TOP TIPS: ORGANIZING FOR VACATION

Vacations require a lot of planning and list-making. It’s not just you that must become ready for your trip, but you’ll want to prepare your neighbors, deal with the mail, leave instructions for co-workers, and make plans to board your animals or arrange for house sitting. Whether you’re away for a long weekend or a month-long trip, pre-planning can take the anxiety out of preparing for some fun!

So if your summer plans give you an opportunity to get away for a while, here are our Top 10 Tips to get you on your way!

Happy trails to you!

1. Tell friends, family, and trusted neighbors where you are going and for how long. How might they can reach you in case of an emergency? Have the post office put your mail on hold if you will be gone for an extended amount of time. Be sure to contact your credit card company if you are traveling oversees. It is not uncommon for charges made in other countries to be “flagged” due to increasing credit card fraud/theft.

2. Make sure everything is up to date, specifically your passport and ID card. Confirm your reservations, pet or house sitter, the person who will water your plants, etc. Pay your bills or set up an auto-pay so you don’t have to pay late fees when you return.

3. Organize your home before you travel. In addition to cleaning as you normally would, clean out the refrigerator, take out the trash, do the laundry, spray for bugs, etc. Think of chores that are typically a hassle to do and need to be done only occasionally such as sharpening your knives. Take this time to take care of it.

4. Make lists. You should make a “Before We Leave” Checklist and a “To Pack” checklist. You don’t want to end up paying $8 for toothpaste at the Walgreens on the Las Vegas Strip. If you are not sure what you need to do before your leave or what to pack, click HERE for a for a “Before We Leave” checklist and HERE for a “To Pack” checklist to get yourself started.

5. Prepare your vehicle. Get the oil changed, fill the tires with air, check when the last time a major service happened and when it is needed again (found in the vehicles manual), etc. These kinds of checks will ensure you are not stranded on the side of the road. Bring jumper cables, a first-aid kit, flares and emergency supplies just in case that happens. I like to wash my car before a major road trip so the inside is clean and smells nice.

6.Fully charge electronic devices and don’t forget to bring the chargers. For some reason, chargers seem to be the easiest thing to forget and one of the more expensive items to replace when you are visiting a different area.

7. Create an itinerary. Itineraries are great tools because you know/decide what you’re doing and when you’re doing it. You can get the most out of being a tourist, or being on time if you’re on a business trip. Some important information to keep on your itinerary is:

  • Flight numbers/times and the confirmation numbers
  • Emergency contacts
  • Airport transportation information
  • Subway/bus maps
  • Local contacts (rental car companies, hotels, airlines)
  • Addresses of places you want to visit
  • If you are out of the country, the embassy number and address, and photograph your luggage, passport, and credit cards to keep on your cell phone.

8. When you travel, you should be sure to carry some essentials with you. Bring some snacks, drinks, and entertainment (tablet, book, magazine, crossword, knitting, playing cards, etc.) to help make the adventure fun. Take this time to not work, avoid email, and indulge in some hobbies you never really have time to do.

9. When you come back to your clean home, unpack immediately. Who knows when you will “get to it.” The easiest place to start is emptying all of your dirty clothes into the hamper and starting laundry.

I hope this makes vacationing less stressful!

Thanks for reading,

— Regina Lark

Top 10 tips for your best Garage Sale EVER!

 So, you’re selling your house and need to declutter. Clear out the old, the unwanted and the unused. There’s an incentive to clearing. Creating more space in your place may have a positive effect on your peace of mind, as well as move you along the home selling process. A fun way to deal with the stuff you don’t need is to sell it all at a yard sale. Make extra cash, ask a few neighbors to join you for a block sale, and get rid of the things that haven’t been serving you for years! 

Doesn’t that sound great?! 

Here are tried and true Top 10 Tips for your best Garage Sale EVER!! 

1. Six or more weeks before the sale choose the date for your sale. Weekends, of course, are best. With good planning, a 3-day weekend is fine for a 1-day sale because people have more time for chores, shopping, and playing. 

2. Schedule an entire day to clear your garage before the date of the sale since you will want to be ready bright and early in the morning of your sale. Throw away the obvious trash. Add colorful post-it notes to the sale items, and different color post-it notes to items that you plan to give away or keep. 

