Your life is stuffed with useful things, and you have run out of places to put everything away.
The new cell phone your brother gave you for Christmas isn't junk, but you save the box it came in, in case you need to refer to it sometime. The sweater you bought on sale at Macy's isn't junk, but you had to take a cardigan off your closet shelf and cram it into your t-shirt drawer in order to make space for the new sweater. The fake poinsettias you bought (see previous post) are lovely, but now you're faced with sorting through previous years' Christmas decor hidden in eight boxes in the garage and weed through them in order to make room for the poinsettias.
Most all of what you have on shelves, in closets, stacked in the garage, piled in the basement are useful things: electronics boxes, sweaters, Christmas decor. But are they useful to you RIGHT NOW?
If all that stuff you have stored away was useful to you, right now, then you would be USING IT right now.
But you're not.
For your own peace of mind, admit that those things aren't being used by you, and let them go to someone who will gladly put them to use right now.
This isn't brain surgery, and you're too overwhelmed with the after-Christmas stuff-glut to read a longer post anyway, so just GET RID OF THE JUNK!
Contact one of the charities below and arrange to have them haul off all that excess you've got stashed away. You will bless others in need, you will gain extra space for what you use on a daily basis, plus, you'll receive a tax-deductible receipt for what you give away!
Goodwill Industries: www.goodwill.org
Salvation Army: www.salvationarmyusa.org
St. Vincent de Paul: www.svdpusa.org
Many blessings to you!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
HOLIDAY DECOR: REAL OR FAKE
I love "real" Christmas trees. As a child, my family received the most delicately scented pine trees from a retired university professor who lived across the street. The trees he gave us were carefully thinned from his acreage up the mountain. My Dad would cut the bottom few inches off the trunk and wrestle the tree inside, where us kids would descend upon it with strings of colored lights, family decorations, paper chains, and tinsel, carefully separated strand by strand and hung one piece per branch.
As an adult, I continued this tradition of using cut, live Christmas trees. I still recall the winter I was six months pregnant, trudging up a snow-covered mountain with my husband and two sons, ages five and four, looking for the perfect Christmas tree to thin and bring home to decorate. Other years we bought live Douglass fir trees from the Rite Aid a few hundred yards from our back door. I loved the whole idea of our family using a new, live Christmas tree each year.
Until a few years ago when my schedule, budget, location, and good sense overcame nostalgia: I no longer lived across the street from a retired professor with wooded acres to thin nor behind a Rite Aid. The cost of purchasing a tree from a grower's lot every year became an expense I was no longer willing to keep in my budget. And I no longer had the desire to drive an hour to the mountains with a forest service tree tag in hand, hike two miles in the cold and snow, find a suitable tree growing less than three feet from another tree, cut the sucker down, bind the branches close to the trunk, drag it to the car, scratch the paint and my cheek with it as I hoist it onto the roof, lash it down, and bring it home where it needs to be watered and vacuumed around every day like a high-maintenance pup.
I bought an artificial tree.
This tree is easy to put up and easy to store. It looks real. It never drops needles and needs no water. It will still be around long after I am gone; my kids can inherit the thing. I don't need help roping it to the top of my car or shoving it in the trunk. I don't need to saw the bottom few inches off the trunk. I don't need to freeze my boots with a two mile hike up a snowy mountain to chop the sucker down. Nor do I worry that the price at the lot down the street was cheaper than what I paid for it at Rite Aid. And I will never pay another cent of my money for a decoration that will only last one month.
I finally did the same thing with poinsettias: bought fake ones. They look real, they don't need water, I don't need to worry about kids or guests knocking them over and spilling the soil across the carpet, they can't poison my cat, and I will never pay another cent of my money for plants that only look good for one month.
But not everyone feels the same way I do about artificial decorations. Both real and artificial decorations have benefits and drawbacks. Neither is the better choice for everyone. But think about this: one choice may be better for you at this season of your life. If you don't have the storage space for a bulky artificial tree or poinsettias, then a "real" tree and live plants would be the more practical, clutter-free way to go.
You'd be nuts to suggest that I purchase a live tree and poinsettias at this season of my life. My artificial tree is up and decorated, with very little effort or time expended for the SAME EFFECT, with most of the SAME DECORATIONS as I hung on that hiked-for, hand-cut tree all those years ago.
I'm not at the point of wanting a "real" tree. I'm not at the point of willingness to support the idea of high-maintenance decorations.
But 12 years ago I was. And I could return to that point next December. I don't know.
Life's situations change. Our perceptions, goals, dreams, and schedules vary year by year. Our personal energy levels wax and wane. Our health may be robust one year and so-so the next. Our kids' and grandkids' needs change too. Heck, even the addition of a house cat can sway your decorating decisions.
Last year, as usual, I wanted to decorate everything just so, including the gingerbread men cookies. I fussed over the way the lights and garland looked on our artificial tree. I hand-made a dozen ornaments. No way this year. I'm a divorced mom of three. I'm learning to delegate and let go of my need to control where the decorations go. My kids did most of it, and the tree looks pretty good, considering it was decorated by an 11 year-old tom boy and her two autistic teen-age brothers.
Where are YOU at on your life's journey? Are you at the point of adoring the thought of searching out and cutting down your own Christmas tree? Or are you at the point of pulling a fake one out of its box in the garage and calling it good enough?
Whatever your path, be kind to yourself. Honor yourself by acknowledging where you're at in life RIGHT NOW. Allow yourself freedom from guilt over not decorating "good enough." Or allow yourself the freedom from guilt over storing boxes of decorations in the garage that you only use one month per year. Do what you want this year. And decorate because you want to, in the way you want to.
May you be richly blessed this holy season. Merry Christmas!
As an adult, I continued this tradition of using cut, live Christmas trees. I still recall the winter I was six months pregnant, trudging up a snow-covered mountain with my husband and two sons, ages five and four, looking for the perfect Christmas tree to thin and bring home to decorate. Other years we bought live Douglass fir trees from the Rite Aid a few hundred yards from our back door. I loved the whole idea of our family using a new, live Christmas tree each year.
Until a few years ago when my schedule, budget, location, and good sense overcame nostalgia: I no longer lived across the street from a retired professor with wooded acres to thin nor behind a Rite Aid. The cost of purchasing a tree from a grower's lot every year became an expense I was no longer willing to keep in my budget. And I no longer had the desire to drive an hour to the mountains with a forest service tree tag in hand, hike two miles in the cold and snow, find a suitable tree growing less than three feet from another tree, cut the sucker down, bind the branches close to the trunk, drag it to the car, scratch the paint and my cheek with it as I hoist it onto the roof, lash it down, and bring it home where it needs to be watered and vacuumed around every day like a high-maintenance pup.
I bought an artificial tree.
This tree is easy to put up and easy to store. It looks real. It never drops needles and needs no water. It will still be around long after I am gone; my kids can inherit the thing. I don't need help roping it to the top of my car or shoving it in the trunk. I don't need to saw the bottom few inches off the trunk. I don't need to freeze my boots with a two mile hike up a snowy mountain to chop the sucker down. Nor do I worry that the price at the lot down the street was cheaper than what I paid for it at Rite Aid. And I will never pay another cent of my money for a decoration that will only last one month.
I finally did the same thing with poinsettias: bought fake ones. They look real, they don't need water, I don't need to worry about kids or guests knocking them over and spilling the soil across the carpet, they can't poison my cat, and I will never pay another cent of my money for plants that only look good for one month.
But not everyone feels the same way I do about artificial decorations. Both real and artificial decorations have benefits and drawbacks. Neither is the better choice for everyone. But think about this: one choice may be better for you at this season of your life. If you don't have the storage space for a bulky artificial tree or poinsettias, then a "real" tree and live plants would be the more practical, clutter-free way to go.
You'd be nuts to suggest that I purchase a live tree and poinsettias at this season of my life. My artificial tree is up and decorated, with very little effort or time expended for the SAME EFFECT, with most of the SAME DECORATIONS as I hung on that hiked-for, hand-cut tree all those years ago.
I'm not at the point of wanting a "real" tree. I'm not at the point of willingness to support the idea of high-maintenance decorations.
But 12 years ago I was. And I could return to that point next December. I don't know.
