Anniversary Party – Day 2 Give Away Contest

Happy Birthday to Me virtual party continues with a contest this week!
The prize is a one-year membership to The Clutter Diet program + The Clutter Diet book that has the entire program laid out in black-and-white for your reference. This prize was donated by my friend and colleague Lorie Marrero, owner of The Clutter Diet.

The Clutter Diet Boo

The Clutter Diet provides a whole-house de-cluttering plan for members, weekly motivations, a way to count-down your clutter pounds, and the best part is there are experts online that will answer your specific organizing questions on the message boards. This amazing bonus is just the jolt many people need to get moving, and provides the TLC many people need to keep it going.

The whole package has a value of $160.

Need to get organized and want to win this fabu prize?

Just leave a comment here on our Facebook page and tell us what area of your home you want to organize first!
Leave a comment before Tuesday May 8 at noon when we pick a winner. Just one comment per person please.

The winner will be chosen from the comments using The Random Number Picker.

So what would you like to get organized most in your home??? Leave a comment HERE!

Favorite Containers for Home Organizing

Favorite Containers for Home Organizing  → edit

By Allison Carter, CPO®
Every organizer comes to rely upon a few choice containers and other products that can be used in a variety of situations.
And we love to share our favorites with our friends and colleagues.
Here is a list of some old standbys.
Home Office:

• file folders
• hanging files
• file Drawers
• drawer Dividers
• screen Risers
  
• printer stand
• pencil holder
  
• cd binders and cases
  
• magazine boxes
  
• desktop file box 
  
• good chair
  

KITCHEN

• lazy susan
• can risers/tiers
• lid organizers
• drawer dividers
• shelf risers
• elfa door spice rack
• glideout shelves
• tupperware® Modular Mates

CLOSET

• huggable hangers
• shoebag
• purse bag
• purse cubbies
• elfa drawers
• sweater bags
• overdoor hooks
• valet rod
• tie-belt rack
• scarf hanger
• clear shoe boxes
• sock drawers
• Command hooks

BATHROOM

• shelf risers
• pull out drawers
• shower caddy
• little drawers – Sterilite
• 3m command hooks
  

LAUNDRY ROOM

• little bins
• elfa drawers
• shoe bags (to catch little items)
• pull out drying rack
• lingerie hanger
• pull out ironing board
• ironing board and iron rack
• hamper in every room

What are your favorites? And where do you use them most?

Cut Closet Chaos

Cut Closet Chaos

By Allison Carter

If your closet is cramped and cluttered, it is hard to find clothes you like to wear, clothes that are ready to wear, and it can be stressful each day just trying to dress yourself. Here are some quick tips for creating a closet you will love to use.
– As the seasons change, weed out your summer and winter wardrobes. If you haven’t worn something in two seasons, you probably won’t ever wear it again.  If you’re saving an item for sentimental reasons, put it into a keepsake box.
– Weed brutally: If you don’t love it, lose it. You’re not likely to wear something you don’t like.
– If it doesn’t fit but you may change sizes, take it off a hanger and put into a bin marked with the clothing size. If you don’t get down to that size within a year, give the items away. The clothes are often outdated by the time they fit again.
– If it isn’t something you wear or use to accessorize, it doesn’t belong in the closet. Remove homeless items that have been squatting in your closet waiting for you to decide where they really belong.
– Invest in good sturdy hangers. Get a full set and your closet will look neater all around. Your clothing will also last longer because it won’t be pulled out of shape.
– Purses can be neatly placed along a shelf, hung from hooks, or be stored in a purse bag that hangs from the closet rod. It’s like a shoe-bag with larger pockets.
– Not enough hanging space in your closet? For just $10 you can purchase a rod that hangs from your hanging rod and immediately doubles your hanging space.  Check Target, The Container Store, and other retailers.
– Keep shoes from cluttering the floor by using shoe-bags or shoe shelves.
– Keep special occasion shoes in labeled boxes up high on a shelf.
– If you don’t like to fold neatly, use drawers more than shelves. Shelves are for neat people.  Folded items on shelves need to constantly be tidied because when you take something from the middle or bottom of a pile it loses alignment.

Organizing Couples

Organizing Couples, Spouses, Partners & Roommates

By Allison Carter

I strongly believe that many couples argue more over differences in organizing styles than about money or sex. Whether it’s clothes busting out of the closet, paper piles or inability to be on time, the lack of organization is often so frustrating to one or both partners, that they fight, blame, and often make the person they love the most feel bad about themselves. The more organized partner usually doesn’t know how to help the disorganized partner fix the problem areas.

