Many people complain that receipts seem to over run them. I am often asked “What’s the best way to manage receipts?”
My answer: Get in the habit of staying on top of them every week.

I personally have a secret weapon when it comes to receipts. Here’s a look at it…

Yes, it’s a simple magnetic notepad holder. So the key to managing receipts isn’t the tool, it’s the process.

Here’s how it works in my home:

• My husband and I try to empty our wallets/purse about every other day

• All receipts go into this notepad holder (aka the in-box of receipts)

• Every week when we look at our account we check to see of the amounts are correct and assign categories to the expenses

• Most receipts are then shredded

• Any saved receipts go with merchandise to be returned or stapled to the product manual (in the case of big ticket items)

During Christmas we keep an envelope marked Christmas 20XX that holds all receipts for gifts purchased. That’s usually tossed about March of the following year.

This system works for us because we have a landing place for incoming receipts and we deal with the receipts on a weekly basis. How do you manage your receipts? Please leave a comment below.

That dark, hidden area under the sink.

It’s an awkward place because of pipes and having to bend down low to see anything.  It’s also an area that rarely gets organized again after putting things away in there after moving in. Here’s what it looks like under my sink:

That garbage disposal is huge, taking up nearly half of the right side of the cabinet!   The yellow crate, also in the right side of the cabinet holds my potatoes, onions and garlic.  It’s something I’ve done this way because that’s how my mom did it.  I think she told me the potatoes like a cooler dark storage environment.  (I digress…)

Then there are the cleaning supplies which I keep on a lazy susan for easier access. I also have cleaning rags and sponges behind the kitchen garbage bags.  To the far right I have a microfiber dish drying mat that conveniently folds up and doesn’t take any space at all.

Here’s a quick 3 steps to putting the under the sink clutter in order:

1. Remove all the items under the sink and clean the area.

2. Sort and purge what you have taken out, only keeping what you will use to clean the KITCHEN. A portion of the under the sink cabinet should be reserved for just kitchen cleaning and maintenance supplies. Find a home for the other items you will not put back.

3. Measure your space and the height available (due to the plumbing arrangements under your sink).  Figure out the best way to contain these supplies.  I did this with a lazy susan but you can also use these types of products-

   

   www.organizeit.com

Items like these can be found at Target® and Bed Bath and Beyond®.

Is it time to organize the things under your sink?  Leave me a comment and let me know how it goes.

In my last post, The Basics of Closet Organization, I listed the 3 steps to getting your closet organized.
1. Prepare
2. Purge and Sort
3. Put Back

I don’t just write this stuff, I actually do it! In February, I challenged myself to minimize the amount of clothing I keep. I had read a great article on the Small Notebook blog that motivated me to go into minimalist mode in my clothes closet. Let me first say that I come from a long line of clothes hoarders. My grandma has 3 closets full of clothes; my mother and my sister are running neck and neck for 2nd place! (Yes, Mom and Sis, if you are reading this- you have tons of clothes!) At any rate, I started out to see how much I could pare down my wardrobe.

Here’s my closet before I started:

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This month we will focus on your clothes closet.  Let’s get going by looking at 10 reasons you may want (need) to organize your clothes closet.

1. You find yourself wearing the same outfits week after week
2. You can’t shut your closet door(s)
3. You can’t move your clothes hangers , it’s packed so tight in there
4. You can’t find your favorite shirt but you are sure it’s “in there somewhere”
5. Your closet rods are sagging
6. You can’t see the floor of your closet
7. There’s a layer of dust on the shoulders of some outfits
8. You can’t find the other shoe
9. You have clothes now hanging on hooks behind every door
10. You have clothes piled around your bedroom with nowhere to put them

If you can relate to any of these reasons, stay tuned for more closet clearing strategies. In fact, we’ll take a look at my closet (before and after)!

Kids School/Artwork

-        Use a lidded box, color coded per child and label

-        Use large envelopes, labeled by year and child

-        Transfer yearly papers to labeled accordion file keeper

Travel/Sightseeing Memorabilia

-        Have a journal with you to notate date, locations, and events

-        Gather tourist brochures, postcards, etc. in journal

-        Transfer to accordion file keeper, categorized by year

-        Tear pages from journal and include with memorabilia

I haven’t done a Tool Tuesday feature in a while, so here ya go!  I helped a client in her home office last week and introduced this product to her. She is a local realtor and although she had been in business for years, she felt that she needed to get “re-booted” in her office.  She felt it was cluttered, the work process didn’t flow, and her files were a mess (her words, not mine).

While we worked together for a couple of days on all aspects of her office environment, I want to tell you about the tool we used to revamp her filing system.  Based on my clients existing files, personality, and needs I recommended the FreedomFiler®.

FreedomFiler® is best known for being a self-purging file system. This system goes a long way in keeping your files organized and is very user friendly. It uses color coding to categorize odd year versus even year files as well as separating your active and yearly files from your permanent, or archive, files.

So you are determined to be more organized than ever but you don’t live by yourself… There’s your other half, the kids and maybe even a mother in law in the mix! You may be wondering how to get them organized. The answer … you can’t.  It’s like making someone love brussel sprouts (sorry mom). You cannot make someone be organized, and if you could, they certainly would not be organized the way YOU expect them to be.

Got 5 minutes?  Then you can stay organized!

When you hear the word “file”, what do you think of?  What image pops in your head?

There is actually more than one way to file your papers.  The traditional method of file folders and file drawers is only one option. You don’t have to file the way your mother did.  Choose what works for you! Here are just two other options:

1.              PileSmart® – a Pendaflex® product

Remember the Pilot from my other blog post, Three Personality Types of Paper Mania?  Well this is the product for that person.  The PileSmart® Organizer features a clear lucite tray that is open on two side.  There are 6 plastic dividers, with end and side tabs that are easily seen as you stack things vertically. The dividers are very sturdy so you can lift up a stack by the divider tab and retrieve papers when needed.  In addition to allowing you to color code your stacks, the labels on each divider are durable and are “write-and erase”, which means you can use re-use them after a stack is purged. Nifty product, huh?  You can get it online at Amazon.

2.              Binders

Yes, binders!  They are not just for school anymore… You can use binders with dividers to keep categories of paperwork manageable.  Don’t relish the thought of hole punching and/or pinched finger accidents?  That’s okay; use plastic pockets in the binders.  This will enable you to quickly “file” your papers away.  Binders can be stored on shelves, in file drawers, or archived in boxes.  You can also color code your binder, if that’s what you like to do or purchase colors that match your office décor, looking sleek and orderly on a bookcase or credenza.

These are just two options for filing the papers you keep.  Would love to hear how you manage your papers, please leave a comment.

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!