January Get Organized Checklist!

Yesterday I mentioned that I was going to use The "One Year of Organizing" Monthly Checklists from Creative Organizing.

I'm so excited to get started on this and I'm feeling super motivated... In fact I already have FIVE items check off my original list (above).

Items completed include:

• Set your goals for the year! I completed this here when I shared my resolutions for 2013. AHHH I still cannot believe that it is 2013!
• Check your monthly tickler folder. Since I am new to this organization system I first had to create my tickler folders for the year. On the creative organizing site they recommend one folder per month AND one folder per day (in a month). I felt like this was a bit overkill... I decided to only create one folder per month and that I would use my planner as my daily organizer. I mean let's be realistic... I'm lucky enough to remember to grab my planner each morning let alone a different file folder each day... I've set up a station in my kitchen which is devoted to this new organization system and each time I print something that I will need for the future I go ahead and add it to the appropriate folder. So far I'm loving this... W2 form went right into the March folder (as I will likely do taxes in March)...
• Create a master family calendar for 2013. I did this as a part of my planner that I created for 2013 and will share more on that in a future post!
• Family organization station in kitchen or create a binder. I am sooo excited about my new planner binder! As a sneak peak I purchased the printable system created by Jen of I heart Organizing. If you do not already follow her blog... start NOW! It is life changing. I will do a full post on this later in the week!

• 2013 Budget. Done and done... So here is how finances are taken care of in the Park household... Matt and I each have an equal allotment that is automatically taken out of each paycheck and it goes into our joint checking account. Again we pay into this equally. This is used to pay for the mortgage, groceries, eating out, joint family activities, home improvement items, and the family vehicle... What is leftover in our paychecks goes into personal checking to do with as we each see fit. Matt is a SUPER saver/investor and typically puts a majority of his money into our future, pays his car payment, and buys electronics with his additional money. (** before Matt proposed he paid down all personal debt... what an amazing hubby). With my leftover money I typically just blow through it... in all honesty. I spend it on gas, my Verizon payment, personal food (lunch/coffee), my banana republic credit card, and let's be honest HOMEGOODS (see small... "julie wants this but we don't NEED it" items cannot go on the house account... wompwomp... because well I have a lot of these WANTS...) so my budget for 2013 has to do with my own personal spending! My goals for the year is to take after Matt and to start SAVING!!! I will be automatically putting $500 per paycheck right into some type of savings. Divided between personal savings, Emma's College Fund, Hunter's College Fund, Christmas Savings. This means cutbacks at homegoods and bringing my own lunch 4 out of 5 days... Wish me luck... to aid in my goal to spend less I've put myself on a cash diet. Each payday I will take $200 out and ONLY use that cash over the next two weeks for my personal expenses...

looking forward to sticking with this