Organize Your Holiday and Bring Joy to Your World

The holiday season can be a stressful and chaotic time. Between attending holiday parties, shopping, meal planning, baking, gift wrapping, and entertaining, there never seems to be enough time. But if you organize, schedule and plan properly, you might find you even have a little extra time to relax and recharge.

The should first sit down with your family at a meeting and find out what activities and parties they are involved in during the season. If there are rehearsals for the church pageant, choir practice, or volunteer work activities, make sure you incorporate them all into your family schedule. Be sure to factor in time off that you've taken during the holiday season so that if they need an extra set of hands to help out at the church's bake sale, you'll know at a glance whether or not you can help out.

That being said, the next step is to ensure you're not spreading yourself or your family too thin. Don't commit to more parties than you can attend, or be coaxed into hosting your own holiday event if you simply don't have the time. Once you've established your schedule with your family, do not make any changes, additions, or revisions to it without consulting them first. If you're stretched too thin, chances are they will be as well since you'll be unavailable to them.

Successful holiday shopping involves careful and methodical planning. A concise and specific list can save you both time and money. Remember too, the season is about togetherness and the spirit of the season, and not about how much you maxed out your credit cards by. Stick to your list and you'll stick within your budget guidelines as well.

Keep your holiday decorating simple and minimal. Ornate displays can quickly consume your valuable time. If you do choose to decorate big this season, make sure you've planned for it in advance and completed it before things kick into high gear such as parties, caroling and shopping.

Santa's got his list of who's naughty and who's nice. Organize and plan wisely so that you won't become stressed and end up on the wrong side of Santa's list this year.

Planning and Organizing a Successful Yard Sale

A well-organized and well-planned yard sale is more appealing and makes it easier for shoppers to see what you have for sale. After you've sorted through your belongings and decided what you're going to place in your yard sale, take a moment to sit down and think through how you want to organize your items. Categorize your items, as it demonstrates your hard work and forethought in planning your sale. Keep a close eye on things throughout the course of the day, as you'll need to resort and re-categorize your things as your items sell.

You can sort things into boxes when you're doing your initial sorting and purging. Grocery, liquor and discount stores always have plenty of empty freight boxes, and they're usually free for the taking. Make sure you gather several sizes to accommodate different items. As you

Take a box with you and survey your house and your belongings, place your unwanted items in the box until it's full. Select a central location or room in your house to coordinate your sale items. Continue with this process until you've sorted through all your belongings in both your home and garage. Be sure to go through places like your drawers, closets, sheds, cupboards and your pantry. Don't forget your attic or basement as well.

After you've gathered all your sale items, sort them into categories to group them into for your sale. This can be done either by category or price. Periodically during your sale, move items that haven't sold to another table or re-locate them on the same table. However, don't do this during times when you have lots of traffic. If you notice certain categories of items are not selling as well as others, you might want to adjust your prices accordingly or move them closer to the entrance to your sale so they are more visible to those who drive by to see what goodies you have to offer.

After your sale is over, don't take the items back in your house. Contact your local rescue mission or charity thrift store and make arrangements to donate your items. Most places will be happy to arrange a pickup time to come by and haul your things away, and will give you a receipt you can use for a tax write-off.

Create a Unique Scrapbook with Everyday Items You Already Have at Home

Scrapbooking has become a popular pastime through the past few years. If you've looked into it, you know that it can easily become an expensive one as well. But with some creativity, you can use the everyday items in your house to create a scrapbook that reflects your individual personality and style.

After you've selected your favorite photos and mementos for your scrapbook, take a look around you. You've probably looked at items around your house hundreds of times without considering their scrapbook potential.

If you've got photos from a favorite vacation, look around to see what you have around your home that reminds you of that trip. Postcards, souvenirs and even travel brochures that can be cut apart are great ways of building a great vacation page or section.

If you're building a school days page, report cards, awards, certificates, ribbons, graded assignments, and even notebook doodles are clever enhancements. Paper clips or crayon wrappers work nicely.

