From USA Today: De-clutter your life, a little at a time - 5 great tips

I ran across a terrific article today from USA today. 

It is called "It's 'Time' to declutter, bit by bit" by Michelle Healy.

She asks questions of Tara Kuczykoski and Mandi Ehman, both moms and bloggers too.

Here are 5 great tips from the article I liked a lot:

#1: Know when to stock up on different things. They mention when to buy frozen food and chest freezers (March) and the best time to buy ice cream (June, July, or August).

#2. Saving time can be a higher priority than just saving money sometimes.

#3. Use a timer for de-cluttering and start at small timed increments. (This is also a mainstay method for people who use FlyLady too).

#4. It IS possible to find coupons for healthy foods. One of the bloggers has a database at DealSeekingMom.com that can help).

#5. A daily cleanup schedule should include sorting the mail, doing dishes, putting away toys, keeping up with laundry, wiping counters, and sweeping or vacuuming the kitchen floor.

There are other great hints here too. I think you will love this article too. Here is that link:
It's 'Time' To declutter, bit by bit.

Betsyanne

My Personal Page and blog
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Join me on my Fan Page on Facebook
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Too Much Stuff!

Tweet about this posting:

 Do YOU have too much stuff, too?

Most of my extra "stuff" is paperwork AND books. I have enough books to stock a small store. One of my favorite things is reading.
I also like older books and the beautiful illustrations that can accompany them.
I was on Ebay for awhile and tried selling things like vintage jewelry and, of course, BOOKS.
So now I am paring down. One of my favorite websites, the FlyLady pages, is helping me organize through the use of the 17-fling Boogie and daily check lists that are free and sent to my email address.
It took awhile to get all this stuff, so it is going to take awhile to get rid of it.
Notes will go on to the computer, and letters and business stuff into folders. Everything else will be filed, unless it goes to the shredder.
It will be nice to have an entire kitchen table again, along with an extra chair in the living room and one less big computer I don't use.
-Betsyanne
Here is the FlyLady page:
http://www.flylady.com
And here are some of my pages:


 My Personal Page and blog
The Nontrads site and blog
My Squidoo pages
Join me on Twitter as @betsyanne or @nontrads

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My To-Do List and the Flylady Site - baby steps...

It is official. There is not enough room on an standard 8 1/2 x 11 sheet to put my entire to-do list on it.



So I have decided to take baby steps and try to still DO my to-do stuff, but have realized that perhaps it will not get done in one day, or even one week.

I will prioritize as I go, and not obsess about it as much.


Today, I will not start writing it here... but I am guessing that my readers also probably have a to-do list longer than their arm too. I can share that my list does include repair work, snail mail letters, and book organization. (I have a LOT of books...) But mostly it is the "stuff" that gets in my way. I have altogether too much stuff, a la packrat style. And now I want to simplify. And that means the stuff has to go.

I have found a great website to help me with my to-do list, and all my "stuff" that must be sold, organized, or donated. It is the Flylady Site. If you have a to-do list that includes a LOT of stuff in your house that needs attention, moving, selling, donating, etc. then you will really like it.

It is a free site. They do sell some cleaning aids but you don't have to buy them to get value from this site. You can set it up so that you get an inspiring email in your mailbox every day too.



Here is that link again:
The Flylady Site


I'm off to shine my sink.


Leave a comment, won't you? I would love it.

-Betsyanne


My Personal Page and blog
The Nontrads site and blog
My Squidoo pages
Join me on Twitter as @betsyanne or @nontrads

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Wow - it's good to be back.

It is good to be back here on my blog. I want to try to post here more often.

Hi to everyone subscribing to this blog and all my first-time readers.

You will notice a white squirrel above on the right side of the picture, next to the tree. This is the FIRST time I've been able to get one on film.

The story is, there were experiments at Western Kentucky University involving squirrels. A couple either got loose or were set free by the scientists there.

Most of the time, you can see these on University Hill. I was so glad to see one at my Mom's house.

Right now, I'm writing a book about my teaching experiences. I am having a fun time doing it. I figure it will help others bypass my mistakes.

Also, I have a garden this year AND I am learning how to F.L.Y. from Flylady.com, the best organizer ever. Here site is at http://www.flylady.com. Check it out! You may be the most organized person ever, but you may find some hints there to help anyhow.

More later - and I plan to be here much more regularly now -- sharing websites, what I'm doing, and lots more.

I would love to hear your comments and what you are doing this summer as well. Just click on "comments" below here or on any of my postings.

A HINT FOR POSTING YOUR COMMENTS:

When you post your comment, the blogger form will prompt you for your name and password. If you hit "anonymous" you won't have to go through all that and this will save you a LOT of time.

All for now -- and thanks!