Aim 4 Order

I have a file on my desk called “Random Organizing Tips and Helpful Websites” and this is my way of cleaning out the file AND sharing the items that might appeal to you.

Did you know that hiring a professional organizer has another benefit (besides helping you to get your home, office and/or life in order and feel tons better about yourself and life in general)? Occasionally we find a few dollars here and there or missing jewelry, etc when sorting through items with clients. I thought it would fun to tell you a few of the BIG FINDS of 2009 (so far!).

3 Birth Certificates
2 Car Titles
3 Passports
$400 in birthday gift cards
Plane tickets
$1,100 in savings bonds in a shoe box in the basement, now worth over $4,000
$60,000 in savings bonds discovered in a 12 year old file folder.

So – if you’re putting off scheduling a session with me – think twice – can you afford to wait any longer?!

And here we go with this month’s Tips and Tricks:

Speaking of savings bonds….
In the most recent AARP bulletin (yes, thank you, I’m a member now!)…..if you think you may have some long lost savings bonds, go to www.treasurydirect.gov and under “Individuals:What You Can Do” column, use the Treasury Hunt tool to plug in the bondholder’s Social Security number. Only bonds issued from 1974 to present will show up but for earlier bonds, you can write to Bureau of the Public Debt, PO Box 7012, Parkersburg, WV 26106-7012. Include as many details as possible, including names, addresses and approximate issue dates. If bond records are found, the bureau will let you know how to redeem them.

Some great e-cycling resources for you:

www.earth911.org – provides drop off sites and good advice about e-waste.

www.myboneyard.com – secure way to recycle, free shipping and ensures personal data are cleared.

US POSTAL SERVICE – new free mail back program for small electronics- envelopes provided in local post office branches.

Baltimore County Residents:

If you’ve misplaced your recycle schedule for your neighborhood, just go to www.baltimorecountymd.gov/go/collectionconnection for your schedule.

Get rid of hazardous waste from April to November (i.e. paints, motor oil, antifreeze, pesticides, fertilizers, mercury thermometers, ammunition) at the Eastern Sanitary Landfill, 6259 Days Cove Road in White Marsh. Call 410-887-3745 for more information.

Fix Windshield chips before they turn into a full crack – A repair can be done in your driveway for less than $100 (search “mobile glass-repair service” and your zip code online to find a company).

Great website for moms and dads – www.handmedowns.com – a one stop destination for buying, selling or donating gently used items.

Save money on airfare – www.yapta.com – helps you get a refund if you buy a ticket and the price later drops.

Online piggy bank – set up a free account at www.SmartyPig.com

Keep plugging and know that I’m an email or phone call away. I’d love to hear how you’re doing in your quest to Aim 4 Order!

Best regards to you and yours.

Cindy

Dear Friends,

Happy Fall to all!

I’d like to share with you a recent issue of Aim 4 Order’s “Tips and Tricks” – the Fall Issue is a bit longer than usual – but the list below is worth reviewing – and sharing – as it’s chock full of questions that can help you in your quest to declutter. This list was generated by a list serv that I am a member of through the National Association of Professional Organizers – so there is representation from many, many talented professionals. Let me know which question ‘spoke’ to you!

NOTE: Forgive me if this issue does not apply to you – most of the people I meet struggle with letting go of things – but if you do not, then perhaps you’ll share your secrets with us??

Questions to Ask When Decluttering

Is it useful and beautiful to me?
Is it a duplicate?
Is this the best place for it?
If I keep it, will I remember I have it?
If I remember I have it, will I be able to find it?
How am I going to display it? store it? use it?
Do I have room for it?
Do I need it or just want it or neither?
How long do I need to keep it?
When can I get rid of it?
Is it too worn/broken/unidentifiable?
Is the information still current?
Will I actually use it/refer to it?
When’s the last time I used it?
When do I think I will use it again (or for the first time) and what circumstances will have to be in place in order for me to use it?
Is this adding value to my life right now?
Can it easily be duplicated or created if needed again?
Can I borrow or purchase another one if needed?
What’s the worst that can happen if I toss it/donate it?
Will I really read it?
Am I really going to finish this quilt (or other project)? When?

For clothes:
Do I feel great in it?
Does it match anything?
Does it fit well?
Is this of high value or importance, or is it getting in the way of my ability to find what I need, when I need it?