3. Stage an area in your home or garage where all your “for sale” items can sit until the sale. Take a few pictures of some of your sale items. 

4. De-clutter for the sale: Go through all the spaces in your home, office, garage, closets and drawers. Everywhere. Carry a box or bag with you as you go through each area and fill it with that which you no longer use, want, or desire. Be ruthless. And try to not let guilt guide your decisions about letting go! Now put all the stuff in the staging area. 

5. Pre-sale advertising on Craigslist and NextDoor.com: This is the key to having the best garage sale EVER! Each week for four weeks prior to the sale, post an ad about your sale on craigslist. The weekly ads should include the same important information: title of ad, city/community of yard sale, dates/times of yard sale, but the body of the ad should change each week. Your ad should excite, delight, and attract potential customers! Show pictures of some of the sale items. Comments may include, EVERYTHING MUST GO! MORE ITEMS IN NEXT WEEK’S AD! Each week post different stuff with different but similar comments. The goal is to build a “following” so people look for your ad next week. Do not include your address until your final post a week before the ad. Very early on the morning of the sale, post ad #4 a second time (for a total of 5 posts). 

6. Signage (part 1): Signs should be clear, simple, and readable. Cut a poster-board in half. That’s about the size you should make the signs. Use block letters, printed with date/time of sale, address of sale. Each sign should have a space to draw a directional arrow. Plan to start the sale in the morning because people are more likely to show up to your door before 7am! 

7. Signage (part 2): Before you hang your signs, spend a few days driving around your neighborhood for all the ways to get to your house and likely places to hang the signs. If your sale is on a Saturday, post the signs on Wednesday evening. When you go out to hang signs, bring these with you: thick-tip Sharpie marker, heavy duty tape, hammer and a few nails. Add a directional arrow to each sign just before hanging. IMPORTANT: 

REMOVE YOUR SIGNS THE DAY AFTER THE SALE (or better, THAT NIGHT!!!) Do not clutter your neighborhood with your old yard sale signs. 

8. Day before the sale: Take everything from the staging area inside the house to the garage or area where you plan to hold the sale. Get the items into boxes and bags and close to the front door. Wipe down dirty or dusty items. Have a bunch of paper or plastic grocery bags to help cart away the purchases. Also, have a change purse with several $1s, $5s, a couple of $10s, and coins. Get a good night’s sleep. 

9. Day of sale: Get up and out EARLY! People will be waiting when you get outside. Feel free to politely ask them to return at the designated time or… start selling! Put a tall/large item near the curb to attract people driving by your house. 

10. To price or not to price an item: If the point of your sale is to get rid of your old stuff, don’t add a price tag on anything. When a customer asks about the cost, ask what they want to pay and take their money! Or name a price, and banter back and forth with the customer until you come to an agreement. If you’ve got a big-ticket item such as a treadmill, couch, or dining set, go ahead a name a price and guage a customer’s reaction. Bottom line: sometimes when an item has a price tag, it may discourage the customer from asking for a lower price. I’ve done at least 25 yard sales (personally and professionally). I’ve never tagged a single item and always had a great sale. 

I wish you amazing success with your sale. Put what you’ve earned in the bank, or take yourself and a friend out to dinner! But please don’t go shopping! 

 

 

Top 10 Tips: Spring Clearing 2019

Spring is a good time to donate your un-used and unwanted items that take up valuable space in your home. You will lighten your load, reduce your carbon footprint, and feel better about your surroundings, and your donation is tax deductible! Others will benefit from your desire to clear your path of unwanted stuff! At the end of the Top 10 Springtime List below you will find a link for suggestions about where to donate darned near everything you no longer need or want. 

The Top 10 Springtime List of where many people store or stash and what is in those places, the stuff they probably no longer need: 

1. Kitchen: donate duplicate appliances, gadgets, pots, pans, coffee mugs and glasses to women’s shelters or thrift stores.

 

2. Bathroom: women’s shelters need unused soaps and shampoo (travel size from hotel stays, etc). 

3. Living room: Pack up those videos, DVDs, or CDs that no longer suit your listening or viewing tastes. Your multi-media boxes may be donated to thrift stores or GreenDisc.com 

4. Bedroom: in a word, clothes. Go through your closet and dresser drawers. Donate what you haven’t worn for a year or more, or what no longer fits, or you never really liked. Thrift stores will take your unwanted clothing. On the donation list below you will find places that want women’s business attire for poor women entering the job market. 

