Organize It Blog

Working in the Mad Men era #1

2011-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

I just read something that said that since the TV show Mad Men people have been fascinated by anything having to do with the work and times that the show is set. So even though this may be a reach forthis blog I worked in NYC in the (late) 60s in advertising. I'm giving away my age but it was a low level position. But it was advertising. One of the companies that's occasionally mentioned on Mad Men and it was in the creative department. Just like Don Draper. I had some nice and not so nice bosses but I'm not sure any of them were as clever and smart with the campaigns as Don Draper. I am sometimes in awe of what he comes up with. Especially the ones for the Kodak Carousel and the Hilton hotels. The company I worked for was more about research than clever advertising campaigns.

I worked in what was then called the PanAm building and it was a glamorous building to be in. The lobby areas were designed as part of the building and the newspaper stands and the telephone booths (yes booths, and there were plenty of them) were all designed to be part of the building look. Lots of metal and wood. There were also a number of Restaurant Associates eating places in the building. A Zum Zum, part of their chain of somewhat German-style food places and an Italian restaurant whose name I don't remember.

And yes plenty of drinking during the day in the offices and plenty of affairs going on.

More in later posts.

Eating On $1 A Day -- Extraordinary Couponing

2010-06-22T05:34:00.001-07:00

This blog is a wonderful read.
http://www.grocerycouponguide.com/articles/eating-well-on-1-a-day/

Not only does he manage to eat well on $1 a day through truly imaginative couponing he also donates to the local food bank. It's an offshot of a project of his to take a penny found on the street and turn it into $1,000,000 worth of food donated to a food bank.

He really works the couponing angles and he does a good job of explaining how it works. One of the best explanations I've found of how you can use sale and coupon items to get overages in supermarkets to buy food or at stores like CVS to get money you can spend later.

Multitasking -- Don't do It

2010-05-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Multitasking may seem like a time saver. You're thinking I can check my email at the same time that I watch television and talk on the phone.

Study after study shows that multitasking actually makes tasks take longer and they are done less efficiently. Way back in 2005 a study at the University of London showed that multitasking was the equivalent of a drop in IQ of 10 points. You may seem like you are getting more done but you're doing things less efficiently and taking longer.

*Do one thing at a time. As painful as this may seem it will actually save you time in the long run.

*Set your priorities. What task is more important and should be done first.

*Don't get distracted. As seductive as it is don't get pulled in to answering your cellphone, watching television, checking your email or whatever you should not be doing while concentrating on the task at hand. Everything will wait.

Disaster Preparedness -- Again

2010-01-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

I've done many posts on disaster preparedness and Do to the recent earthquake in Haiti I think it's a subject worth revisiting.

Have you done anything to prepare for a disaster or do you just put it off. The problem with putting it off is that if the day shoudl unfortunately come when you need that preparation you'll be caught short.

For some of the simple preparations have you stockpiled any bottled water or canned or freeze-dried food. Drinkable water and food are of primary importance when all systems go down. In today's modern American world where we have plenty (often too much) to eat and no shortage of water it may be hard to think that there will be a time when it won't be available. But think not jsut earthquake but blizzard or power outage or flooding -- anything that can be a disruption.

Are you prepared to hold out for three days or three weeks or maybe even three months? make you lsit now and get started on storing provisions.

I'll be blogging about disaster preparedness over the next few weeks. There's much too much to cover in one or two posts.

Parting With Items of Sentimental Value

2010-01-08T04:52:00.000-08:00

It can be somewhere between easy and excruciating to part with things. For those items of true sentimental value it can be so very, very difficult. Children's artwork, things that belonged to a dead friend or relative or memorabilia from happy times in our lives.

If you can't hold on to everything but are having trouble parting with it because you'll never see it again then take a picture of it. You can store the photos on your camera or computer or print them out and put them in an album. But this way you have captured the item and can keep it and see it but you no lognerhave to have the physical thing.

Spending Time Together

2010-01-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

According to a recent article in the NYT Americans are spending less money but are spending more time together as a family. So maybe something good will come out of the Great Recession, as some are now calling it.

Are you spending more time together? Are you playing board games? Watching movies at home together? Going to a nearby park? Reading aloud? Going on picnics? Eating more home cooked meals and maybe making them together? Doing crafts projects? Going to a museum? Going to a concert?

These are all ways to spend mroe time together and spend less.

New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-04T05:41:00.001-08:00

How could I let this time of the year go by without a blog post on New Year's Resolutions.

We've all made them, few of us have kept them. My past is littered with resolutions to lose weight, keep in touch with friends more often and simplify my life. All common resolutions that are often broken.

Instead of making resoltuions this year I've decided to just think back over the past year and think about where I want this year to go. I've decided not to be so hard on myself (I'll never do everything right anyway -- plus there are sometimes things beyond our control), to do more things that please just me (not what other people want) and to spend less time watching TV (a real time sink of wasted time).

Are You Still Multi-Tasking?

2009-10-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

Americans love to multi-task. There's something so wonderful about the idea of eating lunch, working on the computer and talking on the phone all at once. It makes us feel so productive and so useful.

Again and again research has shown that multi-tasking actually cuts down on the ability to get things done. A British study showed that while multi-tasking IQ goes down by ten points. Other studies show that talking on the phone while driving (even with a hands free headset) has the same effect as driving drunk.

The New York Times has a good article http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/technology/01distracted.html?pagewanted=5&hp about using your car as an office while driving. Talking on the phone, emailing, texting, etc. The dangers are tremendous. Of course people think it increases their productivity, but one of the most interesting parts of the article is that companies which have banned talking on the phone, emailing, texting, etc. have shown no loss of productivity. So multi-tasking while driving is not only dangerous but doesn't make work faster, better or more productive.

Saving Money With Coupons 2009 #6

2009-09-30T05:37:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of sites and blogs on the web where they list freebies, deals and coupons. The list below is a partial list. Look at these sites and you'll get an idea of what is available and how you can save money.

www.the freebieblogger.com

www.imommies.com

www.thefrugalfind.com

www.centsiblesavings.com

www.scoringdeals.com

www.momsneedtoknow.com

www.freeflys.com

www.nwadeals.net

www.freebies4mom.blogspot.com

www.thethriftymama.com

www.mommysnacks.net

www.dailyessentialsanddeals.blogspot.com

www.southernsavers.com

www.tomorrowsplight.blogspot.com

www.pueblopennypincher.blogspot.com

www.coupons.com

www.myfrugaladventures.blogspot.com

www.bargainbriana.com

www.newfrugalmom.com

www.coupongeek.net

www.happyhomemakercindy.blogpost.com

www.savingsherry.blogspot.com

Saving Money 2009 #5 -- Coupons

2009-08-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

Can you save money using coupons. Yes, you can. Whether you save a little or a lot depends on how much time and effort you put into couponing. On January 15, 23, and 24 I had posts on coupons and how to save money. They included the usual save you coupons for when the item goes on sale (when you can really save a lot) and other coupon ideas.

By using the Internet you can also save a lot of money. There are coupons that can be pritned out directly, free offers available only on the Internet and websites that comb the Internet looking for them. There are also websites that go trhough each weeks offereing from national chains like CVS and Walgreens to see what their offers are and how to combine them with coupons so you get the items for free or very little money.

One fo the best is www.couponcravings.com which each week has an amazing list of coupons and free items. Each week it also lists what the national drugstore chains have in their circulars that you can combine with coupons and get for free. It also has a glossary tht expalins to new couponers the terms used and what they mean. For instance BOGO -- Buy One Get One Free. But their list of terms is quite extensive and it really explains them.

Paying The Same, Getting Less

2009-08-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

Once again I urge everyone to take note of the size of the item you are buying. Many, many manufacturers of just about everything have cut down on the size of the product but are charging the same price.

Haagen Dazs ice cream is just the latest that I have noticed. Their "pints" are now 14 oz. A pint is 16 oz. I saw that packaging looked a little strange on the "pints". I checked the amount and sure enough they have reduced it by 2 ounces which is about 12%. The price has stayed the same. I have looked at other pints and they are all still 16 oz.

Tuna quite a while ago went to 5 oz. from 6. I rummaged around for a while on the shelves looking for 6 oz. cans and found quite a few but they no longer exist.

A friend who has a dog said dog food no longer comes in 50 pound bags, it's now 44 I believe.

So watch the unit price to see what you are really getting. If you look at the ice cream price of Haagen Dazs and then look at their unit price compared to any other ice cream their unit price is the highest by far -- even when compared to other premium ice creams. It's the reduced size of the container that does it.

So check the unit price and check the amoutn in the package. It's only going to get worse.

I'll be posting a lot more about coupons and free samples soon.

How To Run A Garage Sale

2009-04-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

Garage sale season is very much upon us and many people want to make some extra money with a garage sale. I've run them both personally and professionally and I've worked some ideas to get you the most money and make things run smoother.

1. Make sure everything is clean. Clean things sell easily and more quickly than things that look dirty or that people don't want to handle. This applies to dishes, glassware, silverware, toys --anything that needs to be washed, polished or cleaned. Just because it is a garage sale don't think that you can just dump stuff out and get a good price.

2. Put a price on everything. Many people don't like to ask prices and you will lose sales if prices are not marked. Yes, it is tedious and time consuming but you want to make money. You can also put up signs that say all hardcover books 50 cents or all blouses one dollar. Make it easy for people to figure out what you want.

3. Have at least one extra person to work with you. Never work a garage sale alone. Otherwise things will disappear. Dishes, a toaster, other things. You need to have at least one person watching the people and the stuff all the time. Another person should be handling the money and the wrapping. If you can get a third person, that is even better.

4. Save newspaper and plastic bags for weeks or months beforehand to wrap and hold people's purchases. Lots of people want bags for whatever they have bought even if it is a small item.

5. Have small bills and change for people.

6. Be prepared to haggle. Some people will haggle over any price. Some are legitimately asking for a lower price. If people buy a lot of stuff cut the price. If it's a two day sale cut the prices the second day. The idea is to sell things not to hold on to them.

7. Advertise the sale. Give the usuals of date, time and place but also mention a lot of specific things. The more people that come out the better for you. Put an ad on craigslist, put it in a local paper, or any place that is free. If your community allows it (some don't) put up signs on trees to let people know about the sale and to guide people there.

