38. Purge Your Keys

Are you afraid to throw away old keys for fear you may need them? If you haven't used the key in a few years, chances are, you probably won't. Time to purge those keys! I bet you have keys on your keychain right now that you have no idea what they open. Or maybe you have the keys to an old car, house or locker thrown in a drawer somewhere.

Check in drawers, the garage, the basement, your keychain and collect all the old keys in your house.

You can recycle the keys at most recycling stations in their mixed metal bins, place an ad on craigslist and give them away, donate them to Key For Hope. You can get creative and use the extra keys to make a wind chime, decorate a picture frame, or any other craft project you come up with.

37. Purge Your Bath Towels

We all seem to have an abundance of towels. I'm going out on a limb here, but I would say 3 towels per family member would be plenty. While one is in the wash, you still have a supply for use. Imagine all the space you will create once you purge all the extra towels out of your linen closets. I'm positive most of your towels need purging anyway......starting to fray, fade, have holes?

You can donate the purged towels to homeless shelters, animal shelters, your church may have a family needing help setting up a household, a young couple starting out, or a student going off to school in the Fall.

36. Go Paperless

Take a look around you. Most of the paperwork that surrounds you can be found online. Not only will it be eco-friendly to rid yourself of unnecessary paperwork, but it will free you of unnecessary clutter.

Set up an online bill paying system with your bank. You can receive your bills online and then turn around and pay the bills online. Wa-La! No more paperwork. Plus you don't have to buy a stamp. Link this to your Quicken account and you rid yourself of having to keep track of a checkbook.

35. De-clutter your pens and pencils

For some reason we all have an abundance of pens and pencils. Seriously, how many does one person need? Take some time today to purge your pens and pencils.

First start by discarding pens that no longer work. Simply scribble on a piece of paper with each pen to test it. Second go through your pencils and discard ones that have dwindled down to short little nubs or have lost their eraser.

Go through the remaining stash and purge again. Many of us are particular about what types of pens we like to write with, so go ahead, purge the rest.

After the purging process you can sharpen the pencils you have decided to keep.

Donate all of your purged pens/pencils to The Pencil Project or your local school.

34. Keep A Donation Box Handy

Keep a "donation box" in a designated place in your home. Encourage all family members to place items they no longer want or need in the box. When the box is full, take it to the charity or recycling center of your choice.

Don't forget to get a tax receipt.

33. Create A Babysitter Information Sheet

Peace of mind will come when you are prepared for the babysitter. Create a standard babysitter information sheet to use when you are hiring childcare in your home. Give this to the sitter prior to leaving the home. I like to place it by the home phone since this is where they would probably run in an emergency.

The info sheet should contain the following items:

- Names of children and their ages

- Home address and phone number

- Contact numbers for you and your spouse

- Pediatrician name and number

- Name of your destination that night

- Name and number of a neighbor in case of emergency

- Special instruction: bedtime, food allergies, is your child on any medication, bedtime routines, etc.

Here is a template for you to use.

32. Un-clutter Your Email

Are you receiving too many emails on a daily basis? Unsubscribe from all emails that do not bring you value or your usually delete before reading. This will remove you from their distribution list and keep those annoying emails out of your inbox.

31. Organize Your Bills

Keeping track of your bills is a huge task that many people hand off to their spouse. It is important that both the husband and wife have a grasp on what bills need to be paid, when to pay the bills, where to find important documents, and where all the investments are for the family.

If you would prefer to have your spouse handle the day to day bill paying, you should have them keep a record of all transactions so you are able to take over without any problem.

Make a list of all monthly bills, investments, passwords. Keep all important documents in one location and show your spouse where you keep this list. Make sure to include any instructions or addresses of safety deposit boxes, names of account/financial advisor on your list. Keep a copy of your updated Will with this list would be beneficial.

30. Organize Your Schedule

With Back-To-School in full swing, it is essential to get your family's schedule organized. The best way it to keep track of all your activities, appointments, birthdays, holidays, etc is on a family calendar. Pick ONE calendar for the family to use. Having multiple calendars creates too much room for error. It would be easy to double book yourself unless you are using one system.

There are many types of calendars to choose. Wall calendars, desk calendars, electronic calendars, pockets calendars or even magnetic dry-erase calendars. Each variety offers day, week or month at a glance options. Pick a system that would be easy for you and your family to update.

I found this great FREE online calendar that would be perfect for a busy family. www.cozi.com It can be updated and viewed from any computer with internet access. Some of the features include sending reminder messages of upcoming events, sync with Microsoft Outlook, add shopping or To Do list, add photos and keep a family journal. I love this idea since mom can add/delete appointments and dad can easily view the calendar from work. No more missed communication.

29. Organize Your Past Tax Returns

The IRS will challenge you up to 6 years on any past tax returns, so keep these returns and supporting documents on hand. Anything beyond that can be shredded and discarded. Free up your filing cabinets from unnecessary paper work.

You can learn more on IRS.gov.