The 5 spaces you need to organize FIRST - Get Organized for the New Year!
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- Опубліковано 2 січ 2022
- Happy New Year! It's time to create the organized and clutter-free home that you deserve. I often get asked, where do I start? In this video, I share the FIVE spaces in your home that you MUST organize first. Start with the items that you touch the most, and watch as your home transforms into the organized oasis you are craving.
A big thank you to The Container Store for sponsoring today's video. Learn more about the products I used in this video here: www.containerstore.com/s/cas-...
#organize #clutterbug
Did you know I have a podcast? clutterbug.me/podcast
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Learn more about the products I used in this video here: www.containerstore.com/s/cas-aarssens-clutterbug-method/1?cid=sm_influencer_casaarssen
I used the link but I don’t know where to click to find the products on this video? Sorry. Where do I click???
Cas, could you go through and explain how these zones/stations were set up? Like what did you do to make Milo's cart? And show what individual things you used to make the pantry etc? Thank you
Could you also include the different pieces you used to make the over the door organizer? I’m only seeing it come with baskets. Thanks so much for your awesome, motivating videos!
@@moorealisa I used two small peg board attachments with hooks, one basket and a shoe organizer. There are endless possibilities and custom options for the Elfa Door rack organizer
@@Clutterbug Thank you for your reply! I love how you put it together!
I’m working on the daunting task of a new to me house so I have tons of projects 😅.
(I kind of feel like I got an autograph signed by getting a personal reply! I’m a big fan! Thanks again!) 😁😁😁
I can't imagine having the same Christmas family tradition with my kids that I had growing up. Not because it wasn't an AWESOME tradition, but because I am not as resourceful and incredible as my mom. So, on Christmas eve, my dad would take us out to look at Christmas lights. My mom didn't join us because she was going to get her hair done...like sooo many salons are open on Christmas eve, lol. But I was young and didn't know any better. By the time we got home, Santa had come and left a plethora of presents for my brother, my four sisters, and myself. We would open the presents, and once done, stack them back under the tree in our "spot." Then we would get dressed and go to midnight mass. Once home, we didn't go to bed. Oh heavens no, that would be too boring. Instead, we had a huge breakfast! I'm talking eggs, sausage, danish and eggnog. How my mom had the energy to do all of this is beyond me! As time went on, my mom stopped going to the hair salon (wink, wink). But the present opening, mass going and the incredibly special (and I think unique) middle-of-the-night meal continued for a long, long, long time.
Thank you for sharing this! What an amazing mom! Kids love special traditions!
My mom grew up in the country. Their closest neighbors were about a mile away, and were Lutheran (my family is Catholic). While they were at church for Christmas services, my grandmother would put all their presents under the tree. When my mom's family was at mass, the neighbors would come and put their presents under their tree. When you are with both of your parents when Santa comes to your house, it's pretty easy to believe.
You are awesome! Well done, bless your heart and love From Australia ♥️👍👵🇦🇺
That is so beautiful
@@commonsensetruecrime9635 thanks, she absolutely was amazing ❤️
Summary for me...& maybe you too
1. Landing Zone
2. Clothing
3. Food
4. Work Space
5. Paper
Happy New Year to you & family! Thank you for all the help ❤
Thank you!!
Definitely looking for this in the comments! Thanks!
I appreciate your advice so much and I appreciate you. I’m 62 and I’ve had early dementia since I was 55. I love an organized house. I love to label everything so I can find things when I need them. This is going to help me so much with my office. You’re the best!
Suzi, Awww I am sending good healing thoughts. ❤ I love labeling my organized spaces as well especially with my family members being able to find what they need without destroying all my organizing efforts. Happy new year! 🎉
Ahhhh. Early dementia. My husband has that to look forward to. He's 49. Take care. I'm glad you found something to help you.
@@HomeFrugalicious Thank you so much. You’re so kind. It’s been a struggle but I’m doing ok. I appreciate you taking the time to message me😍
@@suzih8038 I am just glad to hear that you are finding ways to help and making things easier for you. ❤
Take COD LIVER OIL!! FERMENTED IS EVEN BETTER!!
Holiday weirdness: One year I got tired of making a huge Christmas dinner that no one ate. So, for the past several years, everyone gets to eat whatever they want on Christmas. We get a takeout pizza the night before and reheat for my oldest, I make chicken pot pie for my husband, and my mom, youngest and I eat Chinese! Everyone’s happy!!
We had waffles for Christmas and mac and cheese for new years. Everyone was happy. And it was so more relaxed not to have to rush to the supermarket on the day cause I missed something.
Sounds like fun...and way less work!
Lol!
This is the best and so smart!!!
This list is perfect! I'm coming off of two years of being completely down and out after a traumatic experience and my house was complete chaos. I found this video and I've made it through the first 3. My whole outlook has changed in just a couple of weeks. The first thing I see when I come home is my beautiful new entryway, it's easy to get dressed and look presentable after 2 years of sweatpants, and we're all finally eating healthy food again. I still have a lot left to deal with but I'm not afraid of it anymore. Thank you so much!!!
¡Bien por ti! Yo también pasé por una depresión espantosa. Me tuvo dos años en cama llorando. Cuando salí de ella, me siguió golpeando la vida. ¡Perdi a 5 seres queridos en 3 años! Aún me dan bajones, pero los superó más fácilmente. También descuide mi casa, y aunque ya estoy recuperada al 100% me da muchísima pereza y asco ponerme a limpiar y ordenar. Lo hago muy de poquito en poquito. Así no voy a llegar a navidad con la casa que sueño tener.
Saludos.
Where did you find the energy?
