August Household “To Dos”

This time of year in mid-August has always been a weird transition for me.  It’s still summer and HOT, but with kids back in school and fall sports season started, my mind wonders to fall activities and fall maintenance.  Just last weekend we got a wild hair and cleaned out our garage.  It looks and feels amazing.

It motivated me to think – what can I tackle in August to get ready for fall so I’m ahead of the task list this year?

August Household “To Dos”:

Create a family Calendar

Last week was the first week back to school so I broke down and purchased a white board calendar.  It’s really great.  All of our appointments related to work, school, sports, meetings, etc. are all in one place.  We color coded everyone and although not Pinterest worthy, it works!

Organize and Clean Summer Items and Gear

You never know when the weather will flip and you no longer need the beach toys, towels and endless items that clutter your laundry room and garage during summer months.  During our garage clean out we pitched almost empty bubbles containers, broken shovels, and nubby sidewalk chalk. We narrowed down our beach bag collection to just a couple and took inventory of faded, thinning towels.  When our last day at the beach, pool or lake finally comes, we’re already organized for winter storage.

Clean and organize the kitchen and pantry for Fall.

My recent Sam’s Club stock up shop last week to get ready for back to school lunches and quick evening dinners forced me to clean out my fridge and pantry too.  It took some time but it was worth it and now I feel like it can carry me over until “Spring Cleaning Season”.

Clean out the car

For me, sometimes it’s easier to leave items in the trunk if they’re used so often.  Picnic blankets, camp chairs, sunscreen, sunglasses, ball caps, DVDs for the road trips.  But, when summer comes to a close, it’s a good time to give your car a thorough cleaning.  Clean out the glove box, cup holders and door cubbies and wipe them down.  I like to take my car to a local car wash company that as long as I declutter, they do an amazing job vacuuming the dirt, sand, and cookie crumbs as well as wiping down all of the interior after washing the exterior.

Organize Closets

Again, it always seems like I can’t find what I’m looking for that first day it becomes cool, windy or chilly rain.  Soon the temps will drop so take time now to purge and donate items you aren’t in love with for fall and find out if those windbreakers still fit for when the weather changes. Make a list of what you need for fall and get started supplementing (gloves, boots, jackets, etc).

Other ideas I haven’t tackled yet but it’s on my list this month:

• Clean my baseboards.  Hoping I get another wild hair like when we cleaned out the garage.
• Assess my Fall Décor.  A craft store ALREADY had fall and Halloween décor displayed in JULY! I just wasn’t ready to think about it yet.
• Finish outdoor projects.  For us this includes some deck repair and most definitely inspecting the windows and roof.
• Organize my home office.  I love working from home, especially when it’s dark and quiet in the morning. I can sip my coffee while being productive.  But, the office is suffering from our busy summer.
• Organize summer memories.  Before the holidays come around again, I need to transfer pictures on my phone into my favorite share site where I organize by year, month and function.  Another time consuming activity that always makes me feel accomplished when it’s completed.
• Plan Halloween costumes.  We already have a Halloween party on the calendar and the next two months always fly by with our busy sports and social calendar.  Any costume ideas you can share?

Do you have any ideas for August projects to get your home in tip top shape for fall?

Shawna O’Brien
shawna.obrien@talktotucker.com
F.C. Tucker Geist
The Tumbarello Group