Spring is about to be sprung!  As the days quickly pass, the chance of getting a big snow storm in the Philadelphia area diminishes - yeah!  (You might be able to tell I am not a winter person - I love the summer.)

Well, since Spring officially begins next week, I thought it would be a good time to provide some Quick Tips for A Better Space when it comes to how to store out of season clothing.  
With a large closet, people are often tempted to keep all their clothes in the one spot and not rotate clothing seasonally. Unfortunately, this sometimes creates cramped closets and makes it hard to see what you really have in your current wardrobe. 

If you have a smaller closet, this is even more of an issue. 

If you can relate to this situation, I would suggest the following:

Store out-of-season clothing in plastic under-the bed containers or pretty cardboard boxes that can fit on top of your closet shelf.

Folded clothes should be stored with acid and dye-free tissue paper so they won’t be as wrinkled when pulled out for next season.

Fragrant, insect-repelling herb sachets are a good alternative to mothballs. They will keep your clothing smelling fresh and well protected without being potentially harmful to your family and the environment.

Any out of season clothes that need to be hung should be stored at the very back of the closet since they do not need to be readily accessible.  They should be stored in a garment bag to keep them clean and dust free in the off-season.  Avoid using dry cleaner bags for this purpose.  They should not be used at all, in fact, for any type of clothing protection and storage.  They trap the dry cleaning chemicals which stay on your clothes and can be harmful to your health and the environment.  Your clothes need to breathe so cloth garment bags are suggested. 

This is also a great time to look at what you have not worn the past season and get rid of it.  Chances are you won't wear it next year either.  Why pack away something you will not be wearing.  Make room for new purchases next Fall instead! 

You will need to start planning a time to set aside to convert your wardrobe from Winter to Spring and Summer so be prepared with the proper tools to do so.

For more information and assistance on this topic or any organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to help you reach your goals for organization and make your place A Better Space.

Have a great week!

Winter is coming to a close soon.  (I personally can't wait!)

Soon you might be taking those bulky winter coats or winter comforter sets and storing them away until next Fall.

Here's a truly Quick Tip For A Better Space:

In order to save lot's of space, I recommend purchasing vacuum storage bags, more commonly known as "Space Bags".

Vacuum storage bags are a simple way to make space for what matters most...other stuff!

Use them for out-of-season clothing, especially those bulky winter coats, extra or out-of-season bed linens and guest-bedding.  Don't forget to include the pillows! 

Vacuum storage bags are an ideal storage solution when space is at a premium.  These bags reduce bulk by 75% and are inexpensive and relatively easy to use. All you need is a household vacuum cleaner with a hose.

When purchasing the bags, I suggest purchasing various sizes and using a bag that is a bit larger than the items you want to store in them.  There is a line on the bag and the items should not extend above that line.  Otherwise, it won't work right.

Just lay the items flat in a jumbo or large storage bag and use your vacuum cleaner to evacuate the air.  The trick is to make sure the air does not escape again from the hole you just sucked the air out of.  A trick I use is putting a pencil in the cap that covers the hole and pushing the cover into the hole as soon as you remove the vacuum cleaner hose.   This reduces the chance of air escaping too quickly.

Then stack the bags as desired.

The vacuum storage bags have an air and watertight seal that keeps out moths, dirt, moisture; mildew; musty odors; and discoloration.  I would recommend not keeping them sealed for more than six (6) months at a time.  Just let the air back in and put in fresh air again; then you're good for another six months!

Another Tip: For added freshness, add a fabric softener sheet to the bag before shrinking.

So, when that linen closet is stuffed and there is no more room, try this idea to create A Better Space in your closet!

For more information and assistance on this topic or any organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to help you reach your goals for organization and make your place A Better Space.

I was doing some reading this week, as I always do, relating to professional organizing and came across the following statistic.   

Did you know that the average person wastes over 180 hours (that’s 7-1/2 days) and spends $3000 per year due to clutter and disorganization?

Wasted time is spent looking for lost objects. It’s spent fixing objects that got broken under piles of clutter. It’s spent shopping for replacements for lost items.

Wasted money is spent buying those replacements items. It’s spent on late fees incurred for those bills lost in a pile of clutter and not paid on time. It’s spent on videos, DVDs and library books not returned on time.

Understandably, these issues can cause anxiety and arguments with family members. When the home is too disorganized to provide a calm and relaxing place in which to relax, there is a problem. 

Simply by getting organized these issues can disappear!

Imagine...bringing renewed calm and tranquility back into your home again.  There is no need to waste your time nor your money any longer.  I can certainly think of better things to do with my time and money, can't you? 

If this bit of information doesn't get you thinking about getting organized, I'm not sure what would.  When it hits the pocketbook and your precious time, I would say that it should be sending up a red flag.  It's time to make some changes.