We had oatmeal for breakfast as kids on Christmas morning. Couldn't open your gifts until everyone in the family finished their oatmeal. Didn't know that was weird until I got married and my in laws looked at me like, "poor dear", when I told them this. 😅 my parents just wanted us to have something healthy on our tummy before busting open the Christmas candy, ya know? Now it doesn't quite feel like Christmas for me without oatmeal for breakfast and my husband still thinks it's weird! 🤣
That is really cute! Thank you for sharing! 😊❤️
I think it's sweet!
Hi my name is Mercedes. I just wanted you to know that you have made a difference in my life. My mom passed away on October 15th, since then I have been going through her things and it has been so overwhelming because she was what I like to call a neat hoarder. Everything is in bag box or bin neatly stacked in one side of a room or in a closet. I have been struggling with really bad anxiety so going through her things is super hard but I’m fighting through it to organize and make it livable for my father. So I just wanted to say thank you for your coaching you are very much appreciated😘
When my kids were younger, we did the Switch Witch for Halloween. The kids kept their favorite pieces of candy and put the rest on the porch. The Switch Witch then comes to take the candy and leave $5-$10 for the kids. Less sugar for them (and my sanity)! We would take the candy to work for the coworkers to munch on!
That is really cool! My kids would've wanted to keep like one TYPE or one handful instead of one piece, but I can only imagine the mess, sugary teeth, and sanity saving that would bring! Genius!
This is another one that close captioning is multilingual
That's new to me!
I just found out about this!!
this is brilliant lol
I remember watching someone (not sure if it was Cas, Dawn or someone else) organizing their pantry. They had several boxes of various flavors of granola bars. They opened all the boxes and dumped them all into ONE basket in the pantry. 😲
I broke out in hives. That's when I realized I'm a Bee.
Lol!
No pun intended
@@kyliemurphy8813 Actually, no. And I can't believe I didn't catch it! 🤣 Maybe I need to decorate my office in a bee theme...🐝
I do that for my husbands work snacks. Im a bee and I like to know what Im pulling out too.
Each year at some point before Christmas Eve we take a break to really enjoy our tree. We turn on the fireplace, turn on our favorite carols, and with just the firelight and tree lights we snuggle up to just admire the tree and lights.
Sounds great!
Omg I love this idea! That’s so cool!
If you really want to up the enjoyment ... lay down on your back under the tree and look up! It's a whole 'nother magical world from that perspective.
I feel like I’m getting ready to binge watch your videos. So glad I found this channel
My mom (I did too) used to put 3 fingers in flour and made bunny tracks across the floor on Easter. My kids still wanted the bunny tracks after they were older. So then m&m’s were left also.
That is adorable
Precious!
Yes, can we talk about having the huge Christmas dinner midday on Christmas day, we stuff ourselves beyond capacity, then all the adults want to do is sleep, making the rest of the day a huge borefest for the kids?
This year I switched it up, and am adopting this as my new normal... Christmas dinner on Christmas eve evening! 😱 followed by the Christmas eve box full of movie munchies and a Christmas movie. Then, on the day, a light, healthy breakfast of fruit kebabs, veggie sticks and accompanying dips, choc/caramel sauce, humus... light snacks during the day... those chocolate and not so healthy goodies, charcuterie board etc... leftovers for early dinner, then my mum's trifle for dessert later.
SO much more energy! Our Christmas day swim in the river was SO much more enjoyable! Oh, so much better all round!
In New Zealand it's usually a scorching hot day on Dec 25th, so eating a massive, hot, roast dinner during the day always just made me feel lethargic and not wanting to do any of the fun stuff I really wanted to do to make Christmas day the most memorable and fun for my kids, and myself too, not going to lie! So I'm extremely happy I've finally cracked the code on this.
Today I woke up and needed to tighten my belt a notch! I think this new tradition is going to be a keeper! 🤩🎄❤
I had mentioned this to the family also. I think its an awesome idea.. Especially if you have littles as they are so excited about their presents and toys all they want to do is play. The last thing they want to do is sit down at a family dinner table and be good little kids...
Awesome!
Yes this was the same except we weren’t allowed to eat until the Christmas dinner was ready and most usually it was delayed so when 2/3pm rolled around everybody was cranky and to be honest we didn’t feel like eating anymore, parents had been arguing in fact that was the most consistent memory of Christmas was parents fighting. So I say make your own traditions I now spend the time between Christmas and New year thinking of all the things achieved the past year and being grateful and making up new plans for the year to come. Keeps me positive and away from all the BS that is nonsensical, granted my parents had warped ideas of what it means to be a parent based on their childhoods and personalities. Life can be better when you decide what you will do with your time/Christmas/existence. 💛 Here is to Empowering yourself! And making choices for yourself!
As an Aussie, sounds a goer. We did Chrissy on Boxing Day last year, it was nice. Still bloody hot but nice.
Weird holiday traditions....growing up we hung actual socks out of our drawers for Santa to fill. My little brother and I always grabbed Dad's work socks cuz they were bigger!!! I was about 12 when a relative gave us felt stockings that she decorated to hang at Christmas. That is when I found out most folks didn't use socks that they actually wore.
;p
That’s so sweet.
We used real socks too. We worked hard to get the biggest sock and tape it to the fireplace with duct tape. One year someone in the family used a pair of my Mom's old pantyhose. It could hold a ton of stuff! Santa put so many goodies in it! (The pretty Christmas socks were for decorations, not for Christmas candies and gifts.)
@@hlw1306 yes an orange every year was a real treat , we called them Christmas oranges 😊
Love reading all the traditions!! I bought a pickle ornament to start that tradition with my family years ago, but never did it because I was afraid our kids (6 in our blended fam) would get too overzealous and break ornaments, hurt each other, etc. lol I should have opted for fun instead!!!
Growing up, we used to celebrate Christmas with a big dinner with extended family on Christmas Eve, then exchange some presents from those family members after dinner/dessert. After they went home, we'd go to Church 11pm-12am, candelight service. Then when our parents and my brother and sister and I came home, we would open all our presents!! Stockings and Christmas breakfast were for morning.
