2024 - HHP - Week 1 - Planning and Paperwork

[Holiday_Mom]

Good morning! Happy September First!

Today we start our planning for the holiday season. Make the plan work for you. Some weeks you’ll be able to get to most things. Other weeks, you won’t. It’s ok. Getting something done ahead of time is better than not getting anything done. I like to think of it as progress and not perfection. Ready?!

All weekly assignments this holiday season come directly from Cyntia Ewer’s Organized Home website. Printables can also be found here.

Week 1 - Planning and Paperwork
Week 2 - Calendar and Creativity
Week 3 - Me & Mine
Week 4 - Close to Home
Week 5 - House Room
Week 6 - Wardrobe
Week 7 - Bed & Bath
Week 8 - Family Space
Week 9 - Public Space
Week 10 - Cooking Space
Week 11 - Food Storage
Week 12 - Dining Space
Week 13 - Entryway
Week 14 - Storage
Week 15 - Final Clean
Week 16 - Nearly There
Week 17 - Celebration
Week 18 - New Year’s

HHP Week 1: Planning Week

This Week's Focus: Planning and Paperwork

• To make a good beginning takes planning. Where do you go to dream, to budget, to plan? This week in the House & Holidays Plan, we turn to our home's planning center. How is it working for you?
• This week, we'll clean, organize and declutter the home office or planning area, and begin the basics of holiday planning: our values, our budget and our gift list.

This Week's Household Checklist

• Declutter and clean the home office or paper handling area. Declutter home office or household paper-handling areas this week. Think STOP--Sort, Toss, Organized and Put away--as you clear clutter from your space. Once free from clutter, clean the workspace for a fresh start to the Plan.
• Set up a basic household filing system. A clean and clutter-free workspace is half the battle; next up in the war on paper clutter? An efficient household filing system. Get up to speed on the ABCs of household paper management in your organized home.

This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist

• Make the promise! Plan time this week to begin preparing for the holiday season. Even 15 minutes three times a week will make a good start on holiday prep.
• Set up a Christmas notebook. Whether it's a simple three-ring binder, a section in a paper planner, or on the computer, make a Christmas planner to hold holiday calendars, checklists and planner pages.
• Focus on family values. Using the Family Values Worksheet, identify and focus the values your celebration will serve.
• Create a Christmas activity center. Whether it's a simple basket or a dedicated space with a comfortable chair, set aside an area for holiday planning.
• Establish a holiday budget. Credit card debt is nobody's idea of a great Christmas gift! This year, set financial limits before you plan the celebration. Tool of choice: a holiday budget form. Keeping tabs on expenditures as you prepare prevents overspending on the holidays.
• Consider a Christmas savings plan. Start now to save money for Christmas. Whether you open a dedicated bank Christmas Club account, set aside cash each week or add to a gift card balance, begin to accumulate funds for holiday spending now. Your wallet will thank you, come January!
• Begin a Master Gift List. Make a master gift list now. In the weeks to come, you'll check it a lot more than twice to organize holiday gift-giving.

What's on your list this week?

 

[jampss]

My list!!

Week 1 - HHP
PLANNING AND PAPERWORK
Declutter Office - clear off computer desk/crafting table; go through bookcase/shelves; give the room a good dusting/sweep.
Filing - paper clutter needs to be filed or tossed?
Home Management - calendar and to do list updated and checked daily/weekly
Budget/Gifts - running list on iPhone
Points - check on points accumulating on various cards to be cashed in during Nov.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Here we go!

This Week's Household Checklist

• Declutter office. We recently did this but already, papers are just sitting around.

This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist

• Plan time this week to begin preparing for the holiday season. I want to set up a realistic time to do this. I'm thinking the 15 minutes daily might be a better plan for me this year. DONE
• Update Christmas notebook. I copied and pasted 2023 spreadsheet to 2024. I just need to delete the old information and put in the new information. DONE
• Focus on family values. I want to do this today or Monday. DONE
• Update Christmas basket. I have a basket with a Christmas candle, Christmas cards and some stamps. I want to add some tea.
• Establish a holiday budget. Need to talk to dh about this. The last few years we've been struggling how to handle gift amounts as our children get older.
• Begin a Master Gift List. I have started this but need to spend more time on it.

 

[happy2bme]

I'm so excited for another year of the plan! I worked so hard last year and ended up having the flu on and off the entire month of December, I barely remember Christmas! This year, I am getting the flu shot!