Emotional Questions
Does it make me happy?
Does it make me unhappy to see it?
Does it make others unhappy to see it?
Do I love it?
Am I honoring and enjoying it?
Does it lift my spirits to look at it?
Where did it come from/who gave it to me?
Am I keeping it because someone gave it to me and I’ll feel guilty if I get rid of it?
If we took a picture of it, would that make it easier for you to let it go?
If you knew or visualized that someone else would really benefit from having this (for ex, if we found a great place to donate it?), would that make it easier for you to let it go?
Convince another person that you need to keep it.

When dealing with memorabilia:
Do I have anything else that reminds me of this (event, person, time)?
Am I putting things before people and relationships?

Financial/Legal Questions
Does it belong to me?
Am I legally required to keep it?
Is there a tax, or legal reason to keep it?
Will this help me make money?
Will this save me money?
Would I buy it again?
Does it take more time and effort to manage than it is worth?
If I was moving, would I want to pay to have it packed and moved?
What does it cost for me to keep, store and maintain it?
If I donate it, can I get a deduction?
If I sell it, what could I do with the money?

(These questions were compiled from members of the National Association of Professional Organizers’ list serve, 2008).

So – are you ready to get started? Pick a drawer, a tabletop, any space in the house….Just 15 minutes today? Go for it!

Holler if you need some extra support from Aim 4 Order. I would enjoy hearing from you.

Happy July to all! In honor of summer and vacations, I thought I’d pop in with some QUICK tips and tricks.

Pick one, any one, do it and then spend the rest of the month patting yourself on the back!

QUICK Tips & Tricks
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Dig out the carryout menus that may be crammed in a drawer or piled on a shelf. Recycle the duplicates, places you no longer call and put all the remaining menus in a giant envelope, see-through envelope or folder and label it “MENUS.”

Go through your coupons and recycle the expired ones – or better yet – save time, toss them all and start from scratch.

Go to your nearest vitamin/medicine cabinet and toss all out of date/expired bottles. Can you feel the space just opening up?!

Go to your spices cabinet and get rid of the old ones, the ones you don’t use or the ones with barely anything left. According to McCormick, the shelf life of properly stored spices and herbs is approximately 3-4 years for whole spices and seeds, 2-3 years for ground spices, 1-3 years for leafy herbs, and 1-2 years for seasoning blends. For more information, go to www.mccormick.com.

Pick one junk drawer in the house and see what you can toss or take to its rightful “home.” Every room needs a junk drawer but they work better if there’s room to put your junk in!

In closing…..
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For those of us who lean toward perfectionism – please see if you can “act as if” your attempts at decluttering and organizing don’t have to be done perfectly. Doing an average job is really ok. Like anything else in life, the more we do it, the better we get. Practice does make perfect but perfection does not need to be reached today.

Tell me how you’re doing – I’d love to hear from you!

Great news for all of us with old computers, televisions, cell phones and other outdated electronic gadgets!

Best Buy has just announced that Maryland is 1 of 8 states where it is testing a pilot program that allows customers to get rid of television sets, personal computers, printers, scanners, fax machines, computer mice, keyboards and cell phones for free. Customers can bring 2 items per day to a Best Buy store for recycling. They will NOT accept TVs larger than 32 inches, air conditioners, microwaves and appliances (but the Baltimore County Dump in Hunt Valley does!).

Participating Best Buys in the Baltimore-Metro area are Baltimore – Pratt Street, Towson, White Marsh, Annapolis, Columbia, Laurel, Security Blvd, Glen Burnie, Bel Air, Arundel Mills, Golden Ring and Owings Mills.

So – hurry and get started! Think of ALL the room and all the organizing you can do when the old stuff is gone!

For more information, call your nearest Best Buy today.

I just read about a wonderful FREE online service called Catalog Choice. This service was started by 3 environmental groups to help fight global warming by reducing the volume and waste of unwanted catalogs. Catalog Choice allows you to make a list of the catalogs you DON’T want to receive. The service then contacts the retailers with a request to take your name off the mailing lists you’ve chosen.

I’ve always hesitated to sign up for websites who knock you off ALL catalog lists because there are certain ones I DO like. This service sounds perfect to me.

