Fall into a Decluttered Home

 

    

    With the kids heading back to school and out of the house, now is the best time to get the ball rolling on cleaning it out and getting rid of the summer mess! It's tough to get organized and stay clutter free when there are so many obstacles and bodies in one household. Coming up with a simple game plan and stress free process is the best way to declutter a home. 

    Taking some tips from other articles online, we have combined the best hacks for simple one room at a time decluttering with little stress or thought. 

1. Pick one room and spend five minutes picking up trash in the room. Spend another five minutes just picking up items that do not belong in that room. Use five more minutes filling a box or bag with items to donate that are in good condition but do not get used anymore. That's a total of 15 minutes for one room. Move to the next room.
2. Give yourself a deadline to finish decluttering your home. A realistic deadline. If you're a busy person with little time to spend at home, take a month or two or six but give yourself a deadline goal to finish your declutter project.
3. There's something called the 12-12-12 Challenge. This seems to be the most popular declutter hack and works as follows: find 12 items to donate, 12 items to trash and 12 items to keep. Do this in each room two to three different times.
4. Consider three basic principles when decluttering the house. Has an item been used within a year? Is the item something that is enjoyed or sparks joy? Can the item be replaced under $5?
5. Use drawer, cabinet and closet organizers. If items can't fit within the range of the organizer or overflows, figure out if it's worth keeping and toss it or donate it.

    Five basic steps to follow for a stress free and less work road to decluttering! If you do try it, let us know how it benefited you or if it didn't!

What do you know about August?

    So many things happen in the month of August. It's harvest time and usually the final stretch of summer for school aged kids as they prepare for heading back to school. In the southern hemisphere, it's known as the last months of winter and spring starts to come in play! After some fun research, we were able to find facts about August and how it came to be. 

    Back during the Roman calendar, the month of August was known as Sextilis, the sixth month, in Latin. It wasn't until 700BC that January and February were added to the calendar and it was pushed back to the eighth month of the year. During this time, August also only had 29 days to it's month. It wasn't until Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar and he changed it to 31 days and there it stood for the rest of time.

    The first ever sandwich was created on August 6, 1762 when the Earl of Sandwich requested a meal that consisted of meat between two pieces of bread. The quick meal was thought up during a gambling game he did not want interrupted. Quick thinking for someone with an appetite, who knew it would be such a meal that is made by many franchised restaurants to this day!

    More current history in August brings us to the Civil Rights Movement when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech on August 28, 1963 to millions of people at the Lincoln Memorial to bring an end to racial discrimination and call for equal rights.

    In European countries, August is the month of Holiday. Most locals from popular European countries leave but their cities are still overrun by tourists.

    August has two birth flowers and one birthstone. The birth flowers are gladiolus and deep crimson poppy. The birthstone is periodt, which is a unique green gem.

    There are so many more facts about August that we did not cover and if you're interested in learning more, visit thefactsite.com/august for 20 Awesome Facts About August!