One Sign That Your Clutter is Out of Control

     
I had such fun yesterday speaking at our local Women's Connection group on Lightening Our Summer Load. We started out by organizing our purses - what a hoot! I gave prizes for the most unusual item, the oldest receipt and the most things purged.

Some of the funny things women had in their purses: a pair of underwear, false teeth, a hearing aid, a cabinet door knob, a tool kit, a road atlas, a buckeye (it's an Ohio thing), and several kinds of foreign money. The underwear was the hands-down winner. LOL 

Now on to our blog ...


What is one sign that your clutter is out of control? When you start making stacks on the floor! When life gets too busy or chaotic to put things away or find a place for something new, something needs to change!

If it's a short term problem, you can recover as soon as the busyness subsides. But if it's an ongoing problem, you need to be concerned. Do what you need to do to reduce the chaos and busyness in your life so life is manageable. Otherwise, stacks will accumulate and you might be nominated for the hoarding show on TV!!! Just kidding ... sort of. :)

What are your signs that clutter is out of control at your house?


More on clutter:

Overwhelmed with Clutter? Make an Appointment with Yourself!

Guilt-Ridden Clutter

Emotional Depreciation - A Long-Term Approach to Clutter

 

Teaching Children to Organize

 
How soon can you start teaching your children how to organize? In my opinion,  you can start teaching your children organization skills when they are small.

When you help them put away toys, you can talk about putting books away with the other books. Putting a truck in its special spot on the shelf. Legos in the box with other Legos.

When you do laundry, have your children help by folding their own clothes. It doesn't have to be a perfect job! Teach them to put like things together while folding and while putting them away. 

Yesterday while helping a client downsize for a move and we were in her son's bedroom, he pointed out to his mom that a shirt was in his pajama drawer. He put it away where it belonged. And he was only three or four!

While emptying the dishwasher, talk about spoons going with spoons, forks going with forks, bowls stacking on each other, etc. It teaches your children that everything has a place and like things go together.

There is something comforting to a child when there is order - life is predictable and safe, not chaotic and haphazard. Did you ever think about organization providing safety and security for your child? That's motivating, isn't it?


More about children and organization:

Get Organized Month 2009 - Family Five Minute Challenge

Organizing "Messy" Toys

Helping Your Child Declutter Toys Before Christmas

 

Recycling Compact Fluorescent Lamps (Lightbulbs)

    
We finally had one of our compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) go out and were in a quandary about how to dispose of it. We found out we could take it to Home Depot.

If you have similar questions, go to Earth 911. Just type in your zip code and the item you want to recycle, and they give you a list of places where you can dispose of your item.

Sure makes it easy to be green!


More on recycling:

A Refresher on Recycling Plastics

More Eco-Friendly Recycling

Recycling Cell Phones to Our Soldiers

 

Got a 17,000 Square Foot Attic? Here's Some Organizing Advice.

  
 Here's an article by Candy Spelling (wife to Aaron, mom to Tori and Randy) on how she organizes her 17,000 square foot attic. I'm sure it will come in useful to you!

"My attic, like most things in my life, is oversized. At 17,000 square feet, it’s larger than the condominium where I plan to move.  But, I’ll write about downsizing another time (just the word causes me great anxiety), and, instead, invite you in to this special part of my haven.  I know that, when people think “attic,” they usually visualize stuffing things away and going back “someday” to sort them out. Not me; I’m not only a chronic sorter, but I think more of the attic as “my special storage space” than “out of sight, out of mind.”

Candy's 17,000 square foot attic

One friend said, “You treat Randy and Tori’s school awards as importantly as Aaron’s big TV statues.”  I liked that. Each item is a piece of our lives, and they deserve better than to be poorly packed away until the dreaded clean-out-the-attic day finally arrives.  I actually look forward to going to the attic and climb up there at least four or five times a week, and sometimes every day. There’s too much of our lives up there to be stuffed, piled and forgotten.

