Posted By janice on November 28, 2011

Tough times become even more apparent while gift shopping for the holidays. While many families, including my own, have opted to skip gifts for adults or draw names, there are ways to save money on the gifts still on your list.

Coupon Check. If you use services, such as Groupon, Living Social and other sites offering deals, check the purchases you’ve made of these deals. Can you purchase gifts using any of your deals? Can you “gift” the deal to someone? To make some money, you can sell your deals on SellMyDeal.com.

Stores, such as Bed Bath and Beyond, have coupons you can use anytime. Other stores, such as Aaron’s Brothers, Ulta and Kirkland’s, to name a few, will send you coupons if you sign up for their emails. If you have a CVS card, you can receive coupons to use for your next purchase. For example, I received a $5 off coupon that I plan to use to purchase a Burt’s Bees set for my niece.

Gift Card Check. If you’ve received gift cards as gifts, you can use those to purchase gifts for others which makes things super easy.

To get a little cash, you can also sell your unused and unwanted gift cards through several websites, including Plastic Jungle, Gift Card Rescue, Project Gift Card and CardWoo.  These sites also offer gift cards for reduced prices.  I haven’t used these sites personally, but I know several people who have used them.

Create Your Own Gift Basket. Making your own gift basket is a great way to save money. Gift baskets work best when you have a theme.

For a movie night theme, pick up a DVD or two, popcorn and candy. With the movie night theme, you can go in all sorts of directions – Retro, Brat Pack, cartoons, action flicks, etc.

Another favorite gift basket is the dinner basket, and I’ve seen this many times as wedding gifts. Use a lovely bowl as the “basket” and toss in pasta, sauce, wine, and other ingredients. Put dry ingredients for breads, cookies and soups into a jar so the recipient can add any liquid or perishable items. Make sure you list instructions.

Buy potted herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, peppermint, basil and others for cooks or garden lovers, and they can create their own herb garden.

For a relaxation basket, put in a CD of relaxing music, candles and bath oils. Create your own line of bath products by searching out recipes on the web. I haven’t been brave enough to create my own salt and sugar scrubs, but the recipes make it look easy.

Create Your Own Gift. I’ve heard how some families are only doing handmade gifts, and my favorite website Pinterest is chock full of great ideas for homemade gifts.

Consumable gifts are always among my favorites, and whipping up a batch of fudge or cookies are great gifts. One of my Facebook friends who is a single mother suggested cooking a dinner or casserole for stressed out parents.

With imagination and effort, you can save money on gifts.

Category: Holiday Organization, Saving Money | Comments Off
Tags: holiday gifts, Saving Money

Posted By janice on November 21, 2011

The news these days centers around the economy, job creation, the 99% vs. the 1%, the Occupy protests and clashes with police, the Super Congress committee and wars waging around the world. It’s enough to send the pluckiest optimist on a serious downer.

With the situation we’re all experiencing in some way or the other, it’s easy to become apathetic with everything. At work, a co-worker asked me about the Occupy protests, the 99% and what it all meant. After I shared what I knew about it, my co-worker asked in exasperation, “Okay, so what are we supposed to do about all of that?”

Good question. It’s very easy to believe that we as individuals can’t fix the world’s problems. We celebrate Thanksgiving this week, a day that is supposed to be full of gratitude, and we all know so many people who are suffering. But what can we do? Turns out we can do plenty.

Kiva. Anytime I feel sorry for myself, I go on Kiva and make a loan to someone who is in a tougher situation.  I heard about Kiva from Jason Womack, a time management expert who I met when he worked for David Allen Co. Kiva is an organization where you can make micro-loans of $25 to people around the world.  The loans are used by individuals or community groups to expand their businesses and homes, and they each have a profile and updates.

As the loans are paid back, you receive a notice of payment via email, and you can choose to re-loan the money to someone else, donate it to Kiva for their expenses, or cash out.

Create Jobs for USA. Howard Schulz, the CEO of Starbucks, has begun a new program with Opportunity Finance Network that launched Nov. 1. You can go online or go to a local Starbucks and donate $5 or more to the fund. The fund will be used to help finance community businesses.

Starbucks has put up the first $5 million. For your donation, you can opt to receive a special bracelet.

Heifer International. This global organization helps create self-sustaining families and communities by providing them with animals, such as chickens, bees and  cows. For the person who has everything, send a flock of chickens in their name to a family.

