Clean Those Gutters: With all those leaves falling, you want to make sure that your gutters stay clear. If you have a fear of heights or mass quantities of slimy foliage, then hire someone else to do the job, but you really want to make sure that when the rain and snow start to fall this winter, the water can drain safely and not back up in your gutters, causing ice dams and leaks inside your home. Be sure that your gutters drain far away from your foundation or you may potentially be creating another set of unwanted problems.
How Does Your Garden Grow? Now is the time to feed your lawn with a slow release fertilizer that will rejuvenate your garden and strengthen root growth, readying it for the cold winter months ahead. Fall fertilizing, preferably with a product formulated specifically for autumn use, isn’t just for your lawn: be sure to feed your perennials, shrubs and trees as well. Plant spring bulbs, like daffodils and tulips, now and be sure to clean all your gardening tools, giving them a light coating of oil to make sure they stay rust free.
Do The Closet Swap: Even if your closet is big enough to hold both your summer and winter wardrobes, you still want to rotate your clothing, so that the fall and winter items are easily accessible. Take a few minutes to go through your spring and summer clothing and make sure everything has been freshly washed so that you aren’t surprised in a few months by mysterious stains that magically appear over time. As you inventory your clothing, pull out anything you haven’t worn in the past year and put it in your giveaway bag. Let’s face it, if you haven’t worn it in the twelve months, chances are good you will never put it on again and you might as well give it to someone who will. Find stuff that is stained, irreparably damaged or otherwise unwearable? Kiss it goodbye and revel in your newly discovered extra closet space. Also, as you pull out your summer stuff, take a minute or two to dust all surfaces and vacuum out those corners that always seem to get neglected. If you don’t have room to store out of season garments in the back of your closet, pack them into plastic storage containers, garment bags or even suitcases and then happy hunting for a place to stash them for the winter. Think under beds, extra bedrooms or any place else you have an extra few inches of space.
Ditto For The Kids: Now is the time to inventory your childrens’ wardrobes as well. Take out anything that is in good condition but no longer fits and find it a good home, either passing it down to a younger child, relative or neighbor or by donating it to charity. You might want to do this when your kids aren’t home if there are particular cherished items that they love to wear but have seriously outgrown. Just sneak them out when they aren’t looking and feign innocence when they demand to know what happened to their favorite jammies.
Safety First: Check out your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure your batteries are fresh and that everything is working well. Nope, this tip isn’t about saving money, it is about saving lives, which is far more important.
