3 Tips for Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is different from organizing. It can seem like such a grueling task to do the whole house, apartment or office. Scheduling it in your calendar will make it less daunting though. Read below for tips on how to schedule and what fits your style better.

Choose whether you’d rather tackle one room at a time or one activity at a time. Cleaning room by room requires you to have all the cleaning supplies out at once for each room. You can see the progress though and it gives you motivation to move to the next room.

Cleaning by activity means choosing something like dusting or washing the windows to do in a day. You won’t have as many cleaning supplies out and you can schedule one or two activities a day depending on your schedule.

Tips for Earth Day

Earth Day is this weekend, on the 22nd, so celebrate in nature. There are tons of videos online and organizations for environmental awareness. With the severe problems that the Earth is having, it may seem impossible to change any of it. There are several ways you can help just by incorporating it in your everyday routine.

Having several houseplants increases the amount of oxygen around and creates a relaxing environment. If you don’t think you could keep up the routine of watering consistently, try succulent plants. They require less maintenance and upkeep. All you have to do is soak the soil and water when the soil is completely dry. Larger plants can last a couple days longer in a dry condition.

Making sure you also prune will ensure more fruit and growth. At Fine Gardening, they give tips and illustrations on the proper way to prune and maintain growth of your garden.

For gardening supplies, try not to lose them throughout the yard. Using bright tape to mark it can help you find it easily. At the end of the day, put all the supplies back in one place. Make sure to also keep them out of kids’ reach, when appropriate.

Paperwork Trails

You’re probably getting tired of me saying this, but family members should know where paperwork is. In case of an emergency, important paperwork should be kept in a safe spot that others can get to. These should be things that not only ensure your livelihood, but the livelihoods of your loved ones after you’re gone.

Some types of paperwork to include are:

·   Social Security Card

·   Life insurance policy

·   Wills

·   Bank account numbers

·   Passports

·   Passwords

·   Certificates of birth, marriage, or military

Tips for Tax Time

That dreaded time of year is here again: tax day! Don’t be caught off guard with missing or forgotten paperwork. What you need depends on who you are. What makes you YOU? Talk to your accountant, tax preparer or lawyer about paperwork that specifically pertains to you.

Paperwork could include:

·   Tax forms from work or investment accounts

·   Information for property taxes

·   Student loans

·   Deductibles (for work, medical expenses or donations)

Also, you don’t need to hang onto things for an extremely long time. Professionals say to only hang on to paperwork, like statements from the bank, for seven years.

The IRS includes tips for preparing your taxes. Look through their topics to gain more information on how you can be prepared.