The Wealthy Barber Returns 10/04/2011
I heard the 'Wealthy Barber" is returning and sharing some thoughts on debt and consumerism. That is great news, because I see first hand, a lot of what buying ‘too much’ stuff can do to the home and to the bank account. I know from personal experience to what debt feels like as well. I ask… Do you own your stuff? Or does your stuff own you? What ever happened to being ‘grateful’ for what we have? Doesn’t it feel great to simplify life and get back to what’s important anyways? If you are interested in reading on Dave Chilton, check out the news here: http://www.wealthybarber.com/ And if you want to read my past article Maximize Your Time and Opportunities, Stop Buying Stuff!http://www.tidytiger.biz/1/post/2009/08/maximize-your-time-money-and-opportunities-stop-buying-stuff.html Add Comment  Will your pictures and keepsakes mean anything to the next generation? A lifetime goes into collecting images and keepsakes that take you back, to that special day, that once in a lifetime event, that person you could never forget. So why can these precious items that tell your history, that hold cherished memories, be lost in piles, water-damaged, folded up, scattered about, or have never made there way out of the envelope? And how can this happen while perfectly good, empty albums and scrapbooks lie about, having suffered the same fate? Who cares?! Getting them organized now is what really matters. Before its too late and these keepsakes, heirlooms and photos get left behind as the next generation doesn’t know the story and doesn’t understand the value. Getting organized in any area of life and work should not be about assigning blame or guilt to what hasn’t happened, it’s about taking action now and honoring your possessions and space for the present and for the future. So the question begs, how do I organize them? Here are 5 steps to help you: I call this my ‘ALBUM’ method! Arrange and Sort Gather some shoe boxes or other trays to sort in. Have a marker and note cards ready to make categorizing easy. Choose your categories based on dates, life stages, events, or people. You decide, just remember to think long term on what makes most sense for you and your family. If you can’t decide ultimate order now, that’s ok just take time to label the categories you come across well so putting in order later will be easy. Limit and Purge Toss the extra packaging, old flyers and old cardboard frames. Toss any unflattering, fuzzy or ‘too dark/too light’ shots. Redundant, duplicated, off centre and poorly framed shots can get tossed too, unless there is any potential to create a special effect when scrap booking a very special image. In which case do limit this, as in reality you’re not going to do this with every subject. Toss pictures taken for temporary needs or practice shots. Box it up safely Chip in and get good archival quality photo boxes that are acid free. ‘Neatly’ label the outside of each, and don’t mix up your categories. That ‘I’ll put it here for now’ mentality is what gets us cluttered in the first place. This stuff is either valuable and to be honored, or it’s not. Safely store negatives in envelopes with photos if possible. Upgrade when you have time When shopping for albums & frames consider your volume, the sizes and where in your home you will display them. Take the time to plan how much album space to allot to each category. Purge more as you go. Maintain your system Develop film or download images from digital cameras immediately. Limit the pictures you take, or keep. Don’t fall back into that ‘good enough for now’ habit. Update boxes routinely, monthly, bi yearly or yearly. Then sit back, enjoy your collection, invite family and friends to view them with you. Re-live all those great memories in style while making new ones to cherish along side them. Enjoy the peace of mind being organized brings and share the news on how grrrrreat it really feels. To learn more about organizing your home, your office and everything in between, get resourceful and check out the information and free gifts available on this site. You can also call or write today and I will be happy to discuss any organizing dilema you may be experiencing. Warmest Regards, Michelle Additional free resources: Archival Products - www.archival.com Collection Protection Supplies - http://www.bagsunlimited.com Specialty Options - http://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional/storage-boxes Instructions on the nitty-gritty of photo storage – http://www.ehow.com/how_4599899_best-way-store-photographs.html Tips on how to organize digital photos – http://smallnotebook.org/2008/05/20/how-to-organize-digital-photos-the-easy-way/ Tidy Time Management 101 03/08/2011
I am happy that spring is just around the corner, and I am excited about my coming new tele-seminar on Time Management coming up in April. As I work on a few more details to have everything ready to go by launch date, I find myself having to manage my time carefully to get the important things done. You can learn how to do this too, and I would love to help..  Simplify for less stress 03/06/2011
No matter what the season life can bring many events and suprises our way. When life gets to be too much lets not let it make us feel frazzled and overwhemed. Here are some simple tips to simply have more fun and less stress.