Life's situations change. Our perceptions, goals, dreams, and schedules vary year by year. Our personal energy levels wax and wane. Our health may be robust one year and so-so the next. Our kids' and grandkids' needs change too. Heck, even the addition of a house cat can sway your decorating decisions.
Last year, as usual, I wanted to decorate everything just so, including the gingerbread men cookies. I fussed over the way the lights and garland looked on our artificial tree. I hand-made a dozen ornaments. No way this year. I'm a divorced mom of three. I'm learning to delegate and let go of my need to control where the decorations go. My kids did most of it, and the tree looks pretty good, considering it was decorated by an 11 year-old tom boy and her two autistic teen-age brothers.
Where are YOU at on your life's journey? Are you at the point of adoring the thought of searching out and cutting down your own Christmas tree? Or are you at the point of pulling a fake one out of its box in the garage and calling it good enough?
Whatever your path, be kind to yourself. Honor yourself by acknowledging where you're at in life RIGHT NOW. Allow yourself freedom from guilt over not decorating "good enough." Or allow yourself the freedom from guilt over storing boxes of decorations in the garage that you only use one month per year. Do what you want this year. And decorate because you want to, in the way you want to.
May you be richly blessed this holy season. Merry Christmas!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
HOW TO GIVE BLESSINGS, NOT CLUTTER
'Tis the season to shop for useless gifts that the recipients will pretend to like and hide in a high closet shelf once the holidays are over.
That about sums up America's holiday gift-giving frenzy, which officially kicks off in six days.
But it doesn't have to be that way this year...or ever again, as far are you are concerned. It's time to declutter your gift-giving, starting this season. Here are some great ideas for giving smashing gifts the recipients will adore:
1. Ask them what they want! This is by far the easiest way to ensure that the recipient loves the gift you give her. After all, she picked it out.
2. Look at their hobbies and interests for clues. If your best friend loves the cinema, give her a gift card to her favorite cinema and one for a coffee shop afterward. If your mother collects bells, pick one up to add to her collection. Basic idea, but it's amazing how few people actually follow this anymore because it seems so boring or predictable: The old "give dad a tie" kind of gift. Hey, if your dad wears ties, what's wrong with giving him another one?
3. Give gifts to honor their values. Make a donation in her name to her favorite charitable cause. No clutter, much love, and the world becomes a better place instead of a more cluttered one.
4. Give the gift of time spent together. Take a child to go ice skating or to the zoo. Bring a friend to see The Nutcracker. Take an angst-y teen to a movie and buy him the huge bucket of popcorn and an extra-large soda. Take an elderly person to see the ice sculpture contest or garden Christmas light display. Drive the carpool for a bunch of friends to attend a craft show and bring along a few mugs of hot cocoa and iced sugar cookies.
5. Give a disposable or consumable gift. Things such as cut flowers, a plate of gingerbread cookies, a tin of fudge you made yourself, a poinsettia, a jar of exotic preserves or jelly, or a fresh evergreen door wreath will still honor the recipient and leave no trace of clutter after the holidays.
6. Make something. We have become a nation of consumers instead of producers. This year, try making just one of the gifts you give. There are so many ideas out there, and more inside that creative brain of yours. Here are just a few ideas to get your creative gears in motion: a set of six handmade greeting cards, a small scrapbook, pumpkin bread, fresh salsa, a quilted wall hanging, a wreath from trimmings in your yard, a plant you started from a cutting, a beaded necklace, a silk screened scarf, a photo you took and framed yourself, a hand-bound journal, pressed and framed botanicals, felt beret, knitted or crocheted scarf, hand-poured candles, a CD of photos, a wind chime, a 12-month calendar you designed on your computer, and a bird house you hammered together yourself.
7. Subscribe. Purchase a year's subscription to a periodical based on the recipient's interests (bass fishing, gardening, simplicity). There are thousands of periodicals in this country covering almost every conceivable topic. Or purchase a subscription to a magazine you BOTH enjoy, and that will give you more to talk about each time you see eachother.
8. Give a service. Pay to have your brother's house cleaned since the arrival of his first child this year. Arrange a massage, pedicure, or hair cut and style for your best friend. Repot all your mother's scraggly plants. Take your husband's car to get the oil changed (not very romantic, but most busy men will secretly love the fact that they don't have to crawl under their car and do it themselves for a change).
9. Give a party. Truly, the easiest way to celebrate your friends' presence in your lives is to give them a holiday party. Make it an open house on a Saturday like I do, and people can drop by when it's convenient for them. Serve hot cider and cocoa, gingerbread cookies, crudites, and some savory little treats, and bless all your friends in one delightful afternoon.
This holiday season, give gifts of blessings, not clutter! Merry Christmas!
That about sums up America's holiday gift-giving frenzy, which officially kicks off in six days.
But it doesn't have to be that way this year...or ever again, as far are you are concerned. It's time to declutter your gift-giving, starting this season. Here are some great ideas for giving smashing gifts the recipients will adore:
1. Ask them what they want! This is by far the easiest way to ensure that the recipient loves the gift you give her. After all, she picked it out.
2. Look at their hobbies and interests for clues. If your best friend loves the cinema, give her a gift card to her favorite cinema and one for a coffee shop afterward. If your mother collects bells, pick one up to add to her collection. Basic idea, but it's amazing how few people actually follow this anymore because it seems so boring or predictable: The old "give dad a tie" kind of gift. Hey, if your dad wears ties, what's wrong with giving him another one?
3. Give gifts to honor their values. Make a donation in her name to her favorite charitable cause. No clutter, much love, and the world becomes a better place instead of a more cluttered one.
4. Give the gift of time spent together. Take a child to go ice skating or to the zoo. Bring a friend to see The Nutcracker. Take an angst-y teen to a movie and buy him the huge bucket of popcorn and an extra-large soda. Take an elderly person to see the ice sculpture contest or garden Christmas light display. Drive the carpool for a bunch of friends to attend a craft show and bring along a few mugs of hot cocoa and iced sugar cookies.
5. Give a disposable or consumable gift. Things such as cut flowers, a plate of gingerbread cookies, a tin of fudge you made yourself, a poinsettia, a jar of exotic preserves or jelly, or a fresh evergreen door wreath will still honor the recipient and leave no trace of clutter after the holidays.
6. Make something. We have become a nation of consumers instead of producers. This year, try making just one of the gifts you give. There are so many ideas out there, and more inside that creative brain of yours. Here are just a few ideas to get your creative gears in motion: a set of six handmade greeting cards, a small scrapbook, pumpkin bread, fresh salsa, a quilted wall hanging, a wreath from trimmings in your yard, a plant you started from a cutting, a beaded necklace, a silk screened scarf, a photo you took and framed yourself, a hand-bound journal, pressed and framed botanicals, felt beret, knitted or crocheted scarf, hand-poured candles, a CD of photos, a wind chime, a 12-month calendar you designed on your computer, and a bird house you hammered together yourself.
7. Subscribe. Purchase a year's subscription to a periodical based on the recipient's interests (bass fishing, gardening, simplicity). There are thousands of periodicals in this country covering almost every conceivable topic. Or purchase a subscription to a magazine you BOTH enjoy, and that will give you more to talk about each time you see eachother.
8. Give a service. Pay to have your brother's house cleaned since the arrival of his first child this year. Arrange a massage, pedicure, or hair cut and style for your best friend. Repot all your mother's scraggly plants. Take your husband's car to get the oil changed (not very romantic, but most busy men will secretly love the fact that they don't have to crawl under their car and do it themselves for a change).
9. Give a party. Truly, the easiest way to celebrate your friends' presence in your lives is to give them a holiday party. Make it an open house on a Saturday like I do, and people can drop by when it's convenient for them. Serve hot cider and cocoa, gingerbread cookies, crudites, and some savory little treats, and bless all your friends in one delightful afternoon.
This holiday season, give gifts of blessings, not clutter! Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
WHAT ORGANIZATION CAN DO FOR YOUR KIDS
Maintaining an organized home has many benefits for you and your children: less stress over misplaced items, less rushing in the mornings to locate clean socks and math notebooks, and family dinners around a cleared-off dining table.
But there are even more benefits to living in an orderly home environment: a strong correlation exists between household cleanliness and organization AND early reading ability.