By using the services of a professional organizer, like myself, you will be putting your time and money towards a solution to resolve your clutter and disorganization once and for all.  It's an investment in your future.

For more information and assistance with any organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me.  I will be more than happy to help you reach your goal for an organized and tranquil environment by making your place A Better Space.

Since April 15th will be here before you know it, it brought to mind that you might need some Quick Tips for A Better Space when it comes to your finances:

If you are going to organize any one aspect of your life, I believe the most important is your finances.  If your finances are not in order, it can literally cost you money and may jeopardize your credit score.  That's very important and should not be ignored.  Using the following tips will reduce your chances of this happening:

1) All in one place.  

By keeping all of your financial records and files together in one place, you are on your way to getting organized.  If you can't find your bills, you can't pay them on time!

Create one central location for all of your pending bills. It can be a folder in a cabinet, a bin in your home office, a bill paying secretary (this is an accessory which sits on your desk top and has dividers in it for all 31 days of the month - not a person sitting on your desk paying your bills for you!)  Check this file once a week to ensure that you don't miss any deadlines.  

When new bills arrive, discard the outer envelope and all of the useless inserts. Put the bill and the return envelope into your Pending Bill file.  I suggest paying your bills 10 days ahead of their due date.  (These days, that doesn't give you much time, so plan ahead!)

2) Set yourself a schedule to pay bills and stick to it.

Select a time every week that is convenient for you and when you can have some peace and quiet without being interrupted.

3) Balance your checking account.

Although we all hate to do it, it's necessary.  However, if you balance your account on a regular basis--such as every time you pay bills--it will drastically cuts down on how far back you'll have to go to find a mistake.

If you use an online service to check your balance, you won't have to wait for your paper statement to arrive in the mail.  Also, if you use a system such as Quicken to keep track of your checking account, you can save yourself time and errors as well.

And, check your checking account balance often.  How many checks do you write?  How many deposits do you make?  You may want to check your account as often as once a day to once a week.  This is especially important if more than one person is using the account. This will help avoid those surprise ATM withdrawals that didn't get posted in your account register in time.  And list them chronologically!  It's so much easier to keep track of them that way.


4) Try direct deposit.

There are products out there that can make your life easier, such as direct deposit.  Just think, it will avoid your having to go to the bank to deposit your check, which will save you time and gas money.  Also, did you realize that direct deposits will often end up in your account before paper checks are given out!

5) Consider online bill paying.

Online bill paying is another great way to save yourself time and money! Rather than having to sit there and write a check, put a stamp on the envelope (more money) and hope that it gets there on time, you can simply visit the company's website and make an online payment. These days with all of the mail theft out there, it's actually much safer to pay your bills online.

Once you make a payment, make sure you print a copy of the confirmation for your records. If you prefer to pay bills only a couple of times a month, most companies will allow you to schedule your payment in advance and it's processed on your due date.  It doesn't get much easier than that!

6) Change your due date.

Contact your credit card company and request a due date in a specific part of the month.  This way you can count on when the payment will be made based upon your particular financial circumstances. 

7) Consolidate your accounts.

One way to simplify your finances is to eliminate any unnecessary accounts you may have. If you have an extra savings, checking, money market or investment accounts, consolidate them.  Even if there are minor fees associated with closing out accounts, it will be worth it.  You will not have to spend so much time keeping track of all those accounts, statements, etc.

8) Don't keep what you don't need.

You know all of those thick booklets you receive in the mail from brokerage houses? Those annual reports, etc. for stocks, bonds, investment accounts.  Unless you love reading them (Is there anyone who loves reading through or deciphering these reports aside from my dad?), toss them. You don't need them.  It just becomes clutter!

9) Make sure someone you trust knows about your financial picture.

Select someone who you trust and make them knowledgeable about what accounts you have and how to access these accounts. Tragedies do happen. Don't leave your loved ones in the dark as to how to sort out family finances in the event you're unable to.

Create a list of the company names, phone numbers, website addresses, account numbers, usernames and passwords and put it in a safe place for them to access if need be. It's also a good idea to check this information every quarter to make sure it's up-to-date. You can also file a copy of this information with your Will.

10) Make sure you have a Will.

The most important step you can possibly take to organize your finances is to have a current Will. Don't leave your loved ones with a huge financial mess.  If your estate is very simple, purchase a software package that will allow you to create a simple Will in the privacy of your own home in less than an hour. For a more complicated estate, please consult an attorney.  You don't want to create chaos for your family. It's best to insure that your wishes will be followed.  Don't put it off!  You just never know...

The moral of the story in reference to organizing your finances is to develop a plan that works best for you. Everyone's situations are different and what works for one person or family may not work for someone else.  And, when you find a system that works for you, be consistent.  Develop a consistent schedule and follow it.