Easter for my kids when they were little.... when they woke up and opened their door, there was a jellybean trail, going from the door to their basket, which was hidden. 4 kids, each one with a different trail (and sometimes different candy) and they weren't as easy to follow as it sounds! They were tricky, haha! They had to climb over things, crawl under things, etc. At the end of the trail, the basket was still hidden a little in that area. Work for that basket!!! 🤣 I miss those days!! Now they're 16-28 yrs old! 😭😭💖💕
Our family holiday traditions included opening each person getting a new ornament that we opened on Christmas Eve. For Easter, a favorite pastime for me was when my grandpa would open the window for the Easter Rabbit to come in while we hid in the next room and hide chocolate eggs all over the house for us to find :D
YES! My landing zones (I have 2) have to be organized as well as the storage in my kitchen (utensils, gadgets, food storage containers, dishes and bakeware), and my bathrooms as well as the side of my bed and my actual living room. I've decided the kitchen counters can be a little cluttered, my pantry can be a little overstocked (a magnificent blessing, truly!), and my office can be a little out of order (as in notebooks on the desk, a few pens, cards to write out, bills to be paid, and laptop left out for easy access--my books, files, long-term paperwork, and office furniture are always organized). I go through my mail each day and throw out what isn't necessary and have a filing system for my bills so I put those in their place each day. I PREFER organized everything, but my mental and physical health are better when those 5 spots are super organized, and I allow myself a little slack in other areas. This is what works for me. I can't keep everything organized every day ALL the time, I tried, and it was exhausting. A happy medium for me is to have my 5 areas organized (along with my car, tbh) helps a lot. But my home IS meant to be lived in and I'm okay with that. We all have to do what works best for us and I think self-awareness works wonders! We all have to live our lives. As a woman with chronic illnesses, I have to pick my battles and choose my tasks and energy purposely. Love your channel!!!
I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your tips have helped me to organize my life. My dad passed away last year and because of your binder system I was able to plan his funeral without being stressed out about where to find his paperwork. Again thank you so much.
Sincerest sympathies to you on your sad loss. May he Rest In Peace. Mary, Joes wife
Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm glad the binder system helped to simplify the process of such a sad and stressful time. {{{ HUGS }}}
Sending loving, healing prayer and energy your way. I lost my father this past October, and still working to ground myself. It’s just devastating. I also agree that getting organized frees up so much brain space. What a gift during this difficult time! ❤️
I started decluttering my home last June. Now I am almost obsessed with it..I declutter every day for as long as I can because I am in my early 70's and I feel time is of the essence to get this "stuff" out of my home before my dau. would get stuck with it..I signed up for your class and can't wait till Jan. 15th....Jodi
Good for you!
Growing up we’d always go to my grandparents house for Easter. We always had an Easter egg hunt for the kids and a soda/beer hunt for the adults. It was awesome! The adults were more into it than the kids were!
I bet!!
'If people aren't going to see me in it I'm not gonna bother folding it.' Ok, mic drop moment. WHY am I folding my underwear and camisoles?! No more!
Exactly!
I do that too. No more!
I feel great! I just decluttered 6 bags of clothes and my family went to the laundromat to just get all of our clothes clean and put away.
Thanks for the motivation!
My daughter in law to be was just telling me that when they lived in the south (USA) the kids talked about the Easter Armadillo instead of the Easter Rabbit. I'm imagining kids getting pictures with the Easter Armadillo. I've seen the Christmas pickle ornaments but haven't bought one to start that tradition. Isn't it lovely that every family can create their very own traditions but there are some that "most" families share as well.
I started watching your channel in November when I was doing a big clear out of my house. The greatest thing you've given me is the confidence to let go of stuff! I was a classic keeper of things I'd fit into again one day (hahaha). In December I started decluttering and donated 17 bags of clothes....17!!! 🥰
Good for you!
That's amazing! Great job! I've been on my minimalist journey for 4 years now and would not go back. It's changed every aspect of my life for the better.
You give me hope and inspiration 😁💖😁 congratulations 🎉
¿Cómo lo hiciste? Yo soy incapaz de deshacerme de una ropa que está en buen estado. Tengo el armario lleno de ropa preciosa, pero que no me entra porque he engordado. ¡Simplemente amo mis cosas! Me gustan tanto que no puedo dejarlas ir. Solo he podido deshacerme de la ropa rota, eso si que lo retiro. El resto, ¡imposible!
@@Alice_SB No fue para nada fácil. Pero me di cuenta de que me estaba aferrando a ellos en vano. Solo me quedaron un par de piezas muy bonitas de las que no pude deshacerme. Si logro bajar de peso para encajar en esas piezas, se sentirá como un gran logro.
I lost over 35 pounds and am confident enough now that it won't come back. So my old jeans can be donated :D Papers/office is still on the list, and so is 1 cupboard with baking supplies. But, slowly getting there. One bin, one day, one 10 minute timer, one 30 minute timer, one weekend or one box at the time.
Yes!! You've got this!
Great tips for organizing as always..thank you! We never had a pickle ornament on our Christmas tree but we did leave a pickle with a ham on rye sandwich and a beer for Santa instead of cookies. My Dad said Santa needed something more substantial. 😄
😂
😅😂🤣 That sounds delicious!😋
That's awesome ;p
Now that’s something Santa would surely enjoy 😊
Whenever I have kids, we're definitely doing something similar! I can't eat sweets 😹
A few people do this, but my grandma used to always hide coins in her fruitcake. She boiled them first to make sure they were sanitary, then she would hide a coin in each bowl of served fruitcake for each grandchild making sure we all got one. I still remember the excitement of finding one.
We started the pickle just a few years ago. I hide it in the tree Christmas Eve. Christmas morning whomever finds it gets to hand out gifts. Everyone loves that job so it is a tradition that’s a keeper.
