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.
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.
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! 🎉
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.
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 ❤
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.
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!
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.
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...
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!
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.
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.
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! ❤️
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.
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.
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.)
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😘
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
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!!! 🥰
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.
¿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.
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
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 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!
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!
@@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😊
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!
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!!!
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! 😭😭💖💕
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 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
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.
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. 😄
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.
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.
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.
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! :)
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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.
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. 😋
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)
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.
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!!
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.
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.
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 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❤️❤️
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! 🐝
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💝
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...
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!
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?
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
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! ❤️🙂
The best thing we ever did in our bedroom was to install a PAX from IKEA. Top part with hangers and bottom part with lots of shelves for underwear, pants, pjs, and socks, and the special part for scarves, belts and jewelry. Seriously love it! You don't need any other furniture. I've also put one in my daugthers' closet when they were 3 in one room and it's a space saver and helps to stay organized.
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. 🤔
Can I just say that when Cass got the weight loss surgery it honestly broke my heart. To me it seemed as if she couldn’t see how beautiful she really is. But when I see how confident she is now it does my heart good. Cass has become such a help to me. I am very hard on myself and Cass is helping me to learn (slowly) how to stop being crazy ha ha and to realize that I don’t have to do everything in one day to still have progress. So from the bottom of my heart I want to say thank you.
Good advice. I keep box files for taxes, pensions, utility bills, insurance, birth certificates, passports, but banking, credit cards etc. I keep a spreadsheet with everything detailed by category and reference numbers with details of where the paper or digital copy is stored.
When I moved into my new house the first place I wish I had organized is my workshop! When this was efficient it made cutting shelves, finding hooks, tools and screws so much faster, and also cheaper by dyiing for all the other spaces!
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 🎄 ❤
We used to make a paper tree on construction paper, cut it out and tape it to the wall. Then make different colored paper leaves. Each of us would write things we were thankful for on the leaves and then hang them on the tree on Thanksgiving.
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 ♥️
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 🤣
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!! ❤️❤️
Lovely video! In my home country, we fill up a bucket (or it can be the water you used to clear your house) and toss it out the door when the clock strikes 12 on New Year’s eve. We do it as if tossing out the negative things that happened in the to start of clean. It is very fun and the kids stay awake for it. Just make sure to look twice so you don’t get an innocent passerby all wet. Have fun!
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).
My sister helped me purge my basement on Saturday. We filled the bed of my full size pickup. Many of the boxes were taped shut for more than 3 years. I told her that I can't miss what I don't remember having, so they all went! It was so freeing! We needed to make room for my basement to get finished by a contractor this month. I want to enjoy my newly remodeled space and not just use it for storage of who knows what.
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!!!
I decided to get organized and started with 5 projects, more or less 1 per weekend (1) pantry (2) laundry area (3) entry closet (4) linen closet and this weekend I tackled (5) paper. It felt a bit daunting at times but I decluttered a lot and used mostly dollar store organizers. I still have a number of projects left including my office and master bedroom but I’m going to take a break, enjoy the fruits of my labour and then jump back in and do a few more projects before summer. Thanks for the inspiration.
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!
Love these tips! So much sense! I have a cupboard for spices but now I am thinking it makes more sense to have them on the counter so I see & use them and keep the coffee/teas away in the cupboard so that it is more organized then where it is now! Crazy tradition? Well only one year when I was little my father decided it would be amusing to get the empty roll tube that carpets come on as our Christmas tree. Haha my brother and I were disappointed as we were so looking forward to a real tree or artificial one. Well we decided to decorate that “tree” with ornaments and lights, and garland. It was weird but it still work! After that, the next year parents did put up a fake tree.
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...
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.
Oh my God the paper management is so much helpful information!! I've never learned how to manage the piles of paper you aquire as an adult other than my parents telling me to put it all in a big binder and never ever throw documents away. I was not prepared for how many different categories of papers I'd need to keep track of tho! And what to do with the things I can't archive yet because I need to act on them ...but will lose if they're just lying on my desk among the uni stuff and art supplies. Thank you so much for this!!!
I love your color schemes everywhere! I feel like I have it together in my head, but it never matches my budget or I can never bring it all together for my space. Thank you for the tips and the push to declutter though! It needs to be done continuously.
