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Organizing Tips Newsletter – January 2017

ORGANIZING PLAIN & SIMPLE MONTHLY

Tips & Inspiration for Organizing a Simpler Life

January 2017 – Vol. 16 No. 1

The man who moves mountains begins by carrying away small stones. ~Confucious

                      Cartoon courtesy of Organized Greetings

What’s it going to take for you to get organized?

Did you make a New Year resolution to get organized? How’s that working out for you?

When you make a resolution, you are making a promise. But without action, a promise is just a promise.

Take baby steps. Don’t expect to get organized overnight. Take this organizing thing one day at a time and if that seems like too much, then take it 10 minutes at a time.

Know your why. Start with a clear understanding of your motivation. What do you stand to gain from organizing your kitchen or closet or whatever? What do you stand to lose if you don’t?

Accept your role. What are you doing that contributes to the clutter and chaos in your life? I believe that 90% of getting organized is getting out of our own way. When you are able to accept the fact that you are part of the problem, you are well are on your way to the solution which lies in changing your habits. Think of one thing you do regularly that is something organized people probably do not do. For example, if you have a lot of “stuff” that is still sitting in shopping bags, try not to buy anything new for a month. If you tend to throw your coat when you come in the door, consciously retrain yourself to hang it up. Be patient with yourself. It takes a few weeks to establish new habits.

Create a one-month plan. Choose five things in your home or life that you most wish to get organized. List these items from highest to lowest priority. Get started on the one with the highest priority for you. Take immediate action even it’s just taking five minutes to organize your sock drawer. Or take some “before” photos so that once you get started, if you doubt you are making any progress, you can look back at those photos and prove that you are. If you get that first project done within the first 30 days, move on to the next priority. At the end of 30 days, make a new one-month plan.

Okay, so tell me…what organizing projects are on your to-do list for 2017? Any on your to-done list? I’ll share mine if you share yours!

Starting the year with a clean slate

In the 1925 book, The Customs of Mankind, author Lillian Eichler wrote: “In ancient England it was the custom to clean out the chimneys on New Year’s Day so that luck could descend and, of course, remain all year. With us it is customary to speak of ‘cleaning the slate’ and making good resolutions so the ‘slate’ will remain clean throughout the year.”

Favorite products and resources

As a professional organizer and certified House Cleaning Technician, I’ve used and recommended a lot of products, services and resources over the years. Every month in this column, I share new and old favorites.

Last month, I shared a crazy-good deal on my favorite gift wrap organizer – the Buddy WrapiT organizer. What I love about this product is that you can hang it up in a spare closet or store it under a bed and it’s got plenty of room for all your wrapping supplies.

And guess what? I just checked and that crazy-good deal from last month is still available. Enter the coupon code 12$buddy at checkout to get the Buddy WrapiT organizer for just $12.* (Regularly $57.99) *The coupon code can only be used once per customer, but you can purchase multiple buddys in one order at the discounted rate.

This month, I encourage you to take a look at this comprehensive review of moving companies.

I moved 10 times in 22 years – from one apartment to another in the same building, within the same city, from city to city and state to state with the last move being from a 3,500-square-foot home to a 350-square-foot home on wheels. Believe me, there’s some valuable information in this handy resource.

Learn why you should trust your next move to the pros, plus how to choose the right moving company to ensure a smooth move, how to avoid scams, and what you need to know about moving insurance.

If you or anyone you know is planning to downsize or thinking about moving this year, they will thank you for sharing this valuable moving guide.

Shameless promotion: 16 years and counting

Did you know that January is national Get Organized Month? I’ve been celebrating by completing a few long overdue organizing projects in my tiny home – stay tuned for details in an upcoming blog post!

This month also marks the beginning of my 16th year publishing this monthly newsletter. I started it shortly after my third book, Organizing Plain & Simple, was published. That’s the book that really launched my career as an organizing expert, which led to me becoming a cleaning expert and now a minimalist. And oh, what a joyful and rewarding ride it’s been thanks to you, my loyal reader!

At least once a week or so, I get contacted by magazine and newspaper editors looking for tips on cleaning, decluttering, and simplifying life. In the February issue of Woman’s Day, you’ll find a cleaning shortcuts article on page 26 with some of my tips. I also contributed cleaning tips to upcoming issues of Dr. Oz’s The Good Life, HGTV Magazine, and Real Simple.

In addition to being interviewed for articles, I also write articles for other blogs, which is another way I get to share my favorite tips and ideas. Here’s one I wrote for Miss Information’s blog about spring cleaning chores most people miss and why you’ll be glad you did them. It includes some things you can do now to get a jump on your spring cleaning.

On a personal note, a few weeks ago, I was patting myself on the back for completing a 15K (9.3 mile) race, my longest run in 12 years. Then I sprained my ankle playing pickleball a few days later. Maybe I should just stick to the sport of cleaning house!

Here’s hoping 2017 is off to a good start for you.

That’s all for this month. Until next month, keep it simple.

