Organizing

Helping Hand

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This past weekend we took my mother-in-law out for her 86th birthday dinner. Since the weather had turned cooler I looked through my closet for a nice long sleeve top to wear. Almost all of them were old and didn’t look that great anymore.  Many were too heavy for this time of year.

Since I don’t like shopping much I tend to not update my wardrobe very often.  As a result it sometimes reaches the point that everything looks washed out.  You know, where the shirts are pilling, are faded, and hanging out of shape.

I only have a few dressy outfits for good and then my everyday uniform. There isn’t much in between.  My everyday uniform consist of blue jeans or shorts and a short or long sleeve T-shirt depending on the time of year.  The advantage of working out of my house is I can save a lot of money on clothes since I don’t need a wardrobe for a workplace.

Of course the disadvantage is since I don’t need a lot of nice casual clothes (business casual) I tend not to shop much for them.  Now this may not be a disadvantage for most people, especially if they enjoy shopping, but it becomes my excuse not to shop often enough to keep my wardrobe updated.

A few years ago I joined the Missus Smarty Pants program and that helped me a lot. It taught me how to shop for the right kind of clothes for my body type. I didn’t dread going to the store so much and buying clothes that didn’t make me look my best, (wasting money?). With the help from her program I bought clothes that made me look good and were much more versatile. I think it is time to sign up again!

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes that helping hand can help us overcome our weaknesses.  Sometimes we may need that helping hand on a regular basis (like my clothes shopping dread) so we can continue to have accomplishments in our weaker areas.

This is what I’m trying to do with my blog and website. This is why I’m writing the Halloween blog series (starts Oct 3). I want to make sure I don’t wait until the last minute to put up decorations or buy candy. Yes, I have done that before! I also hope that this blog series can help you avoid procrastinating until the last minute.  In other words, I’m offering a helping hand to help you plan and prepare for the holiday.

If this series works out well I’ll be happy to do it for Thanksgiving and Christmas and Chanukah. If you want to receive this blog series in your email all you have to do is sign-up here.

If you’re already receive the blog posts by email then you don’t have to do anything.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas for the upcoming blog series, please let me know.

Thanks,

Janice

book coverThe “How To Have A Fun, Safe, And Decluttered Halloween” eBook is now available for the PC, Kindle, and Nook. It’s a witches brew of tips on decorations, costumes, and treats. Get it now before you head to the store.

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Requesting Input for New Blog Series

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I am currently writing a blog series called “Countdown to Halloween”.  My objective is to help you prepare for Halloween over the course of the four weeks of October.

I will be sending out 1-2 blog posts each week with a list of things you can do to start enjoying the holiday without all the last minute stress. This series will be set up where I will welcome your suggestions or questions. It will be a lot like a free e-course only we get to help each other through the comment section of this blog and/or on my Facebook page.

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Before I start the blog series in the next few weeks I’m asking for your input now on what you would like to see in the each post. Right now the areas I’m writing about are:

  1. Setting up indoor and outdoor decorations.
  2. Making or buying costumes.
  3. School parties.
  4. Buying candy or other treats.

If there are other areas you would like to see addressed in this series please let me know in the comment section.

If you want to receive the “Countdown to Halloween” blog series and future blog series please sign up here….

If you already receive the blog post updates in your email then you are ready to go.

For more tips on organizing and decluttering be sure to “Like” my Facebook page. This is also a good place to make comments or ask questions.

http://www.facebook.com/CutClutterWithScissors

 

book cover

The “How To Have A Fun, Safe, And Decluttered Halloween” eBook is now available for the PC, Kindle, and Nook. It’s a witches brew of tips on decorations, costumes, and treats. Get it now before you head to the store.

 

Thanks for you input.

Janice

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Mother Nature Can Clear the Clutter the Hard Way

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Mother nature sure has a way of reminding us of what is important. The pictures of the wind and flood damage from hurricane Irene show how quickly all our belongings can be destroyed.  But ask anyone who has survived a disaster what they are grateful for and it’s always that their loved ones are safe, not the loss of their “things”.