:)
I know it's 2 months later but just had to add my 2¢😊 I love your HGTV show and UA-cam station! My mom has begun 'gifting' our memories back to us. One year she wrapped our blankies, favorite stuffed animal or dolls, coming home outfit' and shoes, baby book and childhood cup/bowl all in a pretty basket. One year she wrote out our great-grandma's cinnamon and sugar bread recipe. This year she gifted us pillows and blankets she made from our recently deceased grandmother's blouses and pants. And also one of the paintings my other granny painted in a frame my dad made, and silver backed $2 bills my granny collected. Mama is passing everything down now so she can share hers and dad's memories now before they're gone❤️❤️
Our weird tradition is at Christmas. My parents always labeled our some of our gifts from random people/animals. Example: one year mice got into our decorations while they were in the basement. They chewed a bunch of wooden ornaments, mostly mine. So Christmas morning I had a few new ornaments "from the mice". We would also get presents from Frosty, like sweaters or gloves.
Yes! We do that too!!! It was that way when I was growing up and I’ve continued it with my son. He’s 16 and loves it. I’ve never heard of anyone else doing this. Nice to have finally found someone!
Cute!
As someone who struggles with visual clutter and overstimulation, I find that decanting brightly-colored packages into clear containers helps me feel better about how my cupboards look. Packages are designed to stand out on the grocery store shelves, and having things like cereal, pasta and other dry goods decanted into clear containers makes the cupboard look less visually jarring. That might not seem like a big deal to some people.
Last week I started to organize and toss. Then I found you! I started watching the weekly declutter and I had done the first 3 weeks already! I have 10 days off and will be spending it with you with a lighter home for the new year! TY!
That is awesome!
Omg same here! But im having a hard time getting started. I soooo want to organize
@@TheVhernandez00 just start anywhere, but pick a very small thing at the beginning so you don't get overwhelmed. And as Cas said, if you don't declutter first, you have no chance and get stuck with your organization. And have fun, it's getting easier every day😊
What’s the weekly Declutter ?
Do you know why the transcript for this video is in Dutch? Just this one, the others are in English. I was trying to follow the transcript to get an early start on tomorrow while hubby is sleeping. But I don't read Dutch!
Excited for the magazine to come out. And thanks for not letting hgtv go to your head and for continuing to do UA-cam and stay connected to all of us. I saw you offered to help the lady who said she had early dementia. So sweet of you!! This is why we all love you. Keep doing what you're doing, helping people. God bless you!!
Our family has 2 odd traditions. The first is, we have lasagna for Thanksgiving dinner. My hubs is not a fan of any traditional holiday foods, so, early in our marriage, I told him to pick his holiday and I’d make anything he wanted. Thanksgiving lasagna has been our tradition for nearly 30 years. The second odd tradition is, we build our gingerbread houses for Easter, instead of Christmas. We started making them for Christmas, but, one year, I worked so much overtime, at the hospital that we didn’t get around to making them. I “rediscovered” all of the decorating candies, in a tote, that spring, so I baked all the house pieces and surprised the children. They decorated their houses and called them bunny huts. They loved it so much it became a tradition. Thanks for another great video!
Adorable!
We always came back home late from family parties to give our kids their Easter egg basket....so we used to give them an empty basket and have them search all over the house with flash lights to find their eggs...they had so much fun
For the pantry, I like having the bins for each day of the week. All the items needed for each meal are kept in those bins, that way, it's easy to take out and get started. No need to comb through the pantry shelves looking for everything you need because it's all in one spot! That's where meal planning comes in handy. For the Christmas pickle thing, many Americans claim it's a German tradition, yet nobody in Germany has heard of that one lol!
Great idea!!
I tell everyone about you when they tell me they are trying to get organized. You really helped me and my mom figure out our clutter style and start getting de-cluttered
I'm so glad to hear that!
We are currently in a rental house and I have been very unmotivated to do much but thanks to you and Dawn over at The minimal mom I spent the day rearranging my kitchen cabinets and can’t for the life of me figure out what I was thinking when I originally set it up. Thanks for the motivation. I have to keep reminding myself to be thankful and enjoy where we are at the moment.
Glad we could help!
I like the 5 categories of paper organization! I’ve never heard it explained that way. Great ideas!
I found MIT research on education that I used when I was still teaching. !.) A large red A+ on display during testing brings scores up! 2.) Mirrors around a house and classroom help everyone have a realistic and positive attitude about their developing selves as individuals and as a working group. When kids/families/classes can see themselves all working/sitting/playing together, and see themselves coming and going, it helps them develop confidence and a healthy self-image both as an individual and as part of a group. 3.) The scent of apples and cinnamon stimulates the part of the brain that handles complicated mathematical thinking!!! I added all these things to my classroom and also in my house. Especially, a full-length mirror from Walmart stuck up on the wall at my landing spot near the door has really made a difference - I can check out my appearance before I leave the house - is it snowing down south? do I need lipstick? do I look nice? etc. What a difference it has made! Another mirror at the far end of the hall, a full-length mirror in each bedroom (but does not reflect the bed and you can't see from the bed. because that's bad luck/feng shue), a full-length mirror in the bathroom, a mirror in the dining room that reflects the table and the family sitting there shows us eating altogether, and it is supposed to be really positive Feng Shue ( positive psychology ) to promote togetherness and plenty !! Who knew? A plastic mat on the tub floor and a screw-on tub handle on the side of the tub has increased the feeling of safety. A verticle handle on the wall beside the tub to hold onto getting out has also helped. Such little things have helped me. Would they help you? What could you do to increase safety in your home?
I have an elaborate "Snowy Village" that takes 4 days to put up ever year. I also have a Mickey Mouse ears bead that I got from Disneyland. My grandkids hide the "hidden Mickey" in the village for each other. Whoever finds the bead gets to hide it for the next person. It's fun!
