Prior installments of the 2026 Goals Series:
Here we go!
GOAL #1: DECLUTTER OUR HOME (26 AREAS). YES, it’s the perennial decluttering goal! This year however I do plan on throwing some resources at the problem and hiring a professional. I am still torn on whether I will hire a virtual consultant or someone in our area; I am really drawn to the KonMari method and there do appear to be at least 2 certified organizers I could work with in South Florida.
This goal has been really tricky for years and when I really think about it, it’s not “our entire house” that frustrates me but multiple hot spots that just make my heart sink EVERY TIME I look at them (which is generally multiple times per day). (JUST A FEW EXAMPLES: suitcases and random ski stuff in our room; my closet; various storage areas that are dysfunctional). I also know I am not going to be successful with this goal without Josh’s buy-in, but I think I do have it.
(The mattress looking thing has been used for sleepovers like, 3x. Same with the folding beds on the right. I have to figure out somewhere else they can live . . .)
(Side note: It would really be good for me to have somewhere professional looking I could record video from. I know it does me no favors to be appearing on podcasts with a blurred closet background in low lighting. I do think that with strategic organizing, we could create a ‘backdrop’ of sorts in our house; it IS big enough. So this is sort of a sub-goal that will not be achievable without improved organization.)
GOAL #2: SEPARATE BUSINESS FINANCES FROM LIFE FINANCES. This may be doable in YNAB (but I also am a little quirky in how we use YNAB so I’m not entirely sure I *want* that to be the same place I track business ins and outs). Another reader recommended Waveapps.
We will see. I can’t tell how high my motivation really is for this goal, but I know it’s probably a good idea. I *am* good about carefully tracking everything (so it’s not hard for me to do things like send out 1099s, prove itemized statements to our accountant, pay quarterly estimated taxes) BUT a little more separation would probably be ideal.
GOAL #3: CONTINUE TO PLAY THE POINTS & MILES GAME AT THE 20/80 level.
Meaning: I do about 20% of the things that pros like Kathleen or the Travel Mom Squad recommend, but I reap 80% of the benefit. Or maybe not 80% of the benefit, but a lot more benefit than zero effort/strategy!
What I used to do: nothing at all strategic except let points accumulate and then randomly trade them in for $1000. Once I even opened a business credit card (trying to separate things) and didn’t bother to try to meet the sign on bonus.
What I do now: try to put the right purchases on the ‘right’ card (ie, Chase for hotels because it will give 3X points); occasionally sign up for a new card and be sure to get the sign on bonus; put in at least SOME effort to shop for deals when it comes to point redemptions (example: I got our round trip tickets to Bozeman for 22K AA points apiece! These tickets usually cost upwards of $1000 over the holiday season, but 22K AA points is more like the equivalent of $220. You had better believe I snapped those up the moment I saw them!)
What I want to do in 2026: open one new personal card (and maybe convince Josh to do another one) plus 1-2 new business cards, and make sure to earn all sign up bonuses (I could see meeting two with the the BLP Live hotel expenses, which are not low!) and use up any credit card perks that make sense.
Use the Rakuten shopping portal when we shop for things we would buy anyway to earn AMEX points. AND, shop around for good redemptions on flights + hotels.
Play the points game to enjoy travel in 2026 and also make travel in 2027 more affordable (hoping for an international trip).
I am not going to go crazy with this, but with minimal to moderate effort I feel like it’s worth it to leverage the spending we do (both everyday + business-related).
It does not escape me that the kids are not on this list! I think this is a combination of a) things with them feeling more and more private as they get older and b) goals related to supporting them just feel like an everyday ‘of course’!
In addition to this numbered list, I will also note that I hope to really create a fun and nurturing home environment this year, make really fun travel memories as a family, spend at least some 1:1 time with each kid, and continue to work on teaching certain life skills.
GOAL #4 BATHROOM REMODEL. OMGGG, a home project. We kind of . . never do those. But it’s necessary. The kids’ bathroom is literally falling apart (I think it was redone with really low-end materials that basically crumbled with 1 year of kid abuse) and our guest bathroom is . . . well, kind of ugly and dated.
So I guess this goes on the list even though I am soooo unexcited for all of it. (This one truly DOES NOT spark joy. But not every goal will!)
All right, that wraps up category #3: Home! Just 2 more to go (and the last one is pretty minimal). I think we WILL get to the end before January wraps up!!!
27 Comments
It will be so nice to have all the house jobs done, and more maintanable. I HATE having non-personal things in the bedroom. I feel like you could freecycle that mattress and just borrow an inflatable for any possible sleepovers. Jealous of getting some professional help – I think someone local makes way more sense, to understand how your house and storage works. My house is pretty decluttered, but we’re downsizing and I think we’ll need to be more creative with storage, etc. We won’t have any built in clothing closets, and T’s room is really tiny, so currently debating a loft bed.
