A Simple Way to Stop Junk Mail

41pounds.org is a non-profit organization designed to help stops your junk mail and catalogs — protecting the environment. Junk mail wastes an incredible amount of natural resources and contributes to global warming. Our nonprofit service covers your entire household for five years, saving...

Time — No credit card offers to shred or unwanted catalogs.
Trees — Keep 100+ million trees in forests, cooling the planet.
Water — Protect 28 billion gallons of clean water.
Climate — Junk mail produces more C02 than 9 million cars.
Planet — We donate to your favorite charity when you sign up.

Go to http://www.41pounds.org/ and stop getting junk mail today!

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog. My name is Sarah Buckwalter and I have been a Professional Organizer for over 10 years. I've created this blog to share some great tips and ideas to help you organize all areas of your life! Happy Organizing!

Holiday Organizing Tips

These tips will help guide you through a simplified, stress-free holiday season. Well, almost stress-free...unfortunately we can't de-clutter your house guests!
Tip #1 - Be Prepared
1. Create a holiday planner. Use a basic multi-subject notebook. Create sections for gift lists, holiday card lists, menu planning, decorating, coupons, etc. Bring it with you everywhere, so you can always reference it or add to it.
2. Schedule realistically. You don't have to say "yes" to every invitation. Leave time for yourself and stick to the routines that keep you stress-free, like going to the gym and getting a good nights' sleep.
3. Do a wardrobe check. Make sure you have the perfect party outfit. Stock up on a few key pieces that can be mixed and matched.
4. Hire a cleaner. Arrange to have a cleaner come a few days before your guests. Then you'll only have to worry about doing some last minute tidying.

Tip #2 - Shop Smart
1. Start shopping early. Many retailers are already offering holiday discounts. Do your homework. Make a list and check it twice. Include a budget. This will cut down on wasted trips to the mall and over-spending.
2. Shop Online. Online retailers allow you to shop around and find the best prices. Many retailers are now providing free shipping. Visit our Holiday Resources page for some coupons and gift suggestions.

For a complete list of holiday tips, please visit our website: www.organizingboston.com/holidaytips.html

Happy Holidays!

Don't Toss, Recycle!

Does your office have a paper recycling program? If not, it's easy to set one up. There are many recycling companies that will pick up barrels of paper for a small fee. In Massachusetts, I am a fan of Earthworm recycling. But, there are companies nationwide. All you need to do is make a phone call, order some plastic recycling bins (or put a sign on regular trash bins to designate them as paper only), and put them under everyone's desk. I first did this at a small company (40 employees) I worked for 10 years ago. A few people teased me, and my boss was reluctant, but I pushed for it and got the program going. The first month the recycling program sent me a report. We had saved 35 trees that month (that's almost one tree per person!). The company still uses the system today. In 10 years – that's over 4,200 trees saved! All I did was take initiative. You can, too!

How to Set up an Effective Paper Filing System

First…make sure you have a good quality, full suspension file cabinet, with enough space to hold all of your files.

To Begin
Use separate filing drawers for business and personal files.
Use 5-tab, letter size hanging file folders and 3-tab manila file folders to go inside.
Use headers and sub-headers to divide the files into categories.
Name the files the way you think of them.
Label the tabs well.
File alphabetically if that works for you, otherwise file by category.
To save space, open and unfold documents (bank statements, stock reports, etc).
Staple documents, do not paperclip them.

To Maintain
Regularly weed out old files.
Only current files should be in your file cabinet. Keep long term, archival files in a cardboard or plastic box and put away. Date and label the box.

For a complete list on managing your paperwork, please email us at organizingboston@yahoo.com

Spring is here!

With a temperature of 60 degrees here in Boston today, I found myself pulling out my bins of summer clothes and trying things on for fit. (Sadly, not everything fit as we as last year). Now is a great time to asses your wardrobe and purge clothing.

Use these following guidelines:
1. If you haven’t worn it all winter, toss it! There is no sense in letting them waste valuable storage real estate for another year.
2. If it doesn’t fit, toss it! Be realistic about the clothes that you are keeping in hopes of fitting into them again. If you do lose weight, wouldn’t you rather treat yourself to a nice, new outfit?
3. The same rules apply to shoes. Those boots that were oh-so-cute last fall are still sitting in the box, unworn and the shoes that you wore every day are water-stained and completely worn out. Don’t worry, there will be plenty more cute boots next fall.

To help let things go with ease, just think of all the cute spring outfits you can buy to replace them!

10 Traits that Make you Filthy Rich

This article appeared in the Wall Street Journal last week. The #3 trait on the list was "Organization".

The article states:
"Being organized can make you more productive and ensure that all the many issues pertaining to personal finances are addressed.
It means not paying late fees, not buying two of everything, knowing deadlines that can affect your finances and getting more done in less time. All these can greatly benefit your finances."

Think beyond your physical space. Are you paying late fees for overdue bills? Think of how much this is costing you. Getting organized will save you money!