Get Organized for Thanksgiving

It's almost time to get organized for Thanksgiving. Depending on your plans and how you celebrate the holiday, you may want to start getting organized for Thanksgiving no later than the first week of November. Here are a few tips to get organized for Thanksgiving.

DECORATE EARLY - If you like to get in the spirit of the holiday with your home decor items, do that at the start of November. That way you'll have the whole month to enjoy your seasonal decor items and holiday decorations. And the remainder of the month will be free for cleaning, cooking, entertaining and enjoying Thanksgiving.

CLEAN YOUR HOME - Expecting guests this Thanksgiving? Set a date with your immediate family members to do a thorough housecleaning. That means doing windows and shampooing carpets too as needed. Make your family housecleaning date the week before that of Thanksgiving. (And then you'll only have to do touch up the day before guests arrive.) During the week of Thanksgiving your schedule will be packed with cooking and shopping for related supplies.

CLEAN YOUR FRIDGE - A good time to clean the inside of your refrigerator is when you have the least amount of food in it. That won't be during the holidays. So do it now. While you're at it, make room for the turkey in it. You'll be defrosting it in the refrigerator.

INVENTORY YOUR COOKWARE - When you're about to cook the turkey isn't the time to remember you loaned your only roasting pan to Aunt Sue three months ago. Take a good hard look inside your cabinets to make sure you have appropriate cookware and serving utensils and platters to prepare a Thanksgiving meal.

COUNT YOUR GUESTS - How many people are coming to your house for Thanksgiving dinner? Start getting r.s.v.p.'s in early November. Figure you'll be serving about one pound to 1.3 pounds of turkey per guest (based on a whole turkey). Once you know the number of guests, you can buy the appropriate size turkey.

COUNT YOUR DISHES - Make sure you have enough dinner plates and eating utensils to go around. Having an extra set or two of table settings won't hurt either--just in case you get an unexpected visitor or a plate accidentally cracks.

PLAN FOR LEFTOVERS - The words Thanksgiving and leftovers go together. You won't be eating turkey sandwiches for the remainder of the week if you have nothing to store the leftover turkey in. And of course, you don't want to throw out that leftover cranberry or corn or any of it. If you plan to send some leftovers home with the guests, make sure you have some "throw-away" containers that you can pack for them to take and keep.

If you organized and planned for Thanksgiving, you'll probably have a happy one. Enjoy.