How do you feel about Christmas presents?
Guess we all love to get presents and love to give presents, but is that really true?
Here is a must read blog that might give you a different look on things and maybe become more conscious on your spending and what to buy for someone
So I got featured again with my Professional Organizing business, this time in a list of ’10 Best Professional Organizers in San Diego’ for moving help, this is the direct link to the article but before you click on the link read my blog first 😉
When you are moving it’s very important to start early on to downsize, sell and purge so give yourself a few months or more depending on the amount of stuff you own. Once it’s time to pack do it in an organized manner so when you unpack at the new place things will go quick, smooth and your items are easy to locate.
Only move items to a new place that you have use for or find to be beautiful because this is the moment to push the reset button and have a fresh new start. No more stacked boxes in the garage, attic, closet or storage with no idea of what’s in them and will not be dealt with for another 5+ years or get moved again with the next move.
With only the items that will actually be used and enjoyed you will feel more relaxed and your space will feel less full or cluttered. You will end up with more space, more freedom, less stress and less things to maintain which will save you money and time in the long run. Time is one thing you are unable to get back in life so spend it wisely.
Thanks for reading and please add me as a Facebook friend or Twitter connection to stay updated on anything related to keep your life and space Organized.
Came by this great article about how advertising is fueling our consumer behavior, it sure fueled me to write a bit more than usual because I think this topic is very important to share.
For years now it seems Sales have become a year round event just to make us think we are getting great deals, Sale Sale Sale!
Black Friday Warning! It’s only 10 days away, Great Deals! HUGE Sales!
They make it easier than ever before, you don’t even have to stand in line out in the cold for hours to be part of a stampede and risk your life to get a Flat Screen TV for $100 cheaper. These days it’s even more tricky with the stores being right in your home, there is so much available online with the use of your computer or smart phone, just a click of a button make payment and your the owner of more stuff.
The more stuff we own the more occupied we are with it all, having less unnecessary stuff in our lives is less overwhelming and it starts with thinking clearly about our purchases.
Are you going to be a conscious Black Friday consumer? What are you going to do? What do you really need versus what do you want? Ask yourself the right questions, ‘Is this truly a great deal if I don’t really need it?’ ‘Do I really need this right now?’ ‘Is the one I have worn out, broken or damaged?’ ‘Does it need to be replaced?’
Great deals are only great deals if it’s on something that you were planning on buying in the first place, that’s when you save money. But most Black Friday purchases are impulse buys and the proof is there, you see it happen every year in the few days after Black Friday (or any other Holiday sales) the return lines are longer than normal. So many people get caught up in the moment unable to think clearly and the only thing on their mind is how much they save if they but it now before the deal is gone and miss out.
But are you really missing out if you pass on that amazing deal!?
Consumers have to understand that the majority of discounted items are older products (old stock) and hardly the newly released products. This is the most profitable way for stores to sell their old stock, sales don’t exist because they want the consumer to get stuff cheaper, it’s there to sell stuff before it becomes ‘unsaleable stock’ to any consumer.
For me, I’m not going anywhere Black Friday, no physical stores or online stores, I avoid it all. Last time I went to a Black Friday Sale was 6 years ago and I noticed how crazy it all was and looking at most prices it wasn’t much savings anyway on items I really needed at the time. I’ll make my necessary purchases when there is no pressure of time or price to tempt me to buy impulsively, that’s where I save money and end up with only the things I really need in my life, now that’s savings!
Stop Consuming Before It’s Consumes You!
Read the following article from The Guardian here that inspired me to write this blog.
We all have them, boxes full of memorabilia stored away and never to be looked at.
It’s taking up space and for many people giving them feelings of anxiety wondering what to do with all that stuff freezing them up from being able to make a executive decision. After a few hours of going down memory lane the boxes get closed up again and the process repeats itself with the next move, spring cleaning or rainy afternoon.
How can we let go of all that stuff without feeling sad or guilty?
The following blog has really good insight and you can always hire the help of a Professional Organizer to support you, keep you on track and speed up the process.
