One of the main things that I end up hauling out of the homes of my clients is books. Books, books, books. I am an avid reader, so I get the allure. However, the luster quickly fades when you realize that you have no more room in your living room and piles of books in boxes eating up your garage space. So here are some ideas:
• Use the library. Now you can go online to reserve books. When they arrive, the library will email you. What a great system! You may have to wait for a bit on the new releases, but considering you are paying for the library through your taxes, it is smart to get your money’s worth.
• Try http://bookmooch.com/. At Book mooch, you share books with others and all you have to pay is the shipping. While it isn’t free like the library, you won’t have to wait for the new releases.
• And if you absolutely must buy new books, try selling them at www.half.com when you are done. The buyer pays shipping and you can get back part of the cost, plus save space in your home.
I mean, really, if you don’t re-read the book over and over or use if regularly for reference, then you don’t need to have a copy on your shelf. Save a tree, your sanity and a buck by sharing books instead.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Prepare now for the holidays
Depending on when and how you celebrate your holidays, you have approximately two shopping months left until the big season. Do you feel like the weight of the world (or maybe Santa’s sleigh) just fell on your shoulders? Never fear.
Christmas, Hannakah and all other holidays should be treated like any other big project. Since the holidays come at the same time each year, we can anticipate them and prepare so December is not a month you dread as much as the dentist. Right now I want you to sit down and make two lists. The first list will be of all the people you want to buy gifts for. The second list is a “to-do” list of everything that needs to be done in preparation for the holiday season.
Done? Great! Now it is time to break it down. Let’s start with the gift list:
• Can you make this list any smaller? What I mean is, do you really need to buy all the people listed gifts? Do you think that anyone on that list might give a huge sigh of relief if you suggested to them that you skip swapping gifts this year? I made this suggestion to my siblings and they jumped right on board. We agreed to exchange kids’ gifts only, cutting my shopping list by four.
• Shop online!! You may pay a bit more, but think of what you save in gas, time, stress….need I say more?
• Group gifts that need to be bought by the store they will come from. Then find times between now and December when you will be in the area of those stores. Keep your list with you and get that shopping done when you are in the neighborhood so you aren’t running all over town later.
• Not sure what to get people? Carry the list in your wallet year round. When you are out running errands, pull out your list and remind yourself who you need to shop for.
With your to-do list, group items according to when they need to be done. For example, in October you can pick a photo for your holiday cards and stock up on wrapping supplies (thanks to our friendly retailers who have had holiday displays out for a month now), but you need to wait until closer to the holidays to decorate the house and bake cookies. Once things are grouped according to when they need to be done, start plugging them in to your calendar, spreading tasks out by doing a few little things each week. “Getting ready for the holidays” sounds overwhelming. “Go buy stamps for my holidays cards” does not. Break big projects down into small tasks. Assign them to yourself months in advance, depending on when they need to be done. Have peace of mind knowing that everything that needs to be done is written down and that you don’t have to worry about most of it today.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
Christmas, Hannakah and all other holidays should be treated like any other big project. Since the holidays come at the same time each year, we can anticipate them and prepare so December is not a month you dread as much as the dentist. Right now I want you to sit down and make two lists. The first list will be of all the people you want to buy gifts for. The second list is a “to-do” list of everything that needs to be done in preparation for the holiday season.
Done? Great! Now it is time to break it down. Let’s start with the gift list:
• Can you make this list any smaller? What I mean is, do you really need to buy all the people listed gifts? Do you think that anyone on that list might give a huge sigh of relief if you suggested to them that you skip swapping gifts this year? I made this suggestion to my siblings and they jumped right on board. We agreed to exchange kids’ gifts only, cutting my shopping list by four.
• Shop online!! You may pay a bit more, but think of what you save in gas, time, stress….need I say more?
• Group gifts that need to be bought by the store they will come from. Then find times between now and December when you will be in the area of those stores. Keep your list with you and get that shopping done when you are in the neighborhood so you aren’t running all over town later.
• Not sure what to get people? Carry the list in your wallet year round. When you are out running errands, pull out your list and remind yourself who you need to shop for.
With your to-do list, group items according to when they need to be done. For example, in October you can pick a photo for your holiday cards and stock up on wrapping supplies (thanks to our friendly retailers who have had holiday displays out for a month now), but you need to wait until closer to the holidays to decorate the house and bake cookies. Once things are grouped according to when they need to be done, start plugging them in to your calendar, spreading tasks out by doing a few little things each week. “Getting ready for the holidays” sounds overwhelming. “Go buy stamps for my holidays cards” does not. Break big projects down into small tasks. Assign them to yourself months in advance, depending on when they need to be done. Have peace of mind knowing that everything that needs to be done is written down and that you don’t have to worry about most of it today.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Great Press for Clear the Clutter
I was just interviewed last week by a reporter at the Everett Herald. Follow this link to see what I had to say about organizing.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091001/LIVING03/710019974
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091001/LIVING03/710019974
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Organizing Basics Class
Come join me for a class on Organizing Basics. In this class you will get inspired as you learn great ways to break down the task of organizing into simple, easy to do steps. Tips on how to inspire your kids to be more organized will be discussed as well. For more information or to register, please go to http://www.monroe.wednet.edu/COMMUNITY_SCHOOLS/Fallclasses.pdf or call 360)804-2570. Come join me on Monday, October 12 from 6:30 - 8:00 PM. Cost is $15.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Save space in your closet
Small closets? Transition your clothing seasonally. Store out of season clothing in storage boxes, chests or even cardboard wardrobe boxes in your garage. When the weather changes, make your transition.
