This week my back door froze shut. That is an indication that it's too frickin' cold outside. It sucks. I'm sorry, there's really no other way around it. It bites the big one. So, what does one do when it's too cold to venture outside? One gets her house in order, so she's not doing it when the weather is good. Here are four things you should do this weekend that will keep you indoors and keep you on your toes:
Clean Your Medicine Cabinet - Throw out any expired medicine. Throw expired prescription medicine in a freezer bag to drop safely with your pharmacist the next time you visit. Check to see if your first-aid kit is fully stocked. Write a list of medications you need, like Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen. You never know when your next headache will arrive. Finally, store all your medications in an airtight container and keep them away from humidity and heat (hint: bathrooms and kitchens are bad, linen closets are good).
How Many Of These Medicine Cabinet Must-Haves Are You Missing?
Clean your makeup drawer - Be ruthless. Discard anything you know you'll never wear again. If you can't remember when you bought it, chances are it's expired. Mascara should be tossed after three months. Lipstick and gloss have a shelf life of six months. Same for foundations and concealers. Powders can last a year. Wash your makeup brushes with a gentle soap, blot on paper towels, reshape and stand in a glass to dry. Sharpen your pencils.
Clean your pantry - Empty contents of your pantry and wipe shelves down. Then get down to business. First, don't send your expired food to the food bank. As someone who's volunteered at the food bank, let me tell you that if it's no good for you, it's no good for anyone else. Expired canned goods should be opened and contents should be composted if you have a municipal program and cans tossed in the recycle bin. Check dried goods as well. Have bags been left open and the contents gone soggy? Organize according to use: baking supplies, canned goods, pasta and rice, cereals. Place items that should be used first, front and centre. Write a list as you go of things you're getting low on.
Four Step Process To Purge Your Pantry
Clean your computer - Not that kind of cleaning. I mean cleaning the clutter. Can you see your desktop? Create folders to clean it up and move anything to the trash bin you no longer need. Go into your email trash box and unsubscribe from all those newsletters you no longer want. Implement "Inbox 0" and either delete or file every email in your inbox. Go through your photographs. Do you really need that blurry photo of your kids? Empty your trash bin. Finally. CHANGE. YOUR. PASSWORDS. Your kids names, your birthday, your favorite colour...that's not going to work. Make it hard, a combination of numbers, letters and symbols and don't use the same one for every account. Set up a reminder in your calendar to change them again in three months.
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