Reduce tax time stress with planning and organization

I filed my tax return today! And all 2009 documents are filed safely away with my tax return. Because of my organized filing system, it took less than an hour to gather everything together. This is a huge improvement over past years when I didn’t have any system in place. Every year I procrastinated until the last minute because it was such a chore to find everything and organize it before I could even begin working on the return.

Are you guilty of procrastinating when it comes to doing your taxes? Is it because avoiding tackling the mountain of receipts and documents that have been piling up for the past 12 months? Follow these easy steps to make this season less taxing.

Tax time is inherently stressful for people because they realize that they need to organize their important documents but they don’t know where to begin. In reality, tax time is the perfect opportunity to get organized and to develop a system that will work for you for years to come. This is what made the difference for me.

With the tax deadline looming, try these suggestions to make this season less stressful.

1. Prepare for tax time by making an electronic checklist of documents you will need based on your returns from the last few years. Create the checklist by reviewing your tax returns from previous years and attach it to the inside flap of your tax folder. Also, organize your documents by category such as income, deductions, exemptions and miscellaneous. For instance, deductions would include mortgage interest, property taxes and residential energy credits. Exemptions could include vehicle registration and taxes, medical expenses, contributions to IRAs and student loan interest paid. By checking off the items as they are received, you will know which documents have arrived and which ones you are still waiting for.

2. Purge files of monthly bills from the previous year and set up a filing system for the current year that includes receipts, credit card and bank statements, medical expenses and utility payments. It is best to shred any documents before you discard them. Only keep prior year documents that are needed to support a prior year tax return.

3. Place current tax records and other important documents in files that are clearly marked and easily accessible. After your tax returns have been filed, place your copy of the return and all supporting documents into a secure file, preferably something with a closed top like a Smead Expanding File, label it for the tax year, and store in a secure location with previous years’ returns. If you prepared your tax return electronically, place a disk with backup copies in the file for safekeeping. The picture shows what I use and it has worked great for many years.

4. Plan ahead for next year by setting up a filing system for documents and receipts for the current year. In January, get a jump start on this year’s tax return by setting up an expanding file with sections labeled for income, expenses and taxes. Place documents like payroll stubs, 1099s and statements from your financial institution in the income section; receipts for tuition expenses, real estate transactions and donations in the expense section; and receipts for tax expenses in the tax section. If you store the file close to where you sort your mail and file the documents as they are received, the papers will be ready for you when you begin working on next year’s tax return. I love the FileSolutions Home Filing System, a ready-made colorful home filing system that makes filing easy.

5. Preserve tax returns indefinitely and store supporting tax documents (which can be destroyed after seven years) in a file labeled with the year and the destruction date. Be sure to check with your tax advisor before destroying any documents.

6. Put Your Feet Up and know that you are ready for next year!

With April 15th rapidly approaching, hare a few free sites that offer free filing services:

• http://free.free1040taxreturn.com/
• http://www.fileyourtaxes.com/Alliance
• http://www.eztaxreturn.com/scriptsez/start.exe/eztax/p/alliance2009/start.html?r_link=www.irs.gov
• http://www.efiletaxreturns.net/home.aspx
• http://www.completetax.com/FFAindex.asp?welcome=GY1318083
• http://www.taxactonline.com/index.asp?sc=0850302
• http://free.123easytaxfiling.com/
• http://www.1040now.net/freefile.htm
• http://www.free-tax-return.com/2008/
• http://www.icanfreefile.org/
• http://www.taxslayer.com/americanpledge/default.aspx?source=ihtffgtsd
• https://www.taxsimple.org/index.aspx
• http://onlinetaxpros.com/index.php?linkid=ff
• http://citizentaxfree.com/
• http://www.esmarttax.com/freefederalfile.asp
• http://www.olt.com/main/oltfree/default.asp
• http://turbotax.intuit.com/taxfreedom/
• http://www.freetaxusa.com/
• http://www.hrblock.com/taxes/partner/index.jsp?otpPartnerId=180

 Here’s to a tax season with less stress!!

Get Organized with 5 Boxes, a Bag and a List

The most common reason I hear from clients that prevent them from tackling an organizing project is “where do I start?” Many folks get overwhelmed at this stage, feel defeated, and don’t ever get started.
With any large project, it is most effective to break it down into manageable steps, then focus on just one step at a time. The formula below provides a step-by-step process for tackling any organizing project.

