When I was a child I used to love September. Not for the return to school necessarily, but I loved the prep for the return. I would always get a new pencil case (I favoured the tin ones as I could lay out my pens and pencils in a pretty way), new pens, pencils, a smelly rubber and notebooks. And a new school bag was a must!
My love of stationery and notebooks has stayed with me, I love planning and lists. My husband laughs at how many lists I have in my life. I have a list for everything! And my stack of notebooks is possibly, ridiculous.
I treat September as a back-to-school re-set for home and work. I may not have a new pencil case, but I have a fresh page in my notebook with the heading 'autumn home organisation' and I'm ready to plan!
After a busy summer, autumn is the time to get organised. As the weather begins to change and we spend more time indoors, it's the perfect time to tackle home projects.
We're planning yet more interior projects for our home. I'm currently putting together mood boards for both the master bedroom and the garden room. I think we'll probably start our bedroom first, but I'm also ordering fabric, flooring and paint samples in preparation for starting the garden room.
With Christmas on the horizon (sorry to mention the 'C' word), the time when we all get more stuff, I like to have a clear-out. Sort clothes you no longer require into piles to sell, pass on to friends or take to the charity shop. Similarly with toys and gadgets, sort into piles and don't just throw away. As the saying goes: "One man's rubbish is another man's treasure".
The pantry and kitchen cupboards are next on my list to sort out. We all end up with those random tins and packets of food at the back that never see the light of day. If they're in date and you can't see yourself using them, take them along to a food bank. Most supermarkets and even some corner shops, now have places where you can donate to food banks.
I like to re-organise my pantry and I make sure all baking ingredients are clearly labelled. One thing on my list is to organise my dried fruit, nuts and seeds as they're all just shoved into a basket at the moment. Ideally I'd like to decant them all into little jars so I can easily see what I have in stock at meal times. This will also make the food shop easier as I'll be able to quickly see what needs replenishing.
We've recently had a new fridge, (exciting times over here), but I haven't organised it yet. I want a few containers in there to house the cheeses and other bits and bobs. You see them on Instagram don't you, all nicely organised and labelled. Well, mine isn't like that, but it's on my list!
As we've been eating and drinking outside over the summer, glassware and crockery can sometimes get chipped, so I check all drinking glasses and recycle any that have chips or cracks in them. If you do need to throw away any crockery, and you are doing some DIY that requires hardcore, broken-up crockery is ideal for this.
We may be having a min-heatwave this September, but we know the weather will start to change, the evenings will draw-in and we will want to feel cosy in our homes.
Candlelight is a relatively cheap and easy way to create a cosy feel on an autumn evening. Stock up on tealights (a trip to Ikea will sort this for you. Nobody leaves Ikea without a bag of tealights), pillar candles and your favourite scented candles to place around your home as the light outside begins to fade.
With the cost of living crisis still in full swing, we may all try to hold off on putting on our heating on for as long as possible this autumn. So it's time to layer up in cosy knits and I like to have woolly blankets and throws to hand for when we're sat snuggled on the sofa. Lay them over an arm of the sofa, or roll them up and store them in a basket close to hand.
If you have a real fire, stock up on kiln-dried logs which burn better and for longer. We always have a stock of logs which we leave to dry throughout the year so they are nice and dry come the autumn.
As well as interior projects in the home, it's important to also give your home a check on the outside. Clear leaves and moss from gutters, because when the downpours come, blocked guttering can cause issues.
Check any woodwork that may need repairing, filling, re-painting or varnishing. We have one side of our house that literally gets blistered from the sun, so we always need to give the woodwork some TLC at this time of year. Inspect your roof for any tiles that may have slipped or blown as you don't want to deal with a leak come the winter.
Fill any gaps in doorways or windows to stop draughts. Invest in draft excluders, or even a heavy curtain to pull over draughty doorways. If your roof isn't insulated, this is a relatively easy way to keep the heat inside your home.
I'm not someone who totally changes their decor with the change of the seasons, but I do like to add a few bits that make my home look more cosy and autumnal. Dried flowers in a pretty vase or jug are a must for me. I like to display pretty tealight holders around my house which I light as soon as the light begins to fade. I add more cushions on chairs and sofas for extra squishy cosiness in the evenings. I update my kitchen linens and display cute signs with phrases that instil a sense of gathering indoors with family and making memories.
I know for some the thought of autumn and winter isn't a good one due to the cold and long dark evenings. But see it as a chance to prep your home, get projects done and create a cosy atmosphere where you can stay warm, have quality family time and enjoy the simple things in life. You could try a new hobby like making jam, baking bread, make Christmas decorations and gifts or simply create a comfy spot near the fire where you can curl up with a good book.