Fall Decoration Storage

At this point in the year, the Fall decor ought to be on its way to storage as the Winter / Christmas decor makes its annual debut! As part of preparing for an organized Thanksgiving NEXT year, one of the things that will help is putting those decorations away in an organized fashion. I use Rubbermaid Roughneck Totes to store my holiday supplies in the crawl space. Once upon a time I had color coded totes... Red for Fall, Light Blue for Winter, etc. Unfortunately, Rubbermaid got the brilliant idea to change colors with the trends each season, so I had a hard time getting matching totes as my decor inventory expanded. Until this year, I remedied that by slapping a piece of masking tape on the tote and writing the season on the tape. It worked well for a while, but year after year the tape started peeling and I got so many Christmas totes that I needed more specific labels to find what I wanted. So, this year, as I'm putting away my Fall decor, I've created these labels and inventory sheet so I know what is where, and what I have.

 Download Large Label HERE.

 Download the Small Labels HERE.

Download the Inventory Sheet HERE.

What I do is tape a clear sheet protector on the lid of the tote and include the inventory sheet so I know what is in the box. I can slide it in and out to update it easily. This is especially handy as I purge items each year as I pull things out of the box. I also add things from year to year. 

I also include a copy of the inventory for each box in my Thanksgiving Planner. That way in the Fall when I pull out my Fall decor, I know what is still in which box as the season progresses. I circle the holiday/season (Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving) and label which box it's in so the system grows as my inventory grows. 

There is also space for you to write the contents of the box on the labels if you prefer that. I put a large label on the front of the tote and a smaller label on the end of the tote. That way no matter how it gets stored among the other totes, I can tell at a glance what it is. You can print the labels on adhesive paper, use a Xyron to stickify them, or use tape. Or you can use the big labels and clear page protectors. 

Now that Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is upon us, you can enjoy the season knowing that next year will run smoother! Enjoy!!