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Getting Organized

As school gets back into session, the weather starts changing and the days grow shorter, I start thinking about organizing my life for the fall.

Here are some suggestions for fall organization projects to fit whatever time you have available. If you have …

A weekend – Organize your garage. Pull out everything. Purge what you haven’t used for the last year by donating it, trashing it, returning it to the neighbor or selling it. Sort the remaining items by zones or categories (sports, gardening, recycling center, tools, etc.). Determine your storage needs and containerize/label in the areas assigned. Then store appropriately.

A day – Organize your clothes closet. Again, pull out everything and use the same techniques of purging, sorting, containerizing and storing. Wash or send summer clothes to the cleaners before storing in another area of the house. Hang jackets with jackets and pants with pants and organize by color so you can easily create outfits. Pull out your fall clothes from storage and create a list of new items needed to augment your wardrobe.

An afternoon – Make a list of school supplies needed and then go shopping. Or create a week of menus by thinking about the week ahead and checking everyone’s schedule. Match the dinner preparations to your family’s schedule. Think slow cookers or purchasing a roasted chicken at the store for dinner on grocery shopping night. Don’t forget to scan newspapers for advertised specials and your pantry or frig for staples and perishables and incorporate into your food selections. [click to continue…]

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You may be holding onto your clutter for many reasons, but some of the top ones are:

• You think you will need it later.
• You paid good money for it.
• It might be valuable.
• It has sentimental value…Aunt Jane gave it to you for a wedding gift.
• It’s been in the family for years.

Here are some ideas to help you let go of items if you are holding on to things for sentimental or monetary reasons:

• Use the one-year rule. If you haven’t used something in a year chances are you will never use it.
• Discover the true value of an item. Go on eBay or CraigslistHowMuchIsItWorth.com for price guidelines for items you think are antiques and collectibles.
• Regift Aunt Jane’s vase to someone who will enjoy and display it, but follow regifting guidelines.
• Give a family treasure to another family member who will love it more than you do.

Make the commitment to let go of your clutter. Think about who can benefit from the items you are not using, make a plan and do it!

It you need help letting go of your clutter, contact me for a 30-minute free sample coaching session today.

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Organize for Back to School: Create a Study Zone for Your Child

August 28, 2010

One of the keys to academic success for your child is to provide them with a productive study area at home. You can turn any space within the child’s bedroom, playroom or dorm room into an efficient and organized study area with a little planning. Pick an area and a desk. Find a smooth surface [...]

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Organized for the School Year: Healthy Meals and Snacks

August 21, 2010

As a new school year approaches and schedules become hectic, wouldn’t it be great to have a handle on healthy meals and snacks? Getting our children to eat healthy can be challenging. It is so convenient sometimes to pull through the fast food drive through when you are tired and the children are hungry. By [...]

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More Organizing for Back to School: The College Dorm Room

August 14, 2010

So you have a teen headed for college. ..If you read my previous post you already have created a checklist, taken inventory and started shopping. But what do you do to organize a college dorm room? Let’s face it dorm rooms are tiny. Here are a few tips to help your college-bound student set up [...]

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Organizing for Back to School

August 7, 2010

Whether you are sending your child off to their first day kindergarten or your teen to college. There are some tips to help get back to school organized: For children of all ages: Start by creating a check list Obtain a list of supplies from the school. Many times the school will send a letter [...]

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Organized for Good

July 31, 2010

Here are a few tips for getting organized for good. These tips can be used in specific areas of the house or anywhere: O – One in, one out. Use this rule to limit your stuff. If you bring something new in, something old must go. R – Routines are crucial. Daily, weekly, monthly and [...]

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Does Buying in Bulk Cost You More?

July 24, 2010

Just because you can buy 20 pounds of chicken at a time or a 64 pack of paper towels, should you? Does it make sense for you to buy in bulk? Buying in bulk can make sense, but keep these questions in mind: • Do you the storage space for it? • Will you use [...]

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What’s the Best Way to Organize Recipes?

July 17, 2010

As I was organizing and sorting my magazines (I was a little behind), I came across a great article in January 2010 issue of Prevention magazine that shared several ideas from authors, readers and staff about what works for them. Personally, I use two binders. One is small with page protector sheets that hold my [...]

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Organize Your Coupons

July 10, 2010

I had the pleasure of recently conducting a clutter seminar at a local library. The question of organizing coupons came up. The audience participated in brainstorming some ideas for coupon organization: • Organize by category or expiration date. Use a small accordion file labeled 1 -12 and placing the coupons in the respective tab (7 [...]

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