HOUSEHOLD CHECKLIST:
declutter paper area done

HOLIDAY PREP CHECKLIST:
Update Christmas notebook on my phone done
Establish budget done
Begin Master Gift List not done

 

[luludou]

Household Checklist:
This week will be in starting to wash kitchen cabinets
Cut and freeze veggies for dump soups

Holiday prep
Work on the Christmas ornaments I'm making
Focus on family values
Work on Master gift list
Prep upcoming birthday gifts and while at it prep Christmas $$ cards

 

[Holiday_Mom]

I'm so excited for another year of the plan! I worked so hard last year and ended up having the flu on and off the entire month of December, I barely remember Christmas! This year, I am getting the flu shot!

Great to see you here, Mel! Thanks for the reminder about the flu shot.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

I always love this week for the fresh start and the hopes of the season.

I looked at my calendar for the next few months. Weekends are pretty busy. Recalling how things went last year for me, I'm going to try to mark off Monday through Wednesday as the time to work on the HHP this year. Ideally, I'll spend 30 minutes a night those days to get to things done on the list but will add Thursdays if necessary.

I reviewed my notes from last year and I put them in this year's spreadsheet. I'm so glad I do a post-Christmas debriefing. I forgot about a lot of that stuff.

I cleaned up my Master Gift list. It was a good exercise to do. The older list didn't reflect the gradual changes over the year. Some people were removed. Some people were added. Some people remain. Now to add gift ideas for the family...

 

[Cindylouwho]

So excited we are starting! I am READY for this! The summer weather flickered last week and immediately my mental mindset went to Fall. Still have some hot weather this week so am trying to wrap up the outdoor stuff before the weather "flickers" again. We have a shed to paint and that absolutely needs to happen in this dry spell. Would kinda like to get the indoor painting done too since it is not much and would like it to air out with all the windows open -- even if the paint is low-emission.

Happy2BeMe -- I was sick as a DOG last Christmas also. The worst was at New Years. Also remember a Thanksgiving I was completely sick in bed and missed the whole thing. I'll be getting that flu shot too! Good reminder!

Holiday_Mom -- Me too! Thank goodness I take notes! I need to go read last year's also.

LuLudou -- I cleaned off my cabinets last weeks and was SHOCKED how well Clorox Wipes cut through kitchen grease!! Who knew?



Week 1: Planning & Paperwork (& painting the shed!)

Home:

• Declutter Office / Paperwork Center -- This is a big one. Deep breaths. We are now through some major medical stuff for DH's parents and so much much much paper can go. DH also retired so lots of paper can go with that too. We are going to paint the office this month and completely freshen it up. Even wiping the computer to speed it up. This will take longer than this week.

Holiday:

• Make the promise! Figure out how to best fit this into my schedule this year. / Moving my travel week to-do's further up the calendar.
• Update my digital Christmas notebook -- I'm putting the plan into my Digital Planner in Goodnotes. It should help!. Excited!
• Do the family values exercise. -- Prepped the family that this will happen this week.
• Create a Christmas planning activity center. -- Big dent in that today. House is "clean" but very "cluttered" from a busy summer.
• Establish a holiday budget & start setting aside the cash for Christmas. -- Adult kids here too. Having the same discussion w/ DH.
• Start figuring out what the big gift for the family is going to be. (We usually do one big one that establishes the budget for the rest).
• Begin Master Gift List. -- I've been keeping things noted. Have to go look at my Spreadsheet.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

I reviewed my notes from last year and I put them in this year's spreadsheet. I'm so glad I do a post-Christmas debriefing. I forgot about a lot of that stuff.

This is a must. As I am closing up my Christmas notebook I always ask a few questions. What worked well, what didn't, what needs changing?
A good debriefing is so important moving forward.

 

[luludou]

LuLudou -- I cleaned off my cabinets last weeks and was SHOCKED how well Clorox Wipes cut through kitchen grease!! Who knew?

Great idea to try that on the cabinets above the oven

 

[Holiday_Mom]

This is a must. As I am closing up my Christmas notebook I always ask a few questions. What worked well, what didn't, what needs changing?
A good debriefing is so important moving forward.

Right?! I don't know how many years I thought I would remember things but I didn't until it was too late. I try to apply it to the non-profits that I'm involved with too. Some get the concept and some don't. Then they repeat the same mistakes each year.

