The holidays can be a hectic time. Between the parties, family, shopping, and decorating, there’s a lot going on! Holiday stress can be avoided when you are organized. Here are some simple tips to help keep your sanity during this busy holiday season:
Make To-Do Lists. Creating lists will ensure all tasks are completed and nothing is forgotten. They prevent you from having to running out to the grocery store at the last minute, fighting crowds to grab the one item you forgot. Instead of making one to-do list, make multiple lists to help you stay focused and not forget a single thing. The lists can be broken down into tasks such as grocery shopping, things to do around the house, and gifts to buy.
Take inventory. If you are an early shopper, it is a great idea to inventory your items and have a list so no gifts go forgotten in the closet or purchased twice. Also take inventory of supplies you might need for the holidays for cooking, baking, wrapping, decorating, hosting, etc. You may find you have left over things from the previous year to reuse and save money.
Declutter. This time of year is a great time to look around and declutter cabinets, closets, and rooms. If you have kids, now is the time to go through their clothes and toys to make room for new items coming in. If you are expecting guests for the holidays and your guest room has turned into your junk and storage room, get a head start on preparing for holiday by sorting through your items. If you find you need extra space for items consider using a self storage unit for the overflow.
Organize Holiday Decor. As you pull out your holiday decorations, it is a great time to throw out anything that might be broken or donate pieces that have been packed away for a few years. Like how you set up your holiday decor? Snap a picture of your display and save it for next year to remind you how to decorate.
Following these simple tips can reduce your holiday stress & help you enjoy the season! What is the one thing you suggest to make your holidays more organized? Share in a Comment below!
Thanksgiving is just about here! For some of us, the best part about Thanksgiving are the leftovers. Depending on how many family members and guests attend your feast, you may find yourself with a huge amount of leftover food. Do not let the leftovers go to waste! Below we are providing you with storage tips on how to store your leftover Thanksgiving feast.
Before Thanksgiving Day, clear some room in your refrigerator and freezer to make room for all of the leftovers. Plastics bins are a great way to group common types of food and help get the refrigerator organized.
Make sure to have plenty of freezer bags, and Tupperware (make sure they all have a lids).
It’s recommended within two hours of serving the meal to refrigerate leftover turkey, stuffing, gravy, and other side dishes to avoid bacterial growth. Before refrigerating the turkey, carve the leftover turkey meat off the bones to save space.
Purchasing round plastic pie storage containers can help save room in the refrigerator. You can stack them, plus you will not have to worry about anything crushing your pies! It’s important to refrigerate pies that contain eggs including pumpkin, custard, and cream pies.
In order to keep track of the food you have stored in your refrigerator, you should write the name of the food, and the date when you put them in the fridge.
If you are not planning on eating all of the leftovers within 4 days, store the leftovers in your freezer this will allow them to keep much longer.
Finally, once the leftovers are packed away, refrain from opening and closing the fridge until the food has cooled down.
What tip would you like to share? Or you can tell us how you’ll be using your leftovers. Leave us a comment we would love to hear!
A-1 Self Storage wishes you Happy Thanksgiving filled with love and joy.
It’s that spooky fun-filled season again! Halloween is just around the corner and it’s time to start gathering ideas for your Halloween costumes. As we all know the price of Halloween costumes can add up rather quickly. After investing your money into expensive costumes, it’s a good idea to store your costumes properly and save your wigs, outfits, jewelry, and other accessories so they can be reused again. Do your kids love gathering massive amounts of Halloween candy, but can hardly finish it before it gets stale? If so we also provide you with an inside tip on how use up Halloween candy.
Plastic Bins. The most simple costume storage idea is to use plastic bins or storage boxes. I would recommend purchasing orange or purple bins for a easy color coding system to represent Halloween. Labeling what costumes are in each bin will be beneficial so you don’t have to scramble through several bins to find what you are looking for. Storing items together like wigs, shoes or hats. Plastic bins will also help keep your Halloween decorations in great condition for next years spooking season. Now all you have to do is find a place in either your garage, attic, or other storage rooms for these plastic bins.