Below are some of the strategies professional organizers use to help couples get organized. A professional organizer often helps the most by acting as a non-judgmental third party working to solve the problems, rather than pointing fingers.

Organized Spouse Helping Disorganized Spouse

1. Help your disorganized partner to purge by changing your voice and tone. Actually pretend to be someone else if you have to. In your most

non-judgmental way, ask:

• How is that item helping you? (or is it hurting you by taking up valuable space)
• When was the last time you used it? (1-2 years, then think about tossing it)
• How and when will you use it again in the future? (Be specific.)
• What would be the worst thing that would happen if you got rid of it?

2. Help organize papers with your partner by setting up 3 baskets or bins on a table.

Label the baskets: TO DO, TO GO, TO FILE

Read the mail together and show the disorganized partner how to sort into these piles so the papers can be processed. Help throw out junk mail.

3. Help your disorganized spouse by taking on more home management tasks that may be overwhelming.

4. Help your disorganized spouse develop a laundry or cleaning schedule and assist as much as possible until he/she gets into a rhythm.

5. If your spouse is disorganized and has refused to try to clean up

a. Seek marriage counseling for yourself so you can learn how to deal with this situation.

b. Let your partner know the level of disorganization is hurting your marriage because it causes many of your arguments.

c. Let your spouse know that you have trouble thinking and existing in a cluttered environment. Give him/her a “messy space” where the mess can live behind closed doors.

D. Realize that everyone has different challenges in life and this is just one kind of difficulty. Accept that it is not easy for everyone to be organized.

Disorganized Spouse Getting Help From Organized Spouse

1. Use your ears and eyes. Your partner has figured out organizing but may not be able to verbalize how to do it. Watch their style and see if you can apply the same principles in your own way.

2. Don’t act defensive. Be aware of your emotional hot buttons and try to turn it off when your spouse is doing his/her best to help.

3. Open yourself up to listen to new ideas. You may not like them all. Keep asking to brainstorm other solutions until one sounds like it might work for you.

4. Ask for help when you need it with household management tasks.  If you’re drowning or barely staying afloat, this is the person who loves you most and can help the most.

5. Evaluate whether your clutter causes the family to be stressed out more than necessary and decide if you should seek help from a professional organizer or a very organized friend.

Both Disorganized

1. Concentrate first on making a list of the things in life that are most important to you and prioritize them.

2. Create daily routines for everyday stuff like laundry, doing dishes, cooking, cleaning, paying bills and other chores. Decide who does what and when.

3. Hold each other accountable for doing each one’s part. Make a grown-up chore chart if needed. Be sure to reward yourselves with a special night out, bubble bath, or some other unclutterful reward.

4. Help each other purge regularly. Clean out closets together. Keep each other on task.

5. Open mail and process mail every day so that it doesn’t pile up and become a mountain.

6. Use your calendar and talk about activities weekly so you are in sync.

Clutter 911

Clutter 911

By Allison Carter

Do you pack every space until it’s full?
Do you like to own a lot of stuff, and yet feel overwhelmed by it all?
Do you like to make purchases for the fun of the hunt and not because you really need things?
Shopping can easily get out of control. It can break the bank as well as fill your life with so much stuff you don’t know what is really important… and couldn’t find it even if it was. There are two areas of cluttering habits that usually keep people from getting organized. The first is acquiring objects. The second is not de-acquiring.

Here are 10 Ways to Break the Cluttering Habit:

1. Pay only with cash. Money is harder to part with when it is real and not in the form of credit or check.
2. Shop only when you need something. Shopping is not a hobby or a sport. It is to get things we need.
3. Avoid garage sales, estate sales, eBay, Target, and shopping at sales. They lead to impulse shopping. Remember, one woman’s clutter is another woman’s clutter.
4. Before making a purchase ask yourself these questions:
   • Do I really need it?
   • What is the worst thing that would happen if I didn’t buy it?
   • Am I shopping to make myself feel better?
   • Am I shopping because I’m bored?
   • Is this the best way to spend my money?
   • Do I have a place to put this?
5. Don’t order from catalogs or TV shows. It costs money and time to return these items, which discourages you from sending things back that aren’t right for you. In fact, if you don’t read catalogs and advertisements, you will find you are more content with what you have. People really have everything they NEED. Society makes us think we need more, new, better, variety, change. Be in charge of what you buy  by knowing what is really important.
6. Take pictures instead of buying souvenirs. They take up less space.
7. Toss 10 trinkets daily. If scraps of paper and small cluttery things are the enemy then the trashcan is your best ally!
8. Be a giver! Keep a donation box in a closet or guest room at all times. Add to it regularly.
9. Use the one-in-one-out rule.  If you bring something home, send away something similar.
10. Live your life like you may have to move next month. Only keep the things you really love, need, and use on a regular basis.

