Holiday Tips to Plan Ahead - Part 1

 

Do the holidays make you crazy and stressed? As a holiday concierge based in Houston, TX we try to ease my client's stresses the best we can by helping them plan out their holidays and prep early. Utilize a professional organizer or concierge to help you during the holidays, believe me it will save you a ton of time and headaches. 

Here are a few things that you can do now to prep ahead. 

1. Order your holiday cards
2. Order stamps
3. Avoid holiday stresses by doing these things

What do you do to plan ahead for the holidays?

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#1 Tips & Tricks for an Organized Thanksgiving from NAPO Houston Professional Organizers

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? I know it is still a little over a month away, but now is  a great time to start thinking about it in order to be prepared and ready for everything that the holiday season entails. I asked my fellow NAPO Houston professional organizers what some of their #1 tips were and here is what they had to say. 

Amy Vance of Eco Modern Concierge: "Stock up on stain removers for whatever stains may happen like red wine, food, markers / crayons from kids, etc." 

Nikki Bell of Just Organized by Nikki: "Check expiration dates on spices and pantry items. Running out to the grocery store during the rush is never fun."

Helen Schutz of HBS Organizing: "Try to get a head start on your meal planning - if ordering out, allow 2-3 weeks before Thanksgiving to place your orders early."

Laura Gunn of Strategic Hourglass Solutions: "Make and freeze ahead what you can. Lots of desserts and some side dishes fit the bill for this."

Blanka Molnar of Your Sorted Space: "Use a holiday planner and break your To-do-list (I like to use “to-achieve-list“) down. What can you do a month before Thanksgiving or 3 weeks before Thanksgiving."

Neitra Blair of Organizing Lifestyles: "The holidays are good for getting rid of unused Tupperware and Togo containers. Your guest can use those to take good home"

Ellen Delap of Professional-Organizer.com: "Buy holiday serving pieces to give away with treats."

Mary Jo Contello of Organized by MJ: "Start planning the menu and assign guest task/items to make so everyone can enjoy the day."

Tammy Atchison of The Busy Corner: "If you have family traditions and recipes, take time to write them down and keep them together for the future. Many years ago my mom was unable to prepare /host Thanksgiving dinner due to an awful case of shingles. We were clueless...lol...any way, mom was able to tell us everything from recipes to what serving dishes. Success  My admin sister typed up a word document on “How to Prepare Mom’s Thanksgiving Dinner” from that year on we use that to help her, we had no idea how much work it was, she made it look so easy."

Linda Cresswell of Shelf Genie: "Get your order in now so your glide out shelving is in for the holidays. ShelfGenie. 832-666-6391"

Nancy Devlin of Efficient Living, Inc: "In my family for Thanksgiving, we set a nice formal table. Begin 2 weeks before Thanksgiving: polish silver, clean china and crystal and iron tablecloths and napkins. Use all of your nice table settings and decor that doesn't get used often!"

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Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

Holiday Money Saving Tips & Tricks

During the holidays it can be a super stressful time for many people especially when it comes to money.   As a professional organizer and concierge I am always thinking with my clients in mind and trying to be several steps ahead of the game. Here are some various holiday money saving tips and tricks that you can start implementing and trying to get ahead of the game.

Start buying gift cards now to use towards holiday gifts, events, etc. in November & December. Often times gift cards go on sale through different retailers around holiday times like Father's Day, Labor Day, etc. or you can double, triple or quadruple fuel reward points at certain grocery stores throughout the year. Buy gift cards early for places you know you will shop, dine or attend events for during the holidays so you are not as stressed out when it comes to the holidays.

Paying for certain holiday services early will often give you bigger discounts. Many holiday light companies in Houston offer discounts anywhere from 50-75% off if you get your lights installed at the end of October versus in late November and December. Just because you have them installed doesn't mean you have to turn them on. Also, some Christmas tree companies will give you a discount if you pre-order your Christmas tree early. Many photographers will offer discounts for holiday photos if you book early.

Go to training schools to get self-care services like hair, massage, etc. Many people like to partake in various self care services during the holidays to prep for events, relieve stress, etc. If you are trying to save money consider going to training schools that offer services like massage, hair, etc. to receive their services at a greatly discounted price. 

Always ask stores for discounts and to price compare. Many stores will price compare, take expired coupons, discount various items if a box is damaged and sometimes you can even add on a coupon after price matching for even bigger discounts. It doesn't hurt to ask, and the worst that can happen is the manager says no. 

If you are hosting a party and are serving guests buffet style, put filler foods towards the beginning of the line. Start off the line with foods in the front like breads, pasta, chips, egg based casseroles, fruits  & veggies, etc. These are often inexpensive items you can get from the store and people tend to fill up their plates a lot with foods at the beginning of the line and then they fill fuller so you can spend less and offer less portions on more expensive food items like meat, fish, etc. 