Remember, this is the one area of your life in which you can't afford to be disorganized. By taking the simple steps listed above, you will be on your way to organizing your finances in no time and creating A Better Space!

For more information and assistance on this topic or any organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to help you reach your goals for organization and make your place A Better Space.

Have a great week!

This weekend I am giving a seminar on paper management at the Newtown Hadassah Career Women’s Network brunch in Newtown, PA. I thought this would be a good time to pass along some Quick Tips for A Better Space relating to the topic of reducing your junk mail.  

Do you have piles of mail that you can never seem to get through on a daily basis?

These are some secrets you can use to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive in your mail box on a daily basis:

One of the ways to get through it quicker and more efficiently, is to have less coming into your mailbox in the first place!

First, ask to be removed from mailing lists. Write to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735. Be sure to provide your name, street address and zip code. Request that they instruct their members to remove you from their mailing lists. Once you write, you'll remain on the opt-out list for 5 years, at which time you'll have to write again. The Direct Marketing Association estimates that listing with their mail preference service will stop 75% of all national mailings. You should notice a reduction of your junk mail within 6 months.

Second, ask for privacy. Every time you provide your name and address to receive a product, magazine or service, there's an excellent chance you're being added to one or more mailing lists. Whenever you have to give your contact information to anyone, always request that your information is not to be shared or sold. Most reputable companies will respect your privacy.

Third, watch out for the phone book. If you're listed in the phone book, your contact information for all practical purposes is public record. Consider an unlisted number. Or, at minimum, request that the phone company publish just your name and phone number, and exclude your address.

Fourth, return to sender. When you receive mail that is clearly junk mail that you don't want, write to the companies and ask to be removed from their mailing lists. Most will comply, as it's expensive to keep mailing to you if you're never going to buy. Envelopes with "Address Correction Requested" or "Return Postage Guaranteed" can be returned unopened by writing "Refused-- Return to Sender" on the envelope. The company will have to pay the return postage.

Fifth, don't register your new product such as electronics and major appliances.  Avoid sending in product registration cards, unless there's a good chance the product may be recalled on a safety issue. In most cases, when you register a product you purchased, the information you provide is used for direct mail purposes.

Sixth, contact your credit card company. They probably sell your name and address more often than any other company you deal with. Call and tell them that you don't want them sharing or selling your contact information with anyone. You can also call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT. Your request will be matched up with the credit bureau’s records. Visit www.optout.com for more information.

Seventh, you can request that a company stop sending you catalogs that you are not interested in. A quick way is to go on line to a brand new site called Catalog Choice. Just visit www.catalogchoice.org. It was recently featured on the Today Show and it’s free! Just select the catalogs you no longer want delivered to your home. If the ones you are interested in stopping are not listed, you can suggest others. It will take approximately 10 weeks for it to take effect, so be patient.

Eighth, avoid contests, sweepstakes or sign up for free or trial offers. Anytime you fill out an entry form to win something or get something for free, your name and address are likely being sold to other companies, which will result in unwanted mail.

These quick tips will result in a noticeable reduction in the amount of junk mail that comes through the door. At the same time, you will be helping to save the environment by reducing the amount of mail that is sent out! It’s a win, win situation!

For more information and assistance on this topic or any organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to help you reach your goals for organization and make your place A Better Space.

This past week I was asked by a current client of mine to help get her relatively new blended family better organized around the house. Anyone who has a blended family knows how difficult this can be.

So I put on my "Super Nanny" hat and went to her home and conducted a family meeting to get everyone involved and provide the parents with some guideline to use in setting up a Weekly Responsibility Chart, not only for their five children but the parents as well. We discussed how to create a Reward Chart so the children would be able to see on a weekly basis how they are progressing towards their rewards. We decided that both charts would be prominently displayed in a corner of their kitchen. The goal here is to create an atmosphere where the entire family functions as a unit.

The parents will now get together with each child one-on-one and together they will discuss which chores they will be responsible for on a weekly basis and how the reward system will work. The parents will also have their responsibilities listed on the chart. It is important for the children to see that the parents have responsibilities as well and what they are.

While there are thousands of tips that families can use to get and stay organized, here are some Quick Tips for A Better Space that any family can use to get started on the right path:

1. Hold Family Meetings

One of the best ways to keep the communication flowing with your immediate family members is to hold weekly family meetings. Set aside one day each week to sit around the table with everyone to discuss upcoming plans, fill in the family calendar, review upcoming family vacations, decide on weekly meals, address school issues, etc. Make this mandatory, even if your kids sigh at the thought. Keep it positive. Try to keep the meeting under 30 minutes.

2. Give Everyone Things To Do

The household chores and errands should never fall on one single household member's shoulders.  Most often they fall on Mom. Make a list of everything that needs to be done each week. Then assign tasks among all of the family members. And remember, even toddlers can help in one way or another. The responsibilities assigned should be age appropriate. It's best to teach family responsibilities from a young age.

