Closet Organization Tips for the New Year

You will be moving back into your apartment soon!  We are only a few weeks away until the fall move in date.  You want to make sure you have an organized bedroom and closet for the brand new year.  Check out these great closet organization tips, before you come back for fall.  You can find out more at Apartment Therapy.



Okay, so we're a little obsessed with organizing. And we love closets. So we thought we'd channel our obsession into something helpful: a list of ways to organize your bedroom closet. Pick and choose from the ideas below...



Top: This is our closet/spare room. We don't have any real closets in our apartment, so we turned a 1/2 bedroom into a storage space. If you don't have a closet already, you can install racks and hangers on a wall to make one. We used the ClosetMaid 6'-8' Closet Organizer. It was a pain to install, but it gives us all the storage we need.



Declutter. Use Discardian's Closet Trick to get rid of clothes you don't wear. Image: California Closets.



Store your most-used items in plain sight, less-used items below, and least-used items up high. Image: Sunset Magazine.



Combine storage units to fit your different needs: drawers for folded items, hangers for dresses and suits, boxes for odds and ends. Image: Bergen Closet Collection from West Elm.



Use coordinated hangers for a clean look that will care for your clothes and help you stay organized. Image: Bumerang Clothes Hangers, $3.49 for an 8-pack at IKEA.



Use an umbrella stand to hold odd items like a yoga mats. Image: Kartell Umbrella Stand.



Use boxes, cubbies, shelves, or a hanging organizer to sort shoes. Image: 12-Pair Shoe Organizer, $34.99.



Keep folded clothes or accessories neat with shelf dividers. Image: Shelf Dividers from the Container Store, $4.99 - $5.99.



Use vertical space (both above and below the closet rod) to store more. Image: Walnut and Platinum Elfa Closet.



Add lights in your closet between the door and the storage area. Image: Philips SpotOn Light.



If you live in a small space, replace traditional closet doors that swing out with curtains or hanging screens. Image: Woven Wood Panels from the Shade Store.



Use stackable laundry baskets that you can easily carry to the washing machine. Image: Tub Trugs from the AT Store, $14.



Hooks can create extra storage space when you hang them inside the closet. Image: Hanger Holder from Stacks and Stacks, $5.99.



Keep your closet in shape by treating it like a small room. Pay attention to lighting, wall color, and floor coverings. Image: Easy Closets.



Make more room in your closet by storing out-of-season clothes in boxes up high or under the bed. Image: Storage Bed from West Elm.



Color coding your wardrobe can make finding things easier (although it would be tough to pull out anything from these stacks of sweaters). Image: Nan Kemper's Closet.



Invest in your closet by using good-looking storage solutions. Image: Componobili Storage Units from Design Within Reach.



A rolling cart with coordinated boxes can be pulled in or out of the closet and used for clothing or office supply storage. Image: Laura's Pared Down Perfection from AT:NY.



Use suitcases to store out-of-season linens, blankets, or sweaters. Image: Living Etc.



Repurpose standard storage pieces. Solaana used IKEA's Trones Shoe Cabinets to store items along the wall of her bedroom.

Summer Vacation Ideas

How does a vacation sound this summer? Even if you have a small budget, you can afford to go on a great vacation. Beaches and other resorts have weekly specials that can save you and your friends a bundle. Keep reading to learn more about these budget friendly vacations.

Our selection of fun family vacation spots proves that it is possible to plan an awesome summer vacation without dipping too far into the savings account. Whether your crew is looking to relax on the beach or ride the whitewater rapids, we have affordable vacation suggestions for every taste.

Family Camp
Medomak Camp
Rockland, Maine

Mom and Dad join in the pranks and games with a nostalgic week at family sleepaway camp. A flat tuition fee for Medomak Camp covers activities and all meals in a gourmet mess hall, including a lobster feast. Morning activities for the kids might include archery or arts and crafts while adults practice yoga, get a massage or even join the kids for some craft time. In the afternoon, everyone heads to the lake for swimming, kayaking, sculling or sailing. Come nightfall, the whole family can set off on a scavenger hunt or play softball or ultimate Frisbee. Bring your own musical instrument for the evening campfire. Just leave your hair dryer at home -- the accommodations are comfy, but rustic, and there’s no need for primping anyway.

Beach Vacation
Sea Mist Oceanfront Resort
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The beauty of a Myrtle Beach vacation is that a week at a budget-friendly hotel can be had for under $1,000. Family deals at the Myrtle Beach Sea Mist include admission to the resort’s own water park as well as the Family Kingdom Amusement and Water Park just 6 blocks north of the resort. There, you’ll find 10 pools on the property, including 6 pools just for kids; the beach is just a short walk away. There’s a large playground, arcade room, mini golf and a free movie theater. What’s more, pets are permitted with advance notice and there’s a fenced-in dog run where your pup can get some exercise.

Family Adventure
Ace Adventure Center
Oak Hill, West Virginia

Carve some family bonding time into summer with wild outdoor adventures for one set price at Ace Adventure Center. Ace boasts a prime location on the New River Gorge National River, known as the East Coast’s Grand Canyon. Children as young as 6 can join the family for a daylong white-water adventure along some easy class II and III rapids. Zip-line tours, horseback-riding, kayaking and rock-climbing are available for an extra fee. Back at base camp, there’s wild water-park fun with inflatables on the lake for no extra charge; hiking on any of the resort’s trails is free as well. Lodging ranges from rustic camping to cozy log cabins and lakeside chalets.