How cute!
Cass, I want to thank you very much for this video. I have limited space for my paper storage and have applied elements such as the Sunday box, and the time will tell bin however, my drawer is still busting at the seams. The idea of short-term, long-term, and memory will weed out a lot of the superfluous paper I have in my drawer! As always, thank you for your wisdom, you don't know how much you and Dawn have changed my life. I am 50 years old, starting my second career as a community social worker in a new job, and taking university classes at night towards my degree, one and a half years left.... If I hadn't simplified my life and my home, I would not have time for these commitments and my dreams would remain just that, dreams. With you, my dreams are becoming reality. Thank you from the bottom of my heart💝
You're so welcome!
We always ate as a family when my kids lived with us. When we sat down for dinner we went around the table and shared our best and worst of the day. We still do it when we get together.
That's precious!
Thank you for all the tips and explanations. I never thought I could get organized until I found you and your organizing insects. Now I understand why it didn’t work for me before. You’ve taught me soooo much about myself and what will work with my personality. Paperwork is always the struggle. This has been extremely helpful. Thank you very much. Out of necessity growing up ( we were very poor) our holiday traditions have been pretty simple. We still keep things simple and just try to enjoy each other’s company. What I did start with my kids was getting them an ornament for the tree every year, putting it in a small box and hanging it on the tree. Now they have at least 20plus ornaments for their own tree. My husband and I didn’t have any for our first tree. I made some at the beginning. Then my tree was filled with my kids ornaments. At some point they realized my tree would be empty when they moved out so they started buying me one too. We put the year on each one so we can remember when it was given. No pickles or elf’s on shelfs here though. Lol.
For Easter my dad's family cracked eggs on each other's heads 😂😂.
All year long we would save the shells when we made eggs. Then put confetti and glitter in them, and crack them on each other's heads.
That's different!
@@Clutterbug it's a Mexican tradition 🥚🐣🥚
I bought our first Christmas pickle this year!! Found it at the Dollar Tree, and excited to make it a new tradition! The little blurb on it says that whoever finds it gets to open the first gift, so we'll do that next year! Nice to mix things up a bit! :)
For sure!
A really cool Christmas tradition I started several years ago is the Christmas eve box. A new Christmas movie, movie munchies, a Christmas book, sometimes new pyjamas or a Christmas t-shirt, my kids love it, and I still include my 22 year old in on this, and I still fill his stocking with the usual chocolates and lollies too, he's still my baby, always will be, and I'll never stop doing these things for them ❤ Christmas is a special time were we get to shed the weight of the world and be kids again. Easter has changed, I used to go overboard with chocolate, do the whole Easter egg hunt, but now they just get one big egg, and a few books or little Lego sets. And we watch an Easter movie with hot cross buns. They still want me to hide their treats so they can hunt for them, so that's cool, it just doesn't take as long to find everything now 😆 and I give each child their own area to hunt so they're not finding each other's things lol that was great when our youngest (global developmental delays) was really little, but now he's got the hang of it, and wants to find his things himself 😊
Other than that, nothing really strange, we told the older 2 kids pretty early on that Santa wasn't real, and we don't understand why he's even a thing, because we don't want our kids to find out we lied to them, we want them to be able to trust us, they're both on the autism spectrum like me, so they understood very well. We also didn't want them wondering why the kid down the street never got a bike, or why the other kid got a Playstation, etc... but we also taught them that it's not their place to tell other kids, that's up to their parents, and they were awesome about that too. So I guess that's kind of strange. We take them to pick out some of their own presents, we also have them buy each other, us, and grandparents a small gift, and it teaches them that Christmas is about giving as well as receiving. About a week before Christmas we fill a huge box of their toys they no longer play with and drop it off in a not-so-well-off neighborhood for kids that might not get as much, or anything at all, on Christmas eve, because every kid, no matter what, should have a good Christmas. And it makes room for the new stuff they get for Christmas, so everyone wins. And they absolutely love doing it. Having the Christmas dinner on Christmas eve, and just grazing on platters and leftovers on Christmas day, especially in New Zealand when it's hot, for the first time last year was awesome, we had oodles of energy to do all the things, go see all the people... that's a game changer! Eating the big feast the night before also means the kids sleep a lot better, with full tummies, warm baths, and a movie, there's no protest at bedtime, and they fall asleep pretty quickly, and they sleep soundly 😊 we didn't get one interruption while putting out the presents under the tree for the very first time! Oh it was bliss! Of course I still had trouble going to sleep lol because I get so excited about spoiling my kids! 🤣🥰 we had pretty crappy Christmases in my house growing up, so I make up for it now lol. I start my Christmas shopping in June, everything I buy for the kids, that isn't an absolute necessity, goes away for Christmas, so they literally only get spoiled twice a year, and the 2 boys' birthdays are 3 and 6 weeks after Christmas, so I HAVE to be organized!
Anyway, I think you can tell how much I love Christmas, because I can talk about it all day! 😂 thank you, and sorry 🤣
Every year when we set up our Nativity set, we set baby Jesus aside. On Christmas morning, I put him in his manger to celebrate his birth! I don’t know anyone else who does that but my kids are teens & they always look for baby Jesus to arrive on Christmas Day in our Nativity set 🎄 😁
1. Landing Zone- entry way. 2. Clothing. 3. Food - zones 4. Work Space. 5. Paper- action, reference, short term, long term, memory
My kid's favourite holiday traditions are going to Burger King on thanksgiving and having a big bonfire on winter solstice.
Both my husband and I come from homes with traditions that are past their prime so we decided to separate ourselves awhile ago and allow our kids to develop traditions that speak to them. The last thing we wanted was for our kids to associate celebrations with conflict and chaos.
Thanks for sharing!