Did you get that?! The way you maintain your home affects your school-aged child's reading ability. In a study by the National Center for Children and Families at Teachers College in New York City, household order proved to be MORE IMPORTANT to fostering a child's reading ability than how frequently a child was read to.*
Surprise! Taking out the trash, keeping your kitchen counters clean, organizing the pantry, folding bath towels, and hanging up clothing are more important to your child's literacy than sitting down and reading to them. That's not to say you should stop reading aloud to your children--sharing stories and time together is very important--but isn't it amazing that the way you keep your home affects their reading skills more than books do?
Why not include your children in organizing and cleaning your home, and read a book together afterward? You'll get the best of both worlds.
*"Order Helps Readers," WORKING MOTHER Magazine, November 2009: Pg. 68
But there are even more benefits to living in an orderly home environment: a strong correlation exists between household cleanliness and organization AND early reading ability.
Did you get that?! The way you maintain your home affects your school-aged child's reading ability. In a study by the National Center for Children and Families at Teachers College in New York City, household order proved to be MORE IMPORTANT to fostering a child's reading ability than how frequently a child was read to.*
Surprise! Taking out the trash, keeping your kitchen counters clean, organizing the pantry, folding bath towels, and hanging up clothing are more important to your child's literacy than sitting down and reading to them. That's not to say you should stop reading aloud to your children--sharing stories and time together is very important--but isn't it amazing that the way you keep your home affects their reading skills more than books do?
Why not include your children in organizing and cleaning your home, and read a book together afterward? You'll get the best of both worlds.
*"Order Helps Readers," WORKING MOTHER Magazine, November 2009: Pg. 68
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
FREE PROFESSIONAL HOME ORGANIZATION
Professional home organization and decluttering services can be free for many unique and amazing reasons. Most of these examples below can also MAKE you money, in fact, so much money that you could pay for my services for yourself AND for twelve of your friends too!
1. A professional organizer helps you declutter and donate the things you no longer want or use. If you itemize on your federal income taxes, you can deduct all your charitable donations up to a certain GENEROUS limit. See your tax advisor for the most recent updates on this limit.
2. On Idaho state taxes, you can deduct half of the cost of your donations to specific charities, up to $400 (thus a $200 state income tax deduction).
3. Decluttering can make your need for off-site storage obsolete, saving you the monthly rental fee, every month, for as long as you live. That’s no small change!
4. You may never need to buy a bigger home due to running out of space.
5. I can help you arrange to sell many of your discards, and you could earn back in sales every penny of fees you pay me. Oftentimes, even more!
6. If you own a business (home-business too), my services are tax-deductible as a business expense. Plus, any charitable donations made by your business are also tax deductible! Ask your business tax advisor for details.
7. During decluttering sessions, I often find gift cards, gift certificates, receipts for items to be returned to a store, and cold hard CASH for my clients in their homes and cars.
8. I can help you set up a bill payment system so that you will never pay a late fee for an overdue bill again.
9. An organized pantry reduces loss of money due to boxes and cans of food being buried and forgotten before their expiration dates. Pantry organization saves you money every week.
10. Housekeeping will take less time: if you pay to have your house cleaned professionally, an organized home saves money every visit: it’s cheaper to pay for one hour of housekeeping services rather than three hours. You may also be able to reduce the frequency of housekeeping services, to once every two or three weeks instead of every week.
11. Lost medical records can be expensive. If you owe a medical office or a hospital a large sum due to a procedure that your insurance refused to cover, you may be able to challenge the charge. But you need PROOF. I can help you find it!
12. Cleaning up the clutter uncovers potential home maintenance issues that could be extremely costly if not addressed: vermin infestation, mold, dry rot, pipe leaks. These issues are low-cost to fix at the outset, and extremely expensive to address when they have been allowed to continue growing for months or years.
13. Decluttering can reveal potential health hazards. Unsafe electrical appliances, broken windows, boxes stacked too high, piles of flammable papers, expired medications, and hazardous waste are all potential dangers. An emergency room visit can run into the thousands of dollars; a home fire can kill.
14. A work-related move can cost many thousands of dollars. Most if not all of your moving expenses can be tax deductible, including the services of a professional home organizer to coordinate the move. See your tax advisor for details.
15. A professional home organizer can help your move cost less, too! Most commercial moving companies charge by the distance between your old and new homes, plus the total weight of your household goods. A pro organizer can help you declutter so that you have less weight to move, saving you big money. For cross-town moves, professional organizers charge less per hour to box up your possessions than professional movers charge.
16. Duplicates! Oftentimes my clients purchase an item over and over because they can’t find it in the mess. Getting rid of the junk and organizing what is left will allow you to KNOW what you have, and WHERE to find it when you need it. This will eliminate needless spending on duplicates.
17. Elder moves and clearing out the family home are not only heart-rending experiences, but often require the oversight and coordination of a family member who lives across the country. Many times, valuable possessions are tossed into rented Dumpsters by overwhelmed family members working on a tight schedule as they frantically prepare the family home for sale. A professional organizer can coordinate all aspects of estate liquidation to prepare the home for a quick and profitable sale, saving not only time, but money lost in the form of Dumpster rental fees and useable goods thrown out rather than donated or sold. Plus, a professional organizer can arrange for yard clean up, household repairs, interior or exterior painting, move-out cleaning, and home staging to optimize and increase the home’s resale value.
18. If you itemize, you need to keep receipts for every deductible expense. I can help you set up a system to organize all your receipts so that you may claim every legitimate tax deduction you are entitled to take. Since the average worker’s greatest annual expense is taxes, this one move could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars over your working career.
What are you waiting for?! Contact me today and stimulate your own personal economy now and for years to come!
1. A professional organizer helps you declutter and donate the things you no longer want or use. If you itemize on your federal income taxes, you can deduct all your charitable donations up to a certain GENEROUS limit. See your tax advisor for the most recent updates on this limit.
2. On Idaho state taxes, you can deduct half of the cost of your donations to specific charities, up to $400 (thus a $200 state income tax deduction).
3. Decluttering can make your need for off-site storage obsolete, saving you the monthly rental fee, every month, for as long as you live. That’s no small change!
4. You may never need to buy a bigger home due to running out of space.
5. I can help you arrange to sell many of your discards, and you could earn back in sales every penny of fees you pay me. Oftentimes, even more!
6. If you own a business (home-business too), my services are tax-deductible as a business expense. Plus, any charitable donations made by your business are also tax deductible! Ask your business tax advisor for details.
7. During decluttering sessions, I often find gift cards, gift certificates, receipts for items to be returned to a store, and cold hard CASH for my clients in their homes and cars.
8. I can help you set up a bill payment system so that you will never pay a late fee for an overdue bill again.
9. An organized pantry reduces loss of money due to boxes and cans of food being buried and forgotten before their expiration dates. Pantry organization saves you money every week.
10. Housekeeping will take less time: if you pay to have your house cleaned professionally, an organized home saves money every visit: it’s cheaper to pay for one hour of housekeeping services rather than three hours. You may also be able to reduce the frequency of housekeeping services, to once every two or three weeks instead of every week.
11. Lost medical records can be expensive. If you owe a medical office or a hospital a large sum due to a procedure that your insurance refused to cover, you may be able to challenge the charge. But you need PROOF. I can help you find it!
12. Cleaning up the clutter uncovers potential home maintenance issues that could be extremely costly if not addressed: vermin infestation, mold, dry rot, pipe leaks. These issues are low-cost to fix at the outset, and extremely expensive to address when they have been allowed to continue growing for months or years.
13. Decluttering can reveal potential health hazards. Unsafe electrical appliances, broken windows, boxes stacked too high, piles of flammable papers, expired medications, and hazardous waste are all potential dangers. An emergency room visit can run into the thousands of dollars; a home fire can kill.
14. A work-related move can cost many thousands of dollars. Most if not all of your moving expenses can be tax deductible, including the services of a professional home organizer to coordinate the move. See your tax advisor for details.
15. A professional home organizer can help your move cost less, too! Most commercial moving companies charge by the distance between your old and new homes, plus the total weight of your household goods. A pro organizer can help you declutter so that you have less weight to move, saving you big money. For cross-town moves, professional organizers charge less per hour to box up your possessions than professional movers charge.
