It is crazy how at times life seems to be going by so slowly and then all of the sudden we feel like it is racing by out of our control. I remember as a child when I would be with my family in the back seat of our car asking my daddy how much longer it would be until we got to our destination. As an adult, I never ask that question unless I am at the dentist's office. I want the good times to last and the not-so-good to fly by.
This nostalgic daydream came to mind as I was returning our Christmas decorations to the attic this year. I noticed boxes in storage that I had not opened in the fifteen years we have lived in our current home. As an organizer, I realized it might be time to start purging. One of the boxes I came across contained sentimental items from my past.
I brought down the box from the attic filled with cards from family and friends and love notes from my husband. The memories flooded back and I began to cry realizing how blessed I was, but also missing my mom. Since my mom's passing, I inherited all the cards I once gave her. I opened one that I wrote as a young mom, telling her how thankful I was to her for teaching me how to be a good mom to my then young boys.
As Valentine's Day approaches, I thought it would be fitting to talk about what to do with those cards and love notes you may have packed away. ***Warning: Reading these types of keepsakes will be a slow process and crying may occur, but I am so glad that I have them to pass down to my boys as a reminder of their mom's joyful life. |
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Organizing Love Notes
Many of us have a hard time letting go of years of sentimental cards and notes. They may be loving notes from your first boyfriend, husband, wife, children, parents and grandparents, or cards from friends or co-workers.
If this is something you can relate to, we are here to help you sort it out. It is not a bad idea to keep some of your favorite cards, but too many can take up precious storage space in your home. Ask yourself if you really want to leave your family with boxes and boxes of cards and letters to go through without any idea of their value to your family.
One of the first things you can do is sort the items by the recipient. For example, make a pile for each of your children and then separate the pile by the giver - one for those from relatives and one from friends. Do the same for your cards and if they are together, sort those for your spouse.
After all the sorting is done, open each item and see if there are any interesting notes written by the sender. Unless you only have one card that is signed from your grandmother, throw out anything with just a name or a short comment. If the card is worth saving, take the date from the envelope and write it on the back of the card. Throw away the envelope and your cards will take up 50% less space.
As painful as it may seem, we recommend throwing out cards from friends or sympathy cards for the passing of family members. Unless they have special messages or you display them with photographs, they often just become clutter. Cards and notes are perfect at the moment you need them, but after a time it is best to let them go.
Once you have narrowed down your sorted piles, see if you can sort through them one more time. This time asking yourself what type of card would you want to inherit from your mom or dad. If you do not want all the clutter coming from your parent's estate into your home, how are your kid's going to feel about your clutter?
Once you have decided on what to keep, put each pile in a plastic zipper bag with a note in or on each bag designating the recipient. If you want to divide each pile by sender, rubber band each section within the bag. Store the cards and notes long-term in the attic or a storage space separate from the valuable space in your home.
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Get Organized! Referral Policy
 The best way a company can grow business is by the recommendation of satisfied clients. Get Organized! offers a 10% discount for our previous clients who refer a new client to us for organizing services.How? Tell your family and friends about Get Organized! Have them contact us and if they book at least a 5 hour workday, you receive a 10% discount on future services for yourself.
Once our professional organizers have completed the job for your referral, your discount is ready to be used on any of our services. This may include up to eight hours of Get Organized! services such as: organizing, packing, decorating, paper management, staging your home for resale, or family coaching. Mix and match multiple services during this eight hour period to accomplish more for less! |
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Organizing Tool of the Month
One of our brand new organizers offers her take on an organizing solution for action papers. Stacy says, "I am really happy that I set up my Tickler File. I've actually combined a Tickler and Home-Run Station together, and I feel these things can REALLY help in many people's homes. I find that paper, particularly mail, and those 'action item papers' really pile up and get lost for LOTS of people. We are all so busy that often we gather the mail, set it on the countertop saying, "I'll get back to it", then on Sunday afternoon you get frustrated that your kitchen table is covered with the last two weeks or more of mail."
The Tickler File System includes 43 hanging files, with one file folder inserted within each of the hanging files. Each hanging file is labeled for one day of the month (1-31 days), and one for each of the month's of the year (12 total).
This is easy to set up in an existing file drawer or a portable container. This system should be located wherever you bring in the mail. One example might be receiving a wedding invitation. You will need this invite possibly up to three different times. Once for buying proper attire, once for buying the gift and the last time for finding the event location. If the wedding is in May, you may want to put it in March for purchasing an outfit, then move it to April for purchasing the gift, and finally move it to May for the event information.
The Home-Run Station includes hanging folders plus file folders within each hanging folder. The amount of folders needed is personal and set to your specific needs. You can put this system in a decorative, portable box. The best location for this portable system would be where you open your mail. Some like it on a kitchen counter, others put it near their favorite chair, while some still prefer it in the office.
