How One Garbage Bag Can Make You Happy

Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge.
Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge.
Remember, it's just stuff.

If you could make a change, what would you do?

Let go of your Elephant!

It's ugly.
It's useless.
It makes you cringe.

Even though [insert name here]
gave it to you,
Get it out of your home.

... and if they ask about it, blame me for getting rid of it.

What's your elephant?

Remember, You will Survive

There are no challenges, issues, or crises that do not contain within them seeds of opportunity that could not have otherwise existed.

So true.

If you are in a tough spot, think about what you could learn from this moment.  Might not make you feel amazing, hopefully it will give you a tiny bit of hope that things will be better.

So ...

Take on that challenge.
Deal with that issue.
Crises will pass.
... and you, my friend, will be an amazing person for enduring.

What are you bodaciously conquering today?

Remember to Reward Yourself

Kids get rewarded all the time. Sometimes its a simple star on their paper, and that star means the world to them. Any parent with a fridge full of starred and smiley faced papers will agree. It does not take much to feel special to children because they simply enjoy the act of being honored without value being added to it.

I have found that the last person rewarded in many households is the mom. The one person busting their butt for everyone inside and outside the home. Your mom orchestrates the ballet of soccer, school projects, scouts, meals, laundry, dishes and "Oh mom, I need 12 things that start with the letter 'H' by tomorrow morning." And she does it with a smile (at least it looks like a smile).

Slowly the clutter begins to build up around the house. There are only so many hours in a day and you begin to believe you can't get caught up, so what's the point in trying?
"If you think you can or think you can't, you are right," is the famous saying by Henry Ford.

Challenge yourself to stop the "I can't" thinking and turn yourself around. It took time for the clutter to build. It will take time for it to get under control. Be patient with yourself.

Let me suggest this:1. With notepad in hand, walk through your home and note the areas you want to work on.
2. Choose an area to get organized, schedule it on your calendar.
3. Break the project down into small tasks. Instead of organize kitchen, think organize upper cabinets, lower cabinets, junk drawer, pantry, or counter top.
4. Take on one small task and complete it.
5. Schedule your next project.
6. REWARD YOURSELF!! Take a couple minutes longer in the shower, let the kids eat cookies for breakfast so you can sleep in a bit, go for a walk after dinner by yourself .... geez, sometimes going to the bathroom by yourself is a treat!
Post your list of projects to complete and put stars next to them as you complete them. It may sound elementary, though remember how great you felt in school when your teacher put a star on you paper.

Don't forget: Your home is going to be feeling better and better with each task you complete.

How do you reward yourself?

Transforming a Garage

Man it's a hot one,
Like 7 inches from the midday sun

Santana with Rob Thomas "Smooth" was running through my head as "Tracy" and I began working on her garage.

It was a beautiful 90 degF with about 110% humidity summer day in Michigan. I love summer heat and would much rather sweat like a pig than freeze my little tushie off.

Onto Tracy's garage ........
We decided to pull nearly everything out of her garage.

As we did this piles were created:
- kids stuff- bikes- garden/landscaping- tools
- "what the #@&%?" - home decor










By pulling everything out of the garage Tracy was able to see, and find, everything she had. She swept out the floor as I installed some wall storage hooks and racks to get things up off the floor.


Then we set up a storage areas for kids stuff and garden/landscaping items. The tools were sorted and organized into the tool cabinet and benches. The home decor items were put away. And the "what the #@&%" pile ....... well, that got curbed to the road.

In just over 4 hours, Tracy's garage was transformed
from a "disaster zone" to "WOW!"

With time and energy left, we moved onto the basement and were able to get her son's band area tidied up a bit and came up with a game plan for the overall basement organization.

Man, it was a hot day. Tracy was pleased with her new garage. Her kids were shocked at what we accomplished. "Can you do my bedroom?" her daughter asked me.

Do you prefer to work the heat of summer or the chill of winter?

Get Selfish, Get Organized

Sometimes you have to get a bit selfish when you want to get organized. You may not be able to convince your significant other/"the other person" that:
"Hey, we need to live a little bit better."

Perhaps they are happy with the way your home is set up. Then again, they could just be a little embarrassed to acknowledge there is a problem and asking for help would just add to those negative feelings.

Once confronted with this situation, try to fall on the old adage:
"Lead by example."

Look around your home and find an area you can conquer the organization of your stuff without the help of others. Maybe it's a kitchen cabinet, your bathroom counter top, a sock drawer or your nightstand. Tackling one small organizing project successfully will give you a sense of accomplishment. Following up with another small project will get your mood rollin' toward pride in your progress.

Choose your areas to organize that involve only your items and interests, if possible. That way you are not interfering with "the other person" in your home. Hopefully they'll see you are feeling a bit better, able to find your keys quickly and overall just more relaxed about your own stuff. Maybe, just maybe, they will begin to clear up their areas too.

You cannot change who people are, though you can alter your reaction to them. If you are feeling more relaxed in your home, it will show. Yes, you may get frustrated at how this "other person" lives, but you can have solitude in your organized area.

If it took several months, or years, to lose control of your home, it will take some time to regain the organiziation again. Be patient and believe that you are working toward success.

Get a bit selfish. (there's nothing wrong with it)
Believe you can get organized.
Make it happen in small projects.Enjoy your organizing successes, no matter how small.
You are doing a great job!
What area of your home can you organize for yourself?

Do Not Eat Garage Sale Leftovers

Seems everywhere you go, garage sales are lining the neighborhoods in hopes of getting rid of some stuff and making a bit of money.

If you are a "garage sailer" person, there are some good deals to be had. Though please make sure you truly NEED the item and have a spot for it in your home.

Avoid buying just for the great deal on something because likely down the road that item will end up in your garage sale.

Now if you are about to have a garage sale, set your expectations to have fun with it and meet some interesting new people. Very rarely do you hear about the oodles of money someone made at their garage sale. The goal is usually to purge some items out of your home, making a bit of cash along the way.

Here are some great tips on what to do with the lonely items that no on seemed to need, i.e. your leftovers:

- Take It To Charity: Local thrift stores or charities, or a church,
school, or day care.

- Give It Away: Try Freecycle or place items on the curb in a box
marked "free".

- Sell It: at an online auction site or via internet classified ad.

- Trash It/Recycle It: Let it go, and live happy in your clutter-free home.

Whatever you do, please do not bring your leftovers back into your home!!

You have taken the time to sort them out, please think about how great your home FEELS without the added items.


What was your greatest garage sale find?