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FULL DISCLOSURE: Some links in this organizing tips newsletter may be affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, I will earn a small commission. These earnings go toward the continuation of this complimentary newsletter which is free to you, but does cost to distribute. Please know that I only recommend products that I would recommend whether I got paid or not.

 

The post Organizing Tips Newsletter – January 2017 appeared first on Declutter Your Life with Donna Smallin Kuper.

Organizing Tips Newsletter – December 2016

ORGANIZING PLAIN & SIMPLE MONTHLY

Tips & Inspiration for Organizing a Simpler Life

December 2016 – Vol. 15 No. 10

That which you cannot give away, you do not possess. It possesses you. ~ Ivern Ball

Getting your home ready for holiday guests

photo credit: Prestonbot Dear Santa, What do you want for Christmas? via photopin (license)

Company is coming. Is your home guest-ready? Whether they’re coming for dinner or staying the night, there are some simple things you can do to make their visit more pleasant while reducing the stress of making your house presentable.

Make a list of the things you need to do to prepare your home including cleaning and meal preparation. Check off the items you can do in advance such as making room in your coat closet for your guests’ coats by moving off-season coats into storage.

Prepare your guest room. Dust and vacuum. Wash linens and towels too so you have plenty on hand. Toss some Downy Fresh Protect Beads in with your linens when you wash them. The motion-activated technology turns clean sheet day into clean sheet week for your guests. (Just so you know, I’m a fabric care ambassador for Downy, but I’d recommend this product even if I wasn’t – it makes bedding smell so fresh and wonderful!)

Plan your menu – and keep it simple. This is not the time to make that fancy recipe you clipped from your favorite magazine. Choose meals that require little if any intervention in the last 30 minutes so that you are free to greet your guests and make them feel at home. Check your pantry and refrigerator and make a list of the items you need – everything from napkins to pickles to ice. Consider purchasing dessert from a local bakery rather than making it.

On the day your guests arrive, set the dinner table and check that all the serving dishes and utensils you need are clean and ready. Also set up a drinks station so that your guests can help themselves. Start preparing food earlier rather than later, remembering that things often take longer than we expect.

And if your guests ask what they can do to help? Put them to work! The more hands, the merrier.

Quick tips for easier holiday de-decorating

I love decorating for the holidays. But de-decorating? Not so much. Here’s what I suggest to simplify the process.

Take photos of your holiday decorations before taking them down so you’ll know exactly what to do next year.  Put decorations away in reverse of how you want to retrieve them next year. For example, if you store tree lights in the same box with ornaments, place them on top since you’ll need them first. Wrap strings of lights around sturdy sections of cardboard boxes (like the flaps). Label the cardboard with the location where you had them up this year; e.g., mantel, staircase railing, tree.

Consider purchasing plastic boxes if you are not already using them. They’re usually on sale after the holidays. Buy all the same size boxes for easy stacking. Create an inventory of each item as you pack it. Then tape an envelope to the box, store the inventory list inside, and label the front of the envelope with a brief description such as Christmas Tree Ornaments or Living Room Decorations.

Donate any decorations you didn’t use this year or last year.  And always pack holiday decorations, especially delicate ornaments, as if you are packing for a move because you never know what the new year will bring!

Easy cleaning and organizing ideas for a simpler life

Do you get Real Simple magazine? I was interviewed for an article in the November issue about how to clean the trickiest and ickiest kitchen spots. Even I learned a few things!

And here’s another article just published on Today.com that is full of simple, affordable ideas – 56 ideas to be exact – for organizing closets. WARNING: If you read this article, you’re going to wish you had more closets just so you can organize them!

And just in time for holday entertaining, here’s an article I wrote on how to clean carpets and rugs like a pro. (I attended a carpet cleaning technician course last summer and these are just some of the things I learned.)

Favorite products and resources

As a professional organizer and certified House Cleaning Technician, I’ve used and recommended a lot of products, services and resources over the years. Every month in this column, I share new and old favorites.

Last month, I introduced you to a really neat service that can help you find lost or misplaced items.  FOUNDio is a free lost and found website that helps you recover lost personal items without revealing your identity. Use it for cell phones, video games, tablets, keys, books, dayplanners … even pets.

Simply create an ID tag on the site. Print labels with your ID tag to affix to your belongings. Example: “If found, please notify me at FOUNDIO.com TagID: YOURIDTAG. Thanks!” If someone finds your item, he can log into FOUNDio and you will be notified via email. And you get your item back! Did I mention that FOUNDio is a free service?

This month, I’ve got a great idea for organizing all your wrapping paper after the holidays – and all your everyday wrapping paper as well. It’s the Wrap iT Gift Wrap Organizer. If this organizer doesn’t hold all of your gift wrapping supplies, it’s time to pare down and give some away – or stop buying this stuff. Seriously!

