With 2019 just around the corner, you’re probably starting to turn your attention to New Year’s resolutions. Each New Year brings the excitement of new possibilities and opportunities for improvements. Perhaps you’re making goals to be more active, stop smoking or to save more money. Regardless of what your goals are for the upcoming year, we should all use this time to show our home some love too. These suggestions will help you to feel less stressed, more organized and might even help you save some cash!
Purge
When you own a home, it becomes so easy to keep accumulating more and more stuff. You get some new bedding for Christmas, but you hold on to old ones just in case. You keep buying more kitchen gadgets you’ll use only once or twice. You hold on to your children’s toys and old baby clothes because maybe their kids will need them some day. Before you know it your basement and garage have become a storage container. Stop! Go through your entire home, room by room, and get rid of the things you no longer need. If it’s in good condition donate it to a local charity or pass it along to a family member that can use it. Everything else can go in the garbage or be recycled. It’s amazing how freeing it is to get rid of the items that no longer serve you, not to mention all the free space you’ll have!
Get Organized
Now that you’ve got rid of everything you don’t need, it’s time to organize everything you decided to keep. Invest in some quality storage bins and shelving. Everything should have a place. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, just focus on one room at a time. Its easy to go back to old habits, so make sure to purge and organize your home 1-2 times a year to stay on top of it. I promise you it will get easier every time you do it.
Keep your Home Safe
When is the last time you checked the batteries on your fire alarms? Your home may look all clean and organized after sorting through your belongings, but its important to make sure you and your family are safe. Check all of your fire detectors and carbon monoxide alarms to ensure they are all working properly. Is your fire extinguisher up to date? Check to see if the filter on your furnace needs replacing. While you’re at it, check your dryer ducting for dryer lint to avoid a possible fire. If you don’t already have a humidifier in your home, you might want to look into purchasing one with how dry our climate is in Alberta. These are all simple things you can do to prevent a serious incident from happening and to improve the air quality of your home. You might want to go as far as checking your home insurance policy to ensure you are covered if disaster strikes!
Be more ‘Green’
How about doing our part to help the planet as well by making our home more eco-friendly? Consider a smart thermostat to better regulate your homes’ temperature. Switch all of your lighting to LED. Have your windows checked for heat loss – perhaps it’s time to invest in some new windows that are more energy efficient. Check all of the sealing and insulation for your duct-work. Perhaps you have a new home and its doing little things like learning how to recycle properly, turning off lights when they’re not being used or using less water. Every little change helps to reduce our impact on our planet while extending the life of your furnace and saving you some money.
Home Improvements
Perhaps you’ve been neglecting to keep your home updated and you’ve been putting off projects. Show your home some love this year by making those projects a priority. Replace your old stained carpet, repaint your tired oak doors and trim and update those brass fixtures. Perhaps its something as simple as updating some art work or adding some new toss pillows to your sofa. You spend a lot of time in your home and it should be a place that makes you fell happy and relaxed. These are only some suggestions to get you started; feel free to add to our list and comment below!
Happy New Year!