The Queen of KAOS @Home

by Maria GraciaIt starts off as small as a sticky note. Soon, it’s a pile of stuff. Then, just when you least expect it, you discover that the clutterbug is running amuck, all over your home and office.If you don’t watch out, you’ll get bit. The consequences are stress, lost time, lost productivity, embarrassment, arguments, depression and environmental chaos–just to name a few.

(more…)

There are times when it’s tempting to lie, steal or break one of the other 10 Commandments to get a good deal but, in living frugally, we all need to stick to being honest. This is not always easy to do, but I want to give some examples that may help you stay honest. Here are some common tactics that some people use that are unethical and sometimes illegal:

Stealing “Free” Merchandise - This one really irked me! We needed some labels for the business. UPS gives their customers free unlimited labels as needed for packing when shipping with UPS. We purchased labels from a lady on Ebay. When we received them, they arrived from the UPS shipping center. The lady told us that was her “other office”! What she did is take our money and then call UPS as if she were me and have them send me “free” labels. The gaul! I confronted her and reported it to UPS. I should have known it was a “too good to be true” deal! Incidentally, this particular lady had made tens of thousands of dollars on Ebay sales of UPS “free” labels. This is not only dishonorable, but illegal.

You need some pens because you are running short so you take a handful from a store that is giving them out. This is stealing. If you take one, that’s fine. Unless they tell you to take them all, it is tacky to take a large number of them. They’re offering them simply as a courtesy.

(more…)

Just to let you know, I have revamped the Queen of KAOS at Home Blog at a new URL.

You can see it here
Time Management and Organization for Mom’s (and Dad’s) at Home

Some of the latest articles…

• Boys Will Be Boys Damn It!

• Simple Pleasures - My Confession of Dishes Undone

(more…)

by Maria Gracia Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of organizing your home? Start on a smaller scale instead and it will be a whole lot easier. For example, instead of starting with the entire house, commit to starting with one room.Follow these 11 steps, and you’re well on your way to an organized home:

1. PICK A ROOM–ANY ROOM. Decide on what room to start on. Write it at the top of an 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper. This will be your Action Sheet.
   Example: BEDROOM A
2. CHOOSE AN ENTICING REWARD. Designate an appropriate reward to give yourself on the Dumping portion of the job. The reward concept serves as your motivation, so be sure to choose something that you’d really enjoy! Write this reward on your Action Sheet.
   Example: Treat yourself to a massage or go out for a nice dinner — whatever it is that you love to do. Write it on your Action Sheet.
3. SET A DEADLINE. Set a specific Dumping Completion Deadline for this one room. Write it on your Action Sheet.
   Example: DUMPING DEADLINE: APRIL 30
4. SCHEDULE TIME TO DUMP. Schedule 3 specific dumping dates (one hour for each). Hopefully this will be enough to complete the dumping portion of the job. Write it on your Action Sheet. Then, post the Action Sheet in a prominent place where you are certain to see it every day, like your bathroom mirror. It will serve as a reminder of your goal, deadline and pending reward.
   Example: DUMPING DATES: APRIL 18 from 8-9A, APRIL 21 from 8-9A, APRIL 24 from 8-9A
5. KEEP YOUR APPOINTMENT. When the 1st dumping day arrives, keep that appointment, just as you would any other important appointment. Bring a bunch of large garbage bags. Play your favorite music in the background.
6. TIME IT. Set a timer for 1 Hour — one that sounds off when the hour is up.
7. SORT THROUGH IT. Pick up one item at a time, and start dumping. (If you come across items you want to give to charity, designate a special bag for those items) Whatever you are going to keep, just put to one side of the room.
8. DO IT UNTIL THE TIME IS UP. Continue doing this until the timer goes off. If you prefer to continue, keep going. Otherwise, stop and follow the same procedures for your next two scheduled dates. Don’t let the garbage bags sit there. Make sure they are thrown out now (or donated), or on Garbage Day at the latest.
9. CELEBRATE. Once you’ve managed to dump everything you don’t want or need in that one room, it’s time to celebrate. Take advantage of that reward you designated.
10. KEEPING IT ORGANIZED. Now that everything in that room that you wanted dumped is gone, you’re ready to begin putting everything you are keeping back in an organized manner. Be very careful not to put anything else in this room that you don’t want.
11. REPEAT. Repeat this process for each of the other rooms in your house.

