right
away and then go on to the others as needed. You can also apply this
strategy to all your holiday decorations. Group each season or holiday
and mark each box accordingly.
Purchase organizing containers on sale at home improvement warehouses
for organizing throughout the year. Home Depot has some really great
boxes that fold down to a compact size when not in use. They can be
stacked and stored for later use. Buy as many as you think you will need
for the year.
Budget for Next Christmas
Take a look at your Christmas receipts from last year and plan a budget
for next Christmas.
Hidden Agenda
Find a hiding place for Christmas gifts that you purchase on sale
throughout the year. Make sure it is "child proof". Make a list of each
gift and who it is for. Keep that list in your wallet so that you can
note each purchase. By doing this you will keep tract of what you have
purchased and avoid spending too much.
Filing for the Future
Start getting your files and records in order. See the article "The
Benefits of a Filing System" on our web site for how to set up a
system that works.
Happy organizing!
About the author
Martha Matthews is the Executive Director of Christian-Homemaking.com, a
web site with resources devoted to helping Christian homemakers succeed.
She also has a popular free monthly newsletter for Christian homemakers
called The Christian Homemaking Newsletter. To subscribe visit
www.christian-homemaking.com/newsletter.html
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