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Author: Darla PompilioClutter Family Home Shopping

Does Buying in Bulk Save Money or Just Clutter Our Lives?

BigBoxStoreI often remark that Sam’s Club, Costco and BJ’s keep me in business.  Frequently, the first thing I recommend to my clients is that they reduce their purchases to essential items.  I recognize “essential” is a relative concept, but people understand that we often consume needlessly & impulsively.  The heart of disorganization often comes from having an abundance of merchandise.  We are exhorted to over purchase by all the agencies of mass media.  Their business is to encourage spending and our business is to purchase with discretion.

Purchasing has a complicated physiology; why do rational people over purchase?  There are several factors at play here.  Mass media is not the only culprit; the availability of credit cards enables people to consume beyond their needs.  According to Los Angeles clinical psychologist and wealth consultant James Gottfurcht, PhD, “They’re conditioning people into building debt at a very young, vulnerable age.”

Other major factors that contribute to overspending according to research by Florida State University social psychologist, Roy Baumeister, PhD is too many demands in stressful situations and dealing with  difficult relationships.

Finally, the idea that consumerism leads to happiness has proven to be an illusion; according to a post by Rebecca Sato. “Researchers have found that low self-esteem and materialism are not just a correlation, but also a causal relationship where low self esteem increases materialism, and materialism can also create low self-esteem.”

In conclusion, when we find ourselves losing control over our environment, we have to ask ourselves why and put ourselves back in charge of our lives by making conscience decisions based on real needs.  As Thoreau so aptly stated, “simplify.”

Author: Annette ReymanClutter General Home Organizing Organizing Products Storage

A Tisket, A Tasket: Where to Use a Basket

Now that the winter holidays are over, we may find ourselves with a few extra baskets on hand – baskets that arrived holding fresh fruit or bath products.

Baskets, while making a lovely presentation containers, often have awkward shapes and can be challenging to store.  Sometimes donating them seems preferable to losing storage space to their clumsy designs.  And then again, how can we let them go when there may be a use for them…someday?

Before letting your frustration take over, here are a few suggestions of places around your home that can benefit from the strategic placement of some of these vexing vessels:

  1. Small baskets can be in a craft room for notions.
  2. Or on a table near an entryway to catch keys and loose change.
  3. In a desk area, small baskets can also be handy for items such as flash drives, an extra mouse or cord and small sticky note pads.
  4. They can also be used near your purse as a temporary holding area for receipts.
  5. Medium sized baskets can be used as a fruit or bread basket, or lined with a napkin and used for snacks like popcorn or chips.
  6. Depending on the shape, medium baskets are also good for storing light bulbs or batteries in the top of a closet.
  7. Large baskets are wonderful in bathrooms – they can hold some rolled guest towels or extra toilet paper.
  8. By an entryway, large baskets are a welcoming sight when filled with slippers to change into.
  9. A large basket is perfect for holding pet toys and makes clean-up quick and easy!
  10. In bedrooms, large baskets can serve next to the bed for a book and some magazines and maybe a tube of hand lotion.

So, if you’re ready to cram your baskets into cupboards or send them on their way out the door, take a look around your home and ask yourself if there area any areas that could benefit from some clever containment.

A lovely new basket might be just the solution!

Author: Barb BermanClutter General Home Office

Suffering Post-Conference Clutter

HELP!!  I just returned from my national organization’s annual conference in Baltimore. There’s no food in the house, the laundry is piled high, and I can’t see my office floor, let alone walk in it.  Doesn’t that sound funny coming from a Professional Organizer?  I’d like to hire one of me to organize the post-conference clutter.

To prevent any trip and fall injuries, I’ve decided to follow my own five basic steps to get things under control.

  1. Sort everything.  Gather all the materials that are strewn on my desk and floor and put like with like.  For those of you who have been to conferences, you know how many goodies you bring home with you
  2. Purge what I know I don’t need or won’t ever use.  Okay, things are looking a little better.  The pile is dwindling.
  3. Containerize the new workshop materials and products.  After sorting and purging, I know what I needed to house everything.  Alas, I already have containers from one of my other de-cluttering and organizing projects.
  4. Find a home for my new items.  I am even ready to start using some of them immediately.
  5. Maintain my original system.  Put items away in places that are already designated to hold them.

I scheduled the time to organize and followed my own advice of setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely).  I didn’t get distracted by cleaning out a file drawer that had nothing to do with organizing my conference materials.  And, guess what?  I also had fun.  I can now begin my week organized and ready to go.

I won my clutter battle, and so can you!  As you can see, even Professional Organizers are challenged to stay organized.  How do you feel every time you walk into your office and see files all over the floor, books around the bookshelf not on it, and the top of your desk buried with papers or even those goodies you brought back from a conference?  Professional Organizers are Accountability Partners who will keep you motivated and on track, help you decide what to keep and not to keep, and develop systems and strategies for you that are easy to maintain.

Author: Vali HeistClutter Donating General Home Organizing

Making A Difference

I went to see The Lorax with my niece and we really enjoyed the movie, including dancing to the song at the end of the movie after everyone had left! The environmental theme revolved around saving the trees so I told my niece that I would take her to IHOP for pancakes since they are offering free tree seeds as a promo for The Lorax. I’m hoping that Universal Studios keeps with the green theme of the movie and doesn’t decide to flood the market with Lorax theme-based stuff: toys, plush animals, games, etc. However, there’s probably not much chance of that happening.

The main theme of the story however revolved around the word ‘UNLESS’. The Lorax said, “UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” At my previous employer, there were a lot of built-in opportunities to “care a whole awful lot” such as volunteering, raising funds for various charities, and hold clothing and food drives. It felt like we were making a difference in the lives of people on an almost daily basis. Now that I have my own business, I look for ways to volunteer in my own community.