There are many other ways to change the world – or at least our small corner of it. What do you do that changes the world? Please share your ideas in the comments below.

Category: Life | Comments Off
Tags: Create Jobs for USA, Giving, Heifer International, Kiva, Thanksgiving

Posted By janice on November 18, 2011

Guest post by Certified Professional Organizer® Helene Segura

Teachers are some of the most important people on this planet. They spend more waking hours with children than parents do. They guide students in the formulation of who they are, what they think about, and who they want to be. Yet despite the important role that teachers play in the development of our children – our future generations – the general public has little knowledge about what a teacher’s day is actually like.

Why would this be important to know, you ask? A single teacher determines how much knowledge in one subject area that a student will be presented – or not presented – over an entire year. While we can demand until we’re blue in the face that only the best teachers should be in America’s classrooms, they will not stay there if they are not provided with the resources to do a good job.

Fifty percent of teachers across the country quit within their first five years in the classroom, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The number one reason given is not the low pay. It is not student behavior. Instead, those who leave the classroom site a lack of support. Teachers are overwhelmed with all of the duties that are heaped upon them, yet they are not given the tools to face those pressures. Projectile decisions are hurled at educators at an insane pace.

Here’s one extremely brief example, taken from my book Less Stress for Teachers: More Time & An Organized Classroom:

8:20:00    “Open hallways” bell rings; stand at door for greeting

8:20:15    First smiles of the day greeting early birds

8:20:30    First student dress code violation

8:20:45    First student excuse for the day about dress code

8:21:00    First student stomp-off to fix dress code violation

8:21:15    First admit slip to sign

8:21:30    First grade check sheet to sign

8:21:45    First question about all make-up work for the 6 weeks

8:22:00    First question of “Are we doing anything good today?”

8:22:15    Principal walks by and says, “I need to see you” but doesn’t elaborate

8:22:16    Fear and paranoia set in; what does principal want?

8:22:30    Football coach walks up and says, “How are Johnny’s grades?”

8:22:45    Morning greetings continue as curt conversation with football coach ensues

8:23:00    Student returns and asks again about make-up work

That’s the first three minutes of a typical school day on a high school campus. THREE minutes! And class hasn’t even started yet!

One of the best attempts I’ve seen at trying to explain the work day responsibilities of a teacher to someone in the business world is this quote from Donald D. Quinn:

“If a doctor, lawyer or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn’t want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher’s job.”

So, how can you help? Obviously, I’d love for you to purchase my book for the favorite teachers in your life. Or, if you have some not-so-favorite ones, maybe they’re the ones who truly need it. But this is what I’d love for you to do:

Walk up to a teacher and ask, “How can I help you?”

You might have the time to volunteer for thirty minutes each week in your child’s classroom. Or maybe you have only fifteen minutes to give on the last day of the school year. Or perhaps you can cook dinner on a Friday evening for a teacher friend. It doesn’t matter how small the task is. You’re showing that you care, and that will mean the world to a teacher.

Helene Segura is a former award-winning teacher turned organizing and productivity consultant who owns Living Order® San Antonio. Segura’s book, Less Stress for Teachers: More Time & An Organized Classroom, addresses the thinking behind how to overcome “the overwhelm” that teachers feel on a daily basis. It’s a thinking pathway that helps teachers bust through the emotional, psychological and organizational walls that prevent them from utilizing planners and other tools.

Readers of her book will learn:

• The 5 most critical areas to control
• To create time where educators thought it was impossible
• To manage email, paperwork, lesson plans and other tasks
• To set up a classroom in the most efficient way
• To lower teacher stress levels during the school day

Category: Guest Posts, Organizing Tips | Comments Off
Tags: Less Stress for Teachers, teacher appreciation

Posted By janice on November 16, 2011

Guest post by Tim Eyre

Sometimes I sit around and fantasize about how much less cluttered my house could be if only I got rid of stuff that I don’t use and I don’t need. What’s stopping me? Well, it’s wasteful, we tell ourselves, to throw things away. So they sit and gather dust and take up closet or baseboard or shelf or cabinet space in our homes.

I’ve shared my own personal fantasy of clutter-free personal space with friends and family members. I’ve told them I’ve started recycling items that we don’t usually think of as being recycled. These items aren’t the usual plastic, paper and glass that goes on the curb. But they are commonly saved items you need to be recycling NOW! When people realize that much of what they are saving could be recycled, a light bulb goes off. The challenge is to make a list and find out how to recycle those items.