When you hang your new seasonal clothing, face the hangers backwards in the rack. When you wear an item, wash and re-hang, put the hanger on the correct way. At the end of the season, whichever hangers are still backwards are holding items that you never wore and can get rid of, rather than storing for the next year.
Another way to maximize space is with huggable hangers. These hangers are great because they are really thin and allow you to fit more into your closet.
All the storage items listed can be found and purchased on the suggested products list at www.cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
When you hang your new seasonal clothing, face the hangers backwards in the rack. When you wear an item, wash and re-hang, put the hanger on the correct way. At the end of the season, whichever hangers are still backwards are holding items that you never wore and can get rid of, rather than storing for the next year.
Another way to maximize space is with huggable hangers. These hangers are great because they are really thin and allow you to fit more into your closet.
All the storage items listed can be found and purchased on the suggested products list at www.cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Being prepared for illness or death is the best gift you can give your loved ones.
About a year ago, I sat down with my Dad and filled out a life organizer with him. He scoffed at first, but when I explained how important it was, he agreed and got it done with me. At that time we also reviewed all his legal documents to make sure that everything was in place in case of a tragic situation. I got copies of everything and kept them on file at my house. Today, as I write this, my Dad is laying in the hospital unable to respond. In my state of worry, it is hard for me to think straight. His life organizer has been my saving grace. Having all the vital information at my finger tips has been crucial to handling his affairs for him. Death or illness can hit you or a loved one suddenly at any time. Are your affairs or those of your parents or loved ones organized in such a way that your spouse, good friend or family member can easily step in and take care of things for you? If not, read on….
Every family should have a life organizer. You can make it or buy one (check out the Savvy Senior Organizer at www.colorfulimages.com – not just for seniors!!). A life organizer is a notebook or file that contains all the most important information needed to manage your household. Information about medical, insurance, bill paying, children’s school, pet’s needs, passwords, etc should be included. Having all this information in a safe, central location will save your loved ones a lot of grief at a time when they need to focus on getting things handled. Life organizers are an invaluable gift.
Furthermore, every person should have a will, power of attorney and medical directory. Death is a very hard topic to discuss, however, being prepared for it is the best gift you can give your loved ones.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
Every family should have a life organizer. You can make it or buy one (check out the Savvy Senior Organizer at www.colorfulimages.com – not just for seniors!!). A life organizer is a notebook or file that contains all the most important information needed to manage your household. Information about medical, insurance, bill paying, children’s school, pet’s needs, passwords, etc should be included. Having all this information in a safe, central location will save your loved ones a lot of grief at a time when they need to focus on getting things handled. Life organizers are an invaluable gift.
Furthermore, every person should have a will, power of attorney and medical directory. Death is a very hard topic to discuss, however, being prepared for it is the best gift you can give your loved ones.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Organizing in the event of a death
The loss of a loved one is difficult in so many ways. One of the challenges at a time like this is clearing out their home or closet, yet it is a task that must be handled.
If there is no statement of who is to get what item, I recommend bringing all the loved ones together and assigning them each a specific colored sticky note. Allow each person to go around the house or room and put their color sticky on any item that they would like to have. Have an agreed upon way to deal with any item that is wanted by more than one person such as a coin toss or a hat to draw a name from. You may be surprised to find that people tend to want very different things.
If there is still a great deal of stuff, consider having an estate sale. If you go this route, you simply need to get rid of the obvious trash or unsellable items and leave the rest for buyers to look through.
If you do not want to have an estate sale, you want to break the space up into small zones and tackle one zone at a time. Set up a pile for “donations” and a pile for “trash.” Mark your piles so it is easy to recall which is which when you get going. Now pull everything out of the zone and start separating it out. Once everything is separated, put the trash in the garbage can and the donations in your car to drop off or on the curb to be picked up.
Keep in mind that hiring a professional organizer can be a huge help at a time like this. People tend to attach their raw emotions to objects and keep things to remind them of their lost loved one. While it is fine to keep mementos, keeping too much or items you don’t have room for creates new problems. A professional organizer can help you to keep things in perspective and offer ideas on how to preserve memories without impacting your living space.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
If there is no statement of who is to get what item, I recommend bringing all the loved ones together and assigning them each a specific colored sticky note. Allow each person to go around the house or room and put their color sticky on any item that they would like to have. Have an agreed upon way to deal with any item that is wanted by more than one person such as a coin toss or a hat to draw a name from. You may be surprised to find that people tend to want very different things.
If there is still a great deal of stuff, consider having an estate sale. If you go this route, you simply need to get rid of the obvious trash or unsellable items and leave the rest for buyers to look through.
If you do not want to have an estate sale, you want to break the space up into small zones and tackle one zone at a time. Set up a pile for “donations” and a pile for “trash.” Mark your piles so it is easy to recall which is which when you get going. Now pull everything out of the zone and start separating it out. Once everything is separated, put the trash in the garbage can and the donations in your car to drop off or on the curb to be picked up.
Keep in mind that hiring a professional organizer can be a huge help at a time like this. People tend to attach their raw emotions to objects and keep things to remind them of their lost loved one. While it is fine to keep mementos, keeping too much or items you don’t have room for creates new problems. A professional organizer can help you to keep things in perspective and offer ideas on how to preserve memories without impacting your living space.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
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