Your videos are soo helpful ❤ I rewatch them when my space overwhelms me and they inspire me to declutter. I found out I’m a Bee and the first thing I switched up was my cosmetics setup. I invested in a cute and cheap clear acrylic stacking makeup organizer and a lazy susan for brushes, compact mirrors, sponges, and lip balms.
My files this year are: Action, Reference, Personal docs-This year, Personal-docs Permanent, Biz docs- this yr (includes receipts), Weekly Budget Tracking, Daily/weekly/Monthly Routine laminated checklist, Biz docs- Permanent, and the Projects- current And Projects- Someday Maybe for the bazillion ideas I come up with!
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!
I love this! Thank you! I actually have to keep my personal and farm papers separate and I need to go through the long term stuff now as I saw in the barn office papers over 20 years old. Feeling a little overwhelmed. My father in law used to take care of the stuff in the barn and it hasn't been touched since he died.
@@messily1456 thanks! Yes, it is! I've been doing the books for many years, thankfully, but there were still many things he did as well that my husband and I have not been doing. Mainly because so much has moved to computers now. He kept everything! I went through old magazines, some dating to the early 1990s. There were hundreds that I got rid of.
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.
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
As usual you hit the nail on the head. I went through 4 outfits to go out NYE. My clean clothes are on the foot of my bed 😳 I'm going to give your tips 100% effort. Time for change and less stress! Thank you ❤
We moved around quite a bit when the kids were younger and our rental homes were always small. I was becoming overwhelmed with the accumulation of toys from both Christmas and birthdays. So, one year I decided no more birthday presents. Instead, for birthdays, we would do experiences. On their birthday the child chooses a family experience to go to in lieu of presents. We have a great time, take pictures, create lasting memories and avoid the influx of clutter. After a few years of this I asked the children if they’d prefer an experience or presents on their birthday. Both kids unanimously agreed to continue with experiences. They love them and I love that they will have those memories as adults. Win win. A few experiences we’ve had included Ninja warrior course, bounce gym, horseback riding, water park, skiing, etc.
Happy New Year!🎉 So excited to clear out and organize with you this year! As for odd traditions, we put butter on people's nose on their birthday while they blow out there candles...to "Slip/slide away from bad luck the next year".....or something like that. Being doing it forever so now its just for tradition sake!
This video will help me a lot, been out for a while because of certain health issues on top of a move I didn’t completely finish putting away items in my home. Always loved going to this channel to give me energy and motivation for an organized space. As for my family’s quirky tradition, my dad’s family plays bingo the week before Christmas and every time someone gets a bingo they unwrap a present. There’s a total of 10 presents per a person (each the value of a dollar, and mostly food related items) and people can steal one gift up to 3 times. It’s a fun tradition we do for our Christmas celebrations so that away on Christmas we have the chance to spend it with other family groups.
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 😊
We exchange Christmas ornaments on Christmas Eve. Each ornament represents an accomplishment or good memory from that year. Friends and visitors sometimes contribute. This makes decorating the tree every year full of special memories and fun.
I learned from another organizer to do binders instead of boxes for memory items. When I get something, it goes right in a clear paper protector. We can pull it out and look at it anytime…and we do!
Thank you for all of your wonderful videos!!! 26 and trying to get my life in order to feel more adult like :) Thank you!!!!! The paper organizers are brilliant!
Good for you! Adulting is hard. Here's a link to my website where you can get a ton of FREE printables to help get you and keep you organized as you start your adulting journey! clutterbug.me/printables
Growing up, I always got (and wore) a new hat and pair of white gloves for Easter. I had not thought of that for many years until I moved to Kentucky where some girls and women still wear hats to church on Easter Sunday.
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”.
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.
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!!!
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 ❤️
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!!!
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!
Thank you, Mikaela!
Thank you.
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?
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.
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.
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!
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! ❤️
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.
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 😊
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😘
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!
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.
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
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!!
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!
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!
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!!!
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! 😭😭💖💕
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 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!
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.
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 😹
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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 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.
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!
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!
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. 😋
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.
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!!
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.
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.
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 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❤️❤️
I've been decluttering following your page for about a month. My house looks so much better thanks to you!