Utilize neighborhood Facebook groups for various services. Many neighborhood Facebook groups post that their kids are off from college, need a little extra cash, etc. and offer various services like babysitting, yard work, light hanging, assembling toys, etc. I have personally used many high school kids that help various home projects. It is inexpensive and great way to help them out.

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Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Eco Modern Concierge Featured On The Zoe Report

Way back in June I was asked to contribute to an article for The Zoe Report on How to Organize Your Pantry, No Matter the Size (Or Budget). Of course I said yes! They asked because I am a professional organizer and needed quick tips. Pantries are probably one of our most requested organizing areas and we organize them ALL the time. Plus, with the holidays around the corner now is perfect time to start organizing your pantry. I love when I get asked to contribute to various articles. There are so many things you can do to help you get on organized pantry.

How do you organize your pantry?

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Houston Professional Organizer // Client Whole House Organization Jewelry Organization

Jewelry organizing is one of those things that there is usually not a perfect solution that we use time and time again because everyone has such a different amount and types of jewelry. With this client we slowly worked through her whole house last year and one of the times I was there we worked on her jewelry. I organized all her earrings (this is only one picture, there was actually a stack of acrylic drawers that had earrings in them as well) We put a lot of the statement earrings on this jewelry organizer and smaller earrings like studs in the acrylic drawers like these. 

Here is what I did to organize the jewelry:

1. Sort all jewelry
2. Match like pairs together
3. Organize on the accordion organizer or in the acrylic jewelry drawers

How do you organize your jewelry? 

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Houston Professional Organizer's Holiday Binder to Help You Get Organized During The Holidays

Every holiday season (and throughout the year) I use a holiday binder in order to help me stay on top of all things holiday and keep me organized. That way have a go to place to keep my calendars, shopping lists, card list, receipts, etc. I also like to keep envelopes with money in them for things that I want to do during the holidays or tips I need to give to service people during the holidays. 

I sell these holiday binders on the Eco Modern Concierge Etsy shop. 

Get organized for the holidays with this holiday binder

28 pages include:

• Thanksgiving timeline
• Thanksgiving menu planning
• Thanksgiving grocery list
• Thanksgiving gratitude list
• Frindsgiving guest list
• Hanukkah menu planning
• Hanukkah grocery list
• Christmas menu planning
• Christmas grocery list
• New Years grocery list
• New Years menu planning
• Shopping list
• Holiday packing list
• Holiday mailing list
• Holiday bucket list
• Holiday kids to-do list
• Holiday to-do list
• Holiday interior decorations plan
• Holiday exterior decorations plan
• Holiday party planning checklist
• Holiday party planning notes
• Holiday restock list
• Holiday ideas
• Holiday gratitude list
• Holiday notes
• Holiday give back ideas
• Holiday travel itinerary 
• Holiday travel tips
• 4 recipe cards with sheet protectors
• 2 clear letter sized pocket pouches
• 1 clear zippered pencil pouch
• 2 blank calendar pages
• 1 binder

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How to Stay Organized During the Halloween Season

I don't know about you, but once October hits in our business and household things start to speed up a little more than usual. We are constantly helping concierge and organizing clients during the holiday season and it is important to stay organized in order to make sure you get everything done and stay a little less stressed, including during the Halloween season.

Use a blank calendar to keep track of everything you will be doing in regards to Halloween. This includes parties, making costumes, school events, fall festivals / carnivals, etc. I know things my look different this year for some cities and states because of COVID, but it is still good to have a plan.

Set deadlines and goals for yourself. If you are making your costume &/or your kids costume, plan ahead on a calendar of when things to get done by. If you are hosting a party plan on the calendar what you need to do, days you need to start prepping, supplies, etc,.

Pick and day and time you will get pumpkins. If you are usually last minute and are a hurry to just pick something up in order to carve pumpkins or you feel obligated, then plan day you will actually go and get pumpkins.

Gather and organize Halloween decorations. Gather all of your decorations if they are spread out in different areas and organize them, get rid of what you don't need and make a list of things you want to get.

Make sure you have a plan for the night of Halloween. Will you be taking the kids trick or treating? Will you be staying home passing out candy? Will you be going out to a Halloween party? Will you be staying home with the lights turned off?

Make sure your pets are safe during Halloween. Make sure there are not plants or food within reach of them if they are prone to getting into things, make sure to keep them inside on Halloween night, etc.

Clean up your messes. Whether you are cooking, doing school projects, prepping for a party, making costumes, etc., be sure to clean up as you go.

Opt for eco options. Take reusable bags or pumpkins when trick or treating, opt for healthier candy options, buy used costumes, etc.

Have an easy dinner ready to go for Halloween night. Have something easy and quick to make for Halloween night. Growing up we always had chili and now my husband and I usually make Frito pie on Halloween night.

Organize and store everything at the end of the season. At the end of the season get rid of broken, torn or no longer wanted Halloween items. Properly store, organize and label Halloween bins, so you know exactly where everything is for the following year.

Photo by Scott Webb from Pexels

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