Home Organization and Design: Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is an essential to Spring, but one of those things that most people hate doing. Spring cleaning is by definition a chore, but it doesn't have to be a complete torture. This month start spring cleaning with making your own lavender linen spray and a massive closet clean out then spend the next 30 days doing the quick cleaning tips listed here. 30 days might sound like a long spring cleaning, but each tip is only 10-15 minutes and can easily be accommodated into your busy schedule.

Start spring cleaning off right with lavender linen spray. Linens will smell like spring and you will be motivated to clear out your winter clutter. To make your lavender linen spray you will need: 1)lavender essential oil, 2)water, and 3)a spray bottle. Fill your spray bottle with water and mix 2 teaspoons of the lavender essential oil with the water. Your lavender linen spray is now ready to use. Using a tiny amount of the essential oil gives you a fragrant smell without staining your lines. This linen spray also makes a great gift for housewarming parties. Lavender linen spray is a complimentary amenity in all the finest hotels so spray your linens and imagine you're about to set sail on a spring vacation. 

Finish your transition to spring by cleaning out your closet of all of your winter clothes. Start folding and storing away your sweaters and long sleeves. I recommend leaving out a few light jackets and/or cardigans for chilly spring mornings. Unpack and hang up the short sleeve tops and capris. For those readers who don't have enough clothes to store spring, winter, and summer clothes separately consider reorganizing your closet so your spring wardrobe is the most easily accessed. This simple task will save you lots of time each morning.

Spring cleaning doesn't have to be an awful experience. Do these simple tasks everyday and you will find yourself enjoying spring cleaning and the daily stress of life melting away. Spring cleaning DIYs you want to see? Comment below and I will feature your spring cleaning DIYs in future posts. 

Organizational Tips: Gifts

The last few months I have talked a lot about gift giving planning as well as gift ideas that are quick and easy to make ahead of time for last minute emergency gifts, but I haven't talked about how to store/organize these gifts. This week's tips are are devoted to organizing and storing gifts. I have gifts for specific people in my life, birthdays or other celebrations, as well as emergency gifts for unexpected events. These gifts are stored together while gifts for Christmas are stored separately. I store Christmas gifts separately because the gifts only really need to be accessed once a year while other gifts are constantly being used throughout the year. If you have a large family consider storing each person's gifts separately.

Tip #1: Store gifts in storage bins, boxes, and baskets. Choose your storage so that it matches other storage in your craft area. If you have snoopers then blending it with your storage is great, but also consider not labeling the boxes or bins. I chose photo boxes that matched my craft storage. Currently I have 4 photo boxes devoted to gift storage: family gifts that are small, emergency gifts for unexpected celebrations or events, charity donations, and Etsy sales. Granted charity donations and Etsy sales are not traditionally gifts, but I have stored them with my gifts because I access these boxes the same amount and they are typically the same type of things stored. 

Optional Tip: Large gifts can be stored in larger bins or baskets, but don't go overboard. The majority of my gift storage is meant for smaller gifts because that is the majority of the gifts I ended up storing for long periods of time. However, frequently some aspect of the gift is usually larger than what will fit in my photo box. I don't really have storage set aside for large gifts and store the gifts as I accumulate them, mainly because I usually purchase large gifts closer to the birthday or celebration. That said, if you have the space and the need, then store larger gifts in bins or baskets, but don't purchase too many boxes.

Tip #2: Create an inventory of your gifts or items. Depending on your needs or preferences, type or write a simple inventory of items in each boxes. Include who the gift is for if you think you might forget. Finally include an envelope for gift receipts. This may not be necessary for you, but it is helpful if you have lots of store bought gifts. If you tend to purchase gifts in advance then be aware that gift receipts are only good for a set amount of days before items can only be returned for store credit. 

Optional, but helpful tip: Have many different gifts saved as emergency gifts. This isn't really an organization tip, but will help save you stress throughout the year. Personally, I never had the budget to just go out and shop for emergency gifts, but I have also never had a shortage of gifts. I keep my emergency gift box stocked through reward programs and choice shopping during annual sales events. If you have extra time on your hands, or even 5 minutes once a week, online surveys are great for accumulating gift cards or small cash rewards that can be stored away or used to purchase gifts. My favorite online survey, shopping rewards, and participation points website is MyPoints. I have been using MyPoints for the last few years and have been rewarded with many many gift cards, including Starbucks, Macy's, Red Lobster, and the Rainforest Cafe. The total amount claimed, between all of the gift cards, is something close to $100.

With MyPoints I am rewarded through online shopping, survey taking, and general participation in clubs. 

The other online shopping reward company I love is eBates. eBates gives you cash back for shopping online through their website. Unlike MyPoints, eBates gives rewards in the form of a check or PayPal. 

I am really bad about just cashing the check and spending the money, but if you can resist the temptation then eBates checks are great for spending on emergency gifts. 

I know there are people reading this and wondering what gifts I have in my emergency gift box and what gifts make great last minute gifts so hopefully I can help answer those questions. The gifts in my box are headphones with bag (I have about 6 pairs), iTunes gift card ($10), Victoria's Secret Fantasy lotion and perfume set, bath salts, and an assortment of beanies. The headphones were actually free gifts that I received when I ordered off of  the Greater Good Network's websites: Animal Rescue Site, Breast Cancer Site, The Hunger Site, The Literacy Site, Autism Site, and The Veteran's Site. These websites frequently offer promotions with purchase that would make great gifts. I have received the headphones, socks, coin purses, bracelets, necklaces, ornaments, and a purse as free promotional items. The Victoria's Secret Fantasy lotion and perfume set were left over from a larger set of perfumes and lotions, which I used as gifts at Christmas. Emergency gifts are any small gifts that you would like to be gifted as well as small gifts associated with specific interests. The iTunes gift card and headphones will make a great gift for someone who loves music while the bath salts, lotion, and perfume are a great gift for someone who likes to be pampered (pair with a gift certificate for a spa service, massage, or manicure for a more luxurious gift). 

