Do you have a ton of paper staring at you in your office or on your kitchen counter? Most of the time this is a big complaint.

Are some of those papers your monthly bills?

Many of us have files we’ve labeled “Telephone”, “Utilities”, “Water/Garbage”, “Cell Phone”,  ”Credit Cars”… Sound familiar? We’ve set up these folders because that’s how our parents used to do it. So when we moved out of their home we did the same thing. Only, we hate to file them. Do you really need to keep those bills?

Probably not. While what I am going to say may make you feel a bit queasy or uncomfortable, I say it to help you eliminate the paper monster in your life.  No, I am not recommending that everyone go paperless, don’t worry.  I am recommending, however, that you embrace technology. Create passwords to your utilities, phone, and credit card accounts so you can access your information online at any time. Get comfortable with their websites so you begin to use this valuable resource.  You can look up past bills, see recent statements at the touch of a button. If you are reading this blog then you have access to the internet so use it and eliminate the need to keep all those paper bills.

It’s okay if you still want to get your paper statement (or your can request that they be sent to your email in box).  The point here is that you don’t need to file or keep those bills. After you pay a bill, shred it. The information’s still there online any time you need it.

So get comfortable and let go (if you haven’t already) – I double dare ya!

2. Give gift receipts with your gifts and toss the original receipts.

3. Reduce junk mail by registering with DMAChoice.org.

4. Throw away those small-dollar-amount cash receipts before you even get home.

5. Call the charities you no longer support and request to be removed from their mailing list.

6. Put your magazine subscriptions on a diet.

7. Scan your recipes and get rid of the sheets of paper and recipe cards.

8. Shred your medical explanation of benefit statements after you review them.

9. Throw away those investment prospectus reports if you’ve never read them then request online copies only.

10. Eliminate the other language portions of your product manuals.

The benefits of Planner Pad:

• Monthly view
• 2 pages weekly view
• Different sizes calendars to choose from
• Space for roles, tasks, and appointments
• Room on the weekly pages to capture bits of information
• Designed to make all aspects of your life funnel into each week, in one place

Click here to See the Planner Pad video

Enjoy this guest post by fellow organizer, Beth Giles!

Your closet may be the smallest “room”, yet it contains the most individual items.  You want it to function well, with convenient access to items and stress-free use.  Here are a few CLOSET tips to tackle the space and help you reach that goal.

Clear out – Take every thing out of your closet, so you can begin with a clean slate.  As you consider each piece of clothing, ask yourself the following questions.  Does it fit? Have I worn it in the last year?  Do I really like it? Is it in good condition? Is it in style?  Do I really need it?  Is it different from other pieces I am keeping? If you cannot answer yes, with certainty, to each of these questions, then it’s probably time to say good bye to that particular piece of clothing. If you are still hesitant to get rid of a few items, place them in a box, tape it shut, and mark it with a date 6 months out.  If the box is still sealed in 6 months, leave it unopened and donate it to your favorite charity.

Let it go- There are many people and places that can benefit from your discards. Consider donating your items to Dress for Success, Career Gears, or your local shelters.  If you want your castoffs to benefit your wallet or closet, take your clothing to a consignment shop or schedule a clothing swap party with your friends.

Organize – Now that you know what will be going back into your closet, sort them by clothing type.  A few possible categories are shirts, jackets, pants, skirts, and dresses. Within each category you may want to specialize a bit more, arranging them according to additional characteristic such as color or sleeve length.

Step up the amount of space –Several ways exist to create more space in your closet.  An over the door shoe organizer can act as storage for more than just shoes. Placing all long hanging items in one area and short hanging items in another allows shelving or bins to fit under the shorter items. Double your hanging space by purchasing a secondary rod that hangs from the main rod.

Expose your closet – For your closet to function well, all your clothing should be easily visible.  If your closet has sliding doors, consider replacing them with bi-fold doors to make the whole closet visible at one time.  A battery operated “tap” light installed inside the closet can help you see the items in the darker areas of your space.