We’ve collected a lot of stuff, and I wasn’t sure where to start. So, I studied storage areas in hardware stores, hotels and big box retailers to figure out the best way to keep the original floor plans, architectural drawings and charts that show what’s connected to what and how to find the wiring for every piece of equipment in the house.  I have almost a hundred different kinds of light bulbs (for everything from koi pond reflectors to French lampposts), plus unique duplicates of every carpet, wall covering, upholstery fabric, stone, and paint used in the house. Everything is labeled, and I even wrote stories about some of the rare items, such as the tale of how I found the silk for our entry hall walls.

I’ve organized and captioned everything from Aaron’s amazing career, so a large part of my attic looks and reads like a "TV Guide" from a past decade with his scripts, photos, memorabilia, notes, videos and awards from the thousands of hours of TV he produced.  Next to scripts from "The Love Boat" for example, I have a display of family photos from our cruise, photos of the cast, awards the show received and even a TV version of a cruise ship captain’s uniform.  It’s like being on “The Love Boat,” without ever getting seasick.  Multiply that times “Dynasty,” “Fantasy Island,” “The Mod Squad,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” and dozens of other shows, and people feel like they’ve stepped back into their favorite parts of TV nostalgia instead of a climate-controlled attic.

Holidays have always been very special times for me, so decorations take up a lot of space. Nothing makes a home a haven more than celebrating the holidays with festive and special items.  So, I have 59 boxes of Easter decorations, filled with everything from bunny costumes Tori and Randy wore (soon headed for Liam and Stella), to every shape and color of Easter eggs for the children from various charity organizations who come over to hunt for Easter eggs. More attic space is devoted to Christmas than any other holiday.  In fact, I have 180 boxes of Christmas decorations, which hold everything from the seven-foot toy soldiers who greet visitors outside in December, to the Mrs. Claus dresses I put on my dolls.

A big dilemma was organizing all these different memories.  I have labeled every box (“big white rabbit husband and wife drinking tea” and “cushions from Tori’s Sweet 16 party” are examples), and I have photos on the outside of every box.  I often thought I solely supported Polaroid for years because I took almost as many photos of decorations as I had actual decorations.

I always liked walking into public libraries because I appreciated the organization and order. I realized that I used some of those old filing systems for my attic over the years, but with a much warmer feel to it.  After all, my attic is full of years in the lives of Aaron, Tori, Randy and Candy.  I want to be able to visit those times whenever I can.

Here are some tips to make your attic more of an attraction than a house of horror.

Candy's Storage Tips:
1) Be discriminating.  Everyone’s attic holds something special, or else the items should be in the trash, not in your home. So, for those special memories – even if you’re not as compulsive as I am to check on them all the time – you want to make sure they are protected and easy to find.

2) Label your items as you put them away.  Don’t put this off, or chances are, they’ll just get piled and pushed and never be where you want them.

3) There are great storage boxes, cabinets, holders and files today, available everywhere from the local discount store to the storage stores. Get those that are designed to hold photos or clothes or books, to make sure they stay in good condition and protect your valuables against the elements in a cold or warm or musty attic.

4) Look for acid-free tissues, boxes or wrappers to store your valuables and delicate items. Archival storage solutions are available from many retailers, container stores and online photo accessory retailers, and it’s worth finding it.  No matter how carefully you may pack some items, they still might wilt over time if not stored in an acid-free environment.

5) Take photos of what you’re storing, and number each box with a Sharpie or long-lasting ID.  Keep the records in a scrapbook, three-ring notebook or on your computer, along with a drawing or map of the attic to show where you placed each item. The reference numbers and maps will certainly be useful when you need to find something. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later.

6) Check in on your attic from time to time and don’t be afraid to move things around.  You might also want to move some things back downstairs to be more prominent in your life again. Life moves very quickly, and there’s no reason to shut out the past."

Planning Ahead for Dinner

     
My husband and I had a wonderful vacation with one of our daughters last week. Because of distance, we don't get to see each other very often, so we relished every moment. 

When we got home, it was definitely time to go grocery shopping! I decided to plan menus for three weeks this time. While my mind was engaged in this direction, why not plan for longer than a week?

Last night I baked a bunch of chicken breasts. We had make-your-own quesadillas last night. We'll have chicken chow mein tonight. And we'll have chicken cranberry salad and wraps later on. 

