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How to Easily Decorate for Christmas in 1 Day

November 2, 2024 by Amy Slenker-Smith 7 Comments

After Thanksgiving, I decorate for Christmas. As a Christmas decor purist, I find “post-Thanksgiving” the best time to decorate. I cheer for stores like Nordstrom’s that wait until after Thanksgiving. Usually, my decorations appear by early December. Gratitude at Thanksgiving My resistance to decorating before Thanksgiving stems from what has become known as the spending season instead of the holiday season. As a society, we move right past the gratitude holiday into the spending holiday. Kudos to REI who closes on Black Friday and encourages us to get outside. As I simplify, I actually enjoy the holidays more. And I mean all the holidays including Thanksgiving. We focus on the time with family and strive give to those with throughout the year but especially at the holidays. I think it helps our story get better and better as a result. So if you're wondering, "How can my family create a holiday season focused on what matters most?" Start by setting priorities …

How Many Dishes Do You Really Need?

June 3, 2024 by Amy Slenker-Smith 25 Comments

Only three people live in our house and yet we have a lot of dishes. Owning more dishes means more to wash and put away. Is a 12-piece place setting really necessary? What about all the entertaining platters and bowls? With a little work, and my step-by-step guide, you can downsize or better yet, rightsize dishes to serve the needs of your family on a day to day basis.CollectionsI’m embarrassed to admit we own three different types of dishes (everyday, china and Christmas). My husband loves our china so we use it often. But we reduced each set and agreed we won't keep the wedding or Christmas china forever. Neither of us wants our possessions to be a burden to our son. Dishes are a relatively easy place to start. The kitchen is the heartbeat of the home so keeping it clutter-free and organized saves time and money. With clean countertops and organized cabinets, it's also much easier to cook dinner and resist the urge to order takeout. Step-by-Step Guide to Downsize …

10 Benefits of Living In a Smaller House

May 15, 2024 by Amy Slenker-Smith 7 Comments

If you’ve heard my story, then you know that our starter home turned into our forever home. After college, we moved to DC, got married, and started building the American dream. We had two great jobs and a large apartment but it was time to buy a house because we filled the apartment to the brim. Over the years, I learned it’s human nature to fill all the space we have. To this day, I work very hard to not fill spaces in my home. These empty spaces allow my eyes a place to rest. But I have to be intentional and disciplined to prevent them from being filled with more stuff. Our starter home was a single-family, 3 bedroom home. I realize this is not small, but it was smaller than most. And we were being influenced and pressured to buy even more and to push our budget. We loved the neighborhood and location and found something that would not leave us house poor. It became our forever home when we realized there was more to life than taking care of more stuff. But …

5 Effective Habits of Clutter-Free Families

May 6, 2024 by Amy Slenker-Smith 10 Comments

Fighting clutter can feel like a losing battle. After all, there are 300,000 items in the average American home. But decluttering is more about habits than ones ability to get organized. My first piece of advice for clutter-free living is to stop shopping. Stop the inflow. Consider a Shopping Moratorium for 30 days. Experimenting with less reveals how little we really need. Living with less also creates a peaceful sanctuary in our homes. A calm environment at the end of a workday and a place where our eyes can rest, clutter-free from distractions. If you'd like to calm the chaos in your home, start with these 5 habits. Protect Flat Surfaces Flat surfaces attract clutter. And clutter attracts more clutter. The largest flat surface in your home is the floor. Don’t mistake it for storage. Adopt the habit that only furniture belongs on the floor. Pick up trash when it falls. If you have hardwood floors keep a dust mop handy for a quick sweep. Go through the mail outside by …

Why a Disorganized Garage Costs Time and Money

May 6, 2024 by Amy Slenker-Smith 25 Comments

I love a neat and organized garage. But in the US, 82% of homes have two-car garages or larger, but only 15% park the car inside. We use our garage as intended, to house and protect cars. Vehicles are typically worth more than anything stored in messy garages. Let's consider for a moment that our last car purchase, a used SUV, was valued at approximately $25K. This alone motivates me to keep our garage clutter-free but there are other benefits too. 3 Reasons to Clean and Organize Your Garage Curb Appeal - Spring is home buying and selling season. Extra cars and trash cans visible from the street ruin curb appeal and decrease property values. Do you have a neighbor selling their house? Help their sale and your property value by moving trash cans inside. And a late-night trip to the trash can in your pajamas is easier too! Protection from the Elements - In the mid-Atlantic, winters can be cold, rainy, and snowy. Cars parked inside are …

7 Tips for How to Declutter Sentimental Items

April 22, 2024 by Amy Slenker-Smith 7 Comments

The most common question I answer is "How do I declutter sentimental items?" As I learned the hard way, memory-laced stuff is the most difficult to let go of. And many people don't realize they are having trouble letting go because the item is sentimental. Through conversations with my clients I can quickly spot an item that is being held onto for sentimental reasons. What not to do I had a few childhood items that were sold without my permission. Understandably, the seller expected I would not want them. While this is true, we all need time and space to process sentimental items. Time to reminisce about the memories and take photographs. And the opportunity to decide where the items should go. Perhaps passing them on to someone or somewhere specific. So, I won't be selling my husband's Hess Truck collection anytime soon. I'm also accused of not being very sentimental which is completely untrue. I am just very intentional about the sentimental items I keep. The items that …

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