Think “One in, One out” – You have probably heard this many times, but it is very true. If you want to maintain an organized and clutter-free closet, remember that when you buy something new, something old must leave to create space for it.

Following these tips will put you on your way to an organized closet that can serve you well throughout the year.

© June 2010 Beth Giles

For more information about Beth Giles visit: www.nworganizingsolutions.com

Connect with Beth on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NWOrganizingSolutions

I went to a Pampered Chef show last weekend. I haven’t been to one of these shows I years but I do have many of their products. Imagine my delight when I saw this spice organizer. Yes, I have to admit I whipped out my tape measure and checked this baby out! Everyone at the show got a laugh when someone said, “Of course the organizer has a tape measure in her purse!” And I was thinking “Everyone should carry one!”

The photo shows the spice organizer filled with The Pampered Chef spices and rubs (can you believe they have such a variety these days?). The spice organizer will hold your standard grocery store spice bottles too. It will hold 21 bottles. There are two tiers for better visibility and a carry handle. The unit spins on a lazy susan base very smoothly and is 10.75″ in diameter. Thought I’d share this for Tool Tuesday so you can check it out.

Don’t you want one? You can order online. Oh, and this makes a great “anti-clutter” gift too!

Today’s featured organization tool is the shower purse from Clever Container. From the inference of the name, you immediately think it is a bathroom organizational product; and you are right.  It was invented to keep all the personal hygiene/shower necessities together and make it easy to store or grab.  It’s made in the USA and is molded plastic.  It has nice tall handles and the mid-section features 3 sections, one of which is intended for a bar of soap. It comes in 3 colors – white, green and pink.

Here are some handy ways it can help your family stay organized:

• Give one to each child and have them store their bathroom products in them, under the bathroom sink or in their rooms

• Use as a gift basket. For a baby shower, fill with the wipes, lotions, shampoos, nail clippers, washcloths, etc. For a bridal shower, fill with special bath and body products or personal things for the bride-to-be.

• Make it your gardening tote. It’s perfect to hold your gloves, those special clippers you use, plant ties, and Miracle Gro™ fertilizer.  Use two of the sections to hold your freshly cut roses into the house to transfer to your favorite vase.

• Create an art center for you or your little ones.  It’s great to organizer, markers, colored pencils, paint brushes and the like.  If you like to make cards, you can even use it for your current project- holding all your card making supplies.

• Fill it with first aid supplies and give it to a college student this month.  Don’t forget to add aspirin and cold meds – those things seem expensive to the starving student!

• Set it beside your favorite chair to hold your pencils for crossword, tissues, lotion and hand sanitizer, and a few thank you notes and a pen. After all, you can do a lot during the commercials.

• Make a manicure basket.  Use it to hold all of your clippers, files, nail polish and remover. Don’t forget the cotton balls!

“According to the U.S. Postal Service and Seattle Public Utilities research, Seattle homes and businesses receive an estimated 17,500 tons of unwanted paper in the form of junk mail and yellow pages phone books, approximately 100 pounds of waste per household, each year,” a release from the city of Seattle states. That’s some major waste!  I found this information and photo here.

 A look at the discarded phone books, courtesy of the City of Seattle

 When I read the article, I first thought it only applied to the city of Seattle. But that’s not true – they are just giving it better P.R. than other areas.  Go to catalogchoice.org and you can enter your zip code in the box labeled “1″ and it will tell you if you can request to opt out of the phone books for your city. If your city phone books come up, simply hit the ‘New Request’ button for each one.

You should see something like this at the top of your screen:

Now look below this box and start filling out the form.  The instructions are simple and it took me all of 3 minutes to do.

Catalogchoice.org can also help eliminate your junk mail.  This is a great nonprofit organization that ultimately helps to save trees and simplify the paper in our lives a little bit. They ask that you consider giving them a donation after you're done to show them some love!