5. Kids’ rooms: Toys! Ask your children for input about toys and books they have outgrown, never played with, or otherwise will never use and donate to local shelters, churches, or thrift stores. 

6. Hall closets: empty hangers, suitcases and backpacks may go to thrift stores. Unused linen and towels to animal shelters

7. Dining room: napkins and tablecloths; wine glasses, decanters, water pitchers, salt and pepper shakers, platters and serving bowls. Unless these items are seasonal, choose your best and donate the rest to your local thrift store. 

8. Backyard: planters and pots, gardening hand tools, lawn ornaments gathering cobwebs near overgrown plants to Goodwill or similar place. 

9. Garage: sports equipment, sneakers, dust-collecting household tsotchkes that you will never use again but which never quite made it to the Goodwill. Board games like Monopoly, Scrabble, checkers and Backgammon remain popular thrift store items (just be sure you have all the pieces). These things can be donated to a thrift store. 

10. Book shelves: clear your bookcase of novels, “how to” books, or any book that you are certain you will never read again. Public libraries appreciate your donations. 

11. Bonus! Here’s a great list for where to donate and recycle a whole lot of stuff! https://aclearpath.net/resources/ 

Regina Lark
A Clear Path
www.AClearPath.net
regina@aclearpath.net 

Images used are from the following sites
serenehousecleaning.com/index.php/2016/06/10/organize-the-garage/
designsponge.com/2016/11/10-well-organized-kitchens.html
closetamerica.com/how-deep-clean-your-walk-closet-organized-look-year-round 

 

The Myth of Tidying Up

When someone calls upon the services of a Professional Organizer, rarely is the service one in which the Organizer is asked to “tidy up.” More likely, the person calling the Organizer has determined that her home is greatly impacted by miles of files and 8-tracks and cables. Stacks of newspapers cover floors and tables are laden with, well, everything. The person calling has finally thrown in the towel, conceding she doesn’t  possess the ability – either physically, cognitively, or emotionally – to roll up her sleeves and tidy up. When a chronically disorganized person calls upon the services of an Organizer, the living space is light years from the “tidying up” phase.

The country is a-buzz with tidying up. A Netflix program, “Spark Joy,” has taken us by storm! Keep grandma’s flatware set if it sparks joy; thank the item and wish it farewell, if it does not. Audiences seem to be as fascinated with “Spark Joy” as they are with “Hoarders: Buried Alive.” The common denominator is, stuff.

In my life before organizing, I taught history as a community college professor. History, algebra, earth science, political science, psychology, and about twenty other required and elective courses comprise the curriculum of an Associative Arts degree. I could easily make the case that certain pieces of data, or perhaps an equation, or maybe even knowledge concerning events of the past may become useful at one point along the adult life-cycle. The AA degree is a compilation of knowledge and information that scholars and others deemed necessary for a traditional education.

When a potential client calls for help, I can’t help but notice, that what was not taught in school are the very things we encounter every single day of our lives: papers and “stuff.” Since we aren’t taught what to “do” with that which we bring through the front door multiple times each day, we stack, pile, overload, and overwhelm our space. I scratch my head and wonder why home organizing, or paper-training-for-people, is never a part of any curriculum, at any age, on any level.

Back to the cable shows. We are fascinated with other people’s “stuff.” We’re either trying to figure out how to de-clutter our own “too much stuff,” or we look over the shoulder of the person who hoards and think “thank goodness I don’t have THAT much stuff.”

Professional Organizers are in a unique position to ensure that the homes of our clients are made safe, healthy, and accessible. The “stuff” we encounter? It’s just “stuff” – and the acquiring of “too much” is learned behavior. Transforming external spaces is something we organizers do really well; helping our clients transform the internal spaces [managing time, relationships to stuff, behaviors, etc.] is an ongoing process. For the chronically disorganized, “tidying up” is never a one and done deal. It’s fantasy to think clearing the clutter magically cleared away the very habits that created the crowded spaces, making “tidying up” less a reality [show] and more of an urban myth.