My goals in this area for 2026, some of which overlap with yours, are 1) to declutter one room each month (not the entire room, but just make substantial progress), with the summer being “off,” so that will be all the rooms in our house including basement/garage; 2) update our kids’ regular chores (currently emptying dishwasher, folding laundry, taking out trash, sorting and taking out recycling, vacuuming first floor and stairs, and some seasonal yard work) which have been the same for 2-3 years now and I have decided they need to be doing more/harder stuff; 3) earn enough credit cards to book an epic 2027 international trip (Japan) mostly on points, as well as 1-2 smaller trips (maybe NYC for spring break? TBD).
For kid sleepovers, when we have one kid over they share a bed with the kid, and when we have more in one we just do sleepovers on the floor. No mattress necessary! So far at ages 11 and 13, kids are not complaining about that yet 🙂
Sarah – I wonder if building customized storage space via something like California Closets would be more what you need than an organizer. (I’m not affiliated with them, but I had a set of closets purpose-built, which was about $5,000 about five years ago. Not cheap. But, it has been exceptional in its functionality, and the quality has held up so far at least)
I was going to say this too. Organization is my secret superpower (I literally love to move because it creates a billion opportunities to develop new organizational and storage strategies), and in looking at the photos you’ve shared, I can’t help but think that your clutter problem is exacerbated by (if not caused by) a lack of appropriate, out of sight storage. Because even after you go through the process of deciding whether or not you want to keep something, if there’s no good place for it to be stored, and you still have to look at it all, you’re likely to still feel cluttered. I’m very sensitive to visual clutter, and it’s possible that you may be too.
Soon after we moved into our home, we paid a neighbor/local carpenter 1K for built-in shoe/hats/bag storage by our front door, as our 1925 house didn’t have any entryway storage and the t. Our second floor renovation was in large part about incorporating unfinished attic space in order to build better storage to make the floor more usable. We built a huge storage nook that spans the entire back of our house where we store anything we use on our second floor, including extra toiletries, our suitcases and out of season clothes and bed linens. A lot of stuff we need to have, but use rarely so they don’t need to be out and accessible. We added custom closets with the Container Store, in one room creating a real master suite, and in my office using the same Container Store system to have bookshelves and drawers (which could readily be converted into a regular bedroom closet if we or someone down the line wanted to use my office for a bedroom instead). My office closet was really about making good use of vertical space, which could be a useful strategy in your kids areas. Our next project will be built in storage in our small primary bathroom. The quotes have been much higher than expected so we’ve been dragging our feet, but it’s the type of small job that is hard to get good quotes for. But I’m reminded again and again that bespoke, built-in storage solutions with doors that can be closed, while expensive, have always been worth every single penny.
Also, re: home remodeling – it really doesn’t have to be as bad as you expect it to be. Our second floor renovation, which was a relatively big project – it cost 125K and took our entire second floor down to the studs – only took six weeks from start to finish. We had a fantastic general contractor with very reliable partners. He was so good at coordinating everyone and everything that we had people on site working and making progress every single day, even when we were waiting on some other thing to move forward. I know you’re not inclined to do house projects, but it might be what you need, and it might be worth it.
I think I pretty much know what your house is like. We have areas like that too, and the problem is, for me at least, once things get piled up like that I just stop “seeing” them, and after months and months it’s like “oh yes of course we keep the Christmas wrapping paper and a big stack of books in the corner of our bedroom.” At least you’re SEEING it. The fact that it bothers you so much means it’s definitely time to take care of it, and you will feel SO GOOD once you do it. Even when we’re not consciously seeing these things, it’s there in our subconscious. Okay, you’re motivating me… maybe I need to put a decluttering project on my own goals list.
i appreciate that your house looks like a normal house re: the amount of clutter!! it’s reassuring 🙂
We had a bathroom remodeled in 2024 after years of dreading it and putting it off, and it was surprisingly easy. In five days, during which they had to rip everything out and repair some subfloor damage, they turned our hideous bathroom into a lovely space. It feels so much better, and it was less disruptive than I thought it would be.
that is FANTASTIC to know!
Agree with this—small spaces are really very doable!! If it isn’t a kitchen, and you have another bathroom you can use in the meantime, this can be a week-long project if you’re not planning to DIY and you have a good idea of what you want. Procrastinating the decision-making is most of the time suck.
I’m aware of you through Jenny’s (runnersfly) blog. I’m wandering around MCI airport and 2 shops have your book on display! 🙂 Just wanted to share that.
Okay that is really amazing!! Had no idea airport shops would carry!! Thank you for letting me know!
Yay! Seeing them was a happy moment actually lol
I think you should hire an in person organizer. I think that’s the best use of your money if you want to really organize your space this year. That person can tackle some of these problem areas and come up with solutions for you. You could DIY it but do you have the time and energy to do so?
