Use a Sharpie to label

I have been loving the exercise challenge provided by my Fitbit!  It's basically a pedometer with a calorie counter that syncs with mobile devices.  I'm in a heated challenge for the most steps this week with my kids.  Today, after an energizing 2 mile walk, I got home and realized the battery had died!  Fitbit was warning me for days, even to the point of sending me an email describing the replacement battery and how to install it.  I ignored it until it was too late; now my daughter will probably pass me up.  Ugh!

Now motivated to replace the battery, I read the instructions.  "Use tool provided to remove panel over battery."
"Tool?  Oh no!  Where did I put the tool?  What if I can't find it?  Does anyone near me have the same Fitbit who might know where their tool is?"
I looked in my desk drawer and there was a box labeled "Fitbit 2015."  I was so relieved that I had the foresight months ago to label this box!

Labeling items is a great organizing habit.  Label freezer bags with the contents and date.  Label salsa jars when you open them so you know how long they've been in the fridge (I don't actually do this but wish I did), label parts to devices, label what is stored in bins in the attic.  The list could go on.  By labeling things and keeping them in certain logical spots, you needn't panic when a need arises or you wonder what is in the freezer container.  Keep a Sharpie marker in the kitchen and other places where labeling happens.  Enjoy the simplicity that comes from being able to find things.

New Inventions

As an end-of-school gift, I was given a tumbler, candy, and a box of cold-brew iced tea bags.  The tea bags are amazing!  You put two into a two quart pitcher, add water, and in five minutes, you have full strength iced tea.  It's a GREAT new invention!  As a result of this easier method, I felt I no longer needed my iced tea maker appliance.  It was a gift from my sister, who I love dearly, so that pulled a bit at my heart strings to give it away.  Quickly I caught myself in a this syrupy mindset and logically knew that my relationship with my sister is so much more than remembering her through an iced tea maker.

If a new product comes on the market that is more efficient and takes up less space, don't keep the older model.  Let it go.

Season Passes

Like driver's licenses, season passes to theme parks or historic places normally have a photo of the person.  As you come across expired ones, you may be tempted to keep them for sentimental purposes. Don't.  I think 95% of those photos are unflattering to the person anyway, so why keep one?  If you have a scrapbook, by all means glue it in if it brings back great memories.  Otherwise, toss it!  I found some expired ones deep in a cupboard, cringed as I looked at my picture, then threw them away.

Extra School Supplies

We teachers have to make supply lists yearly as a grade level and our lists have to match so they can be posted on the website.  Go-getter parents like to shop ahead and gather supplies over the summer.  I totally understand all the 3rd grade teachers needing to have the same list.  You might be surprised at the long discussions teachers have to try to come to a consensus.  Some teachers want one thing, others don't need it.  We try to avoid having items on the list that will be wasteful yet aren't always successful.

That being said, I'm sure many of you have acquired supplies your child never used.  There may be reams of line paper, graph paper, composition books, extra red pens, notebooks, folders, binders, and more gathering dust somewhere in your house.  If you don't have any students at home anymore or your high schooler won't need composition books, this is a great time to donate those office or school supplies to a place like Goodwill.  I was looking around in our local store the other day and they had a whole display of school supplies.  What a boost for families that may be struggling financially to find cheaper supplies!

So, I challenge you to take those spiral notebooks and other school items to a donation center this week.  If only a couple of pages were used in a composition book or spiral notebook, tear out the old.  The rest will be usable for a student.  Help others while decluttering your space!

3 Pitfalls in the Sorting Process

Lorie Morerro, of the online organizing program, The Clutter Diet, had an interesting video last week on the three pitfalls people run into during the sorting process.

1.  The Scary Phase:  When you start to sort through a closet or cupboard, things look worse before they will look better.  Plan for that, know that.  I always say you have to make a mess to clean up a mess.  Don't get scared or discouraged and stop, because once you have sorted, you can get rid of two thirds of the items (usually).

2.  Memory Lane:  As you find items you'd forgotten about, you might be tempted to take a trip down memory lane, getting distracted by the task at hand.  Set that box of old photos or letters in a pile to be sorted through at another time and keep working!

3.  Elsewhere:  While sorting, you may find something that goes into one of the kids' bedrooms and be tempted to leave your task and go put the item in its place.  Resist doing that.  Lorie suggested having paper bags and a marker to label "Max's Room" or whatever on a bag, then place stuff for various spots around the house in bags and KEEP SORTING.  Don't let distraction take you from your task.  You can leave and take all the bags to their designated spots later.

This is great advice.  Don't give up.  Keep up the daily decluttering!

Old Paint

I worked on our paint cupboard a couple of weeks ago.  It's in the basement and stores our partially used paint cans.  I lined up all the spray paints by color and realized I have a LOT of black.  You really don't know how much you have of something until it's grouped.  Obviously, I bought new ones before really searching in the cupboard.  Now we can easily locate what we need.

There were the mystery paints where I didn't recognize the color or where they'd been used.  Those got taken out.  Those cans with too little got removed.  I was diligent with a few paint cans and wrote the room and date they were used on the top such as, "Hallway walls 2013."  That was really helpful as I was decluttering.  A few of those cans were from a previous color so I could unload those.

You'll be amazed how much you've accumulated through the years.  There may be a craft project for which you purchased paint.  It's great paint, but you aren't going to do the project anymore.  I may list mine on Craig's List as the paint is now difficult to find and someone might like it.  There was a baby food jar of my daughter's paint thinner from high school art.  I think that can go to the hazardous waste place in a few weekends.

I've come up with two options for disposing of the extra paint:
1.  Check with the Restore in the area to see what their stipulations are for taking partially used cans of paint.  Donate any that fit the bill.
2.  Take off the lids and let the almost done cans dry out in the sun, then toss them.  Write down the number of the color if it's a current wall color, or you could even, gulp, keep the lid with the color specs label.

Take some time to organize and declutter your paint area sometime soon.

Medicine Cabinet

I dumped two bottles of old vitamins.  Decluttering is ongoing.  We have so many storage options in our places that items get overlooked for years.  Today, look in your vitamin cupboard or medicine cabinet and dispose of any bottles that aren't used or have expired.