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! 🐝
I like the 5 categories of paper organization! I’ve never heard it explained that way. Great ideas!
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!
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!
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!
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?
1. Landing Zone- entry way. 2. Clothing. 3. Food - zones 4. Work Space. 5. Paper- action, reference, short term, long term, memory
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
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! ❤️🙂
The best thing we ever did in our bedroom was to install a PAX from IKEA. Top part with hangers and bottom part with lots of shelves for underwear, pants, pjs, and socks, and the special part for scarves, belts and jewelry. Seriously love it! You don't need any other furniture. I've also put one in my daugthers' closet when they were 3 in one room and it's a space saver and helps to stay organized.
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!
Can I just say that when Cass got the weight loss surgery it honestly broke my heart. To me it seemed as if she couldn’t see how beautiful she really is. But when I see how confident she is now it does my heart good. Cass has become such a help to me. I am very hard on myself and Cass is helping me to learn (slowly) how to stop being crazy ha ha and to realize that I don’t have to do everything in one day to still have progress. So from the bottom of my heart I want to say thank you.
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!
Good advice. I keep box files for taxes, pensions, utility bills, insurance, birth certificates, passports, but banking, credit cards etc. I keep a spreadsheet with everything detailed by category and reference numbers with details of where the paper or digital copy is stored.
Landing zone
Closet/clothes
Food/ pantry
Workstation
Papers- categorized by reference, short/ long term, sentimental
You got it!
When I moved into my new house the first place I wish I had organized is my workshop! When this was efficient it made cutting shelves, finding hooks, tools and screws so much faster, and also cheaper by dyiing for all the other spaces!
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!
We used to make a paper tree on construction paper, cut it out and tape it to the wall. Then make different colored paper leaves. Each of us would write things we were thankful for on the leaves and then hang them on the tree on Thanksgiving.
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!
I use a binder for all my reference papers. I use baseball card plastic sheets for business cards, document protector sheets for full size things.
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!
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 🤣
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!
Lovely video! In my home country, we fill up a bucket (or it can be the water you used to clear your house) and toss it out the door when the clock strikes 12 on New Year’s eve. We do it as if tossing out the negative things that happened in the to start of clean. It is very fun and the kids stay awake for it. Just make sure to look twice so you don’t get an innocent passerby all wet. Have fun!
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).
My sister helped me purge my basement on Saturday. We filled the bed of my full size pickup. Many of the boxes were taped shut for more than 3 years. I told her that I can't miss what I don't remember having, so they all went! It was so freeing! We needed to make room for my basement to get finished by a contractor this month. I want to enjoy my newly remodeled space and not just use it for storage of who knows what.
So proud of you!!
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!
I decided to get organized and started with 5 projects, more or less 1 per weekend (1) pantry (2) laundry area (3) entry closet (4) linen closet and this weekend I tackled (5) paper. It felt a bit daunting at times but I decluttered a lot and used mostly dollar store organizers. I still have a number of projects left including my office and master bedroom but I’m going to take a break, enjoy the fruits of my labour and then jump back in and do a few more projects before summer. Thanks for the inspiration.
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!
Love these tips! So much sense! I have a cupboard for spices but now I am thinking it makes more sense to have them on the counter so I see & use them and keep the coffee/teas away in the cupboard so that it is more organized then where it is now!
Crazy tradition? Well only one year when I was little my father decided it would be amusing to get the empty roll tube that carpets come on as our Christmas tree. Haha my brother and I were disappointed as we were so looking forward to a real tree or artificial one. Well we decided to decorate that “tree” with ornaments and lights, and garland. It was weird but it still work!
After that, the next year parents did put up a fake tree.
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!
I’ve been using your tips for a while, and now I’m using them to help my mom to get her house in order! Thanks for all you do!
That is awesome!
Oh my God the paper management is so much helpful information!! I've never learned how to manage the piles of paper you aquire as an adult other than my parents telling me to put it all in a big binder and never ever throw documents away. I was not prepared for how many different categories of papers I'd need to keep track of tho! And what to do with the things I can't archive yet because I need to act on them ...but will lose if they're just lying on my desk among the uni stuff and art supplies.
Thank you so much for this!!!