What I love about this product is that you can hang it up in any closet and pull it out when you need it. (You can also store it under a bed.) It holds rolls and rolls of wrapping paper, plus gift bags, tissue paper, bows, ribbons, cards, scissor, tape and anything else you need for wrapping gifts. And…

The creator of this product just gave me a very special discount for my readers!  Enter the coupon code 12$buddy at checkout to get the Buddy WrapiT organizer for just $12.* That’s $47.99 off the regular price! If you need a gift wrap organizer, get it now because I don’t know how long this coupon code is good for. Go take a look at Wrap iT and see if it’s something that will help simplify your life.

*Coupon code will take $47.99 off the Buddy model only, and cannot be combined with any other code. It can only be used once per customer, but you can purchase multiple buddys in one order at the discounted rate.

Shameless promotion: Get paid to declutter!

Me on the set with Mr. Decluttr himself!

Earlier this month, I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to do what’s called a satellite media tour where we broadcast live via satellite to morning TV programs across the country. Our topic? How to turn clutter into cash for the holidays!

If you’re like most people, you have lots of old electronics lying around the house. When we downsized our home a few years ago, I had a drawer full of old phones and shelves full of DVDs and CDs.

Decluttr will actually pay you cash for all of these items plus laptops, tablets – even books. I recommended Decluttr in my book, How to Declutter and Make Money Now and it was really great to work with them to get the word out about how easy it is to turn your clutter into cash. Like I say, “If you have clutter, you’re richer than you think!

One thing I love about Decluttr is that they’ve got a free app that that turns your smartphone into a bar code scanner. So you can quickly learn how much they’ll pay for your DVDs, CDs, and books. Or just enter the make and model of your electronics items for an instant quote. They’ll even pay to ship your items to them. And you get paid the day after your items are received. See how much you can make by selling your unwanted items to Decluttr.

Here’s a video clip of one of the live TV news segments we did. If we look like we were having fun, we were. Happy holidays!

That’s all for this month. Until next month, keep it simple.

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FULL DISCLOSURE: Some links in this organizing tips newsletter may be affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, I will earn a small commission. These earnings go toward the continuation of this complimentary newsletter which is free to you, but does cost to distribute. Please know that I only recommend products that I would recommend whether I got paid or not.

The post Organizing Tips Newsletter – December 2016 appeared first on Declutter Your Life with Donna Smallin Kuper.

Downsizing: How to Declutter in Preparation for a Smaller Home

When it comes to home size, it used to be the bigger the better. However, these days more people are realizing that old notion may no longer suit them. Bigger homes require more upkeep, are more expensive to heat and cool, and create much more work in terms of maintenance.

So what’s the solution? The tiny house movement has been trending for a few years now and while you may not want to live in a tiny house, you may want to live in a smaller one. But what do you do with all of the things you’ve accumulated over the years to furnish and decorate your larger home?

If you’re thinking of downsizing your home and have no idea what to do with your things here are some tips to help you get started.

Get Your Friends and Family Involved

Everyone has that one friend or family member who is enamored with something in your house. Whether it’s a piece of furniture or a decorative item, they’re the ones who are always commenting on it. If you don’t have room for it in your smaller home or simply don’t want it any longer, let them have it. It can be a sale or a gift but if it brings them more joy than it does you, it’s the perfect solution.

Family heirlooms are the hardest things to let go of, so if one of your family members has the space and the inclination to take your great grandmother’s dining room hutch, then let them. It helps you lighten your load and ensures that these precious heirlooms remain in the family.

Assess Your New Space

If you’ve already purchased your new, smaller home, then you have a great advantage. You can go in and take careful measurements of each room to get a good idea of what will fit and what won’t. For instance, if your new home has two bedrooms and your older home had more you know that some bedroom furniture has to go.

The same goes for every room in your new home. If your dining room table seats six and your new dining room is less spacious, then a smaller table is in order. Start to think in terms of size and how you can make your new space comfortable but not cluttered.

What to Do With Your Unneeded Possessions

Once your friends and family have taken the items they want for their own homes and you’ve determined what will fit into your new space, it’s time to begin purging. Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind is a garage sale and while that’s a great idea and something you may want to do at some point, there are other ways to whittle down what you own.

Donating items, like old clothing or that ignored, old boat, to charity is a great way to let go of some of your things, especially larger items. Not only does the charity sometimes come to pick up the items, thus saving you the hassle, you may be able to deduct the secondhand value of the items come tax time.

Other options include selling your things on eBay. This can work very well for antique items and collectibles and depending on the value of your items, you could make a fair amount of money. Craigslist is another option if you don’t want to spend the time it takes to ship items on eBay. And, of course, there’s the good, old-fashioned garage sale, which it also a great way to say an informal goodbye to your neighbors.

Giving up a home that contains years of memories, both tangible and intangible, is never an easy thing to do. There are bound to be feelings of stress and sadness along the way. But for people moving into a smaller home, the benefits can far outweigh the decision to stay in your current home. For instance, smaller homes mean less housework and maintenance. And for those with arthritis or limited mobility, a smaller, single-level home can make life much safer and easier.

