Table of Contents

-Introduction
-Did you know?
-Monthly Mission – Tidying Up and Thinking Ahead
-Check Out These Pages! – Relevant pages and new site additions
-Organize Your Car

Introduction

This year, Thanksgiving fell on the last Thursday of the month and though we’ve barely finished our Thanksgiving leftovers, it’s already December! There is still 25 days until Christmas, depending on what you need to get done, it can be a lot or a little time. My main focus during this time of year is to get things tidied up around the house so we can all relax and enjoy the holidays and to get my holiday to-do list done! All of my family live out of state, so getting my gift shopping done in time is super important, see below.

Click the logo above to learn more!

Did you know…

If you have packages to mail to friends and family around the world, here is some important information from the U.S. Post Office to help you better plan your shipping with them and hopefully avoid standing in a long line at the post office. Take note also that they have improved their Flat Rate Priority Mail options.

“The Postal Service is ready to deliver holiday greetings and gifts to more than 152 million addresses nationwide. The busiest mailing day this season is projected to be Monday, Dec. 16, when more than 600 million pieces of mail are expected to be processed. The same day, 6 million customers are expected to visit Post Offices nationwide.

The busiest delivery day for mail will be Wednesday, Dec. 18 and the busiest day for packages will be Thursday, Dec. 19.”

Mail-By Dates To ensure that holiday mail and packages are delivered on time, the Postal Service recommends keeping the following mailing and shipping deadlines in mind:

• Nov. 12 APO/FPO Military Standard Post
• Dec. 2 Priority Mail International
• Dec. 10 APO/FPO Military Priority Mail & First-Class Mail
• Dec. 10 Priority Mail Express International
• Dec. 14 Standard Post
• Dec. 16 Global Express Guaranteed
• Dec. 17 Priority Mail Express Military Service
• Dec. 20 First-Class Mail
• Dec. 21 Priority Mail
• Dec. 23 Priority Mail Express

For more details about priority mail improvements, holiday stamps and more, go to: USPS News Release November 2013

The most I expect from myself during this busy month is to tidy up, put things away and relax and enjoy the holidays. For more on the monthly mission for December, click here.

Here are some pertinent pages on the website you may have missed along with any new pages.

Holiday Meal Planning - Ideas to help you plan and organize your holiday meals without waiting until the last minute.

After Christmas Organizing - Start thinking now about your after holidays organizing. Take inventory while taking out decorations, so you know what you need to keep and store when you put things away later.

Living Room Storage Make-over - See how we re-organized our living room (play room) with a new Ikea wall unit that's great for storing lots of stuff.

Christmas Organizing - Tips on how to get the most out of your Christmas holidays, in an organized stress free manner.

Home Filing System - Keep all your paperwork in order so you can find what you need at a moments notice, and learn what to keep and what to toss.

Garage Makeover - before and after photos of my personal garage makeover. See how we tackled the problems and ended up with a functional garage.

Streamline Your Morning Routine - Ideas to help you get out the door in the morning and be on time for work or school.

Organizing Children's Artwork - Here are some ideas about what to do with all that fabulous artwork your young kids bring home from school.

Stop Clutter - Quick simple tips on how to stop the clutter from coming into your home in the first place.

Our cars are a reflection of ourselves and our homes. It’s easy to let our cars get full of clutter and garbage because in our busy lives, we’re mostly jumping in to go somewhere, or jumping out to get somewhere else. Here are a few tips to help you keep it organized.

Periodic Cleanings
Take time every couple weeks to do a quick clean out. That means to take out everything that no longer belongs in your vehicle. Baseball season is over yet you’re still driving around with the kids gear? Your road trip was 3 weeks ago yet you still have garbage and maps lying around inside? Take a few moments to remove items not needed and throw out any trash periodically.

Trash Receptacle
Keep a designated spot to throw your trash while in the car. There are a variety of options out there including hooks to hang bags off the back of the front seats, or what we use, a water proof weighted trash “cube” that sits on the floor where everyone can reach it. With your trash all in one area, it’ll be easy to dump it every other week or so during that periodic cleaning.

Glove Compartment
Keep all your important car documents neatly in your glove compartment. You can use an envelope, a small coupon sized file folder, or a glove box organizer designed specifically to hold these documents and other small items. You can also keep other small essentials in there as well, but don’t over stuff it or you won’t be able to find what you need.

Door Pockets
I use my door pockets for my maps, neatly folded. On long drives, I’m usually the navigator, so I keep them close to the passenger side where I can reach them. On the driver side are cables for charging my phone. You should keep things you need close to where you will be using them, and where they’re easiest to grab.

Trunk
Depending on what you carry around in your trunk or the rear of you mini van, you may need a little or a lot of storage. A foldable organizer is great to help groceries from tipping over, and with dividers and extra pockets, it’s great for storing items that you keep in your car regularly. If you have kids and go to lots of sports and other activities, this is a great way to keep things organized and on hand.

Seat Backs
You can use seat back organizers to use the space on the back of your seats to store and organize smaller items such as tissues, wipes, flash light, snacks, whatever. These can also be helpful for storing kids items on the back of the seat in front of them.

Deodorizers
You can keep your car smelling fresh with those little pine scented air fresheners, or you can simply throw a scented fabric softener under the front seat!

What to Keep In Your Vehicle
Everyone’s list will be unique, depending on family members, activities, travel times, etc. Some very basic things that are good to have on hand are paper towels, tissues, hand sanitizer, jumper cables, a rain poncho, a blanket, maps, and water. What else do you feel is a basic necessity?

Hopefully with some decluttering of what’s in your vehicle and a couple organizers where you most need them, you can keep your car more organized and clean. And go ahead and treat yourself to a full wash and vacuum every so often to keep it looking nice!

Until next time, happy organizing!

Tracy Greene
Plan-and-Organize-Life.com