Remember, it’s not a bargain if you don’t need it.

Dispose of Paint

By Allison Carter, CPO®

Every house is loaded with this stuff and so far, there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to help clients get rid of it (in most areas.)

After much research, I have found a very very limited number of places that will accept paint and haul it away and even fewer that recycle.

(opportunity for some business is awaiting!!!)

So how do you dispose of old house paint properly?

You have a few options:

Use it up

Mix it up with other leftovers to create a brown and paint a storage room or area that doesn’t need a decorated look. Use it as an undercoat on your next paint job. Keep painting on coats until it is all used up. Buy just enough for the room.

Dry it up

• For cans more than 1/4 full: Dry with Waste Paint Hardener or cat litter, mulch, or shredded paper.
• For cans less than 1/4 full: Take off the lid and leave it out to dry.

After latex paint is dry you can safely send it off with regular trash pick-up.

Pass it on

donate to schools, theater groups or anyone else who wants paint.

Try offering it on Freecycle.org and Craig’sList.org (sign up for local area)

California and Oregon have some amazing Paint Recycling stores:

* Amazon Environmental – California http://www.nvo.com/amazon/door/

* Metro Paint – Oregon http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=521

* Los Angeles -  In the Los Angeles area there are household hazard waste disposal centers that accept paint, solvents, oil, etc. during business hours and on some weekend days. There are several located around the city and the way to contact them is to call the City of LA Household Hazardous Waste Hotline at 800.988.6942.  For other city services such as “bulky item pick-up” the city will come haul away large bulky items such as old sofas, furniture, appliances, etc. for free. That number is 800.733.2489. Also, dialing 311 within Los Angeles will connect you to the same hotline.
If you know of other paint recycling / disposal resources please let us know!!

Would you like to use this in your newsletter, blog, or website? You can, as long as you use this complete blurb:  Allison Carter, CPO® is the lead trainer at Organizer U, providing learning opportunities for Professional Organizers everywhere.  If you’re ready to start your business, learn about the organizing industry, or refresh your current PO business, you can get your complimentary “10 Steps to Starting a Successful Organizing Business” at http://www.OrganizerU.com .

5 Ways to Cut Down on Disposable Clutter

One of the steps in being a green organizer is to replace the things you use as disposables with things that are durable.

Some quick ideas:

1. Plastic grocery bags: Purchase your own shopping bags now available everywere. Bring them into the store with you and we can stop killing all the little plastic trees.

You can purchase simple bags for $1 at most grocery stores. Or you can find some beauties that are specialized for veggies, frozen foods, and regular groceries.  The multitasking gro bag from BlueAvocado replaces 3 plastic bags.

2. Plasticware: If you bring your lunch to work or school, pick up an inexpensive set of silverware at a thrift store or use some from your own home instead of adding to the trash mountains.

3. Lunch bags: Speaking of lunch, instead of brown bagging it, try using a bag that you bring home and refill. Less for you to buy. Less for you to store. Less in the landfill.  I had a Donny Osmond lunch box in 2nd grade. I wish I still had that one!

4. Water bottles: Drinking water is great. But the 24-bottle-cases are going straight to the trash heap. Find a really great bottle, refill and wash.  Aluminum is the new green material and there are some great looking bottles. Buy one for every member of the family. Color code them so they don’t get mixed up of course. See the pretty pink one here available at Amazon.com

5. Computer CD’s: Instead of burning and tossing, put your data onto a jump drive or memory stick. CD’s are hard to organize. It is much easier to get gobs of info onto one drive.

I realize this doesn’t sound much like organizing. But any time you can cut the amount you bring into your space, you’ve got less to organize!

Organize What You Love

Spring Break, Summer break, Thanksgiving break… all are great times to catch up on organizing your
sentimental items.  You’ve got some free time and maybe your family is around to help.

Sentimental items are the things you keep, but don’t really
need for daily living. You like to have them for emotional reasons. For most
people, these are photos and keepsakes.

Keepsakes can be confusing because they disguise themselves as
useful items like Aunt Virginia’s serving tray, the chair your
grandfather made, and the jeans you wore in high school and still
fit but are terribly out of date. If you don’t use these “useful”
items AND you’re only keeping them as a memory trigger, they
qualify as keepsakes.

