CLUTTER-FREE GIFT GIVING

Let’s be honest… a girl can only use so many pairs of slippers and scented bath products. And if I find the “Magic Brownie Pan” under my tree, the sugarplums in my head won’t be doing the happy dance.

Here are some ideas for gifts that don’t have to be shoved into already crowded cupboards.

• For families with children, a season pass to the zoo or children’s museum is always a treat.
• Membership to an online movie service such as NetFlix will provide hours of entertainment on long winter nights.
• Those with an interest in cooking or crafts might enjoy a class to learn a new skill.
• A book of coupons for various services such as snow-shoveling, yard work or child care is a gift from the heart.
• A platter of baked treats and homemade jams is always a hit during the holidays.
• There’s nothing like a basket of prime fruit delivered on a cold winter morning to take away the chill. Some companies even offer a “fruit of the month” to extend the gift all year long.
• A home cooked meal, packaged for the freezer is a much appreciated time-saver for busy moms.
• For teachers, make a donation to a scholarship fund or school project instead of wrapping up another apple-shaped ornament.
• People of faith will appreciate a gift to their local church.
• For the outdoorsmen, send a gift to Ducks Unlimited or the Sierra Club.
• For the book lover, donate a book to the local library in his or her name. An added bonus is that the recipient has the option to check out the book to read and then return it for others to enjoy.
• For the cook, send a donation to a food pantry or shelter to provide meals for the needy.

Seasonal Shift

Fall provides an abundance of delights. Crisp apples fresh from the orchard. Hayrack rides. And, of course, nature at its colorful best.

Fall is also an opportunity to take stock of your own and your family’s wardrobe as you shift summer duds for cozy sweaters.

Three steps to a functional wardrobe:

• As you pack away summer wardrobes, consider donating or pitching any clothes that are not worn or LOVED.
• Apply the same test to the fall clothes which come out of storage. If you don’t LOVE the way it looks and feels, pass it on.
• Finally, when storing out-of season clothing, remember three words: Clean, cool and dark. In other words, make sure clothes are clean before storing in a cool, dark place.

Your reward: An end to the complaint, “I have nothing to wear!”

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Seasonal Shift

Fall provides an abundance of delights. Crisp apples fresh from the orchard. Hayrack rides. And, of course, nature at its colorful best.

Fall is also an opportunity to take stock of you and your family’s wardrobe as you shift summer duds for cozy sweaters.

Three steps to a functional wardrobe:

• As you pack away summer wardrobes, consider donating or pitching any clothes that are not worn or LOVED.
• Apply the same test to the fall clothes which come out of storage. If you don’t LOVE the way it looks and feels, pass it on.
• Finally, when storing out-of season clothing, remember three words: Clean, cool and dark. In other words, make sure clothes are clean before storing in a cool, dark place.

Your reward: An end to the complaint, “I have nothing to wear!”

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Unclutter Your Garden!

Are overgrown zucchini cluttering your fall garden? Try this recipe for zucchini cobbler which tastes A LOT like apple pie.

The only change I made in the filling was that I peeled and seeded the zucchini - and then sliced it instead of chopping. Yum!

BTW – the filling also works as a pie. Especially good with a few cranberries tossed in.

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Too many stuffed animals prowling around your home?

Cage up your stuffed animals for a good cause!

Stuffed Animals For Emergencies (SAFE) is a non-profit organization that collects stuffed animals, toys, books and baby blankets and donates them to emergency organizations to help soothe children in emotional, traumatic or stressful situations.  such as fires, accidents, abuse and neglect, homelessness or weather emergencies such as tornadoes, floods and hurricanes. 

SAFE also donates the items it receives to other children's organizations, military families, libraries and nursing homes.  Click here to find a chapter in your area.

Your donation can really make a difference for a child when they need it most.

 

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PURGING YOUR PILES

The most common question I’m asked as a professional organizer is how to manage all the paper that comes into our homes and offices. My advice is almost always the same: Set up a system to make it easy to deal with paper as soon as it arrives. In other words, don’t let those “molehills” turn into “mountains.”

Here are a few tips to get you started…

Keep a trash can near the entrance you most frequently use to dispose of junk mail before it comes in the house. Next to the trash can, set up a shredder to immediately dispose of unwanted credit card offers, etc. that you will not be using.

In a convenient place near the door, set up an open file box with different colored folders for the following categories:

• TO DO: Place anything that needs action in this file folder such as bills, invitations to RSVP, forms to fill out, etc.
• TO FILE: Slip receipts, bank statements, medical records – anything that you need to keep in a permanent or semi-permanent file.
• TO READ: This folder is for magazines, newsletters – anything you’d like to read.

Now – here’s the key. Once a week, schedule thirty minutes of “office hours” to purge these files. Pay your bills. Respond to invitations. Transfer receipts, etc. to your permanent files. And finally, put your reading material in spots where you are likely to have snippets of time to read (purse, car, bath, bedside table).

