getting organised for 2018

[catty]

I say this every year but this year is my year to be organised!

Iv bought a diary/organiser. Iv wrote in when i need to take holidays from work and birthdays.
Theres judt so many different areas to organise where to begin!

I need to get everyones addresses every time its a grandma or aunties bday/xmas i never have then i have to ask my mum and shes like AGAINNN i told you last time. So im actually writing it down for once!

I need to get all my important documents and update what needs to be kept and keep it extra safe. Like the last time i needed parental leave and found id lost my daughters birth certificate!

So basically every aspect of my life i want to organise

Im going to update as and when i manage.
Anyone got any hacks or want to join in.

 

[LoraLoo]

That's a good idea. I bought an organiser but ironically...i lost it lol. I'm good with remembering birthdays etc but the kids school and club stuff, and drs dentist appts etc is overwhelming so i really need to get them all wrote down in one place.
I also need to get organised more for xmas and the kids birthdays as the second half of the year is a nightmare for me and so expensive and planning ahead will definitely help.

 

[AngelUK]

This is a great idea for a thread and I am going to follow for ideas.

Here is maybe an idea for Xmas: A few years ago, I copied out all my mum's addresses for people to whom she writes Christmas cards to and made it into a list with a table (boxes) so that she could tick them off as and when she wrote to them (she has so many that she writes in batches) and enough room for a little note whether they wrote back to her. I then printed it out for her with enough space for a few years' worth of ticks and comments. It would have been easier to leave this on a computer as a spreadsheet as things do change over the years but mum is not that handy with those. But maybe you are and this could work for you? My mum loved it while it lasted.

 

[catty]

I find the financial side of things can be overwhelming and if i budgeted it over the year it would be so much easier. My daughters and my bday is june, sons July and husbands August alongside summer expenses i feek this is an area of the year i really need to get better with.
I also find i never save any money for school holidays which can leave us bored at times or me spending to much on days out and struggling end of the month when i could have cut down a little other weeks and kept money for it.

Angel thats a great idea!i only send about 5 in the post but would be so handy for the neighbours as sometimes they send there name but dont write housenumber and iv not a clue who anyone is haha. Would be good if i can find out names and actually remember who to write on the cards! (And who gave me back would be handy too)

 

[babyv13]

i'm also following this thread for ideas! every year i hate myself for forgetting to send cards for birthdays, i really want to keep a note of everyone's birthday and maybe buy all the cards in advance and have them written, sealed and a stamp on them ready to post on the date. i never actually do it though

i'm the same with asking my mum for addresses on the rare occasions i do remember to send things to people

 

[c1403]

I love being organised but it's getting a bit hectic with DH now working to a rota, DD being in school.
I have an organiser and rely heavily on my phone's calendar. I can put everything in my phone and colour code it blue-DH, Red-DD1, Purple-Me and Green-DD2.
For the house I got a white board from Wilko for £5 with the days of the week. I plan our meals weekly so food shopping I don't go crazy, I also put DH shifts and any appointments for the week so DH can see (he isn't very organised)
With our finances we have just been told our overdraft is being reduced so I've had to document every spend to make sure we don't go over and get charged. This is all on excel and I check our bank every night to keep up to date.
We don't have many birthdays to worry about but the girls are invited to sooo many parties, I'm thinking to stock up on birthday cards and little gifts (I don't spend more than £5)
All sounds a bit OTT now lol but I do love it and it's actually what I do for work so isn't a major task.

 

[Mummy2B1989]

I've just bought the 'busy b family organiser' think it used to be called the organised mum.
My kids are now in nursery and primary school so parties playmates and school stuff are constant and i usually forget, so with this diary I have a space for all my thing and there are spaces on the opposite page for up to 4 other people.

I can't wait to start using it properly.

I'm also trying to be more organised with money, I'm going to stop using my card to buy everything cos it builds up and before you know it you've soent a fortune with nothing to show for it so I'm loosely following the cash envelope system except using little mini bulldog clips instead.

Annnd...yesterday I gutted out the only real storage cupboard in my house so I can buy bits and bobs for birthday, anniversaries and Christmas etc throughout the year ☺

Following this for more tips and advice!

I'm going to make sure 2018 is the year for me and my boys.

