Simple Ways to Keep Your New Year Resolutions

By: Terry Neff
UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA

This month we talked about how busy and stressful the holidays can be and showed you ways to take care of yourself through the craziness. With the holiday season now coming to an end, we are looking to the New Year and all it brings. What is the first thing that comes to mind? New Year’s resolutions! Chances are, you’ve made at least one New Year‘s resolution in your lifetime, and if you’re like most people, you’ve had trouble keeping it. When you make a resolution, it is usually with the intent to better yourself in some way; like losing weight, saving more money or taking more time for yourself or your family. The problem is that although you’ve made the resolution, you haven’t given yourself enough of a plan or support to get you back on track when you find yourself losing sight of your goal. Here are some helpful tips to organize and prioritize your resolutions this year so you won’t have the same ones next year!

Resolutions for your home

Clutter in your home can lead to clutter in your mind. Think about it, how can you feel organized when your surroundings are in such disarray? Keeping your home organized can keep you on track to not only setting goals, but achieving them as well. Here are some examples:

1. Limit “stuff” – limit items that you bring into your living space. You could be surprised what you can actually live without.
2. Simplify - you don’t need five different shampoos, three different sets of dishes and four sets of sheets. Decide what you really need and give away the rest.
3. Throw it away - if you’re holding onto something from ten years ago, chances are you won’t be using it again or fitting into it again. Get rid of it!
4. Designate places - have a place for everything; bills, statements, junk mail, magazines, etc. This makes finding that item much easier.
5. Say “No!” - If someone is offering you items or hand me downs that you have no use for don’t take them! They will just take up more space that you probably need!

Resolutions for yourself

Making a New Year’s resolution with the intent to better yourself is a great idea, but if you make that resolution without a plan to help you stay on track, you’re setting yourself up for failure. This is the continuous cycle we all face year after year. Here are some tips to give you a real chance and break that cycle:

1. Be realistic – Strive for a goal that is attainable. For example, giving up a favorite food altogether could be very difficult, instead limit the amount that you will eat.
2. Outline a plan – this will keep your goals on track. For example, schedule days for exercising and have ways to deal with the temptation of not going.
3. Tell people about your resolution - This keeps you accountable to yourself, and to them. They can also be a great support system if you need encouragement to stay on track.
4. Reward yourself - enjoy the success of sticking with your goal by giving yourself rewards that won’t contradict your goal.
5. Track your progress - Keep track of how well you are doing in a journal or day planner. Seeing your daily efforts can keep you motivated to stay on track!

The New Year is upon us! Break the cycle of broken resolutions this year by having a plan to keep your goals attainable and realistic. And if you do fall off the wagon—that’s ok! Just get back on, forgive yourself and get back to your plan!

Terry Neff is the owner of UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA. He is an expert on relocation and the ins and out of this tough life change. To contact Terry, call 610-997-8648 or visit www.unitsstorage.com.

Holiday Decorating Made Easy

By: Terry Neff
UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA

What better way to capture the holiday season than with decorations? Remember the feeling of driving down the road and looking at the bright lights and decorations adorning the houses during the holidays? You couldn’t help but to stop and stare at the glorious sight! Being a kid admiring the decorations is one thing—being an adult and having to do the decorating is another! Here are some ways to keep you organized and make decorating fun and easy. Hopefully you followed some kind of organizational tips last year so that this year you don’t spend your time untangling lights and picking up broken pieces —but if not; here are some tips to organize you this year, so that next year will be a tangle-free year!

A. Group together items in designated boxes that you will need at the same time. This helps to keep items that you decorate in certain rooms or areas of your home together. Here are some examples of how you can keep like items organized:

1. Box #1- Cards, calendars and holiday music
2. Box #2-Candles, table-runners and window lighting
3. Box #3-Holiday decorations, ornaments and tree toppers
4. Box #4-Baking supplies and holiday dishes

B. Store items efficiently and safely to keep them protected and organized when they are packaged and stored away all year long. Here are some ways to keep your decorations intact:

1. Use large plastic bins with ornament dividers to keep ornaments organized and prevent them from getting damaged or broken.
2. Use small plastic bags for small items that are easily lost such as; nails, screws and hooks.
3. Use small plastic bins for storing those items in the plastic bags to keep them together and organized.
4. Use wreath boxes specially designed for wreaths to avoid damaging and flattening them.

