How to be Clutter Free
January is traditionally the time of year to make resolutions, but you don't need to wait until then to make a change! You might want to lose those pounds you put on during the holidays, communicate better with your spouse, or (my personal favorite!) clean the clutter in all the rooms of your home.
Here are a few tips to get you started in any room of your home. Using this simple procedure over time will allow you to have a clutter-free home!
- Think about the activities that take place in the room.
- Create zones in the room to contain these activities.
- Eliminate items from the room that do not apply to the activities taking place in the room.
- If you have other people living in your home with you, call a family meeting so that everyone understands the new plan.
- Have everyone sign a "contract" to maintain the space as you have planned. The contract can be as simple or complicated as you'd like. It can have rewards and penalties. Have fun with this!
- Recycle, donate, or throw out items that don't fit anywhere in your home.
- Be disciplined and passionate about the choices you have made and allow them to become new lifestyles for you and your family.
Downsizing - Live Simply!
All of us will downsize eventually. If you are young or middle-aged right now, it's not too soon to develop a lifestyle that will make it easy to make the changes you want when you want.
If you are a senior right now--even if you are physically able to stay in your present home you may not want to deal with the extra maintenance and expense of home ownership. You may be tired of cooking three meals a day and would like to take advantage of the meal plans available in senior adult communities. You may want to embrace the freedom these retirement communities offer so you can travel near and far and do the things you've been waiting to do while you were busy maintaining your home.
Here's some quick advice to make your job of downsizing easier and more manageable.
- Begin now. Don't wait. Choose to live simply now. Develop a habit of going through your possessions and giving things away on a regular basis. I do this myself once or twice a year. I am careful about making impulse purchases that I will have to store or maintain.
- Do a little bit every day or week rather than procrastinating and having a huge job with a deadline looming. If you work carefully and thoughtfully now you know the job will be done right, the details taken care of, so everyone benefits.
- How will this benefit you? You will be in control, in charge. You won't be at the mercy of a family member or friend who may force you to make quick decisions you may regret.
- How will this benefit your family? You will be able to carefully and thoughtfully pick and choose what you would like to give to each relative. Having your choices clear should eliminate family squabbles. Tempers can flair when the time frame is short. If you take the time now this should reduce conflict. Your wishes will be known and carried out.
- Get your home ready to sell quickly by clearing out the clutter now so your rooms look larger and more inviting.
How do you start?
- Walk through your home and take note of the furniture and possessions that really make you happy or have sentimental or historic value.
- As you are walking through your home also take note of those things you have not used for a long time. Really look at your possessions as if for the first time. Our eyes become accustomed to the familiar objects and we don't even really see them anymore. Do you remember how it feels when you are going to be giving a party? Suddenly you see the clutter, the dust bunnies, the dull paint or the worn carpet. Before you knew company was coming over you didn't even notice. You will look at your home this way when you are trying to sell it. Keeping your home appealing now on a daily basis will go a long way towards reducing stress once the decision to sell is made.
- Work one room at a time. Tell yourself you are going to take bites out of this job a little at a time. Find the job, focus on the job, and finish the job. Even if you only do one drawer a day-that is good. Keep up the pace, increase the pace as you are able. If you'd like to get the job done faster, bring family trusted family members in or hire a professional organizer.
- The lovely thing about hiring a professional organizer is they are neutral, unemotional about your possessions, and can be a wonderful buffer between you and family members.
- As you are sorting through things be determined to save only the items you are using, give away those things you do not use, and throw away things that are broken, mismatched or have parts missing.
- If you do this on a regular basis you will be clutter free and really at peace in your home. You will have a great home to enjoy each day and an easier time downsizing when the time comes.
To eliminate future clutter:
- Ask your family and friends to stop giving you more unwanted stuff. I have some suggestions over at this table of great gifts for seniors. I tell my family to only give me "consumables". Some nice food or beverage treat that I might not buy for myself. Tickets to a play. Or a donation to my favorite charity. (See tip on Gifts for Seniors in this website).
