Why Fall Cleaning Should Be Your New Spring Cleaning

Your life will be a bad TV infomercial if you don't do fall cleaning (trust me)

Many of you reading this post are probably back at school (I’m so sorry SEC recruitment) or planning to go back to school in the next couple of weeks. Or, you’re like me, and you have a month and a half before classes start and you need something to do instead of jealously stalking everyone’s Facebook photos of #fratparties and #friendsforever. At first thought, fall cleaning sounds like a horrible way to pass the time and a few steps above hanging out with your Great Aunt Marge at this year’s family picnic. However, it is one of those inevitable things that you should probably learn how to do now because that’s what being an adult is about - learning to clean up after your own mess. 

I recently learned the tough way that if you don’t do routine cleaning things start to build up. Like my middle school chorus notebook. And my 11th grade English project. And all of my AP flashcards from high school. It was time to let go and fall is the perfect time to do so. Why? 

1. You can start your school year off fresh. Instead of pretending like you have a new start because of your crisp school supplies, you can actually buy ALL of the school supplies because you finally got rid of your 8th grade Kookie Pen (yes, I am ashamed). You’ll also just have more room to spread out and feel far less overwhelmed. 
2. Less junk to come home to at the holidays. The thing about stuff is it never really goes away. During the holiday season, especially, you can feel things being all over the place because they actually are. Streamline your life and get rid of the old to make way for the new before it just ends up in a pile in your bedroom. 
3. You know exactly what summer clothes you can get rid of and what you should keep. You just spent three months wearing your favorite pair of shorts, so why are you keep the two pairs that don’t quite fit anymore? I find that waiting until the spring to clean out everything leaves me with very few winter clothes and a lot of summer clothes because I don’t remember what I actually wore the summer before. Take the time to clean everything out now so you don’t end up with 5th grade camp teeshirts.  
4. Cleaning out your makeup is just sanitary. I feel like my makeup bag is an endless hole and unless I make an effort to dump the whole thing out on my floor, I’ll have old mascaras and eyeliner stuck at the bottom for years. While spring cleaning is great for this, most makeup has a six month expiration date, so a twice a year clean out is good for both your sanity and your skin.
5. Less stuff means less to pack and bring to school. Oh, how far we’ve come from the days of the bumbling, overpacked freshman year (if you’re starting college, take notes). Your dorm room will never be as big as you'll think it will be and you will inevitably bring way too many things. You’re going to be dorm shopping as it is, so why not get rid of your old stuff before you think to pack it too? Clutter also accumulates during the school year and no matter where you are Amazon.com can get you what you forgot at home. 
6. Fall deserves excitement too. I love fall - the oversized sweaters, fuzzy socks, hot mugs of tea, leather riding boots, and muted colors. Why shouldn’t fall get the same love that spring does? Spring cleaning is meant to help you get excited for warm weather by shedding the layers of winter. Fall cleaning can make you feel warm and cozy by focussing on what matters in that moment and not the piles of stuff around you.

If anything, the moral of this post should be that if I’m let to do so, I will become a crazy hoarder. While I would love to be on TLC, my real calling is as a crazed pageant mother, not a junk collector. Do yourself a favor and add fall cleaning to your final to-do list before leaving for school this year. Your closet, mind, and mother will all thank you for it.   

Tips for Living in Your First Post Grad Place

It has been more than a month since I moved into my first postgraduate apartment with my boyfriend of five years. While this is an essentially something everyone will eventually go through, and I know I am new at this, however, in this short month of being “on my own” I have learned several tricks that I think made the transition easier. Now, I will share that with you in hopes of helping you eventually make that transition too.

1.    Create a Budget (and Stick to it): This may seem daunting, but it will help you keep your finances organized. You can find template online or create your one, but generally you want to track your income vs. your expenses.

2.    Cut out expenses you don’t need: There are many things we purchase on a regular basis that we don’t need. For example, as many of us girls do, I love clothes! However, it is not practical to spend hundreds of dollars on clothes when you have other things (such as rent and student loans) to pay for. While the occasional purchase is not always bad, generally speaking it is always better to spend money when and where it is needed, not frivolously.

3.     Save. Save. Save:  The days of having 10 bucks in your bank account is no longer something that should occur. Save as much money as you can. In the end, it will be worth it (literally).

4.    Set a day each week to do your chores. From vacuuming to laundry, there is a lot to do to keep your place tidy and company ready. By picking one day (and making it the same day every week) it will become a habit.

5.    Plan your meals a week ahead, that way when you go food shopping, you are really prepared and will not by unnecessary things. Additionally, always bring a physical list; it will help you stay organized and on target!

Whether you are still in college or already graduated there will come a time where moving out with be a reality. Hopefully, when that time approaches you can refer to what you read here. In addition, here are some additional tips for your convenience.