I’m baaack!   I took a little time off to enjoy my visiting parents for Thanksgiving while Carol was gracious enough to cover my fanny.  Thank you Carol!!

I have been sharing a lot over the last few weeks about the ongoing process of redecorating my new office space (my son’s old bedroom) while trying to save money.  I hesitate to call my project “complete” because I am in a constant state of changing, revamping and adding new thrift store finds.  So I will call it complete for now.

Work, kids, spouses, friends, volunteering…it can become overwhelming at times. We all have our little tricks for handling our busy lives. Here are my top 15 tricks that I use every day to simplify my sometimes-crazy life! What’s your favorite tip to simplify your life?

Here is some simple advice for decluttering your drawer, closet, or room. Before you start, label 3 areas or boxes with “Keep”, “Recycle or Toss”, and “Donate”. Every item must fit into one of the 3 categories. Then follow these 4 simple guidelines and you’ll have that space neat and clean in no time.

Purge, purge, purge. Organize, organize, organize. Those six little words have summed up my life for the last 6 months. My husband and I are selling our house of 15 years with the hopes of downsizing, simplifying, and getting out from under the large mortgage payment. The kids are either in college or on their own, so it’s a good time to sell…if only the economy would work with us!

Depending on where you live in the country, you may be faced with an emergency such as a flood, an earthquake, a tornado, a snowstorm or a blackout.  Being organized and prepared for an emergency is half the battle.  Keep your emergency supplies in one location, either in a storage bin or in a suitcase, and make sure every family member knows where it is. Everyone in your home should know how to shut off the gas and water.