Purging Papers
Here's some advice about what to do about all those papers which are piling up on your desk, or in a drawer or filing cabinet.
Check with your accountant, lawyer, or office manager for retention guidelines on tax and legal papers. If you must keep these papers for legal reasons, place them in storage. Confidential files must never be left out on your desk and must be filed in lockable storage. Keep "core information" only - materials you are actually using.
Ask these questions to purge your piles:
- Does this paper tie in with the core activities of my business?
- Will this help me complete a project I am working on right now?
- Does this paper represent a viable business opportunity?
- Do I refer to this paper on a regular basis?
- Will this paper help me make money?
- Do I have time to do anything with this paper?
- Are there tax or legal reasons to save this?
- Would my life/work change if I didn't have this piece of paper?
Recycle or Shred:
- Old product solicitations - ads, mailings, catalog items
- Old magazines, newspapers, books, and articles
- Old research materials and literature
- Duplicates of documents - keep the original in a plastic sleeve for protection
- Previous drafts of letters and proposals - retain final version only
Getting Your Finances Organized
"Getting Your Finances Organized" - By Lynn Brenner (as printed in Parade Magazine, September 17, 2006) (Spire/Revell, 2006)
You carry your basic financial information in your head-like the name of your bank, the location of your checkbook, where to find last year's tax return. (OK, it might take a while to put your hands on that return, but you know where to look.) But does anyone else know what you know? No? Then create a one-page crib sheet. It's the smartest, easiest way to prepare for the unexpected. If anything happens to you, it will be vital to your survivors. And if you're ever forced to flee a natural disaster, it will help you reconstruct your financial records.
What You Should List
Contact information: Write down the names and phone numbers of family members, your closest friend, your doctor, any professional advisers (lawer, tax accountant, broker, insurance agent) and the person who handles employee benefits where you work.
Financial accounts: List your accounts and the institutions where they're located. For example: "Checking and savings accounts, First Citizens Bank, 124 Bank Street." No need to list account numbers if you put down your Social Security number; that should be enough to identify your accounts.
Where to find your important personal documents:
- Current bank, mutual fund and brokerage account statements
- Employee benefits information
- Life insurance policies
- Marriage license
- Prenuptual agreements
- Birth certificates and adoption papers
- The original copy of your will (the only copy that's signed and witnessed). A photocopy won't do. If your original will can't be found, the law assumes that you destroyed it because you had changed your mind about what it said. Your heirs must convince a court that that didn't happen. If they don't succeed, your assets are distributed according to state law, as if no will existed.
- The forms naming your retirement account beneficiaries. It's these forms-not your will!-that determine who gets your retirement accounts. If you don't have your own copies, ask your account custodians for new beneficiary designation forms. "Fill out two copies," advises Ed Slott, a tax accountant and IRA expert in Rockville Centre, N.Y. "Mail them back to the custodian with a cover letter asking the company to return an acknowledged copy for your files."
Where You Should Keep It
Make three copies of your crib sheet. Keep one for yourself. (Tell your spouse where it is!)
Give one, in a sealed envelope, to your sibling, adult child, best friend or lawyer.
Mail the third to someone you trust who lives in another town-preferably one
unlikely to experience the same natural disasters.
As for documents on your one-page list, relocate them to a fireproof file cabinet, with
active drawers (for current bank statements, for example) and inactive drawers
(for long-term papers, like insurance policies and passports).
If you have documents stored in a bank safe deposit box in your name alone, ask the bank
how your survivors could gain access to it. (Getting authorization can be time-consuming.)
Better to keep documents like your will at your lawyer's office or in a locked file cabinet at
home, where they will be immediately available to your family.
What To Do When You Have Lost Your Wallet
It happens to the best of us. What can you do ahead of time to minimize the damage when you lose your wallet, and what should you do afterwards?
Suggestions for Security:
- Photocopy the contents of your wallet - both sides of all cards.
- Keep all the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel
with the photocopies. - File the list in a safe place.
What To Do if Your Wallet is Stolen:
- Cancel all credit cards immediately.
