10 New Year's Resolutions for Your Home

In addition to the usual New Year's resolutions to get in shape and eat more healthfully, resolve to make your home a cleaner, more efficient and happier place. Here are ten do-able home resolutions for you and your family to follow in 2010:

Get an energy audit. Offered by private consultants or your local utility company, an energy audit will tell you exactly what you can do to make your home more energy efficient. The upfront costs will often pay off over a short amount of time.

Adjust the thermostat. Install a programmable thermostat, then turn the heat down to Energy Star's suggested temps: 70 degrees or below in the winter months and 78 degrees or above in warm weather.

Really clean out your closet. Instead of the usual half-hearted closet sweep, take a hard look at your clothes and accessories. If you can't remember when you last wore something, give it away. If you can't fit into a garment, donate it. If the item is damaged, repair it or toss it. Get a friend to help you make hard choices

Stop clutter at the door. Instate a rule for your home that every time someone brings something into the house, an item of equal size goes out of the house. Buy a new book? Pick an old one to donate.

Go paperless. Stop the never-ending flow of paper. Sign up for online billing and banking. Collect all the catalogs that come to your home and spend an afternoon calling them to get off their mailing lists. Follow these steps at wikiHow to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive.

Buy yourself flowers. Don't wait for a reason, buy fresh flowers once a month just because you deserve them. Need more motivation? A study at Rutgers University found that flower recipients felt "less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers."

Give up the self-storage space. One in ten Americans uses self-storage: Unless you are in a temporary housing situation or you're storing a treasure trove of valuable antiques, a storage space is a waste of money. Decided whether you want to keep the stuff or toss it and give up the unit.

Expect guests. Always keep the living room and kitchen clean enough that you wouldn't be embarrassed for guests to show up unexpectedly. You'll be surprised how nice it is to enjoy your home every day in the way your guests have in the past.

Tackle one project every weekend. Make a list of all the little things around your home that you'd like to fix or change, like the mess of plastic bags under the sink or the patch of wall that needs touch-up paint. Take on one task each weekend; when you cross everything off, make a start a new list.

Clean green. Swap out your harsh, chemical cleansers for gentler, earth-friendly products. You'll be helping the earth and it will reduce your family's risk of accidental poisoning.


Inspired to go green in 2010? Check out our guide to green cleaners and our pointers for easy green cleaning.