Get organized

Looking down your list of New Year's resolutions, you're bound to come across 'Get better organized.' The Web has a few ingenious -- and free -- programs ready to help bring order to your daily life.

> Gather items you plan to store. Sort by decorations, wrapping paper, bows, holiday dishes, towels, cards, etc.

> Determine what you will and won't want to use next year. Put all items that will be discarded in a box. Then decide whether they can be given to a nonprofit or sold at a garage sale. If you have decorations that your children will be taking, now's the time to send them on their way. Discard broken decorations or items that can't be recycled.

> Determine a place to store holiday decorations. If the amount of stuff exceeds the amount of space, it's time to make a decision. Are you willing to expand the storage space for the holiday items? If not, it might be time to cut back even more on what you have.

> Decide what storage containers to use. First choice is to reuse the containers or packages the items came in. If not, ask the following questions: Do you prefer clear containers so you can easily see what is in the container or do you prefer the season-colored containers? Which is best for your storage situation? What size containers will fit in your storage area? What type of labels are best to list the items on the outside of the container? Yes, each container needs to be labeled with a list of contents. Perhaps its time to purchase a label maker to make the task more fun.

> Buy storage containers for specific items. There are special containers for bulbs, trees, wreaths, lighting, wrapping paper, dishes and almost anything else you have. But remember to sort and purge before you buy any new containers.

> Study your storage space. Decide if you need shelves or if existing shelves should be readjusted. Shelves with wheels allow you to easily move items.

> Pack the containers and put them away. Like things go into the same container, and don't forget the label so you know what is in each container. Store heavy boxes on the bottom and lighter items on the top shelves.

Click here for more tips.