At the end of the day, if your current house just feels too big or requires more upkeep than you can handle, downsizing may be one of the smartest decisions you’ve ever made.

Tiffany Rowe prides herself in creating resourceful pieces about downsizing and home organization. With years of experience, she’s found herself more passionate than ever to develop high-quality content and relationships across multiple platforms and audiences. 

 

The post Downsizing: How to Declutter in Preparation for a Smaller Home appeared first on Declutter Your Life with Donna Smallin Kuper.

How to Organize Your Finances

The end of 2016 is quickly approaching and a new year is on the way. A good project to complete before you dive into 2017 is to organize your finances. Although the thought of tackling your many financial accounts and records may seem overwhelming, it is only a matter of following a couple simple steps to start the new year in organized bliss.

Take Stock of What You Have

It’s time to make some lists. Start by writing down everything that either brings you income or sends you a bill or statement, which may include retirement accounts, checking accounts, credit cards, savings accounts, insurance policies, utilities, your mortgage bank or landlord, and so on.

One by one, go through the list. Collect paperwork you’ve saved related to it, and figure out if you have an online account associated with it. (If you don’t, you can probably create one.)

Which brings us to our next step:

Use Online Tools

Even the most organized among us struggle to keep the many aspects of personal finance straight, from monthly bill due dates to credit score updates and everything in between. But thanks to the Internet, you don’t have to do it all yourself.

When you log into your online accounts, you’ll probably be able to find some options for setting email or text notifications whenever you have a bill due or have a paycheck coming in. You can also do it yourself and make note of important dates using a paper or digital calendar.

There are dozens of budgeting apps that allow users to view all their financial accounts and bills in a single dashboard. If you’d prefer to keep things separate but still need a little help keeping track of things, you may want to look into a password-storage app. Remember, it’s important to use hard-to-guess passwords and not use the same credentials across multiple accounts.

You may be pleasantly surprised by all the tools you have at your disposal through your existing accounts, as well. For example, you may have some perks like purchase protection or travel insurance through your credit card company. Many are offering account holders free credit alerts — like when a new account shows up on your credit report — while others provide their customers with FICO credit scores on their regular account statements.

Such tools are common, so take some time to explore the advantages you might already have.

Ditch the Paper

Now that you’ve gathered all that paperwork, you have a few things you can do with it: Save it for your records, dispose of it, or make sure you don’t get any more.

Among the many settings you’ve probably already come across in your online account exploration is the “going paperless” option. Ask yourself: Do I need this piece of paper every month? Some people like to use paper to keep themselves organized, but paper also gets you to the point you’re at now — needing to de-clutter. It might be time to say goodbye to regular mail from your bank.

As far as record-keeping goes, the IRS recommends you keep all documentation for your tax returns for a minimum of three full years in addition to the current year. Anything older than that can be scanned and kept on a drive, as can any records pertaining to any time you might have been a victim of identity theft.

Anything you don’t want to keep should go through a cross-cut shredder as opposed to a strip shredder. Cross-cut shredders cut your papers into numerous short, thin strips so your documents cannot be reconstructed.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there were more than 3 million identity theft and fraud complaints in 2015, up from 2.5 million in 2014. All this means is that it is especially important to protect your identity and take extra precautions. You don’t want personally identifiable information — your name, address, birthdate, Social Security number, bank account numbers, etc. — getting into someone else’s hands.

Review Your Current Strategy

Now that you’ve gotten a sense of your personal-finance details, it’s time to think big-picture. Look for redundancies in your insurance coverage and do some math to figure out if you’re saving enough. Take the time to understand your paycheck — you’ll want to know exactly what’s coming out of it and which of those things might need adjustments — so you can feel confident in your short- and long-term budget and, hopefully, keep things a little simpler than they were when you started this project.

Christine DiGangi is a reporter and the social media editor for Credit.com, covering a variety of personal finance topics. Her writing has been featured on USA Today, MSN, Yahoo! Finance and The New York Times International Weekly, among other outlets. You can find her on Twitter @writingbikes.

The post How to Organize Your Finances appeared first on Declutter Your Life with Donna Smallin Kuper.

Note to Santa (and Self)

As we head into the busy holiday shopping season, here’s something to keep in mind: 1 out of 4 gifts never get used.

So what do our friends and family members really want? 81 percent of Americans would rather receive experience-based gifts — like concert tickets, yoga classes, a restaurant gift certificate, or a museum membership.

These are just two of the eye-opening statistics from the Sparefoot Holiday and New Years Survey conducted on behalf of my friends at SpareFoot.com, the place to find the best deals on self-storage and full-service storage.

Read on and tell me: Do these results ring true for you?

If you had been contacted for this survey, would you agree that you’d prefer receiving an experience-based gift? Like what? (Maybe you can start dropping some hints so that you don’t end up with unwanted gifts that just add to your clutter!)

Via SpareFoot.com

 

The post Note to Santa (and Self) appeared first on Declutter Your Life with Donna Smallin Kuper.

