Howdy folks!
Yeee-haaw! It's vacation time and cowgirls and cowpokes everywhere need to take a break every once in a while.
This year, I made a conscious decision not to buy alot of "stuff" while I was on vacation. And when my best pal said (in her attempt to simplify) "Don't buy me anything!", I didn't . I only bought two items this trip, and both of them I'll wear all summer. It was great not to return home with a bunch of silly soveniers or gifts that no one really has any use for. And do we really need another t-shirt?
Don't we all have everything we need? Life is really about enjoying the simple things and if you make an effort not to clutter up your home with stuff you really don't need, I promise you'll feel a sense of freedom and lightness that allows you to experience that simple joy. (see the article below on Consumerism).
I hope you enjoy your travels this summer and you realize that life is not about all our stuff, but about family, friends, and enjoying the journey!
Happy Trails! (uncluttered ones, of course)
Adonna |
TESTIMONIES
Adonna is a unique individual with a special talent for organizing. Thank goodness a friend gave me her name. She is reorganizing my entire house, even the garage. My house is large with plenty of underutilized storage.
Unfortunately, in my 40's and 50's I ran out of energy and stopped organizing. I just sat down on the couch and started buying a duplicate item, when I couldn't find the needed item. It was hidden behind those closet doors, but which closet and what shelf?
Seriously, I considered moving and leaving the closets FULL. This seemed the best way to lose my clutter.
Then I met Adonna and she has shown me that I could be organized again. She has done this without judging me for the numerous repeat items we found in the closet. And yes, I was looking for a hint of judgment or a giggle, but it wasn't there.
We have gone shopping twice for file cabinets, storage containers and furniture. She decided on the items quickly, rather than my method of pushing the cart around the store until the wheels are worn and must be rotated, because I can't decide on what items to purchase for organizing.
Adonna is passionate about organizing. She truly enjoys improving the daily activities of her clients by increasing their productivity and reducing their stress.
My advice is to call her and experience a passionate, professional organizer at work. You will not regret your decision and you will love your house afterward.
However, could you wait and call in a few weeks after we finish the garage? Oh, just teasing.
Residential Client
Houston, Texas
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QUICK TIP
Use binders to file newspaper and magazine clippings. Create one binder for each main category, such as "Home Decorating Ideas" or "Vacation Ideas." Insert articles in top-loading clear plastic sheet protectors. Use tabbed index sheets to create sections - for example, "Bathroom," "Bedroom,","Kitchen." | |
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The Economy and rising prices - Getting organized to save money. (and who doesn't want to do that?)
Everyday life is getting downright expensive these days. Prices for staples like coffee, bread, milk, fresh tomatoes and other produce items have gone up in recent months. And let's not even get started on the prices at the pump! With the average cost of gas hitting nearly $4 per gallon across the country, we're all feeling the pinch. Trying to make a paycheck stretch further and further just to cover the basics each month can be very stressful. Happily, a little bit of organization will go a long way to help you save money across the board.
You may not realize it, but disorganization can lead to unnecessary spending. When you cannot see and easily access what you have, you are more likely to spend money buying duplicate items. For example, if you have a chaotic closet, you might think you need a new white button-down shirt, when in fact you have two. This applies equally to everyday items, too, such as food. If you can easily see what is in your pantry and refrigerator, you are less likely to have to throw out stale food later that you lost sight of and never used.
When your home is chaotic, valuable things, like unused gift cards, rebate papers, and even money, will get lost in the shuffle. Take an hour or two this coming weekend to tackle messy areas and see what you can find. The biggest culprits for lost items of value are home offices, purses, wallets and the tops of bedroom dressers. While you're at it set aside a big bowl for accumulating loose change (a great place to keep it is in the laundry room). Having a place to throw those nickles, dimes and pennies makes it easier to save, if even just a little bit. See how much you can save between now and the holidays.
Here are three additional ways a little organization will help you save money on the basics.
1. Locate the Best Deals on Gas
Since gasoline prices can change frequently, and may vary as much as 20 percent within a few blocks, turn to GasBuddy.com for a little help in sourcing the cheapest gas in your neighborhood. GasBuddy.com is a network of more than 180 gas-price information Web sites that help you find low gasoline prices in your city. In addition, there are additional things that you can do to save money on gas, like avoiding accelerating and stopping too hard or driving 55 miles per hour to maximize fuel efficiency.
2. Shop Smarter
The next time you go grocery shopping, shop for staples first. That means vegetables and fruit, protein and milk (think the outside perimeter of the store). If, and only if, you have money left over, you can shop for treats and extras like crackers, salty snacks and cookies. Don't buy toiletries or other personal-care items like shampoo or paper goods at the grocery store. You can save 20 percent to 50 percent if you buy them at large discount stores. And finally -- look up or down! The most expensive items are usually at eye level, and the best deals can often be found closer to the ground.
3. Organize Your Inbox (and Make it Virtual)
One late bill can cost you $30 or more in unnecessary fees and/or higher interest rates because of your irregular payment history. Stay on top of bills and financial statements by organizing your inbox and switching to e-statements whenever possible. The mail is all too often unceremoniously dumped on a kitchen table, hall table or countertop where it can accumulate for days at a time. The longer the piles remain untouched, the more likely you are to lose track of bills. Find a simple wire mail sorter with two or three compartments and create a few mail filters such as: bills, correspondence and follow-ups. Once you have it set up, pick a time each day to dump and sort -- sort items by category each day, and toss junk mail immediately.
Article adapted from www.getbuttonedup.com.
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 CUT THE CATALOGS!Producing the 19 billion catalogs mailed to Americans in 2007 required enough energy to power 1.2 million homes for a year and discharged enough waste water to fill 81,000 Olympic-size pools. To keep unwanted catalogs out of your mailbox, register at catalogchoice.org, check off the catalogs you don't want, and they'll contact the companies on your behalf. |
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COOL PRODUCT ALERT!
 I love multi-functional products. Like file cabinets that double as side tables, or ottomans with storage. This particular item really caught my eye - rubber flashlights that double as candleholders! (Yes, I know - you're saying to yourself "rubber?".) But they really don't look all that bad - check it out! Find them at Velocity Art and Design.com. |
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Are you caught up in Consumerism?
"It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly." - Henry David Thoreau
We all need to break the patterns of buying things we do not need or do not have a place for in our homes or offices. We all need to think before we shop!
Having fewer things means enjoying what you have more and actually getting to use it, thereby raising its intrinsic value. The less clutter that one has in their surroundings, the fewer distractions there are from the essentials such as family, friends, food, nature and study. With less clutter, one needs a smaller space in which to live comfortably and thus needs to work less to pay rent to store things. If you haven't used something in the last year, how much likelihood is there that you ever will use it?
Many consumers run out of room in their homes to store the things that they buy. A rapidly growing industry in America is that of self-storage. Thousands of acres of land are paved over every year to build these cities of orphaned and unwanted things so as to give people more room to house the new things that they are persuaded to buy. If these stored products were so essential in the first place, why do they need to be warehoused? An overabundance of things lessens the value of what people possess.
Make a commitment:
- Choose to stop shopping for anything but necessities for the next 30 days.
- Choose to have a place/home for everything you bring into your home.
- Choose to stop shopping on TV, the Internet, and by mail through catalogs for the next 30 days.
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