Here are nine commonly saved household items you need to be recycling and some ideas on how to accomplish that.

Books. Many local or county libraries have a “Friends of the Library” group or program that accepts used books any time of the year for their annual or semi-annual used book sales that generate money for the library. Schools and day care centers will often take used children’s books. Also, Books For Soldiers is a nonprofit based in North Carolina that has sent almost $9 million worth of care packages to U.S. troops overseas since 2008. You can send your used books, DVDs and CDs, plus this list of items to fill up the package.

Computers. The easiest way to recycle your old computer is to donate it. Call a local school or advertise online that it is free. Working computers can recycled through the National Christina Foundation, a nonprofit that provides computers to people with disabilities and HP Recycle. Also check the National Technology Recycling Project, eBay’s Rethink Initiative and TechSoup for ideas on recycling or refurbishing obsolete or non-working hardware. Also try the National Center for Electronics Recycling.

Cell phones. Office Depot, Staples and Sprint are among the stores that will take your old cell phones and used rechargeable batteries to recycle. It’s free to you. Call 1-800-8BATTERY to find out which stores take batteries.   ReCellular provides a free online data eraser so you can delete your personal information before recycling the phone.

Athletic shoes. Shoe charity Soles4Souls is the world’s largest provider of footwear to people in need. One World Running in Boulder, Colorado collects used shoes and donates them to African national teams. Nike’s “Reuse-A-Shoe” program collects worn-out athletic shoes of any brand and converts them into material for athletic court flooring.

Eyeglasses. Recycling your old eyeglasses can be the gift of sight for someone elsewhere in the world. Millions of pairs of eyeglasses go into the trash in this country every year. OneSight recycles them through drop boxes at LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Target Optical, Sunglasses Hut and other stores. Go to the website to find a drop-off location near you or to find out how to send your glasses directly. Lions Clubs International also has a mailing kit for old glasses.

Furniture. Goodwill Industries, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and many other charities will take old, but usable, furniture off your hands for free. Goodwill and the National Kidney Foundation will also pick them up if you are unable to transport them. Don’t forget the tax receipt!

Office supplies. Office supply stores like Staples will take your used printing cartridges and offer a discount in return for returning them. But what about when you want to get rid of the whole printer, scanner, old CD burner, etc.? Call your favorite office supply store and ask but also, try The Freecycle Network, an electronic bulletin board listing free things and things wanted for free. Type in your city or town and the site is  localized for you. I checked one group near me. People were offering everything from puppies and a baker’s rack to a four-piece “Renaissance wench” costume. Others were looking for items like yard fencing and an electric carving knife.

Clothing. Goodwill, the Salvation Army, consignment stores, vintage clothing stores and many churches will take your gently used old clothing. I have friends who’ve given truly historic vintage clothing to props and costume people in movie production offices. Many charities send clothing overseas to needy people. The old-fashioned – and probably easiest – way to recycle clothing is to pass it on to siblings and children, particularly old baby clothes that can go to a relative or friend with a new baby. Young mothers form groups in their towns to pool their clothing to pass on to the new mothers in their group.

Toys. See above. Toys can be passed on through families or friends. Better check eBay, though, for anything you have that might be collectible and valuable. Goodwill takes toys and many towns and cities have a used toy store that will pay for your old toys or take them on consignment. Ecolife has a great list of where to take old toys and what kinds of toys are accepted. Maybe the easiest way to recycle toys is to put them on the curb with a sign that says “FREE! Help yourself!”

Tim Eyre is the Interactive Marketing Manager at Extra Space Storage, in charge of monitoring and improving the company’s return on investment, with specific focuses on organic rankings and local Internet marketing. Extra Space Storage is the 2nd largest self-storage operator in America with storage facilities all over the country, such as Self Storage Houston.

Because Extra Space manages more than 500,000 self-storage units across America, Tim has learned about different people’s styles of organization.

One of Tim’s biggest personal goals is to be outside as much as possible, which he can often be found doing with his family. Tim is also a self-proclaimed sports nut and likes to travel and learn about different cultures.

Category: Guest Posts, Organizing Tips | 2 Comments »
Tags: clutter, recycling

Posted By janice on November 14, 2011

At work, a manager in another department recently sent me an email to ask how she could make sure her staff complied with a new clean desk and office policy she was writing.

