Pre-Vacation Clean Up

Why? Because it is so nice to come home to a tidy home. It is good to know that there aren't chores hanging over your head that will need you immediate attention when you walk through the door. And finally, because you will be doing so much laundry when you first arrive home you will not have time to think about doing anything else. Stick to your normal cleaning and household routine as much as possible. Three days before you leave: Put your mail and paper delivery on hold. Alert a neighbor that you will be gone so that they can keep an eye out for your home. Two days before you leave: Make sure that the house is relatively neat, beds are changed, and the major household cleaning has been accomplished. While you are away from your home, the dust will still settle, but the overall appearance of your home should be tidy. The day before you leave: Clean out the fridge. Pick up toys, put clothes in hampers, do all the major tidying so that you are not rushing to pick up and find things on the day of your trip. The day you leave: Turn off the valve for the water going to your clothes washer, especially if it is indoors. Turn up or off the air conditioner so that you are not being wasteful. Take out the garbage! .

Welcome to TRAVEL MONTH

I’ve decided to deem May as “Travel Month”

Keep in mind that I am only thinking of domestic travel with this list. When going abroad there are so many things to contend with, contacting you friendly local travel agent is wise.

As promised, the aforementioned packing list TA DA

One Plastic Laundry Bag per person. Put a dryer sheet in each bag. You’ll thank me at the end of the week when your dirty laundry is following you around. (If you have little ones, remember the bags for diaper disposal, as well.)

Add a separate bag for wet stuff (swim wear or otherwise).

Clothing:

Pajamas

Socks

Diapers AND WIPES/Underwear/Pull Ups

Pants/Shorts/Skirts

Shirts

Suit

Tie

Dresses and SLIPS

Stockings/pantyhose

Swim Wear (and swim diapers)

Swim cover-up/sarong

Light Sweater/Jacket

Shoes/Sandals/Sneakers/Dress Shoes/Flip Flops/Water Socks.

Toiletries:

Hair dryer, if not provided

Shampoo/Conditioner

Comb/Brush

Hair product – spray, gel, pomade

Hair clips and ties

Soap/Body Wash

Toothbrush/toothpaste/mouthwash/floss

Deodorant

Powder

Cotton Swabs

Lotion

Razor, Shaving Gel, After Shave

Cosmetics Bag – Don’t forget the moisturizer!

Makeup remover

Lip Balm SPF

Sunscreen AND after sun lotion

Contacts, Solution, Case, Drops

Glasses

First Aid

Nail kit

Feminine items

OTC and Prescription Medications

Vitamins

Sleep:

Special blanket/Pillow, and for the kiddos stuffed animals/lovies

Misc:

Tote/Day Bag

Sunglasses!

Hat

Antibacterial Wipes/gels/lotions

Snacks and drinks (and napkins)

Camera and spare batteries

Rain gear – Umbrella/poncho/hat/coat

Beach Towels

Playing cards

Zip top bags

Sewing Kit

Mosquito Repellant

GUM

Flashlight and spare batteries

Cell phone – cord and charger

Travel Alarm (if not integrated into your phone)

Palm, Ipod, etc – charger

Laptop – cord and accessories

Stamps for mailing postcards “Wish you were here!”

Books/Magazines

Hostess Gifts

Sporting Equipment/Musical Equipment/IT Equipment

Paperwork:

Notebook and pen

ID and Insurance information

MAPS for en route

MAPS of your destination

Airline tickets or e-tickets

CONTACT INFO for your destinations (lodging) and family members. (Yes, I pack my address book)

This moves us along to ITINERARIES- two copies. Make sure to take one copy with (on your person/in your carryon) and leave a copy behind with a trusted family member or friend. This is especially important when flying. Include phone numbers of your destinations and your flight numbers on the itineraries. Make sure your confirmation numbers are recorded here. ALSO include the hours of operation and phone numbers for attractions.

Obviously we are talking about domestic summer travel. If you need to forgo the swim wear and pack the parka, then by all means make this list your own.

Take 15 minutes and customize this list! Then make sure Fluffy and Fido have their summer reservations. If pets are traveling with you, pack their items as well (kennel, leash, water and food dishes, bottled water and food, litter box, special bed/blanket/towel).

In case ya didn't notice EL, You're on your own with that whole weird "camping" thing.

Tell me fellow travelers, did I omit anything essential?

Next time:

Traveling with children.

The pre vacay clean up.

Luggage

Air Travel

.

We're going on a trip

Where have I been??? In general, traveling around this wonderful state. How did I get blessed to experience so much of Spring Break so late in life?

