Instead of making the usual New Years resolution of telling yourself that you are going to lose 15 pounds or quit smoking, why not make a resolution for your home that you can do all year long.

1.) De-Clutter your closet

At the beginning of the year turn all your clothes hangers backwards. After you wear and wash the items put the hangers back as you normally would. By June donate any clothing with a hanger still hanging backwards.

2.) Save Energy and Save Money

If you haven’t yet, switch out your light bulbs for CFL bulbs. If you don’t want to do the entire house at once, make a schedule to change all the bulbs out in one room each month.

3.) Change your HVAC Filters

Determine the type and amount of filters you need for each return. Buy a year’s worth of filters at one time. Mark your calendar to switch them all out once a month or quarterly, depending on the manufacturers recommendations.

4.) Do Projects a Little at a Time

List the top 12 projects that need to be done in your home. Assign one to each month and complete them as the months go by.

5.) Create a Weekly Cleaning Schedule

Create a weekly cleaning schedule that you can completed in less than 30 minutes each day Monday through Friday giving you the weekends to worry about anything but cleaning.

Monday- Vacuum house thoroughly, occasionally vacuum curtains and vents (25-30 minutes depending on house size)

Tuesday- Dust entire house. Occasionally wipe down furniture with polish. (15-20 minutes depending on knick-knack amount)

Wednesday- Clean bathrooms in the front of your home including toilets, mirrors, tub shower and floors (25-30 minutes)

Thursday- Clean bathrooms in the back of your home including toilets, mirrors, tub shower and floors (25-30 minutes)

Friday- Clean kitchen, including mop the floor, wipe down counters and appliances, scrub out sink (15-20 minutes)

The other key to making this successful is to maintain the house daily by picking up things immediately and putting them away and sorting mail as it comes in.

6.) Paint

A fresh coat of paint not only makes a room look better but allows you the versatility to easily change the décor of a room. Choose a room to do every other month. By the end of the year your whole house will look totally new.

7.) Learn to Do It Yourself

Many small home projects are easy enough to do yourself, all you have to do is learn how. There are many tutorials online and most larger home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowes offer free or very low cost classes teaching. Doing it yourself will not only save you some money but give you some self satisfaction once the project is done.

8.) Turn off Your Lights

An easy way to start saving energy right away at no cost to you is to simply turn off your lights. When you leave a room turn the lights off. Also instead of using multiple lights at a time in a room just use the light you need. If you’re in your family room reading, turn on a lamp nearby instead of using all your recessed lights above.