Decluttering

Paper Clutter

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January is designated by the National Association of Professional organizers (NAPO) as “Get Organized Month”. The one area that I like to start with this month is the paper clutter. This is because we start receiving all those year end summaries from the banks, brokerage firms, our employers, etc. Tax season is right around the corner.

Most of these statements start coming in towards the end of the month but there is a lot we can do to clear out the paper clutter before then. If you have a pile of papers that didn’t get filed because you were busy with the holidays ( I know I do) then now is the time to file them. Getting all the papers off your desk and filed in the proper files (including the trash can file) is the first step to organizing your papers. Once they are cleared off the desk then you can start examining the papers in each individual file.

I will be blogging this month mostly about how to declutter specific areas of paper clutter. My “Tip Newsletter” this week will be addressing magazine clutter and how to reduce it. If you don’t already subscribe to this newsletter then please sign up on the right sidebar to receive it.

There are plenty of papers we keep just because we are not sure whether we need them or not for tax and other legal reasons. I will let you know which ones are necessary to keep and what can go. I will give you plenty of resources to look up more information if you need it.

So let’s make January the month we get rid of papers that are clutter and organize the ones we do need to keep.

If you have any suggestions, ideas, or know of any good web-sites that can help us know what to keep and what to get rid of, please let me know in the comment section.

Thanks,

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com

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Actions Speak Louder Than Words

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Yesterday millions of Americans took action and exercised their right to vote. That one action let us determine who will be our next president and the direction we hope he will lead us in.

The old saying, “Actions speak louder than words” is so true. Whether the action is casting a vote that can help change the course of history or it is finally getting rid of a beloved dress that no longer fits, the action moves us forward.

Will Rogers said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you sit there.” So take an action today, however small it may be, to declutter your home or life.

Recycle that pile of old magazines or newspapers. Your time is too precious to waste reading old news. Put that dress that never fit right into the charity bag. You’re not going to wear it, maybe someone else can. What about your stockpile of food on the pantry shelf? If it is expired then throw it away. If it is good then either plan on using it soon or if you don’t like anymore donate it to a food pantry.

Take an action today and another one tomorrow and another one the next day. You’ll be moving forward and virtually eliminate the chance of getting run over.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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Flood Damaged Clutter

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It’s been a couple weeks since I posted here. Almost two weeks ago remnants of hurricane Ike drenched the Midwest resulting in flash floods here in St. Louis. My mother-in-law ended up with seven feet of flood water in the basement of her townhouse.

Needless to say we would not let her stay there at night for fear of mold spores and other possible contaminates in the air. She spent her 83 birthday sleeping at our home. It has taken almost two weeks to have the basement cleaned, sanitized, have the furnace, A/C, and hot water heater replaced, and new washer & dryer delivered. She is finally back home.

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This past summer I was going to help her declutter her basement and have a garage sale. Due to my illness that was postponed. Now the flood waters decluttered the basement for her.

Most of the stuff that was lost was truly clutter for her. She never used the things but couldn’t get rid of them. She thought maybe someone in the family, especially the grandchildren, could use or want them. She has four grandchildren and they all live out of town.

We hold on to things for many different reasons. If you are holding onto something because you think a family member might want it someday, then ask that person now. If they say no then get rid of the item. There is someone out there that can use that item so sell it or give it away to a charity. You’ll be blessing others.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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Fall Clothes Shopping

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Fall weather has hit the Midwest early. I’m sure it will warm up again for a few weeks before it really cools down.

I wanted to wear a long sleeve top when I went out Saturday night so I looked in the back of my closet where I keep some of the out of season clothes. Since I decluttered my wardrobe a few years ago I have room to keep many of those transitional clothes in the closet year round. Less to store in boxes under the bed.

As I went through these long sleeve tops I could see some of them looked pretty worn. It may be time to get rid of them and buy new ones. Since I don’t usually enjoy shopping (a big plus when trying to keep clutter under control) I will have to decide what I need to freshen up my wardrobe before I go to the store. Then I can at least narrow down what I want to buy with regards to style and color. This helps give me a clear purpose for the shopping trip.

Since I’m not very fashion conscious a few years ago I joined the website, missussmartypants.com for a year. It helped me understand the styles that looked best for my body type. I actually enjoyed clothes shopping for awhile. What I bought fit well and looked good. I need to review my saved information or maybe even join the website again so I can enjoy shopping for fall clothes.

After all, if you look good you will feel better about yourself.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com (blog)

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