Don’t forget to label, label, label! Even with plastic bins that you can see through, labeling the container with a list of the contents inside will ensure that you don’t drive yourself crazy looking through every bin for just one item—because it’s always in the last place you look!

Terry Neff is the owner of UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA. He is an expert on relocation and the ins and out of this tough life change. To contact Terry, call 610-997-8648 or visit www.unitsstorage.com.

Holiday Parties – A Guide to Stress-Free Entertaining

By: Terry Neff
UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA

What kind of holiday season would this be without the assortment of all the holiday fixings? Turkey, ham, pumpkin rolls, cookies, egg nog, pies… this list is endless. If you’re the one preparing everything, it can also be overwhelming. Preparing the food is one thing, but once everyone has eaten all the wonderful array of food, you realize that someone now has to clean up everything! How much fun is that? If this happens to be your responsibility this holiday season, here are some ways to ease the stress of cooking for many people and ease the burden of that awful task of the clean-up afterwards.

Cooking:

• Prepare as much food as possible ahead of time by cooking and baking dishes that can be made ahead of time and freezing them for later.
• Buy liquor and beverages early to avoid waiting in the long lines that are common at this time of the year.
• On the actual day that you’re celebrating the holiday—create a schedule and stick to it to ensure enough time to cook everything and set up your placements.
• Let people help you!—If someone offers to bring a side dish or dessert—Let them!

Clean-up:

• Use food containers for leftovers, they’re easy to use, stackable, and cheap enough to let guests take home with them.
• If you have a dishwasher, use it! If not, designate helpers to dry and put dishes away immediately after you wash them.
• If you have extra money and don’t want to be bothered with the clean-up, splurge on a cleaning service or rent dishes. Weigh out the cost of the service to the amount of headache and stress the clean-up causes you. It could be money well spent!

If you’re in charge of cooking, baking and cleaning up this holiday season, don’t let the task overwhelm you. Use these tips to keep yourself organized and stress free. You’ll have enough stress worrying about how to burn off all those calories you will consume this holiday so enjoy them while you can!

Terry Neff is the owner of UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA. He is an expert on relocation and the ins and out of this tough life change. To contact Terry, call 610-997-8648 or visit www.unitsstorage.com.

Getting Through Holiday Shopping – Stress Free!

By: Terry Neff
UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA

It’s December – you know what that means! The countdown of the holiday season is on! This is supposed to be a joyous time but for many people it ends up becoming a stressful one. Remember last year when you told yourself, “next year will be different. I’ll plan ahead so I can enjoy the holidays instead of getting so frazzled.” Well, guess what? That time is here… are you prepared? Over the next four weeks we’ll offer some advice on how to stay organized throughout this holiday season, so you can actually enjoy it! One of the major stressors of the holidays is gift giving. Who do you have to buy for? What is their size? What don’t they already have? The search for the perfect gift can be a daunting and overwhelming task. Here are some great tips to ease the chaos and stay focused.

Shopping for gifts:

• Shop early in the season at the off peak hours and online if possible. This eliminates the pain of looking for parking spaces, standing in long lines and dealing with grumpy sales people.
• Organize your lists of who you have to buy for by person or group and carry a notebook with names, sizes and ideas for those people.
• Carry a receipt envelope with you when you shop and write down the name of the person on the receipt. This is helpful to keep track of who has a gift and helps you to be organized if you have to return any items.
• Keep a basket in your car to hold your packages—it keeps them from falling out and makes it easier to carry them from your car to your house.