I cut up chicken while everyone else was doing their after-dinner chores. I froze the chicken for the latter two dishes, refrigerated the chicken for tonight, and I've just taken a big step out of three dinners! Oh, that feels good!

All it took was looking ahead to see what was on the menu and thinking strategically. We'll have steak a couple of times and use leftovers in beef fried rice and fajitas. 

What do you do to streamline dinnertime? I use my Hassle Free Dinners, my own family cookbook, the internet, and recipes from magazines as resources when planning menus. 


More on streamlining dinner:
Hassle Free Dinners
Three Steps to Planning Dinner (includes my family cookbook) 
Planning Dinner

Make it Easy to Get Rid of Things

Here's an idea that makes it easy to get rid of things: place a shopping/grocery bag in each closet in which you can deposit items no longer wanted or needed. 

Don't forget to put a bag in the laundry room, too. As you're removing clothes from the dryer, it's so simple to get rid of outgrown children's clothes if you have a bag right at your fingertips.  

If unwanted items are to be trashed, take them directly to the trash can. But if they are to be donated, drop them in your bag. When charities call, you're ready with your bag of donations! Empty out each bag and start fresh.

If you find your bags are overflowing and want to get rid of your unwanted articles quickly, toss them in your car so you'll remember to drop them by your favorite charity. 

If your hand-me-downs are going to a particular person, label the bags accordingly and put them in your car so you'll have them on hand the next time you see that person. Better yet, drop them off personally and get them out of your car!


More on decluttering and donating:

Decluttering and Donating

Save Time and Clutter by Making Decisions

Donating Business Clothing for Job Interviews

Overwhelmed with Clutter? Make an Appointment with Yourself!

Having trouble getting that decluttering done? Make an appointment with yourself! 

Put it on your calendar just as you would a doctor's appointment or a luncheon appointment. 

AND SHOW UP!!!

Start with one hour a week. I think you'll be surprised at how much you can do in just one hour! In fact, you'll probably be motivated to go longer than an hour once you get started. 

But don't schedule your appointment with yourself for longer than an hour because it may overwhelm you. Just leave some extra time in your schedule in case you're still motivated after an hour.

Put on your favorite music and have some fun!  

If you really want to get serious, set a deadline for each decluttering job and celebrate after accomplishing each one!

One of my current clients has been enjoying having friends over because her house is no longer filled with clutter. You may enjoy doing the same.

More on decluttering:

Three Steps to Decluttering

A Simple Way to Stay Focused on Decluttering/Cleaning

A Tisket A Tasket - Decluttering with a Basket

Organizing An Intentional Summer for Your Children

    
I loved creating an intentional summer when my girls were small, and try to do it as much as possible with our teenage foster daughters. The following is a blog I posted a couple of years ago. I hope you enjoy it!

Rather than enduring through the summer, make it intentional! If your children are old enough, have them think through some goals for themselves over the summer. These could includes the following categories: physical, social, financial, vocational, spiritual, educational, mental, artistic, musical, and life skills.

If you have grade school children, you may need to talk about this with them. If your children are younger, think through the areas that would apply to your small children and come up with ways you'd like to see them grow over the summer. 

With our teenage foster daughters, we let them decide their own goals. Some of them have included losing weight, expressing anger appropriately, speaking gentle words instead of harsh words, saving money for a car, learning how to manage money, and making new friends.

Some ideas for each category:

- Physical: eating nutritionally, running a mile in a certain time, learning a new sport, swimming lessons, care of hair and skin, an athletic camp, honing athletic skills, riding a bicycle/tricycle, fine motor skills, etc.

- Social: table manners, fun ideas for dates, sharing, please and thank you, not interrupting, telephone etiquette, how to be a good conversationalist, how to be a good friend, how to protect yourself on a date, what to do if your friends want you to do something you shouldn't, etc.

- Financial: saving, tithing, budgeting, opening a checking or savings account, investments, generosity, etc.

- Vocational: shadowing someone in a field of interest, researching a profession, field trip, internship, volunteer work, getting a job, how to interview, how to write a resume, how to fill out a job application, etc.

