New years resolutions for your home

The new year is officially in full swing! By now most of us have worked out or at least thought about those goals that are going to help us to create better versions of who we were last year. If resolutions are put in place yearly to encourage us to maintain who we are or grow in who we are, surely, we should be setting goals of our homes. If you need some direction regarding home goals, we have a list of 5 things that you could do:

Stop Procrastinating

Procrastination is the killer of all possible progress and growth. Therefore, this needs to be on every homeowner's list of bad habits to kick for the year.

Create a long term plan:

Now that procrastination is no longer an issue, it is time to start planning your home maintenance. One would be surprised how much time and money a well thought out and executed home maintenance plan can be. Do a home walk-through and scrutinize your home in the finest detail. Depending on your budget and the amount of maintenance that needs to be done, choose one or two big projects and a few smaller ones. If smaller projects are all you can tackle this year, that is also perfect. Never underestimate the impact that small changes can make. Something simple like updating your old curtain rails, adding a throw to that bare couch, or even adding an indoor plant, could add character to a room and allow it to feel more homely and liveable. If your budget is maxed out, don't worry. You can still do small things that are cost-effective, and it might avoid the need for future replacement. For example: You could clean and secure your gutters, oil the hinges throughout your home, varnish or oil all wooden doors to give them a longer life span and improve the overall look and feel of your home.

Tackle your curb appeal

Your curb appeal is the first form of communication with visitors and passers-by and subconsciously tells them the value of your home. Maintaining this feature of your home does not have to cost you money, but possibly time. Keeping a good hand over the appearance of the front of your home and garden area, will one - make you proud of the appearance that your home boasts with. Secondly keeps your maintenance up to date and therefore again saving you money and prolongs having to do extensive maintenance in time to come. You might also want to sell your home in a few years' time and your curb appeal might just be the reason some buyers are attracted.

Purge

It happens so quickly and many of us only notice it when it is too late - but we all hoard something. Having to work through clothes, books, linen, and old and unused home items or appliances is and can be tiring. Be wary that tackling all rooms and objects at once could become seriously overwhelming. If deciding to purge items from your home is a resolution you decide to have - be patient with yourself and set aside a designated time to tackle certain areas or products. 30 minutes daily is all you need to eventually make a massive difference. An additional bonus is it could reduce the need to install additional storage space which might have made your home feel smaller and cost you even more money.

Now that the purging has taken place, you might wonder what to do with all the items you have decided to part with. There are luckily quite a few options. If the items are still in a good condition, you could either donate them to charity, have the Salvation Army come and collect them from your home or sell it for some extra cash that could possibly help with a new renovation project at home.

Some might think that having a purge session at home might not add much value, but that would be incorrect. It adds a sense of calm to a home and may help with overwhelmed and anxious feelings. After purging more space has been created and therefore it is easier to keep the home clean and to manage and keep track of the items that one owns. This too could help save you time and money by not buying any unnecessary products.

Become Earth Friendly

Becoming earth-friendly at home is going to take time and practice. There are many options of how to live greener at home and not all these options will suit everyone. The key to living greener is to find a few habits that will fit into your lifestyle to ensure that the behavior is sustainable over a long period of time. Below there are a few easy options, besides recycling that are not too time-consuming or invasive.

The first and one of my favorite options is planting your own vegetable garden. Not only is it a beautiful feature to have in your garden, but it is fun for the whole family. Oh, and super rewarding once you can harvest your home-grown vegetables.

Secondly, if you have not done so previously, switch your lightbulbs to energy-efficient bulbs. This is sure to save you money and electricity usage. It goes without saying that opening curtains while it is still daytime and switching off lights when a room is not in use will also add to saving electricity and money.

Switching from disposable bags to reusable bags is the third option for living greener at home. Not only are disposable bags dangerous for the environment, but they take up unnecessary space in your cupboards. Many people either end up hoarding these bags unintentionally or simply throw them away directly after purchasing their groceries. By switching to reusable bags, you can use them multiple times, they store easily and evidently, you also save money because you are not constantly buying bags.

With Covid still being in our midst, putting a stop to unsolicited and unnecessary post/mail could be your fourth option. This way you can curb extra paper usage and keep your family safe all at the same time. Many of us already pay our bills online, but for those that have not switched over - this is a time, energy, and money saver.

As the fifth and final option, all homeowners should try and have a home energy audit done if possible. This information can be enlightening and assist you in knowing exactly how much energy is being used correctly and how much you are wasting.

Good maintenance and upkeep of your home will make you feel good and proud of what you have achieved with regards to your property and home - however, it also takes away from any possible stress that you might experience in years to come should you decide to sell your home. A well-kept home is any buyer's dream. The décor and aesthetics are by-products, but a well-maintained home could make or break you being able to sell your home quickly.