September 2011 Home Organizing Checklist

Here is your September 2011 Home Organizing Checklist.

____ Sep 1 Organize something school-related, like school schedules, a homework area, or a backpack station.

____ Sep 2 Stock up on garden supplies before they are put away for the season. You will be able to pick up quite a bit on clearance so check your need for planters, garden tools and so forth.

____ Sep 3 Order your spring flowering bulbs and plants today and plant by the end of the month.

____ Sep 4 Take time today to prep your work week outfits. A little bit of time spent today will save you precious time every morning of the week.

____ Sep 5 It's Labor Day! Do a quick family project with everyone participating. Then, enjoy the rest of the holiday with your family.

____ Sep 6 What would you like to accomplish by Christmas? Make a list of the top ten things and put them on your calendar to complete.

____ Sep 7 Gather up your owner's manuals and warranties. Weed out those that are no longer necessary, and put the remainder into a binder. They can be put into individual page protectors first and then put into a 3-ring binder.

____ Sep 8 Get your lawnmower serviced and ready to stow for the winter. This includes having the blade sharpened. Also get your snow blower serviced and ready for the winter snow.

____ Sep 9 Create a family emergency kit in preparation for winter storms and power outages. This should include canned food, bottled water, a First Aid Kit, a can opener, battery operated flashlight, battery operated or wind-up radio and extra batteries.

____ Sep 10 Go through your medicine cabinet and dispose of any expired medications or supplements. Do the same for your cosmetics.

------------------------

Want tons of great ideas for getting organized at home and in the office? Check out my new books, Finally Organized, Finally Free for the Home and Finally Organized, Finally Free for the Office. Now available in both print and digital PDF format.

------------------------

____ Sep 11 Today, take time to remember the events of this day ten years ago. Do something special to show your appreciation to firefighters and police.

____ Sep 12 Organize your cleaning supplies into a bucket or tote that you can carry around with you as you clean. This saves you from having to run back and forth, or to have to stock mulitples of the same items. __

__ Sep 13 Are you making your own Christmas cards? Get started today and schedule time each week to work on more. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, you'll have your Christmas cards ready to address and mail!

__ Sep 14 Daily wipe downs in the bathrooms make cleaning so much easier. Make sure each bathroom has a supply of disinfecting wipes, or spray bottles of cleaner and cloths to do the wipe down.

____ Sep 15 Starting today, make sure any lunches for the next day are made and in the fridge. Doing this the night before saves valuable time and will help to un-rush some of your morning routine.

____ Sep 16 While dinner is cooking, clean out one drawer in your kitchen. Remove all non-essential items and duplicates. Toss and/or donate what you can.

____ Sep 17 Clean out your garage. Get the whole family involved in the sorting and decluttering of tools, toys, sports equipment and so forth. Set up zones for these items to keep things organized and neat.

____ Sep 18 Declutter your kitchen counters. Donate unused small appliances and put away those that are seldom used. Wipe the counters down with disinfectant and make a plan to clear any clutter after dinner each evening.

____ Sep 19 Give your pantry a good cleaning out. Discard outdated items, donate those you won't use, and sort what remains. Make sure you have those items that expire soonest in the front so that they can be used before they expire.

____ Sep 20 Do you have a craft or hobby room in disarray? Take time to clean and organize. Make use of the back of doors to set up a wrap station, or to store craft supplies in a hanging shoe organizer. Store supplies in clear plastic container on shelves or in bookcases.

------------------------

Keeping on top of everything going on in your life is easy, when you have the Get Organized Now! Easy Organizer. Now available in both print and digital PDF format.

------------------------

____ Sep 21 Go through piles of your mail that you've been meaning to deal with. Shred everything with any kind of personal information on it and recycle the rest. Do your best to get your name removed from as many mailing lists as possible. ___

_ Sep 22 Go through your socks and toss any unmated or hole-y socks. When it is time to replace, consider buying all the same style and color to simplify the matching process.

____ Sep 23 Slowly inspect your home’s exterior and look for anything that needs attention. This could be landscaping, trim paint, loose siding, etc. Schedule repairs.

____ Sep 24 Using a duster with an extension wand, dust the corners where the walls and ceiling meet to clear out any stray cobwebs.

____ Sep 25 Using a spray cleaner like Murphy's Oil Soap, spray and wipe your cabinet doors and drawer fronts to remove any fingerprints.

------------------------

Get all your papers organized once and for all, in an organized (find-anything-you-need-in-a-second) filing system. You'll be the envy of your friends! Discover: My Oh-So-Organized Filing System.

------------------------

____ Sep 26 Review your Christmas list and set your budget for gifts. Between now and Christmas, start watching for sales and start buying a gift each week to avoid Christmas debt.

____ Sep 27 Clean out and refill your bird feeder. Make sure you note when it needs refills and do refill. As colder weather sets in, the birds depend on that seed.

____ Sep 28 As you are putting summer clothing away, sort and donate any not worn this past summer. Make any needed repairs before putting clothing away for the winter.

____ Sep 29 Have your heating system serviced before it gets any colder. Better to prevent than to repair.

____ Sep 30 Traveling for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Start researching prices now and lock in the best deals.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now! FREE Idea-Pak and E-zine filled with tips, ideas, articles and more to help you organize your home, your office and your life at the Get Organized Now! Web site!