Whether you vacation at a condo, cottage, camp or trailer, here are a few tips

This weekend, we took a little drive around the area where our cottage is located. We were going to our local weir fisherman’s house to get some fresh flounder for supper and we decided to go off the beaten path a bit. We were exploring obscure dirt roads and I was quite surprised by just how many little cottages and camps there were precariously perched on small patches of sandy soil, taking advantage of the gorgeous views of the ever-changing tides on the Bay of Fundy. I thought that there must be a very high percentage of people who have a second home.

For all those people who own a condo in Florida, escape to their secluded piece of heaven on the weekends or those who have a travel trailer and camp whenever they can get away, here are six great ideas to stay organized when you have multiple homes.

1. Don’t let the cottage be a dumping ground for things you no longer want in your home. It is so easy to deposit unwanted items at the cottage thus deferring your decision making. Make sure everything you have in your home and your second home is either useful or beautiful!

2. Keep a list on your smart phone of what is needed at the cottage and in the travel trailer. That way, there is no second guessing, “Where do we need sandwich baggies?”

3. Use a “staging area” in your home. We have an area in the basement where we put things that need to go to the cottage on the weekend. That way, nothing gets forgotten. Once I wash the cottage bedding, it goes right back in the pile to return to its proper place in the country.

4. Colour code according to location. The cottage towels are all blue, the plastic food containers have blue lids and the sheets are blue. Trailer towels are lime green. It sounds crazy, but it really works. You always have the proper supplies in the proper place if you use little tricks to make it easier on yourself.

5. Prioritize purchases according to how many nights you spend at your second home. If you are only getting to your camp 10 nights a year and spend the other 355 nights at home and you are contemplating purchasing a new mattress, recognize that you should spend your money where you will get the biggest return on investment.

6. When well-intentioned guests ask what they can bring for the weekend, don’t hesitate to let them know if there are items you truly need. Even if the answer is plumber’s antifreeze or paper towel, be honest. It is expensive to run a second home and when people ask if there is something they can bring, they genuinely enjoy the experience of visiting you and they want to help by contributing in a helpful way.

Wherever your little piece of paradise is located, whether it is hidden back in the deep woods, situated on a quiet lake or you tow it behind your truck every weekend looking for adventures, make the process a smooth one by doing some simple organizing and pre-planning.

Dartmouth’s Lisa Macdonald is a member of the Professional Organizers of Canada. Referred to as “Halifax’s Answer to Martha Stewart,” her organizing work consists of seniors downsizing, move management, estate organizing, setting up filing systems for small businesses, helping busy professionals and working with families to create a calm and clutter-free existence. Contact Lisa for a complimentary consultation at www.allorganized.ca.