Clutter Busting Coach

…clearing clutter from your mind, body and space

clutter busting

The Journey Into Clutter Busting: The Basement – Disaster Box

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The recent news about all the weather disasters has been disturbing. But I have chosen to be prepared instead of disturbed. To take action instead of accepting fear.

One thing that you can do to be prepared for weather or any type of disaster is to have a disaster kit ready. I call it my disaster box and it is stored in the basement. So it was natural for me to review and update the disaster box this week in my basement project.

When I originally prepared my box several years ago I went to the government’s website  which has a great list for you to use. I actually used this resource and created my own check list. I keep the list on top of the box with the intention of reviewing the box every six months for expiration dates and integrity of the supplies inside of my handy plastic tub used for this purpose.

Should there be some reason for me to “camp” out in the basement, I need to only gather a few things and be set if needed.

For me this gives me a little piece of mind…in being prepared. In fact the day after I sorted the disaster box we had a tornado warning. I felt a little better about the situation knowing I could locate supplies easily if needed.

Do you have a disaster kit ready? When will you commit to setting one up?

The Journey Into Clutter Busting: The Basement- Party Supplies

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Years ago I created a party supply box in order to remove items that only get used once or twice a year out of the kitchen…to free up cabinet space. This box resides in my basement.

And it has served me well. I have loaned items out to friends and family that are throwing showers or events and most times I don’t have to make special trips to the store to get serving pieces for an impromptu gathering.

So with Memorial weekend slated as the weekend to get the patio chairs out and the deck swept off, I thought it was the perfect time to tackle the party supply box since I limit myself to one box and it was pretty full.

What I found was that I only needed to recycle red placemats that were four years old and hadn’t been used since the bridal shower I threw for a co-worker. This was only because they were not in the best of shape anymore.

The great result from going through the box is that I verified what supplies I did have on hand for the summer and I can check one more thing done in my basement.

Where do your party supplies reside? Do you know what you have? Do you have multiples of many things? Do you have more than you need? Are you ready to organize your party supplies?

Contact me for a free 30-minute sample session if you want to get rid of your clutter.

The Journey Into Clutter Busting: Important Papers

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Since I have been dealing with the papers in my life most of this journey so far I wanted to share some information about important papers.

There are critical papers that you need to help your loved ones should something happen to you. They are:

  • A trust or will.
  • A document recovery file.
  • A file index.

These papers will help those that need to take care of you should you not be able to take care of yourself.

I won’t spend time on discussing a trust or will other than to say you need one copy in a portable lock box at home and another off-site, but not in a safe deposit box (you don’t have access to it 24/7 and you can’t grab it and go if you needed to). [Read more…] about The Journey Into Clutter Busting: Important Papers

The Journey Into Clutter Busting: Back to the Basement

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This past week took me back to the basement to continue sorting through our references and papers. I really can’t believe how old some of the papers are.

It really reinforced the message that while daily practices are important so are project time and maintenance. I also realized that the basement is going to be a long-term project for me and, yet, that is okay. Forward progress is what matters.

The fact that I have collected two more bags of reference material that I thought I needed to save but don’t for recycling is excellent. Those two bags make me feel lighter.

This week I was able to do two short sessions in the basement totaling one-half hour. And those times were very productive in lightening the load: recycling paper, setting aside items for a garage sale and organizing my gift box (I keep a box of items that I have pre-bought for on the spot gifts or for those I bought ahead with someone in mind).

I already put a note in my planner to make time for basement maintenance six months from now. Will you do the same?

The Journey Into Clutter Busting: Clutter-free = Financial Freedom

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As I am moving through my journey I came across an article in an issue of O Magazine (March 2010) by Suzy Orman that I thought was so appropriate for what I was dealing with right now… financial files.

Clutter holds you back, causes you to procrastinate and creates disorganization. This occurs with any part of your life including your finances. So as you move out of April (tax season) to May I would encourage you to look at your finances and see if how you are handling them needs a “spring cleaning” or maybe a total overhaul.

Decluttering and then organizing your finances and financial records will help your financial well-being. And just think how freeing it will be to know where you stand financially and that you have eliminated stacks of unnecessary papers.

That’s why I am headed back to the basement this week to get rid of more reference documents I no longer need. What area of your finances will you be tackling?