Organize by the Month Blog

Once you’ve completed the steps in Part 1 and Part 2 (see links below to review them) it’s time for the fun part – shopping! Impulse shopping, especially at Halloween, is a lot of fun but in the long run you usually end up regretting having spent more money than you planned and/or buying way too many items with no where to store them the rest of the year. 

Take your list from Parts 1 & 2, then add some of the information listed below. Now you’ll be ready to head to the store for some fun shopping without too many regrets once Halloween is over.

Shopping Tips

1. Decide on a budget before heading to the store.
2. If buying costumes know approximate size of each person.
3. Make a written list of what you plan to buy. It will help keep you focused and reduce the amount of impulse buying.
4. If your child isn’t sure what he/she wants just yet then it’s okay to window shop a couple of times.  Don’t wait too long or the costumes will be picked over.
5. If you are adding to what you already have you might want to take a picture and print it out or take one on your phone to look at while you’re at the store.
6. Be aware of potential safety issues before buying costumes or decorations. You can check out my articles and/or eBook listed below.

Articles:

• Halloween Decorating Safety Tips
• Halloween Safety Tips for Children’s Costumes

eBook:

The “How To Have A Fun, Safe, And Decluttered Halloween”eBook is now available for the PC, Kindle, and Nook. It’s a witches brew of tips on decorations, costumes, and treats. Get it now before you head to the store.

Janice 

Countdown to Halloween Series Part 1

Countdown to Halloween Series Part 2

This is the second part of this series. If you missed the first one you can read it here.

In Part 2 of this series I explain how to set up a planner and calendar so you can prepare ahead of time for those school parties and trick-or-treaters. I know setting up a planner sounds like the boring part of Halloween and I agree, it is. But spending a little time now to write out a schedule of what you want to get done and when can make all the difference in enjoying the holiday or stressing out about it.

“A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there.” ~ H. Stanley Judd

If you have been reading my newsletters or articles you probably know that I love to use a 3-ring notebook whenever I have an event to plan for. This includes vacations, holidays, and weddings or other special events.

For Halloween you can either use a separate notebook or put the information in a section of a larger notebook you have set up for all the upcoming holidays. Here is a brief explanation of how to set up this notebook then below that I’ll give you suggestions on how to customize it for Halloween.

What you will need:

1. A 3-ring notebook. A small one (1/2 inch) for individual holidays or a larger one for all the upcoming holidays (2-3 inches).
2. If you are using a larger notebook you’ll need some 3-ring binder pockets to hold loose papers for each holiday. They can also be used as dividers.
3. Notebook paper to write out your plans, schedule, and shopping lists on.
4. A calendar or printed copy of the month of October.

Setting up the planner:

1. Mark the dates for each party or event on the calendar.
2. Work backwards from these dates and start listing on the notebook paper all the things you want to get done to prepare for them. For example; write down what needs to be down last minute and/or the week before. Then write down what can be done two weeks before and three weeks before the date.
3. Create a shopping list for each party or event scheduled. If you started a shopping list in Part 1 of this series you will want to put it with this list. Once the lists are done you can prioritize what needs to be purchased this week and what can wait until next week. For example; if you are having a party and mailing out invitations you will want to purchase them now.
4. Each week go through what you want to get done that week. If you need to mark something on the calendar you can do it at that time. For example; your shopping day, post office to mail invitations, ordering items online. This way they can be worked into your routine for that day or week.

The more that can be done ahead of time the less overwhelmed you will be during the last week before Halloween.

One thing to remember is that the plans are written on notebook paper and not in stone. Many people are afraid to write a schedule because if they don’t meet their set dates they feel like a failure. I write lots of lists and struggle with this feeling all the time. But I have learned that a planner is a road map (as stated in the quote above) or guideline that helps keep me focused and on track.

In Part 3 of this series I’ll give you some tips on shopping for those decorations and costumes.

This is where I promote my eBook “How To Have A Fun, Safe, And Decluttered Halloween”. It is loaded with lots of safety and storage (decluttering) tips on decorations, costumes, and treats. Of course you can find most of these tips on the internet but I’ve already done the research for you. It’s only $5.99 and has 29 pages (PDF version) filled with tips. It’s available for your PC (PDF) or Kindle or Nook. Go check out the table of contents to see if these tips are what you are looking for.

The “How To Have A Fun, Safe, And Decluttered Halloween” eBook is now available for the PC, Kindle, and Nook. It’s a witches brew of tips on decorations, costumes, and treats. Get it now before you head to the store.

Happy Halloween!

Janice

Countdown to Halloween Series Part 1

This blog series will help take you on a Halloween organizing journey through the whole month of October. You’ll be able to enjoy the process of decorating your home, making or buying costumes, and planning for parties and/or trick-or-treating without a crazy last minute rush.

I will be giving suggestions on what you can do each week.  Be sure to get your children involved so they can have fun with this holiday. I welcome any suggestions, ideas, or questions you have to offer. It’s not only fun to know how other people prepare for Halloween, it’s also helpful.  We learn from each other’s experiences.  Please share your contributions in the comment section. Thanks.

The first step in preparing for Halloween is to check what you already have in storage. Since decorations and costumes are items that are only out during the month of October that means them have been in storage for eleven months.  Out of sight, out of mind! Do you remember exactly what and how much is there?  I know I don’t.

Now is the time pull out those boxes hidden in the basement, attic, or back of a closet. If you have a lot of boxes you may want to pull out only one at a time.  Go through the steps below to determine what you are keeping then move on to another box.

Don’t buy anything until you know what you already have. Check to see if last year’s costume will fit or if your children would even want to wear it this year.  Is there any part of last year’s costume that can be used this year?  Now is the time to get those creative juices going.

Costumes:

1. Check to see what you have and what fits.
2. Throw away broken or torn ones.
3. Ask your children what they want to dress up for this year before going to the stores. Be aware that they will probably change their minds several times in the next few weeks.
4. Check to see if you can use any costume or accessories from last year. Sometimes you can create a whole new costume with what you already have plus a few additional accessories.
5. Keep any item that you or your children may use this year. Give away those items that are out-grown or not wanted anymore but are still in good shape.

Decorations:

1. Check to see what you already have before going to the store. They’ve been in storage a long time (11 months) and you might not remember everything.
2. Get rid of any broken items unless you plan on repairing them as soon as possible.
3. Any you don’t want to keep but are in good shape put in a bag or box to take to a charity.
4. Decide how and where you plan on putting your decorations.
5. If you don’t want to put them up just yet you may want to make a list of where they will go. For example, indoors or out, family/living room, kitchen, etc.
6. If you know what you need or want to add to the decorating start making a shopping list now.

Once you have gone through the costumes and decorations be sure to take the “give away” ones to a charity as soon as possible.  You can also Freecycle or sell them if you chose. Don’t wait until after the holiday.  There are plenty of children who would love to dress up in those outgrown costumes.

In Part 2 of this series I’ll talk about making a written planner.  Any time there is a holiday, party, or other event on the calendar I like to create a planner by working from that date backwards to try to prevent the last minute chaotic rush.

http://organizebythemonth.com/countdown-to-halloween-series-part-2/

Janice

The “How To Have A Fun, Safe, And Decluttered Halloween” eBook is now available for the PC, Kindle, and Nook. It’s a witches brew of tips on decorations, costumes, and treats. Get it now.