Wrapping gifts:

• Create a “wrapping station” in your home—a place where you will only do your gift wrapping.
• Stock your station with all the essentials; wrapping paper, scissors, boxes, tape, bows, ribbons, gift tags, and cards.
• As an alternate to gift tags, or to minimize using many different gift tags, designate one kind of wrapping paper per person and wrap all their gifts in that same paper.
• Play soft music, holiday or not, and make yourself your favorite drink to enjoy this “quiet time” that you have all to yourself.

The countdown is on! There are a million things you need to do to prepare for this season, with gift giving being at the top of that list. Follow these tips and ideas to keep this task, fun, easy and stress-free. You owe it to yourself to keep your promise from last year to have more fun and less stress!

Terry Neff is the owner of UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA. He is an expert on relocation and the ins and out of this tough life change. To contact Terry, call 610-997-8648 or visit www.unitsstorage.com.

Orgainzing Your Garage – Park Your Car Again!

By: Terry Neff
UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA

Over the last three weeks we’ve focused on home organization to start off the New Year; emphasizing that having an organized home can help lead to an organized lifestyle. This week we will focus on another multi-functional room —the garage. If something doesn’t find a place inside your home, many times it ends up in the garage. The garage can be a great additional space—if kept neat and organized. If not, it can become just another cluttered area where you struggle to find the items you need. Here are some great organizational ideas to allow your garage to serve your home a great purpose by providing additional storage space for items that can accumulate and clutter the inside of your home.

Determine how you will use the space

For example, do you want to park your car in this space or use it for storage? Do you use it as a workshop or laundry room? Start by making a list and write down how you want to use this space. This way you can break down the garage into zone areas and keep each area organized.

Group items together

Separate similar items or items used for the similar purposes into piles. For example, categorize tools and home improvement, sports equipment, seasonal items, gardening tools, cooking products, etc.

Assess your items

Take a moment to look through everything and ask yourself, “Do I really need this?” “Do I use this anymore?” If the answer is no, then donate it or throw it away. If you haven’t used it, you will not miss it!

Make use of all the space

Most people don’t make efficient use of their garage space. Instead of just piling things on the floor, make use of the vertical space too. Use the walls for storage by adding shelves, hanging racks, and cabinet storage. Don’t forget about the ceiling too! There are racks made for ceiling storage and tools to help get those items down when needed.

Store items efficiently

Once things are categorized, store smaller items in see-through storage containers that can be stacked on shelves. For larger items such as sports equipment and tools, use storage cabinets, or if you lack the space, consider portable storage containers that can be placed outside the home. They can give you the added space you may be lacking. Also consider hooks and pegboards to keep items easily accessible but organized.

Label everything

Do yourself a favor and label everything. It is so frustrating when you are looking for one item and have to go through ten different places to look for it! This can also help encourage you (and your family) to put items back in the same place!

Your garage is a very large space but it’s probably not being used to its full potential. Take the time to decide how this multifunctional room can work best for you, and then organize it based on those needs. If you’ve always wanted to park your car in there, now you can give yourself that space. If you’ve needed extra storage to avoid cluttering the inside of your home, now you have tips to make this space work for you. Keeping your home (including your garage) organized gives you a great start to staying organized throughout the New Year.

Terry Neff is the owner of UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA. He is an expert on relocation and the ins and out of this tough life change. To contact Terry, call 610-997-8648 or visit www.unitsstorage.com.

Simple Tips for Organizing Your Bedroom – Make the Best of Your Personal Space

By: Terry Neff
UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA

Last week we focused on the most multi-functional room in the home – the bathroom. This week will we will focus on the most personal room—the bedroom. Your bedroom should be your sanctuary—your personal space where you can relax and re-energize after a long stressful day. If there is disorder in this personal space it can disrupt your life in many ways, from restless sleep to frustrating searches for clothes, shoes etc. The key to keeping your bedroom the refuge it should be is to make it work for you. Typically bedrooms are made up of components such as a bed, dressers and nightstands – but do you need all of these items? Ideally the bedroom should only be used for relaxing and sleeping, but most of us also use the bedroom for watching TV, exercising, doing office work or hanging out with the family. The first step to organizing your bedroom is to determine what you use it for so that you can decide on the furniture you need for the room and the best way to arrange it to serve those purposes. Here are some simple tips to help you make the best of your bedroom space.