What do you do with keepsakes and treasures?
I recommend everyone have at least 2 bins for your own sentimental items and for each person in your family.
• 1 bin is for flat items such as awards, artwork, birthday cards,
school papers, etc.
• The second bin is for 3-d objects such as trophies, stuffed
animals, a favorite blanket, etc.
• The size will be up to you.
• Nice sturdy plastic is usually good enough or you could buy
archival quality storage boxes.
• Get bins with extra room to grow into.
No matter what box you choose for keepsakes, just be sure you are
honoring your treasures and don’t allow them to get
ruined.
If you can keep your bins limited to 2, you will always know what
is most special.
Adults need treasure boxes as well as children!

Containers

Rubbermaid’s Photo and Media bin is a great way to organize cds and DVDs.

Rubbermaid fashion clears

Big bins like  Rubbermaid boxes will hold most of your keepsakes and keep them safe from the elements.

Underbed box

Flat bins make use of space under beds, at the top of the closet, and can even be tucked under some couches.

Schoolfolio’s cases give parents a fun way to store artwork and school papers.

Scrapbooks and keepsake displays are another great way to keep sentimental items special. Check out this keepsake shadowbox from keepsakeshadowbox.com

License to give away
If your keepsakes are large, such as furniture, blankets, tools,
and art, we officially give you permission to get rid of them if
you don’t use them.
If you would like to save the memory of the item, you can:

* keep a piece of a blanket or tattered quilt

* take a picture of the chair

* Put it to use: use a memorable tool in your toolbox

The person’s memory and the item’s memory will still live on in your
head, but the memory is in your head, it’s not in the object.

Organizing your photos – digital and prints
I recommend using a computer program such as picasa to group your
photos in categories so you can find them easily.
If your goal is to view them, you’ve gotta print them.

No one really goes to the computer to take a walk down memory lane.

And they don’t look in photo boxes much either.

The most user-friendly
way to view photos still is:
- In a photo album
- In frames or a digital frame
- In printed photo books that you can make at snapfish, ophoto,
and many other photo websites. I love the books because they allow you
to tell a story with the photos if you wish.

Happy Birthday… now save this!

On your birthday, you get cards. At Christmas and New Year’s you get cards. On Mother’s Day and Father’s day you get cards. Are you supposed to save them? Some people have no trouble reading them and tossing them. But for the sentimental folk… let’s just say greeting cards are very difficult for sentimental people to part with. Each one is  special to them because it was given with thought and love. But after 25, 30, 50 years… boy how they can add up. So how do you begin to weed out things with emotional ties like greeting cards.

Begin by giving them different value. They’re not really all the same importance. Set some standards and make difficult decisions so you have room in your life for more good things to come:

Greeting cards sent to you can be grouped so that it is easier to get rid of some.

Some ways to give cards more value or less value:

Who they are from:
Cards from people who I don’t want to forget (grandma, children)
Cards from general friends/acquainances
Cards from a group with signatures (work people, clubs, organizations)

What they say:
Handwritten note
Just a signature

Type of card:
Handmade card
Storebought card

How many of each type? Can you live with fewer?

You might find it easy to get rid of cards from acquaintances and cards that just say “love so-and-so”
That could cut out 50% right there.
If you really want to save cards from grandma, how many is enough? 3? 5? 20?
Set a number and pick your top favorites.
Dump the rest.

You can also try scanning the hand-written note, saving it digitally on your computer with photos, and tossing the card.

– Allison

Recycle Holiday Gift Cards

It’s been a good year for my husband, who is a High School English Teacher. Every year at this time we get a flood of gift cards (happily accepted).

Up to now, after they were used up, I would struggle to toss some out because some are really cool looking. Honestly. Some stores actually put thought into the design (Target, Starbucks, iTunes).

The other looming question: Will the cards be collectible someday?

I now have a great Right-Brainy way to re-cycle them thanks to a random comment to a comment on a blog. No joke.
(Debbie Jordan Kravitz of Virtually Organized asked her followers on Twitter what we couldn’t live without.
I said nose strips. I stand by it.
Paul Merrill, a rubbish artist in Colorado, commented that he has a post similar.)
and here comes the winning comment:

An idea for recycling: Ian cuts these up into guitar picks!
Yay! A great used for cool, hip plastic.

Another idea: Ice scraper for car windows

What else can you do you do with your used gift cards? (besides tossing them)