Five Boxes, a Bag and a List is all you need to organize your home or office, one room or area at a time! Let’s get started.

1) Gather your supplies –

• 5 large, easy to store cardboard boxes or plastic bins. These boxes will become your decluttering tools for rooms to come!
• A large trash bag
• A couple of Sharpie markers
• A pad of paper
• A timer

2) Commit the time – from 30 to 60 minutes

3) Assign each box a purpose – write on a piece of tape or tape a piece of paper on each box with these words (1 per box):

• KEEP IT
• ROUTE IT
• GIVE IT
• SELL IT
• STORE IT
• TOSS IT

Now You’re Ready to Simplify Your Space:

4) Choose the space to declutter and set your timer for a predetermined time of 30 to 60 minutes. Allow for an additional 10 minutes for final clean up and routing misplaced items. If time is up before the room is finished, remember or mark where you stopped.

5) Line up your labeled boxes, trash bag, and keep the pad of paper close by. Start sorting items beginning on the left side of the room and work left to right. Here’s what goes in each box:

• KEEP IT – place in this box only those items that you love or can identify a specific purpose for current use. These are items that will be kept in the space you are currently working in.
• ROUTE IT – collect items that you will be keeping, but do not belong in the this room. The goal is for you to stay focused on the room you have committed to. By placing items in this box that need to go to another space, rather than taking them now, will keep you from getting distracted in other rooms. This box will be dealt with later.
• GIVE IT – collect treasures that are no longer needed or wanted, but are in good condition. This box can be donated to your favorite organization. There are many worthy organizations who will pick up your discarded treasures, saving you the time and physical work of loading it in your car.
• SELL IT – with the popularity of auction sites like eBay, you can easily make money on the treasures that you uncover. If you don’t have an interest in learning how to sell on-line, you can take your items to a local ‘auction drop-shop’ or ‘trading post’, as they are commonly called. For a percentage of the final sale price, the drop shop will handle the selling process for you. If you have no interest in selling your items, eliminate this box.
• STORE IT – collect items you are unsure of (keep or purge), close up the box at the end of this decluttering session, and place a scheduled toss/donate date on the box. If items in this box are not accessed by that date, you have just proven to yourself that the items inside are not needed or missed. After the dispose of date, deliver the box unopened to the charity of your choice.
• TOSS IT – use the trash bag to collect trash, items that are in poor repair, non-sellable/givable items, or you have no idea what it is.
• THE LIST – collect To-Dos or reminders. While decluttering, you may remember tasks you haven’t completed and be tempted to act on them. Don’t be distracted from your current project of decluttering to handle a ‘To do’. Add the ‘To do’ to your list and forget it for now. Stay focused on the current project of decluttering your space.

When the timer goes off take the clean up time to:

• Empty the KEEP IT box in the space where they go
• Empty the ROUTE IT box – take items in this box out of the space you were just working in and put them away in the spaces where they go
• Throw out the items in the TOSS IT bag – get the TOSS IT stuff out of your space immediately
• Store the STORE IT box in a place where you have access if needed, and you can see the “toss by” date.
• Schedule a time to donate the GIVE IT box and decide the best venue for selling your SELL IT items (i.e., consignment store, auction drop-shop, do-it-yourself auction selling, garage sale)
• Schedule the To-Do’s on your list.

Continue this process consistently in 30 to 60-minute time blocks and you’ll soon have a newly decluttered space that you can enjoy again.

Originally posted 2008-08-18 06:42:50. Republished by Old Post Promoter

How to Avoid the Linen Closet Avalanche

Oh how easy it is to accumulate a large collection of mismatched and worn-out linens that crowd shelves in heaps, so jammed together that when you tug for a towel or reach for that yellow sheet, everything comes tumbling down.

With these tips, whipping your linen closet into shape will be one of the easiest organizing projects you’ll tackle. And it’s an excellent way to feel you have at least one thing under control.

Sort, Purge and Organize
First, sort all your towels and sheets to determine which are worth keeping and which should go. Turn worn-out and thread-bare towels and sheets into rags or garage dust covers.