I also started new traditions with my family since we were military and never around extended family for Christmas. I think it’s wonderful that your kids started new traditions. My favorite was one Mother’s Day it rained so the kids did a picnic lunch on the floor in the tv room. Best PB and J sandwiches I ever ate. 😋
I made drawer dividers out of cut strips of cardboard, the height and length that I wanted and needed, when I was in high school, so 48 years ago. I made them interlocking and each area was the size I needed. It didnt cost a penny. That is what got me started on organizing. I have about the past decade or so, gotten away from that and my needs have changed. These videos are inspiring me to get back to it.
I appreciate what you do. I finally got my little ones room less flustered about her room by decreasing the toys and simplifying her space.
Good for you!
“2022 makes me feel old “. 😂
I hate to tell you how it makes ME feel 😂
Lol!
Great video!!!
Paper (info starts at 7:58): 1. ACTION (to do/phone, to pay, to file). 2. REFERENCE (catalog, new appliance manual, receipts for possible returns). 3. SHORT TERM (paid bills, monthly statements, papers to file taxes). 4. LONG TERM (taxes, contracts, mortgage documents, car purchases, insurance policies, medical info). 5.MEMORY (drawings, photos, certificates, awards).
Wish you’d use timestamps in the description for easy reference.
It’s not that long but there are some of others that a time stamp would be useful.
@@debraforthofer3943 they’re like an outline for future reference.
I agree with you 100%. Many youtubers do it, and it would be more ORGANIZED!
@@ana419 It’s extra work for them, so I understand when they don’t.
Very good tips. You are inspirational. An organized and decluttered home lends itself to a more peaceful lifestyle. January/February are my annual decluttering and organizing months. I systematically go through every drawer, closet, cupboard and cabinet in my house, tackling one room at a time. Then when March comes, I can turn my attention to my yard and patio. Keep up the good work! 🐝
My kids hid a GI JOE in the tree & would take turns finding him. That was over 30 years ago & I still hide the same GI JOE during decorating the tree. He’s not a pickle but he’s green! Go Joe!!!
That's similar to what we did. We hid MossMan (the He-Man character). He was green and fuzzy so he blended in well.
Haha!
Thanks so much for describing the separation of papers in a filing system. Papers and files have been a challenge since forever. I have always mixed my present paperwork together and never thought of separate categories for active papers and reference papers. I'm thinking I'll be a new person once this activity is completed. Thank you.
You're welcome!
I love love ❤️ Cas and her systems! But I have recently tried the Sunday basket from Lisa at Organize 365 that I have really enjoyed. And I didn’t buy the system to try it first.
@@TS-sh8xo Thanks T S. This is a new channel to me and I will check it out.
I actually felt this method was more complicated than the one I currently use, and coincidentally have been able to maintain for years - the Freedom Filer system. I never have paperwork problems anymore!
@@a-muse6567 Thanks A-muse. I'll check out the Freedom Filer system.
A tradition we’ve carried on from my family growing up, is that on December 23rd, the kids “sleep under the Christmas tree” (or in the same room). It’s probably weird, but I loved/still love it! (We also have the pickle tradition)
Fun!
When my husband and I were newly married and used what little extra income we had to buy gifts for family, there was nothing left to buy gifts for one another, so we'd sleep under our tree to remind us that we were our gift to each other.
I don’t know why I love you but I do! This is the most needed video for me right now. I can’t stop watching it while cleaning, organizing, etc. thank you for sharing!
I didn't grow up with many traditions, so I have embraced them all...pickle included! When my children were little, there was no Elf on the Shelf. The closest we had was a fabric Avon calendar with pockets and a mouse that you moved from day to day (and you can see this tacky thing in the Dad's kitchen in the movie "Four Christmases". Shameless claim to fame -- "Hey! I own that thing too!"). We called it the "Magic Mouse". I filled it with little treats each night, only I would often get into bed (exhausted from all of the extra things I had to get done in the evenings after the kids went to bed) and then realize, "DANG! I forgot to do the Magic Mouse!" Some nights I was just too tired, so if I didn't make it out of bed before the kids, I would just say, "Oh, you know what that means...the Magic Mouse is bringing something heavier." Then I had to come up with something larger to place at the bottom of the calendar. Oh, the things parents do to themselves at the busiest time of the year! Loved every minute of it! I really needed this video, Cass! It helps me prioritize what to do first...and guess what? These were all on my list! Thanks!
You're welcome!
Would love a video on you helping clients with those boxes of photos from the 90s. ☺️ Guilt clutter + essential memories they want to keep. So much to tackle sometimes 💆♀️
You could always take digital pics of the best of those pictures (LOL!), & then get some of those digital picture frames so they're actually seeing their pictures & not just having a bunch of clutter... then once everything is converted & backed up on memory cards, tell them to share the actual pics with family members so they don't feel like they're just throwing away cherished/valuable pictures that carry guilt... they're passing it on/sharing it with loved ones who can enjoy it & share it too.
Just don't let them think they need to make digital pictures frames for everyone... my mom go into that trap (Ugh).
Thank you! You are so realistic for an ADHD adult that struggles with these tasks greatly. Your understanding of this makes the tips you offer actually inspirational and potentially accomplishable with practice! ❤️🙂
My mother always say: " if you got your clothes together, youve got your home together". No joke. And that includes laundry. And i agree: less clothes, really good srorage for them and keep them organised is key for preventing the whole house to get chaotic
Holiday weirdness: Corn night. The night before Halloween, we would throw corn at people's houses. It was dried field corn that we took off the cob of corn. It was a tradition for my entire years growing up. The plows would come out the next day and clean it all up. I didn't realize until college, that no one else had ever heard of this. It was so much fun! This was in Red Wing, MN. :)
Nope, never heard of it either!
I was waiting for this, I'm finally ready to toss the stuff I couldn't last year. Thank you Cas 🧡
Me too!! She's so inspiring!!
You're welcome!
