Janice

Transitioning Winter to Spring Clothes

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March is a transition month for clothing in many parts of the country. It’s been in the 60’s here all week. I pulled out the short sleeve shirts. Yea! But this weekend it’s suppose to get cold again. Boo!

So I can’t put away the winter clothes just yet but some days I need the spring clothes. Layering is the best way to go.

An easy way to transition your winter to spring clothes is to use babysteps. In the next week or two you can start packing away the heavy clothes you won’t be wearing again until next winter. Give away anything that wasn’t worn because it didn’t fit or you didn’t like it. No reason to take up valuable storage space.

Each week take a few minutes to go through your clothes and pull out more and more of the winter ones. At the same time you want to unpack the spring clothes, especially the ones that layer well.

By the time the warm weather is here to stay your closets & drawers will be transitioned over. And all you had to do was spend a little time each week to get it done.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Fun Things To Do For St. Patrick’s Day

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St. Patrick’s Day is for having fun. There are looks of things you can do with your children. Below are some links to help you enjoy a little luck of the Irish and find your pot of gold.

leprechaun

http://www.alphabet-soup.net/hol/stp.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/stpatrick/

http://www.theholidayspot.com/patrick/

http://holidays.kaboose.com/saint-patricks-day/

http://www.st-patricks-day.com/index.html

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Cut the Clutter One Layer At A Time

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When there is a lot of clutter laying around sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. Most people have heard the saying “peeling an onion” applied to many different things. A few years ago I heard it applied towards clearing out clutter. I think it was Flylady (Flylady.net) but I’m not 100% sure. Either way, the idea has stuck with me and helps when I need to tackle some clutter.

 

You can peel an onion one layer at a time. The outer layers are usually easy to peel off. As the layers get smaller and tighter they take more effort. The same is true with clutter. The outer layers of clutter are the items that should be trashed or recycled without thinking about them too much. These might be old newspapers, magazines, empty food cans & wrappers, clothes that no longer fits, or any other item that is trash.

Once that layer is out of the house you can move on to the next layer. This layer shouldn’t be to hard either. It’s mainly putting the things you want to keep in their proper place. They are only temporary clutter because they haven’t been put away. These might be papers, toys, DVD’s, clothes, etc. that aren’t in the room where they belong.

As you get into the next couple of layers it will be harder to get rid of the items. The excuses to keep things start popping up. These are not the emotional excuses but the practical ones.

  • What if I need this item someday?
  • I’m always misplacing things so I need lots of extras.
  • I paid good money for this item. I can’t get rid of it even though I don’t use it.

The inner layers are the toughest to get rid of. These are the ones with emotional attachments. The reasoning behind these emotions may not make sense but that doesn’t make it any easier to get rid of the item.

  • I don’t like the item but it was a gift from my aunt so I can’t get rid of it.
  • I inherited the item. It must have been important to my loved one, so it must be important to me.
  • I’ve had it so long so it must mean something to me even if I can’t remember what that something is.

Keep things for the right reasons, not irrational ones.

When you cut an onion it can make you cry. The same thing can happen when you try to let go of clutter. The first couple of layers aren’t too bad but those inner layers will get to you and can take longer.  Go ahead and cry over the clutter, then get rid of it.

What’s left after you peel away the clutter are your precious things that add value to your life.

Janice

 

 

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Spring Fever

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Yesterday the temperature reached 70 degrees. Way above normal and so welcomed. It has been averaging below normal the last couple of months and I was beginning to wonder if Spring was ever going to show up.

We took advantage of the weather and drove around in my husband’s convertible with the top down. Spring fever hit me big time. I even ordered some seeds for flowers and vegetables online yesterday. Usually I order them in February but I couldn’t seem to decide what I wanted to grow. Maybe I just couldn’t get in the mood because of the cold weather.

Now I need to go out in the yard and start cleaning up from the long winter. Usually by the beginning of March the grass is starting to green up but this year it is still brown. But I did see some bulbs starting to push up from the ground.

This is from today.

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This is from March 15 a year ago. It will be interesting to see if the crocuses are in bloom by next week.

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If you and your children have Spring fever here are a few sites with activities to channel that energy into something fun. Check them out.

http://holidays.kaboose.com/spring/

http://fun.familyeducation.com/hobbies-and-interests/seasons/32840.html

http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays/spring.htm

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Organize Your Tax Papers

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It’s income tax time again, Americans: time to gather up those receipts, get out those tax forms, sharpen up that pencil, and stab yourself in the aorta.    ~Dave Barry

Last night I decided it was time to start getting all my tax papers together and organized. All year long I put receipts, pay stubs, and other tax related papers into folders. Now I need to separate the papers in each folder by category to make it easier to do my taxes.

I use Turbo Tax and when you go through the program it asks for information in a certain order. You may use a different tax program but it probably works the same way. By having the papers separated it’s much easier, faster, and less likely I will not miss entering any information.

Here are the categories I use to separate my papers.

Income:

  • W-2’s
  • 1099’s: Misc., Retirement, Interest, Dividends, etc.
  • Investment Income: Brokerage and bank year end statements

Deductions:

  • Charity donations
  • Mortgage Interest
  • Property taxes
  • Student loan interest paid
  • College expenses
  • Medical expenses

If you have business income and will be filing a Schedule C (self employment) then gather all those papers and separate them by income and expenses.

Now you’ll be ready to sit down and do those taxes.

Today, it takes more brains and effort to make out the income-tax form than it does to make the income.   ~Alfred E. Neuman

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

P.S.  If you’re looking for support with dealing with paper clutter, join the free private Facebook group. “Controlling Paper Clutter Support Group” 

 

 

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