Have you ever thought about how much is enough when it comes to linens. A guideline that I uncovered is that you don’t need more than three sets of sheets per bed and as few as three sets of bath sheets or towels, hand towels, and washcloths per person (more if you change towels daily.) This gives you one set in use, one in the hamper, and one in the closet ready for action. You’ll need only one or two sets for guests (one on the bed and one in the hamper or closet).

Resist the temptation to hoard extra sets for emergencies. Honestly, what emergency could occur that you would need extras, ones that really just sit in a closet and never to see the light of day? Use the one-in/one-out inventory rule to keep your inventory under control. When you acquire a new set, retire an old one.

Give your linens room to breathe
There are few things more refreshing than the fragrance of clean sheets and towels. But if your linen closet is crammed full, you’ll actually cause the opposite to occur. Textiles experts indicate that air flow is important to the safe storage of most textiles. If linens are crowded without room to breathe the fibers retain moisture, which attracts mold, mildew and possible permanent damage to the fabric. Experts recommend airing out your linens every three months to eliminate trapped moisture. If you find you have musty smells in your linen closet, experts suggest that you can chase away mustiness with an open container of baking soda, activated charcoal, or calcium carbonate.

Over the next several months I will be featuring excerpts of my new book and family chore system ‘Mom, Can I Help Around the House? A Simple Step-by-step System for Teaching Your Children Life-long Skills for Pitching in and Picking up’ To learn more about the book, visit: www.KidsandChores.net

I start this series with an explanation about why, as an Organizing Consultant, I felt this topic of calming the chaos by getting kids on board to contribute to household maintenance was so necessary to write about and put forth.

In my work with clients for the past four years, I’ve observed many characteristics in chaotic homes, but here I focus on four major characteristics that I’ve found to be most common.

1. Lack of systems and homes for belongings
Without systems and procedures, each time a task is performed; it’s like reinventing the wheel. Time, energy and productivity are lost. In addition, if belongings do not have consistent homes, then again, time, energy and productivity are lost when searching for needed items. Without systems and regular homes for belongings, family members have nothing to count on in the home, like “this is the process for performing this task, or this is where we put this item.”

2. Children not consistently performing home maintenance tasks as an active member of the family team
Let me share with you one lesson I’ve learned in my many years as an Organizing Consultant and parent of two … you cannot truly gain control of your home and achieve an organized lifestyle if your children are not an active and contributing member of the family team working toward the common goal of keeping the home picked up, organized, and running smoothly.

From my observation, the less the children are given clear home maintenance expectations (chores) and consequences for not performing these expected tasks, the more chaotic and disorderly is the home, and the more frazzled and overwhelmed is the home manager.

3. Procrastination runs rampant in chaotic homes
Procrastination is a bad habit. There is really nothing positive that comes from choosing to procrastinate. In the organizing world we define it as a delayed decision. There are many causes of procrastination, most notably our increasingly fast paced 24/7 lifestyle, but essentially, procrastination is an impulse to delay an action or decision until a later time. Procrastination is always present in disorganized and chaotic homes. Procrastination often spreads to all family members – when one person gets away with it, it opens the door for others to adopt the same behavior.

4. More stuff comes into the home than leaves
With the massive debt that the average American carries, it is no surprise that our homes are bursting at the seams with over purchasing and consumption. Common in chaotic homes, are often few limits placed on how much stuff comes into the home. Impulse purchasing is common, with little analysis about the purpose of a new purchase or where it will be stored once home. Then as a result of our busy lives, we never get around to the drudgery of purging little used and no longer valued stuff. Without regular efforts to equalize our stuff (eliminate equal amounts of existing stuff as new stuff is brought home), our homes are soon bursting at the seams and in a state of chaos.

There are many more common characteristics than the four I’ve detailed above, but these major characteristics will give you some food for thought. Can you identify your own household in any of these characteristics?