Pressed flowers, handwritten poetry, and clippings from magazines can also nicely enhance a wedding or engagement page. Be sure to jot down details of the day you want to be sure you remember. Use the fronts of some of your favorite cards and remnants from saved gift wrap as backgrounds for your photos.

Ribbons and gift wrap remnants also work well for baby's page. Be sure to include an announcement card and a copy of baby's footprints. You might also want to tuck in a corner of a baby blanket or a page from a favorite storybook.

Even remembrance pages can reflect your own personal memories of your lost loved one. Enhance your favorite photos with a label from a favorite perfume or cologne, food, beverage. Movie ticket stubs, buttons, newspaper articles, handwriting samples and favorite quotes or funny moments jotted down on paper can make your page special.

With a fresh look at some ordinary, every day items, your scrapbook can take on a personal and individual flair.

Organize your Bill Paying to Avoid Stress and Worry

Bills can create headaches and cause stress for all of us. They all seem to come due at the same time, and there never seems to be enough money to make ends meet. Factor in the time involves writing checks, addressing envelopes and hunting down postage stamps, and it's a chore many of us would gladly relinquish. But with some simple planning and organization it's a task that can become easier and less stressful.

The first step is to establish a central location in your home. Make sure all the tools you need are in the same location: an inbox or folder to store incoming bills, pens, postage stamps, envelopes, your checkbook, a calculator and your computer if you use financial software or online banking services. Then when the time comes to sit down and pay the bills, you're not left hunting and searching for that lost light bill.

Develop a list of your bills that includes the type, the average amount, how you're billed (online, through the mail, or by automatic deduction from your bank account) and the due date. If your utility bill tends to stay the same from month to month, notate that on your list so you can easily determine how much to budget. File this list with your other tools.

During this process you might have discovered that your due dates are scattered all over the calendar, which can make paying bills in a timely fashion difficult at best. Contact the companies and see if they'd be willing to change your due date to more closely adhere to your payment schedule and to more closely coincide with the due dates of other bills.

Online bill paying is a great way to not only save money on postage. If you choose to be billed electronically, it can reduce the amount of mail you receive and have to file. Since most payments post to your account quicker than a bill paid traditionally, it also allow you to correct a bill paying mistake quicker and avoid problems as a result. Most banks offer online bill paying services, and many companies have bill paying options online.

It's probably a good idea to consider paying bills twice a month, or each time you receive your paycheck. Scheduling bill paying as a regular task will make it easier to deal with and will decrease the chances of missed or late bills.

Keep a Detailed Home Maintenance and Renovation Diary

Just as it's important for you to keep detailed records of your home business, your bills, income tax information or medical history, so too is it imperative that you keep a detailed records of all maintenance you perform on your home. After all, it is your biggest investment, and the one thing in your house that requires constant TLC to maintain its value and to ensure it continues to be able to protect your family from the elements and keep them secure. However, when you think about everything you have to do to take care of a home, setting up a manageable way of keeping accurate and detailed records can be a overwhelming task. But with some creative thinking and a commitment to accuracy and organization, it can make a daunting task quite simple.

Whether you are just purchasing your home or you're just committed to setting up a manageable database of information regarding your home's maintenance, a home maintenance diary might be just the thing you need to get organized and stay organized on this matter. Begin with taking stock of your home's current condition. Be brutally honest when you're assessing the situation. You might want to categorize your diary by section of the home such as the exterior, kitchen, master bedroom or basement, or you may choose to divide it according to task, like painting, electrical, insulation, roof, landscaping, or climate control. Treat your initial walk-through as a real estate agent or investor might do. Study each corner, each tile and brick, and notate any damage, defect, or upkeep that needs to happen.

As you look through your completed home maintenance diary, don't let it become overwhelming to you. Devise a plan with the rest of your family that works for everyone involved to complete needed tasks. Perhaps you'll devote this weekend to painting the exterior and the following weekend you'll focus on maintaining the landscaping. If there are tasks in your diary that you feel ill-equipped to handle, call a professional. The peace of mind knowing the job was handled by a professional is well worth it.

Be sure to have a separate section available for renovations, updates, or remodels that you've completed as well. Be sure to date these events, and if there's any notes regarding specific equipment used or products purchased, be sure to jot that down as well.