Plan the space

Determine what you use your bedroom for, other than sleep, and furnish it accordingly to accommodate those needs.

• Watching TV- consider an armoire or table for the TV. Get one that has drawers or shelves to store the items that accompany TV’s like remote controls and DVD’s.
• Working- if you tend to do a lot of work in your bedroom, consider a desk with drawers or shelves to keep items neatly stored away.
• Exercising- if you keep exercise equipment in your bedroom, make sure you use it for its intended purpose-not for an extra clothes hanger!

Storage

Depending on the size of your bedroom, the storage available may be limited. If so, consider these items to maximize the use of the space available to you.

• Hanging shelves- these are great for showing off collectables, photos or storing books and magazines.
• Drawer dividers- they create compartments to existing drawers and keep items organized.
• Under the bed- use plastic bins or baskets that can slide under the bed for items such as; extra blankets, pillows or seasonal clothing.

Closet space

Whether you have a walk-in closet or a smaller one, there just never seems to be enough space for the overflow of items that accumulate there. Here are some great closet alternatives that can improve your space:

• Closet Armoire – this can be used for clothes, storage and accessories.
• Storage Trunks – they are great for seasonal clothing or for extra pillows and blankets.
• Closet Furniture – furniture pieces that can be placed in your closet to help maximize the use of that space. Examples include; shelves, bins or modular units.

Whatever the size of your bedroom, it should be a personal space for you to enjoy, relax and re-energize in. Whatever solutions you consider, make sure that they efficiently accommodate your needs allowing your bedroom space to work and function in a way that is best for you. Keeping your bedroom organized and clutter-free will help make it the calm sanctuary that it’s supposed to be.

Terry Neff is the owner of UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA. He is an expert on relocation and the ins and out of this tough life change. To contact Terry, call 610-997-8648 or visit www.unitsstorage.com.

Keeping Your Bathroom Organized and Stylish

By: Terry Neff
UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA

Last week we focused on organizing “the hub” of most homes—the kitchen.  This week we will focus on organizing the most multi-functional room – the bathroom.   Bathrooms have two sides to them; the functional side; used for bathing, relaxing, grooming, and dressing and the stylish side; which reflects personal style of decor. You need to organize the functional side in order to enjoy the stylish side. Keeping your bathroom clean, functional and stylish doesn’t have to be difficult, especially if you divide the bathroom into several areas and organize each area to serve a specific purpose.  Here are some organization tips for the main areas of the bathroom – now you can have a functional room and one that you can also enjoy!

Countertops

Clear countertops of anything that isn’t absolutely necessary. Containing and storing items keeps the counter from looking messy and disorganized.

• Keep items that need to be easily accessible organized in a basket or stylish tray centered on your countertop.
• Keep a basket or bin of all appliances, hairdryers, curling irons, electric shavers, etc., under the counter or in a cabinet when they are not in.
• If you don’t have a cabinet, get stackable bins or a wheeled multi-shelf cart to keep like items together and hidden. You can then take it out only when needed.

Medicine Cabinets

Many times we just throw items in the medicine cabinet and forget about them until we really need them.  Keep items organized so they are easy to find and safe by checking expiration dates regularly.

• Throw out all out-dated medications, prescriptions, ointments, etc.
• Keep like items such as first aid materials, scissors, band aids, and ointments in baskets or bins.
• Keep medications and sharp objects out of reach of children or in a bin with a lock on it. 

Towels/Washcloths

These items should be kept together, folded and stacked not only for accessibility, but for an organized look as well.

• Keep towels and washcloths folded and in separate piles in a linen closet – this keeps them accessible but also hidden.
• If you don’t have a linen closet, fold or roll them in a basket and keep the basket in a corner of the bathroom – this keeps them accessible and adds décor to your bathroom.
• If your bathroom is smaller, keep towels/washcloths together in a bin under the countertop or on a designated shelf. 

Under the cabinets

This space is often difficult to keep organized because of plumbing and the abundance of cleaning products usually stored underneath.