If you need a little help to organize and decutter your home or your calendar so that you can focus more energies towards what is truly important, call anytime, I will be happy to help. When Life was Simple 02/21/2011
 My Fiancé' and I were chatting recently about clutter. The topic comes up alot in my home as it is a passion of mine. Anyways, we came to the conclusion that 'stuff' makes you feel old sometimes. The stuff we gather tends to own us, not the other way around. When we hold on to clutter, it holds us down, makes us feel overwhelmed, crowded, stressed out. Letting it go however is a great way to simplify things, feel lighter and feel younger. Imagine when you were a kid. You didn't have all this "stuff" you do now. Your job was to run and play and have fun. Enjoying your moments as they came. Go ahead, tame that paper tiger, let go of some clutter, free up some space and time, and be a kid again! Get Crafty with Artwork 08/23/2010
 So what does a professional organizer do for fun? Well for this organizer, this weekend it was getting 'Crafty' with construction paper. Not my usual fair, yet there is a cute little girl that I know that has a bunch of artwork, and I had an idea on how to make a fun place for her to store it. Wan't to get crafty and try this out too? It could be a great way to spend quality time with the kids. Allow them a chance to get crafty and help decorate it. And, as you put it together they can sort their artwork and maybe decide to let go a few of their less favorite pieces. Narrowing down their collection to the ‘Best of the Best’ will help ease clutter and leave you all with their best works to praise over and over again. Here's all that I used to make this one: * 4 large sheets of construction paper (Cost: $4.00 at my favorite local Dollar Store) * Scissors & Tape * White glue * Ribbon for frills * A little imagination Tips: You don't have to stop with one. At approximately $1 per sheet, you can make many more and not break the bank. For example you can make one for each school year, and for each child (if you have multiple children). You can even create one to hold more craft paper for future works. Safety Tip: Remember to watch when using a stapler that you tape the seam up to prevent any snags on clothing or little fingers. Ouch! More Important Tip: Have Fun! & if you want to share your creation afterwards, I would be thrilled to see them and post them to my blog and perhaps newsletter. I relish the thought of getting to see just how creative my readers are! A mother’s work is never done. 05/18/2010
If your mother is like my mother, she always thinks she knows best about how you should run your household. Well, I guess as a mother, she just can’t let go of her baby Regardless of how I feel about my mom giving me advice on my home or life, I have to say, she is the best cheerleader anyone could have. In her eyes I can do no wrong. For this belief in me, I thank her. To get back to my story, not long ago my mother and I were discussing how to cook rice. She was thinking about getting a rice cooker because she dislikes making rice in a pot, like the way I do. She decided she needed a rice cooker, and then decided that I need one too. It was her adamancy that I get one, that was entertaining, in some way. Although I said I can cook perfect rice in my pot and I was happy with that, she insisted rather harshly that I still needed the cooker! I had to insist back, that I had no intention to use a rice cooker, and for her ‘not’ to go out and buy me one. I told her I would simply give it away if she did. I have limited space in my home, I like space, I don’t need a big cooker taking up the space I have. I am sure many readers can relate and want to make the best use of their space, their time and even their discretionary ‘spending money’. So I got to thinking. Was there anything else performing a redundant function in my kitchen? Yes, my Bodem coffee maker. I discovered prior that I can make coffee just as easily by using a pot and a sieve. My fiancé, however, was against the idea that I give the Bodem away, since our coffee ritual is something we enjoy. It still works and we like using it, it stays! In general, we have too much stuff we don’t really, really need, like many of us. If we just learn how to make what we have work for us better, we could cut more clutter form our counters and other places. Simplify is key. Now, I just need to convince my mother to not worry about going out of her way to buy me things. The best gift my mom can give me, is to know that her money can be better spent, or saved. Buying Stuff Can Cost You! 05/18/2010
By Louie Lapa, When I look back at the 10 years in this business of savings, spending and the key to being ahead, I've come to the conclusion that it's all about the choices we make on a day to day basis. It's about the habits and values that were instilled in us when we were young, and it's about how we feel about job security, whether we have an abundance mentality or one of scarcity. For example, I've sat in meetings with an individual who earns $50,000 and saves 20% of his income per year with absolutely no regret, or problem for that matter. I've also sat across individual that makes over $250,000 and barely being able to save $14,400 in one year!! Why? Lifestyle choices. One prefers to dine in, one prefers to dine out every day. One prefers to go for runs and jogs, and hikes (which are free except for snacks and water) and one prefers to golf at expensive golf courses, 3 times a week, with rented golf carts, new golf balls, new gear and new equipment every year. Granted, both are enjoying themselves in different ways, but would you believe that the person making the most money still carries a mortgage? Moreover, this individual is retired and aged 67!! Why do we spend first, buy stuff we don't need, then come up short in retirement? Easy...consider this: * Buying a pair of shoes once a month (let's say $150) * Buying various larger furniture or appliance pieces 2 times a year ($500 each) * Purchasing computers or new gadgets every year ($1000) Doing these 3 alone for 20 years can mean $173,895 in opportunity lost. This amount of retirement money can provide you an income of $15,446 per year for 30 years!! To learn more about investing your hard earned money into more than stuff, I want you to consider calling on Louie Lapa, Investment Advisor & Certified Financial Planner for Dundee Securities Corporation. I think he is onto something good here... Email: llapa@dundeesecurities.com Or find him on the web a http://lapa.dundeewealth.com This morning as I was putting my newsletter together I had time to enlist the help of my loving partner. On my request he carefully read over some of the material I wrote, helping me with a few corrections I needed to make. In turn, I helped to tidy up some of his recent paperwork. This nice exchange of ‘Proofreading’ for ‘Bookkeeping’ helps us a lot, not only to get things done, it also allows us more time to chat and be together. The thought I want to leave you with now is... We all have things we are good at, and tasks that we enjoy. As well, there are things we don’t know how to do, or just plain don’t like doing. Sometimes we have no choice but to do these things, as they are needed, yet other times we may be able to make a tradeoff with a friend, family member or co-worker. Talk to those around you and see if you can engage in a mutually beneficial arrangement to make both of your lives easier. Strategies for Children 04/12/2010
You got me!! Other than occasionally acting like a big kid, or taking care of someone else’s on a temporary basis, I personally don't have any children and can only imagine the true experience of having to care for them full-time. Yet, what I do have to share is some tips and strategies that I have picked up during my quest to learn more about organizing. And since this week’s topic is residential solutions, I thought I would include a few strategies in helping to organize kids spaces too. Let’s talk strategy first, after all these little ‘Mini Me's’ learn fast and they learn from you so keep in mind five little tips:
As for making it easy for kids to stay organized, consider these tips:
Lastly, give the little ones a special hug for me! Michelle |  CategoriesAll ArchivesJanuary 2012 |
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