Organize Your Home Business and Reap the Rewards of Success

The time to realize how important home business organization is to your overall success is not when you need to find important tax papers or income statements quickly. To avoid problems in the long run, take some time and devise a workable organization and filing system now.

Get a sturdy lockable file cabinet and durable hanging folders. Buy manila folders to tuck inside the hanging folders, and make sure you've also got several manila envelopes on hand that you can tuck receipts into and label easily.

Organize your financial papers chronologically, and divide them by types. Sort all your financial papers into piles and stack them chronologically. Be sure you have folders for

bank statements, credit information, bill stubs, paycheck stubs, receipts, tax information, real estate papers, investment papers, insurance policies and statements, loan agreements and any other financial papers in separate hanging folders. Further divide your tax information by year. Include tax returns, receipts, copies of W-2s, 1099s and other pertinent tax information. Divide the bill stubs by the companies they represent and divide real estate papers by mortgage documents, home improvement receipts, second mortgages and so forth.

Important documents such as savings and certificate of deposit passbooks, car titles, stock certificates and yearly Individual Retirement Account, pension and profit-sharing statements should be kept in a safe deposit box, along with any vital records and valuables.

Make sure to keep on top of your inbox, especially your bills that need to be paid. Put them in a separate place where they are easily seen and handy.

When purging documents from your filing system, be sure to hang on to tax paperwork for at least seven years, and other financial documents for three years.

Financial planning software for your computer is available, and most are very user-friendly. Some include online banking functions. If you decide to utilize this, be sure to back up your data on a regular basis.

If you make a commitment to keep on top of your filing and organization system continually, you'll benefit when the time comes to locate those important documents necessary for your continued success. If you don't, the paperwork monster will easily overwhelm you again and could mean trouble for your business.

Be Safe and Sound When Repairing or Remodeling your Home

Home improvement projects can be dangerous. Many tasks call for sharp tools or power tools that can cause injuries. You can't successfully repair or tackle home improvement projects your home if you're not careful. With a little careful organization and forethought, even the most difficult home improvement tasks can be conquered safely and successfully.

Be sure to completely read the instruction manual for your power tools and follow the manufacturer's safety cautions. Tighten any adjustments and check that the guard is working before you operate a tool. Keep power tools dry, and plug them into grounded electrical outlets. Take care not to cut the power cord. Never store your power tools while they are still connected to the power supply.

Keep fingers well away from a power blade. Clamp small pieces of wood before cutting them, rather than holding them. It's imperative to wear work gloves when you're handling rough materials such as wood, glass, or metal, but take them off when using a power tool so you have complete control over it.

Never use any kind of power tool without proper protective eyewear. Unplug a power saw before changing the blade or doing any other kind of maintenance or cleaning to it.

Learn how to properly support a board when you cut it with a power tool so it doesn't kick back towards you during use.

Always completely shut off power or water when working with the electrical wiring or the plumbing. One of the first questions you should ask as a new homeowner is where your shutoffs are located.

When working on a ladder, don't lean out to either side. Keep your body weight between the sides of the ladder. It may take longer to get off the ladder and move it to reach farther, but it is well worth your time. Falls are one of the most common causes of injuries in the home.

If you're not used to the physical element of doing construction, remodeling, or renovation work, you might easily injure yourself or strain your muscles. You may not even notice the aches and pains until you wake up the next day. Don't take chances and overexert yourself when lifting heavy objects, or when repeatedly lifting lighter loads. Get a helper to do some of the work, and take plenty of breaks. Listen to your body's signals and realize when enough is enough. Learn to bend and lift with the knees and not your back.

You're going to find a great satisfaction and pride knowing that you're able to safely and successfully accomplish repair, remodeling and renovation projects around your house as long as you're smart, safe, and keep yourself organized, focused and on task.

To Keep or not to Keep, that is the Question

There are many great reasons for having a yard sale. Some people have yard sales before they move so they don't have to pack and ship belongings they aren't using. Sometimes they are updating the look of their home and sell their old belongings to make money and room for the new ones. Sometimes your children just grow like weeds and rapidly outgrow both their clothes and their toys. It could also simply be the desire to purge all those items you've held onto for so long, thinking you'd find a use for them but never did. No matter what your reason, having a yard sale is a relatively easy goal to achieve and requires just a few hours of preparation and a few more hours actually selling your wares. You'll reap both financial and emotional rewards from it.

