12/26/2022
Merry Day After Christmas, friends! The day and week after a holiday can present the best opportunity to get organized, take inventory, and set yourself up for success. Here are 5 things to do the day (or week) after Christmas that will take you less than an hour and pay in unmeasurable dividends when it comes to your budget, state of household, and peace of mind.
Enter Your Receipts:
The week before Christmas yields a high volume of unusual buys, last minute splurges, and unexpected needs. So it’s a good idea to clear through your wallet/ purse, to locate those receipts. Note: This is also a great time to organize gift receipts and decide what if anything needs to be returned to the store.
Wash New Clothes & Declutter Drawers:
Rather than wait for weeks to take off the tags and launder them, go ahead and knock out that task today. But first, before you removing the tags try on everything to make sure it fits. Then get down to business washing, drying, and folding. As you put them away, remove items at a 1 to 1 ratio. As a new pair of PJs goes into the drawer, take out a pair that doesn’t fit or is worn down, and donate or pass along to someone else. New jeans means you should remove a pair, too. This simple task will keep you from “growing” out of your storage space.
Put Away 4-5 Pieces of Decor:
I know some people take their tree down on December 25th, but I love leaving up our Christmas tree and decor until after New Year’s Day. There’s just something special about the sparkle of lights as you countdown to a new year. However, it’s a good idea to go ahead and start the clean up today. Choose 4 or 5 items to stow away or at least organize into one place. I tucked away our advent wreath and took some of the smaller knick knacks from our kitchen. You may want to leave up your tree with its twinkling lights but take off the ornaments. Today spend 10-15 minutes putting away a few pieces of decor so that you’re not left with a mammoth task on January 1. You can repeat this effort each day between now and NYE and your final clean up will be a snap
Consolidate & Organize Your Fridge:
Delicious dinners and bountiful breakfasts consumed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day might mean your refrigerator is bursting at the seams. Take 15 minutes to pair down large casserole dishes into smaller containers. Put items that need to be eaten first toward the front in see through containers so that you remember them before they spoil. Spending 10-15 minutes on this task will help you make the most of your holiday grocery budget.
Plan Your Christmas Cash/Gift Card Attack
Be smart about making the most of it. The day after Christmas is the perfect day to total your haul and make a concerted effort toward managing it well. Take into consideration your financial situation (pay off that debt, yo!), current needs, and upcoming expenses.