 

[girlfromthebog]

this past week has been a whirlwind, but i got a few things done.
Paperwork is the bane of my existence, something i'll have to to continually work on to get away from the mounds of paper in my life.
decluttered some miscellaneous stuff, and had a charity truck come pick up a couple of bags
holiday prep:

• worked on the values exercise... last year was a harried season as it was the start of the end for my mother. now that she's departed this earthly plane, i'm not sure what the holidays will look like this year. will have to start those conversations with my family. we are also traveling this year between xmas and new years so its a very different season and figuring out what's important for us is going to be extra important this year!
• i've set up my Notion pages /notebook, and getting ahead start on the calendar this weekend.

 

[jampss]

The Minimal Mom has some good videos on paper clutter ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ-AWUEixtg3VZITHr2IKP0ehgdOfca5t

 

[Holiday_Mom]

worked on the values exercise... last year was a harried season as it was the start of the end for my mother. now that she's departed this earthly plane, i'm not sure what the holidays will look like this year. will have to start those conversations with my family. we are also traveling this year between xmas and new years so its a very different season and figuring out what's important for us is going to be extra important this year!

I am sorry to hear about the death of your mother. I have experienced the unexpected death of an aunt, cousin and nephew various years between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I found having a written plan like this kept me focused when I couldn't even think.

 

[happy2bme]

The paper areas are organized! Everything seems to end up in the top dresser drawer or the bottom shelf of my bookcase. I need to deal with paperwork as soon as it comes into the house instead of tucking it away for later.

I asked DD for some gift ideas and she said, "can we get through my birthday first?". She turns 30 in a couple of weeks, so I guess I can wait.

Budget is done. I transfer money from each paycheck to my Christmas account from January to the end of October, I have been doing this for years.

 

[Cindylouwho]

The paper areas are organized! Everything seems to end up in the top dresser drawer or the bottom shelf of my bookcase.

.....Budget is done. I transfer money from each paycheck to my Christmas account from January to the end of October, I have been doing this for years.

So are you saying all your papers are organized in 2 places? Like mine are all organized in 2 places: All over our desk and in neat piles all over our office floor? LOL!! . This is a big clean-out year for us with our parents now gone and all of their papers able to be boxed up.. We are now at the front of the line of fire so now we need to organize our papers differently so in case anything ever happens to us the kids have less to sort through. Honestly, it's a little unnerving to officially be the older generation. Re-doing the office I'm hoping will help us both heal from our losses as we have both been avoiding it.

Regarding the budget -- love that you do that. We usually take ours out of savings in the Fall but I kinda wish we did it monthly.

 

[halimer]

it's a little unnerving to officially be the older generation.

It's LOT unnerving. With the passing of DMIL in June there is no one left who is older than me. Scary.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

I need to deal with paperwork as soon as it comes into the house instead of tucking it away for later.

Oh my goodness! I just said that about the mail. As soon as it comes in the house, I have to process it and be realistic about it too.

It's LOT unnerving. With the passing of DMIL in June there is no one left who is older than me. Scary.

I can not imagine, Debbie.

 

[Cindylouwho]

Wrapping up what I got done so I can move this this current week:

Home:

• Declutter Office / Paperwork Center -- That is underway now. It turned out to be very emotional going through what I had left of my parents papers. Sigh. Glad that part is over and the rest is more "our" stuff.

Holiday:

• Make the promise! Figure out how to best fit this into my schedule this year. / DONE.
• Update my digital Christmas notebook -- DONE. Will be part of my downtime messing with it this season.
• Do the family values exercise. -- DONE.
• Create a Christmas planning activity center. -- We painted this Shed instead. DONE!! (Thrilled that is done and it looks great! Rained the next day!). Activity center moves to Week 2.
• Establish a holiday budget & start setting aside the cash for Christmas. -- This is a moving target right now. Will see where things are in Oct.
• Start figuring out what the big gift for the family is going to be. (Thinking... it might be airplane tix to get everyone here.).
• Begin Master Gift List. -- UNDERWAY. Needs work.

Also reviewed last year's notes and confirmed last year was a disaster and don't know how on earth we pulled off Christmas. (Yeah I do -- it's cuz of this board!)

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Also reviewed last year's notes and confirmed last year was a disaster and don't know how on earth we pulled off Christmas. (Yeah I do -- it's cuz of this board!)

This made me laugh!