8. Price realistically. Know what other garage sales ask.

9. Group things together. Like goes with like. The toys go together, the shoes go together, the glassware goes together, the costume jewelry goes together, the books go together. It makes it much easier for people to see what you've got and to see what they want to buy.

Do You Have A Safe?

2009-04-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Do you have a safe for your valuables? Is it also fireproof for your papers?

I've worked with many people who have a safe but few have it bolted to the floor. If it is the type of safe that you contains money or jewelry or other valuables you should have bolted to the floor. Otherwise thieves can just take the whole thing and open it at their leisure.

If it is on an upper floor it can fall if the structure burns. So put it in the basement or on the first floor.

If you only need something small for papers than get a fireproof box at one of the office big box stores. It will hold your important papers so they will not burn.

You should also make copies of the papers and send them to someone who does not live in your aera or scan them to a disc and also send them to someone out of the area. This way at least you have the information until you can replace the originals.

How NOT to Get Things Done

2009-03-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

As a change of pace I thought I'd list 10 ways NOT to get things done and NOT to recognize what's important in life. If you want to keep yourself disorganized, harried and always behind this is the way to do it.

1. Don't throw anything out. Keep everything. After all you may need it someday. So what if things become so cluttered you can't find anything.

2. Keep making new piles. Don't file anything and don't ever go through old piles to see what can be thrown out.

3. Let paper take over your life. Remember that each piece is so precious and important that your life fades into the background instead.

4. Stack up and keep all the magazines and newspapers that you will read "someday".

5. Never figure out what are the real priorities in your life. After all if everything is equally important it doesn't matter what you get done first.

6. Never make yourself an important priority in your life. Sufficient sleep, exercise, eating right all those things don't really matter. What is important is getting caught up in the things of the moment and not the things that make your life better.

7. Do not set goals. After all you may just as well take whatever happens to you in life and just experience it. Setting goals and accomplishing things would just interfere with that.

8. Waste time watching TV or surfing the Internet. After all the average American watches 24 hours of TV a week and spends who knows how much time surfing the Internet so you might as well do it too.

9. Don't think of your family or friends as important. Concentrate instead on getting and acquiring things. After all that's what impresses other people so that must be what's important.

10. Never figure out how long it really takes to get things done. Just assume it will take 20 minutes and when it takes and hour and a half be really surprised.

Shelf Life Of Food

2009-03-27T04:42:00.000-07:00

What about the can of beans you found in the back of your pantry? Is it safe to eat? Ever wondered if the dates on egg cartons or cans really mean anything? Or what about the package of meat that you put in the fridge two days ago and forgot to cook? Just how long can you keep things before it is unsafe to eat them?

Well the website www.stilltasty.com answers those questions and any others that you have about how long you can keep foods before they are unsafe to eat. In many cases it's longer than you think, in some it's a surprisingly short time. You can find out if the frozen salmon is still safe, whether you can put half-eaten things still in the can in the fridge (you can), and just how long those eggs are good for.

Wills

2009-03-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Do you have a will?

It's been estimated that 70% of Americans don't have a will. You may think you don't need one because you expect that your estate will go to certain people -- spouse, children, other relatives. Well you could be very, very wrong. Each state has laws about how an estate is distributed. You may think it will all go to your spouse but instead part will go to your siblings, or even their children. You must find out what the laws are in your state.

If you don't have a will the estate will have to go to court and have an executor appointed. This takes money out of the estate and executor may not be someone you would want to have handling the disposition of your funds and your goods.

If you have children you need a will to appoint a guardian in the event that something happens to both parents. You want someone to raise your children who will raise them the way you want them raised.

Identity Theft

2009-03-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

Worried about identity theft? Everybody is these days.

However are you doing something that could help someone steal your identity without realizing it? Are you on Facebook or other social networking sites that ask for your birthday? Do you put it in?

Well don't!

Your birthday is something that is one of the three markers that can be used to steal your identity. Don't put in a birthday or deliberately put in a wrong one. It won't matter to your use of the site if the date is wrong but it helps to deter an identity thief.

Easy Way to Keep Recipes Organized

2009-03-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

Do you have a pile of recipes you've clipped from magazines and newspapers but can't find what you want? Do you have a small recipe box filled to overflowing with index cards and folded up recipes and you never know what's there?

What's the easiest way to keep recipes so they can be organized the way you want them, they're accessible all the time and they don't get full of spots from food? Put them in the plastic sheets that are used for photos. Then put them in a three ring binder.

You can organize them by categories if you want. They are all in the same place. They are easy to read and see the whole recipe. You can take them out when you cook and don't have to worry about anything spilling on them, you just wipe it off.

You can get the plastic sheets at Staples or Office Max or Office Depot or go to two of my favorite places for photo supplies Century Photo and Light Impressions. Get the catalog. Don't look online because it is easier to see their products in the paper catalog.

Century Photo www.centuryphoto.com and 1-800-767-0777.

Light Impressions www.lightimpressionsdirect.com and 1-800-828-6216.

Shredding

2009-02-16T17:09:00.000-08:00

Shredding documents with any information about you is one of the ways to avoid identity theft. This includes credit card offers, utility bills, credit card bills, communications of any kind from your health insurance carrier, old canceled checks you're throwing out, anything with financial information, any kind of brokerage report, department store bills and anything with your social security number. You should also shred old creidt cards and any CDs with any kind of personal and/or financial information.

You can buy a shredder just about any place these days. The big box stationery stores such as Staples or Office Max or Office Depot, Target, WalMart and lots of other places. There are constant sales and rebate offers so buy one when they are on sale. Get a crosscut shredder that will do eight to twelve sheets at a time.

Some UPS stores will also do shredding. They charge by the pound.

There are also some companies that have trucks that come to your home or office and shred your documents.

Saving Money 2009 -- Free Breakfast

2009-02-10T08:51:00.000-08:00

This may not be much of a way to save money but IKEA is offering a free breakfast till 10:30 am from Friday, Februay 13 thru Monday, February 16. It's their small breakfast and a cup of coffeee. See more info at http://info.ikea-usa.com/seizethedays/.

Depending on the distance to IKEA, the cost of gas and whether or not you spend money there this could be a savings or a loss.

Missing Money

2009-02-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

Could you use some extra money that you never knew you had. Who couldn't? About a year ago I wrote about the website http://www.missingmoney.com/. It is a great site.

When money is unclaimed, such as utility deposits, dividend checks, bank accounts, store refunds and a host of other things, after a certain amount of time it "escheats" to the state. Each state in the United States has an office for unclaimed money. The site missingmoney has taken the lists for most states and computerized them in such a way that all you have to do is put in your name and see if there is any money out there for you. If there is money due to you go to the listings for the state office and fill out the form and mail it in and then wait for your check.

Most amounts are small but even so it is your money. And it's money. Even small amounts are great to come upon unexpectedly. So go to the site and enter your name and see if you have some money coming to you.

Making Memories

2009-01-30T10:45:00.000-08:00

What kind of memories are you making for your family? Good ones, indifferent ones, yummy ones?

Memories associated with food are some of the strongest memories that people have. The New York Times has a piece in the blog area about an article that had been written for the Wall Street Journal where a woman reminisces about her grandmother's pineapple cookies. The story is fun to read and the comments are also great.

People are talking about all kinds of foods that friends and family made. Soups, roasts, pasta dishes, salads, vegetables, desserts. Everything.

Even though it can seem time-consuming make those homemade foods for your family you'll create memories to last a lifetime.

Saving Money 2009 #4

2009-01-27T08:33:00.000-08:00

Organizing Coupons

At you at a loss with whatyou should do with coupons once you've cut them out and have a heap on your kitchen or diningroom table.

There are many ways you can organize them.

You can orgnize them by type. You put all the coupons for the same type of thing togehter. All the coupons for clenaing products go together, all the coupons for dairy products go togethr, all the coupons for drug store type of products (hair care, deodorant, etc.) go togehter. You get the idea. I organize mine by type.

Some organize by expiration date.

Some organize by the layout of their supermarket and what they will need in each aisle.

You can buy coupon orgnizers which have pre-marked separators and some extras for you to put your own section on.

You can put them all into a plastic colored envelope so you can find them easily.

You can put each type of coupon into a zipper plastic bag of its own and then put all of them into a larger zipper type plastic bag so you've got them all together.

Saving Money In 2009 #3 -- Salvage Grocery Stores

2009-01-25T09:26:00.000-08:00

Throughout the country there are salvage grocery stores which can save you whopping amounts on your grocery bills. The things they sell may be:

Near or past date

Dented cans

New products that didn't sell well

Manufacturers overruns

Goods from damaged boxes or pallets (the damaged goods are discarded but the box or pallet was broken or damaged)

Out-of-season items (Christmas candy in January)

Items that are popular in one part of the country but not in another

There are two sites that I have found that have lists of salvage groceries by state:

www.gnivas.com -- look in right hand column

www.andersonscountrymarket.net/directory

Some of the stores are better (and some much better) than others. Some are set up like regular supermarkets and have produce as well as lots of regular brand name goods of all kinds -- at great prices. Some are dingy and have mainly dented cans. It varies wildly from store to store. It's always smart to call ahead and check on the hours and make sure they are open.

You have to be a smart shopper and make sure that the goods you buy are in good condition and still within date. You also have to make sure that you are getting good buys. Can you do better at your grocery store with coupons and sales? If you know the prices of items you regularly buy -- and many you don't -- then you can be sure you're getting bargain. You can find things for as little as 25% or as much as 80% off the regular price.

What they have will depend on what they are able to buy so if you find something you like stock up because they may never get it again.

Saving Money in 2009 #2

2009-01-24T14:42:00.000-08:00

When it comes to clipping coupons for grocery purchases you may not find coupons that fit your needs or wants. It can be hard to find coupons for some fresh items and other products that fit your shopping list.

Go to www.thecouponclippers.com for a list of coupons that you can order and get by mail. The coupons range from five cents to twelve cents apiece. You have to buy $3.00 worth of coupons and there are some fees but you can find coupons for things that are very difficult to find in the Sunday supplements. It is worth it for items that you use. And they have quite a few coupons for fresh items like eggs.

Or you may find a good coupon and want to get more of that coupon. There are a couple of different ways of getting more of a specific coupon and a couple of ways to get other coupons that may not be in your Sunday slick coupon supplements.