I was having a conversation with someone recently regarding summer travel plans. She was lamenting that her husband wouldn’t decide on a vacation locale. He wants to go someplace new, but they don’t have passports and he isn’t motivated enough to even apply.

Now is the time of year to seal the deal. We talked a few weeks ago about the “who, what, when, where, and how” of going on vacation. This is the time to put it into action. Call the travel agent. Make the reservations. Book the flight, the cruise, the rental RV. Get it done now.

And moving right along to packing… Yes there will be a list involved. We know I love my lists. That comes later. (Stay tuned!) While packing for a weekend away for my family, it helps me to lay things out in outfits. I try to keep things mix and match and neutral. I do not lose sight of our destination plans. We do not need formal wear to visit a theme park, for example. We do need swim wear no matter what. Ah the joys of the Florida vacay! I also keep in mind that with a little one we will need some extra “just in case” outfits. I have also come to realize that in all of the fun in the sun (and water and –dare I say?- sweat) that one outfit a day is not sufficient for any of us. And lastly, I realize that we are not likely to wear any one garment more than once. This does not make for light packing, but it does make for a prepared family. Onward!

I am familiar with the places we stay. When I am unfamiliar I call ahead to find out about amenities. Is there a hair dryer and a coffee pot available in the room? How about a fridge/freezer and a microwave? Does the cabin have its own linens or do we need to pack? (Yep I’ve been on the “What do you mean we were supposed to bring our own sheets and towels?” vacation. It was not pretty.) Does “crib availability” mean that they have actual portable-cribs available? Or will they be bringing up a 12 year old death trap pack and play? These are all pertinent things to find out BEFORE packing.

More calls to make… Call the attractions and make sure they are open when you are planning to be there. It would be a shame to plan to go to a certain museum on Monday only to find out that they are only open Wednesday through Saturday. Finding their website is an ok alternative, BUT if it is not current or does not list special events then the phone call may be worth it. This will help you build a specific itinerary.

It will probably take you more than 15 minutes, so go make your calls. We'll save the packing list for next time.

Paperwork, paperwork, and a little note on vacay planning

March sure is a long month! In honor of March feeling so long, I have written an exceptionally long blog this week. Don’t get used to it. I say that tongue-in-cheek, as many of you know I am a woman of few words.

You have voted and we are done in the kitchen. (For you, Bekah, we will do a "pantry revisited" segment soon.) I am getting lots of questions lately regarding paperwork, so let’s start there. I do have a feeling this is leading us back into the office. Paperwork is a challenging area. It is not something you can get rid of because there is a constant influx (shopping fliers, newspapers, magazines, school papers, mail).

Newspapers, Magazines, Catalogs and the like can be sent to the recycle bin as soon as they have outlived their usefulness. Let me stress that NEWS papers are meant to inform you of CURRENT events. (Can you see where this is going?) If it isn’t current, it is no longer news. Magazines also have a shelf life – usually monthly or quarterly. Catalogs and sales fliers are replaced by their next installment as well. However, if you do not plan to order anything from a particular catalog (or shop using the aforementioned flier) it can go out immediately. If you never plan to order from said catalog, call the 800 number on the back page to discontinue it. That was easy enough. Let’s move on to something harder like…

School papers. You all know of the precious artwork, genius academics, notes home, event calendars, and endless bureaucratic paperwork. What do you do with it all? Child creations: Each day/week that creations come home, place them in a special box to sort through later. If it is especially important to display some artwork immediately give it a place of honor -- like a special frame or a special spot on the fridge for ONE week. When the box gets full (ideally monthly), it is time to go through and sort. Keep only the most special pieces. You choose one and have your child choose one for each month. Any artwork that is extra special can be saved in a binder portfolio. If there are pieces you would like to remember, but are not necessarily attached to take a picture and store it digitally, add it to the portfolio of other artwork, or make a special scrap book.

I saved the best for last. Mail. This is my never ending nemesis. For sorting any paperwork, I like to use the RAFTS system. It is especially helpful for sorting mail. Mail will fall into one of these five categories: Read, Act, File, Trash, Shred (RAFTS). How do you decide? For simplicity of explanation, let’s work backwards.

Shred: Things that have personal information and account numbers need to be shredded before they are discarded. Credit card offers also fall into this category. Beware the glue and the plastic fake cards.