- File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen.
This proves to credit providers you were diligent and is a first step
toward an investigation if there is one. - Call the three US national credit reporting organizations immediately
to place a fraud alert on your name and SS #. The alert means any
company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen
and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. - Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
- Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
- Fraud line: US Social Security Administration: 1-800-269-0271
- Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
Stopping Junk Mail Before It Starts
Getting organized is also about eliminating waste in your life, and I'm all for getting rid of junk mail BEFORE it comes into the house! -Bet
From the Bucks County (PA) Department of Consumer Protection:
Q: I've been getting solicitations in the mail for refinancing and other financial services. I don't give out my personal information and I always opt out of these type of notices. So how did I get on this marketing list?
A: They may have gotten your information from one of the credit bureaus. They sell your personal information, including how much your home is worth and how much you owe on it. This is probably why marketers know so much about you. Some consumer advocates have been trying to stop this practice and the issue may go to court. Our suggestion is to contact the credit bureaus and opt out of these programs. Call (888) 567-8688 or go to www.optoutprescreen.com. You'll need to provide your Social Security number and other personal information. This should stop the solicitations.
To Reduce Junk Mail and Avoid Scam Pleas for Money
Reprinted from The Fresno Bee Action Line article by Blair Looney, President and CEO for the Better Business Bureau serving Central California.
A reader: All of a sudden, my Dad is receiving stacks of mail every day. I’m not sure how it started but it has really gotten out of hand. He has received lottery and sweepstakes mailings. He also receives mail from charities that I have never heard of. How do I stop it?
Action Line: Your father could have donated to a cause or entered a drawing. The first thing to do is to start by asking each of the senders to remove his name from their “list”.
To stop unwanted mail, you can register with the Mail Preferences Service of the Direct Marketing Association, www.dmachoice.org. You can also register for phone calls and email as well. This will help but will not completely eliminate the “junk” mail. You also need to allow several weeks to see the progress. I had one consumer tell me that if the “junk” mail includes a postage paid envelope, she takes the contents of the mailing, puts it back in their postage paid envelope and mails it back to the sender on their dime.
If you suspect fraud, contact your U. S. Postal Inspector at 877-876-2455, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Better Business Bureau’s Scamtracker.
If you decide to open it and review the offers, the FTC warns that some con artists use the lure of a sweepstakes to convince consumers to send in money to claim a prize they’ve supposedly won. They tell consumers that the only thing that separates them from the winnings is a fee to cover the taxes or service charges. But as all too many consumers know, the winnings as described never turn up.
Crooks are getting bolder, using names of government agencies and legitimate phone numbers that mask where they’re calling from. Claiming to represent the National Consumer Protection Agency, the non-existent National Sweepstakes Bureau, and even the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), they say that the delivery of the sweepstakes prize is being supervised by the supposed government agency.
They also use internet technology to make it appear that they’re calling from Washington, D. C., the nation’s capital, or the consumer’s own area code. These scammers then convince consumers to wire money to a foreign country and they usually suggest a money transfer company like Western Union to wire the money to an agent or an insurance company to ensure delivery of the prize. In reality no insurance company is involved and con artists take the money and disappear.
According to the real Federal Trade Commission, consumers can keep from falling for the lure of the sweepstakes scam by taking a few precautions.
Avoid the following if:
- You have to pay anything.
- You have to wire money.
- You have to deposit a check they’ve sent you
- Your “notice” was mailed by bulk rate.
- You have to attend a sales meeting to win.
- You receive an unsolicited call saying you have won something.
Ways To Avoid Identity Theft
Concerned about working online? Worried about identity theft?
Here's a few tips to help protect yourself and your family.
