Summer Ready Organizing Challenge
Hello Friends!
Although summer hasn’t officially started, the warm weather is here and what better way to start this fun season than with an organizing challenge.
For the very first time I introduced the STR Summer Ready Organizing Challenge over the Facebook and Instagram accounts and now putting it all together on this blog post.
The STR Summer Ready Organizing Challenge includes 5 days of practical organizing tasks that will get you and your family ready for summer. This year will look a bit different for many of us, nonetheless we will try to make it a fun one. Are you ready to start the challenge?
Let’s do it! Here are the achievable task divided into 5 days:
Day 1: Summer Accessories
Time to get your favorite summer accessories out and put them on display.
Bring all your summer accessories together for example, sunglasses, hats, flip flops, jewelry, swimsuits, beach totes, etc.
Evaluate and decide what you will keep and wear this summer, remember our style and taste evolve each year.
Sort into categories for example sunglasses, hats, jewelry, totes and swimwear.
Use bins or baskets that you might already have or if you are buying make sure to always measure your space.
Make it fun and enjoy wearing your favorite summer accessories.
In this summer accessories area, I used command hooks to hold my most favorite summer accessory: straw hats. I also have my baseball caps in white bin, sunnies and jewelry in acrylic trays, swimsuits and cover-ups in a white bin and lastly a pool tote holding a smaller cross-body and wet dry pouch.
Day 2: Junk Drawer
Are you ready to tackle your junk drawer and transform it into a functional drawer?
Empty out the drawer and take every single thing out, you will be surprised how many things you actually don't need.
Deep clean the drawer, give it a good scrub to shine.
Sort into categories, determine what you absolutely need and what can be tossed.
Dividers are the trick to transforming your junk drawer, always measure before buying or use carton boxes you might already have, creating sections for a junk drawer is like playing Tetris or creating a puzzle.
Implement categories that make sense to you and your family.
This drawer was transformed to a functional drawer by using dividers from Target and tossing half the things in there. And yes, we keep restaurant condiments to pack lunches and quick meals.
Day 3: Under the Sink
Halfway through the Summer Ready Organizing Challenge and I hope you have been getting inspired and started tackling your summer accessories, junk drawer and now under the sink bathroom.
Assess everything that is under your sink, how often do you use it, does it belong under the sink, will it be more accessible somewhere else?
Once you have thought about the answers take it all about and deep clean.
Check for expiration dates, body care, cleaning supplies, hair products, medicine, make-up expires so be mindful of what you will be keeping.
Measure your space before placing organizing products, under the sink space is very tricky, take under consideration plumbing pipes.
Label your bins or baskets for the final touch.
Let's get the under the sink space organized and ready for summer.
Day 4: Outdoor Essentials
Beaches, concerts, sports, pools and other summer activities might have been cancelled but summer and warm weather is here. Summer is my favorite season so I decided to create this challenge because although this will be a very different summer for many of us, we will make the most of it.
Today, we are tackling outdoors essentials which can include so many things from camping to just hanging out in your own backyard. Here are my top 5 outdoor essentials for the summer:
Bug repellent
Chapstick
Towel
Sunblock
Water Bottle
As always, only keep what is needed, sort into categories, toss what is expired and enjoy the warm weather.
Day 5: Books
Summer is so much better with a good summer read.
Ever since ereaders came around, I found myself buying less physical books and reading more. Unless I know, I will be using the book for reference or reread it, then I buy the physical book. But I know that so many of you prefer to read from a physical book and that is amazing, if you are surrounded by the books you love, show them off, display them nicely and treat them well.
Otherwise here are some ideas to get a good summer read for free or very little money:
Libby by Overdrive, borrow ebooks from your public library directly to your phone or e-reader
Little Free Library, free books for all but if you take one make sure to bring one for some else to enjoy
Shop pre-loved books at your local thrift shop or bookstore
Borrow books from your public library (when it's safe, of course)
Book swap with friends
This summer I will be reading: Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella and Out of Order Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Ruben.