I like keeping beanies, booties, and receiving blankets as emergency gifts as well because you never know when you will need a baby gift. For instance my coworker, who I met when she was already 7 months pregnant, had her baby early, which meant that I wouldn't have had enough time to make a nice baby gift had it not been for the baby gifts in my emergency gift box. These gifts also work great for the baby shower you forgot about or the unexpected invitation to a baby shower you weren't planning on attending. If you don't have a lot of babies in your life, but do have many young children or soon-to-be recent graduates, then something similar will work for you too. For young children, accumulate a lot of party favor type gifts, such as crayons, coloring books, and games, as well as dolls, Legos, and cars. Obviously for a child you knew well you would find more personalized gifts, but small toys work great for that child you weren't planning on gifting to. For graduates I suggest gift cards and small items that are either functional for college or sentimental. Young adults are very adamant about picking out their own items, especially for college, so I wouldn't suggest too many functional items, but you could always purchase laundry bags with silly sayings and a roll of quarters. Great sentimental gifts include Dr. Seuss' "Oh the Places You'll Go" with an encouraging note written to them inside or a collection of your own favorite recipes you made in college. 

When I graduated high school, and actually college too, most of my gifts were impersonal in the form of cash or gift cards with more personal sentiments expressed in the form of cards, but I did receive one sentimental gift, which was a College Humor book of college experiences, and would have enjoyed receiving similar gifts. Everyone has their own preferences though so don't feel bad if you just want to stock up on various cards and gift cards as emergency gifts for graduation, or any other event you may have to attend. 

Organizational Tips: Lunch Planning

Last week I posted my tips for a more efficient work week, which included meal planning and snack organization. This week I thought I would expand upon these tips with some ideas on how to organize lunches. I work full time and don't have a lot of time available to eat lunch. When you don't have a lot of time to eat lunch it is especially important to plan ahead and pack your lunch. I have spent plenty of lunches eating food I had found leftover in my fridge or pantry, food that was mismatched, and not really a nutritional lunch. If you're like me and have eaten more than one hurried lunch then you could continue to live this way or you could get organized and start eating nutritional lunches. 

Lunch Planning Template

My motivation, beyond eating a decent lunch, is my desire to eat healthy to correspond with my workouts, which I just recently started actively doing again. Tip #1: Plan out your lunches for the week. Whether your goal is to eat healthy or not, the first step is to plan out your lunches for the week or weeks, depending on how regularly you shop. I attempt to shop at least once a week, but I know some individuals and family who shop every two weeks. I know that lunch planning isn't always easy, but I have made a monthly lunch planning template. The template, shown left, can be downloaded and printed at your convenience. There are spaces for a lunch everyday each week for a month. Use the pre-made boxes to plan out your lunch and the shopping list underneath for recording everything you will need to pick up the next time you go grocery shopping. If there is a lunch that worked great for you, or a meal you particularly enjoyed, remember to highlight the corresponding box on your monthly planning page for future reference. 

Tip #2: Make as many lunches as will fit in your fridge ahead of time. Just like with meal planning last week the best method is to make as many of your lunches as you can ahead of time. This will save you time in the morning before you leave for work and ensure that your lunches are nutritional as well as fulfilling. If you plan on packing leftovers from dinner as your lunch then I recommend packing the leftovers the night before. This step takes only a few minutes, but will save you a headache in the morning. I recommend investing in a set of lunch containers and a sturdy lunch bag for optimal organization. I have tried out many Bento-style boxes, but haven't found any boxes that I absolutely love and/or are completely functional to my needs. I have, however, found some plastic containers that work great for my lunch at the Dollar Tree. My favorite is a square plastic container with separate compartment for sauce or dip. The separate compartment has its own lid so the contents do not leak into the larger container. 

The 3 compartment plastic containers, shown left and also found at Dollar Tree, are great for making your lunches ahead of time and storing in your fridge. The containers stack on top of each other nicely while providing compartments for dividing food. My only problem with this style container is that you can't separate the compartments if you only want to heat some of the food. You could put your main meal on a separate plate and heat it, but I have found this isn't always possible or efficient.

3 Compartment Plastic Containers

Stackable Plastic Containers

I love the stackable plastic containers, shown right, but  have found the containers are pricey. Since I like the concept, but not the price, I have taken it upon myself to make my own version, at a fraction of the price. I am still shopping around for the right containers to use. My idea, though, is to use containers like those pictured on the left and stack smaller containers on top. I will post pictures and information on my containers when I finish finding the perfect set.

Tip #3: Be realistic. It is important to be realistic with your time, means, and level of hunger. Do not waste time planning or packing a large lunch if you don't have the time to actually enjoy your meal. Do not plan a lunch that requires additional cook time, beyond simply reheating it, unless you truly have the time and space to do this. Do not underestimate your level of hunger throughout your work day. Don't starve yourself at lunch even if your goal is to eat healthy or even to lose weight. Starving yourself will only lead to over indulging later on in your day. If you get hungry frequently or have low blood sugar then pack snacks. Eating small meals throughout the day has been proven to be an effective method for losing weight.