5 Quick Tips: Moving with Pets from Silk Touch Moves and Relocations

  • Order your pet’s name/address tags before you move; secure the new tags on moving day. Consider a micro-chip in the event your pet gets loose in an unfamiliar neighborhood.
  • Pack an overnight bag for your precious pooches and curious cats. Include medicine, treats, leashes, bedding… whatever you know will provide comfort to your 4-legged friends in a new environment.
  • Visit the vet before you leave – up date shots, get copies of your pet’s medical history.
  • Choose a pet carrier for comfort. Account for size, cross-ventilation, and a secure door latch. Place a favorite toy and blanket inside to help your pet feel secure.
  • As much as you can, keep your pet away from the chaos of the move. Research doggie day-care in your new city.

5 Quick Tips: Moving the Home Office from Silk Touch Moves and Relocations

  • De-clutter electronics, and e-waste or donate items and equipment no longer in use.
  • Recycle/shred papers no longer relevant to you. For high-volume shredding, consider a certified shred company to do the job.
  • Take a picture of all the plug-ins/cords, code with tape naming each cord, remove from outlets.
  • Pack a box that contains everything you need to re-start your office upon arrival to your new space (stationary, stamps, invoices, pens, staples, tape, etc.).
  • Back up, back up, back up!!! Computer files, important documents, etc. Consider scanning/digitizing critical documents.

5 Quick Tips: Moving Supply Basics from Silk Touch Moves and Relocations

  • Boxes – assess what belongings need to be transported and put them in the corresponding boxes.
    • Wardrobe boxes come with a removable hanger bar so it is easy to transport clothes from one closet to another
    • Electronic boxes are ideal to move entertainment consoles, gaming systems, and computers.
    • Get a lot of these: small (books, toiletries, paper, etc.), medium (shoes, clothes, linens), large (pillow, comforters, lamp shades).
  • Protective Packing- bubble wrap for fragile items, furniture pads, stretch plastic wrap to wrap cabinets to keep drawers in place, packing paper for stuffing boxes to keep things inside the boxes tight
  • Many rolls of packing tape!
  • Sharpies and colored duct tape codes to each room
  • Box cutters and scissors

5 Quick Tips: Moving with Children from Silk Touch Moves and Relocations

  1. Before the move: let the kids help you cut the clutter from the house. Walk through each space and make family decisions about what is no longer used or useful.
  2. Put together activity kits to keep small children occupied while a lot of stuff is being moved about, in or out.
  3. Kids respond well if you keep them informed of the big and small changes to routines and their environment. They want to feel involved and included in the process.
  4. Involve your 6+ year-olds in the unpacking process – Let them help you organize their rooms to help them learn/get used to locating and putting away toys, books, clothes, shoes, etc.
  5. Unpack in this order: kids’ rooms, play room, kitchen, parents’ bedroom, common areas.

5 Tips to Move Your Bedroom

Before packing, sort your clothing into piles of what you want to donate and what you want to bring to the new home. Bring only the clothes you want and will use.

Garbage and lawn bags are the easiest way to move fluffy bedding, pillows, and linens.

Pack the bedroom furniture. Mattresses should be kept safe in a mattress bag and box. If a dresser is light, you can wrap the drawers shut and lift. If the dresser is heavy, it is best to empty the contents of the dresser and then wrap the drawers shut.

The best way to ensure that drapery, curtains, and blinds are tangle-free, hang them in a wardrobe box for moving.

Take extra care when moving mirrors and pictures frames. There are special boxes which you may purchase from a moving store for these items.

Moving Hacks

Many websites have lengthy lists for making your move smooth – but here are some tips to save you time and money!

Pack your dishes and breakables in your clothing to save on bubble wrap and padding
Keep Ziploc bags handy for screws and hardware after items are taken apart. Be sure to label the bags with the contents!
Ask your local liquor or grocery store for extra boxes so you don’t have to buy them.
If you are relying on friends and family to help with your move, be courteous and give them as much notice as possible. Know what tasks you will need help with and ask the right people. And provide pizzas and soda!

Use small boxes for heavy items. Don’t struggle with a box of books that you cannot lift.