Originally posted 2008-08-22 08:57:18. Republished by Old Post Promoter

How to Set-up a System to Keep Important Life Documents in One Place

How many times have you torn apart your house trying to find an important document? Often times these documents contain important pieces of your life that need to be in easy access, especially in an emergency. For most people organizing the documents and items that make up our lives is not a priority until there is a crisis. Then most will search frantically for the needed information only to waste time and increase stress.  Take it from a Professional Organizer who has worked with hundreds of clients who put this uneccessary stress upon themselves because they haven’t been proactive to design a system or were not aware that there are ready-made products available that will solve these paper clutter issues. Before the next crisis, set up a system to keep all your important documents in one place.

Ahh … imagine the relief of immediately finding any piece of needed information in the exact location you expect it to be.  I searched and found a couple of great products/solutions that solve just this dillema for my clients. Each serve as a central repository for important life and family documents, designed to be kept in easy access.

LIFE.doc  is a ready-made binder by Buttoned Up to keep all of the critical information of your life together. Life.doc has eight tabbed sections designed to organize all of the pieces of information that are needed for most people to keep one’s personal life in control.

These eight sections that encompass the most critical areas of life are:

• family basics
• in sickness & in health
• insurance
• dollars & sense
• legal ease
• caregiver information
• home sweet home
• emergency plan

It also comes with an accompanying CD-ROM with interactive forms that work with Microsoft Word (PC or MAC) making it easy to complete forms digitally and save them to a computer.

This comprehensive and bright red sturdy binder composed of 120 pages of straightforward forms for easy access are a roadmap that make it painless to get organized.  Life.doc will give you and your family the peace of mind that whatever information that you may need will be easy to find. This is the way to make sure that your house stays in one piece the next time that you need to find a piece of your personal information.

The VALUABLES.doc is another way that you can keep the things that you need in your life in one place and inventoried. This is a complete kit that will make it easy for you to catalog and keep track of all of your belongings.

• Valuables.doc binder by Buttoned Up includes:
  Eight tabbed sections for you to record all of your valuables room-by-room
• Jewelry
• Collectibles
• Family/living room
• Kitchen
• Dining room
• Bedrooms
• Basement
• Other

So, if and when disaster may strike in your life, (remember Hurricane Katrina?) you will have the necessary documentation to recoup the loss of many of the valuable keepsakes in your life.

POCKET.doc

The Pocket.doc provides simple to fill out forms that easily fit into a wallet, purse or backpack. So you have critical emergency, medical, and contact information when and where you need it.

The Pocket.doc by Buttoned Up includes:
Three sections to ensure that you have your emergency plan, medical information and important phone numbers when you need it. What’s great about this little record book is that it is the size of a credit card and easily fits in wallets, backpacks, glove compartments and briefcases.

Perfect for busy families on the go.

Each of these products would make a practical gift for your loved ones.

Visit The Simplified Home to learn more and to purchase.

Originally posted 2009-10-22 16:18:22. Republished by Old Post Promoter

FEBRUARY is Archive Your Files Month

What’s the shape of your home filing system? Are your filing drawers stuffed so full that it’s nearly impossible to get another piece of paper into – or out of – them? This is sure to create additional piles around your file cabinet(s) because its such an inconvenience to get the filing done.

Once a year, you should schedule time to review your files and purge as much as possible, leaving room for next year’s papers. Consider these tips for maintaining a lean and accessible home filing system.

DETERMINE WHAT TO KEEP

As you sort through papers, ask yourself, “When will I really need this again?” “Can it be easily recreated or retrieved elsewhere?’ Don’t hang onto things unless you have a really good reason! Be ruthless – remember, 80% of the things you file will need get referred to again!

KEEP RECORDS RETENTION GUIDELINES IN MIND 

Your accountant, attorney, or professional organizer can tell you which documents you should keep for legal and tax purposes. Think in terms of what you would need to have to support your tax return. If there is no tax implication for a piece of paper on a current or past tax return, there is likely no purpose to hold onto the paper.  

SOME PAPERS CAN BE IMMEDIATELY TOSSED

Instruction manuals for products you no longer own, old research materials, previous drafts of letters, out-of-date magazine and articles, and receipts for items past their return date can be discarded.

STASH IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS IN A SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX or HOME SAFE

It is imperative that you stock your safety deposit box or home safe with the following papers (originals):

• adoption and citizenship papers
• passports
• birth, death, and marriage certificates
• deeds
• divorce decrees
•  insurance policy papers
• lease agreements and loan documents
• mortgage papers
• personal property appraisals (jewelry, collectibles)
• Social Security cards
• stock and bond certificates
• vehicle titles
• copies of wills and powers of attorney papers

And don’t forget to LOCK your home safe each time you access it. Most home safe’s are NOT fireproof if the lock is not engaged.