• Keep a caddy of all cleaning supplies with all the essentials: gloves, cleaning supplies, scrubbers, etc.  When it’s time to clean, everything will be together making cleaning quick and easy.
• If you have kids, keep a bin for the tub toys. This keeps them together but hidden.
• Keep cleaning supplies out of reach of kids or have child proof locks on the doors. 

Bathrooms are one of the most multi-functional rooms in our homes. There is so much that we do in that space, that it’s easy for it to become a cluttered mess.  Don’t let clutter take over you or your bathroom!  Designate areas for all your necessary items and you will see that not only can you have a functional bathroom, but a stylish one too!

Terry Neff is the owner of UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA. He is an expert on relocation and the ins and out of this tough life change. To contact Terry, call 610-997-8648 or visit www.unitsstorage.com.

6 Simple Ways to Get Organized in Your Kitchen

By: Terry Neff
UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA

It’s a brand new year and with the holiday season over, it’s time to think about fresh starts, new beginnings, and new goals for the future. People don’t realize that we are a product of our environment; meaning if our homes aren’t organized how can we be? This month we will focus on home organization so not only will your home be neat and organized; but you will be too! If you don’t know where to start the organization process in your home, start with the one room that you spend the most time in. For most people that room is the kitchen. The kitchen is “the hub” of most homes; it’s usually where most of the activities such as eating, drinking, and socializing take place. When the kitchen is organized and inviting, everything else seems to fall into place. Better nutrition, less time eating out (which is good for both weight and budget control) and the likelihood your family will hang out and eat together more often. Here are some simple tips to keep “the hub” of your home a more organized and inviting living space:

Refrigerator

Keep your refrigerator clean. Every time you go grocery shopping clean out your fridge. Throw out all items that have spoiled and give a quick wipe down of both the inside and outside. Doing this for a few seconds each time you add groceries can eliminate the big task of emptying the entire refrigerator for a thorough cleaning.

Cabinets

Take everything out of your kitchen cabinets and categorize them in similar groups such as; glasses, plates, bowls, pots and pans and so on. (It also doesn’t hurt to give them a quick wipe down to eliminate dust that probably has accumulated.) Keeping your cabinets categorized will save a lot of time during cooking and cleanup times.

Counter Tops

Remove any items from your counter tops that you don’t use on a regular basis. Instead, store them in a cabinet or on designated shelves in your basement or garage where you can group like appliances together. Also, keep a spice rack where all spices are kept together and labeled. This keeps them organized and eliminates the frustration of finding the one you need when cooking and baking.

Pantry

You could be surprised by what you can find in the back of your pantry! Many times you buy duplicates of products because they’re hidden out of sight and you can’t find them. To avoid this, take everything out of the pantry and organize like products together. Designate one shelf for dry foods such as cereals, pasta, etc. Use another for canned goods, and so on. Keeping baskets on the shelves is helpful for smaller items like packaged sauces or drink mixes. This keeps those items together and prevents them from falling through the shelves.

Cleaning Products

Place a plastic dishpan under your sink and place all of your cleaning products and dishwasher soap inside. Use another dishpan for sponges, dish rags and plastic gloves. This keeps the items organized and prevents the bottles from falling over and creating a mess underneath your cabinets.

Have a Message Station

Set up a specific area where your family can see a family calendar, get phone messages, leave notes for each other, get mail and grab keys. A peg board or dry erase board with little hooks for keys would be an ideal choice. Use a basket or plastic bin to organize messages and mail. An area like this can save lots of time in relaying messages to others and helps to keep your family on track.

No matter how big a kitchen is, it usually becomes the central location or “hub” to a person’s home. It’s usually the most used room in a home and tends to be the center of all your family’s activities and your social gatherings. Consider these helpful ideas to keep your kitchen an organized and inviting room where your family and friends will want to gather and spend time together.

Terry Neff is the owner of UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA. He is an expert on relocation and the ins and out of this tough life change. To contact Terry, call 610-997-8648 or visit www.unitsstorage.com.

