Helpful Hints

EASY WAYS TO IMPROVE CURB APPEAL

Walk across the street and look at your overall landscape.
1. Are shrubs trimmed neatly? Windows and doors shouldn’t be overshadowed by overgrown bushes.
2. Clear your entry, sidewalk, and plant beds of leaves and debris.
3. Add a new layer of attractive mulch to all planting areas.
4. Are there bare spots or weeds in the lawn? Your local garden supplier can tell you the best way to remedy this problem.
5. Hardscape (bird feeders or houses, simple water features, statuary) can add warmth and character to an otherwise drab terrain.
Make your front door more appealing with a fresh coat of paint or stain and new hardware.
Speaking of hardware, install new light fixtures on both sides of your door and change your old, scratched house number plates with shiny new ones.
Consider shutters or awnings to dress up your windows.
Well placed, low voltage landscape lighting is fairly inexpensive and will dramatically enhance your home when the sun goes down.

STEPS TO DE-CLUTTER YOUR HOME - Part 1

The first step in winning the Clutter War is to de-bug your own mind! Most of us don’t recognize clutter when it falls out of the closet onto our heads, so how in the world will we conquer it? Let’s start by defining what clutter is. Clutter is anything in your home:

That is out of place.
That is broken.
That you have not used or worn in more than a year.
That you dislike.

Now don’t panic. I won’t be telling you to throw everything away that falls within the above definition of clutter. BUT, once you get a clear picture in your head of what constitutes clutter you will be better able to deal with it! In the next installment we still start in one small place to give you some practice in sorting through all that clutter.

Steps To De-clutter Your home - PART 2

First, you will need 4 cardboard boxes and a large trash can. Label the boxes as follows:

Put away
Fix
Set Free
Mementos

Set an alarm clock to go off in 1-2 hours. You don’t want to overdo things! Open the closet or junk drawer and select the first object. Now we will use the four definitions of clutter to help us decide which box to use for each item.

The trash can. You will find plenty of stuff that is absolutely unusable. Be ruthless.
The “Put Away” box. Anything goes in here that is out of place and would be better off in a more convenient location. As soon as the alarm clock goes off you will take 10 minutes or so to put all the items in this box where they really belong.
The “Fix” box. If the item is damaged or missing a part, but you are certain you would use it regularly if repaired, put it in this box. Objects can only reside in the fix box for one week before they have to change residence! If you do not repair the item by week’s end it must go into the “Set Free” box.
The “Set Free” box. This box will hold items that you dislike, things you haven’t used in more than a year, orphaned gifts from friends and family (when you said, “Oh, you really shouldn’t have!”), things that still have some good use in them, things that will surely fit again “someday.” This box will go in the trunk of the car. You will take the box to a local resale store or to a charity center. Many charities will even pick up this stuff at your front door-what convenience! You will be doing a good thing, since someone will be getting some good out of these items right now.
The “Mementos” box. This one can be a bit tricky. It’s for things that have true sentimental or family heirloom value. You will want to invest in a cedar chest or other similar sized permanent storage unit. The items from this box will go into that permanent storage. But remember, that cedar heirloom chest will fill up rapidly if you are too casual about “what’s an heirloom.” Consider passing on some of these things to extended family members right now-don’t wait 20 years!

Now you are one closet closer to having a serene, uncluttered home! Next week take this same process and tackle another corner of the house!