| Greetings!
Hello! We hope that you are well!
Exciting news for A Little Elf....we are offering more decorating services...see the bottom of the email for more information.
This month our newsletter if about preparing and packing for a long trip.
We would love to hear your organising and decorating questions and what has worked for you! We look forward to continued contact with you and the opportunity to assist you with your projects!
Happy Organising! Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble!
P.S. If you
are not receiving the business version of our newsletters, and would
like to, please click on "Update Profile" at the bottom of this
newletter and request that one as well.
Warm regards,
Karen Koedding
A Little Elf
Australia's First (and Only) Certified Professional Organiser
Live simply, laugh often, love deeply...today! |
Prepping for a Big Trip
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After years of travel (particularly between Australia and the USA) A Little Elf is an experienced traveller. We thought it would be helpful to share with you some of the tips and tricks we have learnt along the way. It's a comprehensive list, please email any questions.
Preparing your home and personal affairs
- To prevent your postal mail from stacking up and people knowing you are away a long time get a PO Box or arrange for a friend to pick it up. Cancel newspapers.
- Modify your car insurance policy to save money.
- Set up direct debit/payment for all your bills.
- Check with your mobile phone provider about the costs of international roaming - would it be better to get a prepaid simcard phone at your destination?
- Email to yourself: copies of your passport, travel and homeowner's insurance policies, credit cards and any plane tickets so that you can access them anywhere.
- Give a copy of your passport, itinerary and hotel information to a friend or relative.
- Clean out the refrigerator of anything perishables. Even better completely empty it and unplug it.
- Unplug all of your electrical appliances except for your lights that you put on timers.
- If you live in a cold climate, set your heat thermostat to 55F and open the doors to your sink cabinets to ensure that your pipes don't burst during the winter.
- Securely lock all of your doors and windows.
- Give spare keys to your home and your car to a friend who lives nearby.
- ALWAYS get travel insurance. ALWAYS.
Packing
- The number one, golden rule of packing is: pack light! And yes, there are ATM's all around the world, and yes, you can get most products that you need anywhere that you are going, so don't bring all of your toiletries.
- Create a template packing list for all trips - put every conceivable thing that you would bring on a trip on it and then you can modify and adapt it for specific trips.
- Check the weather for your destination so you know what to pack. www.weather.com
- Always have a toiletry bag packed. Replenish it after each trip and never unpack it.
- If you are travelling with a backpack, pack heavier things at the bottom and lighter things on top. This will keep you balanced and make it easier to carry. Same with a suitcase, heavy things go near the wheels. Heavy: shoes, books, toiletries, jeans. Limit the heavy stuff! Bring less jeans than you think you need.
- You will buy things on your trip, so don't overpack.
- Pack Ziplock food storage bags of different sizes - these can be used for storing toiletries, dirty/wet clothes, jewellery, etc. If you want to be super organised pack a separate outfit into each Ziplock bag.
- Don't pack anything that needs ironing unless needed for business reasons. Who wants to iron on holiday?
- Charge your laptop, mobile phone, iPod and cameras the night before and remember to pack the chargers. Don't forget the the USB computer cords for the cameras. Bring your adaptors for different countries.
- Clear your camera memory card so that it's empty and pack extra memory cards and memory sticks for storing photos while you're away.
- Pack one form of photo ID separate from your passport.
- Bring a light bag for day trips, pack it empty so you can just throw stuff in when you get to your destination.
- Get up to date information about carry-on baggage restrictions including size, weight and the rules for carrying liquids and gels on board.
- Put your home address and destination address inside every piece of luggage including your carry-on.
- Pack in your carry-on: plane tickets, travel insurance, passport, money, a toothbrush, 3oz toothpaste, underwear, swimsuit, spare set of contacts, glasses, medication, book, pen, paper, phone, phone charger, camera, a shirt, pair of socks, earplugs, snacks.
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A Little Elf Can Help!
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Get ready for Christmas...without stress
Don't we all like to get ready for Christmas without
stress? A Little Elf, professional organising & decorating services, has
the perfect solution for you. We've put together some comprehensive packages
that will help Sydenysiders prepare for the festive season.
Get
your home decorated...without stress
Let A Little Elf decorate your home for Christmas to
ensure your house offers a right festive atmosphere for your family and
guests this holiday season.
Special package for 4 hours of Christmas decorating:
$495
Get
the spare room organised for visitors...without stress
Let A Little Elf help you make space for visitors in
the spare "dumping" room, by decluttering and getting organised.
Call us for a free assessment over the phone and an
obligation free quotation.
Buy
a gift for a loved one...without stress
If you find it hard to think of a present for your
loved one, give him or her the gift of a better organised life.
Special Christmas gift voucher for 1.5 hours of
personalised organising consulting: $195
(N.B. Offers are only for Sydney at this time.)
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November's to-do
This month is all about getting ready for a trip. You might not be going away next weekend, but it still helps to be prepared. Create a packing list that you can use for any future trips- include clothing, shoes, medications, sports gear and work supplies. Simply cross out anything that doesn't apply for specific trips. |
| About A Little Elf |
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A Little Elf is a Professional Organising Firm based in Sydney and New York City. The firm was founded by Karen Koedding in May 2004. A Little Elf offers hands-on organising, organising consulting, training seminars, relocation unpacking services, and one-day re-design services for residences and small businesses/shops.
Karen is Australia's first and only Certified Professional Organiser. Karen's background includes degrees in Accounting and Interior Design, along with extensive experience as an Accountant and Financial Controller. She is currently serving on the AAPO National Committee for the 2nd year. |
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