- Check your credit report annually (annualcreditreport.com)
a. You may receive one free report from each of the three bureaus
every year. It is recommended that you choose a different bureau
once every four months. You will have to enter your social security
number at this safe site to receive the information.
b. There is a fee if you wish to get your credit score. - Use caution with e-mail - Avoid unfamiliar e-mails and be very cautious
about e-mail with Internet links or attached documents - Keep your computers secure
a. Keep your operating system up to date
b. Personal firewall - free - zonelabs.com
c. Virus protection - free - grissoft.com
d. Anti-spyware - free - lavasoft.com or spybot.com - Stop receiving convenience checks - Call your credit card company and ask them not to mail or shred those that you receive
- Stop mailed credit offers - Or shred those that you receive
- Avoid telephone scams - Never give caller personal information if you did not make the call. Remind others, especially the elderly, about scams.
- Buy a home shredder - Shred anything with any personal information that is to be disposed, especially old checks, statements, tax returns, etc.
- Buy a secure mailbox - or use a PO Box. Never leave outgoing bills in an unsecured street mailbox.
- Request privacy policies - from anyone that you give confidential information to. The privacy policy tells you what they will do with your information. If they give or sell information to third parties ask to "opt-out."
- Stay informed - Google yourself to see what, if any, information is "out there" on you.
- Use the Internet, but with caution
a. Pay bills on-line (safe and avoid sending checks through the mail)
b. Use credit, not debit cards, for online purchases
c. Expect stronger security measures from bank web sites (additional passwords, security phrases, etc.)
d. Look for secure sites when purchasing online. Look for "https://" in web site address (the "s" stands for "secure") and the lock icon on the task bar.
e. Be very cautious about "pop-up" web pages that you did not open - Copy the contents of your wallet - front and back of all cards, etc. If your wallet is stolen you will know what was in it and who to contact.
- Watch for your bank and credit card statements - If they do not arrive in the mail within reasonable time call the financial institution. They may have been taken from your mailbox or your address may have been fraudulently changed in order to hide unauthorized charges.
Excellent information is available at http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft about Avoiding Identity Theft. This is the Federal Trade Commission's site.
What to do if you are a victim:
If you recognize a credit/debit card charge that you did not authorize, call the company immediately and identify fraudulent charges! If you suspect that your personal information has been compromised or that someone has used your personal information to establish credit:
- File a police report (necessary for seven year alert with credit bureaus)
- Call one of the three credit bureaus - place a ninety day fraud alert
- One call triggers all three
- Review credit reports (you'll receive after fraud alert)
- Send police report by certified letter to all three
- Request documentation of fraud (credit application, receipts, etc.)
- Close fraudulent accounts immediately
- Remember, time is not on your side!!!
Credit Bureau Contact Information
- Experian - (888) 397-3742 - experian.com
- Equifax - (888) 766-0008 - equifax.com
- Trans Union - (800) 888-4213 - transunion.com
Tax Time Help
Tax season stresses everybody out. Here's a few websites to help save you some money. Find out the value of your donations to charitable organizations so you can itemize on your income tax:
- IRS site-publication 561 (4/2007): http://www.irs.gov
- http://www.CharityDeductions.com
- http://www.CharityNavigator.org
- Goodwill Industries site: http://www.Goodwill.org
- Money For Your Used Clothing: http://www.mfyuc.com
- http://www.ItsDeductible.com
Planning Your Child's Birthday Party On A Budget
By Liz Martin
- Decide what you can afford to spend on the party. Stick to it.
- Pick an inexpensive location. Parks and backyards are great for warm weather; inside the house or a public building (church, fast food restaurant with play land, etc.) for cool weather.
- Invitations: Handwritten or computer-generated invitations work well and add a personal touch to the party. If you like, you can even give them out by hand and save a few dollars on stamps. Or, if your child's friends (or their parents) all have e-mail addresses, consider using an online service such as Evite.com.
- Food: Try to make as much of the food yourself as you can, even if it’s not fancy. This includes the cake, if possible. Enlist the aid of grandparents, family members. Purchase any premade foods in bulk, and remember that kids are usually happy with inexpensive foods like hot dogs and pasta salad. Have plenty of snacks such as goldfish crackers and pretzels on hand, too.
- Beverage: Serve juice, punch or soda from large bottles, rather than offering individual containers or juice boxes.
