# Christmas is Over! Let the organizing begin!



## moongirl (May 19, 2006)

Well.........made it through one more Christmas! My place is still relatively "holiday" clean. Love New Years Eve with all the good intentions and great energy. Hopefully I will be able to get more done this year in the "declutter" department:dance:
My heartfelt thanks to everyone on this thread who offers that little bit of encouragement. Sometimes that is all that is needed to keep going.

Merry Christmas and an organized New Year!!


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## Sumer (May 24, 2003)

Holiday clean is a good way to put it. My house has never been cleaner than it is right now today. 
I have been really putting a lot of effort into getting it into shape just for today and I would love to be able to keep it this nice.


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## moongirl (May 19, 2006)

Sumer said:


> Holiday clean is a good way to put it. My house has never been cleaner than it is right now today.
> I have been really putting a lot of effort into getting it into shape just for today and I would love to be able to keep it this nice.


I told my kids it should be this clean on New Years Eve. The one night of the year I let myself sit and do nothing, read a book, got to bed early..... I like being able to walk to the couch without tripping!LOL


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## Murron (Oct 17, 2007)

I like "Holiday clean", too!  It makes the other smaller (and still waiting to be done) declutter projects so much easier! 

Perhaps for all of us, this will be one fine decluttered 2009! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


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## Colorado (Aug 19, 2005)

I need clean and down size on things. If the house has less clutter faster to keep clean. I know it and I should do it. I gave DIL some plastic bags that had been given to me some years back. Mayb fit her loaves of bread. I use bread sacks which I bough and they work. I can't buy any more as bakery closed some year back. Plus gave half my dried peppers. I still have more than enough. I tossed out some roping that was not good enough to use. Not much headway.


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## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

Thank heavens the madness is over. My decorations, which usually stay up until New Year's day, are coming down today. This was the worst Christmas season we've ever had, and I am glad to see the end of it. Between robberies, job loss and no kids coming home, it was pretty bad. We are starting from scratch in January, IF DH can get a new job. With no legal vehicles, it's going to be interesting. Since he'd prefer I didn't try to work while I'm fussing with my health, things are really tight right now. There is no wiggle room, and I expect to turn off the internet this month. 

The only benefit to being home all the time is that my house is now ridiculously clean. Be warned, ladies. This leads to the need to redecorate!...........rofl!! I have so many projects in mind. Thankfully, my landlord will provide most of the supplies, I just have to provide the vision and the labor. 

My first project? Reorganize closet A in the living room to make room for my video tape collection, while it's being sorted and recorded to dvd. With luck, I'll be done with that tomorrow! It's a big closet, but alot of the stuff in it belongs in my daughter's home......lol. Which means, it will be gone this week. YAY!!


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## Still Learning (Dec 5, 2006)

The Christmas madhouse is over! This year was so much better than last year for several reasons -- but I'm just looking forward to getting everything organized! 

My first BIG job is tackle is the 2 kids rooms. Whew! You can barely walk in there. There are new toys that need to find a "place" to be -- I told the kids that if they don't find a place then they have to go! (the toys, not the kids! lol).

I also need to tackle the regular laundry pile which has slipped the past few days. Towels especially; or we'll all be air drying! Just kidding! 

I'm almost ready for the third load of dishes to start today... I thought I'd never see my kitchen counters again! Now if I can just clean off the one corner that has everything to make the last minute goody bags (choc. pretzels; fudge; etc); then I'll really be doing good. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Back to cleaning I go... :viking: 

~Ashley


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## Queen Bee (Apr 7, 2004)

I made a point of putting away my Christmas dishes after they were washed on Christmas night--instead of trying to use them to New Years Day--we'll just use the everyday dishes and things will be just fine!

The last of the kids leave tomorrow--so I will start putting the decorations away--leaving the tree until the 1st..

My house was holiday clean UNTIL yesterday...The floors need to be mopped (rain, doggie/people tracks and food/beverage spills), they look terrible..

I have already started my New Year's Resolutions..Cleaning and organizing..I hope I can get everything done that's one the lists for 2009.. I am thinking it will cost very little money, but lots of time and energy..QB


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## Sumer (May 24, 2003)

I did something right this year! I dont have many decorations to put away because I never got them all out. & I simplified my tree a couple years ago to a small fake one and last year I left the lights on it. Will again this year. I also this year I used chocolate hershy and resees bell shaped candy for ornaments and hot glued string on them to hang them. We ate them all already  so All I have to do is unplug it and cram it in the box.


