With the house cleaned from Pesach, we already have a head start on my follow-up topic: general organization. Tidying, decluttering, straightening, organizing – whatever term you deem worthy – can be a big stress reducer. In this article, I will explain various tips, tricks, and hacks that I have implemented in my life as a busy, working parent to make life a little less chaotic.
Clutter Conquest
Here’s an
organization basic: When attempting to straighten an area like a closet or home
office, the trick is to stick to that one area. When you find an object that
goes in a different room, leave it in a bin or a pile in the hall outside that
room. As you return various items to other spaces in the house, resist the
temptation to start straightening up here and there. You will wind up with
several semi-tidy areas rather than one completely functional space.
Begin the
straightening by designating three categories: keep, toss, and give
away/donate. With clothes, if an outfit has seen another birthday without
having been worn, perhaps it is time to consider passing it along. Reconsider
what you choose to hold on to if you are aiming to declutter. Bear in mind that
putting things into big storage containers does not always equal organization.
You could just be placing a mess in bins – an organized mess but still a mess.
So be mindful of what you allow to take up mental and physical space in your
life. Flat surfaces, such as countertops, tables, and shelves, attract clutter.
Make sure that those areas are tackled often (i.e. erev Shabbos).
I use small
baskets to organize cutlery drawers in the kitchen, condiments in the
refrigerator, and small toiletry items in the bathroom. Larger bins are good
for storing gloves, hats, scarves, and other winter paraphernalia in the coat
closet. Although many types of fancy containers are available at upscale
establishments, I am a fan of dollar stores. Many organization essentials can
be found there at extremely affordable prices.
Sock it to Me
Anyone that has
done laundry knows the sad experience of coming up short a sock’s partner. From
the start, I have had all family members safety pin socks together before
throwing them into the hamper. To simplify sorting children’s socks, select one
color or pattern sock for each child. It is helpful to have separate hampers
for lights, darks, and delicates (and to teach the children to toss their dirty
clothes into the hamper rather than onto the floor!). Those separated loads can
then be thrown into the washer without the hassle of sorting through dirty
clothes.
Another tip with
children, especially if they are close in age, is to get some laundry baskets
from – yes, again – a dollar store. Those baskets can be used for quick storing
of clothing when children are between sizes, which can later be sorted in the appropriate
drawers for a sibling or to make a decision of whether to pass along.
Overwhelming Creativity
So many school
projects come home with your children. One can only hold on to so many things.
This can be approached in two ways: If you want to keep the school creations,
designate an area in the house where each child has a bin for those works of
art. When I was doing this, the rule was that when the bin became overcrowded,
the child that owned said bin needed to take inventory and decide what was not
necessary to hold on to. The second approach is to digitize the projects. There
are plenty of scanner apps available that can help reduce clutter yet hold on
to memories.
Go Google!
While we are on
the topic of technology, one app I have found incredibly useful in running a
household and for keeping life-in-general tidy is Google Keep. There are other
similar, free, user-friendly apps. Google Keep is sort of like a digital
post-it note that gives the user the ability to link someone else to various
lists. I have used Google Keep to archive prior packing lists, home to-do
lists, thank you note lists, shopping lists, mishloach manos lists, Nine Days meal ideas, and holiday menus. Why
reinvent the wheel? I suggest leaving notes to yourself at the end of a holiday
for items needed for the following year.
Of course, if you
don’t want to use Google Keep, you can keep such lists in a designated folder
on your computer or simply do it the tried-and-true old-fashioned way: pen and
paper. Just make sure you know where to find your lists.
Since I mentioned
shopping lists, most stores these days have an app. I use these to price
compare. Disregard this advice if you are looking for that quick, one-stop
shop. But if the plan is to stop at another establishment where you would be
getting certain items anyway, check that store’s app to see which store has the
better bargain.
The
digital sphere can definitely be a place full of negatives, but like most
things in life, find the balance. Make use of your calendar app, alarms (the
only way I can keep track of multiple carpools), and set reminders to be sent
to your email. I have gotten into the habit of setting a reminder eleven months
out for any annual appointments while at that doctor. In that same vein, set
reminders to refill prescriptions prior to running out. You do not want to find
yourself facing a two- or three-day chag
without needed medication. This same strategy can be used for other things on
the never-ending adult task lists: put in a new filter, change your oil,
membership or license renewals, etc.
Menus Are Magic
What to cook
tonight? Growing up, I often heard my father say that the most challenging part
about weekday dinners was not the prep, the shopping, or even the actual
cooking. Rather, it was deciding what to cook each night. I often say that my
surprise that the family needs to eat again every night matches my children’s
surprise regarding bedtime. To avoid having to make this decision every day, I
plan ahead.
If someone walked
in on me while I’m menu planning, their immediate thought would be that I must
be studying for some major exam. Cookbooks are laid out all over my table like
textbooks, along with a pen, paper, and sticky tabs. I have found success for over
a decade using the free apps on my phone to menu plan. These apps are user
friendly, have the ability to link to another user, and create a grocery list
as well: BigOven or Easy Menu Planner are two of them. Find what works for you
in your phone’s app store.