- Spiritual: vacation Bible school, memory verses, prayer, how to study the Bible, seeing God in nature, how to know God, restoring your relationship with God when you've blown it, finding a church you like, joining a youth group, etc.

- Educational: brushing up on needy subjects, summer school, work sheets, college visits, thinking through a major, keyboarding or computer skills, how to study, how to take a test, how to take notes, learning the alphabet or numbers or colors, learning how to read, etc.

- Mental: learning more about an interest, field trips, logic exercises, games, challenge programs, learning skills, memory techniques, time management, etc.

- Artistic: art lessons or classes, art time for drawing, etc., crafts, woodworking, sewing, jewelry, cartoons, knit, crochet, etc.

- Musical: lessons, learning a new instrument, concerts, symphonies, outdoor music programs, voice lessons, choir, band, camp, etc.

- Life Skills: changing a tire, setting the table, ironing, mending, tying shoes, folding clothes, laundry, how to plan balanced meals, cooking, how to use household appliances, cleaning up toys, how to make a bed, etc.

Hope I gave you some food for thought. Tell me about your intentional plans for the summer!



More on Summer:

Peace-of-Mind Vacation Check List - What to Do Before You Leave

It's that Time Again - Swapping Out Your Seasonal Tools

 

Declutter Your Purse with Celebrity Hairstylist's Invention

Here's a new invention I came across in an article in the Palm Beach Post that may help declutter your purse or bathroom. 

"Hairdresser Melissa Peverini flies the country in private jets to style the hair of famous clients, including Rod Stewart, Penny Lancaster and Paloma Picasso. The 39-year-old stylist from Palm Beach Gardens loves everything about her job, except one: the excessive amount of tools she needs to carry on a daily basis.

"I always had to travel with tons of bags full of brushes and combs that worked for different effects," Peverini said. 

"It was a huge clutter and became expensive for those clients who wanted to maintain the look, so I realized I had to come up with something that would bring all these tools together."

That was when Peverini, a stylist for 20 years, invented a hybrid that works as four styling tools in one. 

In December, after a year and a half of searching for a manufacturer and generating five prototypes, Peverini launched the VersiComb. "It eliminates the clutter and minimizes my clients' expenses," said Peverini. "I wish I would've had this over the last 20 years."

The ionic-infused styling tool has two sides. 

A narrow-toothed side has nylon bristles that detangle hair along with boar's-hair bristles to tease and add volume. The wide-toothed side separates curls while smoothing and polishing hair. 

The comb folds in half to become travel-friendly.

"It's a sleek, sexy and beautiful tool that my clients can take out in an evening bag to maintain their hairstyle all night," Peverini said. One West Palm Beach client, Sheilah Seidensticker, calls the VersiComb a "lifesaver."

"I don't even have to pack any other hair tools," she said. "I just pack the VersiComb in my purse and go."

VersiComb, priced at $14.95 on Peverini's Web site www.versicomb.com, is also sold in some salons and drugstores in West Palm Beach."

More on decluttering your purse:

Get Organized Month 2009 - Declutter Your Wallet/Purse

Pouchee Purse Organizer

 

Getting Rid of Homeschool Clutter

      
I never homeschooled my kids, but I know many do. I came across the following article by Journey into Unschooling on decluttering homeschool supplies. Hope it's helpful to any homeschoolers out there.

"I am a huge fan of model homes. I love visiting them and poring over photos of perfectly arranged rooms with that too-perfect-to-be-lived-in quality.

I know that many of these are set up for a spectacular photo shoot — I’m sure if you could see the other side of the photographer, there’d be a pile of mess that had been shoved aside! Obviously, the imaginary occupants of these fantasy residences don’t homeschool.

 

However, just because we can’t live in the perfect model home, doesn’t mean we have to wade our way through a cluttered one...

Removing clutter from your home isn’t hard in theory. If you don’t find it beautiful or useful, then get rid of it. There are plenty of books and internet sources showing you how to accomplish this.

But for the everyday, slightly messy, order challenged homeschooler, it isn’t so easy. What do you do with all the curriculum that is not in use but might be one day?

