I have two primary stresses in my life. NOT my kids. But, 1) the continuous feeling that I can't get everything done that needs my attention, and 2) the fact that my large house takes more money and energy than I'm willing to invest. So I called in professional organizer Kathy Franzen, of Project Partners Organizing, who was a single mother of four for most of their childhood. Here's what I learned in one intense two-hour session.
Posted April 13, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Managing Stress: #1
Tips
Here's the news from Maureen:
Is down-sizing on your list of things to do this season? I'm aware of a noticeable pattern: we spend the first half of our lives collecting and amassing quantities of things, but we end up spending the last half trying to divest ourselves of the same items.
If you're ready to let go of some of your excess, this issue is all about how to prepare for the release and where to take things once you've decided they've got to go.
- Set a bag or box in the entry and/or in each person's closet to be able to toss in an unwanted item whenever you think of it.
- Schedule a 'once a month purge' session; the whole family can be involved.
- Adopt the 'one new in; one old out' principle: whenever you buy something new (or even something used) you make a point to let go of a different item. This works especially well when you have cramped quarters.
- A serious minimalist lives by 'minimum/maximum guidelines': for those of you who like to make lists, here's an opportunity for you to write out how many (of any given category) you'll allow yourself, e.g., 5 sleeveless tops, 5 short sleeve, 5 long sleeve, 7 shorts, 5 jeans, 7 dress pants, 3 jackets per season, no more than 10 pairs of shoes total and so on.
However you decide to tackle the problem, it is well worth your effort. Don't give up! Even if you only make one trip per season to donate items, they'll no longer be competing for your limited space.
Where oh where should my donations go?
Since Maureen is local to the Minneapolis area, she listed a variety of places for our large Choice Mom community here in my hometown. Please share your own favorite donation sites in the comments field below.
American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org or 1-800-227-2345
Value Village Thrift Stores & Pickup Service
www.arcsvaluevillage.org or 612-866-8820
Courage Center
www.couragepickup.org or 952-881-1100
Epilepsy Foundation
www.efmn.org or 651-287-2300
Salvation Army
www.thesalvationarmy.com or 612-332-5855
Vietnam Veterans of America
www.vvapickup.org or 651-778-8387
Charities Review Council of Minnesota
www.smartgivers.org (Rates various charities)
Mikki's note: Freecycle has websites in a variety of cities to help you find a new home for something that you don't think needs to simply take space in a landfill.
Donating tips, from www.GoodwillEasterseals.org
- When in doubt, throw it out! (if you wouldn't wear it, it probably won't sell either)
- If it isn't sale-able, please dispose of it properly. (don't contribute to their trash bill)
- Check with donation site to ensure that item meets safety standards. (no hazardous waste!)
- Your donation is tax deductible! (Be sure to get a receipt.)
Reader Comments
Posted April 13, 2010 at 2:57 PM
I can't wait to hear about your progress. Decorative boxes were a godsend to me- I always felt like a failure until I learned that there are "pilers" & "filers". I am definitely a piler. The boxes make my piles pretty and small enough to still be manageable during a search.
Posted April 13, 2010 at 2:55 PM
I really use my work lunch hour to max out my organization - I pay my online bills, balance my checking account, write out my budget, send birthday cards, run to the grocery store (in the summer I throw a soft cooler with an ice pack in the trunk so I can buy refrigerated items). I do let paper piles build up - I just don't feel like filing during hte week.
Post a Comment
We ask you enter a valid email to reduce spam. This email will not show. But please remember this is a public page. If you do NOT want your comment to be approved for public viewing, indicate that in the comment and the administrator will be the only one to read it.
NOTE that we just learned of a bug involving yahoo addresses. They are apparently filtered by Google forwarding usually as spam. So if you have a yahoo email and you post a comment for approval, it might take longer for me to discover it for approval. We're working on solving this issue.
Comment Etiquette: Please do not post spam. Please keep the comments on-topic. Please do not post unrelated questions. Anything mean-spirited or off topic will not be approved.
Posted April 15, 2010 at 7:57 AM by Mikki
One thing I quickly learned this week with my new bathroom system is that I need to feel the DONE part. So I've added a column for that. I move post-its to that section when completed so, after a week's worth, I can see what I did (and what I didn't finish and thus have to return to the mirror as priorities for the next week).