If there is a good coupon(s) in the Sunday paper you can buy extra copies of the paper.

You can also try www.coupons.com for Internet coupons. As I've writen before one of the problems here is whether or not your supermarket will take coupons printed from the Internet. Make sure they will.

Saving Money in 2009

2009-01-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

Yest another way to save money this year is to watch for the sales at drug store chains like Walgreens and CVS. It is amazing what they sometimes have on sale. Although they will not double or triple them they do take manfacturer's coupons.

They also have a lot of rebates on things. So watch for those and take advantage of them.

Anotehr thing that CVS does is to give you money back to be spent in the store with certain purchases. Watch the circulars and watch your receipts. For isntance, you can get $20 and get back $10. It has to be spent at CVS and has an expiration date. If you can use it on other items which have the money back deal you can wind up recycling the same amount of money over and over without spending anything new.

Life Is Like A Patchwork Quilt

2009-01-21T08:05:00.000-08:00

I used to do a lecture on finding balance or serenity in life. It never went over too well because people just weren't interested. I think they were more interested in buying a new car every year or having a large home filled to bursting with "things." Since times have changed (rather drastically) I'm hoping that people will be more receptive to some of the ideas that I talk about.

One concept I have like is the idea that our lives are like a patchwork quilt. Some kind of finished center with the ends still forming and yet to be finished. What kind of pattern are we pieceing together for ourselves? Does it change over time? Is it harmonious or does it have a lot of clashing elements? Is is sewn together with strength and measured workmanship or are there pieces or areas missing and is the sewing weak and haphazard? What kind of materials have we used? Are they natural materials or synthetics? Are they rugged or lightweight? Do they go well together? Are the pieces solid colors or do they have patterns in themselves? Have we emroidered or sewn something over a piece?

We can spend time thinking about these things and what we want the pattern of our life to mean to ourselves and others.

Negative Language

2009-01-20T07:55:00.000-08:00

Watch how you speak about and to yourself. Do you routinely say to yourself, "That was stupid" or I'm stupid" or other negative remarks? Don't call yourself, stupid or foolish or dumb or anything else like that. It has an affect on you and how you think about yourself.

Over the next week watch your language and what you say to yourself and about yourself. Do you refer to yourself negatively or positively or somewhere in-between? Do you routinely give yourself negative messages? You may be surprised once you start concentrating on how you speak to yourself.

If you are using negative language it is time to change. If you make a mistake (everyone does) that's it. Don't make a big deal of it. Just ackowledge it to yourself and move on. This process of change can take a long time. It can take work but it pays off in the long run.

Coupons

2009-01-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

Coupons are becoming more and more a topic of interest. I see more questions and articles about coupons than I ever have before.

Back on July 1, 2008 I wrote about coupons in a post about saving money on food. This will have some new points and a few of the previous ones.

1. Why is a $.75 coupon better than a $1 coupon? Because when stores double or triple coupons they will not do it on coupons over $.99. So your $1 coupon is never worth more than $1. While your $.75 coupon can be worth as much $2.25.

2. Check store circulars every week. The circulars are in the stores themselves, in the Sunday papers, thrown onto your lawn in plastic bags, or sometimes available online. See what is on sale and plan your menu for the week around the sale items.

3. Save your coupons for the time the store has a sale on the item. You can get items for very little if they are on sale, you have a coupon and if the coupon is also being doubled or tripled.

4. Check the inserts in the Sunday paper for coupons. You can also get some coupons online. Not all stores take online coupons.

5. If there are a lot of good coupons it can be worth it to buy an extra Sunday paper.

6. I highlight the expiration date of my coupons so it is easier for me to see when they expire.

7. Check for more coupons in women's magazines, store circulars, inside packaged products and in special store promotional pieces that have coupons.

Surviving Turbulent Times

2009-01-07T01:11:00.001-08:00

Get the feeling these days that everything is collapsing around you. The economy especially, but maybe everything else too. War, downward spiraling housing prices, experts predicting inflation or deflation or both, climate change that could wipe us all out, proliferation of nuclear weapons. What comes next, the sun exploding?

It's actually part of the human condition to live in turbulent times. It's happened throughout most of human history but it is tough to cope with. There are some things to remember that can help and I'll be posting about them periodically. There are some good constants in life even though it seems now it seems like nothing but a stream of bad news.

In the meantime remember that we have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Use Your Calendar More

2009-01-06T01:47:00.000-08:00

There are a number of ways to thinka bout time management. You want ot make the best use of your time and you want to see where your time is going. Are you spending time on things that are meaningful or worthwhile such as family, work, hobbies, etc. Or are you spending a lot, or even a small amount, of time on things that don't bring any pleasure or worth to your life.

One thing I have told clients to do is to use their clandar to keep track of how they spend their time. Either every fifteen minutes or every half hour not e what you have been doing. Working on a report, in a meeting, watching television, surfing the Internet, food shopping or whatever it is.

When you look at this at the end of the week it will give you a much beter idea of what you are actually doing. How much time are you spending watching TV or surfing the Internet, or doing housework or spending time in meetings. When you see what you are actually doing in can be a great help in figuring out how your time can be spent in ways that make your life better.

10 Ways to Save Money In 2009

2009-01-02T08:34:00.000-08:00

1. Use Coupons.

2. Use the library, it's free.

3. Learn to tell the difference between want and need.

4. Pay off credit card balances so you're no longer paying high interest rates.

5. Stop buying fast food.

6. Stop buying processed foods.

7. Don't buy new clothes or shoes unless they are an absolute necessity.

8. Keep track of your expenses. Write down what you spend every day so you see where your money goes.

9. Cut your utility bill. Turn off the lights when the are not needed. Use energy saving light bulbs. Turn down your thermostat in winter and turn it up in summer.

10. Learn how to cook and make cheaper and more nutritious meals at home.

Use The Library More

2008-12-30T01:06:00.000-08:00

With difficult economic times people are cutting back on lots of things. This is a great time to rediscover your local library.

Let your magazine subscriptions lapse. Or most of them, or many of them. Do you really read them all anyway? Go to the library and spend an hour or two or three and read magazines there or take them out.

Stop renting films from Blockbuster and use the DVD rentals at your library. My local libarary rents family films for a week for free. Can't beat that price.

Read books. This is a perfect time to go back to reading as a form of recreation instead of video games or other expensive electronic items.

Read together as a family. Read to each other. Read the same book and talk about it. Redicover your connections to each other.

Go to free lectures, children's story hour or whatever else you library provides free of charge. Some libraries have a tremendous amount of programming, some don't. Check other libraries in your area and see if they have programming.

Libraries are a window onto the whole world.

New Year's Resolutions

2008-12-29T06:30:00.000-08:00

This is the time of eyar that we all make New Year's resolutions that we all hope will make next year better. Below are my suggestions for ways to help your resolutions to work for you.

1. Make The Resolutions Positive.
Phrase everything in a positive way. Instead of saying I must lose weight or I must exercise more think in terms of I will take better care of my health this year. Instead of saying I will be a better parent say I will spend more time with my children.

2. Persistence pays off.
If things don’t turn out well right away don’t give up. We all often slip up in own way or another. Keep on going through the problem and determine that you’ll keep going to you’ve reached your goal.

3. Set realistic goals.
Trying to get everything to be perfect can mean that you’re never satisfied and therefore don’t get things done.

4. Make sure your resolutions mean something to you.
Don’t make a resolution because it’s something someone else thinks you should do, such as lose weight or take a class. You won’t do it. Think about what’s important to you and make goals based on your wants and needs.

5. Ink it, don’t think it.
One of the most important things you can do with goals or resolutions is to write them down. By writing them down they become more concrete to you and you also start thinking about the ways to achieve them.

6. Post your resolutions where you can see them everyday.
Put them on the bathroom mirror, by your desk, on the refrigerator. This is so that you will remember them and act on them. It’s not to make you feel guilty but to get them both to be part of you and to keep you moving in a positive direction.

7. Do it whether you feel like it or not.
Action can be the start of change. Don’t wait for the perfect time. Just start doing what you need to do and the rest will fall into place.

8. Make just a few resolutions.
Make a few that you will work on. It’s better to have a few resolutions that you accomplish than many that you don’t.

9. Set rewards for yourself for when you’ve reached different parts of your goals.
Set up rewards that you can afford and like – a new jacket for a special event or tickets for a show – and have them be part of the resolution process.

10. Forgive yourself.
If you don’t fulfill your resolutions fast enough or fall behind don’t berate yourself or call yourself negative names like stupid or dumb. Forgiveness is a wonderful quality that needs to be practiced. If we can forgive ourselves we can get more done and be happier.

Last-Minute Mailing

2008-12-23T11:02:00.001-08:00

If you don't have all your gifts sent out and are concerned about their arriving by the 25th remember that the Post Office has something called Express Mail. They deliver 365 days a year. Yes, they deliver on Christmas Day. Usually if you get your package to the Post Office on the 24th it wil be delivered on the 25th. However be prepared for long lines.

Martha Stewart Perfection

2008-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Has your holiday time has always been about getting everything perfect? Perfect deocrations, perfect table centerpiece, perfect gifts, perfect meals, perfect everything maybe it's time to rethink things.

It's not just the economic downturn changing things it's also about how we live our life. What makes the important things down the road a year from now or decades from now. People remember the holiday cooking smells, the family and friendships, the fun and enjoyment of being together or celebrating in a really meaningful way.

Think about this as a time to make memories. Not only for yourself but for those around you. What can you really do to make this time one that is memorable. Take the time and the energy to really talk to people, to spend time with them, to connect with them by phone or email or by letter. This can be the best gift of all.

Regifting

2008-12-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

It's coming down to the wire for holiday gift giving.

This is a great year for regifting. We've all received gifts that we can't use or don't want but are perfectly fine items. We're in a society of material overload (or have been up to now) and regifting is a good way to lighten our material overload. Wine, candles, books and lots of over things are good gifts to pass on. I've regifted and there are certain things to keep in mind.

1. Don't regift something to the person who gave it to you. Either remember who gave you something or if it's something you immediately know you won't use make a note and put it with the item.

2. Remove the original gift card. You don't want someone receiving something from you and then in the package seeing that it was given by to you by your Aunt Millie or a friend.