For the visual
learners among us, like me, a dry erase board can be helpful for keeping meal
prep less hectic. I write out my weekly menu along with where to find each
recipe. This at-a-glance setup lets me know if I need to defrost something for
another night’s dinner ahead of time. People walk in the door hungry!
If you have the
budget for it, definitely plan a night to eat out or order in. Otherwise (or in
addition to that), a crock pot is your friend. I cannot tell you how often I
have walked in from a long day at work to the incredible smell of dinner made.
I had forgotten that I assembled the ingredients the night before and put the
meal up that morning before heading out for the day (present self grateful for
past self). I hope that at least one person may find my general weekly dinner
template helpful:
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Sunday:
Shabbos
leftovers
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Monday:
typically
pareve (soups, salads, stews)
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Tuesday:
fish
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Wednesday: meat meal,
usually ground beef/chicken (think burgers, meatloaf, meatballs, taco salad).
If this meal makes a lot, no worries; it will still be good to serve at the
Friday night Shabbos meal.
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Thursday:
typically
dairy because we are about to embark on another Shabbos that is usually meat
meals.
Cooking: from Cans to Cayenne
Once you have the
menu down, you are on to cooking. Assemble all ingredients for the next thing
you will cook on the counter. They will be all ready for you for you when you
decide to move from planning to execution. Double any recipes that are well
liked by household members and freeze the extras. This allows you to add a
freezer dinner into your menu plan, giving you a night off from cooking.
One rule of thumb
I institute is cleaning as I go. Wash utensils after use. Put away ingredients
as they are used. You do not want to wonder, “Did I already add the cayenne?”
When you are in the process of cooking and you notice a household or food item is
running low, add it to your list at that moment. This will reduce the
likelihood of forgetting and being at the store scratching your head, “I know
we needed something.”
With grocery
prices so high, due to inflation, not wasting food goes a long way in keeping
to the budget. For instance, have you ever needed an ingredient for a recipe
that is not sold in the small amount needed? What I do is store what’s left of
the ingredient to use in future recipes. Pricy, fresh herbs can be stored in
small, freezer-friendly containers or bags. If you have leftover tomato paste,
measure tablespoon amounts and freeze. (I am aware that tomato paste is sold in
tubes these days, however, it has to be used up within a certain time frame.)
Make sure you label any items destined for freezer storage. Not many people can
discern frozen parsley from cilantro. Other items to consider freezing are
chopped liver; soups/stews; sauces; some dips; bagels; breads; shredded/sliced
cheeses; raw, marinated proteins that have not been previously frozen; and – it
goes without saying – those items that already come frozen from the store.
Some of us have
had the unfortunate experience of coming across a forgotten can of salsa or
tomato sauce pushed to the back of the fridge that has started growing a layer
of fur – and not from being stored in the cold! When you have used what you
want in a recipe, portion out the leftover sauce in containers for the freezer
to pull out as needed.
Dare I mention
Pesach? For some reason, I find cleaning the fridge the most intimidating of
all the cleaning tasks. At the moment, my refrigerator is still clean, but it
will soon need another cleaning/organizing. A hack that I have implemented over
the past few years is purchasing plastic placemats from a dollar store in place
of shelf liners. This makes cleanup a more manageable task since the plastic
mats easily wipe down in the sink throughout the year and can be inexpensively
replaced when Pesach rolls back around. Take inventory of your fridge, freezer,
and pantry often so you do not inadvertently wind up with seven of the same
item (speaking from experience here!).
Life Hacks Miscellany
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Despite being a morning person, I
like to prepare for my morning self in the evenings as much as possible. Having
the lunches pre-packed and outfits laid out helps alleviate stress, tension,
and the morning rush. This sets a positive tone for the rest of the day.
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Write down or take a picture of
your parking spot in those big store lots, especially if you are going to be
away from your car for a while.
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Take photos on your phone of
important cards such as insurance or driver’s license in the event that you are
without your wallet/purse and need one of those cards.
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Keep a spare outfit for yourself in
your car/stroller/diaper bag. You never know....
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When you are not at home but need
to remember to bring something back, place that item with something you will
more likely remember (i.e., car keys).
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Keep a list of items you have
borrowed or loaned. Whether borrower or lender, people forget.
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When something you need to do
occurs to you, do it right away, if possible. Do not fool yourself into
thinking that you will definitely remember later. Our human brains are limited.
If what has occurred to you cannot be done in that moment, shoot yourself a
text, email, or WhatsApp message to address it when you can.
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If organizing overwhelms you and
you have the budget for it, hire a professional or find a high schooler skilled
in this area and outsource the struggle. My aunt used to say, “Common sense is
not so common.” So, while some of these things come naturally to me, I am well
aware that this is not the case for everyone.
Progress – Not Perfection
Remember, any tidying you are able to do is better
than no tidying at all. Progress, not perfection is a cliché because it works.
Give yourself patience and grace. Do not compare yourself to others’ level of
organization. Comparison is the thief of joy. A system that works for one might
not work for another. We are unique individuals; not cooki