16. Duplicates! Oftentimes my clients purchase an item over and over because they can’t find it in the mess. Getting rid of the junk and organizing what is left will allow you to KNOW what you have, and WHERE to find it when you need it. This will eliminate needless spending on duplicates.
17. Elder moves and clearing out the family home are not only heart-rending experiences, but often require the oversight and coordination of a family member who lives across the country. Many times, valuable possessions are tossed into rented Dumpsters by overwhelmed family members working on a tight schedule as they frantically prepare the family home for sale. A professional organizer can coordinate all aspects of estate liquidation to prepare the home for a quick and profitable sale, saving not only time, but money lost in the form of Dumpster rental fees and useable goods thrown out rather than donated or sold. Plus, a professional organizer can arrange for yard clean up, household repairs, interior or exterior painting, move-out cleaning, and home staging to optimize and increase the home’s resale value.
18. If you itemize, you need to keep receipts for every deductible expense. I can help you set up a system to organize all your receipts so that you may claim every legitimate tax deduction you are entitled to take. Since the average worker’s greatest annual expense is taxes, this one move could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars over your working career.
What are you waiting for?! Contact me today and stimulate your own personal economy now and for years to come!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
THE SALVATION OF YOUR CRAFT ROOM
Are you the crafty or artsy type? Do you imagine someday refinishing the antique dresser you bought at a flea market (which is now taking up much-needed room in your cramped garage)? Do you have boxes of assorted fabric waiting in the coat closet to be quilted or crafted into something amazing? Do you keep chipped china and ratty wool sweaters in the hopes of recycling them into mosaic table tops and stuffed bears? Do you buy industrial size packages of hot glue sticks? Are there boxes of salvaged picture frames collecting dust in the spare bedroom? Do you buy and keep rolls of ribbon, packs of beads, skeins of silk floss in every color imaginable, and reams of scrapbooking paper, just waiting for your creative mind to transform these raw materials into works of art?
Me too.
And I'm learning to get over it.
Why? Because somewhere between potential crafts and the finished products lie vast wastelands of clutter. And clutter messes up your home, steals your time, drains your mental energy, and crowds out room for things you really want and need in your life.
Now wait a minutes before you get in my face and tell me about your need for artistic expression: I agree that creative expression is a vital part of life, and it's a vital part of my life too. What I'm saying is that these unfinished craft and art projects may be cluttering up your life, and it might be time to let them go.
Have you ever browsed on amazon.com for craft books? Try it sometime and see HOW MANY different forms of artistic expression you have available to you. If you worked at it, during every free moment you have, you could probably complete about one-millionth of the possibilities out there in your lifetime, not taking into account your own creativity and sense of design, in which case you're looking at AN INFINITE AMOUNT OF POSSIBLE ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS.
Humans are finite creatures, with finite lifespans. We do not have the TIME to complete every beautiful and worthwhile craft project we dream of or imagine. There isn't enough time in a million lifetimes to do it.
And truly, if these craft projects were so important to you, then you would be cross-stitching or hot-gluing during your free time, not crashing on the sofa watching "Friends" reruns.
I love to quilt. I finished one almost a year ago, and I haven't quilted since. My current life is very full with raising kids, including two with special needs. I have little time to cut and craft and stitch and glue. In my free time, I prefer to read, journal, blog, walk, or spend time with friends and family. IF QUILTING WERE A PRIORITY IN MY LIFE, I WOULD MAKE TIME FOR IT. It isn't a priority at this season in my life. I love to quilt, but not enough to let go of reading, journaling, blogging, walking, or spending time with friends and family. There is only so much time in my life, and I am choosing to spend it in other forms of expression rather than in fabric right now.
What about you? Where are you at in your life? Are you ready to let go of some of these projects and just ADMIT that scrapbooking or decoupage or knitting are not priorities for you right now?
You may feel guilty about letting go of the supplies for these projects. Let me remind you: you are not Jesus. You can not rescue these inanimate objects. You can not be the savior of a box of picture frames or a roll-top antique desk in need of restaining. Quit playing Jesus to a bunch of THINGS. If you're currently spending your leisure time at the gym or volunteering at the senior center, then THOSE ACTIVITIES ARE YOUR PRIORITIES, not gluing sea shells to photo frames or scraping the paint off of the curves of a desk leg.
Let the crafty stuff go. LET IT GO! Reclaim your closet space, the "craft room," and your mind for the things you actually WANT AND NEED in your life right now.
Blessings!
Me too.
And I'm learning to get over it.
Why? Because somewhere between potential crafts and the finished products lie vast wastelands of clutter. And clutter messes up your home, steals your time, drains your mental energy, and crowds out room for things you really want and need in your life.
Now wait a minutes before you get in my face and tell me about your need for artistic expression: I agree that creative expression is a vital part of life, and it's a vital part of my life too. What I'm saying is that these unfinished craft and art projects may be cluttering up your life, and it might be time to let them go.
Have you ever browsed on amazon.com for craft books? Try it sometime and see HOW MANY different forms of artistic expression you have available to you. If you worked at it, during every free moment you have, you could probably complete about one-millionth of the possibilities out there in your lifetime, not taking into account your own creativity and sense of design, in which case you're looking at AN INFINITE AMOUNT OF POSSIBLE ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS.
Humans are finite creatures, with finite lifespans. We do not have the TIME to complete every beautiful and worthwhile craft project we dream of or imagine. There isn't enough time in a million lifetimes to do it.
And truly, if these craft projects were so important to you, then you would be cross-stitching or hot-gluing during your free time, not crashing on the sofa watching "Friends" reruns.
I love to quilt. I finished one almost a year ago, and I haven't quilted since. My current life is very full with raising kids, including two with special needs. I have little time to cut and craft and stitch and glue. In my free time, I prefer to read, journal, blog, walk, or spend time with friends and family. IF QUILTING WERE A PRIORITY IN MY LIFE, I WOULD MAKE TIME FOR IT. It isn't a priority at this season in my life. I love to quilt, but not enough to let go of reading, journaling, blogging, walking, or spending time with friends and family. There is only so much time in my life, and I am choosing to spend it in other forms of expression rather than in fabric right now.
What about you? Where are you at in your life? Are you ready to let go of some of these projects and just ADMIT that scrapbooking or decoupage or knitting are not priorities for you right now?
You may feel guilty about letting go of the supplies for these projects. Let me remind you: you are not Jesus. You can not rescue these inanimate objects. You can not be the savior of a box of picture frames or a roll-top antique desk in need of restaining. Quit playing Jesus to a bunch of THINGS. If you're currently spending your leisure time at the gym or volunteering at the senior center, then THOSE ACTIVITIES ARE YOUR PRIORITIES, not gluing sea shells to photo frames or scraping the paint off of the curves of a desk leg.
Let the crafty stuff go. LET IT GO! Reclaim your closet space, the "craft room," and your mind for the things you actually WANT AND NEED in your life right now.
Blessings!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Hidden Clutter
When you see something every day, you no longer see it.
Think about it: you hang a framed photo of your family in the entryway, and since you pass it every day, it begins to blend into the wall. It becomes one with the wallpaper.
Familiarity breeds forgetfulness.
But take that photo off the wall, and look at it again, and you will see it in a completely different light: "Oh, little Kyle still had braces. Wow, glad I switched hairdressers since then. Ugh, look at that funky blouse; well, that was the style."
In removing the photo from its native environment, so to speak, you see it differently. And once you see it differently, you can determine if it has become clutter to you, or is something you want to keep.
Much of the clutter in our homes is hidden from us in plain sight, like that framed photograph. We pass it every day, sometimes many times a day, camouflaged by its long-standing presence. It has become so familiar that we forget it's sitting there on the wall, or the shelf, or in the corner of the room. It blends in with the surroundings.
Look around the room you're in right now, and find the clutter hiding in plain sight.
Think about it: you hang a framed photo of your family in the entryway, and since you pass it every day, it begins to blend into the wall. It becomes one with the wallpaper.
Familiarity breeds forgetfulness.
But take that photo off the wall, and look at it again, and you will see it in a completely different light: "Oh, little Kyle still had braces. Wow, glad I switched hairdressers since then. Ugh, look at that funky blouse; well, that was the style."