3. Make sure the item is in top notch condition. Don't regift items that you've used, are shabby or look worn in any way.

Need vs. Want

2008-12-16T04:59:00.001-08:00

With the new and tougher economic times people are trying to figure out how to spend less money. Americans have had a drunken spending binge for the last twenty years. I have seen it with many people I have worked with who just plain had too much stuff. No one needs 150 pairs of shoes or 250 sweaters.

It's time to figure out what you need vs. what you want. We all need the basics of food and shelter and clothing. Beyond that start to ask yourself simple questions.

Is this something I will use regularly? Do I have other similar items? Do I have other similar items that I don't use? What will happen to me if I don't have this item? Will something happen to me if I don't purchase it or will I be just as well, or better off? Am I buying this to gain status in the eyes of others? Do I really need this?

Start thinking in a different mode.

Inexpensive Gifts #2

2008-12-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

In the past I have urged people to use the dollar store for gifts and suggested ways to be imaginative about it. Well, it may be even more important in these tough economic times to use the dollar store.

You can get really good gifts by thinking about what can be put together. If someone likes to cook put together a couple of kitchen utensils, a jar or two of spices, a potholder and wrap it all in a dish towel or two and tuck in a recipe that would use the spices.

For someone whose life is harried (and whose isn't) put together a mug or two, some tea, a candle, some chocolate, maybe a CD and a few words about relaxing along with a favorite poem of yours.

Take some time to look at what is available and think about how you can put the combinations together. This is what makes a gift special and personal and gives the recipient the feeling that you cared about what you gave.

The dollar store can also be great for gift bags, wrapping paper and bows.

Inexpensive (But Thoughtful) Holiday Gifts

2008-12-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

This year everyone is certainly concerned about money and concerned about spending on gifts. There are many gifts you can gift that are thoughtful, will be truly appreciated by the recipient and are either not expensive or maybe even cost-free.

1. I have for years recommended that peopel put together photograph albums as original, inexpensive and unique gifts. Do you have photos of family or friends that are duplicates or that you can easily get reproduced? Put them into an album (preferably one where the pages are made of archival materials) and give them to people. I've given albums for wedding gifts and they are great for graduations and other events.

If you are having family for the holidays you can have historical family photos put on CDs, or do it yourself if you know how and give them as gifts. They really are gifts that no one else will give them and they are truly thoughtful an appreciated.

2. Another thing that you can do is to give a coupon book as a gift. The idea is to make up coupons that the recipient can take out any time for a back rub or something else that they may want or need. Use your imagination.

3. I love paper and stationery and collect cards with sayings that I like and put them into an album where I can look at them to be inspired or soothed when times are tough.

Some of the ones that I have are:

Confront the difficult while it is still easy: accomplish the great task by a series of small acts. -- Tao Te Ching

The road to sucess has many tempting parking spaces. -- Steven Potter

A woman is like a tea bag -- you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water. -- Eleanor Roosevelt

You can find the same types of cards to put into an album or look through a book of quotes or look online and print them out or copy them in nice handwriting and put them into a book or album. This can be a very personal gift if you know the type of quotes the person will like -- whether they are religious or romantic or inspiring.

Thanksgiving 2008 #2

2008-11-21T03:32:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a terrific holiday. As I've written before when I do speaking engagements, especially those near the holiday, I sometimes speak about Thanksgiving.

I like the idea that it is a completely secular holiday so that makes it easy for everyone to celebrate. I also think that it is a holiday that brings everyone together. Not just families and friends but people all across America are celebrating the same holiday and in the same way. All across America people are sitting down to a turkey dinner. There are regional and ethnic variations but the main food item is the same. Italians have a pasta dish, Vietnamese have spring rolls, in San Francisco the bread for the stuffing is likely to be sourdough.

It can be a good time to concentrate on what is the real meaning of the day. You can go around the table and each person can say what they have been thankful for this year. For one person it might be good health, for another (in today's economic times) it might be having a good job, for someone else it may be a trip they took or someone they met.

You can also have people write a letter about what they want or expect from the coming year and save it to read next year. Sometimes it can be interesting to see whether expectations are met or whether or not anyone is even interested in what they cared about last year.

Thanksgiving 2008 #1

2008-11-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is one of my absolutely favorite holidays and this year I am dismyed that there seems to be a disppearnace of Thanksgiving. Ok, not totally. The food pages have plenty of articles on how to roast your turkey, making side dishes and that type of thing. However the stores, expect for supermarkets, seem to be totally devoid of Thanksgiving items.

Thanksgiving was never the biggest holiday for decorating or special items but there used to be some of them. Turkey shaped salt and pepper shakers or cornucopia candle holders. Plus other things to decorate the table and chocolate turkeys. This year the store are full of Christmas, Christmas, Christmas already. I wanted to get some of those foil wrapped little chocolate turkeys (you know the kind) to give to some people. I couldn't find them anywhere. Plenty of chocolate santas, lots of red and green decorations, Christmas gift wrap and boxes and lots of other Christmas stuff.

One of the things I have always liked about Thanksgiving is that it is not as commercial as many other holidays and that it does not involve gift giving. I guess that is working against a holiday whose sole purpose is to give thanks.

Time Management

2008-11-08T06:14:00.000-08:00

No matter what you think about Barack Obama, the president-elect, practically every article I read about him mentions his discipline and his ability to keep to a schedule. We may not be running for president but it is something we should all keep in mind.

I have often said that we all have 24 hours in a day, no matter if we deliver pizzas or if we're president of the United States. It's what you do with that 24 hours that matters.

I have never been a fan of people haveing absolutely every minute plotted out and no possible deviations from their time schedule but it's important to keep priorities straght and to keep in mind what we need to do that day, that week and that month.

I'm very much in favor of keeping a calendar and allocating an appropriate amount of time to do things. People chronically underestimate the amount of time needed for things. To figure out how long it actually takes you to do something time it. Do you think it takes you 20 minutes to do your bills and it actually takes one and a half hours? Maybe that's why you feel frazzled all the time. You're not allocating enough time for things. It's amazing how we think soemthing will take a half or a quarter of the time it actually takes. Especially things we don't want to do.

Free Stuff and Voting

2008-11-03T04:56:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, November 4 is Election Day for those who live in the United States. Voting is a privilege and we should all get out and vote for the candidates of our choice.

For those who vote there is supposed to be an array of free food available. Krispy Kreme (none in my area) will have a special free star shaped donuts for those with an I Voted sticker. (Not sure how this works since I don't remember ever having received a sticker for voting.) Starbucks is supposedly offering a free coffee for those who vote and for the ice cream lovers among us (me, me) Ben & Jerry's will offer a free scoop between 5 and 8 pm.

There may be others offering something free for voters. Check in your area. So if you didn't plan to vote maybe this will make you get out and vote.

Use Your Calendar More

2008-09-29T05:34:00.000-07:00

I'm always telling people to use their calendar more. Instead of just using it for appointments it can be used as a real reminder of upcoming events and for other things.

I'll write more about this in a later post but something happened this weekend which is an example of how it can be used to schedule things far in advance. I have a friend who loves hot food -- spicy hot. I saw that this past weekend there was going to be a Chili Pepper festival in Brooklyn but by the time I saw the information it was too late to plan to go. I called her and when she said she'd like to go next year I made a note in my calendar for the middle of August 2009 to check the date for the Chili Pepper festival in September so we'd be able to go.

Emergency Preparedness Of Different Kind

2008-09-28T05:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted recently because of a bad fall in the local, quaint shopping area where I caught my foot on the brick sidewalk. It made me realize that emergency preparedness isn't just for calamities such as blizzards or hurricanes. Prepare for other emergencies in your life because you never know what can happen.

I wasn't prepared in some of the right ways. If I had been in the hosptial for longer than two nights it would hve been hard for me to explain to friends where some of the items that I needed or wanted were located. Even though I have a trael bag of toiletries and it's easy for me to find it's not obvious to someone else. When I got home I didn't have a stock of the right type of food and had to have help with shopping. I still wouldn't necessarily have known in advance that I would need soft foods. You can't think about everything you will need for every situation but you never know when something will happen.

I want to give a thanks, in this public forum, to all of my friends who helped me out. You know who you are.

Saving Money On Food #5

2008-08-17T04:31:00.000-07:00

Concerned about your rising food bill? So am I. As one way to save money I urge you to check your register tape.

I don't shop much at Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods) but I do go there for certain items. I bought a loaf of a certain bread clearly marked $3.29. When I looked at the register tape it said bread $3.79. I went to Customer Service where the pleasant young woman (quite a surprise since I've had plenty of awful customer service at WF) went with me for a price check. The bread was clearly marked $3.29 so I got my loaf of bread for nothing. The bad part is that the price has gone up to $3.79, but they haven't changed the price on the actual loaves yet. Do they hope that I'll be the only one to notice the difference?

So check that register tape to make sure that what you are being charged is the same as the price for the item. In New Jersey, where I live, if there is a difference you get the item for free. I have often found that what the item is marked and what it scans for are two different amounts.

Saving Money On Food #4

2008-08-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Yet another way to save money on food and household purchases is to join a warehouse club. You pay an annual membership fee to shop there and the prices are, mainly, much lower than a supermarket. The selection can be limited because they only carry a certain number of brands and the quantity that you must buy may be larger than a regular purchase. Huge mayonnaise jars, for instance.

The important thing to remember is not to make impulse buys. Buy only what you need and will use. No matter how tempting something is it is not worth it if you do not use it. I belong to Costco and only buy certain items, such as paper goods, bottled water, detergent, certain cuts of meat where I can freeze part of it, etc.

I am always amazed when I see people go past with chafing dishes in their shopping cart. Are they really going to use those? I doubt it.

You can save a lot with a warehouse club but you must be careful when you shop.

Saving Money On Food #3

2008-08-10T13:59:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it seems as if prices on staples go up at the supermarket from one week to the next.

If you are comparing prices remember that a lot of companies are cutting the sizes of their packaged goods. Ice cream used to be a half gallon. Then the containers became 1.75 quarts and now many or 1.5 quarts. The same thing has happened with many other products where the amount that you are getting is actually less even if the price stays the same.

I also noticed that the Silver Palate line has shrunk their goods enormously. They have new packaging and in some cases the amount is one half what it used to be and the price is the same.