One good thing about the midwest is that most of us have basements so we have more storage than those of you in the south! I just went through our storage area under the stairs in the basement and brought a good amount of stuff to the library for their book sales + goodwill. But it’s nice to have that “staging area” for hand me downs and other things that need to go to goodwill! We otherwise do not have a lot of storage space in our house as it’s a 1925 home and I guess storage was NOT a priority back then since people probably had way less stuff. Luckily our upstairs was added to the house in 2008, so we have a walk in closet in our primary bedroom which really helps!
Your only regret will be not having hired a professional sooner 😉 having a well organized space is the only reason our family is 5 can manage all of our stuff in a 2 bedroom apartment!
I wonder if it would be helpful to have a designated storage room if you have the space. I recently bought a home with a shed and utility room and it’s eliminated the random piles in other places.
we have a big garage (and do not park our cars there – almost no one does here, bc none of us have basements!), but it’s not air conditioned and very hot/humid in there 90% of the year so it’s not ideal for many things!
I really appreciate you sharing your problem areas because they are so relatable, I have some places in the house like that too, and its reassuring that even someone as organized and goal-orientated as you has these struggles, Sarah. We also have a humid garage that’s no good for storing suitcases, mattresses etc, and no basement. Look forward to hearing how a professional helps you (I do think in person might be most helpful), perhaps I’ll be inspired in 2027!
Professional organizer here. You are very wise to hire a professional. I say it all the time: more than half the value of a professional organizer is having that person show up at a scheduled time and tackling it together. The other half of the value is having an objective expert come and talk things through with you. See you space, talk through possible “homes” for different categories and setting up simple systems. I recommend finding someone local who can meet with you in person and being as involved in the process as you can. Best of luck!!
I am by no means a natural home decor person, but in looking at your organizational pain points, I realize that we store all of that stuff in the basement. If you do not have a basement, then you need a closet or similar place to keep these items out of sight. For instance, in that wall of your bedroom with the suitcases, you could put a ceiling high, 2-2.5 ft deep closet across most of that wall that could fit luggage, holiday decorations, winter clothes, and other rarely used items. Just a thought. My husband’s family in Italy has something like that in each bedroom of the house (I guess building in closet space wasn’t a thing when his mom and brother’s apartments were built).
No basement – it’s FL! We have a large garage BUT it’s humid and hot most of the year and some things just would get gross if left out there. I think this would be such a great solution though I do think we also have SOME things to discard. I need to convince all other stakeholders though . . .
If you are going to throw money at the problem, I wonder if a designer would be better than an organizer? You don’t seem to actually have that much clutter, you just don’t have places to put things. You have a lot of space and a designer to could help you make better use of it?
One of my good friends also said this. An interesting point! I absolutely do think we need some more built in and well-designed storage. However I am not sure everyone else in our household (ie, Josh 🙂 ) is convinced of this . . .
I’m glad that you mentioned the feeling when you walk by these areas. I feel the same way about my kids’ playroom. It really isn’t THAT bad, but I would like to walk by and feel excited about it. I think that is a big reason why my kids don’t play with their toys that much. I discovered tidy dad through BLP podcast and I’m going to try his toy inventory/rotation idea in 2026!
@Katie, I second that idea! I tried the Tidy Dad toy rotation and it’s been fantastic. We have a small living room, which is by default the playroom, and once I instituted toy rotation (the “out of rotation” toys go in the garage) it is so, so much easier to manage. I love Tidy Dad’s idea of “easily tidied” instead of needing to be tidy all the time.
@Sarah, thank you so much for sharing this! I’m a single mom by choice with an active preschooler and have mostly made peace with there just not being enough hours in the day to get everything done. But still, the clutter and extra stuff in my home/garage is a pain point, so you’re motivating me to try doing something about it this year. For what it’s worth, I agree with the comments that closed storage of some kind would make your spaces feel more calming and less cluttered. Maybe you could try some of the more inexpensive options from Ikea if that would make other stakeholders more likely to get on board?
Nothing wrong with getting some professional help. I agree with some comments relating to your pictures that you might just need more storage space, not actual decluttering. It’s always hard to “look at stuff” that doesn’t have a home in your house ( = cupboard or shelf space).
I follow the “flylady” method of cleaning, which breaks the house into zones, and you rotate to a different zone every week. The idea is to tackle deep cleaning items that week so that eventually maintaining your house doesn’t feel so overwhelming.
Just wondering if that is an approach you could take? Rather than tackle an entire room at once (which feels daunting), pick a zone and limit yourself to one area of that zone for the week. The goal could be to declutter objects from that area. Combine it with the konmari method, or put things in a box with a date if you’re unsure if you’ll use it. If it’s still in the box after x date you’re likely OK to get rid of it.
Depending on how many zones you have, you’ll tackle each zone multiple times over the year and it slowly becomes more manageable.
Might help? Good luck!!
thank you kelly- something to reflect on!