Decide on a date for your yard sale, then get to work surveying the items you have. When you're going through your house deciding what to sell, you'll have to be brutally honest with yourself. If you haven't used it, don't like it, don't see yourself using it or don't know of anyone personally who could benefit from it, then it's a yard sale item. Sort through every dresser and kitchen drawer, every clothes and linen closet, every cupboard and toy box you have in your house. Don't forget your basement, attic, pantry, entertainment center, buffet and outdoor tool shed as well. If an item belongs to a family member, don't make the decision for them. Get their input before placing an item in your yard sale box. Regardless of the time it takes to sort through all your items, make the commitment to stick with it and remind yourself on a continual basis the monetary profit and emotional relief you'll feel once your clutter has been cleared from your home.

Once the sale is over, make another commitment to yourself not to bring the unsold items back into your home. Make arrangements with your local rescue mission or charity thrift store to donate the items. Most will be happy to make arrangements to pick up large donations as well as provide you with a tax receipt reflecting your generous donation.

Once it's all said and done, you'll have some extra pocket change, and can breathe an emotional sigh of relief that the clutter that's been weighing you down for so long has been purged from your home. Renew your commitment to remain organized and to combat the clutter demon on a continual basis.

Laundry Room Logistics

All laundry rooms at one time or another have been guilty of massive piles of unsorted dirty clothes, laundry products strewn about, and a feeling of disorganization and chaos. When this feeling sets in, it can make tackling an overrun laundry room an even more difficult chore. But with some work, creativity and commitment from other family members, this room can become an organized oasis.

The first step is to develop a routine in your family for making sure their dirty laundry is delivered to the laundry room on a routine basis. If you've established Wednesday and Sunday as laundry day in your home, then laundry needs to be delivered to the laundry room no later than Tuesday and Saturday nights. Each person should be taught to sort laundry into designated hampers in the laundry room. Younger children should be accompanied by a parent or older sibling when the time for this chore comes, but encouraged and assisted in the sorting process.

Maintain a laundry basket or bin for each family member. Once clothes are washed, dried and folded, place them into each basket and deliver them to their bedrooms. Older children should be capable of putting laundry into drawers and on hangers themselves. Younger children again will probably need assistance, but their independence should be encouraged.

Make it a habit of keeping on top of the laundry supplies. Make sure there are always plenty of soap, stain fighter and fabric softener available. Nothing can be more aggravating than finding no laundry soap available when you have six loads to be done.

Make sure your laundry room has a separate and clearly labeled bin for items that need to be dry cleaned. Make sure that this bin is emptied as often as needed and that items are delivered and picked up from the dry cleaners promptly. Have another bin set aside for items that need to be repaired or that need buttons replaced. Tackle this bin at least twice a month so that it does not become overwhelming.

Put the Brakes on the Junk Mail Express

We've all seen how stuffed our mailboxes are each day with junk mail. Advertisements, coupon books, postcards, brochures and the like break the backs of our local postal delivery people each day across the nation. Each year, junk mail costs the environment approximately 80 million trees and 28 billion gallons of water. It also costs about $450 million each year to have it hauled off, incinerated or recycled. On average that means that about 34 pounds of junk mail is produced each year for every man, woman, and child in the United States. And if you factor into this equation that each person will spend approximately eight months out of our lives dealing with junk mail, and you have a huge sum of wasted time, money, and valuable resources. But you shouldn't feel powerless to stop it. There are steps you can take to tame the junk mail beast.

