Keeping with the spring cleaning/organizing/decorating theme I’ve been talking about this month, I wanted to share how I plan for all of the things I want to buy and the projects I want to do around the house. Even if you’ve been in your home for years, homeowners know all too well that the list of projects for a home are never-ending. With my goal this year of setting up, decorating and organizing our house, the list of things I want or need to buy is as long as Santa’s, I tell ya. If I were rich, this would be no problem because I could buy it all and do it all at once. Sadly, though, I’m not, so I’ve set up a wish list system to manage it.
At a basic level, making a list just ensures that everything floating around in your brain gets placed into some permanent format, like a spreadsheet or a physical list. My wish list is a huge help with prioritizing projects and deciding which ones should happen first before others. It gives me a much better understanding of the full scope of the projects we are working on and stops me from making random impulse purchases that aren’t really a priority. I am a step-by-step person, so I like breaking huge lists down into smaller sections that are more manageable.
Here’s how you can make your own:
Decide where to keep it- You can use an actual pen and paper, a special notebook, a spreadsheet, a notes app on your phone or as a list in your email server. I personally use a spreadsheet (shocker!), cause I like to sort them and organize them, and especially because I like to add links to items I am considering buying.
Decide what goes on it- I tend to put EVERYTHING in here- purchases from $5 on up because I like to keep it all in one place, but you could set a dollar limit or a time limit on it, such as “any item over $100 goes on the list” or “anything we need to buy in the next year goes on the list.” I have categories in my sheet for small, medium, large and long-term purchases based on the approximate cost. You could also make separate lists for each room, or each type of project, like “electrical”, “plumbing”, or “outdoor”.
Keep it updated- The items you keep on the list will change many times over. You’ll decide that you no longer need things, you’ll find a better solution than the one you originally intended, or find that you already had something that fills a need you had put on the list. Every now and again, you;ll have to go back to the list and update it with things you did end up buying and things you don’t want on the list any longer.
One of the things I like best about this list concept is that you can go back and see all of the things you’ve crossed off and accomplished. When you’re in the middle of something as big and ongoing as projects to do around your house, it’s easy to forget how far you’ve come. It’s really gratifying to see projects that you’ve completed and how far you’ve come.
What projects are you working on at home right now?
