Be your own stuff police

March 21, 2013

Be your own stuff police

Clean the closet. 
We wear 20 percent of our clothes 80 percent of the time. To weed out the ones you don't wear, turn all of the hangers in your closet one way. After you wear an item, turn the hanger to face the other way. Get rid of the clothes on the hangers that haven't been turned in the last year. 
I learned years ago to have the hangers face front-to-back in case of fire. And I have done this since. As if the first thing I'd grab when fire strikes would be clothes!!

Make the cold-blooded decisions necessary to clean out your closet. The first step is to create three piles: "yes," "no" and "maybe."

How do you make the hard decisions to fill the piles? Use three simple questions to thin out the threads: Do I love this? Is it flattering? Is this the image that I want to portray? If any answer is "no," then it goes in the "no" pile. 

After making your three piles, there are three possible actions. Obviously, you'll keep the "yes" pile and get rid of the "no" pile. For the "maybe" pile, consider creating an archive. This option is for old clothes that you likely never wear, but which have sentimental value. Please store archival items in an attic or basement—not in your closet. I still think the best place to store these things is in somebody else’s closet. Just sayin’.

You could purge and organize the closet to be your very own boutique where you can shop your own clothes. Organize all of the items into sections by color or garment type. 

Display shoes, one facing forward and one facing backward so you can see what the heel height is.

I gave away lots of clothes today to a needy family.  All of us feel better because of it!

The Home Office

We'd all like the home office to be a model of efficiency, but for many it's a magnet that attracts every piece of paper that comes into the home.

Quick Tips

Create a paperwork zone. Designate places for the main types of paper in these spaces—unopened mail, magazines, bills and receipts, and important personal information. Put mail and bills near each other, along with envelopes, stamps, your checkbook and other items you need regularly. 

Keep horizontal surfaces clear. Keep your office uncluttered by ensuring that any desk surface, countertop or table is clear of paperwork. If you don't start piles, they can't grow.

Go digital. Organize your computer files, delete old ones regularly and back up important ones. Whenever possible, use the Internet to pay bills, which can help reduce paper clutter.

Minimize junk mail. Treat junk mail like the intruder it is. Get rid of it immediately. To minimize junk mail, contact the Direct Marketing Association at www.dmaconsumers.org to activate the mail preference service or call 888-5OPT-OUT to stop those annoying credit card offers.

Keep track of bills and receipts. Buy a 12-month expanding file, and file all bills or receipts monthly. You'll come back to each one a year later. If you haven't needed it by then, get rid of it!

Maintain a good filing system. A good system can keep anything organized. Suggested categories are: automotive, education, financial, health and medical, home and real estate, insurance, legal, work and taxes. Keep frequently used files handy.