FRESH STARTS

Some people make New Years resolutions, some make great plans for the year ahead, some focus on a word for the year…maybe you are wondering what my New Years tradition is…or maybe you are not haha. I bet it’s not what you would likely expect.

Today I am sharing six tasks I do around my home to ring in the new year.

I do these things every year between Christmas and New Years Day (and maybe a few days into January) I guess you could say it is my major purge time and it is actually something I look forward to and really enjoy.

I love the idea of starting fresh, of cleared spaces, tidy corners, taking time to catch up on a few projects and actually finishing them, and making room for the inevitable welcome of new things from Christmas gifting. My husband also takes off from work for the week between Christmas Day and New Years Day, so it’s time together as a family as well!

Let’s begin…

ORGANIZE AND PURGE TOYS

The kids are likely getting more toys, so this is a great time to audit what they have. Discard anything that is broken or that they haven’t played with in awhile. If there are items that are still in good shape, but your kiddos have grown out of them, the time before Christmas is a great time to donate toys. I am sure someone would love to find a quality toy at a thrift store as a Christmas gift for their little one.

PURGE DECORATIONS

I find the end of the year to be a great time to purge some decorations, especially seasonal ones considering you just had them out on display. This is a great time to get rid of anything broken or items you haven’t used for display in the past year or so. There’s no reason to hang on to items you don’t love and you don’t use. I’m a firm believer in letting go of items that don’t serve a purpose and that you don’t enjoy displaying in your home…yes even those gifted items or things given to you by family!

KITCHEN CLEAN OUT

I feel like the kitchen is the easiest place to declutter because it is filled with items I have the least attachment to. I like to go through all the drawers and cupboards, wash the insides of everything, clear out the food pantry and get rid of any excess and/or broken items. I also take the time to clear away old rags and cloths that are too far gone for further use. This is a great time to clean out and deep clean refrigerators and freezers, too!

CLEAN | MAINTAIN THE OVERLOOKED THINGS

I like to focus on some tasks I tend to overlook especially towards the end of the year when things get extra busy. I do things such as oiling up my cutting boards and wooden utensils. I also spend some time to deep clean my stainless pots and pans. I like to use baking soda to give them a thorough cleaning and distilled vinegar afterwards to remove any rainbow effect (+ re-seasoning cast iron if necessary) I usually deep my appliances as well. I also go through the first aid cabinet and make sure we are stocked up on essentials, and discard any expired items.

Another important task is looking through our receipts, mail, tax documents and statements making sure everything is organized in it’s proper folder and I shred whatever we may have that we no longer need.

JUNK DRAWER AND STORAGE AREAS

We all have them right!? And they tend to always accumulate more and more. This time every year I do a good clean out and reorganize. I recently had the idea to use a plastic utensil organizer for my cords and chargers. I made labels for each little section and it’s working so well at having a place for all the cords. As I type this I can hear my husband organizing our garage and our storage room. This is a great time of year to tackle those projects since you’re likely in and out of there packing/unpacking seasonal items anyway.

CLOSETS

Closets are something I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on, especially since we experience all the seasons here where we live, so I feel like I’m always rotating clothing. However, I do like to do a quick scan and audit of what we have, if there are pieces we haven’t worn or if my boys have outgrown things, now is a great time to get rid of it. I like to flip the hangers of the items I haven’t worn much and if by the next season I haven’t turned the hanger around (meaning I haven’t worn it) then I donate it.