In removing the photo from its native environment, so to speak, you see it differently. And once you see it differently, you can determine if it has become clutter to you, or is something you want to keep.
Much of the clutter in our homes is hidden from us in plain sight, like that framed photograph. We pass it every day, sometimes many times a day, camouflaged by its long-standing presence. It has become so familiar that we forget it's sitting there on the wall, or the shelf, or in the corner of the room. It blends in with the surroundings.
Look around the room you're in right now, and find the clutter hiding in plain sight.
Monday, July 13, 2009
JUNK IS A FOUR LETTER WORD
You have too much stuff in your house!
And it's causing all kinds of problems in your life.
Anything that causes that level of trouble in your life deserves to be called a four-letter word.
Today, spend a few minutes getting some of that "junk" out of your life. Throw away or recycle
This will give you some relief from that junk.
Blessings!
And it's causing all kinds of problems in your life.
- Lack of time (because you spend time shopping for, arranging, cleaning, storing, and tripping over it).
- Money troubles (because you spend money that could be going towards debt repayment, retirement account, or a new car fund on buying junk). Also, the increase in junk you own may lead you to think you need a bigger home or off-site storage, both of which are extremely expensive.
- Health concerns (because time and money issues lead to increased stress, and stress taxes the immune system, which in turn leaves your body less able to fight off infections. Plus, chronic stress can lead to chronic health issues.)
- Arguments with housemates such as your spouse, kids, or roomate (because you don't want them borrowing or moving or in any way touching your junk, or vice versa).
Anything that causes that level of trouble in your life deserves to be called a four-letter word.
Today, spend a few minutes getting some of that "junk" out of your life. Throw away or recycle
- four magazines
- four pair of socks you don't like or that are getting old and ratty
- four pens or pencils you never use
- four dated books (think of computer manuals, phone books, dusty college textbooks, pulp fiction)
- four CD's you will never listen to again (pass them on to a co-worker, neighbor, or friend)
- four BIGGER things in your garage, attic, basement, or storage shed (cracked terra cotta planter, bent artificial Christmas tree, non-working weed-eater, bookcase you've been meaning to refinish for the past five years, leaf rake with a broken handle, boxes of maternity clothes, "extra" box of plastic drinking cups, bag of baby shower decorations you haven't used since your best friend was pregnant SIX YEARS AGO)
- four pair of shoes.
This will give you some relief from that junk.
Blessings!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Discipline Is Not a Four-Letter Word
I'm not sure how the term discipline has fallen out of favor, but I have not seen it written ONCE in any of the women's magazines I've read over the past three decades. We seem to have degenerated into a society of people who desire an organized home (there are "get rid of your clutter!" articles in almost every issue of the leading women's magazines), but who are unwilling to do anything remotely difficult or sacrificial in order to create what we want. But discipline* is a key ingredient in creating an organized, clutter-free home and life.
Most of us know this already; we may just need reminding now and then.
I define discipline as doing what I know needs to be done, when it needs to be done (or sooner), whether or not I feel like doing it.
For example, I process the mail each day, down to throwing out the trash and shredding unneeded but sensitive documents. I discipline myself to do this task, doing it when it needs to be done (daily), whether or not I feel like opening it up, sorting, shredding, and filing.
I never have mail lying around, ever. There is no mail clutter in my life because I discipline myself to deal with it every day.
The only way your home will begin to look organized and clutter-free is when you embrace discipline and apply a little of it to your life: simply DO the jobs that need to be done, whether or not you "feel" like completing them.
If your house is a wreck right now, apply discipline in small doses and work on a small area (one drawer, one shelf in the closet, one storage box) at a time, while keeping up with daily tasks such as doing the dishes, making your bed, and taking out the trash.
You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish!
*Many women work full-time outside the home, and others go to school full-time. If either of these situations apply to you, then you are ALREADY applying discipline to your life in order to work or study. You have my admiration. Ignore this post and hire a housekeeper. If you're a stay-at-home mom and live in a royal mess, read every post in this blog and learn how to bring order to the tremendous blessing you've been given. There are thousands of single working moms out there who would trade places with you in a heartbeat.
Most of us know this already; we may just need reminding now and then.
I define discipline as doing what I know needs to be done, when it needs to be done (or sooner), whether or not I feel like doing it.
For example, I process the mail each day, down to throwing out the trash and shredding unneeded but sensitive documents. I discipline myself to do this task, doing it when it needs to be done (daily), whether or not I feel like opening it up, sorting, shredding, and filing.
I never have mail lying around, ever. There is no mail clutter in my life because I discipline myself to deal with it every day.
The only way your home will begin to look organized and clutter-free is when you embrace discipline and apply a little of it to your life: simply DO the jobs that need to be done, whether or not you "feel" like completing them.
If your house is a wreck right now, apply discipline in small doses and work on a small area (one drawer, one shelf in the closet, one storage box) at a time, while keeping up with daily tasks such as doing the dishes, making your bed, and taking out the trash.
You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish!
*Many women work full-time outside the home, and others go to school full-time. If either of these situations apply to you, then you are ALREADY applying discipline to your life in order to work or study. You have my admiration. Ignore this post and hire a housekeeper. If you're a stay-at-home mom and live in a royal mess, read every post in this blog and learn how to bring order to the tremendous blessing you've been given. There are thousands of single working moms out there who would trade places with you in a heartbeat.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Evaluate Your Purchases
The clutter in your life is a direct result of YOU allowing it into your house. You are responsible for your living environment, no matter if you own your home, rent an apartment, or share a dorm room with a classmate.
You are also responsible for taking credit for the good buys you have made. You and I have many objects in our homes that are NOT clutter to us. They are good purchases--things we are glad we spent money on.
For inspiration, here is a short list of some of my good purchases:
computer
cell phone
Shabby Chic comforter
high-quality cross-training shoes (make me sound so athletic don't they?)
portable DVD player for my kids to take on car trips
favorite blue jeans
slow cooker
I happen to know three people for whom my list of good purchases would be total clutter. But their lists may be clutter to someone else.
Take a few minutes and list ten of your good purchases, and why you consider them good. Congratulate yourself on buying those things. See? Not everything around you is junk!
You are also responsible for taking credit for the good buys you have made. You and I have many objects in our homes that are NOT clutter to us. They are good purchases--things we are glad we spent money on.
For inspiration, here is a short list of some of my good purchases:
computer
cell phone
Shabby Chic comforter
high-quality cross-training shoes (make me sound so athletic don't they?)
portable DVD player for my kids to take on car trips
favorite blue jeans
slow cooker
I happen to know three people for whom my list of good purchases would be total clutter. But their lists may be clutter to someone else.
Take a few minutes and list ten of your good purchases, and why you consider them good. Congratulate yourself on buying those things. See? Not everything around you is junk!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
ENOUGH
No one likes being told what to do. We stand up for our rights to independent thoughts, beliefs, and actions: "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." We are quick to exert ourselves when someone interferes with these rights. We refuse to bow to any other human who tries to usurp our blood-bought rights to all our personal and national freedoms.
However, there are two situations in which we voluntarily surrender our rights:
1. We voluntarily allow THINGS to get in the way of our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
2. We don't set limits on our own desires, our acquiring habits, or our keeping habits.
We CHOOSE what we allow into our homes: no one is holding you at gunpoint to keep the unused espresso machine or two closets full of clothing. No one is forcing you to keep your garage in a constant state of chaos. No one guides your hands in the discount store as you pile stuff and more stuff into your cart, then bring all that junk home. No one forces you to sign the 90 days same as cash contract for the bedroom furniture you bought but didn't really need (your old set worked and looked just fine).
Don Aslett, the Grandfather of the dejunking movement, said in his book, Not For Packrats Only, "By the time we emerge from the innocence of childhood, we firmly believe that things make us happy*." He continues to explain how we believe that, "things will even somehow change something inside of us," making us better, more beautiful, stronger, smarter, healthier. We want others to approve of us, to look up to us, to want to BE us. We want to be "cool."
THINGS DO NOT MAKE US HAPPY. Things are enhancements and supports for living out the life Christ died to give you! Who you are, and especially your happiness, will never depend upon anything you can purchase.
Which brings us to the second point: we don't (or haven't) set limits on ourselves.