These are just two examples of the shrinkage that is going on with packaged goods.

So take a look at the actual amount that is in the package and see how that compares with other similar items. Also check the unit price, which is the price per pound or 100 units or whatever the measure is for that item. It can be a quick way to see which items are the most expensive and which are the same or similar in price.

Going Green

2008-08-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

Do you find yourself using the words green and sustainable more? Or maybe for the first time ever?

A few years ago or maybe even just last year these were words and ideas that were said or written or thought about only by people on the very fringes of modern-day American life. NOw they are everywhere.

There will be lots of posts about green and sustainable things we can all do. One of the easiest ways to go green is to take back bags to the supermarket to use for grocery packing. You can either buy the cloth bags at just about every supermarket around or bring your own bags that you've had for other uses. Keep a couple in the car and you'll always have bags to use.

It's not just the "saving the trees" thing with paper bags -- remember that plastic is made from petroleum products and we all know what's happening to the price of oil these days.

I see more and more people using cloth bags and recently in a local market did a very unscientific survey by asking a cashier what is the increase he's seeing in people bringing their own bags. After a pause he said he think it's about 50%.

Fancy Food Show

2008-08-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

I recently attended the Fancy Food Show which is held once a year in New York and takes up the whole of the Javits Convention Center. It's just aisles and aisles of food from around the world with lots of samples. Lots of chocolate and cheese and dips and just about everything else.

For those itnerested in food trends i saw three big rends this year. The first is the move towards organic foods. Many, many items were organic. More by far than they have had before. The vendors told me that they expect that by next year there will be even more organic foods. Americans are becoming very concerned with what they are eating from a health standpoint.

Next is spicy. More and more spicy foods. Crackers, dips, rubs, chocolate, ice cream, cheese and anything else you can think of and things you would never think of as spicy. Obviously the American palate is looking for more fire and spice in their food.

Dark chocolate. This was evident last year and even more so this year. Lots and lots of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate with differing amounts of cocoa, dark chocolate from different places of origin, dark chocolate with spices, dark cholocate with fruit. It's obvious that Americans are eating a lot more dark choloate and while milk chocolate is still popular, dark chocolate is have a huge surge in popularity.

There will be more to come on the Fancy Food Show over the next few weeks.

Saving Money On Food #2

2008-07-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

When it comes to saving on food costs this one may seem like a no-brainer but it does require some thought and planning. Don't buy food that you will throw out.

You're thinking why would I buy food that I would throw out? Well the estimates are that 30% of the food in this country is discarded. I've seen estimates for Britain of 20%, 30% and 40%. Yes, some of it is restaurant discards and others that we have no control over. But a large percentage of discarded food is food purchased for home use.

Really think about what you're buying. Will it get eaten? Is it a special you will never use? Is the quantity so large that it will spoil before it is used? Is it something no one really likes but you think people should be eating? Did you buy it because you went to the supermarket hungry and couldn't resist it? Are you throwing out stuff that gravitates to the back of the fridge and then gets thrown out?

Figure out what people in the family eat. Make a list. Plan a week of menus. Use up leftovers.

A lot of leftover vegtables can be used up in soup. Make soup on the stove or in a crockpot. Plenty of recipes call for already cooked beef or chicken. Use up what you have.

Saving Money on Food

2008-07-01T04:22:00.000-07:00

I've seen food costs on some items jump 15% and on others jump as much as 80%. How can we eat well and cope with these ever rising costs? Believe it or not it can be done. And it doens't mean eating gruel and going hungry. It can be done by eating name brands and quality items and plenty of them. It doesn't mean starving yourself and only eating store brands and things you can't stand. I'll be doing a series of articles about cutting food costs in lots of different ways.

I have a friend who is a master of couponing and over the years I've learned from him how to use coupons to get the most out of them. He eats three meals a day (and he really eats), he stays away from processed foods (practically no white flour, white sugar or white rice) and he eats a very healthy diet. His big splurge in the not so healthy line is ice cream. I've known him to get premium ice cream (Haagen Dazs and Ben and Jerry's) for 28 cents a pint, frozen fish for 18 cents a pound and yogurts for 10 cents each.

1. Don't buy generic items (store brands). This may seem counterintuitive but there are no coupons for store brands.

2. Wait for sales for the coupon items. Combining the coupon with a sale can work wonders.

3. If you can, wait for the double or triple coupon weeks. If you can get a coupon tripled you get an amazing discount. If the item is also on sale you can get it for practically nothing. Hence premium ice cream for 28 cents a pint.

4. By an extra Sunday paper if it has coupons that are good for you. You can save a lot more than the cost of the paper by doing this.

5. See if you can find people who either don't clip coupons or don't clip the same ones that you do and get their coupon sheets.

6. Buy in bulk when there are sales.

7. Use your freezer for the fresh foods you buy in bulk.

8. Get the store discount cards.

9. If there is a special that says limit of four don't let that stop you. Go out and come back in for a second round of buying the item.

Going To The Racetrack

2008-06-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

At the checkout line in the supermarket today I got into a conversation with a man behind me about the weather. I noticed he had an absolutely enormous jar of pancake syrup. I told him that it probably contained high fructose corn syrup which reserach has shown is more likely to add to weight gain than sugar. When we looked it contained corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is cheaper than sugar and is in practically everything.

I then suggested that in the future he shop the walls of the supermarket which is where you find the fresh produce, fresh fish, meat and poultry and dairy goods. In supermarket parlance that is known as the racetrack. So go to the racetrack and stay away from processed foods.

Disaster Preparedness, Yet again

2008-06-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm writing about disaster preparedness again. I do think that the floods in the Midwest should be a warning to all of us that soemthing could happen at any time. As I write this there are also fires raging in Northern California. We cannot control the weather or other natural events.

People in Iowa thought they woudl be all right because they were misinformed about the possibility of flooding in some areas. Something about a gauge malfunctioned and they thought the river would crest lower. Unofrtunately a lot of Cedar Rapids wound up under water and parts of Iowa City along with lots of smaller towns. I was in Iowa City years ago for a weddign and thought it was a lovely town. It is sad to think of it as being underwater.

Remeber that you need to have a kit fully packed and ready to go in case you have to evacuate in a hurry. Many people did not and it just makes things more difficult in a difficult time.

Closets

2008-06-01T04:25:00.000-07:00

I just saw the Sex And The City movie (featuring lots of absolutely bizarre clothing) and there is a scene where Carrie and Big are looking at New York apartments and find one that is absolutely fabulous (especially by New York standards) but the closet is exceedingly small. Big promises he'll build Carrie a wonderful closet -- and he does.

But to my way of thinking maybe Carrie should start to simplify her life and get rid of some of her clothes and shoes (perish the thought). The movie is a paean to overconsumption and materialism. Every luxury brand you can think of either gets mentioned or has a shopping bag with the logo showing. I often wonder, more and more lately, what has happened to this country that it sometimes seems like all people care about is acquiring more things. More and more and more.

I know that closets have become a big business and I have made sugestions to people about redoing their closets for maximum usage But I think it's time that we start to think about just what we are putting into our closets. Are these really things that we need or are they just things that we want. Are we buying things to make our life better and easier or to impress others. How often do we use these things? Do we buy things we never use? Does Carrie really wear all of the shoes she has. I doubt it.

Ultimately the movie is about friendship. That's more important than closets or designer clothes or shoes.

"Extreme" Commuting

2008-04-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

When I speak I often talk about why we have so much "Stuff" and so little time. One reason we have less time is the amount of time that people spend commuting. People commute by bus, train, car, ferry, subway, bicycle and a lucky few walk to work. I'm in the New York area and I know that there are people who commute from the Poconos in Pennsylvania which is at least 2 1/2 hours away. So these people are spending 5 hours a day just commuting.

I recently found out that people who spend 4-6 hours a day commuting are called "extreme" commuters. I'm sure it is hard for extreme commuters to have a much of a life during the week. By the time they get home it's practically time to go to sleep to get up early for the next day's commute. So they can't spend much time with family let alone going through bills or getting things done around the house.

Taxes For 2008

2008-04-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

I bet the title of this post has just made you cringe.

Why am I posting this since just yesterday was the day to get taxes in for 2007. It's because many people have trouble getting their taxes done on time. Often it's because getting the informatin together is such a hassle. Some of it is here, some of it is there, some is on the computer, some is paper, it's all over the place and not necessarily filed under anything or easy to find. And besides who wants to work on taxes anyway.

So for 2008 just get yourself one file or basket or something and put in everything that will have to do with taxes for 2008. If it's computerized either title it or somehow tag it or put in a cross reference for taxes 2008. This way you won't have to look all over for the stuff. You'll still have to do something about getting your taxes filed but this way at least you'll a have a head start.

Disaster Preparedness, Yet Again (Photos)

2008-04-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

As any regular readers know one of my real areas of interest is disaster preparedness. Leah Ingram who has a terrifc blog on how her family is living a green life just had a post about fire safety involving ashes from a fireplace and some other causes of home fires. The Lean Green Family (formerly Suddenly Frugal): Fire Safety for Everyone I never thought of fireplaces ashes causing a fire but this should be read by everyone who has a fireplace and uses it. She also writes about some other common household causes of fires such as candles.

I recently did a presentation about getting organized at my local library and briefly did a section on organizing photos. I also mentioned something that most peple never think about which is what happens if there is a fire or other catastrophe and their home is destroyed. If you read in the news about fires or floods the two things that people always mention losing are their jewelry and their photos. I used to suggest that people pick out some of the most important photos and make copies and store them with a friend or neighbor or a relative across the country. Today you can burn them into a CD and put it in a safe deposit box or send them to a friend or someone out of your area.

Many people store all of their digital photos on their computer and don't think that if their hard drive crashes or there is a catastrophe they will lose all the photos. It can be good to take a few minutes precaution and safeguard those photos. You can replace clothing or furniture or other things but you can't get the photos back.

Identity Theft

2008-04-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

When it comes to identity theft some things are more important to the thief than others. One thing they want to get is your birthdate. People make that easy for them by publicly displaying their date of birth on the Internet. If you join Facebook, for instance, it asks for your date of birth which is displayed on your profile for everyone to see. Make up a fake birthdate. I know someone in their thirties who uses February 29, 1912. The farther it is from your birthdate the better off you probably are.

