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choosing your bed linens
Making your bed is actually much more enjoyable when you're working with bed linens that feel good and look nice. If you're sleeping on pilled-up old sheets that you pilfered from the back of your mom's linen closet, it's time to go shopping. Check out outlet stores as well as the clearance sections of department stores and home goods specialists for good deals.

Sheets can come in all sorts of fabrics, from fancy linens and silks to simple cottons and cotton blends. Unless money is no object and you have a fondness for high-maintenance bed linens, regular old cotton is likely to be your fabric of choice. It's soft; it's durable; it's affordable (though crazy pricey cotton sheets are also available). Personally, I find pure 100% cotton bed sheets to be infinitely preferable to those cheap cotton/poly blends; they feel better and breathe better, and are worth the extra few bucks you'll shell out. Pay attention to thread count as well. You'll find that the higher the thread count, the softer the fabric will feel. You'll pay more for this luxury, but high-thread count sheets also tend to last longer, which is why it's a good idea to get the highest thread count sheets you can afford. A thread count of 200 is pretty much the minimum of what you'll want, though if you can swing the upgrade to even a 300-thread-count set of sheets, you're sure to notice the difference.

Sheets will also vary in their finishes, from a plain weave to sateen finish, jersey knit to flannel. For the most part, deciding which finish is best is just a matter of personal taste. Jersey knits are soft and cozy, like your favorite old t-shirt; flannel is a great choice during those cold winter months. If you want something a little more luxe, sateen (not to be confused with satin) is a special weave that gives the fabric an extra bit of silkiness and a slight sheen. Whatever kind of sheets you decide to buy, it's a good idea to stock up on two complete sets of sheets and pillowcases for your bed, so you're not stuck without bedding should you throw your sheets in the washer, only to realize come bedtime that you've forgotten to transfer them to the dryer.

make your bed
A properly made bed instantly makes your room look ten times neater. What's more, there's just something so much more satisfying about climbing into a bed where the sheets are already pulled straight for you, and you don't have to fuss around with repositioning the blanket so it actually, you know, covers your body instead of lying in a heap on the floor. And as mom was always pointing out, making your bed really doesn't take all that long.

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