Organizing Tips Newsletter – November 2016

ORGANIZING PLAIN & SIMPLE MONTHLY

Tips & Inspiration for Organizing a Simpler Life

November 2016 – Vol. 15 No. 9

Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. ~ St. Francis of Assisi

Time to prep your kitchen for holiday entertaining

Holy smokes. Thanksgiving is almost here and Christmas is coming! Whether you’re entertaining or not this holiday season, you might want to schedule some time soon to get your kitchen ready. Here are three quick and easy things you can do in a total of one hour or less:

Clear your kitchen counters. Look at the stuff on your counters. If you use it every day (or at least several times a week), it gets to stay. Otherwise, put it away in a cabinet or drawer. Got papers cluttering up your counter? Corral them for time being in a decorative basket or something like this.

Remove paper clutter from the front of your refrigerator. Tape schedules, takeout menus, phone numbers, coupons, etc. instead behind kitchen cabinet doors. This gets them out of sight while keeping them handy. This is also a great place to hang photos and kids artwork where you can see it, but it isn’t cluttering up your kitchen.

Organize your pantry into zones. Sort like with like and store like items together; for example, pastas and grains, cereals, baking staples, canned soups, snacks. Zones make it easier to find what you want and put things away so they can be found by everyone else in the family. It also makes it easier to see what you have – and what you need to add to your shopping list for holiday meals and treats.

Ban the bag – grocery bag that is

Whenever possible, I encourage you to recycle, reduce, and re-use as part of your decluttering journey. Did you know that in one year, one shopper will use 500 plastic shopping bags? No wonder so many cities like San Diego have banned these bags and more are sure to follow suit.

When I made the switch, one of the challenges was remembering to bring my reusable bags to the store. So when I was done with them, I put them in my car. The second challenge I had was remembering to bring them into the store. I had to run back to the car a number of times before I finally got into the habit of bringing them in with me.

If you have plastic grocery bags you no longer need, don’t throw them in the trash. Return them to your local supermarket for recycling.

Listen as you work to this decluttering song

Just this morning, I got an email from a guy who thought I might be interested in his Donald Duck Umbrella song posted on YouTube, which he said “addresses clutter in a touching, somewhat humorous way.” I loved it and had to share. The singer/songwriter is Rich Eilbert.

Favorite products and resources

As a professional organizer and certified House Cleaning Technician, I’ve used and recommended a lot of products, services and resources over the years. Every month in this column, I share new and old favorites.

Last month, I introduced you to a company that purchases pre-owned designer handbags. Rebagg pays top dollar for luxury brands such as Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and more. Simply download the Rebagg app or visit Rebagg.com to upload photos of your bag, and receive a offer within one business day. You can then request a free prepaid shipping box to ship your item(s).

This month, let me tell you about a really neat service that can help you find lost or misplaced items.  FOUNDio is a free lost and found website that helps you recover lost personal items without revealing your identity. Use it for cell phones, video games, tablets, keys, books, dayplanners … even pets.

Simply create an ID tag on the site. Print labels with your ID tag to affix to your belongings. Example: “If found, please notify me at FOUNDIO.com TagID: YOURIDTAG Thanks!” If someone finds your item, he can log into FOUNDio and you will be notified via email. And you get your item back! Did I mention that FOUNDio is a free service?

Shameless promotion: Off and running again!

Guess who’s writing a new book? The title is Your Simple Home: Easy Ideas for Beautiful Living and it will be in bookstores next summer. The premise is that a simple home – one that’s decluttered, well-organized and easy to clean – can help you live your best life.

Earlier this month, I hosted a meetup for people who were interested in exploring the full-time RV life as a minimalist lifestyle. About 30 members of the Minimalist.org San Diego Local Meetup Group toured our motor home and the rv park. We talked about the pros and cons and I answered lots of questions. By the way, if you are interested in learning more about minimalism, check to see if there is a Minimalist.org meetup group in your area by doing a quick search on Facebook. There are 100 groups across the country and also an online city group.

You may be interested in reading the following articles that include some of my favorite tips:

RealSimple.com – How to get the most from your vacuum cleaner attachments  

Today.com – How often you should clean out your closets and the right way to do it 

MakeSpace.com blog – Creative and cheap ways to store your luggage

And here’s one I wrote for SelfStorage.com’s blog on 8 ways to maximize closet space

On a personal note, I’ve been pretty busy with writing deadlines, but not too busy to get out and run. I registered to do the San Diego Resolution 15K (9.3 miles) race on January 7. It’s been a long time since I ran that distance. And I’m only up to 5 miles right now. My goal is to feel good at the finish and not hurt myself between now and then!

That’s all for this month. Until next month, keep it simple.

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FULL DISCLOSURE: Some links in this organizing tips newsletter may be affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, I will earn a small commission. These earnings go toward the continuation of this complimentary newsletter which is free to you, but does cost to distribute. Please know that I only recommend products that I would recommend whether I got paid or not.