Kids Costume Storage. Most adults will only need one costume a year. Unlike adults, kids love dressing up frequently. Instead of storing your children’s costumes into storage, consider creating a trunk or toy box where your kids can easily access their costumes for dress-up time. Another clever idea is to use a bookshelf as a mini wardrobe by removing a shelf or two and adding a clothing bar. You can hang up dresses, one piece costumes while storing accessories in plastic bins.
Mass amount of Halloween Candy. It’s that time a year again when you have an abundance amount of leftover Halloween candy laying around your house. When this happens it’s a good idea to find other ways to use the candy. Candy can replace many ingredients. For example when you are baking use chocolate candies in place of chocolate chips. You can use candies to decorate cakes or cupcakes as well as Gingerbread houses. Glass or plastic containers with lids are also a great way to store leftover Halloween candy.
How do you store your Halloween costumes, decorations and even candy? Leave us a comment we want to hear your clever ideas on how to store Halloween items.
Fall is here! As we transition into fall, this calls for the opportunity to organize and tidy up our houses to prepare for the next season. While you can take advantage of a storage unit at any time of the year, with winter (and the holidays) around the corner it makes it especially important to gear up and protect your belongings. In case you are wondering how to store your seasonal items safely we have some tips to help better prepare you.
Store your yard equipment. There is no need to take up extra space in your garage if you aren’t mowing your lawn or gardening. Make sure to drain all the liquids from your lawnmower and other tools as this will help prevent corrosion. Are you planning on storing any outdoor furniture? Remember to clean your furniture items to avoid damage and also use a climate controlled storage unit for extra protection.
Secure your boat, bikes and recreational vehicles. The winter holiday season can be hectic with all of the family and guests arriving. To provide you with more space in your driveway for holiday guests, keeping your summer toys in storage can guarantee extra protection from theft and damage.
Switch out seasonal clothing items. One easy way to free up a jam-packed closet or dresser is to swap out your summer wardrobe for warmer items. Pack away your swimsuits and shorts. Take the opportunity to sort through your clothing items and decide if it’s time to donate them.You may find that some of your clothes are either too small, worn out or out of style. Consider doing this in your entryway coat closet as well.
How do you store your seasonal items? Leave a Comment below. We would love to hear of your tips on how to prepare for the upcoming seasons.
Looking for some clever tricks and tips to help keep your house intact? A-1 Self Storage is here to help. We would like to point out some handy tips to help you feel more organized and less cluttered around the house.
Magnetic tape can be stuck to walls or inside cabinets to help you get organized. This is a great idea for the bathroom to hold tweezers, nail clippers, hair clips, and other magnetic items for easy accessibility. This can also be used in the kitchen or garage to hold cooking utensils or tools. This is a great way to solve unorganized drawers.
Shoe organizers aren’t just for shoes, but can be used in all rooms of the home. These are great for bathroom items, cleaning supplies, kids toys, art/craft supplies, gift wrapping accessories, and much more. Organizers can easily be hung behind a door or fixed to the wall. This will help save drawer and cabinet space while helping you stay organized.
Bread tags can be labeled and fixed around cords to help indicate which cord belongs to which item. With today’s technology we have many cords connected to our televisions and computers. Bread tabs are a great way to help you keep organized and easily locate a specific cord.
Tension rods can be hung in cabinets to hold various spray bottles. This will help free up space on the shelf for other items. Shower hooks can be attached to the rod to hang various items. This is great for the closet to organize scarfs, belts, or purses. This is also a great way to organize necklaces and bracelets.
All of these tips are a great way to help you get organized and free up space in your home.
The holidays can be a hectic time. Between the parties, family, shopping, and decorating, there’s a lot going on! Holiday stress can be avoided when you are organized. Here are some simple tips to help keep your sanity during this busy holiday season:
