This is it! The month that I’m about to embark on my dream trip; my trip of a lifetime… the Greek Islands. As you read this, I may be touring the ruins of the lost city of Atlantis, or having lunch overlooking the Aegean sea, or basking in the sun by the pool. It is my honeymoon!When we have travel plans, it seems that little ‘to do’ items keep cropping up, stressing us out so much that by the time we leave we really ARE ready for a vacation! Here are a few tips to help you out with all that. Get your little ‘To Do’ notebook out, and don’t forget to look at your ‘Ta Dah’ list also, as you need to feel rewarded for your efforts.Plan Your Outfits in Advance. I can’t stress this one enough. If you’re on a four-day trip, review your schedule in your head and add up the number of times you estimate you’ll need to change clothes. Then, plan what you’ll wear for each change. This will keep your travel wardrobe lean and mean, and you won’t drag along any extra pieces that you end up not wearing.Choose a Color Scheme. Plan to wear pants/skirts in one dark neutral, either black or brown. Then add tops in a light neutral (grey, tan or white). Then, add a few more pieces in shades of a single bright color such as blue or red .  Throw in some accessories and jewelry and you’re all set. Get a Smaller Bag. Parkinson’s Law states that work expands according to the amount of time available. So try buying a smaller bag and you’ll force yourself to pack lighter. Use Your Shoes As Containers. If you have to pack shoes in your luggage, remember they’re hollow, so you may as well take advantage of the space inside them. Stuff them with socks, underwear, or even other shoes.Carry one on. If you’re taking an airline or other mass transit to your destination, always carry on a small carry-on bag that contains your prescription medications, some of your cosmetics, a toothbrush/toothpaste duo, your cell phone, a change of clothes, underwear and a good book. Just in case your luggage doesn’t make it when you do, you’ll have your important items with you. Bag it. If you don’t plan on washing your clothes while you’re away, be sure to pack an empty plastic bag so your dirty items can be kept separate from your clean clothes. Bring one of those Tide To Go sticks for emergency cleanups.Bring games for the kids.
It’s definitely worth it to stop by your local travel store to find some travel games for the kids, such as Travel Bingo, magnetic checkers or coloring books. Also, don’t forget some snacks and pre-frozen boxed juices as the little ones are bound to get hungry at one point or another. A portable DVD player, or a laptop computer to watch movies could be your best friend!There’s no place like home.
Before you leave for vacation, clean your house, wash all of your laundry and make your bed. When you arrive back home after your vacation, your home will be a welcome haven.

Here are a few tips to help you make your month of March your preparation month. Believe it or not, summer is indeed coming!

1. Closets: You’re looking at your winter wardrobe still, and asking yourself if you have worn everything in it. If not, then you probably won’t next year either. Pack them up in the Salvation Army bag that you always have handy at the back of your closet. What about those shoes you haven’t worn this winter?

2. Kid’s It is time to take stock of your children’s clothing, switching out seasonal items and assessing whether things fit them anymore. Go through each child’s clothing and decide whether to donate, discard, or save outgrown items for another child in your family. You can sort items to keep into clear containers by size and gender, such as “Boys Sizes 6-8.” If they have games they haven’t played in the cold winter months, try to coax them into donating to a needy child in the community, or even a friend of theirs.

3. Pantry: Go through your pantry and donate to the food bank all of the still jarred and packaged gift basket remnants from the holidays, throw out the old valentine chocolate, the stale croutons, and the mixes you’ll never bake. Organize your refrigerator to make more room for the wonderful fresh spring and summer produce. On your shelves you can also use plastic salad mix bins to contain packages of crackers, nuts, spices, etc.

4. Home Office: Since you’re finishing up your income taxes, it’s an excellent time to archive and purge old files. A rule of thumb we use is to keep things from the current year and previous year in your active filing cabinet and archive anything older to a different location, such as a file box stored in the basement or garage. Thumb through old magazines and cut out special articles or inspirational pictures. File them in page protectors in a binder.

5. Laundry and Storage: Take all your own grocery bags back to the store. Leave your recycled cloth bags in your car and you won’t have to hit yourself in the forehead the next time you walk out of your car into the parking lot. How many extra cleaning liquids do you store that you don’t need?

Unloading clutter from your home becomes synonymous with cleansing the clutter from your mind. You will know what is important to you and your family when you cleanse what is unnecessary. Living simply can open doors that you don’t even know exist!

How do you know what is important and what you can live without? Think of these questions. You get to move to Hawaii. It costs $100s of dollars per pound to move and you are limited to X number of pounds. What will you take? Your home is in an emergency situation. You have been given two hours to pack and evacuate. What will you take?You can retire/quit your job NOW if you are willing to downsize and live in a friend’s small guest house. What will you take?Good luck with your editing!

Patti Smith
Show Offs Home Staging and Organizing

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