Clutter Hacks
Living Simply
Tuesday Tip: All Together Now!
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I love this tip!
Overhaul your linen cupboard – store bedlinen sets inside one of their own pillowcases and there will be no more hunting through piles for a match.
I'll be doing this over the weekend. 
Tuesday Tip: No More Brown Apples
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This week's tip:
Stop cut apples browning in your child’s lunch box by securing with a rubber band.
Reflecting on 2011
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I like to think that reflecting on the year past is the same as tying a nice ribbon around a package - finishing it all off nicely
It seems to me like I can't get on with the new year properly unless I reflect on what went well, what didn't go well and most importantly, what I want from my life for the next year.
Do you agree?
Well then, let's get to it.
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Tuesday Tip! New Use For Straws
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Here's a great little Tuesday Tip for you - and it's a re-purposed item tip as well: Hull strawberries easily using a plastic straw.
Got any other uses for the good old plastic straw? Leave a comment!
Product Review: Hotel Style Luggage Rack – Foldaway Suitcase Stand
An inviting and comfortable guest room should bring relaxing hotel touches to your home. Create a casual yet stylish space for your guests by adding things they probably wouldn't have packed, like a robe or slippers. Scented candles or a cozy throw blanket are a good way to create a warm feel. Pick up some fresh flower at the store or grab some plush throw pillows from around the house to give the bed a decadent feel. These little touches are a great way to welcome your guest.
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Lap Desk to the Rescue
At the end of a long day, all my wife and I want to do is relax and watch a couple of our favorite television shows. However, my wife is an elementary school teacher and she has work to correct at the end of the day. One of the most difficult things for her to do is correct schoolwork and homework when she is trying to watch the television. She is left with one of two options: either she would have to sit at the kitchen table, way-away from the TV, or she could use the coffee table, slumped over her work and with a sore back.
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Product Review: Lapp Topper Vinyl & Plastic Lap Desk
Who among us haven’t been caught sitting on the couch, swamped by the day-to-day commonalities such as bill paying, assessing the month’s family food budget, or composing letters to love ones, while simultaneously attempting to enjoy not only a deliciously hot beverage, but also a favorite television program?
I know I have, and sometimes it is a real humdrum conundrum. There is just not enough space on my sofa for all of those activities, certainly not all at once. If only we as a species were gifted with more hands and arms! Alas, we were not.
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Quick Tip: Getting Ready For Christmas
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When I wanted to write about Christmas this week, I wondered if it was too early.Then I saw two Christmas posts on a couple of my favorite "intentional living" blogs and I felt like I was in good company. So… onwards and upwards.
When you think about Christmas, what are the aspects that overwhelm you and stress you out?
For me, it's not knowing what's happening.
I'm a girl who loves a plan and I like to know who's hosting the lunch and what I have to bring.
I also like to have clear in my mind what we're doing about gifts and cards.
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Time to iOrganize Your Life
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I have to confess, I have a new favorite spot to go shopping. It’s open 24-7, everyone is always friendly and the prices are rock-bottom. Sometimes I even get some pretty great stuff for free!
Yes, I’m a big fan of shopping at the app store.
This store is an amazingly useful place for those who are looking to make the most of their time.
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How To Leave Work Earlier
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I have recently moved my office into my home. I'm actually enjoying the integration of "home" and "work" life. It's not the distraction that I thought it would be. As a matter of fact, my biggest problem is working too long and late into the evening.
Today I received an email from Marcia Francois - to my rescue again!
Try these suggestions for organizing your day and not over-working yourself:
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Tuesday Tip: Make Giving Easy
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I am a huge fan of thrift shops! Both donating to and shopping at.
Since I like to shop my local store weekly for great deals, I have to purge my stuff almost as often to avoid clutter.
Here is a great tip for keeping those donate-ables corralled until donation day:
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What to do when it all gets too much…
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I get so many emails from people telling me that it all just gets so overwhelming they don't know where to start.One day everything is okay and the next it seems as if the paper is all over the place, they can't find what they need on their computer, they have thousands of emails in their inbox and they're paralyzed with overwhelm.
They can't even get to urgent tasks, let alone the important ones that will help them reach their goals.
This is what I suggest:
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Commonly Saved Items You Need to Throw Out Now!
Have you ever seen A&E's Emmy-nominated reality program Hoarders? If you're like me, you watch with fascination people whose lives have been overrun by clutter, all the while thinking, "I could never become so attached to stuff!" But the truth is we all hold on to items that simply need to be trashed (or donated or recycled).
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3 Interesting Observations on Life Lists
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This is an excerpt from a newsletter by from Marcia Francois (my list hero!) - Enjoy!
In the process of updating my 36 things list and making a new 37 things list (Marcia's 37th birthday was last week - Happy Birthday!), and talking about these a bit too much with friends and colleagues, I realized a few things:
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A Legacy of "Stuff" (Part 3)
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In A Legacy of "Stuff" (part 1) and A Legacy of "Stuff" (part 2), we discussed what to do with the "stuff" left behind by someone who passed away. It was hard to write and hard for you to read. Now let's move into an even MORE difficult area — the stuff that WE will leave behind. (By the way, I can't find any material already written on this subject. Apparently, everyone else also thinks it's hard to write about.)If you plan to leave something to the next generation or to your friends, do some very good communicating with them now to see if they would want it. If not, realize that your cherished items might be more burden than bounty to people you love. Most of all, let them know what is important or valuable, so they don’t decide everything you own is clutter, and toss it out.
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7 secrets of the Super Organized
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We all know people that seem to be Super Organised. They never forget birthdays, can find an email within seconds and know exactly where to find anything in their homes.The actual definition of organized is being able to find anything within a minute or two. These are items in your home to an email, document or photo on your computer.