- Games: Play classic games such as Red Light, Green Light or Hide ‘n Seek. For games with “props", see if you can make any of the components yourself. Prizes for preschoolers are not necessary; if desired, consider offering a “service reward” such as allowing that child to pick their goody bag first, have the first piece of cake (after the birthday child, of course!), etc.
- Entertainment: Expensive, expensive! Consider having Dad or Grandpa dress up as Elmo if you need to have this!
- Make a pinata yourself instead of purchasing one. See www.e-how.com Fill it with inexpensive treats sold in bulk.
- For theme parties, choose a few paper goods to purchase in the (expensive) print and then fill in the rest with coordinating solid-colored paper goods. Same goes for balloons – pick one or two mylar ones and fill in the rest with less expensive latex ones.
- Try incorporating some items you already have on hand as part of the decorations instead of purchasing (expensive) party store decorations. Not everything needs to come from the party store so think outside the box and be creative!
- Use paper lunch bags as goodie bags. Decorate with stickers or rubber stamps. Or have the birthday child decorate them for his friends.
- Pick a few areas to splurge for those “must-haves” but watch your spending in other less important areas. Be sure to stay within your set budget!
My favorite web sites:
- www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com (hundreds of birthday cake ideas)
- www.orientaltrading.com (great for party goods, goodie bags, crafts, décor)
- www.birthdaydirect.com (great party supplies for less)
- www.e-how.com (how to do just about anything…literally.)
- www.birthdaypartyideas.com (real life testimonies with ideas for and theme)
Breaking Bad Habits
"Breaking Bad Habits" By Abigail Walch - adapted from the March 22, 2015 edition of Parade Magazine.
Snacking late at night, skimping on sleep, nail biting, binging on House of Cards—nearly everyone has vices. That’s because, try as we might, bad habits are maddeningly hard to break. On the flip side, good habits, such as eating more healthfully or exercising regularly, never seem to stick. The upshot: Most people throw up their hands and surrender.
But now a new book "Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of our Everyday Lives", (Crown, 2015) by best-selling author Gretchen Rubin, offers some insightful solutions. (Warning: There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy.)
“It would be so great if there was a magic answer that would do it for all of us, but it doesn’t exist,” says Rubin, 47. “We know that because we’d all have great habits if there was one thing we could all do. You have to take it back to yourself.”
Rubin, whose fascination with habits evolved during her exhaustive research on happiness—which resulted in two blockbuster books, The Happiness Project (2009) and Happier At Home (2012)—found that our inability to master unwanted behaviors was a major downer. So, after guiding millions of readers down the path of true contentedness, New York City-based Rubin, a former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, turned her investigative skills towards habits.
Her most revealing find? Change is possible if we do some soul searching and identify how we respond to expectations. And, just about everybody falls into one of four personality categories: Questioners, Obligers, Rebels, and Upholders. (To find out more about your personality type, visit parade.com/habits to take Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies Quiz.)
Rubin believes herself to be a classic Upholder, someone who forms habits relatively easily because she responds well to both other people’s deadlines and her own. As to the other types, Questioners will only form a habit if it makes sense to them; Obligers work hard to meet other people’s expectations but often let themselves down. And Rebels resent—and resist—habits.
The trick, says Rubin, is to “tailor your habits to suit yourself.”
After acquainting readers with tendencies, Rubin poses questions in the book to help tease out more nuanced personality puzzle pieces. Are you a lark or an owl, a lover of simplicity or abundance, an underbuyer or an overbuyer, an abstainer or a moderator, a sprinter or a marathoner?
“Think about the habit that you want to form and then think, What’s everything I could do to set myself up for success?” says Rubin. For example, if you want to exercise more and you’re an Obliger and a lark, call your friend who lives across the street to meet at 6:30 every morning for a walk.
At the end of the day, good habits free us from making decision after decision and from exerting self-control. “The more things you can make into a habit, then the less you have to drain yourself using your willpower,” she says. As Rubin sees it, better habits pave the way for growth—and growth leads to greater happiness.
And, after all, isn’t that what it’s all about?