My former college roommate and I spent one Saturday morning with our fellow alumni from Shippensburg University volunteering at the Reading Berks Food Bank. We packaged boxes for elderly clients of the food bank. A few months ago I spent a morning working with volunteers from Habitat for Humanity by laying a floor in one of the offices at the Blind Association in Reading. I had never laid a floor before so that was really fun!

If you are cleaning out the kitchen and pantry, donate your unexpired dry goods and canned food to the food banks in your area. If you are cleaning out the bathroom and linen closet of toiletries, make-up, linens, and personal products, donate your excess personal items to emergency shelters, women’s shelters, elderly organizations or any other agency that could use your unneeded items. Go to the website for the agencies in your area and find their wish lists for the most needed items.

Author: Kelly GalfandClutter General

“March Madness” and Your Next Best Play for Decluttering

You don’t have to be a sports fan to learn a new move or two from the NCAA basketball tournament.  This single-elimination collegiate competition held every spring is informally known as March Madness. Various rounds of the tournament have distinctive names: Sweet 16, Elite 8 and Final 4.

Accept this March Madness Challenge: mimic the tournament’s elimination process to decide what deserves a place in your life.  Think, as you cull your collection, “What’s worthy of living on my trophy shelf?”  Over the course of the next three weeks, cut any bench warmers – objects that hog space, collect dust and detract from the rest of the team.

Just as athletes work toward goals and milestones like personal bests, make your decluttering goals concrete.  For example, trim 16 items of clothing so that your clothes don’t spill over into a second closet.  Or, contain your collection of figurines to 8 that fit neatly in a cabinet.  And maybe, find the 4 essential cookbooks for your kitchen shelf.

The hardest lesson March Madness teaches is “one and done.”  The Final 4 teams play two games over three days to determine the one national champion.  Culling collections down to a single winner is unrealistic, but selecting winners based on proven criteria is a good play.  Choose from a laundry list of categories: books, clothes, vases, kids’ artwork, pantry items, electronics, just to name a few, and let these Elite 8 questions be the driving force behind refining your best team.

1. Do you use it?

2. Do you love it?

A yes to either, “Do you use it?” or “Do you love it?” garners objects a guaranteed spot on the team!

3. Has it expired?

Yes to this and it’s a definite cut from the team: food, medicine, fashion or electronics.

4. Does it fit?

5. Is it flattering?

The questions, “Does it fit?” and “Is it flattering?” though suited to clothing, are not exclusive to wardrobes.  These questions ask if things fit your lifestyle.  Sometimes entire collections represent an old hobby that is irrelevant to our current interests.  Consider how much of what you own is an honest reflection of you and the life you want to live.  If something doesn’t fit for any reason… let it go.

6. Could you easily replace it?

7. Is it still valuable to you?

8. Is it easy to maintain?

Surplus supplies can rob us of space, energy and disposable income.

Don’t stockpile if you are maxing out on space.

Sentimental items are not easily replaced and are harder to part with. When paring down nostalgic items ask yourself which piece best represents that time in your life, or best reflects that personal accomplishment.

Don’t forget to simplify.  Fewer working parts, lower maintenance costs, and a smaller footprint can be a savings on several levels.

Take your time.  Give yourself an entire month to accomplish your goal. Each week, make your ‘team cuts.’  Try out the feeling of having less on your shelf, less in your collection and less on your mind.

In the end YOU will be the winner.  The March Madness basketball tournament ends on Monday April 2.  Plan ahead for your personal victory and set a date for the end of your March Madness Challenge.  Don’t throw in the towel if the tournament ends while you’re still deciding what to keep.  Decisions take time, but if you don’t declutter on a regular basis, your organizing muscles won’t be at peak performance.  Practice will perfect your skills.

Author: Kathy LuskusClutter Family General Home Organizing Paper

Winning the Battle Against Paper

Without a doubt, the biggest clutter problem that faces people these days is paper.  It comes in through snail mail every day, from the kids bringing forms home, from items we print from our computer, notes that we make to ourselves in our car or while sitting in the doctor’s office, and just about everywhere we go.

Out of frustration, sometimes people just put it in a pile on the counter or desk and then the next day add more and then the next day more, etc. until the pile can’t stand on its own anymore.  The “tipping point” is when the pile starts falling over.

When it gets to this point, most people start going through the paper and files from the bottom up worrying that the papers on the bottom would be the most urgent. Sounds logical enough until you realize that if there’s anything on the bottom that needed attention, you mostly likely would have had a call or crisis to bring it to your attention. Nine times out of ten, most things take care of themselves by just becoming obsolete.

The more efficient way to sort when you have larges piles of paper is to start at the top and by handling the most recent and to include each new day’s papers with the process.  That way when you do get to the bottom, most of which probably just needs to be filed or tossed, you’ll be on top of everything.  Starting at the bottom and continuing to pile new incoming papers on top just adds to the feeling that you’re never quite caught up.

To stay in control of paper, set up a system where you make decisions each day for 5 minutes.  It doesn’t matter what time of day as long as it becomes part of every day.  Paper can be divided into just a few categories:  Toss / shred / file / needs action.

If you want to spread it around more, you can also have a stack for someone else to review and handle (read as husband or significant other).  There’s no reason why all the paper in the house is exclusively your responsibility.  If your children are old enough, they might even be able to take responsibility for some of it.  With a little investment of your time, you could assign older children these tasks, helping take some stress from you and teaching them responsibility that will serve them well as they begin to deal with the same issue.

Don’t surrender to the battle that paper presents every day.  Divide and conquer!