Getting Organized Together – November

Holiday Planning

Get ready, get set, GO! It’s definitely time to get your holiday plans under way if you haven’t already. Planning ahead helps to make sure that you have all the chores done so you can relax and enjoy the fun.

Holiday Meal Planning - Make a menu plan, a list of all the foods you plan to serve. Then make a grocery list of all the foods and ingredients you need to make and serve those items during the holidays.

Holiday Gift Shopping - Have a list of people you need to purchase for, a budget, write down ideas you have for everyone, clothing sizes if needed, and keep track if you bought something and when you can expect it to arrive (if you bought it online) to make sure everything arrives on time. Be sure to ship gifts to far away friends and family early so they get the gifts on time!

Fun and Activities - Be sure to make a list of your favorite things to do during the holidays. The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas will go very quickly and the weekends are limited. Schedule your favorite activities right on the calendar so they don’t get forgotten or put behind other errands. Plan that trip downtown to see the lights and the day to bake cookies! Even if you can’t give a definite date right now, you can make a sticky note for each important activity and put them on potential days until you can be sure.

One important rule to follow…

With this month’s mission, the one important rule to follow is to plan ahead so you have extra time to relax and enjoy the holidays! Shop ahead for food and gifts when you can. Plan activities so you have fun days to look forward to. Try to get most of the errands done by the first week in December.

Put your things away!

Of course, you always need to put your things away! November is no different. It will definitely help to keep the house tidy if things get put away. Less cleaning in a hurry when someone drops by unannounced. Less to clean up when preparing for house guests to stay over. Keeping up with this one thing can have a major impact. And be sure that everything has a place to be put, or you’ll just keep shuffling things around. (I can vouch for this.) Give it a home, or get rid of it!

November’s summary for getting organized

So let’s review… for November, we’ll

• Plan ahead for Thanksgiving
• Make out a food plan and grocery list for Thanksgiving
• Plan ahead for Christmas and other winter holidays
• Start a food plan and grocery list for Christmas
• Start holiday gift shopping now!!
• Plan and schedule your favorite holiday activities on your calendar

Helpful Resources

Christmas Organizing

To Do Lists Library

Save When Shopping Online

If you like to save money when shopping online, be sure to shop through Ebates.com.  They offer a percentage back on your purchases from stores you already shop at, such as Target, Macy's, Toys-R-Us, Old Navy and many more.  Ebates sends you a check once you hit a minimum of a $5 rebate.  Click on the icons below to check them out!

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