I don't really understand the whole scrapbooking fad. Stores are popping up in every strip mall that cater to scrapbooking. They sell everything from overpriced photo albums, stickers, stamps, ribbons, etc. all for the sake of creating memories.
For most of my life, I have kept my own version of a diary/scrapbook. They include my journal entries, sketches, notes, lists, plane ticket stubs, stickers, stamps, old letters, postcards, you name it. I have never had to go out and purchase special scrapbooking equipment. Just a journal a pair of scissors and some glue. The rest are found or already aquired objects.
I have also never been pushed out of my home by scrapbooking material. I see homes with a special "scrapbooking room" full of purchased items for making books. The thing is, the clutter gets to be so overwhelming that there doesn't seem to be any time for scrapbooking at all.
If you enjoy scrapbooking, a system is necessary for keeping your materials clean, organized and off the floor. About.com has a great list on how to organize scrapbooking supplies.
Keeping your supplies well organized will also help you save money. You will not have to rebuy or stock up on any materials that you realize you already have.
March 23, 2007
March 20, 2007
The Simple Purse
According to Real Simple Magazine, women spend approximately 55 minutes every day searching for items. Probably about 45 of those minutes are spent searching for something in the deep, dark reaches of their purses.
I am guilty of having the cluttered purse. It is a bottomless pit, and that's what I like about it. I can sneak an entire picnic into the movie theater in my purse, it doubles as a suitcase AND a briefcase and is as tough as nails. Having something so dependable can also be a burden and it is not great for my back.
Women feel they have to be ready for anything. The contents of my own purse prove this:
1.Leather wallet with money, credit and debit cards, coins, business cards (my own and others), coupons, receipts and stamps.
2. My One Book
3. Cell phone and cell phone charger
4. 3 to 4 various USB drives
5. iPod, headphones and charger
6. Chapstick, lipstick, hand lotion and face powder
7. Gym pass
8. Sunglasses and sunglass case
9. Various pens
10. A small tape measure
11. Keys attached to a bottle of pepper spray
In all, too much stuff. But I do work on keeping it clean and manageable. Every Saturday morning as I do chores, I include cleaning out my purse as one. I take everything out and clean out all excess pennies and candy wrappers. I go through all receipts and file or shred as necessary. I check all coupons and business cards and throw out the ones that are expired or I will not be using.
It is an ongoing job, but my everyday business would not be complete without my tough, trusty purse at my side. However, I still envy men and their simple wallets.
March 14, 2007
Kill Bills
The bane of many people's existence is an overabundance of bills and other unwanted mail. The natural thing to do when you owe money to someone is to put the bill in a pile and forget about it for a few weeks.
Then the late notices appear.
Procrastinating on bill paying and not having a bill paying system can cost you time, money and frustration.
The first step is to create a "Bill Paying Center" on your desk. This can include some hanging files, a desktop filing organizer (horizontal or vertical) or a special drawer just for bills. But be careful about "out of sight, out of mind". This system will have areas categorized as "Bills to Pay", "Bills Paid" and "Checks/Bills Cleared". Also in the Center will be a desk or wall calendar to be used to mark bill due dates.
The second step is once a bill comes in, open it and throw away the outside envelope and mark the due date of the bill on your calendar. If you are not ready to pay the bill, put it in the "Bills to Pay" category or file. If you do pay the bill, with either a check, credit card on with online bill paying software, write the payment information on the bill:
"Paid 3/14/07 with check #12345" or
"Paid 3/14/07 online. Confirmation #123456"
Put that paid bill into the "Bills Paid" file. Once the bill has cleared your account, put it into the "Checks/Bills Cleared" file. These will remain in here for three months until you either shred them or file them for tax purposes. Always shred letters or bills with your personal information on them.
Having a predesignated hour or day for bill paying is helpful in getting the dreaded job done. Say every Sunday morning before breakfast. Once you have spent about three months using this system, knowing when bills will be coming in and when they are due will be second nature.
Then the late notices appear.
Procrastinating on bill paying and not having a bill paying system can cost you time, money and frustration.
The first step is to create a "Bill Paying Center" on your desk. This can include some hanging files, a desktop filing organizer (horizontal or vertical) or a special drawer just for bills. But be careful about "out of sight, out of mind". This system will have areas categorized as "Bills to Pay", "Bills Paid" and "Checks/Bills Cleared". Also in the Center will be a desk or wall calendar to be used to mark bill due dates.
The second step is once a bill comes in, open it and throw away the outside envelope and mark the due date of the bill on your calendar. If you are not ready to pay the bill, put it in the "Bills to Pay" category or file. If you do pay the bill, with either a check, credit card on with online bill paying software, write the payment information on the bill:
"Paid 3/14/07 with check #12345" or
"Paid 3/14/07 online. Confirmation #123456"
Put that paid bill into the "Bills Paid" file. Once the bill has cleared your account, put it into the "Checks/Bills Cleared" file. These will remain in here for three months until you either shred them or file them for tax purposes. Always shred letters or bills with your personal information on them.
Having a predesignated hour or day for bill paying is helpful in getting the dreaded job done. Say every Sunday morning before breakfast. Once you have spent about three months using this system, knowing when bills will be coming in and when they are due will be second nature.
