Spring Fever

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

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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Share A Smile Day

When I was looking up holidays and events for March I came across information that stated March 1st was “Share a Smile Day”. I couldn’t find too much information on it. But it seems like there is a special day for just about anything. I guess one of the good things about the internet is you can spread the word about these special days.

Here are several quotes I found about smiles. I hope they put a smile on your face like they did on mine.

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“Smiling is infectious,
You can catch it like the flu.
Someone smiled at me today,
And I started smiling too.”
~Author Unknown

“If you don’t start out the day with a smile, it’s not too late to start practicing for tomorrow.” ~Anon.

“Life is like a mirror, we get the best results when we smile at it.” ~Anon.

“Start every day with a smile and get it over with.” ~W.C. Fields

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” ~Phyllis Diller

“Smile – It’s the second best thing you can do with your lips.” ~Anon.

“You haven’t lost your smile at all, it’s right under your nose. You just forgot it was there.” ~Anon.

Happy “Share a Smile Day”!

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Time To Get Off Autopilot

Day after day you have good intentions on getting organized and clearing out the clutter. But by the end of the week do you wonder why nothing was done? Do you even remember what you did each day? If not it could be because you are on autopilot.

Autopilot may work great for airplanes but it’s not always so good for people. When an emergency happens we sometimes go into autopilot mode to handle the matter without falling apart. But to just get through each hectic day by being on autopilot doesn’t get us where we want to go.

Time to turn off autopilot! Here are three words to add to your vocabulary to help get off autopilot and take charge of your life. These are proactive, consciously, and intentionally.

Proactive: Taking the initiative. Action of taking the first step.

When we are proactive we take steps to prevent clutter from coming into our homes. This could be by reducing the junk mail we receive. It could mean not “shopping till we drop” just because we are feeling down. It could also mean setting up a system to keep our bills and other paperwork organized and not left in piles to “take care of later”.

Consciously: Knowing what one is doing and why they are doing it.

When we are aware of what we are doing we can make better choices to move towards our goals. You go to the grocery store with a list so you only buy the things you need and not a lot of things you don’t need. It also means you shop for clothes knowing how they will work in your wardrobe. You don’t buy something “just because” you like it at that moment.

Instead of going through the day haphazardly you consciously plan it out and prioritize the things you want to accomplish. You learn to limit the time wasters like phone calls with friends and the too much time on the internet by setting a timer. After your time limit is up get back to what you were working on.

Intentionally: Doing things on purpose.

Intentionally is putting proactive and consciously together. You intentionally take actions to prevent clutter and disorganization from building up in your home. You intentionally pay attention to the routines and everyday things you do so that they are in line with your goal to get and stay organized. You clear out the clutter on purpose so you can live in a more comfortable and less stressful environment.

Make these words part of your everyday language and get off autopilot. You will accomplish more each day and by the end of the week you won’t be asking yourself what you did all week. All you have to do is look around and see your accomplishments.

Janice

 

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Organize Kitchen Cabinet Clutter

Sometimes all it takes is a simple tool to help keep an area organized. Unfortunately it is hard to know if the sales/marketers claims are true or a bunch of baloney. I’m sure you have bought items that claimed to help you become organized and decluttered. I know I have! But many of those items don’t live up to their hype.

Along the way I have bought many items that do work and I’m sure you have too. Today I want to share one simple item that has keep one of my kitchen cabinets organized for the past 17 years. It’s a wire rack that holds my cutting boards, cupcake tins, and cookie sheets that would otherwise be a mess.

 

When I bought those wire racks they cost me $11 each. They have been well worth the $22 spent. I saw on Amazon these same racks are selling for under $10 dollars. Your local stores that have kitchen supplies may have them at similar prices.

Look at your cabinets before you buy any tools to help you organize. A tool such as this wire rack will keep you organized but only if it fits your cabinets. You may have to look for some other tool that will work for your kitchen.

Do you have other tools that help your kitchen cabinets or drawers stay organized? Please leave a comment and let me know. Thanks.

Janice

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