Tag Archive for: organizing tips for families

file

Simple Organizing Solutions

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fileReceiving a thank you note in the mail is pleasant.  It’s even more pleasant when you’re being thanked for something you didn’t realize would make an impact on the other person.  This happened to me when I offered a simple organizing solution to a Realtor I had met at a networking event.  She asked me if I had any ideas how she could keep all her real estate forms portable and organized.  I suggested a portable accordion file.    The next thing I know, I’m reading a very sincere thank you note that makes me smile.   It just goes to show you, sometimes the simplest organizing solutions are the best solutions.  In this case, find a good home for paper and things.
Here are a few more simple organizing solutions that I’ve offered to my clients:

  1.  Standing a baby bath tub on end, so it took up less room in the closet where it was stored.  Be creative and unconventional with your personal organizing solutions.
  2.  Moving a daily used utensil drawer up to the second spot instead of the third drawer down.  Make it easy on yourself to do daily tasks.
  3.  Asking a spouse to pay some of the monthly bills in order to spend less time on the task.  Delegate and ask for help when you can.
  4.  Tossing the brown, brittle, dead flowers in the vase on the dresser even if they were your wedding bouquet.  Evoke cherished memories with happy thoughts, not objects.
  5.  When you’ve finished knitting, put your knitting project back in the bag.  Getting in the habit of putting things back in the places we’ve assigned them to go fosters organization.

© September 2013 Janine Cavanaugh, CPO® All Rights Reserved

NAPO

Proud member of NAPO

yard sale

Yard Sales

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yard saleSelling what you no longer want or need is one way of bringing in a bit of extra cash, so long as you know what you’re in for.  Yard Sales are a lot of work.  If you want to give it a try here are my top 5 tips:

1.   Spread the Word – if no one comes, you won’t be selling a thing.  List your sale locally, both on line and in print.  Share the date with friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers.
2.  Price to sell – remember people are looking for bargains.  Group things together by price and have a colored sticker code.  This beats having to print up or write up price tickets.
3.   Get a permit – some towns require a yard sale permit.  You don’t want to have to pay a fine, if your town requires a permit, and you don’t have one.  Check with your town hall before you plan a yard sale.
4.  Donate after the sale – establish the rule that nothing from the sale goes back into the house or garage.  Instead pick a donation location before the sale and set up a pick up date or drop off date.
5.   Have cash on hand – make a trip to the bank before your sale so you’re prepared.  Only accept cash as payment, and have plenty of change and singles to make for smoother transactions.

© June 2013 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All rights reserved.

NAPO

Proud member of NAPO

Donation Challenge – Part 4

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donationsWe all tend to hold on to things for a variety of reasons, for example, it was a gift, it was passed on to me, it was expensive, etc.  However, if we don’t use and value the items in our possession there is no valid reason to keep them.  I’ve summarized the items we donated to this worthy cause (H.O.P.E. Program of Boston Children’s Hospital) in the hope that it may motivate you to let go of things, or at the very least prompt you to look at the items in your space from a different perspective.

Summary of items donated:

Origin:

  • Received as a gift, but didn’t really like. Regifted 37 items.
  • Used items passed on to us. We didn’t use them, so we passed on 18 items to be used by someone else.
  • Items that were originally purchased by us, but were no longer used or appreciated by us. Donated 46 items.

Usage:

  • Possessions that were never used by us. 41 items let go to have a chance to be useful to someone else.
  • Items that were used within the past five years, but most likely wouldn’t be used within the next five years. Passed on 28 things to be reused.
  • 32 items donated that were not used within the past five years.

Reason:

  • Items that were given to us but we never used. 26 items let go to have a chance to be useful to someone else.
  • Number of items that were intended as gifts but never given:  7
  • Donated 13 things that were purchased by us for our use, but never used.
  • 55 items were donated that were used in the past, but are no longer wanted or used.