If you’re interested, just go to www.catalogchoice.org and check it out. Their motto is “Simply your life and save natural resources.” What could be better?!

My original intent of this blog was to frequently (meaning more than once every 3-4 months!), pass along cool, helpful tidbits of information. Real life (work, family, etc.) has gotten in the way of the “frequently” goal, but nevertheless, here are a few tidbits.
It’s much easier to let go of “stuff” if you know it’s going to be used and enjoyed by those in need – don’t you think?!

SHOES – Soles4Souls distributes gently worn footwear to the needy, including victims of natural disasters worldwide. Go to www.soles4souls.org for more information on how to donate shoes or organize your own shoe drive.

Old stuffed animals, towels, blankets – go to your local animal shelter, SPCA, Humane Society. While hospitals no longer accept stuffed animals, our 4 legged friends LOVE a good ratty, smelly stuffed animal to chomp on (actually, my dog enjoyed our sofa, too but I don’t think the shelters have room for large pieces of furniture).

Old eye glasses – Donate used eyeglasses at a LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut or Pearle Vision store. The Gift of Sight Foundation provides free eye care and eyewear worldwide to those who can’t afford them. They will classify glasses by prescription and match them up to the right candidate.

Stay tuned for more tidbits on how to get rid of the stuff you don’t need.

Has this ever happened to you?? You buy the perfect card way ahead of time and by the time the occasion rolls around…you either can’t find the card or you completely forget to send it out? Well…….those days can be over!

I have been introduced to a wonderful system for keeping in touch with people painlessly and affordably. It’s called Sendoutcards and I would love to offer you a free gift account to try the cards out for yourself. You can choose from over 8,000 greeting cards, fill out a personalized message online and then……the best part….someone else puts the card in an envelope, puts a real stamp on it and MAILS it for you! You can even select the date that you want it mailed and/or do a year’s worth of cards at one sitting. It’s not only wonderful for birthdays and other special occasions, it’s a great tool for appreciating people in your business life as well as in your personal life. SO – if you’re interested, send an e-mail to cindy@aim4order.com and I will set you up with your very own free gift account so you can sample this product with absolutely no risk or cost to you.

Happy Spring to all! Today is a gorgeous, sunny day in Baltimore and I can hardly believe that winter’s over….or is it?

In today’s comics (The Sun), there was a very cute Cathy and it went like this:

Cathy and her mom are looking in Cathy’s closet…. 

Cathy’s mom:  Why do you still have this old thing, Cathy?

Cathy:  You gave it to me, Mom.

Cathy’s mom:  That was years ago! Get rid of it!

Cathy: I can’t!  It was from YOU!! I can’t get rid of something my MOTHER gave me!!

Cathy’s mom says to herself:  Why is it so hard for them to throw out our gifts…and so easy for them to dump our advice?

Hit home with anyone?! 

If you’d like to attend my free teleclass on Monday, March 19th at 9 pm, EST, please e-mail cindy@aim4order.com and I will give you the call in info. We’ll be talking and sharing ideas for “creative storage” of items in the home. Happy decluttering!!

I am pleased to invite you to join me in our first tele-class of the year and our topic will be “Paper Management in the Home.” The call will start at 9:00 pm EST and last approximately 30 minutes. I will speak on “Paper Management” for the first half and invite questions and tip-sharing for the second half.  The call is free – your only cost is the long distance call – and many folks can use free cell minutes. If you’d like to join in, please RSVP to Cindy@aim4order.com and I will send you the phone number and access code. Looking forward to a great call!

Something very exciting has happened this month! The national publication, Inside MS, has included me as an organizing expert in their feature story, Simply Your Life. The most exciting part is that I am hearing daily from folks around the country; folks who are affected by multiple sclerosis, and they are flocking to my website to find out more about getting organized in the new year. For those of you who don’t know my story, after 23 years, I “retired” from the National MS Society to pursue my dream of owning my own business.  My first passion though, is and was, finding a cure for MS.  I’m so happy that I can still contribute to people with MS in a different way. Come one, come all – hope to “see” you on my upcoming free tele-class in January (just e-mail cindy@aim4order.com if you’d like to be contacted when the date/time/topic is announced each month. Have a happy weekend and thanks for checking out my blog.