I have also seen people who use their full date of birth in their email addresses. I know a couple of people who use the month and year but I've seen others that have the month, day and year.

Be careful with your information.

Shredding

2008-04-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

Identity theft is a big problem that will only get worse. I tell my clients to get a cross-cut shredder and one that will do 8 to 12 pages at at time. You can buy them at any big box office supply story such as Staples, Office Max or Office Depot. Usually there is at least one that is on sale or has a rebate.

What do you shred? Anything that could allow anyone to steal your identity. Credit card offers, credit card bills, utility bills, discarded checks, financial statements of any kind that you are throwing out, phone bills, utility bills and anything with a credit card number (including receipts).

Yes, people actually do go through garbage to find these things. That's why shredding them is so important.

Eating "Healthfully"

2008-04-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

I recently overheard a conversation between two women where the first one said that she gets food that is "organic" and "natural". The second woman said, "That doesn't mean that it's healthy." Woman number one was startled by this concept.

Realistically almost anything can be organic including white sugar or white flour. That certainly does not mean that things that are organic or natural are good for you or healthy.

Organic means that it was raised without pesticides and if it is an animal it may mean without antibiotics. Natural can mean just about anything.

Healthy or healthful has an entirely diffrent meaning. It means that somehow it is good for your body or at least not harmful. If you want to eat food that is healthy or healthful eat as close to natural foods as you can. Have fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, real dairy products, organic beef, lamb, poultry and eggs. But don't be fooled by labels that are just organic or natural. They are not necessarily healthful.

Use A Timer

2008-03-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

There are some simple ordinary household objects that can make things easier. I think that in today's world many of us have a problem with time management. There's so much to do and not enough time to do it. Conversely we also spend time doing things where we're unaware that we've used a block of time. Using a simple kitchen timer can be a great way to help control the use of time.

Many people, myself included, spend much more time than we planned surfing the web. It's so easy to go from site to site and then suddenly realize it's an hour or more (maybe a lot more)since you started and told yourself I'm only going to do this for ten minutes. Set a kitchen timer for the ten minutes and you'll be aware of how much time has passed. I often do this so I don't spend a lot more time than I have on the Internet.

Getting Enough Sleep?

2008-03-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

The U.S. National Sleep Foundation recently did a study of 1,000 Americans and how much they sleep. They found that most Americans are sleeping for 6 hours and 40 minutes on weekdays. Many people reported being drowsy or falling asleep at work and one in three reported falling asleep while driving.

It's been estimated that in 1900 people got 10.5 hours sleep a night. This was before the electric light became popular. When it comes to being organized you have to make decisions about all kinds of things. If you don't get enough sleep you're going to have a tough time with those decisions.

For some reason we've developed a society which thinks that you show some kind of strength by not getting much sleep. Plus there are so many distractions which keep people up late at night including watching TV and spending timeon the Internet. You'll be doing both your body and your mind a great favor is you get more sleep.

Health Information

2008-02-21T02:08:00.001-08:00

I recently saw an article on Rovinia Brock who has a new book on the importance of family health history, Dr. Ro's Ten Secret to Livin' Healthy. She makes some good points about things to look for in the family and how it can help us to stay healthy.

*Talk with immediate family. You can find out lots of past and present health information that may indicate genetic health risks or probabilities.

*Do some investigation. Check death certificates, obituaries, old family lettters to see if any diseases or health problem are mentioned.

*Go to family reunions. If you're lucky enough to have a family reunion go and talk to family members.

*Be specific. If you're doing family health histories have dates of birth and death, causes of death and as much medical information as you can gather.

*Use a genealogical chart. This can make it easy to see if a disease is passed from generation to generation.

Licorice Memories

2008-02-16T04:56:00.000-08:00

This is a bit different than a post about getting organized or changing your life because it's about licorice.

I love black licorice which is a disapearing product in the United States. If you do find licorice it's usually strawberry and occasionally cherry and only sometimes black. Even if it is black it's usually just one kind. I remember when there were many kinds of black licorice available. Pipes, scottie dogs, vines, twists, etc. And each one of them tasted slightly different and I certainly liked some better than others. My absolute favorite has always been Pontefract Cakes. It's an English licorice from Pontefract (where they actually have a licorice festival each year) and there were at least a half dozen companies that made it. Now as far as I can tell there are one, maybe two companies that make it. And it's increasingly hard to find (yes even with the internet). If it is available it's often out of stock.

So I entered the http://www.licoriceinternational.com/ contest for a licorice memory and won for January. You can find the entry on their website under the Licorice Memories contest. Just click on the button.

Book Value

2008-02-05T04:48:00.000-08:00

Many times when working with clients people have insisted to me that because it's old a book is worth a lot of money. They never believe me when I say that just being old does not determine a book's worth.

When I tell them that many recent books are valuable and much of the value lies in the dust jacket they again tell me that I am wrong.

When I explain that condition is extremely important they again tell me that I am wrong.

Well there's an antiquarian book dealer in the Denver area who has a website
www.go-bookworld.com . Go there. He has a section on what determines a book's value and a section on how preserve your book.

Unclaimed Money

2008-01-30T12:19:00.000-08:00

There may be money just waiting for you in the unclaimed money funds of the various states. Go to http://www.missingmoney.com/ put in your name and see what comes up. You may have a very pleasant surprise. I fooled around and put in the names of various people I know and some have money coming to them. I've sent out some emails and told them to check the site and fill out the form and send it to the appropriate state office.

It could an unclaimed utility deposit or money from a forgtten bank account or an uncashed dividend check and it could be very little or a lot. Have some fun and see whether some money is waiting for you.

Keeping Your Home Safe

2008-01-11T06:11:00.001-08:00

I just saw a really interesting story about protecting your home from a burglar. It was written by someone who spoke with a former burglar and got a lot of tips about what you can do to protect yourself. It goes well beyond the usual keep-your-doors-locked-when-you're-not-home type of thing. I already knew about some of the basic ideas mentioned such as:

They want to get in and out as fast as possible.

They turn over drawers and throw things out of closets looking for hidden valuables.

Don't have a safe unless you have it bolted into the floor by a professional. If it's not bolted down they'll take it and open it at their leisure.

But this story and the second one have lots, lots more info and good ideas to keep you and your home safe.

http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2007/02/05/101141_the-best-place-to-hide-money-conversation-with-a-burglar.html

Home Offices

2008-01-09T11:27:00.000-08:00

The New York Times recently had an article about home offices. Accordign to this piece 7 in 10 Americans have offices or workstations in their homes and 28 million Americans work from their home at least part time. So now there are furiture companies designing to fit home offices, interior decorators specializing in them and lots of built ins that people have made for them.

When I started out in organzing there were very few hoome offices, practically no furniture or cabinets meant for the home and people had all kinds of makeshift arrangements for themselves.

A couple of things to keep in mind when furnishing or planning a home office:

*Get furniture that is meant for a home office. Forget using the desk you've had since 8th grade. It doesn't work for today's computer equipment or anything else. Be willing to spend something to get some furniture that works for your space.

*Get a good and comfortable chair. If your'e going to be sitting for long epriods of time be comfortable.

*Have decent lighting. Whether it's lamps or ceiling lighting, get what you need. Otherwise you'll be squinting all the time.

*Measure and see what fit in your space before you buy.

New Year's Resolutions

2008-01-04T06:43:00.000-08:00

First I want to wish everyone a Healthy and Happy New Year!

We should all have a year where things go well, we have lives without hassle and we feel good at all times.

Below are ten ways to make your New Year's Resolutions work better.

1. Make Resolutions Positive.

Phrase verything ina positive way. Instead of saying I must lose weight or must exercise more think in terms of I will take better care of my health.

2. Persistence Pay Off.

If things don't turn out well don't give up. Keep on going and determine that that you'll keep going until you've reached your goal.

3. Set Realistic Goals.

Trying to get everything to be perfect can mean that you're never satisfied. Make goals that ou can break into smaller pieces and do a bit at a time.

4. Make Sure Your Resolutions Mean Something To You.

Don't make a resolution becasue it's something someone else thinks you should do. Thing about what's important to you and make goals based on your wants and needs.

5. Ink It, Don't Think It.

One of the most important things you can do for goals and resoltuions is to write them down. You'll start thinking about ways to achieve them.

6. Post Your Resolutions Where You Can See Them Everyday.

It's not to make you feel guilty it's to get them to be part of you and moving in the right direction.

7. Do It Whether You Feel Like It Or Not.

Action can be the start of change. Don't wait for the pefect time to start. Just start doing it and things will fall into place

8. Make Just A Few Resolutions.

Make a few that you will work on. It's better to have a few that you accomplish than many that you don't.

9. Set rewards For Yourself When You've reached Different Parts Of Your Goals.

Set up rewards that you can afford and like and them be part of the resolution process.

10. Forgive Yourself.

If you don't fulfill your resolutions fast enough or fall behind don't berate yourself. If we can forgive ourselves we can get more done and be happier.

Surviving The Holidays #6

2007-12-24T08:04:00.000-08:00

Well, you've made it this far. The holidays are jus about over. Chanukah has come and gone, so has the winter solstice, tomorrow is Christmas Day, Kwanzaa is right after and New Year's is next week. So pretty much whatever you celebrate the end is in sight. We all need to remember that the important thing is not the decoration of our homes or how many gifts we got or received but our relationships with those around us and our friends and family. That's really the true meaning of any of the holidays.

This is the time of year when there is a lot of talk about peace and good will and felowship but very little of it gets carried through to the way we act or interact with those around us. Unfortunately the harried nature of the holdiays often makes interactions worse than they would be otherwise and for families this can be a time of great stress.

So take a few minutes, relax, close your eyes, meditate or think about peaceful things and enjoy what should be the real meanings of the holiday season.

Survivng The Holidays #5 -- Inexpensive Gifts

2007-12-15T05:09:00.000-08:00

A new dollar store recently opened in my area, in a somewhat upscale strip mall that also has a giant Whole Foods, among other stores. I went to see what it's like and in a way it's an upscale dollar store (upscale dollar store, there's a concept). Some of the things I'm used to seeing at dollar stores as well as some of the food items are not there but there are some wonderful holiday wraps and bows and great craft supplies (I like stickers), and stuffed toys along with the usual cleaning supplies, cereal, microwave food items, paper goods, picture frames, mugs, crossword puzzle books and dollar store stuff.

