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Ask the Organizer How to Organize

Jun 30

Organizing and Managing a Budget

By Ask the Organizer How to Organize
Organizing and managing a budget works much the same way as organizing and managing your time. There are several steps to take as you go about organizing and managing your money. First, I’ll review the steps to take to organize your budget. Organizing A Budget Track how you are currently using your money For one month keep track of every bit of your spending. Keep and organize all receipts – even for cash purchases. If you didn’t get a receipt, write the amount down on a piece of paper in your wallet or on another receipt that you have. I’m…
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Jun 16
a child drawing on a piece of paper with a crayon

Managing Your Child’s Paperwork

By Ask the Organizer How to Organize
Children seem to generate a lot of paperwork, especially in their younger years. Managing your child’s paperwork and making decisions on what to do with all of it can be overwhelming. Having a plan and a system in place will keep everyone sane and happy. Keep on top of your child’s incoming paperwork. Check backpacks daily or at least weekly. Like keeping up with your incoming mail, do an immediate triage. You know that some items can be immediately trashed or recycled. For example, if your child is doing well in school there is no need to keep items like…
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May 19
A person using a hand-held vacuum on the floor of the front seat of the car - driver's side

Car Maintenance

By Ask the Organizer How to Organize
In keeping with my maintenance theme, I am ending the series with the easily overlooked workhorse – the car. Our car is a major investment and often an extension of our home. Yet, because it is not actually a part of our home, car maintenance is easy to forget. Car maintenance inside the car Whether you use your car to drive to client’s homes, transport kids or pets, run errands, or haul recycling and donations, you want to keep the interior of your car tidy and clean.  Built up dirt and grime not only does not give a good impression…
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May 05
household maintenance - appliances

Household Maintenance – An Organizing Necessity Part 2

By Ask the Organizer How to Organize
Recently I talked about how household maintenance was important for a clean and organized home. There is another part of household maintenance that is not so visible. It is easy to overlook the importance of regular maintenance for our appliances. Yet, who hasn’t experienced the Thanksgiving trauma of a stove or refrigerator that has just failed? Or the dead washer or dryer after coming home from a trip with a ton of dirty laundry? Maybe returning home after a trip and finding water standing on the floor because a hot water heater died? In order to function efficiently and last…
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Feb 25
graphic image of a woman doing daily helpful routine tasks with a clock in the center

How to Develop Helpful Routines

By Ask the Organizer How to Organize
There are many benefits of having helpful routines in place. Helpful routines reduce stress and make for a more efficient day which allows you to even work in some time for yourself. Follow these steps to develop helpful routines Start by listing all that you have to do in a day or during the week. At this point your list is just a brain dump. Don’t try to sort the tasks out. Next divide your day into time blocks. What works for many people are: Morning – from the time you get up until you head out the door to…
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Nov 12

Gratitude

By Ask the Organizer How to Organize
This is the time of year when we think about the things that are important in our lives. We offer gratitude and thanks for what is good. We learn to express thanks and gratitude at an early age. When I was teaching in primary school, every year I would put up a turkey on the bulletin board and each student would cut out a large feather for that turkey and write one thing they were thankful for. Everyone got to talk about why they picked their word. I loved this exercise. Many people keep a gratitude journal but let’s go…
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Oct 01

Seasonal Reorganizing Of Your Closets

By Ask the Organizer How to Organize
The cooler seasons are coming which means now’s the time to get out the heavier sweaters, the puffy coats, and the boots. But what do you do with all the things that are currently in your closet? It can be challenging to reorganize your closets to make room for all these bulky items. Is seasonal reorganizing of your closets something you do? Here are some tips to make seasonal reorganizing of your closets easier Put shorts, sundresses, and sandals elsewhere when reorganizing the bedroom closet to make room for those sweaters and boots. Declutter as you reorganize the closets. If…
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Jun 23
create an outdoor kit or tote bag with things for summer fun

How to Create an Outdoor Kit for Your Summer Fun

By Ask the Organizer How to Organize
Summer is full of wonderful outdoor opportunities. Having an Outdoor Kit will allow you to seize these opportunities with less fuss and stress. It’s a great idea for everyone but an especially big win if you have young children. The Outdoor Kit is always ready for you and your next fun adventure. Having it already put together saves you time.  This removes the need to spend time searching your home for all the things you want to bring. And reduces the possibility of getting to your destination only to see that you left something behind and now need to repurchase…
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Jun 11

3 Tips for Organizing Your Gift Giving

By Ask the Organizer How to Organize
Gift giving is something we all do. Sometimes it’s spontaneous but more often we know ahead of time that we plan on giving a gift. There are always the expected birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, as well as weddings and graduations. And, of course, the hostess gifts. 3 tips to help you stay organized and on top of your game when it comes to gift giving. 1. Keep a list of people you give gifts to on a yearly basis and a budget amount you would like to follow.  I keep a running list of people in my journal that I give…
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May 21
child's schoolwork

Decluttering Your Child’s Schoolwork: What to Keep and Why

By Ask the Organizer How to Organize
As a parent, you may be all too familiar with the endless piles of school paperwork that accumulate over the course of a school year. From graded assignments to artwork and school messages, it can be overwhelming to sort through it all. However, decluttering your child's schoolwork at the end of the school year is essential so that you don’t end up with stacks of schoolwork when your child heads off to college and beyond. Let’s look at how you will decide what to keep and what to toss. What to keep at the end of the school year As…
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