Now that Thanksgiving is over and you’ve recovered from the overcrowded Black Friday sales, it’s time to get ready for the party you’ve been planning to have this holiday season. Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your menu and decorate your home for the holidays. However, before you decorate, you may need to declutter! Now is the perfect time to take a good look at your home and decide on how you would like things arranged and organized on the big day. Unless you’re fortunate to have abundant space, you may need to move some things around and even remove some items to accommodate all of your guests. Here are a few tips to get organized as you approach the day of your holiday party:

1.       Mail your invitations 2-4 weeks before the party

2.       Plan your menu at least 2 weeks before the party

3.       Begin decluttering your entertaining areas, one space at a time

4.       Make sure you have enough serving platters and an area to serve beverages

5.       If families are invited, clear an area for children, so that they feel comfortable

6.       Decide on furniture arrangement before the day of the party

7.       Decorate your home for the holidays for a festive touch

8.       Follow-up with guests who have not responded at least 4 days before the party

9.      Begin preparing menu items that can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator or freezer.    You’ll be so glad you did!

On the day of the party, if you were able to get most of these tasks done, you’ll feel far more organized and ready for your guests.  Click here to see some kitchen and bar organizers for entertaining.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers Time Management workshops to businesses to maximize productivity.  Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

While entertaining are you embarrassed to open your kitchen cabinet doors for fear your guests will see how cluttered they are? 

Even though the holidays are coming up, it’s still not too late to have organized kitchen cabinets.  If you have deep or tall cabinets with very little shelves, or limited space, you can purchase practical and attractive sliding cabinet drawers, which you can install yourself, without the need of a handyman.  Store your dish washing supplies, cleaning products, pots and pans and more.   

Sliding cabinet drawers can also be used in deep pantries to store non-perishable food items.  There are several sizes and designs available at various price points, so measure your cabinets and pick the ones that work for you.

Also, don’t forget your drawers.  If you have  some chaotic junk drawers, spend an  hour or so cleaning them out and purge and  reorganize your supplies using a drawer  organizer. 

Get Organized today and shop for these and more kitchen organizers at HomeStorageWarehouse.com. 

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners and businesses how to reclaim their time and space. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

You’re planning a party shortly and have created a menu. Next, you will have to figure out what ingredients you need, how much you need and when to buy.  However, one of the most challenging aspects of entertaining is preparing all the recipes to be ready at the same time!  This requires time, a lot of preparation and occasionally a little help.  Don’t feel compelled to do it all.  Help can come in a couple of different ways:

§ Already prepared meals from your local store

§ A family member or friend helping you in the kitchen, or

§ A guest bringing a dish to share. 

Whichever combination works for you is great, but all still require some planning. If you will be preparing most of the food yourself, many recipes can be prepared the day before, a week before or even sometimes weeks before, and stored in the freezer. Check your recipes to see which ones can be prepared in advance. Then be sure you have some good quality plastic containers to store your meals in the refrigerator or freezer.  Try storage containers like the ones here from Freshvac. They come with an air tight seal that also lets air out and prevents freezer burn.   

Click here to learn more about these wonderful containers. By using the right containers, you will save time, money and stress!

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners and businesses how to reclaim their time and space. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to never break a sweat when planning a party?  If you would love to host more parties, but find the whole process to be overwhelming; realize that with proper preparation and systems, it doesn’t have to be that way.  You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to host a great party!

The holidays are just around the corner, so if you begin planning now you can eliminate the stress of holiday entertaining. Begin by reviewing all of your recipes.  Try to be open to new possibilities by looking at a variety of recipes and even trying something new.  It doesn’t have to be a “holiday recipe” to be served at a holiday party.  Here are some tips to organizing your favorite recipes as you prepare for the upcoming holiday season:

- Begin by reviewing the recipes you already have.  If you don’t have a vast cookbook selection with classic recipes, try searching on the web to find recipes that you can print at no charge.

- Purchase a 3-hole ring binder and divide your recipes by category, e.g. chicken, vegetarian, desserts etc.

- After entertaining, determine the recipes that the guests loved and transfer them to a special recipe collection book or album, like the ones pictured here.  These albums are perfect for storing special recipes, especially those that have been passed down from generations.  They also make great gifts!   

Find these and other memory related books here at HomeStorageWarehouse.com  
 

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners and businesses how to reclaim their time and space. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.