organization goals for 2013.

Hello, 2013.  Last year, I based my goals around making our townhouse an efficient, organized place to live.  I'm happy to say that we're going into 2013 a little ahead of the organizing game!  Here's what I did well and what I'm planning for the year ahead:

1. Using calendars- both paper and digital- to stay organized.  If it takes a wall calendar, two day planners (the big one is for school, the small one is for blogging- both are from Wal Mart), Google calendar, and the ColorNote app on my phone to keep my personal, work, and blogger lives organized, then so be it.  I don't have a great memory, but I can be great at writing things down.

2. Using a bulletin board to keep invitations and appointments visible.  And pictures of my friends' cute babies, of course.

3. Keeping my clothes and accessories organized to make getting ready in the morning quicker and easier.  I found a jewelry organizer at Target that is basically a knock-off of PBTeen's Chloe rotating organizer at a much more affordable price.  Not having to untangle necklaces or search through a jumble of earrings in the mornings is really helpful.  My next steps are getting rid of wire and cheapo plastic hangers in my closet and paring down my wardrobe to the most versatile pieces.  I really like the idea of capsule wardrobes and I am thinking about taking on a 30x30 challenge this year!

4. Organized food storage.  We bought this spice rack from Stacks and Stacks and clear containers for cereal, flax meal, flour, and sugar.  Our kitchen cabinets are much more organized, which makes meal prep more efficient.  This year, I'd like to get some plastic baskets to organize the baking supplies in our cabinets and small items in the refrigerator.

5. Healthy cleaning products.  We use Seventh Generation dishwashing pacs, laundry detergent and fabric softener.  This year, I'm on the lookout for earth- and people-friendly kitchen and shower cleaning products - I've seen a few DIY formulas on Pinterest that I'd like to try.

My new organization goals for 2013:

1. More awareness about our finances.  Using our credit union's online tools and text messaging features has helped me keep track of spending.  This year, my goals are to keep better track of when bills are taken out of our bank account, to continue to use couponing and meal planning to save money on groceries and eat out less, and to learn about retirement options outside of the state plan for teachers.  I also want to add some sort of in/out box to our kitchen wall command center.

2. Committing to home decor and organization projects.  This year, I want to finish decorating the upstairs level of our town house - I'm looking forward to bringing some DIY projects I've had in mind into the real world!  I also want to find a solution to storing seasonal items (Independence day wreath, fake pumpkins, etc.) in our small townhouse - currently they are kind of all over the place.