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA), the largest list broker in the US, sells your name and address to those wanting to target you for their product. Contact them directly with a postcard that contains the date, your name and address, and sign it. Be sure to include all variations of your name, and your maiden name if you've recently married. Instruct them to remove your name from their mailing lists. Send the postcard to:

Direct Marketing Association

Mail Preference Service

P.O. Box 643

Carmel, NY 10512

Tel: 1- 212-768-7277

www.dmaconsumers.org

Be careful when you do submit your name and address to anyone, as you can become part of their mailing list which might be sold at a later date, putting you right back at square one. If you're filling out a form such as a warranty, subscription, raffle, customer info card, credit card application, membership for an organization, be sure to instruct them not to sell, rent or trade your name or address. Remember to do this every time you're giving your contact information to a sales representative or customer service associate when you purchase something.

And when you receive an unwanted publication in the mail, immediately contact the toll-free number listed on the publication and request to be removed from their mailing list. Businesses and organizations are glad to hear from you if you're not interested in receiving their materials because it saves them advertising revenue.

Making the Most of your Workday

Chaos and a hectic pace seem to be par for the course in most anyone's workday, and it can turn your workday upside down if you let it. However, with some careful planning, efficient scheduling and well-developed work habits, your workday can smoothly sail along.

Planning your workday actually starts the previous evening. Take a few moments before you leave work to jot down important meetings, phone calls that need to be made or returned, ideas or concerns that need to be discussed with your supervisors or co-workers, or other notes to yourself about projects you're working on or clients you're currently working with. That way, it'll be right there for you to see the next morning, and it'll make getting into the swing of things much easier.

You should stay on top of your both your desktop and electronic inboxes. Check e-mail when you arrive, and immediately sort each message into an appropriate folder. Even if you don't have time to deal with the contents of a message or even read it fully, sort it for later action. Sort through and organize regular mail and correspondence as well, and organize into piles for later action if necessary. Make sure you come back to these at the end of the day and take any appropriate action or you can at that time. Try to make it a habit of responding promptly to all mail requesting a timely response. Check through these inboxes during the course of the workday as well.

Return or make your most urgent and important phone calls early in the day. Like you, most people are more likely to be at their desks during this time.

Get in tuned with your personal energy level and schedule. If you have more energy at the beginning of the day, tackle your toughest projects then. If your energy level dips after lunch, take care of filing, e-mailing or other general tasks at this time.

At the end of the day, return to your checklist and prepare for tomorrow. Review your checklist and cross off completed items. Move any pending items to tomorrow's to-do list.

Utilize both an electronic and wall or desk calendar to keep track of deadlines, meetings, and appointments. If your day allows, try to work on those long-term projects a bit so that as their deadlines approach you won't feel so pressured or rushed.

Most importantly, take a break. Don't get into the habit of having your lunch at your desk or cutting your breaks short. A walk during your break and time away from your desk to recharge are probably the most important things you can do for yourself to recharge your battery, clear your mind and prepare to tackle the tasks at hand more productively and efficiently.

Affordable No Sew Curtains for Your Home

If you're looking into adding some fresh decorative touches to your home, a good place to start is with your window treatments. But it can be a bit daunting to your budget to purchase window treatments for an entire room. However, there are many window treatment options available that you can do yourself, and you never even have to pick up a needle or thread a sewing machine. With a little imagination and some simple connectors, any piece of fabric can easily and quickly be transformed into a window treatment. So find a fabric that suits your home décor and personal style, and choose something that already has finished edges, such as a vintage linen or printed sheet. Then choose a grommet, clip, hook, or cord to hang it with, and you'll have a beautifully simple and inexpensive window treatment that reflects your personal style and creativity.

Grommets, slipped over wall hooks, produce a simple, crisp window treatment. Generally, a hammer and a grommet tool works at least as well for setting just a few grommets. The grommet prevents the hook from tearing through the hole. You can thread rayon cording through grommets and tie behind the grommets to create loops to hang from a wooden dowel or hooks above the window.

There are also stylish clips that can be found at flea markets and antique stores that simply latch onto the fabric. Home decorating and import stores also carry clip-on rings to hang curtains from.

You can even use buttons on curtains. Simply thread fine wire through the holes and sections of ribbon and simply twist the wire on the back side to create simple ribbon loops to hang the curtain with.

Let your creativity be your guide, and you can craft window treatments that reflect your personality and style. You're only limited by your own imagination.

