By ERIN TURNER
The holiday season has arrived. This season has a huge impact on our houses and schedules. We have to maintain our houses for entertaining and unexpected drop-bys from family and friends while managing all the glorious activities of the season.
With pine needles dropping to the floor, Santa dropping cookie crumbs across the living room and holiday guests creating extra laundry what is a holiday homemaker to do?
Well, instead of calling the closest maid service, I’ve recently turned to Flylady.net for daily tips on cleaning and organizing. She has done all the work on breaking down daily and weekly chores and how to tackle certain tasks. Why waste time reinventing the wheel when someone else has spent years developing a system that works for numerous subscribers to her website?
FlyLady.net has been around for a number of years and has helped people manage their household in a more efficient and productive way without it being overwhelming or spending a whole lot of time. What I especially like is that the daily tasks don’t take more than 15 minutes each day. You add more tasks when you have time, but she honestly only asks you to commit 15 minutes. Everyone can spare 15 minutes to keep their house running smoothly and be ready for that unexpected holiday visitor.
I also appreciate how she has divided the house into zones. By doing this, it alleviates that overwhelming feeling of, “Where do I start?” and “Oh my gosh, I have to clean the WHOLE house this weekend!” I know you understand that dreaded feeling. By focusing on a zone every week, you are more effective and thorough in your cleaning and not just repeating tasks that aren’t really accomplishing anything.
Flylady.net’s website isn’t just about cleaning but she gives you steps and tips on organizing your day and taking care of yourself. It is a full-service website for your body and soul! She also offers tools for cleaning and organizing. I haven’t tried them out but people leave lots of positive comments about these specialized tools.
Another area which she offers advice about is menu planning. I have preached the importance of menu planning many times so I’m pleased that she has included this aspect of home management. It not only saves lots and lots of time and energy but also lots of money.
I know that getting your home cleaned and organized is usually saved for after the holidays and the start of the New Year. But why not start now? With guests arriving in the next few weeks, it’ll be great to have your home in prime condition.
Furthermore, who wants to spend upwards of a hundred dollars to hire someone to clean your house when you could use that money towards gifts or entertaining? Understanding how to de-clutter will be helpful as gifts arrive and replace old items.
Along with all these benefits, having a routine of cleaning and organization already in place will be a great start to 2014. You will be a step ahead and who wouldn’t want that??
Every year I always aim for a well-organized December filled with warm memories and very little stress. With the tips, guidance and suggestions from FlyLady.net, I feel like my holiday season can be filled with more enjoyable festivities and family time instead of spending unnecessary and stressful time making sure my home is ready for special visitors…especially the one in the big red suit!
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Erin’s got tons of tips for saving money, couponing, and sticking to a budget in her blog archive. And be sure to check out the Missoula Save it Club.
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Erin Eisenman-Turner is proud to be a native Missoulian. Along with her husband and three sons, they raise chickens, pigs, rabbits, and vegetables at Turner Family Farms in the Orchard Homes area. When the farm chores are done, the coupons clipped, and the blog written, you can find Erin exploring Montana, collecting antiques, and trying to maintain a well-run, happy, and organized home for her family.