Oh, this doesn’t sound good.

I’ve been an in-house organizer for nearly 11 years, and I’ve met with many managers who are unhappy about their staff’s organizational skills. Some of the time, there are some legitimate complaints with time management, paper clutter and productivity. But the rest of the time … Well, the issues are really about the manager. Let me explain.

Managers who have OCD, perfectionistic and hyper-organized tendencies will never be truly happy with the people underneath them unless they are exactly like the manager. To people who have one or all of these tendencies, a pile of paper on their desk and normal clutter make them feel like they should be on Hoarders.

When these types of managers want to have clean desk and office policies, I worry a bit. The biggest question for me is: Who sets the standard of a clean desk and office? What does a clean desk and office mean to you?

As an organizer, I have to make sure my clients get to the organizing level they want and need. It can’t be about me – although my ego would love it. One client would be happy to have desktop filing so they can see everything, and another is thrilled when we clear off the desk and put everything in drawers.

When I work with clients whose managers view them as disorganized, I have a few tricks up my sleeve:

Remove extra paper. Relocate or get rid of all (or most) paper and sticky notes taped to the fronts of overhang cabinets, file drawers, the computer, and the wall. If this is information you need, put them into a binder. For small pieces of paper, just tape them to a piece of paper and slide them into plastic sleeves. This immediately makes things look neater for a hyper-organized boss.

De-clutter bulletin boards. With bulletin boards, stay inside the lines and make sure no papers and pictures are hanging off the edge. Neatly tack papers and photos to the bulletin board to make it look more orderly.

Put things away. If you don’t use the tape and stapler every day, put it in a drawer. Make sure food, personal items, and supplies are housed in drawers out of the way until you need them. I recommend having one drawer for supplies and another for personal items, such as lotion, medicine, and food. When you clear out the items you don’t need every day, you have more elbow room.

Reduce the size of your shrine. It’s important to have photos at work to remind you of your life at home, but when doo-dads, photos, toys and other items begin to infringe on your work space, it’s time to reduce the size of your office shrine.

When you look organized, you feel organized, and when you feel organized, you are organized. Then you will make the boss happy.

Category: Organizing Tips, Perfectionism, Work/Life Productivity | 3 Comments »
Tags: organized desk, perfectionistic bosses

Posted By janice on November 11, 2011

Guest post by Professional Organizer Geralin Thomas

Want to build a better wardrobe? Build a better closet, first.

Closets are the secret sauce of a fabulously, delicious gourmet wardrobe. And, best of all, they come in a variety of flavors, but the basic ingredients are the same.

Below are several of my “must haves” when organizing a closet:

• A large, full-length mirror (the bigger the better)
• Valet rod and/or a large hook for hanging an outfit the night before wearing it
• Thick shelves for folded garments
• Sturdy and smooth rods for hanging garments
• Boxes to store shoes  (I think boxes are the only way to go!)
• A system for keeping accessories accessible (belts, scarves, etc.)
• Wooden, plastic, padded or flocked hangers (the thinner the better)
• A light fixture that is super bright
• A basket for MIAs – items that need mending, ironing and alterations
• Stain removal products – A basket or box of a few is a must, conveniently located where you dress and undress.
• Wine bottles – Place them inside boots to keep their shape.
• A pretty jar, dish or tin for extra buttons and pins

Are you obsessed with building a better wardrobe? Do you have a passion for fashion? Are you experiencing a conundrum trying to create a clutter-free closet? If you answered yes to any of those questions, please leave a comment below and let me know what’s on your “must haves” list, where you go for fashion advice and what’s on your “must have” list for creating a closet you love.

Past President of the NC chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers as well as a chronic disorganization and ADHD specialist, Geralin founded Metropolitan Organizing® in 2002 to help transform the lives of her clients. Geralin has been published in an array of national magazines. She is often featured on well-recognized television and media outlets, including A&E’s Hoarders, The Nate Berkus Show, Today and South Africa’s The Home Channel.

Geralin is based in Cary, North Carolina and works with clients around the world. She truly enjoys sharing her organizing tips, techniques and problem-solving skills with others – and has helped professional athletes, politicians, artists, small business owners and many others.

Category: Guest Posts, Organizing Tips | 4 Comments »
Tags: closets, Geralin Thomas, Hoarders