Setting up a home filing system can be a time-consuming chore, so I found a great ready-made filing system FILESOLUTIONS Home Filing System, that takes about an hour to set up, and it lasts a life-time. I’ll soon do a detailed review of this product, but for now, here’s more information about this essential ready-made filing system.

My Journey to an Organized Life!

Welcome to my little corner in cyber-space!

I’m so excited to share with you tips and strategies that I’ve learned as a Professional Organizer for the past 4 years and from my own struggles with getting and staying organized.

I’ll admit it right here … I was not born with the “organizing gene.” In my younger years, my mother used to declare that my room resembled the aftermath of a tornado that had blown through. As an adult, I teetered on the fence between being mildly disorganized to feeling completely out of control. Like I hear from so many clients, I thrived within the structure and routine of a corporate environment, but in my personal life, I was a disorganized mess!

Perhaps you can relate to my experience? I didn’t recognize the need for systems and structure in my home life like was inherent in the corporate world. After all, what did I need systems and processes in my home, where I was my own boss. I didn’t recognize the negative effects of a disorganized environment. And as long as I didn’t invite anyone over, my secret was safe. What a way to live?!

My transformation toward an organized home life began in 2002, following the adoption of my second daughter from Russia at age 3 1/2. WOW did life change after Alena’s adoption. I hear this from so many of my clients … the life I knew before kids was now a distant memory, and I lacked the skills to dig myself out of the mess once it started spiraling out of control. It was then that I recognized that these issues no longer involved just me. If I didn’t get my act together, my kid’s lives would be impacted too, and that realization was my wake-up call.

They say that “necessity is the mother of invention.” It surely was for me! I began to immerse myself in all things organizing, from books to decluttering sessions by myself and with a clutter buddy, teaching and enlisting help from my kids, to trying new organizing products. I began to recognize that our home operates not unlike a business, with departments, rules, consistent systems, behaviors and habits. Once I made that connection and began viewing our family life like a small operation, the solutions for improvement became crystal clear.

In 2004, after the transformation of our home, my passion grew to share my newfound knowledge and skill with others who were struggling as I had. Simplified Spaces was born in early 2004 and I haven’t slowed down since. So you see, I wasn’t born with the organizing gene, like so many assume to be the case for us organizing types.  Rather I came to the profession as a Professional Organizer after my own life transformation that developed into a desire to share my epiphany with others.

I can’t wait to share with you through The Organizing Genie blog what I’ve learned personally and through my profession as a Professional Organizer. I am confident that you can experience the same transformations in your home and family!

So what are the benefits of home organization? Why should we care? Well, the benefits are huge and our health and wellness depends on it. From kids and chores to tips on space planning, to reviewing the latest and greatest products, I invite you to join me every Monday, as we explore and learn the recipe to achieving The Simplified Home.

Wishing you Simplified Spaces …

Janet
The Organizing Genie

Originally posted 2008-08-15 07:34:49. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Are you Guilty of Having ‘Food Clutter’?

Does your family have a lot of food clutter? You know, the unused portions of veggies, rice or pasta from last night’s dinner that no one wants to eat? Those little bits of bread or rolls left in the bag or the uneaten popcorn? Or the two for one special that you couldn’t pass up? It seems that no matter how much we try to save money, it’s easy to buy too much food for our family and create unnecessary waste. It’s really a shame that so many people throw out perfectly good food. A recent poll announced that Americans throw out at least 30% of consumable food. That’s akin to throwing one meal into the garbage disposal a day! Wow, that is too much, especially when so much of the world’s population goes without the luxuries that we as Americans take for granted every day.

To help reduce some of this food waste, here’s a great resource I learned about from fellow Professional Organizer Lorrie Marrero of the Clutter Diet. This website, based out of the UK, asks you to type in leftover ingredients that you have and it returns a recipe to use up these ingredients, instead of throwing them away! What a wonderful idea to reduce waste and create new healthy meals for your family. Here’s the link if you’d like to check it out yourself: http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.

