OK, so our last post was about how quickly the holidays showed up and now here we are wondering where they went. Time sure does fly, doesn’t it? But one thing probably remains in your house even though you may have already packed away your holiday decorations. All those gifts your family received can most likely be found in random corners of each room- just looking for a permanent home that you are not quite sure about yet.
Before you throw your hands up and stash those new items in a closet somewhere, take a few minutes to reorganize your current storage areas. Pick one place to start and take everything out to thoroughly inspect. You will probably find items in there that you forgot about and could really use. On the other hand, you will also most likely find items that you do not need or want anymore. In that case, put those items aside.
Once you have made piles of things you want to keep and things that you want to give away, then you can decide how to store everything. Place all your new items in with the old ones and take pictures for your homeowner’s insurance carrier. If you ever need to file a claim involving any of your household items, it is always easier to explain your loss when there is a picture to back up your claim.
Once everything is put away in its new proper place, look up a charity like www.goodwill.org to see about donating all your unwanted items. Remember to get a receipt when you donate so you can apply it to your tax return. And don’t worry… before we know it the holidays will be here again and we can do this all over again. Hope you have a wonderful New Year!