Landing zone
Closet/clothes
Food/ pantry
Workstation
Papers- categorized by reference, short/ long term, sentimental
You got it!
When my son was very small, instead of cookies for Santa, he had to leave 3 toys for Santa to take to others. This helped Santa's waistline, decluttered the toys, and taught giving.
Nice idea!
Things "from Santa" were never wrapped and always unboxed, batteries in, snapped together, ready to ride, ready to play with.
I put a whole Precious Places CITY together with my step mom when I was 14 for my sister. We finished, had the evidence removed and collapsed in rocking chairs by the fire at 6am. 6:10am she got up squeeling and holding in her little explosion of happy. "I heard Santa!!!" What she probably heard was boxes and boxes and boxes heading outside but we smiled real big and said "WE DID TOO!!"
I've been decluttering following your page for about a month. My house looks so much better thanks to you!
We didn’t have a lot of money growing up and would shop the back-to-school clearance, wear it a bit, then wrap it for opening on Christmas. Mom would say I’ll buy you that but you have to “call it Christmas”.
Awww.
Especially valuable for the paper categories ❤
1. Action file
2. Reference
3. Short Term
4. Long Term
5. Memory (1 per person)
My motherdid Elf on the Shelf for my daughters( the only grandchildren) and I did it as well, when my daughters were little . ( late 80's and beyond). .. I love that my oldest daughter does this for her sons, its such fun for them !
..I don't feel " peaceful " looking at the stuff all over the door, lol.
Even though I'm a " bee" ... I am actually more of a combination, and some things I need out, want them out, other things I organize into a drawer ,etc. I detest folding everything, ( that Marie Kondo thing ).Only certain things I fold
I will move stuff around several times before I decide it " works " . I recently rearranged all my kitchen cabinets, and I put things WHERE I USE THEM. Even certain foods.
THIS makes sense to me, lol. I keep all my appliance manuals in a binder in my kitchen, I know right where it is.
But I like gleaning your ideas, and enjoy your Channel!
After spending the last year going back to college, working full time (Sometimes from home), and just doing life, I've decided this is the year to make the changes permanent. I want to get back into my sewing (in my free time) but that means decluttering other crafts that I do not have time for or do not want to do (I am also trying to build business making custom items with my cricut machine, like mugs, shirts, etc). Our house is larger than it used to be, but it is still small. I am working on budget friendly ways to organize. Our pantry does need help and your organizer looks lovely, so I may start there. My other goal is to get the dishes done every night! Baby steps!
Fun fact: The pickle tradition is supposedly an old german custom that was brought over to the US by german immigrants. Though no one I have talked to in Germany knows of it nowadays. I myself have only learned of it when I lived in the US. It might be that it has been forgotten over the years or maybe it's simply a regional custom that has never been common to the part of Germany where I live. 🤔
Interesting!
My mother was from Germany and never heard of the pickle ornament thing either, altho fond of pickles!
My German in-laws always give cash for Christmas but not in some boring old card. They find these elaborate puzzle containers that you must solve to get the money out. Think cubes with push and pulls to get a key, then twist to release hinges, cryptos with number puzzles, intricate rings you must untangle. Trust me, you earn that cash. lol
Hahahaha!!!
We do the pickle but that’s because we lived in Germany for a number of years and my mom is fluent in the language. It’s a German tradition
You have no idea how much you have inspired me and how much I’ve already done since discovering your channel several months ago!! And just when I think I’m done, you come up with more great ideas-I just reorganized the cabinet (even took out a shelf) to accommodate all our coffee accessories to get them off the counter-it was something I would have never even thought about before watching this video 💡thank you ♥️
You're welcome!
I really appreciate it when you give tips for kids to manage their things. It's so good for positive habits and life skills!
You are so welcome!
We have a few holiday traditions: X-Mas Eve, we get pizza & drive around looking at lights while listening to X-Mas music; then we come home & everyone opens 1 gift, but it's always new PJ's so on X-Mas morning we open gifts wearing those & all our pics over the years feature different PJ's (LOL).
Thanksgiving is for family, as in everyone, but X-Mas is for just our individual family unit. That way it's always low key. We do a family gift exchange for the adults, but each family buys kid a gift. Also, in our individual family, gifts get unwrapped slowly (1 per every 2 hrs or so). This way the kids play with & enjoy each gift b4 moving on to the next (I started this tradition when they were little & they enjoy them so much more; plus, they have gifts 4 days sometimes, or if it's a lean yr they don't notice as much!).
We also always have pumpkin pie for breakfast on X-Mas & Thanksgiving... it's just so good & we can't wait for that spicy treat. I always figured it was a vegetable, so 🤷🏻 a couple times a year wouldn't hurt them; plus, it was better than starting off with the stocking candy~ LOL!
We have some others, but those are the ones that are different than most people's.
Thanks for sharing!
My goal right now is to simply recover from the 2 disasters I had last year. I had to evacuate from a fire and was gone for at least a month, then I came home for about 2 weeks before I had to spend a month in a hospital and nursing home. I was home in time to prep for Christmas, but my Christmas visit at my daughter's was extended due to a power outage and I was with them for an extra 2 weeks. I am finally home. Now I am going to make my to do list.
Update: Just after recovering from a COVID quarantine, I was told my bowels issue was strictly constipation. However, when I went to the hospital for a test procedure, it diagnosed me with colon cancer. After surgery, and a pathology report, I was told it was Stage 4 colon cancer which caused me to spend nearly 3 months in the hospital and nursing home before I finally got to my own house. So, now it's been more than a year since my last disasters and I am no closer to clean than I was before. This video among others, will help me be successful.
I'm FINALLY getting a small desk for my room, so I get to have a real set up, instead of being in the living room and my stuff spreading over the whole couch and room.
And I'm so excited about organising everything, got some drawers, some shelves, etc etc...
Yay!