The post Organizing Tips Newsletter – November 2016 appeared first on Declutter Your Life with Donna Smallin Kuper.

Treat Yourself Like a Guest

photo credit: Captured Heart Repeating Joy via photopin (license)

Home is your sanctuary. You feel safe and protected there among your loved ones, or your precious things. It’s a place to relax and be completely yourself. It supports and calms you.

It’s also where you thrive and get energized. The place you launch yourself into the world from every day and you want every day to be a good one, filled with happiness and positive energy.

In order to live your best life, your home base needs to mirror your own state of happiness and vice versa.

If you want go out into the world every day beautifully dressed and made up, full of grace and poise, radiating warmth and kindness to all you meet, even in the supermarket, you need support.

It’s hard to be that happy gal when you hunt through piles of clothes on your floor for something that fits.

You already know how lovely it feels when you tidy up for guests when you throw a party. Everything is put away where it belongs, surfaces are clear so you can add a vase of flowers.

Your bedroom is presentable enough for your guests to come in and lay their coats on the bed. You easily prepared food for your guests in your organized, decluttered kitchen.

Your dining table has a beautiful cloth on it and creative place settings for each guest – it’s not piled with mail and laundry.

Guess what? When your home is organized and decluttered, you live that way every day! You live the way you treat your guests.

I’m not saying everything has to be “just so” every single day. We all have our individual comfort levels on that. What I’m saying is that keeping a beautiful home is an act of self-love.

Even when you’re alone, you can walk around your home and appreciate how happy it makes you to live in this serene, supportive environment every day.

So, treat yourself like a cherished guest! You deserve it.

Clutter Coach Claire Tompkins is passionate about organizing because it makes her clients’ lives so much easier, with more time to spend the way they want to. A professional organizer for over 15 years, she creates simple, practical systems for real people. Claire is the author of Five Minutes to a Relaxing Bedroom and 52 Simple Ways to Get Organized. Tune in to her podcast, Organize Your Life with Clutter Coach Claire, based on her book. Learn more at www.cluttercoach.net.

The post Treat Yourself Like a Guest appeared first on Declutter Your Life with Donna Smallin Kuper.

7 Fall Cleaning Chores That Often Get Skipped (And Why You’ll Be Glad You Did Them)

photo credit: kaiton I should start a group for photos of brooms via photopin (license)

Fall is a great time to give your home a good cleaning because once winter arrives, you’ll be spending a lot more time indoors. And you don’t want to be shacked up for the next few months with a season’s worth of dirt and grime, do you? I didn’t think so.

Take advantage of the cooler weather to give your home a deep clean inside and out. My fall cleaning checklist includes 7 chores. Schedule one a day for the next 7 days – or knock them all out over the weekend. Then you can kick back and relax in your cleaner, happier, healthier home.

Wash windows – Cleaning windows in the fall makes good sense because cleaner windows allow more light to stream into your home during the darker winter months. Plus, that coating of dust or pollen that built up over the summer is just going to get worse. When rain or snow falls on dusty or dirty windows, it leaves behind dirty drips and spots that only accentuate the grime. Consider getting a quote from a window washer – a professional can do the job faster and better and for less than you might expect.
Deep clean your carpets – Regular vacuuming helps your carpets last longer. But vacuuming alone is not enough. Carpets should be cleaned every 12-18 months or so. This is another job that you can delegate. In fact, hiring a certified carpet cleaning technician is something you should do if your carpets are still under warranty as the manufacturer may void the warranty if you don’t. If you decide to buy or rent a carpet steam cleaner, be sure to vacuum thoroughly first to remove the loose debris that makes up 85% of the dirt in your carpet.
Clean lighting fixtures and bulbs – Did you know that a dirty lightbulb emits 20% less light than a clean one? Now’s a good time to remove and clean light fixtures and bulbs. Glass fixtures can be washed in warm, sudsy water – or even in the dishwasher. Use a damp microfiber cloth to remove grime from bulbs, making sure first that they are cool to the touch. If you need to replace bulbs, consider replacing with Finally Bulbs, the first energy-efficient light bulb with the warm glow and light of an incandescent bulb versus the cool, blue light of an LED. You’ll be amazed at the difference – they completely change the look of a room while using 75% less energy.
Launder summer clothing and bedding – When putting away clothing and linens for the winter, it’s important to put them away clean. Otherwise, perspiration, odors, and stains on natural fabrics may attract clothes moths that will thank you for the yummy feast! Add Downy Fresh Protect Beads to your loads to help keep out-of-season clothing and linens smelling fresh while stored away. Here’s how to save yourself some time: only wash and store only the clothes you wore over the summer and donate everything else.
Clean out your pantry – Throw away all outdated food items, and give away any others you’re not likely to use. Donate to a local food pantry – they’re always in need of dry goods to make meals for feeding the hungry. Next, sort items into categories such as baking supplies, cereals, canned soups and broth, dried grains, snack foods, oils and vinegars. “Zoning” your pantry items makes it easier to see what you have – and what you might need for upcoming holiday meals and parties. Consider labeling the shelves to help keep your pantry organized.
Organize your garage – What’s in your garage? If you’re like most people, you move things you no longer want inside your home to the garage where they just take up valuable space and don’t do anyone any good. Schedule a free pickup from a charitable organization and get a receipt for your donations that you can write off your tax bill come spring. Or take a photo of anything you want to sell and use the OfferUp app or list on Craigslist to turn some of that clutter in cash for the holidays.
Make your entry way guest ready – When’s the last time you came through the main entrance of your home? It may need some attention. Schedule 30 minutes to sweep away cobwebs, wash the front door, and remove and clean outdoor light fixtures and bulbs. If you don’t have an outside mat, make a note to get one – it will help prevent dirt from tracking in. Inside, remove and shake or clean the indoor mat, clean dirty smudges from around the door knob, and then look in your hall closet. Remove items that no longer serve you to free up space for your visitors’ (and your own) winter coats.