Another way to reduce impulse food purchases is to always make a list before going to the grocery store. Just like when making merchandise purchases, each food purchase you make should have a specific purpose for buying it. Here’s a handy grocery list pad that you can affix to your frig. and ask family members to circle items as they are depleted – All Out Of pad. Then take that list to the grocery. No need to write out a grocery list each time.

Originally posted 2008-09-17 15:16:23. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Create an Exit Strategy and a Drop Zone

You’re running late (again) and in a panic, you’re trying to get your kids and yourself out the door to school and work. Everyone is running around frantically to find what they need to leave the house with … backpack, cel phone, address book, hat, gym shoes … Does this sound familiar?

This was the scene at our house a few years ago too. What we needed in our home, and now as a Professional Organizer, I find that most of my clients need as well, is an’ exit strategy’ and a ‘drop zone.’ This is an area where items live that need to leave the house with you, as well as where appropriate items ‘drop’ when you arrive home. Items that need consistent homes in this area are:

• A checklist for leaving the house
• List of errands to run
• Keys, cel phone, PDA
• Purse
• Backpack
• Lunch box
• Coats, boots, hats, gloves, etc.
• Briefcase, laptop
• Merchandise returns, charity drop-offs, post office run items
• Umbrella
• Dog leash
• Sports equipment / musical instruments
• Towels for wiping dirty feet
• Trash can for dropping junk mail as you enter the house

To establish your own exit strategy and drop zone, identify (make a list) all the items that are regularly brought into the house and all the items that typically need to leave the house with you each day.

Next, determine the best location (home) for these items to live, in close proximity to the door that your family typically enters and leaves the home. Often this is through the garage. In many clients’ homes, I have arranged baskets to hold cel phones, PDAs, keys. In addition, hooks as the home for backpacks, umbrellas, dog leach, keys. What has become popular in many homes is a locker system where each family member has their own “cubby” or “locker” for holding their own belongings needed. Where space and budget allow, I have often brought in a closet contractor to construct a locker/cubby system for my clients.

A helpful tool for storing hats, gloves, scarves for all family members is to add a vertical over the door shoe holder (typically used to hold shoes vertically on a closet door). The younger kids have the lower pockets, older kids the middle pockets and the adults the top pockets. This way everyone has access to their own items and they can easily be seen through the clear pockets.

With all the electronics we carry daily, it is also important to have a consistent home to charge electronics, like cel phone and PDA. There are now docking stations available for purchase that allow you to charge all your equipment in one station.

After you have identified and strategized what needs to be located in your exit / drop zone and where the best home is for these items, it is critical that you communicate your new system to all family members. When everyone knows that there is a plan, and where the home is for their belongings, they will be more likely honor that system. When there are no consistent homes for belongings, clutter ensues.

Make a “Checklist for Leaving the House” unique to your household, or purchase the “Checklist for Leaving the House” pad for sale here at: http://www.onlineorganizing.com/ProductsPage.asp?name=Checklist_For_Leaving_The_House and keep it next to the door where you exit your home. This becomes your daily checklist and reminder so you don’t have to depend on memory when you’re rushed.

The key to creating and maintaining these areas is to know what you need to store, make the space, establish consistent homes for the items, and communicate the system to all family members. Soon the stress and chaos of the morning exit and afternoon drop will be a thing of the past.

Originally posted 2008-08-19 09:48:36. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Finally Get Organized in 2010 with a Declutter Challenge

One of the most interesting Declutter Challenges that I have come across is one called the “2010 in 2010 Declutter Challenge”. The concept is easy, and the results are huge! You simply choose one way to make the challenge work for you, and during the year 2010, declutter away! Keep track on a calendar and look forward to a having a much more organized home by the end of the year!

The first idea to get rid of 2010 ITEMS. Big items, small items, multiple part items, items from your garage, items stuffed into your attic, items that you can’t recall who gave them to you, items of which you have too many, items you never use or read any more.  If you are worried that you won’t be able to get rid of 2010 items, don’t forget that “get rid of” doesn’t have to only mean “throw away”. USE UP that huge supply of shampoo in your bathroom storage cupboard instead of buying new product! USE UP that overload of detergent, or that bulk purchase of canned tomatoes! As long as you are REDUCING YOUR CLUTTER item by item, you are succeeding in your challenge!