Read the full Blog Post about this topic here
Spring cleaning is in full effect and the Millennials (born 1980-2000) in general are less attached to memorabilia and have no need for that big heavy furniture their parents (Baby Boomers 1946-1964) have saved for them and hope to pass on one day. Millennials (and late Generation X 1960-1981) have no desire and/or room for that big brown wooden furniture and boxes of memorabilia, many live in smaller spaces with the mindset of ‘less is more’ and keep their memorabilia digitally and online. Times are changing many people start to become more minimal, don’t want to surround themselves anymore with all that stuff they kept over the years and realize what a burden it really is. I moved and downsized myself 6 times since 2007 and I don’t miss or have need for anything I have let go of. My last move back to San Diego my belongings fitted in a 7x7x8 Pod and it feels great to live with less stuff you don’t have use for. If you are interested to achieve this for yourself feel free to email me if you have questions or how I can be of help to you.
Read the full Washington Post article about this topic here
Guess in a way we are all familiar with it, the stress when our living and work space is a mess. Build up dishes and laundry from the last weeks, items misplaced and maybe even lost within our home. These are just a few of the things that when clutter builds up so will our stress levels. This article from The Huffington Post contains some interesting results from a recent survey and shows that it is well worth your time and money to invest in a clutter free home and work space. Being Organized will eventually save you time and money, reduce your stress levels and increase your productivity. Like my motto on my website says it’s time to “Get Organized, Be Organized and Stay Organized” and I am looking forward to talk to all of you willing to take that on. Read the full article here
Like the title says, I am featured on the McLean Patch website with some Spring Cleaning tips. Together with a few other Professional Organizers we shared some useful tips.
You can read the full article here
Edit: (03-20-2013) Just noticed the article also got featured on the Falls Church Patch website!
When the many things you consume end up consuming You! Live with less, a lot less.
Which is the core essence of the article I’ve just read and wanted to share with all of you. When you are honest with yourself and think with a clear and open mind you know you don’t need much in life, you can do just fine with the essentials. To quote William Morris (1880) “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”.
I have been implementing just that into my life for the last years and it feels great. I rather spend money on my health by buying healthier foods, create friendships and be around people, share and have great conversations, see the beauty of the world, have trips to places you dream of visiting that will leave you with great memories rather than just stuff that ends up boxed in the garage, a storage unit or the landfill.
This article is a must read, who knows you might end up wanting to live with less and possible have a simpler and more enjoyable life (I know I do). Read the article here
We all have stuff around our house that is just there, has not been used or looked at in years and probable has a bunch of years left in them to be unused or not be looked at. You might as well collect all of those items and try to sell them and make some money of all that clutter. I came by this interesting article on the Bankrate website ‘Cashing in on the re-commerce trend’ where they explain which items are good to sell and share ideas on where to sell them in this economy.
After reading the most recent article I came across about plastic and paper shopping bags I felt I should share this in the hope of making a difference, every bag does count!
So why not get a reusable bag or a few so you always have one close. Nowadays most places charge you at least 5 cents or more for a bag and you can buy a reusable bag for as low as 99 cents in my experience. So in the end you are not only saving the environment but also saving yourself money by using a reusable bag.
We all know these flimsy plastic bags you get everywhere while shopping are not the best and strongest bags, are damaging to our environment and a huge waste of the Earth’s resources- yet we still accept and use them everyday. These plastic bags spend hundreds of years in landfills to break down or for example end up floating in the ocean and being eaten by animals that see it as food and most of the times die. Each and every person in the world can take part in preventing this!
Most single or little items you buy don’t need a bag and are easy to carry without one. When shopping at different stores, use the first shopping bag and add all other purchases into that one bag as much as you can. Make that little effort and don’t accept any bag, paper or plastic, when you don’t need to.
Make that change for yourself and the future health of planet Earth and your own. What is keeping you from using reusable bags?
(edit: 10-02-12): Also check this very interesting website “A Bag’s Life”, it gives you the resource where to recycle / drop off plastic bags and related items in your area.
Stephen Bok 