Keep your Contacts in Order and Let Your Fingers Do the Walking

In this modern age of electronics and rapidly advancing technology, you'll find many options available when it comes time to upgrade your address book and daily planner, even if you should decide to stick with your tried-and-true paper version.

Paper-based planners, contact management software, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smart mobile phones can all help you get your schedule and contact information organized quickly and effectively.

Don't keep separate contact books for work, home and other activities. Instead, merge them into one with clearly labeled divisions or categories. You might also decide to color code with small labels to designate personal, professional, or other types of contacts, such as your child's school or troop leader. Collect all your addresses before entering them. Don't forget to include community resources, professional associations and co-workers, medical and dental providers, insurance contacts, and other professional and personal business contacts in addition to your personal address book. Check that addresses are current and correct, and update those that aren't. Be sure to include alternate phone numbers and e-mail addresses where applicable. Devise a system, such as a calendar tickler to remind you of birthday, anniversary, graduation and other and holiday cards. Notate whom you sent them to and when.

Should you choose to update to a PDA or mobile phone for contact organization, those equipped with Blue Tooth technology have the capability of synchronizing with computers if they're within a few feet of each other. This is a quick and convenient feature that alleviates the worry of cables or ports.

If you decide to continue to use your paper planner, be sure to photocopy important information so you'll have it at your fingertips should your planner be misplaced or destroyed and you have to recreate it. Try to choose one that allows you to easily add more pages or different types of tools such as a receipt folder, business card organizer or detailed calendar. This way your planner grows with you when events in your life dictate, such as a career change or addition of an activity.

Get Organized and Save Some Money on your Move

Moving can be a stressful and expensive venture. With some planning and organization however, you can save yourself some money and valuable time.

Months prior to your move, sort through your belongings and get rid of those things you're not using or really don't need. Excess clothing, small appliances, kitchen utensils, and other household goods can either be donated or sold at a yard sale. But the less you have to deal with on moving day, the smoother things will go. Besides, paying shipping on things you don't need only wastes your money.

Always get an onsite estimate. The relocation consultant will prepare an estimate in writing and submit it to you. They will be able to tell you how much moving supplies cost, and you can make arrangements to order them at this time. If you order too many, most moving companies will give you a refund on those supplies you don't use.

Like many other industries, the moving industry has their busy and their slow seasons. The busy season for movers is during the summer. The beginning and the end of the month or end of the year holidays are extra busy for movers, also. The demand for moving equipment, vans, and personnel is heavy during these times, so try to plan your move during their slower periods.

If you decide to do your own packing, get packing supplies and start collecting strong boxes suitable for moving. Complete all packing by moving day. If your company is relocating you, find out what portion of your moving expense will be paid by your company. However, it's important you understand your moving company's policy regarding things that you've packed yourself. With some moving companies, they will not take responsibility for items they have not personally packed.

Obtain a written appraisal of antiques to verify their value. Do not retouch, wax or oil wood furniture before moving. Some products may soften the wood, making it vulnerable to imprinting from furniture pads.

Careful planning and some organized thought will pay big dividends in the end when your move is complete.

Conquer Bathroom Clutter Simply and Effectively

Bathrooms seem to be notorious for becoming cluttered and unkempt. Between small makeup compacts, medicine bottles, hair accessories, razors and the like, it can be quite easy to lose things in the shuffle. Assess your bathroom and its contents and utilize a few simple ideas and you'll find more space and tranquility as a result.

First, take a good look at your medicine cabinets. Ironically, it's probably not a good idea to store medicine in your medicine cabinet, as most bathrooms become hot and humid during showers and baths, and can be detrimental to medication that requires being stored at room temperature. Don't keep medicines past their expiration date, even if you've never opened them or have used them very little. Try storing your medications on a high shelf in your linen closet with a lock-tight lid. This will help lengthen their shelf life as well as keep them out of reach of curious little hands.

The same should be done with old makeup. Generally speaking, most makeup will last about 18-24 months, with the exception of mascara, which lasts about three months, and liquid eyeliner, which lasts about three to six months. Nail polish generally only holds up for about a year, so if you have any older than that, get rid of them. And since many makeup products have animal-based ingredients, it's also important to pay attention to how they smell. If they smell like they've gone bad, they probably have, so toss them. Try using a permanent marker to mark the purchase date on the back of the item, so that way you won't have to try to remember just how long it's been since you purchased something.