Shhhh - I have a confession. Some people say this about me too, so I'm going to let you in on some of my own secrets and also those I've observed from watching fellow Born Organized people.
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Tuesday Tip: Hidden Treasures
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I think I'm like a lot of you - always on the hunt for innovative ways to tame the clutter and simplify my surroundings. I found a fantastic tip over at Better Homes and Gardens courtesy of Julie Morgenstern:
The backs of many doors can be hidden storage gems! Attach shallow wire shelving or pegboard to closet, pantry, and basement doors. If there's space, line the adjoining interior wall with narrow shelves and hooks for items such as cleaning supplies, handy tools, or pantry goods. Finish off the inside of one door with chalkboard paint for a handy surface for notes!
What else would you add? Leave a comment!
Image courtesy of BHG
Tuesday Tip: Natural Weed Removal
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I found another use for one of my favorite "green" household cleaning substances - vinegar!
I have a very small back yard with an apple tree and some pretty flowering vines on the fence. And no room for the stubborn blackberry vines that keep popping up!
For those of you unfamiliar with this Northern California nuisance, they have the most amazing berries to eat but they grow faster than weeds and are un-killable even with weed killer.
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5 Tips For Organizing Your Pampered Pet
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Do you own a pampered pet? Maybe two, three, or more? If you do, then he/she is very much a part of your everyday life, and it's important to include the pet in your overall organizing plan for yourself or your family. Here are some ways you can organize your pet's stuff:
(1) Use an old plastic container or wicker basket as a central holding point for the pet's toys. Place it in a spot where the pet spends a lot of his time, and a spot where he can reach inside the container easily to get the toys. At the end of the day, you can make a round of the play area with container in-hand, picking up the pet's toys and putting them back inside the container.
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Sunday Planning - Do You Do It?
Here's Lorie Marrero from Clutter Diet with another great Video Tip for you. It's amazing how much of a difference just a little planning can make for your entire week!
Create a Spa-Like Bathroom in your Home
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Get that spa atmosphere you so want and so deserve right in our own home with just a few simple changes to your bathroom. No remodeling or budget-busting required here - just a few key items will having you saying "om" in no time.
The basics of spa decor include a merging of the luxurious and the surprisingly simple.
To get the effect, focus on natural materials, soothing colors and calming sounds.
Here's a list of Bathroom Spa Design ideas (for every budget) to help you achieve spa-like bathroom bliss:
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Tuesday Tip: Two of the Basics of Organizing
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There are two basic principles that I like to keep in mind when organizing anything:
Keep like with like.
Makes sense, right? Keep office supplies with office supplies, kitchen tools with kitchen tools. That’s a basic most of us learn when we’re young.
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Web Accessibility For All - We've Got It!
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Stacks and Stacks is doing something new to reach out to seniors and the disabled!
We have a new icon on our website that offers a link to a web accessibility tool for seniors and the disabled! The tool is absolutely free to download and free to use, and can help people with impairments navigate the internet and our website.
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What's Your Time Worth?
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We've all heard the saying, "time is money" and to a certain degree, that is true. However, today I want to challenge you by saying that time is MORE IMPORTANT than money.
Why?
Because you can always do something to make more money but you can never get time back. NEVER.
See where I'm going with this?
But what about your time?
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Do You Know What You're Cleaning With?
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According to the National Research Council, only 20% of chemicals have been tested for acute effects less than 10 % have been tested for chronic or reproductive effects and 80% does not have toxic information available and only 1% of toxins are required to be on a label. Yet, all of these things are on our grocery shelves, can harm us, our children and the environment.
We are constantly hearing about second hand smoke, smog, emissions from cars and factories ruining our air supply. Yet, the one thing that we use in our home to rid it of bacteria, mold and bugs, no one seems to question.
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Living with Purpose
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We all know what our kitchen, bedroom and bathroom are for, right?
Of course we do!
But how many of us really consider purpose on a daily basis when we are deciding what we bring into those rooms? It’s so easy to get caught up in the every-day of life and not even consider this concept.
How many times have you put something in your bedroom simply because you don’t have another place for it? Then you end up putting time and effort into working your way around the item just to take care of the tasks and purposes intended for that room.
This is the very thing that creates clutter in our homes and in our lives!
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How To Choose Very Strong Passwords That Are Easy To Remember
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This is from an email I received today from SocialOomph.com with some great info - Enjoy!!
What makes a password strong is the combination of different alphanumeric, special characters, and capitalization that you use, and of course the length of the password.
I don't know about you, but I don't want to remember and type an epistle when I fill out a password field.
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8 Reasons To Keep A "To Do" List
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Try it; When you're done reading this, make a list of everything you want to do tomorrow and see how relieved you are going to feel and how relaxed your mind is going to be.
When we are constantly thinking ahead of everything that we have to do and hoping that we don't forget anything, our mind becomes clogged and this causes stress.
Making a To-Do List will:
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Home Organizing on a Budget: Easier Than You Think
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Why is it that when someone thinks about organizing their home they think that they have to stick a lot of money into it in order to do it the right way?
When it comes to storage, there isn't any right or wrong way of doing things or choosing the things you want to use. Sometimes a cardboard box works better than a plastic storage container, especially if the amount that is stored in that box changes frequently.
Here's an idea of what I mean:
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Small Space Organizing: Converting A Closet
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I currently live in a newer house, and it most definitely has its benefits. But I do miss my days of living in an older, arts and crafts period home with all of its lovely woodwork and creative built-ins.
One wall in our living room had built-in bookcases straddling a closet with French glass doors lined with lace curtains which we used as a beautiful hide-away for our entertainment center.
HGTV has a great article on remaking your closet space into something else altogether, and some of their ideas are reminiscent of the arts and crafts style.
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