Remember, you don’t have to do your fall cleaning all at once. Commit to spending 15-30 minutes a day, delegate what you can, and then reward yourself for a job well done.

The post 7 Fall Cleaning Chores That Often Get Skipped (And Why You’ll Be Glad You Did Them) appeared first on Declutter Your Life with Donna Smallin Kuper.

Organizing Tips Newsletter – October 2016

ORGANIZING PLAIN & SIMPLE MONTHLY

Tips & Inspiration for Organizing a Simpler Life

October 2016 – Vol. 15 No. 8

Order is never observed; it is disorder that attracts attention because it is awkward and intrusive.  ~ Eliphas Levi, French occult author and magician

Organizing mistakes people make in small spaces

photo credit: Axiz Photography Come Snail Away … via photopin (license)

Having lived in a 350-square-foot home for nearly 3 1/2 years now, I consider myself a small space living expert. Of course, much of what I do to keep my small living space organized is what I’ve always recommended to my followers.

Following are six of the most common organizing mistakes people make in small spaces.

Keeping too much stuff

Believe me, it’s easier to find space for everything when you have less stuff! William Morris said: Have in your home only those things you know are useful or believe to be beautiful. I say: If you don’t love it or use it, lose it. Apply this umbrella rule to every area of your home.

Procrastinating 

It’s a lot easier to keep up than it is to catch up. Apply the 2-DO rule: If it takes 2 minutes or less to do, do it now. Make your bed, hang up your clothes, empty the dishwasher, clean out your purse, put your keys where they belong. Your future self will thank you.

Not purging regularly

Decluttering is not something you can do and never have to do again. You’ve probably heard about the one-in, one-out rule: For every new thing you bring in the front door, send one thing packing out the back door. New dress? Make room by donating another item of clothing you have not worn in some time. You can do the same with paper including catalogs, monthly utility bills, and new insurance policies. Make it easier on yourself by reducing the amount of incoming paper – request paperless statements via email for checking and credit accounts.    

Allowing wasted space

Most cabinet shelf space and closet space is underutilized. In pantries, cabinets and linen closets, you can maximize space by adjusting shelves to better accommodate the contents. For example, if you don’t need much height for a shelf of baking staples, raise that shelf to be closer to the one above, making more space for taller contents on the shelf below. You can also use stacking bins to contain like items such as nuts and dried fruits, crackers, cookies in a pantry or first aid supplies or toiletries under the bathroom sink.

Not using vertical space as storage space

Add hooks to the back of your closet door or on the back wall of your closet. I like 3M Command adhesive hooks that you can stick anywhere and remove at any time without marring the surface. Or hang a shoebag organizer on the back of a door to hold pantry items, cleaning supplies, even socks and underwear. Use a magnetic strip on the wall to hang kitchen utensils and knives. And instead of posting things to the front of your fridge, post inside kitchen cabinet doors.

Mixing seasonal/occasional use items with items used every day

If you only use your suitcase occasionally, don’t give it prime storage space in your closet. Store it under the bed or in the basement or garage. Keep in your everyday closet only those items that you can wear today – they fit and they’re in season. Move everything else to another area of your home or donate/sell. In your kitchen and bathroom, on the counters, here’s my mantra: If you use it every day, it gets to stay, otherwise put it away.

Clear the clutter fall cleaning checklist

Most people at least think about spring cleaning — even if they never get around to doing it. In some ways, doing fall cleaning makes more sense because who wants to be cooped up in an unclean house all winter?

I pulled a few cleaning tips from my book Clear the Clutter, Find Happiness that you might find helpful:

Page 76 – Make cleaning more fun! Buy sponges in bright colors and cleaning products in scents you love (three of my favorites are citrus, lavender and clean linen) Do some cleaning for 15 minutes, then take a break to read an article in your favorite magazine or one chapter in a book (just one!). Repeat until the job is done.