I set out to answer this when I got rid of as much junk as I possibly could. It wasn’t even a conscious decision. It all started with mold. The weather had been particularly wet and the moisture seemed to have bred some mold onto various walls throughout my home. We didn’t even see it at first, just smelled it — that slightly musty odor whenever we walked into the bedrooms.

Unable to live with the thought of my kids inhaling disgusting spores every night, I armed myself with a spritz bottle and set out to uncover the source of this unwelcomed intruder.

After the first hour of tossing scrap paper, used tissues, and orphaned toys, I came across a beautiful wooden Papo Buccaneers pirate fort. As I was cleaning it, I turned it over and was shocked to find the entire bottom covered with fuzzy green mold. After that, something overcame me and I started working with a frenzy.

My friend, after hearing of my project, later said she envisioned a Tazmanian Devil whirling through the house, cleaning everything in sight, and that wasn’t too far from the truth. I suddenly lost sentimental attachment to 90% of everything I touched. Old artwork that I had already scanned? Toss.

Odd pages from workbooks of years past? Dump it! Scooby Doo books we’ve outgrown and have no desire to read again? Donate it all. It felt great.

Being homeschoolers, we had educational supplies tucked and distributed throughout the house. As I was going through the shelves and closets and drawers, I thought about what I really needed to keep.

Library discards are often fantastic bargains, but do we really need to have a copy of The Inside-Out Stomach when we’ve never had a lesson on invertebrates?

If we did come to that point, I’m sure there’s another copy at the library. The books I ended up keeping were the field guides, science books, and well-loved ones, like The Wizard of Oz collection and Rosemary Wells Nursery Rhymes.

The toughest decision turned out to be the World Book Encyclopedia. It was from my own childhood and in mint condition. The fact that it was in mint condition, probably should have been a good indicator. If I had never bother to read it all these years, what was the point in taking up an entire shelf to store it? Would any of my kids even use it in this Age of Google? Probably not. Alas, it was time to bite the bullet and just pack it away.

I think I’ll keep that spot cleared forever as a reminder of what little we need.

And indeed, we don’t need much at home in order to homeschool. I’d much rather spend the day tromping through the outdoors exploring or excitedly reading the next chapter of our latest library book, visiting museums, walking through parks, conducting wild science experiments, painting a masterpiece, banging away at the keyboard, or inventing the next big game.

Homeschooling doesn’t happen on the shelves.

In the end, I donated an entire bookshelf worth of books, tossed a bin full of old schoolwork, and got rid of every piece of educational material I had not used in the past year.

The fact that our latest routine requires the use of less workbooks was enough reason to stop hoarding them for the day my younger children might use them. I filled that newly emptied bookshelf with beloved boardgames instead–a reminder to enjoy our time together.

So stop living in the classroom and free yourself to better things. Let go of the unsuitable curriculum, half finished workbooks, and never-opened encyclopedias weighing you down.

Play a game that you had forgotten you owned. Get a whiff of that fresh, uncluttered air.

Start filling your children’s minds and lives with learning, not their bookshelves."

More on homeschooling:

Organizing a Classroom for ADD and ADHD Students

Decluttering Your Digital Life

Kevin Purdy over at Lifehacker has come up with this year's top 10 ways to declutter our digital lives. Some of this is over my head, and that's why I'm leaving it to the expert ...

"We live out so much of our modern lives on personal computers and web servers—yet so much of it is messy and over-stuffed. Clean up your email, fix your files, and tidy up your digital life with these 10 tips.

We last delved into the "digital life" in July 2007, when Gina tackled this very topic. We've seen, and even created, new tools since then—and, to be honest, that page isn't looking so hot at the moment. So, in keeping with the conclusion of our Ultimate Clutter Cleanout, we decided to craft a new list of tools we think helps makes a life of 1s and 0s, computers and creation, feel much less frantic and disorderly.

10. Declutter and Streamline Google Reader Feeds

RSS feeds can start out as a convenient way of streamlining your news and site reading. After some time, and a few too many feed additions, it can feel like opening up a fire hydrant in front of your face. Read up on how the How-To Geek streamlines and declutters his Reader inbox, starting with some statistical work, stepping deep into folder organization, and then filtering the remaining feeds with a little Yahoo Pipes tweaking.

