A New York Desk

Living in New   York where people dont have space for a full desk--Ive come up with a new way to get organized. Make your desk portable with this handy desk bucket. Email me if youd like to buy this--only 29. 99 including shipping in the US.  

10 Tips to do Today!

Clear off all table tops in your home.

Water all your plants and toss the dead ones.

Set up file folders for all the members of your family (including pets)

If you make an appointment and need to prepare for it, list it on your calendar a few days before all of the paper work you’ll need.

Put take out menus in the same place in the kitchen.

Put paper and pen beside all of the phones in your home and carry pen and paper.

Have all of your important numbers in one place for all the family members. But keep them also in a second location for yourself.

Put a laundry basket in your closet and use it.

Clean out your sock drawer and toss away socks that do not match.

Put a large shopping bag in your closet or hang on a hook and when you do not like something in your closet, put it in the bag –when the bag is filled donate it.

Put all of your remotes in a small basket.

When you finish reading a magazine give to a friend or donate to a hospital.

Donate your old electronics and recycle the ones that don’t work.

Keep all of your warranties in one folder with the receipts. If you own a house, keep this with all of your household information. 

Keep the paint chip sample you used to pick out the paint on your walls for when you need touch-ups or when you sell, tell the new homeowners.

A easy way to get rid of Clutter!

Many weeks ago a friend called for lunch and I loved the interruption in my daily life.  Picking her up, I walked into the kitchen and out of the corner of my eye I saw it.  Piles of paper…bills in plastic grocery bags, shoe boxes filled with newspaper clippings and coupons. It was paper everywhere the eye could see…and I wasn’t supposed to see it.

But then I couldn’t un-see-it.  And what I did next was to give her a suggestion to hem the tide of paper.

It was not current paper, it was old paper from bills that were paid (if you don’t need it for your job, house or life—toss it.  Bank statements from years ago can be shredded, but what if you don’t want to do this, THEN you box it up. Put a list of items inside (Phone bills and newspapers from 1998)  and put the current date  on the outside and put it away. One day you will be able to toss it out—but for now, get it out of your life and live without clutter.

Every day you need to get rid of your clutter, it will one day explode if you don’t take care of the little pieces of clutter. In my mother’s house there was one piece of clutter I needed to donate.   The piano.   It was my mother’s dream for me to play at  my parents’ parties.   I would sit down and play but the theme from The Partridge Family in the key of C wasn’t what they wanted.   The photos of family on the piano told the story of cousins, friends aunts, uncles and grandparents in frames always in fashion, and later on, it held Mass cards as my mother aged.

In my mother’s house you could always tell who had called her, as the framed photo of the person would be moved to the center of the piano. When, I had no luck selling the piano, I called my most musical friend and asked if she wanted it, she could have it. She would also have to move it. Two weeks later, there was an empty spot and lots of photos.   But, I kept the bench. I never mentioned the bench when discussing the piano gift to my friend.  Was that wrong? I’d love to hear what you have to say. Email me at lesliefjacobs@yahoo.com. 

Spring? Cleaning? Remember the promise...

At the beginning of this year you promised yourself you’d get organized, but you didn’t. Now, you have another chance with spring cleaning weather happening next week. Let’s start with the car:

My car has packages in the trunk waiting for me to go to the mall and I hate going to the mall, so they sit in there for sometimes a month or more. If I am not going near the mall for other reasons, (lunch at Brio’s, eyebrows at Macy’s) it will sit in the trunk, as I try not to waste gas. It also has my mother’s clothes that need to be donated.  I have already donated many bags, but my mom had clothes from the 1940’s until 2011 when she died. It has become my full time job to make sure the contents of my mom’s house get the best price so I can donate some of the money to her causes.

So, my car becomes many things as I’m sure yours does too. But, what items do you need to carry in your car, besides the flashlight, winter items that are moved to the back of the trunk for the other three seasons, and the blanket?

I’ve read about organizing your car and always they mention the blanket, the water, the flashlight and the first aid kit. But my car, as I’m sure yours is an extension of your life.

Here is what I keep in my car: my glove compartment has coupons for the grocery store, BBY, and all manuals for the car.

The trunk has a blanket, first aid kit, water, copies of my book (you never know when someone wants to buy it!) and grocery bags. But, it also has flairs, a tool kit and sometimes a folding chair to watch my cousin play baseball.

Inside the car is the umbrellas my mother gave me, but I never use. It’s easier to run to the building I’m going in, then to deal with the umbrella. Someday, I will be an adult and use it, but for now my knees are still working. (Knock wood!)

After getting the inside organized, I will park my car outside and wait for the rain to clean it. 

Today...the lull before the storm.

Here in CT, we are about to get another storm. Yes, I know-I live in a snow state...it's winter. I know all about this--BUT are you organized for the storm or are you running out today to get everything for your family for this possible 2 day storm.

Here is what I did to get ready for the storm: I ordred groceries to be delivered today--the day before the storm. My plow guy already knows to plow--we have a standing order.  Two inches or more he can plow. Two inches or less, I can have the neighborhood boys do...or it can blow away.

What else do you need? Batteries, candles, (incase the power goes out) blankets, and books--the old fashion kind that you hold--thats it for me.

Tonight, Ill be out with my friends--and then Ill put on clean pjs and know I wont be out of them until Friday.

Enjoy the snow and your family!