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Keep or Not Keep

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Helpful Organizer BlogIf you had to guess the dollar amount of new, unopened items in your home, what would you guess? Don’t count food or paper goods. Count surplus items, unopened gifts, new clothing that hasn’t been worn, backup items, unopened craft items, new shoes that haven’t been worn, unopened tech toys, new books that haven’t been read, and any other such items. What would your guess be?

It’s estimated that the dollar amount of new, unopened items in the average American household is $7000.00. Do you believe it? I didn’t until I started counting. So, start counting? What do you come up with? Please share.

There are many reasons we purchase things that we don’t end up using, just like there are many things we hold on to for no valid reason. Making decisions on what to keep or not to keep can be challenging. Are you having trouble making decisions? Is it a struggle for you to get rid of things? I’ve devised a Keep Quiz that will help.  Here are the instructions. Ask yourself the following ten questions. Please answer them honestly, and then follow the rest of the instructions.

  1. Is it practical and will definitely be used?
  2. Does it hold value and significance to me?
  3. Does it fit my lifestyle and is exactly my taste?
  4. Would it be very expensive and time consuming to replace?
  5. Is it a genuine treasure and irreplaceable?
  6. Does it help me live the life I want to live?
  7. Is it one-of-a-kind and unique?
  8. Was it hand-made just for me?
  9. Does it hold tremendous personal value to me?
  10. Does it bring me joy?

If you answer yes to 6 or more of the questions, yeah for you. It’s a keeper. If you answered yes to only 1 or 2 questions, it’s time to let it go. If you answered yes to 3-5 of the questions, give yourself 3 months to use the item. Put a sticky note on the item with the use-by-date. If, in 3 months, it hasn’t been used, let it go. However, if the item is meant for display, put it in a prominent place for 3 months. At the end of 3 months take the Keep Quiz again and see if you get different numbers.

How did you do on the Keep Quiz? Did it prompt you to take some action? I hope so. Please share.

© May 2017  Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer®  All Rights Reserved

Organizing Humor

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***  One thing that I like to do is take and share photos. Do you? How many photos do you think you have?  Research says that most families have about 60,000 photos on 5 or more devices. If you are feeling overwhelmed about organizing your photos, I can help with small projects, but the two companies listed below have experts that can help you organize, scan, and manage any number of photos on any number of devices.

Ever Present

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***  Question:  Do you have any funny organizing stories?  Please share.

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Hi,

 Hope all is well with you. Are you enjoying 2017 so far? It seems like the year is flying by. I’m okay with that, because I have a fun summer trip planned. So, I’m excited that it is now only 2 months away. What about you, any plans?

 

What makes you laugh?

Actually, I just got back from a trip. I was in Pittsburgh, PA for the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) Conference. I attended some inspiring sessions. One that I really liked was about brain clutter and how laughter can help. That gave me the idea to share some organizing cartoons with you. I hope you laugh, or at least, chuckle a little.

 

 

 

 

Recycle Resource

Finding new ways to reuse, recycle, and reduce for myself and my clients, makes me happy. Everyone is more motivated to get rid of something when they know it is going to someone who will really use it.

This is why I was happy to find Free Cycle. It’s a nonprofit movement that encourages people to reuse. The idea is to keep good, usable stuff out of landfills. It is an online community where people give and get stuff for free in their own towns and neighborhoods. Each local group is moderated by local volunteers and membership is free. Check it out.
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Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®
(508)-699-6652
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Yard Sale Charity Rule

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Organizing tipWe’re entering yard sale season. If you’re planning on having one, follow this simple rule. Pick a charity before your yard sale and make a rule that all unsold items go directly to that charity. Nothing gets returned to the house, attic, basement, or garage. A few local charities that I support are St. Vincent De Paul, Habitat for Humanities ReStore, and Dorca’s International.