So… you may be thinking, “What about the ten grocery sacks of paper stuffed in the hall closet that I haven’t dealt with?” My advice – “fuggedaboutit.” At least for now. Concentrate on developing new habits – and then make plans to tackle the closet one molehill at a time.

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Your brain on computers…

VERY interesting research about how electronic gadgets are rewiring our brains. And the news isn’t good.

Read about it here.

 

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MEN AND GROCERY SHOPPING: An Unholy Alliance

I read an interesting article recently that has the retail industry buzzing … but IMO it’s one of those “DUH” moments.

It seems that although men in the United States are doing more grocery shopping, both for themselves and their families, they tend to shop inefficiently. The result of this haphazard approach: missed sales for retailers.

In a report titled "Men in Grocery Stores," Mandy Putnam, vice president at consulting firm TNS Retail Forward said that many men have difficulty finding items. This is no secret for any woman who has watched her husband stand in front of the refrigerator asking where she “hid” the ketchup.

Unlike women, men tend to be focused on the specific thing they want to buy instead of surveying the entire aisle, consultants said. They also forego buying rather than risk purchasing a substitute for an item on the grocery list and hesitate to ask for help if they can't find it.

"They never ask for help, except maybe from the butcher, but they always say they never had problems finding anything when the cashier at the register asks," Putnam said.

BIG SURPRISE! The retail industry could have saved a considerable amount of money by just asking the wives of these wandering grocery shoppers.

Wives through the ages know the same is true when it comes to asking for driving directions. I once asked my husband why he preferred “wandering” rather than asking for directions.

He quoted “The Lord of the Rings.”  According to my husband, “Not all who are searching are lost.”

I’ve so got to keep him away from the movies.

Just a reminder…

“One person’s mess is merely another person’s filing system.”

Margo Kaufman

Resist the urge to compare yourself to others. Instead, find a system that works for you – and stick with it.

Quick Tip!

Keep your garden organized!

Use popsicle sticks to label new plantings.

That way, you will know whether the new sprouts are weeds or seeds.

Enjoy the sunshine!

TWITTERING MY LIFE AWAY?

Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn.

As a very SOCIAL person, the lure of social media is a lot like the mythical “siren’s song” for me. The attraction is just TOO MUCH to resist – but the time investment when I succumb can easily sink my writing “ship.”

Okay… enough fanciful analogies. What I really want to share is that I had a BREAKTHROUGH regarding social media this weekend.

I attended the Nebraska Writer’s Guild’s Spring Conference at Mahoney Park this weekend where author and social media maven Jill Hart taught us how to use social media effectively.

One of the biggest takeaways from Jill’s talk was her explanation of the differences between the social media. She said Twitter is a media that moves REALLY fast. This is for people who like instant, ongoing conversations with their “followers.” Facebook is more relational – and can be done at your own pace. And LinkedIn is more about business networking.

Of course… I had already signed up for all three networks (plus a couple others – NING and ShoutLife). The problem was that I rarely updated my pages. Too much “fun” – too little time.

Jill helped me to understand that Facebook is my best bet because I am all about relationships. Plus… at my age… I don’t like to be rushed – so Twitter is not a good choice. And I left the corporate world for a reason – and have no desire to return to it via LinkedIn.

It’s also interesting to note that Facebook has been the one social network I’ve updated the most the past year because it’s such fun for a chatty chick like me. : )

BTW – Jill also told us that you can automatically update Twitter whenever you post to FB. I just need to figure out how…

Jill – if you get this on Google alerts.. please chime in!

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GET GROWING!

If you’ve wanted one of those “high-end” gardening stations, but don’t want to pay the “high-end” price, check out the ideas here to build your own.

It uses inexpensive, readily available materials – and, best of all, looks like it’s a snap to put together.

Weekend project?

WHAT’S YOUR STYLE?

To continue our series on tips for preventing “messy desk” syndrome, I’d like to encourage you to resist the urge to look at the desk “next door.” Instead, find systems that will work “with” you – and not sabotage your efforts.

• Don’t compare your space to someone else’s. Discover your unique organizational style and employ systems which maximize your strengths.
• Some people are “filers” and others are “pilers.” – and one style is not better than the other. Instead, use organizational products to help you embrace your style.
• Set up folders in your email program so you can easily file correspondence you’d like to keep.
• Resist the urge to keep a hard copy of information you can find on the internet. 

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THE GREAT PAPER PURGE

Resolve to cut down on paper clutter by taking advantage of paperless banking and automatic bill paying services.

Take a few minutes right now to sign-up to receive your bank statements by email instead of by the post office.

Next, set up automatic bill pay so that regularly occurring expenses will be deducted from your checking account without having to write a check and mailing the bill. Most utilities, credit card and mortgage companies offer this service for free.

To keep track of scheduled payments, check out Quicken Online. It’s simple to use – and FREE.

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