You remember the day that you got the keys and everyone was lining up to come stay for the weekend. You were excited to show off the new digs and spend time swimming, singing campfire songs and watching sunsets on the dock.
But somewhere in between the belly flops and the flip flops something happened. The towels piled up, the sheets always seemed to need laundering and everyone else but you, were out enjoying the cottage. After a few years you come to resent the place and avoid “going up” for your peace and serenity.
So what can we do to lighten the load and have more me time and free time? Think about purchasing items that will make your day to day tasks easier. Also think about setting down some guidelines for all and every temporary occupant.
Assign everyone their own storage basket to keep track of their stuff. Easy to clean and handy for everyone. Check out these ever popular moulded beach bags. Here I am showing a Bogg bag. Probably the most boujee of all, but there are many styles in a variety of colours, sizes and price ranges. Just stack them by the door and have the guest pick which colour they’d like. Goodbye chasing everyones stuff around.
Consider furniture that does double duty, can endure humidity, sit for long periods of time in the winter months and hide the cards, the cords and items not always in use. These componibili stacking units will fit the bill. They have tons of storage and if it were me, i’d leave the bottom unit open for a place for my cat. But hey that’s just me.
Other items like bentwood and rattan last for decades and can be used for indoor or outdoor furnishings.
Another idea is to having a set of house rules posted in plain view to help eliminate extra tasks and keep the maintenance under control. “Thanks for stripping your bed on your way out and putting the sheets in the laundry” or “please hang your towel on the line for tomorrow”.
Another great idea but often overlooked is buying in bulk for the season. Do you really want to make an extra trip everytime you leave home just to pick up toilet paper? Costco and online shopping (check out my free shopping list for vacation properties found on my website) help to create more down time for you and the family. And of course it goes without saying that less packaging, less road trips and using less gas makes for a better impact overall on the environment.
If your interested in restyling your property or having an audit done on your AirBnB feel free shoot me an email and let’s start a conversation.
For now, as we long for summer, I’ll just look out my window and try to imagine that all this white snow is white actually white sand in this little beach town of Cobourg, Ontario. Stary warm and Stay Beautiful,