I remember a few years ago when heavy rains caused flooding and sewer back-up at my mother-in-law’s condo basement.

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She had a lot of photos, clothes, and other things she stored down there. She also had a lot of clutter that she never got around to getting rid of.

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After it was all cleaned up she missed the photos and other memorabilia but that was all. She even felt relieved to be rid of all the junk. But she also felt bad because a lot of the things could have been given to a charity to bless others. Instead those items were wasted and ended up in the dumpster.

Now is a good time to take a look around your home and see what you can get rid of. Ask yourself a couple of questions.

  1. Would you miss this item if it was destroyed in a disaster?
  2. Do you even use this item or can you get rid of it now?
  3. If you aren’t using the item would it be something that someone else could use?

With all the flooding in the east coast I’m sure there will be many families in need of some of your extras you aren’t using.  Check to see who is gathering up donations of clothing, household items, etc. in your area.

This is a great way to get rid of some of your clutter and share your good fortune and abundance with those who weren’t so lucky this past week.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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Declutter Before You Shop

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We’ve all heard the saying “Shop till you drop”  But I think a better one is “Declutter before you shop”.  Okay, I know it doesn’t rhyme but it will help keep the clutter under control. If you get rid of the old before bringing in anything new you’ll stay one step ahead of clutter build-up.

Containers014Also if you “declutter before you shop” you’ll know before you go to the store what is needed to fill in your wardrobe or finish your decorating. At the grocery store you’ll already know what ingredients you have on the shelf and what you need. You won’t buy a duplicate of something that can go bad or expire before it is used.

 

So before you start your autumn clothes shopping go through last year’s wardrobe.  Get rid of the clothes you didn’t wear because:

  1. They no longer fit.
  2. You don’t like them.
  3. They are worn out.

Create a list of what you need or want before you go shopping.  This will help reduce the impulse buying (future clutter?).

Before heading to the grocery store get rid of the expired ingredients and put them on your shopping list. Check your recipes and weekly menu and put what you need on the list also.  Then you won’t need to make that extra last minute trip to the store.

So save time, money, and clutter by following the saying, “Declutter before you shop” instead of “Shop till you drop”.  You’ll be glad you did.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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Organizing Children’s School Papers

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Now that the new school year has begun it’s time to get organized. There are lots of papers that will be entering our homes by way of our children’s backpacks.

There are the notices of events going on, the permission slips, homework, worksheets, and of course all the art work the younger children do.  With so many papers coming in so fast it is easy to put them in a pile to go through later.

But will you and/or your child go through them before the homework is due or the permission slip is too late?

Start out the school year with a plan to handle the incoming papers so you and your child will be more organized. Here are a some suggestions.  If you have a different way to handle the incoming papers, please let me know by leaving a comment below.

  1. For notices, permission slips, etc. you should use a different color pocket folder for each child.  When your child brings home the papers be sure to mark the date on your calendar before you file the paper into the folder. You could also use a 3 ring binder with pocket folders in it.
  2. For current homework each child should have their own notebook or folders they keep in their backpack.  Usually the teachers will recommend what they want for their class.  Check it daily.  Pull out any old homework (see number 3) on a regular basis so the current homework doesn’t get lost in it.
  3. Old homework can really pile up if it isn’t decluttered on a regular basis.  Depending on the grade level there can be a lot of papers that your child will never need to look at again.  If there is a chance they will need it to study for a test then help them set up a folder for each subject. Then when it’s time to study all the papers on that subject will be in one place. Most of the time in the younger grades the practice papers can be recycled.  At the end of the school year almost all the homework papers can be recycled or thrown away.
  4. Art work and stories/essays are papers you’ll probably want to keep for at least a short time.  You can hang up the art work, give it to grandparents, or store it.  Under-bed storage containers are great for these since many pieces of art are larger than the standard piece of paper. Short stories or essays can be put in a binder or in the container with the art work.

If you haven’t decluttered last years papers now is a good time to do it before school gets under way.  Check out this article on how to declutter the papers.

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com/decluttering-childrens-school-papers/

 

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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