3. Get On The Same Page With Your Spouse

Children need consistency. If you're always telling your kids to pick up after themselves, and your spouse lets things slide and either picks up after the kids or doesn’t even pick up after themselves, then your kids are going to get mixed messages. When husbands and wives make rules that they both agree upon, then the kids must adhere to them also. You will find that there will be much less resistance and frustration this way.

4. Make It Rewarding

If there's never a reward for doing something, what's the fun in that? Some families give kids allowances for doing their chores. Other families clean and organize together and then celebrate with a pizza party or a movie when everything is complete.

Younger children are generally thrilled to build up "stars" or "stickers" for jobs well done. They can then turn them in for prizes, like helping Mom bake cookies or going to the park with Dad. Older children tend to work better with either an allowance or the promise to be able to do something special. It’s best to build up towards the reward as opposed to taking away from the reward. Remember, keep it positive!

Working consistently to keep the family unit working well together takes some effort but the rewards for everyone involved are so rewarding.

So, besides decluttering and organizing the physical space in your home, I can help you organize the entire family to function better as a unit when it comes to household management.  

For more information and assistance on this topic or any organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to help you reach your goals for organization and make your place A Better Space.

HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR HOLIDAY DECORATIONS

Some of you might still need to put away those holiday decorations. Your holiday decorations can quickly overrun your household if there is no rhyme or reason to their organization. An easy and visual sorting system will allow you access to your holiday decorations quickly and easily. This system not only applies to Christmas, but also to Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Chanukah, etc.

I suggest either using clear plastic bins or color- related bins, such as orange bins with black lids for Halloween or red bins with green lids for Christmas. There are also pastel colored bins for Easter. You will find these on sale during the particular season, so stock up then. The color coordinated bins are a quick visual reference.

No matter what type of bin you use, I suggest placing a large label on the side of the bin that will be facing front. Not only title the bin by holiday, but list the basic contents it contains. By storing your decorations properly with labels, you can organize all of your decorations for the various holidays year round. Items will easily fit back in the same containers again when you are finished with them, as well. Personally, my family has about 10 to 15 bins of Christmas decorations which we store in our loft, but each bin is clearly labeled so we know immediately what they contain.

When it comes to Christmas lights and garland, it can be a frustrating mess if they are not stored properly. To avoid this chaos, invest in storage bins that are specially designed for these decorations. There are fantastic bins with spools you can snap on the inside that will allow you to wind your tree lights and beaded garland around. They not only save you the frustration of uncoiling, but also prevent knots from forming which lengthens the life of your decorations.

Now a days, there are many types of containers you can purchase either in your local store or on line to store your holiday linens, fragile decorations, tree ornaments, wreaths, artificial tree, outside lighting, wrapping paper and ribbon. And don’t forget the bubble wrap!

For more information and assistance on this topic or any organizing issue you might have, feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to help you reach your goals for organization and make your place A Better Space.

Welcome!  This is my first of many blogs!  My intention is to provide you with updated information about what is new and exciting in the world of organization and provide you with Quick Tips for A Better Space.  My goal is to write a new blog on a weekly basis. If I come across something I think you would be interested in, I might blog more often, so check back often to see what's happening!   Feel free to leave feedback at any time.  I appreciate your input. 

This web site has been up and running for the first time this week and I am excited to be able to bring you information you can use in your daily life.

Today, my first Quick Tip for A Better Space is called: 

TIME MANAGEMENT 101

With the start of the New Year, now is the time to get control over your time, rather than have time control you. For both entrepreneurs and individuals with flexible schedules, proper time management can be an invaluable skill when attempting to reach your goals.

Using a weekly planner, look ahead to next week.  First, block off the firm commitments like school or work. 

Next, decide on two to three blocks of time during the week that will be spent furthering your career ie., business reading or researching, networking and making contacts, catching up on emails etc.  

If you are a stay-at-home mom (or dad), create a block of time to accomplish your household management goals for that week, whether its running errands, paying bills, taking Billy to soccer, etc. or larger projects, like cleaning out a closet, planning a party, trimming the hedges. 

Sometimes, the larger projects will require more than one block of time, so look to the next week or even the week after in order to complete the project.  If you are under a deadline, keep that in mind when blocking out your time to be sure you get it done on time.  Don't procrastinate!  Working on your project on a consistent basis will get the job done.

Next add in blocks for leisure and exercise.  These are just as important.  If you take some personal time for yourself, you will feel more energized and better able to handle your other commitments and obligations.

By making time for the things that matter most, you’ll have better control over your schedule and won’t waste time doing things that are not moving you towards your goals.

For more information and assistance on this topic, feel free to contact me.  I will be more than happy to help you reach your goals for organization and make your place A Better Space.