The 'Shrink Rap, Cluttershrink's® quarterly newsletter, provides helpful tips and ideas on organizing your home, office and life. Frequently asked questions are also included, so please read on and enjoy!
March 2006, Issue 11
In this issue:
- Where to Donate Your Stuff
- Water Cooler Rap - Great Calendars for Families
- Ask the Organizer - Question & Response
Where to Donate Your Stuff
Like it or not, it's time for spring cleaning. Clean the gutters, wash the windows, dust the baseboards, blah, blah, blah. The list goes on, and I am here to remind you that ORGANIZING your closets, basement, garage, cabinets and drawers should also be on your list of spring cleaning tasks. The longer you put it off, the more stuff you will have to deal with later. Go through your house and evaluate your belongings. Do I need this? Do I use this? Does this item work/function, and if not, is it more costly to repair or replace it? Do I love it?
After asking yourself these important questions, chances are that you will find yourself with a pile of stuff you no longer want. What are you supposed to do with it? It seems like a waste to dump it all on your curb, and surely it is a waste of SPACE to keep it any longer.
Where can you offload your goods?
Clothing, household items, furniture, kids' items, linens and some books - Goodwill, The Salvation Army, homeless shelters, American Veterans, senior centers
Linens - Animal shelters
Books - The International Book Project - IntlBookProject.org or a program for servicemen and women - BooksForSoldiers.com. You can also sell books and some textbooks at Half.com.
Tools - Rebuilding Together - RebuildingTogether.org
Hazardous waste - EPA.gov - Go to "Recycling"
Formal wear for women - The Glass Slipper Project - GlassSlipperProject.org
Eyeglasses - New Eyes for the Needy - NewEyesForTheNeedy.org
Printer cartridges - FedEx Kinko's and many office supply stores
Any and everything you can think of (if you want to make some money) - eBay.com, buysellcommunity.com and craigslist.com.
Almost anything you can think of (if you don't mind giving it away for free) - Freecycle.org
Clothes and accessories (if you want something in exchange for what you're giving away) - SwapStyle.com,
Ebay drop-off centers (if you don't mind sharing some of your earnings) - AuctionDrop.com, I-SoldIt.com, QuikDrop.com. Someone else will take care of listing and selling your items on Ebay for you - for a fee.
Kids' stuff and art supplies - MyKidsCloset.com, daycare centers and schools
Computer equipment - ShareTechnology.org or TeamChildren.com
Clothes, accessories, furniture (must be in great condition) - Consignment and resale stores. For a list of locations, go to ConsignmentShops.com or narts.org.
Magazines - Schools (great for collages and other art projects) and doctors' offices
Cell phones - RecycleWirelessPhones.com, CollectiveGood.com or WirelessFoundation.org
Rechargeable batteries - The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation
Personal documents - Any reputable shredding company like Shred-It.com
Some donations may be tax deductible. Be sure to get a receipt so you can claim the appropriate deductions. If you really are motivated, you can always have a yard sale (see Issue 5 of The 'Shrink Rap).
Water Cooler Rap
Simple Tips for Daily Living
Great Calendars for Families
It's difficult enough to keep your own TO DO list organized. If you don't have a good planning system in place and add a few other family members' activities to the mix, you could end up with missed appointments, last minute gift buying and complete household chaos. What every family needs is a calendar to organize and keep track of all family activities. Each family member's appointments and events should be listed on the SAME calendar.
Select a calendar based on how much writing space you need, how many members you have in your family, what activities your family participates in, and how you like to view your upcoming plans (daily, weekly, monthly). If you find it helpful, select a color for each family member and write or highlight that person's activities in that color.
Here are a few great calendar/planning systems for busy families:
MOM Calendar - moreorganizedmom.com
Family Organizer - moretimemoms.com
Deluxe Horizontal Home Manager Board - dayrunner.com
Family Organizer - busybodybook.com
Amy Knapp's The Family Organizer - thefamilyorganizer.com
Daily System - potterybarn.com
Day Planner - momagenda.com
Ask the Organizer
We're excited to include another submission to The 'Shrink Rap's "Ask the Organizer" section. Please continue to submit your questions by e-mailing them to crystal@cluttershrink.com. Every submitted question related to organizing will be included in a future issue of The 'Shrink Rap.
Q: The most impossible task I have is organizing my
scrapbook desk. How can I do this so I have access to what I need without
it looking like a mess? Anything you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
- Anonymous
A: Dear Reader,
First, separate your scrapbooking supplies by type - embellishments,
paper, scissors, stamps, pens etc. Assign a specific "home" for each
type of item - a basket, drawer, plastic tote etc. Ideally, you want
to keep as much desk space clear as possible so you have room to work,
so look for storage options that utilize wall space. A rolling drawer
unit is a great tool that can help you organize your supplies while
providing easy access to everything. Just roll it next to or under
your desk when you are finished working for the day. Select a specific
drawer for each project, type of paper, or color (all purple paper,
purple embellishments, or purple pens etc.) Purchase one expanding
accordion folder for every scrapbook you are working on, and designate
a pocket within that folder for each page of the scrapbook. This will
help you keep all photos, memorabilia and page details sorted.
Here are some websites you may find helpful:
ScrapbookSuperCenter.com - Look under "Totes & Organizers"
TheScrapbookPlace.com - Look under "Storage Solutions"
StacksAndStacks.com - Look under "Crafts and Games"
One final tip, magnetic spice racks are great for storing tiny embellishments. Hang the spice rack on the wall in front of your desk for easy viewing and access.
Need more help getting organized? Call Cluttershrink® for more information on receiving hands-on assistance organizing your home, office or relocation. Phone consultations, customized seminars, mentoring for new organizers and gift certificates are also available. Call 215.431.0590 or e-mail Crystal Sabalaske at crystal@cluttershrink.com.
In the next issue (September 2006)
- 10 Ways to Turn Trash into Organizing Treasures
- Water Cooler Rap - Organizing Your Gems and Jewels
- Ask the Organizer - Question & Response
Thank you for reading the 11th issue of The 'Shrink Rap! Cluttershrink® welcomes feedback and questions. If you have a particular organizing topic you would like to learn more about in a future issue, please contact crystal@cluttershrink.com or provide feedback here.
If you like these tips and ideas and would like to share them with your friends, feel free to forward this newsletter to them.
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