I was reminded once again that dollar stores are great places to go for inexpensive gifts. It just takes a little imagination to put something together from a few items that fits the recipient. If someone likes to cook get them a few kitchen items. A knife or spatula, a potholder, a trivet, a spice and wrap it all in a dishtowel. Put in a recipe (preferably using that particular spice) and you've got a nice gift. For someone who is always busy and could use a relaxing break in their routine put together a candle and a piece of nice candy (preferably chocolate, for most people) and a mug and some tea bags or hot chocolate mix and copy or write a poem about time to relax and watch the world go by.

By putting a few items together as a themed gift that fits the person you can have something they will enjoy and which will show your thoughtfulness.

Surviving The Holidays#4 -- Museum Gift Shops

2007-12-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

Still wondering about gifts that you need to get for children, adults, friends, parents, grandparents, neighbors, co-workers? An often overlooked and wonderful palce to shop is museum gift shops. They have things from all over the world, unusual and unique items and prices that are across the board from extremely reasonable to on the expensive side. You don't have to be in a big city to have a terrific museum gift shop. When I visited Casper, Wyoming last year I went to (among other places) the Nicolaysen Musuem and they had a wonderful gift shop. So good I bought some things to bring back for friends (and I live next door to New York City). Try your local museum, no matter how large or small and see what they have.

Another good thing about museum gift shops is that they will often have jewelry and other items from local artisans so you have the opportunity to support local craftspeople. The may have boks, stationery and other gift items featuring something local which can be great for gifts for both locals and people far, far away.

If you absolutely don't have a local museum or don't have the time to get someplace many museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and The Boston Museum of Fine arts have websites and you can order and have things sent to you.

Surviving The Holidays #3 -- Older People

2007-12-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

It can be difficult to think of gifts for older people in your life -- whether friends or family -- but sometimes a little bit of thought will let you come up with all kinds of interesting ideas.

If they have trouble getting out you can give a box of assorted greeting cards (birthday, get well, anniversary, holiday) interesting address labels and some stamps.

A gift certificate for dinner at a nice restaurant is a thoughtful item. It's great if they're on a fixed budget and this is a treat for them and it can also be great if they are not on a budget but this gives them a chance to get out and try someplace new or even a reason to go to a place they just like to go to.

Try audiobooks or large print books or newspapers make a great gift. They may not want to admit, even to themselves, that it's not as easy to read as it one was.

Gift cards for a massage or manicure can be great as it gives them an opportunity for something they may not do for themselves.

If you live close by and want to do it give them the gift of your time. Offer to take them out to lunch, drive them to a doctor's appointment, take them for a drive in the country whatever would be different or a necessity that they might not manage for themselves.

If they are having trouble driving see if there is a taxi or car service in their area that you can get a gift certificate from. This can be a great boon, especially in bad weather. It also keeps people from feeling trapped.

Surviving The Holidays #2 -- Regifting

2007-12-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

Is it OK to regift? Sure it is. Just remember some important parts of regifting.

Do not give the item back to the person who gave it to you. This is incredibly tacky and can be too easy to do. Just make sure you are not giving it to that same person. Either put a note on the box when you get it (and know you'll never use it) or make sure you remember who you got it from in the first place.

Take out any gift card that may have come with the item. No one wants to get a gift and find there is a card in there from someone else.

Do not regift anything that looks shabby or used.

Do not regift something with an expiration that has passed or is very close; like next week.

You can put the item in a new box and you should definitely rewrap it.

We all get things we don't like, can't use, have too much of already and can give them to someone who could use them, like them and be glad to get them.

Thanksgiving #2

2007-11-21T05:39:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. It really is a wonderful time to give thanks. We can be grateful for family, friends, enough food to eat, good company or whatever else our Thanksgiving will bring. It really is a time to be grateful.

Go around the table and ask what everyone is grateful for this past year. For some it might be good health or recovery from an illness, for someone else it might be a new realtionship or something as simple as reading a good book. Being grateful doesn't have to be something big and spectacular, it can be something simple and everyday. We tend to forget that in our harried and materialistic life.

Since this day is a holiday for most people take the opportunity to stop and think about what is really going on in your life and what you can enjoy and be grateful for.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving will be here next week and it's my favorite holiday. To me it's a very American holiday. It's a secular holiday and has nothing to do with religion. It does not involve gift giving and all the hassle that goes with that. It's also a holiday that brings Americans together. No matter what your political belief, your religious belief, your ethnic background, everyone celebrates the holiday and does it in the same way -- by eating turkey.

Sure there are some differences and some of those differences come out in the food that is served for the holiday. In addition to turkey, stuffing and traditional side dishes Italians may have lasagna, Greeks spanakopita, Vietnamese spring rolls, etc. But practically everyone has turkey and stuffing and potatoes of some kind. Many of us have the same side dishes year after year after year which gives the holiday continuity and ritual often lacking in the rest of American life.

It's a terrific time to be together with friends and family and enjoy good food and good company.

Surviving the Holidays #1 -- Easing Stress

2007-11-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

Are the holidays a frantic time of real stress for you with worries about giving gifts, decorating just right and no time for anything that's really fun, instead of a holiday that's enjoyable and has real meaning? I've written and spoken on many different aspects of the whole holiday time including gift giving, having less stress and making the holiday more meaningful. I'm going to be doing a series of blog entries on the surviving the holidays.

The holiday time can seem like just one frantic time of running from store to store, decorating (got to get those pine cones gilded), cooking, serving, cleaning up and cleaning up yet again. It's a real beat the clock situation with lots of possibilities for things to go wrong or not be Martha Stewart perfect.

So to start off forget about perfection. The point of the holiday time isn't to have the best decorated house on the block or to serve the msot elaborate meal or give the most expensive gifts. It's to remember the religious (or other) aspects of the various holidays that come at this time of theyear. To get together with family and friends and have a good time, to look back on the year and think about what we can be thankful for. To help others to have a good holiday and to make the world a better place, een if it is in ery small ways.

Make things easy on yourself. One of the things I always tell people is to use paper or plastic plates for the holiday celebrations. It can save you endless time and aggravation. Yes, it's not so good for the environment to use disposables but it's something to do only once in a great while and it's something that makes life incredibly easier. Making life incredibly easier can be unbelievably important when you think your'e going to lose your mind over the holidays. And believe it or not, nobody notices. I never had anyone comment on the lack of china plates. All people seem to care about is having good food and good conversations.

You can also get great looking fancy paper plates and plastic ones that come in all kinds of colors and sizes. So you can use them in a very decorative way that can add to the table. And, again, believe me nobody will care. I had people never notice that I was using plastic and I've been to other homes where I persuaded them to do this and no one every commented. Enjoy the holidays, don't think of them as an endless burden.

Life Lessons

2007-07-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

Are you frazzled by planning your child's birthday party? Do you feel it has to be bigger and better than other parties? Do you wind up with lot sof stuff your children don't want and will never use? Stuff you'll just have to get rid of down the line?

The New York Times today has article about birthday parties for children without presents. Either money is collected to be given to a charity (usually a local one or in one case the local fire department) or presents are collected that are given to a local children's charity or hospital.

The parents purpose is twofold. One, to have the children understand about the importance of charity and community service and the other is to avoid the heap of presents that are completely unnecessary and in excess that kids get in our consumerist society. Some of the other parents (along with Miss Manners) have criticized this approach but some of the parents who are doing this say their children really enjoy and appreciate this approach because they have been hailed as heroes when they donate the money or the items. They are learning real life lessons about doing good for the community and the importance of volunteer work.

There is an interesting website www.birthdayswithoutpresents.org, which is just what it says, and can be a support for people who want to do this. Another interesting site is www.childrenforchildren.org. Their work is directed to involving children in community activities.

Getting Rid of Things

2007-07-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, does anyone out there have "stuff" they want to get rid of but don't know what to do with? It's too good to just throw out but you don't want it, don't need it, can't use it any longer.

There are two online websites that you can try that should be able to deal with most things. They are http://www.craigslist.org/ and http://www.freestyle.org/.

Craigslist you may be familiar with because it has gained tremendous prominence the last few years. People often think of it as a site to look for housing or jobs but it has many other areas, including one where you can list stuff you want to get rid of. It's under free. So try that.

Freestyle is a site for people who want to recycle stuff instead of just throwing it away. They believe that too much stuff is just thrown out and this is a way to be more ecologically conscious, to be more "green".

Try them and see if they work for you.

Food Trends

2007-07-11T09:26:00.001-07:00

I never thought I would say, "I've had enough chocolate." But it happened to me recently at the Fancy Foods Show in New York City. Thousands of companies come to display their wares in hopes of selling to supermarkets, specialty stores, etc. It's a good chance to see some of the trends in food that will be affecting us all over the next year or two. For those that are harried and need meals or foods in a hurry, you're in luck. It's obvious that there are more and more quick foods upcoming. Marianades and rubs for foods your'e cooking and more types of already prepared food that are ready to eat.

Dark chocolate, cheese, whole wheat, organic and spicy seemed to be among the main themes. Plus Tyrells, the best potato chip you've never eaten.

Dark chocolate was available in every form you can think of including bars, drinks, spreads and candies. In many cases the chocolate was combined with fruit or spices or both. Want chocolate with strawberry and black pepper or mango and chili. You can have it. There were some that were knockouts. Chuao http://www.chuaochocolatier.com/, from San Diego has one of the most wonderful intensely flavored dark chocolates I've ever had. Rich, smooth, chocolate that they combine with fruit, spices and some of the more usual stuff like caramel. If their shops were near me I'd be there on a regular basis. Good thing they are far, far away.

Hachez bars from Germany were a terrfic dark chocolate and also did the combining of spices and fruit as well as a wonderful 88% cocoa with nibs and are imported by http://www.ourniche.com/. Dufflet, http://www.dufflet.com/, a Canadian firm had a chocolate fondue (among other chocolate items) that you can heat up in the microwave in its own crock. Atkins and Potts, http://www.atkinsandpotts.co.uk/, an Engish company has some interesting spreads including a Passilla chili chocolate that do a good job of combining the intensity of dark chocolate with other flavors. A sturdy American dark chocolate is Anthony-Thomas, http://www.anthony-thomas.com/, of Ohio.