If we wish to live a genuine life, vital, dynamic, always learning, always seeking growth, pursuing happiness as we define it for ourselves, then we must set limits on our desires and our habits as they relate to stuff. We can not allow what we own to define our sense of SELF, or our WORTH in this world.
Who we are has nothing to do with stuff. It never has, and it never will. Only when you GET IT--that who you are is never defined by material possessions--will you permanently free yourself from the bondage of thinking your happiness depends upon having, or acquiring, or keeping some material object.
You are enough, just as you are. You don't need any THING to determine your value. You are priceless.
You have been limiting your growth and happiness by trying to buy and acquire your way into feeling happy and worthwhile. Instead of limiting your growth and happiness, set limits on how much you want to buy, how much you do buy, and how much you keep. Get comfortable with "enough" instead of "more! more! more!"
"Enough" is a huge step towards true personal freedom and contentment.
* Aslett, Don. Not For Packrats Only. Plume Books. New York, NY: 1991. Pg.8.
However, there are two situations in which we voluntarily surrender our rights:
1. We voluntarily allow THINGS to get in the way of our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
2. We don't set limits on our own desires, our acquiring habits, or our keeping habits.
We CHOOSE what we allow into our homes: no one is holding you at gunpoint to keep the unused espresso machine or two closets full of clothing. No one is forcing you to keep your garage in a constant state of chaos. No one guides your hands in the discount store as you pile stuff and more stuff into your cart, then bring all that junk home. No one forces you to sign the 90 days same as cash contract for the bedroom furniture you bought but didn't really need (your old set worked and looked just fine).
Don Aslett, the Grandfather of the dejunking movement, said in his book, Not For Packrats Only, "By the time we emerge from the innocence of childhood, we firmly believe that things make us happy*." He continues to explain how we believe that, "things will even somehow change something inside of us," making us better, more beautiful, stronger, smarter, healthier. We want others to approve of us, to look up to us, to want to BE us. We want to be "cool."
THINGS DO NOT MAKE US HAPPY. Things are enhancements and supports for living out the life Christ died to give you! Who you are, and especially your happiness, will never depend upon anything you can purchase.
Which brings us to the second point: we don't (or haven't) set limits on ourselves.
If we wish to live a genuine life, vital, dynamic, always learning, always seeking growth, pursuing happiness as we define it for ourselves, then we must set limits on our desires and our habits as they relate to stuff. We can not allow what we own to define our sense of SELF, or our WORTH in this world.
Who we are has nothing to do with stuff. It never has, and it never will. Only when you GET IT--that who you are is never defined by material possessions--will you permanently free yourself from the bondage of thinking your happiness depends upon having, or acquiring, or keeping some material object.
You are enough, just as you are. You don't need any THING to determine your value. You are priceless.
You have been limiting your growth and happiness by trying to buy and acquire your way into feeling happy and worthwhile. Instead of limiting your growth and happiness, set limits on how much you want to buy, how much you do buy, and how much you keep. Get comfortable with "enough" instead of "more! more! more!"
"Enough" is a huge step towards true personal freedom and contentment.
* Aslett, Don. Not For Packrats Only. Plume Books. New York, NY: 1991. Pg.8.
Monday, May 25, 2009
CALM
Calm is the opposite of chaos.
Which way do you want to live?
Which way are you currently living?
You don't have to live with stuff everywhere. You don't have to live with mess and disorder and an endless tidal wave of things spilling out from every closet, drawer, cupboard, and tabletop.
You can create a calm atmosphere, a sense of serenity, peace, beauty.
"HOW?!" you ask. "I work full-time. My house is a mess. I have too many commitments. I can't keep up with it all!"
You are absolutely right: you can't keep up with it all. Humans were not made to withstand constant stress. You know instinctively that clutter causes stress. So today, you are going to GET RID OF SOME STRESS.
Three is an easy number to remember, so search for and THROW AWAY three of the following items. (You can copy and paste this list into a Word document and use it as a checklist for yourself. Then THROW AWAY THE LIST WHEN YOU'RE DONE. You don't need more paper clutter.) Go get a big trash bag.
Start in the bathroom. Throw away:
- three bottles of things you never use anymore
- three expired cosmetics
- three ratty washcloths
Now to your bedroom. Throw away:
- three pairs of ratty underwear
- three pairs of worn socks
- three T-shirts you haven't worn in over a year
- three pairs of shoes that look grimy (think worn out flip flops, tired running shoes, sandals you've had since junior high)
To the kitchen. Throw away:
- three stupid refrigerator magnets you thought were cool at the time
- three expired boxes or cans of food (you have some, so LOOK!)
- three chipped plates or cups
- three phone books or catalogs (you know you have some on the counter or stashed in a drawer somewhere)
- three disgusting rags or sponges underneath the sink
To the living room. Throw away:
- three magazines
- three catalogs
- three pet or kid toys that never get played with anymore
- three dead or dying plants or flower arrangements
To a closet (pick one). Throw away:
- three gift bags you'll never re-use
- three empty boxes you're saving to use to send Christmas presents
- three stupid things (you have more, but limit it to three)
Now tie up that trash bag, and take it out of your home.
Don't you feel better already?
"OK, I do, but now I have momentum and I want to do more."
Great! So now that you have a burst of energy, put it to good use and CLEAR OFF AS MANY FLAT SURFACES AS POSSIBLE. Long stretches of uncluttered flat surfaces create a sense of calm, even if the floor needs mopping or the frig needs cleaning out. That's my biggest housekeeping secret.
- So go make your bed quickly. Don't make hospital corners, just make it up so it looks nice.
- Wipe down and put away the toaster, blender, coffee pot, and KitchenAid that are sitting on your counters.
- Clear off the coffee table and put three things back on it.
Now relax and experience a little CALM in your mind and spirit today!
Friday, May 1, 2009
The Hard Stuff
Some things are easy to let go of: old newspapers, expired medications, dried out pens, fossilized dish sponges, jeans with holes in the knees. Getting rid of these things is a no-brainer.
But what about the hard stuff? What about those objects that you have such a tremendous emotional attachment to, that you don't want to think about at all? You don't want to see or use them, but you don't want to get rid of them. This is the hard stuff.
Your wedding dress (from your first marriage).
The dated artwork you bought with your very first royalty check.
The necklace your ex-boyfriend bought you for your birthday 12 years ago.
The fancy paperweight your boss gave you at your first "professional" job.
Your maternity clothes (your youngest is finishing up her bachelor's degree).
Camping gear you don't use anymore (but used every summer for 9 years).
China your grandmother gave you.
A piano your childhood mentor willed to you.
The clothes your late husband wore.
The baby crib and car seat from your child who died of SIDS.
This is the hard stuff.
These things represent a lost dream, a treasured relationship, a milestone along your path in this world. Such emotional ties BIND you to these objects. It's all really just STUFF you need to get rid of. But it's very difficult to do. You're not sure you're ready to let it go.
You know what? YOU CAN DO DIFFICULT THINGS. You already have:
It was difficult to file the divorce after years of suffering his abuse.
It was difficult to write that book over the course of 14 months.
It was difficult to walk with dignity once your boyfriend left you for someone else.
It was difficult to spend four years working on your degree and then land that coveted job.
It was darn difficult to bear and raise your daughter, and to put her through college.
It was difficult to take four kids camping every summer, but you knew it was good for them.
It was difficult to watch your grandmother slowly succumb to Alzheimer's.
It was difficult to learn piano from that grumpy teacher who loved you like his own child.
It was beyond difficult to merely get out of bed that first year after your husband's death.
It was beyond anything imaginable to bury your infant and leave her grave site.
You might feel that you need permission to let it all go, to know that it's OK for you to let it go, and to know that you will HEAL faster if you let it go. Getting rid of these hard things will open up room for the future and present, and can be a wonderful, cathartic closure to that difficult time you experienced. And you will NOT show disrespect to the departed by getting rid of the things they left behind: you are showing disrespect to their memory and to yourself by keeping things you don't like and preventing someone alive RIGHT NOW from using and enjoying those things.
Honor the memory of the departed, honor the memories of your past, honor your accomplishments by choosing to let go of the things you don't use or love. Give those things away so that they may be used and enjoyed once again.
