Financial Clutter
I am a big fan of Suze Orman, in the last few weeks she has been on the Oprah Show talking about the financial crisis our country is facing. Explaining the crisis in simple terms and breaking it down to make it easier to understand.
On a recent show she says, “When somebody doesn’t have debt they also keep everything in order. Clutter = debt. Order = No Debt. When you respect what money can buy you, you respect money itself.”
Maybe you have debt, maybe you don’t. No matter what, you have a choice on how to keep your life in order. We do not have control with what happens to the stock market, but what do we have control over?
We have control on how we organize our financial papers, our home office, our bills, etc. Now is the time to get these papers in order. We may not like what we see on the statements, but at least we know exactly what we have.
Some tips to get you started:
- Filing your financial papers- Buy a large three ring binder with tabs. Label the tabs with each different financial account you have. Keep all the statements in one place.
- Know what statements to keep and for how long. Email nikki@takecontrolorganizing.com for a complete list of items.
- Re-evaluate your home office or financial organization system. Is it working? Make necessary changes.
- The general rule is we use 20% of what we have. Look at the other 80% whether it is in the home office or somewhere else in the home, start analyzing what you have, what you need, and what you want. Everything else? Let it go.
- Think before you buy, how does buying it make you feel? Any buyers remorse? Maybe now is not the time. Make the right choices for you and your family.
Organizing Your Holiday Decorations!
Over the next couple of months, I will write in my blog about how to organize during the holidays. To get you started, here are some simple tips with decorations.
- You probably have your Halloween decorations up now, were there any you did not use and put back in the box? If so, consider donating them.
- Are you keeping them because of sentimental value? Then instead of storing them with your current decorations, think about storing them with other memorabilia items. Remember you don’t have to keep everything… Only keep the things that matter most.
- When packing up your decorations, organize in categories. Put all the lights in one box, all the hall decorations in one box, all linens in one box and so on.
- I talked earlier about colored containers… Consider buying the colored ones after the holiday, they are sure to be on sale. And only buy the containers after you know what you need..
- Label your containers with the category names you have chosen.
Imagine — All of your Halloween decorations are now categorized, labeled, and contained!
Seasonal Storage!
Right now at Target, www.target.com, you can buy seasonal storage box’s on sale for $6.49! What a great deal! When you organize your holiday decorations by the box color, it makes it so easy to know where everything is. Orange and black for halloween, maroon and orange for Thanksgiving, green and red for Christmas etc.
KMTR – Local 4 Less
In about a month or so, I will be featured on KMTR’s website in the Local 4 Less section… So not only check me out, but check the other services and business’s being featured. This is a great opportunity to buy a gift certificate for half of the price! It’s a great program and I recommend checking it out… Especially with the holidays coming up! www.kmtr.com
Staying Organized!
The project is completed! You can feel the sense of freedom this new organized space has given you! You feel now as your time and control is back! How to maintain? Being organized is a commitment! Be aware of your actions and know you have to take action to stay organized! Here are some simple but action steps you can follow:
- When you buy something new, get rid of something old! This can be done with clothes, books, anything!
- Have a “clean up basket, bin or bag” in each room, so at the end of the day it easy to place items not belonging in a certain room back to their home. If everything has a home, it’s easier to clean up at the end of the day, because you know right where it goes!
- When your done in an area, for example your done paying bills or cooking dinner, clean up the area as soon as your done with it. Don’t leave it for later… You’ll feel so much better later when it is already done!
- Have clean up with your children everyday! These areas get so messy, and the only way to maintain them daily is to clean them up daily.
- Take inventory of your belongings every once in while. Keep only what you love and use often!
- Remember all of the wonderful benefits of having an organized home, take before and after pictures, and commit that you’ll never go back.. Kind of like losing weight isn’t it! Clutter weight!
I’ll Get it Done Tomorrow!
PROCRASTINATION! How many times have you started an organizing project and than never finished? Or kept telling yourself you’ll do it tomorrow? Here are some tips to get your procrastination a plan of attack!
- Draw up a plan! If you have a room you want to organize, visualize how you want the room to look and write it down. If you have a plan and an end in sight, you’ll be more likely to complete it.
- Decide on a reward for yourself when your project is completed. Maybe go to a movie with a friend, or buy yourself a mocha, whatever it is make it something you want enough to achieve your goal!
- Now break the plan into pieces – start where it is best for you. If you want to start with the most easiest task or the hardest task, whatever works… Just get started!
- Don’t try to do it all in one day, break your tasks down into small time intervals… Set your timer for 15 minutes and get as much as done as you can.
- Schedule your time when you are at your best!
- Establish a deadline for the project to be completed and within this time frame, establish more dates on when you want specific tasks to be completed. Set up a timetable! Check it everyday, where are you? Keep yourself accountable!
- Now you have completed your project – Go enjoy your reward, and be proud of yourself! You Did It!
Teaching your children to be organized.
Following the same theme as my last post, I thought it would be a good idea to share some ways on how to get your children invested in getting and staying organized! Here are my suggestions:
1. Start young – as young as 2 years old. You can teach a child to pick up one of their favorite toys and place it in the same place every time. For example, my son was a huge a car fan, so we started with him at 2 years old, placing his cars in the same bucket every night. Even if your children are older, it’s never too late to start them in the habit of placing their items back to their original home!
2. As we said in the last post, make cleaning up a fun activity, make some kind of game out of it. Whoever finishes first, gets to pick out the first book that is read at bedtime.
3. Store like items together, you can label bins or put a picture of the toy on the bin, so it is very clear what should be going in it.
4. Get the child’s input on where and how he/she would like to have his toys organized. They will take ownership and be more likely to maintain the system they helped create.
5. At the end of the clean up session, praise the child and reinforce the great feeling it is to be organized!
6. Lead by example!
I found Target to have excellent storage solutions for children’s bedrooms and playrooms. Visit: www.target.com for more information!
“The Sweep”
I received a great recommendation from a friend of mine, and I wanted to pass it along… Anyone who has children understands the nightly battle we all experience on getting them to pick up their toys or other belongings… This family came up with a great solution that gets everyone involved including Mom and Dad!
It is called “The Sweep”! Every night prior to bath time, they set the kitchen timer for 5 minutes. They turn the stereo on for some fun music, and everyone in the family runs around the house putting away all of their belongings from the day. When the timer goes off, they gather in the kitchen, and one person walks the house to check out the collective work. If anything is left out, the owner has to go put it away. It gets not only the kids into a nightly routine of cleaning up but also the parents! At just 5 minutes a day, you can make a difference!
Brides Against Cancer!
I found a great website I wanted to share.. If you are thinking about donating your wedding dress… Check this website out: www.bridesagainstcancer.org. What a great cause!
Do I throw it away?
Getting organized often means throwing away or donating items… Here are some questions to think about:
- When was the last time I used this?
- Do I still need it?
- Does it have sentimental value?
- Do I love it?
- If I decide to let it go, is it easy to replace if I need it again?
- Could someone else use this more than me?
- If I do decide to keep it, where is it going to go?
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