March 1, 2007
Too Many Magazines
Magazines are beautiful, I know. Whether they are your stacks of Architectural Digest, National Geographic or those ones covered with Brad Pitt, we love our magazines.
But they can be a heavy, slippery mess that collects dust. They also become dated very quickly and the information being referred to is most likely more current on the Internet.
Dedicate some time during the week to go through and really read each of the magazines you get. Keep a pair or scissors and a filing system handy to clip out information, articles or photos that you like and file them in an order that makes sense to you. Have categories such as: Financial, Architectural and Home, Recipes, News and Opinion, Sexy Hollywood Stars, etc. The rest of the magazine then should not hang around for any longer. Put it in recycling the next time you pass the recycling container.
February 22, 2007
(Uncluttered) Life with Books
Ahhhh...books. They are my downfall. Dusty, dogeared, childhood or spine-split, I love them all. I also have a very hard time parting with them. Once I get up the nerve to get rid of some of my book cache, there is a library sale or I get a gift card to Barnes & Noble.
A big problem I see with people is the collecting of books just to show the "intellectual" side of yourself to guests and other bibliophiles. But a personal library of clean, perfect unread books looks worse than not having any books at all. Finding space for all those hard to store, slippery and heavy objects becomes a problem.
Books (unless they are rare) are very hard to sell online or at garage sales. Another option is donate them to a hospital, library, senior center or school. To declutter any collection of books, boldly go through them and be realistic about what you will actually read. Books that have been with you for life, your Bible, Winnie the Pooh or In Cold Blood should maybe be put in a special place on your bookshelf that says, "Don't bother to sort. I'm staying".
Next time, we will tackle the sad disease of magazine collecting.
A big problem I see with people is the collecting of books just to show the "intellectual" side of yourself to guests and other bibliophiles. But a personal library of clean, perfect unread books looks worse than not having any books at all. Finding space for all those hard to store, slippery and heavy objects becomes a problem.
Books (unless they are rare) are very hard to sell online or at garage sales. Another option is donate them to a hospital, library, senior center or school. To declutter any collection of books, boldly go through them and be realistic about what you will actually read. Books that have been with you for life, your Bible, Winnie the Pooh or In Cold Blood should maybe be put in a special place on your bookshelf that says, "Don't bother to sort. I'm staying".
Next time, we will tackle the sad disease of magazine collecting.
February 15, 2007
Make money by decluttering
Decluttering will not only help you to simplify your life and put your mind at ease, it could help you to save money...and make money.
Having your home and possessions in order and knowing exactly what you have will enable you to avoid purchasing multiples of the same item, or purchasing unneeded items. When you see an item of clothing you feel you have to have, just envision your clean and organized closet at home and say to yourself, "I have an item almost like this and I have everything that I need and want. I don't need anything else." That $50 just stayed in your wallet.
When you do realize that you have everything you need, the extraneous items that don't make you happy should be on their way out. This is where you can make money on unwanted items.
Selling on eBay is quick and easy. Setting up an account is a step by step process through the eBay website. All the postage fees, selling fees and math is done for you. All you need is a digital camera, some writing skills and the desire to give good customer service.
Having your home and possessions in order and knowing exactly what you have will enable you to avoid purchasing multiples of the same item, or purchasing unneeded items. When you see an item of clothing you feel you have to have, just envision your clean and organized closet at home and say to yourself, "I have an item almost like this and I have everything that I need and want. I don't need anything else." That $50 just stayed in your wallet.
When you do realize that you have everything you need, the extraneous items that don't make you happy should be on their way out. This is where you can make money on unwanted items.
Selling on eBay is quick and easy. Setting up an account is a step by step process through the eBay website. All the postage fees, selling fees and math is done for you. All you need is a digital camera, some writing skills and the desire to give good customer service.
February 7, 2007
If you went to a party...
...who would you rather see? A room packed full of people you didn't know, or a few near and dear friends?
Your space should feel the same way. Sometimes our material possessions become strangers to us and we end up feeling disjointed and unfamiliar with our own space and home. When decluttering, keep only what you truly love and want near you. If you are not sure what you love (we think we love everything, but we don't) then ask yourself these three questions:
1.Why am I keeping this item?
2.How does it make me feel?
3.How will I feel when it is gone?
Seriously consider and evaluate your answers to these questions and you will eventually understand why you are keeping some things and not others. The items that don't bring you the most pleasure should be eliminated as soon as possible.
Or, you can use the quick and dirty method...would I grab this if my house was on fire?
Your space should feel the same way. Sometimes our material possessions become strangers to us and we end up feeling disjointed and unfamiliar with our own space and home. When decluttering, keep only what you truly love and want near you. If you are not sure what you love (we think we love everything, but we don't) then ask yourself these three questions:
1.Why am I keeping this item?
2.How does it make me feel?
3.How will I feel when it is gone?
Seriously consider and evaluate your answers to these questions and you will eventually understand why you are keeping some things and not others. The items that don't bring you the most pleasure should be eliminated as soon as possible.
Or, you can use the quick and dirty method...would I grab this if my house was on fire?
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