If you take a look in your favorite discount store's home organization aisle, you'll find lots of inexpensive storage containers that can easily be utilized in bathroom drawers, under the sink, and for shower and bathtub areas as well. Since bathrooms are full of small things, they can easily be organized in small bins, baskets or boxes.

Organizing and Planning a Successful Family Vacation

Planning a successful family vacation can be tricky when you're trying to work around your family member's busy schedules. Coordinating requested time off from work with school vacations and summertime activities can be a daunting task.

Get your family actively involved in the vacation planning process. Everyone wants a trip to remember, and by obtaining input from each family member as to what they enjoy, what they'd like to do and where they'd like to go, it can be successfully planned.

Your children may surprise you with some of things they suggest to do on vacation.

Once you've got your plan mapped out, keep your kids involved by putting them in charge of at least one aspect of the trip. They may be good with landmarks and direction. If that's the case, have them be your navigator. Maybe they love to take pictures and would love to be the official vacation photographer. You'll feel less overwhelmed by everything that needs to be covered during the trip, and they'll feel a great sense of accomplishment in tackling their assigned project.

It's highly unlikely that your time or monetary budget will allow you to do every single thing that everyone wants to do on the trip. Work together to narrow the list, and place those things that everyone would like to do toward the top.

After the location, time frame, and activities have been settled, it's time to make the to do list. Figure out what clothes need to be packed, which neighbor or friend is going to check your mail and water your houseplants, and what bills need to be paid prior to your leaving. Put your children in charge of figuring out things like how much dog food you need to bring along for a vacation that will last for ten days, and make them responsible for locating their swim trunks, travel games, favorite books and music CDs.

With a little forethought and some careful planning, you can have the family vacation of a lifetime and live to tell the tale.

Keep your Kitchen or Dining Room Table Clutter-Free

Conquering Kitchen Clutter: How to Organize Your Kitchen One Area at a Time

Kitchen or dining room tables can easily become a catch-all for everyone's belongings. Mail, school books, car keys, pens, pencils, and other miscellaneous items can quickly appear, and at dinnertime, end up in a large pile of clutter somewhere else in your household.

To curtail this habit, try organizing a central area for everyone's belongings right inside the door to your house. Install hooks on the wall so that purses, coats and backpacks can easily be hung upon entry. A bench or short shelf can be placed directly underneath the hanging area for clearly labeled catch-all bins for each member of the family. This will also help during the course of the day when picking up around the house. Items found around the house can be placed in these bins, and each family member should get into the habit of making sure items are emptied from the bins and properly put away each evening.

If your kitchen table doubles as an arts and crafts studio or location for your kids to do their homework, make sure that there are bins, shelves and containers nearby that neatly organize school, office and arts supplies, and keep them within easy reach. Help establish good habits in your children by ensuring they are held responsible for putting these things away as soon as they are done using them. Make sure snacks are kept on plates and drinks are kept on coasters to ease cleanup time.

A nicely decorated table spread is also an ingenious way to keep the table from becoming cluttered. Spread a nice tablecloth and place a large centerpiece on it, or even set four or six formal place settings on a dining room table that is not used for meals each evening. Your family will be less likely to lay things on these tables since they can see there are already things there. You'll also be ready for company at the last moment this way.

Efficiently Organizing your Small Bathroom Makes Big Sense

Small, cramped bathrooms with little space and lots of stuff can present big problems for a busy family. With items strewn across the bathroom countertop with no designated space make it difficult to find that favorite pot of lip gloss, box of dental floss or can of hair mousse when morning routine time is at a minimum. You can conquer this problem with an honest assessment of your bathroom's contents and some creativity.

First of all, look around your bathroom. If you have products in your bathroom that you didn't like after the first use, or that someone who previously visited left there and your family doesn't use, get rid of them. This can be a tough pill to swallow if you focus on the money that you spent on buying it, but if it's taking up valuable space in your cramped bathroom quarters, it's costing you more in headaches and stress than it's worth. You'll probably be amazed at how much space you can free up by clearing out these unused, unwanted items.