Page 80 – Timesaver: The easiest way to clean your microwave is with steam. Place 2 cups of water in a microwave=safe bowl (add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or lemon wedges to the water for a fresh scent). Microwave on high for 5 minutes. The steam will soften cooked-on gunk. Wipe with a paper towel for a quick clean.

Page 115 – Plan a purge. Once a year is good. Twice a year is better. Or do regular mini-purges of specific areas such as kitchen and pantry, bathroom, or storage areas or categories like files or sporting equipment.

Page 119 –  Resolve to surround yourself only with things you find useful or beautiful. Let go of the rest.

Page 123 – Tackle a pile of papers. Start by flipping over the pile. Because the items on the bottom are older, many are outdated, making it an easy decision to toss them.

Page 134 – Toss those toiletries! Go through the cabinets and drawers in your bathroom and get rid of makeup more than one year old, sunscreen more than two years old, perfume more than three years old, anything past its expiration date, and any toiletries you no longer use.

Page 245 – What’s that in your junk drawer? Sell that old cell phone! Check out SellCell.com to find the best offer for your old phone.

Page 286 – Only what gets scheduled gets done. Block out time on your calendar to clear clutter. Then show up for your appointment.

If you like these tips, grab a copy of Clear the Clutter, Find Happiness for more!

Favorite products and resources

As a professional organizer and certified House Cleaning Technician, I’ve used and recommended a lot of products, services and resources over the years. Every month in this column, I share new and old favorites.

Last month, I encouraged you to check out Carbonite as a solution for automatically backing up your hard drive. I had the bad luck of having my first-ever hard drive crash back in August. And I am embarrassed to say that I hadn’t backed up my files in over a year. Wait…what? Yes. I have a hard drive that I bought for the purpose of backing up. But I kept putting it off, which is what I love about Carbonite…it automatically backs up your data as you create it so you never have to remember. So why wasn’t I using it? As a full-time traveler, I no longer have unlimited high-speed Internet connectivity. But you probably do and for $60 a year, Carbonite will back up all of your photos and other files. So if your computer crashes, you can retrieve all of your data. Don’t do as I do. Do as I say and go check it out. BONUS: If you decide to sign up after following one of my referral links to Carbonite, we both get a $20 gift card as a thank you from Carbonite.

This month, I want to introduce you to a company that purchases pre-owned designer handbags. Rebagg pays top dollar for luxury brands such as Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and more.

Simply download the Rebagg app or visit Rebagg.com to upload photos of your bag, and receive a offer within one business day. You can then request a free prepaid shipping box to ship your item(s).

Once they receive your bag, they verify its authenticity and condition and you get paid by check or direct deposit within 2-3 business days. Rebagg will then re-sell your bag, but you get paid outright with no consignment hassles, no waiting.

Personally, I’ve never owned a handbag that cost more than $200. But if you have one or more high-end designer bags, Rebagg will pay you to clean out your closet!

Shameless promotion: Book-of-the-month club video

A fellow professional organizer by the name of Olive Wagar in Troy, Ohio recently selected my book Clear the Clutter, Find Happiness for her organizing book club meeting. I was so honored that I offered to videotape a self-interview using questions she sent to me via email.

I decided to share this video which is about 27 minutes long. I also saved it as an audio only file if you prefer to just listen.

Here are just a few of the questions I answered in this interview:

What area of the home do you most enjoy organizing?

How did you become a cleaning expert?

What classic cleaning tips do you use in your weekly routine?

Your decision to downsize from a large house to a 40 ft. long home on wheels sounds like an exciting adventure!! How long did it take to make the transition?

What are your favorite charities for donations?

What is your favorite reward for completing a decluttering activity?

What kinds of items have you successfully sold for cash?

What are your favorite items to repurpose and reuse?

What decluttering rule do you use most often?

That’s all for this month. Until next month, keep it simple.

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FULL DISCLOSURE: Some links in this organizing tips newsletter may be affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, I will earn a small commission. These earnings go toward the continuation of this complimentary newsletter which is free to you, but does cost to distribute. Please know that I only recommend products that I would recommend whether I got paid or not.

The post Organizing Tips Newsletter – October 2016 appeared first on Declutter Your Life with Donna Smallin Kuper.

How Do Your Clutter Stats Compare?

What would you say if I told you that 1 in 7 Americans has a room they cannot use because it is filled with things that are not frequently used?

That is one many surprising (or perhaps not so surprising) findings from a recent survey conducted on behalf of the folks that brought the OfferUp app to life. Here are the results of that survey in a beautiful slide show presentation.

For optimal viewing, scroll down to the bottom right of the slide show presentation and click on the square with the arrows to enlarge the presentation to full screen. Then click on the right arrow to move from slide to slide.

By the way, I recommend OfferUp in my book How to Declutter and Make Money Now as a quick, easy way to turn unused items into cash. Just snap a photo of your items using your smartphone camera. Potential buyers in your local area can see your items and message you for more information.

Learn more about OfferUp, download the app, and start turning clutter into cash in as little as 30 seconds!

 

 

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