You can even create some ceremony around getting rid of the hard stuff. You might want to ask a friend over for coffee and support as you pack up the baby gear. You might wish to journal about what you're letting go of, how you feel, what it represents. Write a poem: no one has to read it except you, and it doesn't have to rhyme. Go for a long hike in the woods. Don't be embarrassed by whatever ceremony you feel you need in order to let go of what's holding you back. I prayed for the next bride who would wear my hand-sewn-by-me wedding dress, and I was finally able to let it go.
And you know what? You will become stronger with each difficult thing you are able to release.
YOU HAVE DONE DIFFICULT THINGS IN THE PAST AND THEY HAVEN'T DESTROYED YOU. Don't think that a box of china or an old piano are too hard for you to handle today.
Dealing with the hard stuff will strengthen your soul, honor your past, and free you to experience the abundant life you were created to live!
But what about the hard stuff? What about those objects that you have such a tremendous emotional attachment to, that you don't want to think about at all? You don't want to see or use them, but you don't want to get rid of them. This is the hard stuff.
Your wedding dress (from your first marriage).
The dated artwork you bought with your very first royalty check.
The necklace your ex-boyfriend bought you for your birthday 12 years ago.
The fancy paperweight your boss gave you at your first "professional" job.
Your maternity clothes (your youngest is finishing up her bachelor's degree).
Camping gear you don't use anymore (but used every summer for 9 years).
China your grandmother gave you.
A piano your childhood mentor willed to you.
The clothes your late husband wore.
The baby crib and car seat from your child who died of SIDS.
This is the hard stuff.
These things represent a lost dream, a treasured relationship, a milestone along your path in this world. Such emotional ties BIND you to these objects. It's all really just STUFF you need to get rid of. But it's very difficult to do. You're not sure you're ready to let it go.
You know what? YOU CAN DO DIFFICULT THINGS. You already have:
It was difficult to file the divorce after years of suffering his abuse.
It was difficult to write that book over the course of 14 months.
It was difficult to walk with dignity once your boyfriend left you for someone else.
It was difficult to spend four years working on your degree and then land that coveted job.
It was darn difficult to bear and raise your daughter, and to put her through college.
It was difficult to take four kids camping every summer, but you knew it was good for them.
It was difficult to watch your grandmother slowly succumb to Alzheimer's.
It was difficult to learn piano from that grumpy teacher who loved you like his own child.
It was beyond difficult to merely get out of bed that first year after your husband's death.
It was beyond anything imaginable to bury your infant and leave her grave site.
You might feel that you need permission to let it all go, to know that it's OK for you to let it go, and to know that you will HEAL faster if you let it go. Getting rid of these hard things will open up room for the future and present, and can be a wonderful, cathartic closure to that difficult time you experienced. And you will NOT show disrespect to the departed by getting rid of the things they left behind: you are showing disrespect to their memory and to yourself by keeping things you don't like and preventing someone alive RIGHT NOW from using and enjoying those things.
Honor the memory of the departed, honor the memories of your past, honor your accomplishments by choosing to let go of the things you don't use or love. Give those things away so that they may be used and enjoyed once again.
You can even create some ceremony around getting rid of the hard stuff. You might want to ask a friend over for coffee and support as you pack up the baby gear. You might wish to journal about what you're letting go of, how you feel, what it represents. Write a poem: no one has to read it except you, and it doesn't have to rhyme. Go for a long hike in the woods. Don't be embarrassed by whatever ceremony you feel you need in order to let go of what's holding you back. I prayed for the next bride who would wear my hand-sewn-by-me wedding dress, and I was finally able to let it go.
And you know what? You will become stronger with each difficult thing you are able to release.
YOU HAVE DONE DIFFICULT THINGS IN THE PAST AND THEY HAVEN'T DESTROYED YOU. Don't think that a box of china or an old piano are too hard for you to handle today.
Dealing with the hard stuff will strengthen your soul, honor your past, and free you to experience the abundant life you were created to live!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Vanity Clutter
I wonder... how many bottles and tubes of partially used lotions, body washes, special creams, hair products, perfumes, make up, and those "miracle in a jar" impulse purchases you have in each bathroom in your home.
Probably more than you need or use. We ALL do.
You, like all of us, have a few favorites that you use on a daily basis: perhaps a favorite shampoo, a nice foundation, a good eye cream, a perfect shade of lipstick. You enjoy these products every day, and bypass dozens more that you bought but don't completely like.
I want to encourage you to GET RID OF THE PRODUCTS YOU DON'T LIKE OR USE.
It's OK to just toss them in the trash. You are not obligated to use every last drop of the conditioner that doesn't really work, or the perfume your sister gave you three Christmases ago. Just because something is in your house doesn't mean you have to USE it up.
You don't sin by throwing away an almost-full tube of lipstick that isn't really your color (but came free with your department store foundation). It isn't wrong to get rid of personal care products you neither like or use.
For the products you have tried and don't want to use again, just throw them in the trash.
For the brand new products you know you will never use, gather them up in a bag and drop them off at a homeless shelter or a domestic violence center. Or take them to a food bank to distribute (yes, a food bank).
If you are unemployed and are in dire need of extra money, sell those brand new products on ebay, or take them back to the stores for full refunds, if you still have the receipts.
Next time you're shopping and want to add another hand lotion or eye shadow to your basket, ask yourself if it will become clutter to you within a week: unless it's a tried and true favorite of yours, most of these "vanity" purchases end up as clutter. When in doubt, don't buy it. Or, if you think you'll enjoy it now but may get tired of it after a short time, then buy a small travel or sample size.
Happy Spring!
Probably more than you need or use. We ALL do.
You, like all of us, have a few favorites that you use on a daily basis: perhaps a favorite shampoo, a nice foundation, a good eye cream, a perfect shade of lipstick. You enjoy these products every day, and bypass dozens more that you bought but don't completely like.
I want to encourage you to GET RID OF THE PRODUCTS YOU DON'T LIKE OR USE.
It's OK to just toss them in the trash. You are not obligated to use every last drop of the conditioner that doesn't really work, or the perfume your sister gave you three Christmases ago. Just because something is in your house doesn't mean you have to USE it up.
You don't sin by throwing away an almost-full tube of lipstick that isn't really your color (but came free with your department store foundation). It isn't wrong to get rid of personal care products you neither like or use.
For the products you have tried and don't want to use again, just throw them in the trash.
For the brand new products you know you will never use, gather them up in a bag and drop them off at a homeless shelter or a domestic violence center. Or take them to a food bank to distribute (yes, a food bank).
If you are unemployed and are in dire need of extra money, sell those brand new products on ebay, or take them back to the stores for full refunds, if you still have the receipts.
Next time you're shopping and want to add another hand lotion or eye shadow to your basket, ask yourself if it will become clutter to you within a week: unless it's a tried and true favorite of yours, most of these "vanity" purchases end up as clutter. When in doubt, don't buy it. Or, if you think you'll enjoy it now but may get tired of it after a short time, then buy a small travel or sample size.
Happy Spring!
Friday, March 6, 2009
The Art of Pruning
I love to prune. While other people enjoy mowing their lawns, planting bulbs, and plotting the placement of their flowering annuals, I yearn for a sharp pair of pruning shears. It's terribly refreshing to clip old twigs off my grapevines, or attack my numerous rosebushes, dreaming of the flowers they will soon produce. Having a yard of my own is the culmination of years of wishing I knew the art of bonsai. Now I practice my own brand of bonsai: taming and shaping a yard instead of a tiny potted juniper.
My late father loved his chain saw, which enabled him to prune with abandon, and on an even larger scale than I can accomplish with pruning shears. I remember when Dad first attacked the yard of my childhood home. He cut back bushes along our property line next to the vacant lot. The owner of that lot then decided it looked big enough to move a little house in there (which he did).
Dad took down the ancient, non-producing apricot tree in the side yard. He ripped into the towering silver birch in the front yard, and he took out the blue spruce in the back. That opened up the yard and let in more light to our home. And the spider count inside the house dropped drastically, too.
As a child, I felt sad at some of the pruning my Dad undertook. Removing the bushes and spruce tree made the backyard open and less private. Of course the neighbor moved that little house next door, which didn't help. There were fewer leaves to rake into a huge pile and jump into in the fall without the birch tree out front. But the absence of the birch tree enabled me to see, unobstructed, the bright Christmas star on top of the grain silo across town from my second-story bedroom window. A fine trade indeed. And birch leaves are small anyway; we had plenty of maple leaves left to enjoy.