Trash: Ah, the junk mail. Advertisements of no interest, sales fliers for places you do not shop, coupon books, etc. this is the essence of junk mail. (Hint: If you never use your *Handy Shopper, go ahead and toss it when it comes in.) Junk mail, is by definition, junk. Please just throw it away. *Name changed for obvious reasons. You get the idea, right?

File: This is not yet the “Bills to Pay” category. These are things you need a record of, but do not need to do anything to - like insurance and bank statements.

Act: Things that you need to act upon. This is your “to do” group. Bills to pay, things to add to your calendar, calls to make, and correspondence to return - fall into this Act Category.

Read: Things that you need to read. Catalogs you enjoy, letters, cards, magazines - this one was rather self explanatory, wasn't it?

Two more options for limiting excess mail:

Many of the credit card applications not have an opt out 800 number listed at the end of the offer. It pays to give them a call.

Thanks to Aby Garvey of Simplify 101, I have stumbled upon a new service, www.proquo.com, for limiting junk mail. I signed up this past week, but do not know yet how well it is working. Please enjoy this excerpt from Aby’s latest newsletter posted here:

Reduce paper waste. According to sources at www.proquo.com , Americans receive more than four million tons of junk mail a year! As an organizer, I have to wonder how much of that junk mail is still piled high on the counters of America, wreaking unrest and overwhelm in the hearts of homeowners everywhere.

The formula here is simple: less paperwork coming into our homes, means less paperwork to deal with and organize. Plus, you'll help reduce the million tons of junk mail landing in mailboxes, and ultimately landfills, each and every year.

But how to do it? There are services available such as www.greendimes.com which charge a fee to have your name removed from mailing lists. I also recently learned of a new website www.proquo.com that is a free service designed to reduce unwanted direct mail by removing your name from mailing lists. In some instances they take care of it for you (with a simple click of a button) and in other cases, they make the process super simple by giving you a pdf to print, fill out and mail in to remove yourself from the list.

By the way, I removed this tip for the flow of the newsletter because I haven't tried and tested one of these services yet. I just signed up for an account on www.proquo.com this week and found the process to be super simple. At this early stage, I can't vouch for the effectiveness of the process. But, with over 100 million trees being used for junk mail every year in the U.S. alone, I wanted to include this topic in this green organizing newsletter.

If you have participated in a service to remove your name from marketing mailing lists, please tell me about it on my blog. I'll summarize your findings, the findings of others, and report on my own experience in a future newsletter or blog post. Thanks so much!

Aby Garvey is a professional organizer and the founder of simplify 101, inc. Her mission is to help you create time and space for what matters most in your home and life. Aby is the author of the e-book "the happy scrapper - simple solutions to get organized and get scrapping!" Visit the simplify 101 website for organizing ideas and to subscribe to Aby's organizing email newsletter.

Share with me this week:

What is your biggest paperwork challenge?

Let’s take 15 minutes and…. Talk about summer vacation. Yes, I understand it is not yet the first day of Spring. Summer hot spots will be filling up sooner than you can say “Pass the sunscreen.” so get your reservations made now. At least get those you will be vacationing with talking about: who, what, where, when and how of traveling. Who is going? (Is the pet going to be included?) What do you want to do for your vacay? Where do you wish to travel? What dates work for everyone involved? How do you plan to get there (plane, train, automobile, cruise ship)?

This is my personal one. Who? Just the 3 of us. What? Fishing and other outdoorsy stuff, possibly a festival, shopping. Where? Mountain Cabin. When? The date is now set. How? The wheels on the car go around and around.

Reflections

Jan 20

Now that you’ve had a chance to settle in and think back positively on your holiday experience, what would you do differently next year? If that brunch you threw just didn’t seem to suit, how about a cocktail (or “mock” tail) party this year? Make some notes in that handy-dandy planner we talked about last time. You can use this same system as you go through your year this year. After each worthy event (Spring Break, Overnights away, Summer vacation, going on a blind date, finding a sitter, etc) make notes of what you would do differently next time. It might be as simple as doing the laundry a day ahead of time the week prior to a trip so that packing is easier. Let me know what you come up with this year. I love it when you all share!

Are you ready to do some cleaning out of REAL clutter now?

Take fifteen minutes to go through your medicine cabinet and dispose of any old/expired medications and prescriptions. I was recently talking with someone who just disposed of medication that expired in 1995. She has moved twice recently and moved the expired medicines with her. Twice. Also make sure that the medicine dispensers for any children’s medicine are clean and stored properly. (Some medicines are very sticky and leave a residue.)

How are you doing with your resolutions? Keep trying. Good things come to those who wait.