9. Clean Up Your Contacts

These people that show up when you start typing in a Gmail address—where did they come from? Google Contacts, where Gmail and other Google apps keep your peeps, can get real messy, real quick. We've offered a complete (for now) guide to fixing Google Contacts, along with some tools that help in Outlook, like the Outlook Duplicate Items Remover, and a date-sorting trick that works best for those who haven't made huge imports. (Original post: Outlook Duplicate Items Remover)

8. Compact and Manage Social Network Alerts

Facebook has a way of making you sorry you use it, at least if you regard your inbox as something more than just a junk pile. To trim down on the messages that Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, and other services send you, we've suggested a two-part filtering and management scheme for social networks. The short version: use Nutshell Mail and a good RSS reader. Facebook has made email management a bit more convenient itself, offering in-email replies to comment mail, which we took as an opportunity to show off our Facebook-taming Gmail filter.

7. Build Yourself Serious Gmail Filters

We know, we know—nothing we haven't said before, right? There is, however, some new stuff under the sun. If you're not already keeping annoying stuff out of your inbox and making it easy to get at the real communication, do so by building advanced filters and persistent searches. Need some inspiration? Download ten of our own filters and install them in your own inbox. Maybe you've found a filter need that's not quite covered by Gmail's built-in tools? At least one editor (ahem) digs how Syphir adds a few key criteria, like timing and number of recipients, to the mix. (Original post: Syphir)

6. Pack a More Efficient Laptop/Go Bag

If you know what you need to get work done on the go, you spend less time wondering if you packed the necessities and more time remembering, for instance, to include a bathing suit. We can't offer the ultimate laptop bag, or non-computer "go" bag, for everyone. All we can do is point to our bags, the bags our readers have shown us (in Part I, Part II, and Part III of our show-and-tell series), the bag that NYT tech columnist David Pogue carries, and hope you get a sense of how the right kind of geeky gear can actually feel liberating, rather than just more stuff taking up bag space.

5. Clean Out Your Hard Drive

Dig your way through your hard drive, and you'll find all sorts of stuff. Most of it can be deleted to make room for more important stuff, like your complete collection of Herb Alpert import album tracks. Digging through his own drive, Adam found lots of room for cleaning, so he showed us how its done. He used the simple, pretty Disk Space Fan, the classic and open-source champion, WinDirStat, recommended Disk Inventory X and Grand Perspective for Macs, and some automated tasks, like setting up CCleaner to run on a schedule.

4. Free Up Space in Gmail

You never thought you'd use up all those free gigabytes in Gmail—seven, as of this writing—until you went and did. Need to clear up space to stop losing archives, or step a bit further back from the brink? Gina's previously provided a seven-step clean-out system, while the New York Times recommends a back-up-and-wipe-out solution, akin to how we've suggested backing up Gmail with Thunderbird. You get the added benefit of likely having access to Gmail when it's down, and an offline copy of all your data, which is never a bad thing.

3. Automate Your Folder and File Organization

Downloads go in the Download folder. Unless they're finished video downloads—then they should go in Videos. And anything older than 30 days? That should get stuffed in a folder marked for deletion. You could do this yourself and give your mouse hand a workout, or you could automatically clean up and organize your folders, using Belvedere for Windows, Hazel on Macs ($22, but with a 14-day trial), and some clever settings that Adam, the creator of Belvedere, details in his step-by-step explainer.

2. Use Dropbox—For Almost Everything

The file syncing service Dropbox does one thing very well, and that is give you access to a certain amount of file space (2 GB in free accounts) on any computer you use, as well as on smartphones. By doing so, geeky types have figured out many ways to use that hard drive in the sky. Make it your ultimate password syncer, as storage for any file on your system, and, as the How-To Geek explained, just about anything. Keep a copy of Firefox portable in your Dropbox, and your concerns about having a decent browser on any given computer are gone, and you don't have to think about whether you formatted that USB keychain drive or not. That's just one of many de-cluttering steps you can take when liberated by having 2 GB floating all around you.

