My mother was naturally organized. Despite working full-time and having a family, she kept a pristine home and served us a home cooked meal every night. I inherited many of my mother’s qualities, but her knack for the organization wasn’t one of them.
When a friend of mine moved into a new home four years ago, she got rid of almost everything from her old house and made a fresh, almost empty start into her new home. I was intrigued and wanted to do the same for our place. I’ve started and stopped many times but never accomplished that task.
My goal this year was to once and for all, dig in and do the work that it takes to get that seemingly massive job done. I made a room by room checklist and the first two weeks of January were designated the great Clutter Cleanout and Home Organization. We worked our tails off, and several times, I caught my sentimental children rummaging through the giveaway boxes, seeking out old toys or trinkets, but we did it, and it felt great!
Now, let me wrap this up to explain “why” this was a good thing.
A couple of weeks ago, my husband and boys flew to Texas to pick up a newly purchased car. Unfortunately, the airport put my husband’s luggage on a plane to Mexico instead of Texas. His belongings, CPAP machine, and the title to the new car were all in that bag. That luggage still hasn’t found its way back to the states. Because we recently organized our home; the paperwork for various household items, including his CPAP, were all neatly filed away and easily accessible. I was able to locate all of the information quickly, and the insurance sent a medical device company to his hotel (out of state) and outfitted him with a loaner CPAP machine. If I hadn’t organized the house and important papers, my husband would have gone without his breathing machine for an entire weekend. That’s a scary thing for someone with severe sleep apnea.
If you are like me and are not naturally organized, enlist help from a friend who is or get in touch with Jenifer Shaw with Jenuinely Organized. She can help set you on the right path and can quickly help you organize your home.
That’s the news from the homestead, see you next week!