I love your color schemes everywhere! I feel like I have it together in my head, but it never matches my budget or I can never bring it all together for my space. Thank you for the tips and the push to declutter though! It needs to be done continuously.
You can do it!
Your videos are soo helpful ❤ I rewatch them when my space overwhelms me and they inspire me to declutter. I found out I’m a Bee and the first thing I switched up was my cosmetics setup. I invested in a cute and cheap clear acrylic stacking makeup organizer and a lazy susan for brushes, compact mirrors, sponges, and lip balms.
My files this year are: Action, Reference, Personal docs-This year, Personal-docs Permanent, Biz docs- this yr (includes receipts), Weekly Budget Tracking, Daily/weekly/Monthly Routine laminated checklist, Biz docs- Permanent, and the Projects- current And Projects- Someday Maybe for the bazillion ideas I come up with!
:)
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!
I love this! Thank you! I actually have to keep my personal and farm papers separate and I need to go through the long term stuff now as I saw in the barn office papers over 20 years old. Feeling a little overwhelmed. My father in law used to take care of the stuff in the barn and it hasn't been touched since he died.
Best of luck! That's a huge project!
My sincere condolences to you. Thank you for all of your hard work feeding our country
@@pamelamolina5623 thank you. I think of him a lot lately.
@@messily1456 thanks! Yes, it is! I've been doing the books for many years, thankfully, but there were still many things he did as well that my husband and I have not been doing. Mainly because so much has moved to computers now. He kept everything! I went through old magazines, some dating to the early 1990s. There were hundreds that I got rid of.
@@sabatham ✋ High five!
Thank you♥️Papers are my nemesis.Great tips👍
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 🥚🐣🥚
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
As usual you hit the nail on the head. I went through 4 outfits to go out NYE. My clean clothes are on the foot of my bed 😳 I'm going to give your tips 100% effort. Time for change and less stress! Thank you ❤
You're welcome!
We moved around quite a bit when the kids were younger and our rental homes were always small. I was becoming overwhelmed with the accumulation of toys from both Christmas and birthdays. So, one year I decided no more birthday presents. Instead, for birthdays, we would do experiences. On their birthday the child chooses a family experience to go to in lieu of presents. We have a great time, take pictures, create lasting memories and avoid the influx of clutter. After a few years of this I asked the children if they’d prefer an experience or presents on their birthday. Both kids unanimously agreed to continue with experiences. They love them and I love that they will have those memories as adults. Win win.
A few experiences we’ve had included Ninja warrior course, bounce gym, horseback riding, water park, skiing, etc.
Awesome!
Happy New Year!🎉 So excited to clear out and organize with you this year!
As for odd traditions, we put butter on people's nose on their birthday while they blow out there candles...to "Slip/slide away from bad luck the next year".....or something like that. Being doing it forever so now its just for tradition sake!
Thats....different!!!! ;p
This video will help me a lot, been out for a while because of certain health issues on top of a move I didn’t completely finish putting away items in my home. Always loved going to this channel to give me energy and motivation for an organized space.
As for my family’s quirky tradition, my dad’s family plays bingo the week before Christmas and every time someone gets a bingo they unwrap a present. There’s a total of 10 presents per a person (each the value of a dollar, and mostly food related items) and people can steal one gift up to 3 times. It’s a fun tradition we do for our Christmas celebrations so that away on Christmas we have the chance to spend it with other family groups.
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
We exchange Christmas ornaments on Christmas Eve. Each ornament represents an accomplishment or good memory from that year. Friends and visitors sometimes contribute. This makes decorating the tree every year full of special memories and fun.
Thanks for sharing!!
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!
I learned from another organizer to do binders instead of boxes for memory items. When I get something, it goes right in a clear paper protector. We can pull it out and look at it anytime…and we do!
Thank you for all of your wonderful videos!!! 26 and trying to get my life in order to feel more adult like :) Thank you!!!!! The paper organizers are brilliant!
Good for you! Adulting is hard. Here's a link to my website where you can get a ton of FREE printables to help get you and keep you organized as you start your adulting journey! clutterbug.me/printables
Growing up, I always got (and wore) a new hat and pair of white gloves for Easter. I had not thought of that for many years until I moved to Kentucky where some girls and women still wear hats to church on Easter Sunday.
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.
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.
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!