Q: I have worked for 40 years to get "organized", then my husband retired. Now we live seven months at home in Utah and five months in a trailer in Arizona. Now I am half here and half there. Could you please offer some general ideas  for retirees? All I seem to accomplish is keeping up the my husband.

Daryl: You write that all you’re able to accomplish is keeping up with your husband.  I think you’re doing really well and doing what’s most important to be doing that much!

Your question about being organized between two homes is a really good one.  I haven’t been in such a situation (except for our missions) and don’t have first hand experience, but here are a few suggestions.  You’re probably already doing them, but I’ll send them along just to reaffirm you in your efforts. 

1. Simplify, simplify, simplify!  This means discard, dejunk, give away, streamline—reduce your possessions to a minimum.  (If it’s difficult to part with some treasures, take a photo and place the photo in your album.)  It drains one’s time and energy to manage stuff and increases one’s frustration and stress.  She who travels light, travels well. I support William Morrow who said, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”  (You may wish to check chapters 1 and 2 in my book, The Ultimate Career—The Art of Homemaking for Today, for more information.) 
   
2. Have duplicates of all household items in both homes.  In other words, have a set of dishes in Utah, another one in Arizona, etc.    
3. Don’t move anything back and forth except for personal items, some clothing (according to what you wear in either climate), and projects.  Store the projects (scrapbooks, family histories, handwork, reading material, sports equipment, etc.) in portable containers so you don’t have to pack and unpack them. 
4. Invest in a laptop computer to carry with you so you can have tons of information stored in a small space and available at either location.
   
5. Keep an inventory (as a list or on index cards) of what you have and where it is.  This will give you an “under one roof” feeling of control and peace, even though      items may actually be in one of two locations.  Furthermore, when you need something, you can quickly determine where it is (Utah or Arizona) without having to sort through boxes.
   
6. Practice the maxim, “Put the house to bed before you go to bed,” except in your case it would be put the house to bed before you leave town.  In this way, you can have that good “everything is in order” feeling while you’re away and upon your return you’re caught up and ready to move forward as you unlock the door.

I checked out www.aarp/family/home  (that’s the American Association of Retired Persons) and learned, that in addition to their monthly magazine, they publish an email newsletter with lots of tips for which you may sign-up.  They are an excellent resource. 

Good luck!