Some examples for filing in this system may include: coupons, things to file, bills to pay, things to read, one for each member of the family, etc. Here are some ideas for housing these items. Office supply stores also have many items to choose from. |
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Lorraine Brock
@ IKEA
Hear Lorraine Brock speak at IKEA Frisco on March 8, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. about "Closet Organization, Home Office, and Paper Management".
IKEA offers their fans the chance to enjoy in-store complimentary meals, reduced prices, and the chance to win a shopping spree. This event encourages customers to bring their friends and enjoy a day exploring IKEA Frisco.
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Cloud Technology
 It seems at times like we are being buried in paper. Many of our customers struggle with what to keep, how long to keep it, and where to store it. If you are looking for a better way to keep information without all the paper clutter being stored at your house, here are some comparisons about what is available in Cloud Technology.
You can now access files on the go, find your documents from most electronic devices, capture items now and find it later, share files, and store photos safely. Windows offers a great comparison sheet for understanding the many options to choose from. Remember, personal financial information should be stored at your discretion.
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Our Customers Speak...
I wanted to share with you how pleased I was with the work of Karla and Stacy. They came in and worked the impossible.
Karla was excellent, she knew exactly what to do and re-purposed everything she found. She was so helpful in offering organization tips and showing me how to keep my house organized.
Karla even staged my living and kitchen for the Christmas holidays. She helped me organize my personal affairs. I can't say enough about how wonderful Karla was and she is certainly an asset to your team.
I could not believe that Stacy was new to your organization. She knew what to do and was great at organizing my office area. She seemed to intuitively know exactly what needed to be done next. She was also very helpful and I feel that you hired a great new organizer. She is also an asset to your team.
I was able to entertain over the holidays and be proud of my home. All of my friends and family were so impressed with the work of your team. I have recommended Get Organized! to everyone.
Thank you again for reorganizing my home.
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Happy Anniversary to Us
February 2014 marks the 7 year anniversary of Get Organized! Founder and Owner Lorraine Brock, started Get Organized! with just the intent of presenting workshops on how to get organized. Fans quickly started asking for the organizing work to be done.
While Lorraine has taken on other roles within Get Organized!, she is very much still at the center of the daily operations of the company.
Some of our current clients have been clients since the beginning, and we continue to organize spaces for them. We treasure the relationships with our clients and want to truly make a difference in their lives.
For all those new fans that follow us and for those that have been with us from day one, click here to get a snapshot of Get Organized! from the past to the present.
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Savvy Ways to Save
IKEA has lowered the price on this storage basket from $16.99 to $14.99. This basket is versatile, decorative, and a storage solution for many areas of the house. It also fits the IKEA Expedit system. The Expedit system can be located in an entryway, a mudroom, home office, or in a bedroom or playroom for additional storage space.
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Packing and Unpacking
Services
Our team of professional organizers can de-clutter
before you pack and move
and/or pack, unpack, and organize your entire home once your move-in is complete.
We can also work with your movers for placement of furniture when the truck
arrives at your new home.
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Get Organized! only recommends
for the services listed below,
and we proudly recommend
them to our clients.
Mention Get Organized! and get 30% off tile and grout cleaning, and ask about our area rug cleaning special! Carpet, oriental, and area rug cleaning, tile and grout cleaning and sealing, carpet repairs and stretching, leather cleaning and repairs, upholstery cleaning, 24 hour water damage restoration, and pet urine removal and treatment.
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Put your Home on
the Market with
4 Free Organizing Hours or
2 Free Hours of Staging
with Service
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Do you need a caregiver for your children or your elderly parent? Checkout
MomsBestFriend.com. See how they can help you.
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Need a storage unit for
a few months or long term?
Maybe a member of your family recently passed away and you inherited
things you need to store
until you have time to sort through them?
Get Organized!
recommends
Assured Self Storage
They have 20 locations in the DFW area.
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We are a full-service moving concierge company,
skilled and experienced in all relocation services. Located in
Dallas, Texas, we offer a
premium moving experience catered to your needs.
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Become a Professional Organizer through our
Affiliate Program
Get Organized! is interested in connecting with individuals throughout Texas who are naturally organized, creative with space planning and organizational systems, have business smarts, self-motivation, and an understanding of the importance of excellent time management.
Organizing skills are often learned or enhanced through tasks and hobbies you have done both in the corporate world and in your own home. These skills, in addition to the branding advantage and professional training from a successful organizing company, can launch you into a profitable organizing business.
Our Affiliate Program allows you to focus on working as a professional organizer while you save both time and money utilizing the experience, brand recognition, and proven processes from one of DFW's finest organizing companies - Get Organized!. The initial investment includes: your time, travel expenses (for training in the Dallas area), general liability bonding insurance, and insurance for business use of your vehicle. There are no other startup costs.
We look forward to hearing from you about starting your own organizing business anywhere in the great state of Texas.
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