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## moongirl (May 19, 2006)

Hope everyone's "cleaning" is going well. Have spent this week sorting and organizing paperwork into binders. I HATE PAPERWORK!!! There.......now I feel much better.LOL
I have binders for different categories. One for bank and 401k statements,one for medical bills. credit cards etc. Now I can find what I need fairly quickly. Cleaning out the file cabinet itself today. Then I might actually have a place to put the binders. Wish me Luck!!


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## menagerie momma (Sep 29, 2008)

Thank you, thank you, thank you! - for the blinding flash of inspiration!:bouncy: I have been trying to figure out how to organize my filing cabinet - especially the personal papers like birth certificates and SS cards and such, without the papers flying out of the folders. Here I have all these binders from the Staples sales and plastic sleeve protectors I bought for pix and recipes - I can just slide them in a sleeve and place in a binder. Why couldn't I think of that?:bash: I know what I am doing today! Thanks again!


Jessie


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## Colorado (Aug 19, 2005)

I posted Monday and mine waas one of those that went by the way side it looks. I did up my money paper note book. Using a zipped 3 ring and dividers and have it up to date and that got rid of some paper stuff. Still more to go. Old stuff. I bought a paper shredder and ran a bunch through and that can go in compost and not the trash I have to haul. . My banks statments come with 3 holes punched and I have 3 hole punch to do the rest, My tax papers and forms I have in cubby hole together for tax time. Still waiting on some papers. Few more items I think I should add tot he not books. I will get to that as I clean. 

Doing seed order and last year I inventored the seed left for the most part and that is helping on orders . Just read the list what it is. page for tomatoes and beans and so on. I plan to do that agian this fall after seed saving time. 

I have a long ways to go yet, Little by little.


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## moongirl (May 19, 2006)

I am almost finished with the papers, I have determined one thing........I HATE PAPERWORK!! Everytime I think I have just finished I discover another box/bag/pile etc. stashed somewhere.
I am was really excited to get the utilitiy bills and pt them right in the book. No more searching for them in "the pile".LOL
Yesterday I organized all the old tax returns. Also went through all the instruction manuals. Threw away a bunch of them (the baby monitor........had that for my 12 year old LOL).
The only sad part is that no one woul walk into our apartment and notice all the hours I have put in. No surface cleaning to show for it.


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## Sumer (May 24, 2003)

But you will know Moongirl.
I hate paperwork too, The piles seem to multiply weekly. For me its the lack of piles that only I know are not there that makes me feel like I have acomplished something.
Its probably time again for me to dip into the paperwork madness myslef. Mostly because I have been trying to find some prints I know I have. You know --Somewhere. 
I havent been getting to a lot of house work lately. ITs just too cold and when I get home from work I dont want to do anything. 
Yesterday I decided to wait on painting the kitchen for a while. So I might as well start on paperwork.


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## moongirl (May 19, 2006)

Cleaning the paperwork out did help! Did the taxes in record time the other night. So proud of myself. I have been putting all the bills and paperwork into their correct biders everyday when I open the mail. Yea me!!


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## AlyCarm (Nov 12, 2008)

Wow, Binders! What a great idea! Our bank switched a few months ago to photocopies of any checks on the back of the statements instead of the original checks sent to you. They will now fit perfectly in a binder instead of needing envelopes or even staples to hold everything together. I am so excited to do this LOL Thank you for the inspiration!


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## moongirl (May 19, 2006)

Glad you like the idea. So far I am loving it and it seems to be working well. Today my youngest DD and I are taking four huge boxes of stuff to the local Salvation Army. I keep the box(s) outside the apartment door and add items one at a time. If I waited for the "big" clean it would never happen!LOL I can't wait to get rid of all that stuff. I know it's time to make a trip when the front hall starts to feel like a storage area!!


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## moongirl (May 19, 2006)

Just a quick update on the binder system.........I have been able to find every bill to pay on time!! I have even manage to pay off some smaller medical bills simply because when I have the extra $5 or $10 I know were the bills are. If I could just remember where I hid that extra box of money!!LOL


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