Eco-Lodge
Maho Bay Camps
St John, US Virgin Islands

As the temperature rises in the Caribbean during the summer, airfare and hotel rates take a dip. Between May and December, Maho Bay Camps on St. John is a summer bargain for families -- kids under 16 stay free with paying adults. Embark on a modern Swiss Family Robinson adventure at this eco-resort camp with platform tents connected by a series of wooden walkways. The beach alone offers enough fun to keep the kids busy with swimming, sailing and snorkeling in the waters protected by the US Virgin Islands National Park. At the Trash to Treasures Art Center, budding artists create “green” masterpieces from recycled goods and natural elements like seashell wind chimes.

City Vacation
Boston, Massachusetts

Shake up the summer routine with an urban getaway to Boston. Summer in the city is the perfect time to enjoy the harbor and outdoor parks. With no slush and snow underfoot, it’s a great time for a picnic on the Boston Commons or a stroll along the Freedom Trail. The Landmark Orchestra plays free concerts on Wednesday nights at Hatch Memorial Shell. A Go Boston card is a money-saving essential with free and discounted admission to over 70 attractions, museums and tours in the area. Take a cruise on Boston Harbor, catch a baseball game at Fenway Park or head out of town to nearby Six Flags New England and Hurricane Harbor and attractions at nearby Cape Cod.

Original Article Here: http://www.travelchannel.com/interests/family/articles/cheap-family

Living at Home With Your Parents

College is now over for the year, and you are living at home with your parents.  This can be a difficult transition anytime you need to move home. However, with these steps you can be sure to have the best experience possible.  Make sure to take advantage of the resources you have around you, and you can enjoy this time with your family.  You can find out more at College Cures.

Most of you will be packing up and heading back home to spend quality time with Mom and Dad for the next few months now that school is out.

Although some of you, I’m sure, are already moaning and groaning thinking about the fact you have to live in such close quarters with your parental units, don’t count out the pros of this just yet!

While I’m no longer in college (I’m just a poor recent graduate), I can still give you some insight on why living at home can be great.

You’re not paying rent.
Seriously. Rent takes such a dent out of each and every one of my paychecks. I would love to live at home if I could! You’re able to keep the money that you would be spending on rent to live in a different city for the summer to save up for something special. Even if you don’t have something in mind that you want to save up for right now, you’ll definitely want to start tucking some money away for when you have to enter “the real world.” Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later.

You’re spending quality time with family.
Once you move out, you won’t be able to get this time back. Even though it seems absurd to think this right now, there will come a time when you wish you could go back to the days of living under the same roof as Mom, Dad and the rest of your siblings. There are so many things that I’m sure you take for granted right now and don’t even realize it. You’ll find that you will miss the simple things – like helping a younger sibling with their homework or going to the grocery store with your Mom. Enjoy it while you can!

You’ve got a support system around you.
There are no words to describe what it feels like when all you want is a close friend or family member to give you a hug and they are hours away. There will be times when all you want is a pep talk from your Mom and Dad. Luckily, since you’re at home, they are accessible to you by just walking down the hallway. Although we’ve got Skype and Facetime these days, they still aren’t the perfect substitute for getting a hug from Mom or Dad.

You can learn skills you didn’t have time to before.
Ever wanted to learn how your Mom gets her shirts perfectly starched? Or maybe how your Dad ties a bow tie? Take this time to learn everything you’ve been meaning to ask your parents about. For example, when I lived at home after my freshman year, I learned more from my mom on how to cook some of my favorite recipes, since I knew I would be living in an apartment the next year and wouldn’t have easy access to cafeteria food. Don’t underestimate all that your parents can teach you!

Now that we’ve discussed the pros of your living situation, here are a couple things you need to keep in mind to keep your parents happy while you’re under their roof:
Be respectful of bed times for younger siblings.
Understand that a curfew isn’t a death sentence.
Volunteer to help around the house (even if you don’t want to).
Watch your language and topics of discussion around younger siblings.
Show respect to your parents and they will respect you back – you’re way too old to throw fits.

DIY Space Saver

Do you like to cook?  Storing all your ingredients can be a tough project in a college partment. However, here is a great way to save space and to store all your spices.  Check out this DIY Spice Rack from the blog DIY College Apartment Ideas.

If you have a tiny kitchen and you're into spicy-food you'll find that you'll need a LOT of space for the ingredients.
 
Here's an idea that will help you cover the coffee stains on the wall and keep your spices organized.
You'll need:

• Sheet of stainless steel
• Hot Glue Gun
• Tiny Jars with metal Lid
• Magnets (The one in the geomag are perfect)
• Spicies (duh...)

With the Hot Glue attach the magnet on the Lid: if you do that on the outside the jar will be easier to detach from the rack but it's easy to cover the magnet with the Hog Glue, decreasing the adhesion.

I found that if you manage to cover the magnet on the inside of the Jar with the hot Glue you'll save the spicies flavour and it's still easy to use the jars!