News & Advice

Fall cleaning may not have the same ring to it as spring cleaning, but it’s equally as important. 

Clutter can accumulate quickly and make it hard to find what you need in your day-to-day life, so take the time to declutter your home, car, electronics, and finances this fall. When you’re done, you’ll be able to enjoy a clean space and likely a clearer mind, too.
 
Be sure to set aside enough time to declutter each area and stay motivated by taking before and after pictures to capture your progress. 

Your junk drawer 

Decluttering something with the name junk in the title may sound counterintuitive, but it’s worth doing so you know what you have and can find things easier. Empty the drawer, clean the inside, and go through each item. Either throw items away, put them in another place with other similar items, or put them back in the drawer in a container to keep things more organized. 

Your car

To straighten up your car, start by throwing away any trash. Then, see what’s in your car and put things where they belong. The shoes in your backseat probably belong inside, for example. Dust and vacuum the inside of your car and use containers to keep anything you store in your car, such as reusable grocery bags, tidy. 

Your phone

When decluttering your phone, there are many ways to free up space. Take the time to delete apps you never use and upload images from your phone to your computer, a hard drive or a cloud storage service. Then delete those old screenshots you swear you’ll go back to. Or at least organize those pictures you saved into folders. 

Your computer 

Update any software that needs it, organize the contents of your desktop into folders, and delete any unused apps and unnecessary files to free up space. For more tips on how to clean up your computer, look up tips for either Windows or Mac, depending on your computer. 

Your email 

To clean out your email, delete old emails and organize the emails you want to keep into folders. Unsubscribe from newsletters you don’t read and sales emails from stores that you no longer shop at. Finally, block any accounts that are sending spam emails or an excessive amount of messages. 

Your credit cards and wallet 

How can you declutter your credit cards and wallet? Balance transfers. When you transfer debt from one account to another, you can save money on interest charges. Having a good credit score can make this process easier. When you bank with INOVA, you can do this by logging into online banking, selecting account services, clicking requests, and selecting Credit Card Balance Transfer. 

Your closet

The fall is a great time to consider what you actually wore in the summer. Take everything out of your closet and go through your clothes to decide what you want to keep, donate, or trash. Then, organize your clothes as you hang them back up. Common organization methods are to hang clothes by color or sleeve length. If you have shoes, bags, or clothes covering the floor, buy bins or organizers to store things neatly.

Depending on the size of your closet, you may want to store seasonal items in a plastic tub for storage in an attic, basement or storage unit. Sort those items similarly to how your closet is sorted. Don’t forget to label the tub before you store it away!

Your kitchen cabinets 

Your kitchen cabinets may store storage containers that don’t have matching lids or broken bakeware you’ve forgotten about, and it’s time to get rid of them. Once you’ve gone through the contents of your cabinets, wipe down the insides. As you put items back, make sure the items that you use the most are in the locations that are easiest to reach. 

Your pantry 

Take everything out of your pantry and wipe it down with a cleaner. Then, throw away expired food and determine how you’ll use the items you currently have. For a clean look, categorize items for storage. Group like items together, such as canned food items in one place and snacks in another. 

Your fridge

Repeat the pantry decluttering process for your fridge. Wipe down the inside, throw away expired food (we’re looking at you, condiment section!), keep similar food items stored together, and make a list of recipes you can make with the food you have. 

Your budget

It’s a good idea to regularly review your budget so it stays aligned with your life and goals. What expenses have you cut and added to your life? Make necessary adjustments to keep on track with your financial goals. 

Your bathroom cabinets

By now, you know the drill — take everything out of your bathroom cabinets. Throw away expired products or items that you don't use and group items by categories. Get organizational storage containers to make the most of your space. If you have cabinet space under the sink, a small tiered shelf organizer can keep your space looking tidy. Put what you use the most in the easiest-to-reach spots.

Your beauty products

First, get rid of expired beauty products. Next, toss out products that you don’t like or that don’t work well for you. To keep your beauty products decluttered, get in the habit of using a product entirely before you buy something new. 

Toys and games

There’s no reason to hold on to that deck of cards with missing cards or that board game that doesn’t have all the pieces. Toys that your children have outgrown or otherwise don’t play with anymore are great for garage sales or donation. Fall is a great time to do this, before the holidays. 

Your night stand 

It’s easy to accidentally pile your nightstand full of random items. If your nightstand has drawers, take this time to move misplaced items back to where they belong. Keep only what you use on your nightstand, such as a lamp, alarm clock, a glass of water, and a book.  

Your receipts and paperwork 

Don’t let tax season sneak up on you. If you have paperwork and receipts scattered around your house, get to decluttering. Compile your receipts, categorize them, and put them in a folder so you’ll know where everything is when you need it. 

If you want to stay on track with your financial goals, bank with us at INOVA Federal. Whether you want to make a balance transfer, update your budget, or anything in between, we’re always within reach. 

Stop in and see us at one of our convenient locations or visit us online to learn more about becoming a member.