Great video :) As far as weird family holiday traditions, Santa always put a jar of those Gerber toddler meat sticks (the ones that look like tiny hot dogs) in our stockings every year.. not sure why. We weren't babies. Some of us were adult age. Anyway, I grew up thinking of baby food meat sticks as a Christmas treat!
That is definitely.........different!
We did steak and eggs for Thanksgiving for years. Steak, eggs, pancakes, hash browns, freshly juiced juice. Then we all pitched in for the clean up! Anybody I told about that would get visibly envious lol I'd just invite them to join us!
We had a pickle Xmas tradition growing up! I plan on continuing it with my kids! We also had matching or coordinating Xmas pajamas for Xmas eve. We've already continued that tradition. We always picked a night a week or so before xmas to play xmas music in the car and drive around looking at lights. Definitely keeping that one. My moms family did a vanilla birthday cake for Jesus on Xmas eve.
We had Easter baskets growing up. We plan to continue those, but our child is really young so it makes more sense to wait. But this year we randomly got bubble guns and chicken fingers for breakfast and had a bubble gun war on the patio of our apartment. It was a spur of the moment we need to do something but what makes age and budget sense for us, idea. But we LOVED it. It's officially becoming a family Easter tradition. We'll add eggs and baskets when our child is older.
When we had our child I asked my bf what family traditions his family had growing up and if he wanted to continue them. They didn't. He looked so confused by my question and I felt so bad because I knew I was about to talk about a long list my family had and ask his feedback. He always hated holidays and birthdays and I think part of it was not having enjoyable traditions to rely on and look forward to.
We haven't started all of them, but we talked a lot about what we thought we'd like to continue or make brand new ones. The Easter chicken and bubbles, he LOVED. He's already looking forward to doing it next year. And by extension he's not dreading next Easter already.
I really want to thank you for your inspiring videos. You've made my life and my house feel so much better, I've decluttered and organized my house little by little and it already feels so different. Hope you have an amazing new year and a beautiful Christmas 🎄 ❤
You are so welcome!
This was amazing, thank you. I’d love a more detailed video solely on paperwork. How to file, organize but also the routines and when to do them (for example when you said you file once a year). I’m not a native English speaker + I’m pretty much a visual learner, so seing you showing real life examples of paperwork and your plan to deal with it would be awesome ! But still, thanks so much already 😊
You're so welcome!
Here is one of Cas's videos that cover paperwork and organization of paperwork. ua-cam.com/video/ql5WD6oQfAc/v-deo.html
I think we were the only family to
be visited by the Valentines Bunny. He would ring the doorbell on Valentines Night and there would be tons of valentines at the front door. He even sometimes would put a string on some and pull it so we would chase it to get the Valentines! My Dad was such a Santa 🎅 type. Just image his four little girls squeal for the Valentines. Mom just played along with us.
Awww, how sweet!
Easter bonnets used to be a big thing, maybe that's where the Easter hats came from. It would save buying a basket!
So so inspired!!!!! I absolutely love the paper filling system! I had never seen the memory box systems and I need to try it. My eldest daughter is 20 years old and I still have all her kinder awards and pictures and just don’t know what to do with them. This is going to help me tremendously! I will do this for my 3 children. Thank you so much!!!
You are so welcome!
Thank you for this... I think we all need this right now. My weird family tradition was to send a package of "angel hair" to a family member. It was the same package, re-gifted for many years. Angel hair was a tree decoration that supposedly looked like a drift of snow. It was fiberglass, looking like cotton candy almost. A very non-traditional tradition in our family. Maybe just a family joke! Maybe I'll ask my aunt...
Interesting!
I'm retired now at 60 and 2022 is the year of paper and digitising in my home. Memory bins have been cleaned out and now have a set space. Lots more to do.
You've got this!
We totally had the pickle ornament tradition! I have never met another person that did that. Literally laughed out loud when you brought it up.
Loved this!!! So many strong suggestions!!! I moved things in my kitchen because I heard you say that in an earlier video. I moved my dishes to the cabinet above my dishwasher and beside my sink literally because you suggested it. Changed my life!! ❤️❤️
Yay!
You are SO great! I anxiously await your next video posting every time! You make me laugh so hard and are such an inspiration. Sometimes I even end up crying right along with you. Keep it up Cas! I am fairly new to the decluttering/organizing world and it is taking me longer than I had hoped to reach my goal, but I am steadily getting there with your help!! Thank you!!
You'll get there! I believe in you!
This woman is helping to change my life! I’ve binge watched her HGTV show, her bootcamp and all her UA-cam videos. What an efficient, organized and funny woman you are Cass! I’ve been on a decluttering and organizing frenzy for these last two weeks I’ve been home sick. I’ve felt so productive and my home is so much more clear and organized and feels so good now. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and for taking it deeper with the personality styles. That’s what makes your systems stick! Yay🎉 You da best ❤
Love the idea of Easter hat or their own baskets or rainbow lol
Thank you for the new years motivation! It's a constant daily struggle to keep clutter down but your videos really help. Thanks!!! : )
You are so welcome!
Happy New Year Cass!
Thank you! I'm so grateful for you! You have helped me get it together.
Happy new year!!
you, your story, your positive attitude and optimism are SO freakin' INSPIRING! I love how everything you say comes from a place of compassion and humility. you've motivated me to begin my decluttering journey (i'm a BEE 🐝😳 ) in the midst of going thru a difficult time in my personal life. It got off to a small start, I just wanted to redo my closet. Now my whole space is in the works. I just can't tell you how much I appreciate your willingness to share, be transparent about your mistakes and flaws, and make everyone feel welcomed and accepted means to me. When I listen to you it helps me get started on my decluttering for the day. It makes me feel safe enough to at least GIVE IT A SHOT and spend a few minutes on it for the day, if nothing else.... Truly you are my inspiration thru and thru right now and I am forever grateful!