Cheeses were everywhere and they were from everywhere you can think of. One of my favorites (not becasue of the taste) was a Wensleydale (Wallace and Gromit's favorite cheese) that actually had Wallace and Gromit on the label, http://www.cheesefrombritain.com/. I'd buy it for the label alone. This was also a good chance to sample many cheese you only see in high end cheese stores because they are too runny, too strong, too something for the usual American palate. Really liked the ones from The Isle of Man, http://www.iomcreameris.com/.

That some of the food industry is moving in a healthier direction was shown by the separate organic area and the proliferation of whole wheat items. Five years ago it would have been tough to find whole wheat snack crackers or other whole wheat items. This year they were all over the place. So many things are moving in the organic direction including snacks, soups, crackers and just about everything else.

Tyrrells, http://www.tyrrellspotatochips.co.uk/, is the best potato chip you've never eaten. Crisp, crunchy, well flavored and utterly addictive they are a chip eaters dream. They are just starting to be imported into this country and are well worth looking for. They come in both regular potato chip and quite a few flavored varieties. My favorite was the Sweet Chili and Red Pepper. I could eat a whole bag without thinking twice about it. What makes them so good, well maybe it's because they do it all themselves. They grow their own potatoes from seed, harvest them, cut them and fry them. Yum, yum.

An interesting chip is the tortilla chip made partly from the salba grain, http://www.salbasmart.com/, which they claim is high in omega-3, the heart healthy oil. Tastes good too, like a regular tortilla chip.

Spicy, spicy, spicy. Spicy foods are all over the place. Marinades, rubs, dips, sauces, in chocolate, cheese, ice cream, mustard, mayonnaise, crackers and everything else. Obviously the American palate is becoming more accepting of spicy foods and if this was was an indication we'll all be eating more and more spicy stuff in the future.

Convenience foods that are not the usual convenience foods are starting to show up more and more also. Shelf stable foods that don't have to be refrigerated or frozen but can be heated up in the microwave or even eaten cold are showing up.

The French maker of expensive james and jellies, St. Dalfour, http://www.stdalfour.com/, has a new line of ready to eat, Gourmet On The Go, shelf stable suitable for a snack or a lunch or a simple meal that are can be heated or eaten cold. Since I'm always aware of diaster preparedness these would make a perfect item to keep in your food rotation because they would can be eaten now and would be a great emergency meal.

Affirmations

2007-07-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

I've been to a number of events recently where people have talked about using affirmations to get what they want out of life. I believe that affirmations can be a big help to people who want to get organized -- whether it's paper or time or clutter or anything else.

I've always used affirmations with clients and have many affirmations that have to do with organizing. They go way beyond the usual type of: I want to my things to be neater. They are meant to give you a diferent perspective and a different way of looking at things. I'm listing a few of them below.

Things or "stuff":

I can do better with less.

I carry my past within me.

I only keep what I need.

Letting go of the past makes room for the future.

I get more from having less.

Time:

Time is a gift I give to myself.

I accomplish more by doing less.

Time is my friend.

I do the things that are important to me.

Finding serenity or contentment:

I feel the stillness within me.

The universe is filled with loving abundance.

I forgive myself.

I trust my intuition.

Ziplock Bags -- a Great Invention

2007-06-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

I find that Ziplock bags are one of my favorite organizing products. They are truly the bags of a thousand uses. Don't use them only for bagging things for the refrigerator or freezer. They can be used for so many, many other things. I just love them. They come in lots of different sizes and now come in some that are truly humongous.

I use them:

* To carry reading material with me so if I know I'm going to be waiting places (like a doctor's office) I have magazine articles or other things that I want to read but haven't had the time to get to.

* They can be used in a workshop for sorting nuts, bolts, and just about anything else.

* To help sort out papers. I often cram a bunch of receipts into a ziplock and sort them out later.

* To help categorize "stuff". Put eveything of one type into a Ziplock and you've got it together and can work on it later. If you've sorted out a bunch of papers and have to move them off your table or counter put each type into a Ziplock bag and they're ready to be worked on without sorting again.

* The larger ones can be used to store clothing. Separating out winter stuff from summer for instance.

* I use them a lot for packing. I can put all the underwear together or all the same type items so I can just pull out what I need easily. I can also put together anything that I pick up on the trip and put it into categories; personal, business, stuff I really want, stuff to sort through. I always have a few extras that I use for dirty laundry. This makes it easy when I get home to just put the dirty clothes in with the other laundry. It's pre-sorted as to whites, colors, etc.

* Great for keeping wet things wet, dry things dry and keeping them separated from each other.

They are one of the best inventions of the 20th century.

Aging of America

2007-06-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

As this country is undergoing the graying of America with almost 8,000 people turning 60 every day it is amazing how more and more things have smaller and smaller type. You would think that people in every field would realize that as people age they find it easier to see larger type but the opposite seems to be true. I see smaller type being used wherever I go.

Today in the supermarket I noticed that Silver Palate has redesigned their labels so that the type is smaller. Prevention magazine, which is aimed at an older population, just underwent a redesign and the type is quite small. I see newspapers using smaller type and many books have type that is either small or light and therefore difficult to read.

It's amazing to me how little thought is given in this country to the aging of the population. So many things could be redsigned to make things easier for older people but it seems that just the opposite is what is happening.

Books and Interesting Stuff

2007-06-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

I went to Book Expo which is the big convention for book publishers and book sellers. It's huge and I certainly didn't get to everything but there were some interesting things I did spot. Some books that are useful, a trend that shows the importance that Chinese will have in the future and some interesting ideas from Cornell University about how people taste things and whether people who have similar types of tasting reactions have similar ways of thinking through things.

I'm always surprised at how many people don't have wills. Even people who are professionals and have considerable assets but for whatever reason have never made a will. I bring this up to clients and at speaking engagements but it's obviously something difficult for people to deal with. Nolo books www.nolo.com, the people who bring you a whole line of legal books, now has a new one that is very appropriate for people who haven't been able to deal with making a will. It's called The Busy Family's Guide To Estate Planning. It takes you through the whole process in a very in a simple, easy-to-read book and has a CD-ROM with 15 legal forms.

For those interested in home schooling Peace Hill Press www.peacehillpress.com has a very nice line of books called The Story Of The World. It's four volumes and one of the nice things about it is that it really does cover world history. Instead of the usual Europe and America it also covers Asia and Africa.

Do you want your young child to learn Mandarin Chinese, the language of the future? Well that's going to become easier and easier. For the first time I saw books and DVDs teaching Chinese that are aimed at very young children. www.manyandpandy.com is a line of books for young children and two women from San Francisco have a very impressive line of DVDs www.EarlyStartMandarin.com.

If you want some quick healthy food (who doesn't) the Cook-Zen Cookbook has recipes for 80 Japanese-style dishes that can be made in the microwave. www.cook-zen.com

The Planning Shop has very nice books for entrepreneurs in a simple easy-to-read format. www.planningshop.com

I took a short taste test given by some students from Cornell University trying to find if people who like certain kinds of food like certain kinds of literature. They said they've foudn that people who like spicy foods like Harry Potter. They did a short taste test with a mint and their questionnaire asked what kids of books you read and your specific likes. Their handout from the Division of Nutritional Sciences www.tastescience.org explains that certain types of tasters, broken down into mild tasters who "eat to live", modertaly sensitive tasters who "live to eat" and highly sensitive tasters who love what they like and hate what they don't like may have different ways of thinking. They say that:

* mildly sensitive tasters tend to rely more on logical reasoning to arrive at decisions than do others tasters

*moderately sensitive tasters are more likely to "play things by ear" and improvise

*highly sensitive tasters tend to spend time mulling things over, often "sleeping" on a problem if it is complex.

Does this mean that when hiring people companies should think in terms of their taste sensitivity to get people who fit their job needs? Do creative people eat different foods than people who think in a more linear manner?

Information Overload

2007-05-26T05:05:00.000-07:00

We're all overloaded with too much information. Newspapers, magazines, email newsletters, books, mail, reports, endless amounts of stuff to read. It's happening to everyone in our society because of the explosion of knowledge and information and the ways it can all be easily accessed.

So it's not just you. Everyone has trouble keeping up. There is a frightening statistic that from the years 1750 to 1800 the amount of information in the world doubled. Today it's doubling at the rate of every 2-2 1/2 years and by 2031 will be doubling every 73 days.

How can anyone keep up with this? The answer is that you can't. But there are some ways to help make things more manageable.

*You'll never get to that gigantic "to read" pile so decide on a cut off. Let it be 3 or 6 months and if things are older than that throw them out. There is more stuff coming in every day and you'll just never get to it all. That's the reality. Not a reality you may want to hear but that's the truth.

*Set up a system of priority. Decide what's most important to you personally or professionally. Read that stuff first.

*When you get a magazine go through it right away and rip out the articles you want to read and throw out the magazine.

*Always carry reading material with you. You will be surprised at much downtime there can be waiting in lines, waiting in offices for appointments or other things. If you take with a plastic zippered bag of newspaper articles or a magazine or something else you need or want to read you can get a lot of reading done that way.

Breaking Jobs Into Small Parts

2007-05-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

I've decided today to take my own advice. I often advise clients to break things down and do things a bit at a time. Work on something an hour a day or a half hour a day because doing something all at once can be too formidable.

I have a letter than needs to be written and has been hanging over me for a while. It's not difficult or long but involves something I'd rather not think about. So I decided I'll take my advice and write part of it today and part tomorrow and that way I'll get it done instead of just dreading thinking about it.

Disaster Preparedness

2007-05-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

Seeing the movie "28 Weeks Later" got me to thinking --yet again -- about disaster preparedness. This week there are big fires in California, New Jersey just had a big floods a couple of weeks ago and every winter there are blizzards. The possibility that you'll have to prepare for a zombie invasion is remote but other things can and, unfortunately, do happen.

Make sure you know where your flashlights are, that they are working, that you have an ample supply of canned or other non-perishable goods, bottled water, antiseptic towelettes or hand sanitizer, a battery-operated radio, a first-aid kit, a manual can opener and a phone that plugs into a phone jack, (since the phone company uses a different power system and the phones will keep on operating when there is a power failure).

Organize It Blog

2005-12-16T13:12:00.000-08:00