Would love to hear if you do go on there to stop your phone book deliveries. I know I'm on a mission to tell as many people as I can!!

“When shelf space is at a premium, these boxes go a long way in keeping a number of items neat. Tame your paper clutter or sort out any smaller items with these crisp, stackable boxes.”

Organizing with boxes… Okay that’s nothing new but I like these document boxes by Clever Container. Not only are they colorful, but their uniform size makes them perfect for many areas in your home or office. Here are a few ways I have recommended using them:

• One for each family member to be used as in-boxes

• One per child to store (and limit) the amount of school projects and artwork kept for the year

• One per project at work or home

• Containerize crafting tools

• Containerize small toys (barbie outfits, small cars, etc.)

• Holds the art supplies

• Holds vacation/travel memorabilia

• Teachers can carry back and forth with papers to be graded

• Store doilies, napkins, napkin rings in linen closet

• Containerize all small office supplies (extra staples, paper clips, tape, scissors, etc.)

• Give them as a gift to each adult child with their old report cards, sports ribbons, and memorabilia inside

And the list goes on. How would you use these versatile boxes?

If you want a set, you can order them online at my Clever container website – www.clevercontainer.com/Natalie.

As I speak to different groups, there is always questions asked about how to manage paper (at home or at work).

There are many systems that I can recommend and, as you know, not every system works for everyone.  Today I am showing you how to set up and use an Action File system. I have used this system myself for over 6 years and it works beautifully. This Action File system is one that will work for you in conjunction with what you are doing already OR get you started towards better organization.  When it comes to paper, knowing where we can find it again is key.

Try this and leave me comments about how it is working for you.  I’d also love to hear what kind of tabs you add to personalize your Action Files.

Today is National Thrift Shop Day.  While no one seems to know who created this prestigious day, I am celebrating!  Here’s a secret… I love thrift stores- so much so I have a monthly allowance for thrift store shopping.   As a young mom with 3 kids and not much money, I discovered I could stretch my dollar by shopping at thrift stores.  Now there are some things I wouldn’t buy there.  When my kids were young, I would splurge on their shoes at the Stride Rite store but buy their Osh Kosh overalls at a thrift store.

Ask my friends, I am a serious bargain hunter.  I once bought a nearly new sectional sofa at a thrift store for $65.00!  The best deal I ever got was a Janome sewing machine, complete with accessories, instruction manual and tapestry storage case for $25.00!! I brought it home, cleaned it up and it runs like a champ!  I usually come home with great deals for just $5 or $6.  Many blogs out there tell you how to shop at thrift stores by first saying to have a list. I disagree; thrifting is not something you can make a list for and find exactly what you want.  I usually go in knowing there are a few things I’d like to find but I keep my eyes open for the jewels… Another thing that I do is to limit my spending; my monthly budget is $20.00 so I don’t get carried away if I stay in my budget.  I also am aware of how many projects I have going. You know, you buy something from a thrift store and plan to paint it or plant something in it or tear off the buttons.  I don’t buy another “project” if I have a few waiting for me at home.  Lastly, I am constantly donating to the thrift store because for every time a bring something home, deal or not, it adds to the volume of “stuff” I own. Bottom line, if you are going thrifting, you should be purging and donating as well.

In honor of National Thrift Shop Day, here are a few thrift store finds from other bloggers that they have used to help them organize:

From Cassity from Remodelaholic

From Spice Rack to Bead Organizer

 Found this one at Paisley Passions

Calendar Frame turned Menu Board

 From Brooke at Crafting Chicks

Framed Picture turned into Family Message Center

By Sarah on Craftaholics Anonymous

CD Rack turned Ribbon Holder

 Look what MadiganMade

Fishing Rod Rack converted to Sunglass Holder

Are you a thrift store shopper? I would love to here your stories of the bargains you found. Please leave a comment here.