Happy New Year!
It's another year past, but not too late to get organized for 2011.
The first thing I like to do after I put away the christmas decorations is clean house. As you are putting away your new gifts, take one old item and give it away. Putting away a new toy, give away an old toy. Let the kids help you with this. It will give them a sense of satisfaction, organization and teach them about donating to others.
This is the month to get your year off on the right foot and be happy with your accomplishment.
Some simple tips to get you started:
The Kitchen
Go through your cabinets and get rid of anything that has expired. Pull forward anything getting close to expiring. If you are not going to eat it or make it, donate it. There are plenty of local food banks just waiting for donations.
The Bathroom
Go through your cabinets and get rid of any medication that has expired (discard of these properly). If it is a prescription you are not using and it is expired, write down the information from the label. If it is something you may need again in the future and you have refills left it will save you a doctor's visit copay down the road.
The Cleaning Supplies
If you bought cleaning supplies last year to try and you weren't thrilled with them, get rid of them. These too can be donated to local churches or non-profits. This is a good time to refill any of your cleaning supplies you buy in bulk and write down what you are running low on.
This will get you started for 2011 and next week we'll organize some more.
I welcome your comments and questions.
Recapture Your Space
NATIONAL TAKE BACK INITIATIVE
ReplyDelete--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. More than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Each day, approximately, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.
In an effort to address this problem, DEA, in conjunction with state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States, conducted the first ever National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, September 25, 2010. The purpose of this National Take Back Day was to provide a venue for persons who wanted to dispose of unwanted and unused prescription drugs. This effort was a huge success in removing potentially dangerous prescription drugs, particularly controlled substances, from our nation’s medicine cabinets. There were approximately 3,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the nation that participated in the event. All told, the American Public turned in more than 121 tons of pills on this first National Take Back Day.
Due to the overwhelming success of the first event, DEA is planning a second National Prescription Drug Take Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 30, 2011. This will be a great opportunity for those who missed the first event or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of them. Further information about the second National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, including a link to locate a collection site near you, will be posted on this website.
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html