1. Ban Cables and Clutter from Your Desktop

Your desk is where you use your computer most, and it's likely encroached on by many things, begging for your attention and personal space. Cables tend to multiply and tangle, unless you fight them back with a total cordless setup, or something simple like a $5 coat hanger or cable organizer, or something so simple as binder clips attached to a desk. There are lots of other transient things trying to take up residence on your space. But with the help of pegboards, flush-mounted gadget ports, and other anti-clutter tactics, you can keep the hounds of excess stuff at bay. (Original posts: transient stuff, power basket)"

More on digital clutter:

National Association of Professional Organizers' Best Product in Technology

Get Organized Month 2009 - Decluttering Your Electronics

A very simple filing system for email and paper

 

Give Your Stuff Away Day - May 15

   

Here's a clever idea that Mike Monroe is promoting: Give Your Stuff Away Day on May 15. Here's a description in his words: 

"Cool happens on May 15, 2010. It’s called Give Your Stuff Away Day and it will work (almost) like magic, as long as we promote the idea and follow procedures about acceptable / prohibited items.

Here are the details – on May 15, we bring to our curbs, items of value we no longer want. No trash, recyclables, illegal, or dangerous items. No food, drugs, chemicals, or weapons. Just safe, valuable items we would like to donate. At the same time, millions of people will be coming around picking up free items. Instantly, the world’s largest giveaway!

You’ll feel good because you removed some clutter and helped a neighbor. Others will be happy obtaining free items in a tough economy. Landfills will shrink a bit and the economy will kick up a notch.

Give Your Stuff Away Day is not really magic – there will be a bit of a mess in some neighborhoods for awhile. And in the short run, municipal refuse hauling expenses will increase (but will shrink in the long run). We’ll also experience some additional traffic. Think of Christmas – a wonderful time of year, but messy."

Below is Mike's contact information. Why not spread the word?

Mike Monroe

Give Your Stuff Away Day

PO Box 21, North Chili, NY 14514

585 749-5107

mike@giveyourstuffaway.com

http://giveyourstuffaway.com

Facebook - http://tiny.cc/s99rz

Guilt-Ridden Clutter

What is guilt-ridden clutter? Guilt-ridden clutter is clutter you have accumulated because you think you "should" keep it in order to do something with it. 

For example, do you have a collection of gourmet cooking tools or cookbooks because you think you "should" become a better cook?

Or do you have massive quantities of scrapbooking supplies because you think you "should" make scrapbooks for your family?

How about all those skinny clothes because you "should" lose weight?

Have you become the recipient of antiques or collectibles that you "should" keep for sentimental sake? Or sell on ebay?

I'm not saying that these are not noble ideals. But don't keep things just because you "should." If your heart is not in it, why keep the clutter?

Get rid of that load of guilt by getting rid of those things you "should" do something with! Feeling lighter already? Then, go ahead, find another home for them.


More on emotional clutter:

10 Types of Emotional Clutter

Emotional Depreciation - A Long-Term Approach to Clutter

9 Ways to Enhance Your Health by Being Organized

 

When a Bargain is Not a Bargain

  
If you find a fabulous bargain, when is it not a bargain? If you can answer "no" to any of the following questions:

- Do I need it?
- Does it fit me now?
- Do I already have it?
- Do I have room for it?

If you love to shop for terrific bargains, do yourself a favor. Print these questions on a card and stick it in your wallet. Walk on by those great bargains if you can answer "no" to any one of the questions. You'll save yourself money and clutter in the long run! 


More on saving money and clutter:

Swap Parties - Decluttering, Saving Money

Decluttering Your Books with BookMooch

Cash from your Clutter

A Personalized Grocery List - Good Time Management

Earth Day - April 22

      
Earth  Day is coming! It's April 22. Amazon has created an Earth Day Store, where you can find toys, kitchen stuff, and many more items that minimize the footprints they leave on the environment.  

And stop by Amazon Green where you can learn about green solutions you can use year-round. 


More on green:

Some Earth Day Tips to Declutter Your Home

Green Baby Gifts

10 Eco-Friendly and Wallet-Friendly uses for Olive Oil