 

[AngelUK]

Some great ideas here! I like the whiteboard idea cause my OH is the same and relies on me completely!

 

[Bevziibubble]

These sound like great ideas I want to get more organised for 2018 too!

 

[catty]

Another thing i need to get on top of is the recycling (im so glad use are here noone want to talk to me about this stuff haha)
So is it just me or is there now cardboard and tins everywhere!!!! I have a plastic storage thing and i put it in there and then before i know it its overflowing! I need to get into a routine emptying it every day or two.
I also need to get organised with kids clothes, when they outgrow i chuck it into a big cupboard and then every 6 months or so i sort if - thing is it then becomes such a big job. Must get on top of that and donate or give away when i get a small pile.

 

[catty]

So just thought id put it out there the one thing i am consistent with (theres not much)
Every single morning i put a load of washing on first thing. Hang it on the airer straight away or out on the washing line in the warmer months. and then every sunday i do my ironing pile ALWAYS. even if im sick or up late i cant stray from this or it gets too much.

Anything that doesnt need ironed i put on my banister and i put it away when iv a spare minute in the day. I actually do this because if not it gets knocked off the banister so i feel like i have to

 

[JessyG]

We had a cleaning rota about 2 years ago and it worked well until my OH started skipping things on his days off (i used to work on those days). I am thinking of bringing it back though just to keep me right.

I have the whiteboard and up the months activities on it. You can see how well i do at it since it still shows as December!

I want an organiser too so i can write stuff in it and then put it on the whiteboard if i am out and about. I also used to have a weekly food planner board but fell out of routine with that too. I still meal plan but dont write it up anymore so may go back to that too.

So in theory

Organiser book
Whiteboard for months activities
Cleaning rota
Weekly tea time board

 

[AngelUK]

Oh catty I feel for you and the cardboard and the kids clothes! I have several bin bags filled with their old clothes that I want to sort through to see which I can ebay and which I should just donate.
And oh my gosh the cardboard! I order a lot from amazon and they are ridiculous with how they pack their stuff. I need to flatten and bundle it and put in a recycling bag so that the rubbish collection can take it or I can take it to the public tip myself. We are swimming in cardboard after xmas!
As for the ironing, apart from cleaning the oven, there is nothing I hate as much. So I have a huge stack of bed linen that needs doing and I don't want too! WAHH lol So hats off to you!

 

[catty]

Few more things iv made a little list of things each day and its only really 2 days in but going well so far.
1)finally changed my surname at the bank
2) got new house keys cut
3) cleared out me and the kids underwear, who knew i had like 50 pairs, im sure some were like 10 years old - woops!

 

[AngelUK]

Sounds like you made a good start LOL at the undies! I should do the same with my sock drawer. It is SO full and I am sure half of them are singles and/or have holes lol

 

[catty]

Angel my husbands are the same but he wont let me touch them and wont do it himself!!


Todays jobs -
Get birthday pressies for nursery kids parties - done (barbies with dolphin down to £13)
- sort out recycling - not done yet
- get replacement credit card - done

Still have to do alot of big organisation jobs though but im just glad im getting some little handy jobs done

 

[AngelUK]

it is the little jobs that usually accumulate and then just get on top of me. So well done.

I went to The Works today and found 3 nice file storage boxes for only £4 as I really need to sort and file away all the documentation for the house and the bills etc and have another box file for all our appliance warranties and another for bank and tax statements. I am so disorganised at the moment and I am hoping that when I have my study in the new house I will be better able to keep on top of that.

 

[catty]

it is the little jobs that usually accumulate and then just get on top of me. So well done.

I went to The Works today and found 3 nice file storage boxes for only £4 as I really need to sort and file away all the documentation for the house and the bills etc and have another box file for all our appliance warranties and another for bank and tax statements. I am so disorganised at the moment and I am hoping that when I have my study in the new house I will be better able to keep on top of that.

This is a really good idea i definately need to do this too!

 

[LoraLoo]

I hate paperwork. We have a filing cabinet yet it still all ends up getting shoved behind the microwave!
I also do not mind ironing but I hate putting it away. Not sure what the solution to this is?!

 

[catty]

Would one of your older kids do it if you payed them a little?
I remember i did absolutely nothing as a kid but if money was involved was a different story haha