After you've cleared these items out, assess what's left. If there's a drawer for makeup, but nothing in it is sorted, consider some small boxes or baskets to place them in. Place lipsticks and glosses in one bin, another for makeup compacts, and another for makeup applicators such as brushes and sponges. If there are a lot of hair products, consider using a larger basket to place them in and stored under the sink which can be easily removed and put away each morning.

If you're in the habit of stocking up on those products you seem to go through quickly such as toilet paper, lotion, or toothpaste, consider storing those in a pantry or linen closet instead of in the bathroom itself. Make sure all family members know where to look for a replacement or refill should they run out.

Most importantly, get your family to agree on using and maintaining the organization system that's been developed. It'll do no good to organize only to find things disheveled and unorganized the following week. Ask for input when devising a system, and make sure it's one that everyone involved can live with.

Turn your Junk Drawer into your Neat Drawer

We're probably all guilty of having at least one junk drawer somewhere in our house. This is the drawer that started out as a helpful drawer that kept all the handy items in one place like tape, tacks, buttons, safety pins, and so forth in one central location, but turned into the drawer where other things manage to accumulate when people don't know where they go or don't feel like taking the time to put them away properly. Get this drawer (or drawers) back into useful mode again by using a few simple steps to bring things back under control.

First of all, in order to clean it out, you've got to empty it out. Remove everything. Place a piece of paper or tea towel down to protect your countertop or table surface, and literally dump the drawer on top if possible. Otherwise make sure all items are placed on this protected surface.

Once it's out of the drawer, it needs to be sorted. Group all similar items together, and if you can't determine what something is or if it's needed after consulting with others in your family, get rid of it. If there are things in this drawer belong in another location, be sure they are put away promptly. Clean the drawer completely and wipe dry. Afterwards, lay a fresh drawer liner or contact paper inside.

The next trick is devising a simple, workable organized system that everyone in the family can use. Ice cube trays, egg cartons, small boxes or even 35-mm film containers work well to store small things in. If you cannot see into it to determine its contents, make sure it's clearly labeled. Small plastic sandwich bags are ideal for organizing and storing rubber bands, thread, and string. If you store glues or other adhesives in this drawer, make sure they have lids that are secured. It might also be a good idea to get into the habit of storing them inside a plastic storage bag in order to avoid a mess down the road should the lid become unsecured in the shuffle or is not properly tightened after use.

Most importantly, encourage your family to keep the drawer organized and neat. If it's properly maintained, there should be no need to shuffle through the drawer looking for things, creating an even bigger mess to clean out yet again in a few months.

Organize your Finances and Save Your Money

You carefully plan how to spend your money. But you may have never organized a plan on how to best save your hard-earned money. Shopping the sales, cut corners, conserve energy, and clip coupons are all positive steps in the right direction, but with some careful planning and organized thought, you can make your dollar stretch even further.

First of all, pay yourself first. Bill yourself if you have to as a way to keep track. You can even have a portion of your check directly deposited into your savings account so you'll never even miss it. Put part of it into savings for shorter term goals and some into a retirement plan. Compare interest rates at different financial institutions to get the most bang for your saved buck.

Pay close attention to where your money is going. Develop a spreadsheet or other method so you can visibly track where your money is going each month. You probably easily remember the bigger bills like the mortgage or the car payment, but it's easy to lose track of the incidental spending you do. You'd probably be surprised how much you spend each month on movies, eating out, video rentals and a little spending money for the kids. This will help you find ways of saving a few dollars here and there, which can quickly add up to a significant savings each month.

Set a realistic budget and stick to it. Once you've paid close attention to where your money is going, it will be easy to find where to cut corners and adjust your budget accordingly. With some commitment and a few lifestyle adjustments, it's really quite simple to live within the parameters of a well-planned budget.

Look for fun, inexpensive ways to entertain your family. You can usually borrow videos from your local library at little or no cost, and outdoor activities not only promote family togetherness but the fresh air and exercise are good for all involved.