The second idea is to commit to decluttering for 2010 minutes in 2010! If you do the math, you will discover that it’s only about 45 minutes per week! Less than 10 minutes per day… which is not much at all, is it? 10 minutes of commercials well spent? 10 minutes of waiting for your ride to come? Have a small declutter project for the week, set the timer at 45 minutes, and simply declutter your way down to zero each week!

A third idea is to declutter 2,010 pounds of “stuff”! I know it sounds like a lot, and it is. However, this Declutter Challenge may be perfectly suited for those who have excess furniture taking up space that they would love to get back, stacks of heavy catalogues or magazines stashed in the basement, or a garage piled high with who-knows-what. Purchase or borrow a basic scale, or ask the weight at the dump where you drop off your big load. Decluttering 2,010 pounds from your house in the year 2010 will no doubt give you a lot more space, and get rid of a lot of unnecessary clutter!

If you take the 2010 in 2010 Declutter Challenge in any of the forms suggested, or if you adjust it to suit your own particular needs, you will take a huge leap towards your desired clutter-free state. Enjoy your challenge and get clutter free!

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?The-2010-in-2010-Declutter-Challenge&id=3588705] The 2010 in 2010 Declutter Challenge

Reduce Household Spending One Coupon at a Time

Everyone is worried about the current state of our economy, with good reason. But much of what is going on globally is out of our control.  What we do have control over is how we spend our own money.

One of the easiest ways to reduce household spending is to use coupons when you shop. It’s a no brainer … if you found fifty-cents, seventy-five cents … a dollar on the floor, wouldn’t you pick it up and feel like luck was on your side that day? Isn’t using coupons like finding money on the floor?  You bet! Yet a small percentage of Americans even use coupons, let alone have a system for organizing, storing and redeeming coupons. Consequently they spend much more of their hard-earned money on household purchases than necessary. Yes, it takes some time to get set-up ~ all the more reason to have an organized system in place to greatly reduce the time it takes to use this free money when you shop. I’ll be highlighting three tools and systems here that you can use to stay organized and find the most savings possible with coupons.

To get started learning about the world of couponing, I found a helpful guide written by a money-conscience mom Stephanie Nelson, Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom. This 165-page guide is a quick read and a great resource to help you learn how to find, clip, sort and organize coupons for saving money on every household purchase. Stephanie shares all of her coupon-clipping, money-saving tips and tricks.

 

Another very helpful organizational tool for saving money with coupons is The Couponizer, developed by Amy Bergin, another cost-conscience mom. Amy developed this system for her family when other systems she tried were too cumbersome. The Couponizer system she developed gives you all the tools you need to clip, organize, store and use your coupons to reduce household spending. Included with the Couponizer system are:

• a clear zippered storage bag
• scissors
• Money-saving Guide
• shopping list
• Coupstacker, which is an organizing mat for sorting clipped coupons to insert into.

The Couponizer categories.

Some of the categories are: Meat, Vegetables, Breakfast, Dairy and many more.

The Couponizer even includes a plastic sleeve to store your frequent-buyer cards and coupons that are about to expire.  One of it’s best features is that The Couponizer is designed to lay flat in your grocery cart, making it easier to find and retrieve a coupon and maneuver the cart at the same time.

I’ve heard people say that when they have coupons they often buy products they wouldn’t ordinarily, so they actually spend more money when they use coupons. The solution for this is to never go to the store without a list of what you truly need. In our home we use a shopping list called ALL OUT OF notepad, which is a 6 x 9 sized shopping list pad shopping list pad which adheres to your refrigerator with a heavy-duty magnet.  The ALL OUT OF notepad saves you the hassle of having to write out a shopping list each time you shop. As we deplete household items, we circle the needed item on the ALL OUT OF notepad on our refrigerator. We tear off the already prepared shopping list and take it with us to the store. 

When your coupons are organized it will be much easier to find and use them to save big money during every trip to the grocery store. I get great satisfaction from seeing the subtotal at the register, then watching the total reduce as each coupon is scanned. It’s like getting free groceries.

Originally posted 2009-02-25 13:26:46. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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