March 9 - Senior Downsizing 1:30-2:30 p.m. Lorraine shares ideas on sorting and purging, disposing of unwanted items, and handling keepsakes and photos at Lakestone Terrace Senior Living Community in Granbury.

1:00-2:00 p.m. Get organized for tax season. Free IKEA giveaways; seating is limited, so come early.

March 31 - Organizing Your New Home 6:30 p.m. Lorraine shares practical solutions for organizing closets, kitchens, garages, and more into functional areas of the home. Free at the Grand Prairie Warmack Public Library.

April 5 - Messy Desk, Missing Papers 6:30-8:00 p.m. Lorraine presents her popular paper clutter workshop in Tyler, Texas; free, but you must register as seating is limited.

Also, did you hear Lorraine's recent radio interview with the Bob Show? You can hear it now by clicking on the February 19 podcast link. The interview begins at 10:45.

Get Organized! is proud once again to have received two awards for excellent customer service: 2016 Best of Houzz Award for Customer Service and the Angie's List Super Service Award.

Are you prepared for an emergency? Severe weather or a power outage can happen at any time of the year. Take the time to get organized now before the unexpected comes, so that you will be ready to keep your family safe. Here are four steps to getting prepared:

You can prepare your family by working in small, manageable tasks, gathering items that you likely have at home already. Get organized before the next emergency.

The task of compiling your home inventory can seem overwhelming, but it will be well worth your time and easy to amend as your possessions change. Use free online tools such as Know Your Stuff or Home Gallery that will organize the inventory for you by room or category, allow you to upload photos of items or receipts, and most importantly, store the information safely on the cloud.

Schedule time in your calendar to begin organizing your home inventory one room at a time so that you will have one less worry should a disaster ever occur.

This is the time of year to work on income tax returns. Here are a few steps we recommend to keep your paperwork organized and easy to handle.

Manage your receipts. You can do this physically or electronically, whichever system will be simpler for you to actually use. Keep all receipts that pertain to your income taxes in one place as you make purchases throughout the year. If you keep digital records, you will scan or snap a picture of the receipt. Choose from several helpful apps, including Evernote and One Receipt, which can also be trained to grab receipts from online purchases.

Manage your files. Depending on your needs, you may keep a file (physical or electronic) for charitable contributions, another for pay stubs, etc., or you may just need one file per tax year to hold everything. Keep in mind that after you file the tax return, you will rarely look at it again, so you are probably better off with fewer file folders and a simple system.

Manage your records. How long you should hold onto a document depends on what it is. Lorraine's Personal Paper Retention Guidelines sheet gives recommended times for many financial records. In most cases, tax-related documents should be kept for 7 years. Once you have sent in this year's tax return and are storing the supporting paperwork, take the time to remove from your files your oldest records that you no longer need to keep.

For your safety, always shred any paperwork that has personally identifying information, including your signature, which could be forged. Look for crosscut shredders on sale during March and April.

We rely on our phones and tablets a lot, but especially in emergencies. Make sure you have plenty of power to communicate with the outside world when the power goes out.

The high-capacity Jackery Titan rechargeable battery has two USB ports to charge two devices at once in a surprisingly short time. It can fully recharge a smart phone about 6 or 7 times before needing to be recharged itself overnight.

Did you know that in an emergency, it is a good idea to communicate by text or even social media? Preparedness experts tell us that after you phone your out-of-state designated emergency contact to let him or her know you are safe, it is better for you to stay off the phone lines, which often get jammed. Instead, you can communicate by texting or on Facebook, Twitter, Next Door, or other online sites. Most cities monitor their own social media pages, so you can communicate non-emergency needs there as well.

Originally from Kansas, Cindy has lived in Texas for the last thirty years. She graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in textile sciences and with her husband, has raised their three sons in Coppell, Texas. She has taught Special Education students in public school, tutored math, worked at The Container Store, and coached soccer for Special Olympics.

This varied background has prepared Cindy for a variety of challenges; through trial-and-error, she has discovered an abundance of innovative and lasting organizing solutions. She brings flexibility and problem solving to the organization arena. "A place for everything" is her motto for a well-organized home. She has always been the go-to person when something needs to get done and is well known for being a master at coming up with schedules. 

As a life-long learner, Cindy enjoys researching new and innovative solutions through blogs and Pinterest. She strives for her organizing solutions to seamlessly blend into the décor of her clients' homes. Creating just the right look for them is paramount. With stylish decorating taste, Cindy can stage a home or add a touch of décor to those who want a fresh look or just need something on the walls.

Each month we bring our readers a Savvy Way to Save. This month is a list of interest-free credit cards. If working on your taxes and personal finances has made you realize how much money you are spending on interest, you may want to take advantage of one of these offers to transfer your balance and pay no interest until 2017.

And, if too much debt is causing you stress in your household, consider using strategies from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. It will take some effort, but his techniques can help you get your finances organized so you can get out from under the burden of debt.