(more…)

What are you going to declutter this week?

If your tree or Christmas stuff is still up, time to take it down, even if it still looks nice.

Don’t forget to sort all of your tree ornaments nicely so that it will be easy to put up again next year. And declutter as you go.

Get rid of anything that you don’t like or has worn out.

I did this last year and I couldn’t believe how much more fun it was to put up this year and how nice it looked.

I choose to do a red, white and silver theme for this year, so it made it quite easy.

(more…)

by Maria GraciaA friend called me the other day and said: I really have to organize my basement and attic, one of these days.There’s that old, one of these days, phrase once again, rearing its ugly head. I’ll be honest with you. The only way that one of these days ever comes, is if you schedule it on your calendar, and keep that appointment with yourself when the day rolls around.

(more…)

Leslie from Rhode Island asks: Where do we begin to catch up on debt when we are behind three months on every day living such as mortgage, car payments, and utilities and IRS payments?

Jill: It is hard to give specific answers to your question without knowing more details about all of your finances. Here are some general suggestions about a couple of things that you mentioned. Some of these ideas may seem drastic, but if you are three months behind on everything including the IRS then you need to take a very honest and serious look at your spending habits.

In order to catch up on past due bills, you not only have to live within your income, you have to live below your income. It may be painful, but you have to figure out how to live below your income at least long enough to pay the past due bills and then to keep current on all of your bills.

If you can’t keep up with your mortgage, then no matter how much you love your home you may have to sell it for something less expensive. The same goes for your cars. You could try to get by with one car. That may not be as impossible as it sounds. My son and his wife both work and often only have one car. She found she could switch to evening hours at her job for a while until they could get another car. One spouse may have to take the other to work for a while. This may not be convenient, but declaring bankruptcy isn’t really handy either. Besides, if you declared bankruptcy and still spent more than your income, you’d end up with the same problem all over again. You could also sell you cars and get less expensive/used cars with smaller payments.

(more…)

by Jill Cooper

We Americans are proud of our freedom and our opposition to tyranny and slavery, but because of lack of self discipline, most of us are not free at all. We are enslaved by our emotions and our debt. Most of us would never consider agreeing to become indentured servants and yet, by our own lack of self discipline, many of us have sold ourselves into slavery. Have you ever thought about the fact that indentured servants usually had to work 7 years for their freedom and people who claim bankruptcy have black marks on their credit for 7 years?

By now all those well meaning New Year’s resolutions have flown out the window, but don’t despair: all is not completely lost. Here are a few money saving tips and ideas that will get you back on track, save you money and will actually work.

You say “But I don’t know where to begin.” Just begin. Don’t over-think it. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that you have to stop spending more then you earn.

(more…)

by Maria GraciaHave lots of clutter? Start busting it with these 4 simple options:

1. STORE IT, IN ITS HOME. Everything in your home or office should have a home–a consistent and appropriate place where that object is normally kept. Some items that you use every day, may be on display and/or readily available for frequent use. Other items, like holiday decorations or out of season clothing, can be stored in an out-of-the-way area until needed.When an object strays from its ‘home,’ it can easily be misplaced, thus causing stress and frustration. Clutter build-up naturally occurs when items are not kept and/or returned to their homes.

2. GIVE IT. When you have something that you never use, giving it to someone who will make use of it can really brighten your day. Give it to a friend. Pass it on to a relative. Or put it in a special ‘Charity Box’ and make a donation to a favorite organization once per month.
3. SELL IT. Need a few extra bucks? Consider selling those things you don’t use. Hold a rummage sale. Sell them to a consignment shop. Or, try an online auction company, such as E-Bay.
4. DUMP IT. Items that are outdated, faded, broken or otherwise unusable can often be dumped. If you don’t want it, and you don’t know anyone else who wants it, dump it today. You’ll be freeing your space–and your mind!

by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!â„¢
Want to get organized? Get your FREE Get Organized Now!â„¢ Idea-Pak, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life, at the Get Organized Now!â„¢ Web site
http://www.getorganizednow.com