Organize Household Chores

By: Terry Neff
UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA

This month we’ve discussed the best ways to stay organized with all the changes that the new school year brings.  We’ve discussed everything from cleaning out the clutter, to keeping up with schedules and preparing for homework.  This week we will discuss how to organize your household chores to free up some of your time for all those activities, lessons and practices and all that homework!  Here are some great tips for getting a great system for those household chores.

Household Cleaning

Designate jobs to each member of your family and keep a calendar of who does what on what day.  Even the little ones can chip in and help out with household chores!  Keep it fun for the kids by making it like a game or creating competitions for who gets done first!  By having each person responsible for one task, it makes it less overwhelming than when one person has to do it all (usually Mom!)

Meal Planning

Create a weekly menu and schedule what meals will be eaten on specific days.  Keep a menu calendar hung up in your kitchen to stay on track.  This alleviates having to scramble at the end of the day to find something to eat and prevent s you from making unhealthy choices by going to the drive-thru!  This will also allow you to defrost things in the morning or throw a meal together in the crock pot for dinner that night.

 *Note- Prepare meals ahead of time or take leftovers and freeze them!  This way when dinner time is compromised because of activities or appointments, you can still feed your family in plenty of time!*

Avoid “pile-ups”

Do you know the color of your countertop?  If you’re like a lot of people, you can’t see it anymore because of the “pile-up” problem.  Tables and countertops tend to become areas where items and papers get piled up.  Avoid this by setting a file system with designated folders or baskets for different items that tend to get piled up, such as: phone messages, mail, keys, and family calendars.

With the new school year come a lot of new responsibilities for both kids and parents.  Between activities, lessons and appointments there is less time to do the necessary chores of the home.  However, if you can create your own home system that works for your family chores and tasks, it may help to avoid the overwhelming feelings that the new school year can bring.

Terry Neff is the owner of UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA. He is an expert on relocation and the ins and out of this tough life change. To contact Terry, call 610-997-8648 or visit www.unitsstorage.com.

Eliminate Homework Stress – Get Organized for Back to School

By: Terry Neff
UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA

Let’s discuss every child’s worst nightmare… HOMEWORK!  Homework is a chore for both students and parents; students may be the ones doing the homework but parents many times help out with doing it and check it once it’s done.  This can cause both parents and kids to think that homework=headache!  Here are some great ideas to keep homework a more organized task for both kids and parents.

Create a Homework Spot

Decide on the best spot in the house for your child to sit and do their homework based on their work and study habits.  Ask yourself these questions and find the right solutions for your child:

1. Does your child work best sitting at a desk or curled up on the couch?
2. Does your child work best when they are alone or around the rest of the family?
3. What supplies will they need to do their homework successfully?  (Such as: pens, pencils, markers, crayons, scissors, a calculator, etc.)

*Note- Ask your child’s teacher what supplies they will need for assignments throughout the whole year to ensure your child is well prepared*

 Create a “School Paper System”

There are some papers your child will bring home requiring you to fill out and return and some that you will keep just for a reference.  Having a system to differentiate between the many papers your child brings home will keep you organized and you will avoid rummaging through everything looking for that one paper you need!

1. Papers for Reference Only- Have a binder designated for papers such as classroom lists and schedules, scheduled activities, and school contact information to refer back to as needed.
2. Papers Requiring Action- Have a designated folder that you can check every day for papers needing to be returned to school (such as: permission slips, checked homework, or any notes from the school that need to be signed and returned.)
3. Papers to keep as Keepsakes- Have a binder (a three-ring one works great) with dividers for anything your child brings home that you want to keep as a memento (such as: poems, stories, or artwork.)

Homework can be a stressful task for both kids and their parents.   By creating a homework station and having a system for all the papers you can expect to get this year, you can keep yourself organized and prevent the homework=headache feelings!

Terry Neff is the owner of UNITS Mobile Storage of Eastern PA. He is an expert on relocation and the ins and out of this tough life change. To contact Terry, call 610-997-8648 or visit www.unitsstorage.com.