Back to Monthly Organizing Checklists Index Monthly Organizing Checklist

October 2021

by Maria Gracia Our NEW October Organizing Checklist provides an organizing TO DO for every day of the month… Join our newsletter to be notified when the newest Monthly Organizing Checklist is available. For a PRINTABLE VERSION, click here __ Oct 1 Decorate for Halloween. Stow away any out-of-season items you still have on display. Add pumpkins to your porch. Grab your fall pillow covers and comfy quilts out of storage to bring the wonderful season of autumn inside. Display your Halloween décor indoors and out. __ Oct 2 Get rid of anything with freezer burn. If you have food in your freezer with freezer burn, it’s not worth saving. It’s not going to taste good and is just taking up unnecessary space. __ Oct 3 Let there be light. Add some lighting (a lamp, a nightlight, etc.) to a dark room or closet. __ Oct 4 Enjoy golf. Play a round of golf, watch a match on TV, or learn about the history or rules of golf. If you own golf clubs, be sure you give some time and attention to cleaning your equipment and decluttering your golf bag. __ Oct 5 Clean out the cat’s litter box. If you have a cat, clean out his or her litter box. I don’t mean a quick clean-up. Dump out the old litter and then do a thorough “bring it outside and scrub it” session. __ Oct 6 Make a fun book and movie Halloween basket. Gather some scary books and/or suspenseful movies in a basket. Now they’re easily accessible and more visible. You and your family will be reminded and encouraged to enjoy them this Halloween season. __ Oct 7 Clean out your eating utensil drawer. Remove everything so you can clean out the drawer. Then reorganize your items back in. Get a new utensil organizer if you need one. __ Oct 8 Stock up on non-perishable groceries. Many supermarkets are seeing shortages again. So many shelves, in my area, were looking bare the last time I went shopping. Buy some extras of items you can’t live without. If your stores run out, you’ll be well-stocked for a while. __ Oct 9 Sweep your walkway and driveway. This is one of the easiest ways to keep the outside of your home looking presentable…and prevent the dirt from being tracked inside. Plus, raking doubles as some light exercise and a chance to breathe some fresh air. __ Oct 10 Inventory winter coats, boots, and gloves. Yes, the cold weather season is upon many of us. Determine what you have and what you need to replace. If you have young kids, be sure to remember to check those snow pants…do they still fit your children? __ Oct 11 Donate old Halloween costumes. If you have old costumes hanging around that you or your kids are never going to wear, donate them. This will give those folks shopping in thrift stores some fun dress-up options for the upcoming holiday. __ Oct 12 Weed out old cleaning products. Every one of us has purchased a cleaning product, at one time or another, that we didn’t really love. If that item is still under your kitchen sink, in your garage, etc., say goodbye to it this month. (If you have concerns about how to safely dispose of it, call your local sanitation department.) __ Oct 13 Plant tulips. If you want to see tulips in your garden when spring arrives, the best time to plant them is fall. Pick up some bulbs and get them in the ground 6 to 8 weeks before a hard, ground- freezing frost is expected. __ Oct 14 Pass on some kindness. Whether it’s a baked good, a few new seasonal magazines/books, or a plant, surprise a neighbor with something fun. __ Oct 15 Pick up on an old hobby. If you have tools and materials for quilting, sewing, scrapbooking or whatever it may be, unearth your stuff and enjoy some leisurely time enjoying it. If you’re no longer interested in that hobby, or can no longer do it, donate what you have so someone else can make use of them. __ Oct 16 Dictionary Day. Today is the birthday of Noah Webster, considered by many to be the father of the American dictionary. Learn 5 new words today. Keep them incorporated in your daily vocabulary for the remainder of the month so they become ingrained in your memory. __ Oct 17 Start writing your holiday newsletter. If you write a holiday newsletter, begin it this month. Make a quick outline to get started. __ Oct 18 Assess your sleepwear. Get rid of anything ripped, torn, or thread-bare. Add sleepwear, that you may need, to your shopping list. __ Oct 19 Start thinking about your Christmas cards. If you send holiday cards in the mail, begin making a list of your TO DOs. Do you need to begin making cards? Do you need to get a family photo taken to include in those greetings? Do you need to update your card recipient list? __ Oct 20 Declutter and restock your baking ingredients. Go through all of your baking ingredients. Declutter anything expired or that you won’t use. Restock anything you’re out of, or running out of. __ Oct 21 Bake something. This time of year calls for an aromatic pie baking in the oven, whether it’s one you make from scratch or a frozen one you pick up at the store. __ Oct 22 Stock up on postage stamps.  It’s no fun having to search through drawers when you need a stamp. Always  have a sheet or two on hand. __ Oct 23 Make a Difference Day. Make a positive difference in someone’s life, big or small. Random acts of kindness are always in style. __ Oct 24 Clean out under your bed. Get rid of any unnecessary clutter that you’re hiding under there. __ Oct 25 Do you still have old VHS movies and cassette audio tapes? Many folks still have old media stowed away in a box in the basement or attic. Locate these. Do you really still need them? If your wedding, or something important is on that old media, get it converted to a current media format. Otherwise, say goodbye to these items. __ Oct 26 Donate old hair dryers, curling irons, hair straighteners, and other hair-related electronics.  If you’re not using these, someone else can. Donate to your local charity or thrift store. __ Oct 27 Match food storage containers and lids. If you can’t find a match, get rid of those stray ones. I have a set of Pyrex that I use for most food storage. Consider this option, as opposed to dozens of their more flimsy plastic counterparts. __ Oct 28 Clean windows in one room. Use a squeegee and window cleaning solution to clean all windows in one room, inside and out. Do this on an overcast day for best results. __ Oct 29 Delete old email. Most people have a ton of old email they no longer use. Get rid of as many old messages as you can today. Set a 30-minute email decluttering session. Ready, set, go. __ Oct 30 Rake leaves. It may be high time for you to get outside to do some raking or leaf blowing. If you can’t do it yourself, pay a neighborhood kid looking to earn some spending money. __ Oct 31 Halloween. Inspect your home for cobwebs and get rid of them. Then enjoy some spooky-fun- relaxing time watching a thriller on TV. Back to Monthly Organizing Checklists Index