As a grown-up homeowner, I appreciate the many reasons my Dad pruned around my childhood home. The biggest reason, which is just as delightful as the sheer excitement of pruning, is that THERE ARE NOW FEWER PLANTS TO TAKE CARE OF. In pruning the whole yard, my Dad eliminated hours and hours of yard work per year.
Multiply that number by the 30+ years since his first chain saw rampage, and that's a tremendous amount of time and personal energy he saved for himself and my mother over a lifetime of home ownership.
Decluttering your yard is more that just raking leaves and sweeping up pine needles: It's deciding if removing particularly high-maintenance plants would be a better way of cleaning up your yard, permanently, freeing up hours of your LIFE in the process.
During this budding spring season, please consider the areas of your yard that could use a good pruning. Ripping out that miserable-looking shrub, or digging up the non-producing butterfly bush will open up space and leave more room for the plants you love.
Go ahead. Call the arborist to come remove that aging pine tree in your backyard, which has dropped sharp little brown needles and cones all over your lawn for decades. Call the wrecking yard to haul away the '78 Chevy sitting broken and forlorn, dripping oil in the driveway, which you have to clean up every few months. You don't need that stuff taking up your life. Get out your pruning shears! What a great sense of relief and openness you will feel!
My late father loved his chain saw, which enabled him to prune with abandon, and on an even larger scale than I can accomplish with pruning shears. I remember when Dad first attacked the yard of my childhood home. He cut back bushes along our property line next to the vacant lot. The owner of that lot then decided it looked big enough to move a little house in there (which he did).
Dad took down the ancient, non-producing apricot tree in the side yard. He ripped into the towering silver birch in the front yard, and he took out the blue spruce in the back. That opened up the yard and let in more light to our home. And the spider count inside the house dropped drastically, too.
As a child, I felt sad at some of the pruning my Dad undertook. Removing the bushes and spruce tree made the backyard open and less private. Of course the neighbor moved that little house next door, which didn't help. There were fewer leaves to rake into a huge pile and jump into in the fall without the birch tree out front. But the absence of the birch tree enabled me to see, unobstructed, the bright Christmas star on top of the grain silo across town from my second-story bedroom window. A fine trade indeed. And birch leaves are small anyway; we had plenty of maple leaves left to enjoy.
As a grown-up homeowner, I appreciate the many reasons my Dad pruned around my childhood home. The biggest reason, which is just as delightful as the sheer excitement of pruning, is that THERE ARE NOW FEWER PLANTS TO TAKE CARE OF. In pruning the whole yard, my Dad eliminated hours and hours of yard work per year.
Multiply that number by the 30+ years since his first chain saw rampage, and that's a tremendous amount of time and personal energy he saved for himself and my mother over a lifetime of home ownership.
Decluttering your yard is more that just raking leaves and sweeping up pine needles: It's deciding if removing particularly high-maintenance plants would be a better way of cleaning up your yard, permanently, freeing up hours of your LIFE in the process.
During this budding spring season, please consider the areas of your yard that could use a good pruning. Ripping out that miserable-looking shrub, or digging up the non-producing butterfly bush will open up space and leave more room for the plants you love.
Go ahead. Call the arborist to come remove that aging pine tree in your backyard, which has dropped sharp little brown needles and cones all over your lawn for decades. Call the wrecking yard to haul away the '78 Chevy sitting broken and forlorn, dripping oil in the driveway, which you have to clean up every few months. You don't need that stuff taking up your life. Get out your pruning shears! What a great sense of relief and openness you will feel!
Monday, January 26, 2009
A New Definition of You
Perhaps you've carried a vision of yourself year after year, a vision of being messy. Your childhood bedroom was trashed from the time you graduated from a crib to a twin, and the only time it was totally clean was the day you left for college, carrying your clutter with you in your old beater car.
You have lived through a messy messy house no matter where you have lived, and you dream of the next house you will move to, knowing somehow that MORE space is all you really need to get your clutter cleaned up.
It's a LIE.
Clutter is a symptom; living messy is a behavior. And behaviors can change in an instant. All it takes is personal choice and a decision that YOU AREN'T GOING TO LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE.
Go ahead and get mad enough to change: make that decision to change right now!
Here are a few steps to help you change your behavior right now, this instant. YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE WITH CLUTTER FOREVER!
1. Always, always, every morning, make your bed. It takes me one minute to make my bed. If your bed takes longer to make, then simplify the coverings. Get rid of some of the fancy frou-frou pillows and wrinkle-free shams.
2. If you don't like some object, and it's yours (not your child's, your roommate's, or your spouse's), then THROW IT AWAY. Get over the guilt; you aren't ruining the environment! Go here and read how your trash can be turned into CLEAN energy. http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2007-03/prophet-garbage?page=1
3. Keep your car washed and free from trash. I can't tell you how keeping your car washed on the outside and the fast food fallout picked up on the inside will give you a daily lift. A car is much easier to keep tidy than a home (smaller square footage). So it's a great place to start learning new behaviors.
4. Quit buying so much. The super stores are the worst culprits for aiding and abetting the shopping clutterer. It's so easy to add one extra little thing (funky bath mat, rice cooker, game for the kids, DVD) to your cart during the weekly grocery shopping trip. Cut down on those little purchases and you will have less clutter.
Following these tips will help you begin to permanently change the behaviors that cause the clutter in your home. Blessings on you today!
You have lived through a messy messy house no matter where you have lived, and you dream of the next house you will move to, knowing somehow that MORE space is all you really need to get your clutter cleaned up.
It's a LIE.
Clutter is a symptom; living messy is a behavior. And behaviors can change in an instant. All it takes is personal choice and a decision that YOU AREN'T GOING TO LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE.
Go ahead and get mad enough to change: make that decision to change right now!
Here are a few steps to help you change your behavior right now, this instant. YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE WITH CLUTTER FOREVER!
1. Always, always, every morning, make your bed. It takes me one minute to make my bed. If your bed takes longer to make, then simplify the coverings. Get rid of some of the fancy frou-frou pillows and wrinkle-free shams.
2. If you don't like some object, and it's yours (not your child's, your roommate's, or your spouse's), then THROW IT AWAY. Get over the guilt; you aren't ruining the environment! Go here and read how your trash can be turned into CLEAN energy. http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2007-03/prophet-garbage?page=1
3. Keep your car washed and free from trash. I can't tell you how keeping your car washed on the outside and the fast food fallout picked up on the inside will give you a daily lift. A car is much easier to keep tidy than a home (smaller square footage). So it's a great place to start learning new behaviors.
4. Quit buying so much. The super stores are the worst culprits for aiding and abetting the shopping clutterer. It's so easy to add one extra little thing (funky bath mat, rice cooker, game for the kids, DVD) to your cart during the weekly grocery shopping trip. Cut down on those little purchases and you will have less clutter.
Following these tips will help you begin to permanently change the behaviors that cause the clutter in your home. Blessings on you today!
Friday, January 2, 2009
New Year In, Old Clutter Out!
Every new year, since the mid-1990's, I have spent part of December 31 and January 1 getting rid of junk in my home. I love this annual ritual: making space for the future while honoring and releasing the past. I go through almost every possession in my home and life and decide if it has fulfilled its usefulness to me. If it has, I either throw it away, recycle it, or place it in a bag to donate to a charity thrift store.
I am always amazed at how much I have to donate, and I'm not a compulsive shopper! It's amazing the volume of things that enter the average American's life in a year's time. I declutter as I go about living my life during the year, but still I can always find things to let go of as the new year rolls in.
Why not pick an area of your home right now, perhaps the coat closet or your Christmas CD collection, and make some room for 2009? You will feel rejuvenated!
I am always amazed at how much I have to donate, and I'm not a compulsive shopper! It's amazing the volume of things that enter the average American's life in a year's time. I declutter as I go about living my life during the year, but still I can always find things to let go of as the new year rolls in.
Why not pick an area of your home right now, perhaps the coat closet or your Christmas CD collection, and make some room for 2009? You will feel rejuvenated!
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