© June 2013, Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All rights reserved

NAPO

Proud member of NAPO

Donation Challenge – Part 3

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101#I was so energized and motivated from the removal of 50 unwanted, unneeded and unused items from our space, I wanted to challenge myself even more.  Could I reach the 100 item mark?  Yes, I decided to go for it.  Maybe, just maybe, I was getting carried away, but I will admit, I was having fun with it.  It was very liberating, allowing myself to donate items to a worthy cause (H.O.P.E. Program of Boston Children’s Hospital) while purging our space of items that were no longer important in our current lives.
Our list of donated items is printed below. It may prompt you to think of items that you have in your household that you could donate.  If that is the case, please share those items with me.

Items 51 & 52 =  two racket ball rackets, admitted we’d never use again
53 =  new kids puzzle, decided not to wait to give as gift
54 – 58 =  five new kids games, decided not to wait to give as gift
59 =  travel size tweezer kit, never used
60 =  small gravy boat, decided 2 is too many
61 =  mini cookie cutters, gift, never used
62 =  manual aerator tool, never used
63 & 64 =  two large hooks, never used
65 =  snowman table runner
66 & 67 =  2 sets of cloth napkins & place-mats, gift, never used
68 -71 =  four demitasse cups and saucers, already donated espresso maker
72 =  soap dish, not being used
73 =  container with pour spout, never used
74 =  Holiday bowl, admitted we’d never use again

75 & 76 =  Set of two holiday glasses, admitted we’d never use again
77 =  LP albums, no player to listen to them
78 =  set of 10 luau leis, admitted we’d never use again
79 =  grass skirt, admitted I’d never use again
80 =  set of 10 paper lanterns, admitted we’d never use again
81 =  Aloha sign, admitted we’d never use again
82 =  orange and black basket, not being used
83 =  travel coffee mug, decided 5 is enough
84 =  purple ice bucket,  decided 2 is enough
85 =  bed dust ruffle, admitted we’d never use again
86 7 87 =  small bowls, never used
88 =  pewter milk pitcher, gift, never used
89 =  pewter sugar bowl, gift, never used
90 =  RedSox key chain bottle opener, decided 3 is enough
92 & 93 =  two spreader knives, decided 4 is enough
94 =  set of snowman stirrers, never used
95 =  set of wine tags, gift, never used
96 =  timer, decided 3 is enough
97 =  rolling pin, admitted we’d never use again
98 =  tiny whisk, too small
99 =  bread knife, decided one is enough
100 =  small sock coin purse, decided 3 is enough
101 =  bag of Duplo toys

© June 2013, Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer®  All rights reserved

NAPO

Proud member of NAPO

Yard Sale Details:  Saturday, June 22, 2013, 8:00AM to 2:00PM
North Attleboro, MA 02670
All Proceeds go to H.O.P.E Program at Boston Children’s Hospital

Janine with donation box

Donation Challenge – Part 1

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donationsA client of mine hosts an annual yard sale fundraiser for the H.O.P.E. Program at Boston Children’s Hospital.  She asks for donations from all her neighbors, friends, and family, and 100% of the proceeds support this program.  In the past I’ve given her items that I’ve collected from my clients.  This year I had my car packed with items ready to bring to her, and suddenly thought, what could I donate?  Me?  Personally?  Not things from the house or my husbands stuff, although I must admit, it was easy to think of items that belonged to him that I wanted to remove from the house.  You will probably agree, it’s much easier to get rid of someone else’s belongings than your own.  So, I challenged myself to find 10 items that belonged to me, to donate to this worthy cause.
My list of donated items is printed below. It may prompt you to think of items that you have in your household that you could donate.  If that is the case, please share those items with me.

List of Donations:
Items 1 & 2 =  two used camera parts that I was given, but never used
Items 3 & 4 =  two picture frames, one empty for three or more years,
the second emptied to move photo to scrapbook
Item 5 =  one computer chair, decided 3 is too many to have for 2 people
Items 6 & 7 =  two clip boards – decided 4 is too many to have for 2 people
Item 8 =  new Calphalon potato masher received as grab bag gift, never
used, like the one I have
Items 9 & 10 =  two water bottles received as gift more than 5 years ago,
used once, but didn’t like

© May 2013, Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer®  All rights reserved

NAPO

Proud member of NAPO

 

Yard Sale Details:  Saturday, June 22, 2013, 8:00AM to 2:00PM
North Attleboro, MA 02670
All Proceeds go to H.O.P.E Program at Boston Children’s Hospital