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Creative, Clutter-Free Presents

12/8/2020

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In a typical December, I like to help you out with a clutter-free gift guide. However, this is anything but a typical December. This year, everything seems a little more complicated, even gift giving.

With restaurants, gyms, and other in-person experiences closing off and on, your go-to gift certificates might not seem right. Even clothes are a bit different with so many of us working from home more and wardrobes becoming much more casual.

Let me help get your creative juices flowing as you check off your gift list!

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Organized Giving

11/24/2020

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It's almost here: holiday giving season! Be organized and prepared with my fillable or printable Gift Tracker. Keep your filled-out list to reference for next year so you don’t accidentally duplicate gifts or so you can purposely duplicate (E.g. Aunt Edith gets a fruit basket every year.).

And don't just use the Gift Tracker for holidays, but keep your list going all year round to track birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and other gift-giving occasions.
Gift Tracker
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Tame Your Shopping Demon: 4 Strategies to Prevent Shopping Overload

11/17/2020

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Last Friday, I had to be rescued from Costco. “What happened?” you ask. “Were you injured? Was there a fire?”

Nope. It was shopping overload. Trying to choose between tenderloins and t-bones, my attention was distracted by the nearby croissants. My inner optimist was cooing, “Ooh, if I got those for the kids we could have a Parisian breakfast tomorrow and pretend we’re in a little café!”

“But there’s no way we can -- or should -- eat two dozen croissants,” fired back my inner pessimist.

I stood rooted to the spot, unable to make a decision.

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Creative Clutter-Free Gifts for Your Loved Ones

12/9/2019

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Getting into the spirit of giving at the holidays is so much fun! You get to spend time thinking about those you love and dreaming up gifts to delight them.

Unfortunately, Americans will spend $15 billion this year on unwanted gifts. This year, instead of giving unwanted clutter, put on your thinking cap and get creative!

To help you along, I’m going to let you in on my secrets for coming up with the best clutter-free gifts. This list is by no means exhaustive, but consider it a jumping-off point to spark your own ideas.

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Cultivate Thankfulness

11/13/2019

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According to The Harris Poll, Thanksgiving is Americans’ second favorite holiday (Christmas is #1). Thanksgiving’s popularity may be due in part to the fact that it’s one of the few holidays we celebrate that involves no gifts, not even candy. No gifts equals no wrapping paper to throw out, and no abundance of new stuff to incorporate into the house like at birthdays and Christmas.

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Making a List, Checking It Twice

12/6/2018

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The frenetic pace of the holiday season can put us into a flurry of shopping confusion. Read on for a simple solution to gain control of your gift buying!
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Have you ever been out shopping for gifts, braving the holiday crowds, when you spied the perfect plaid scarf for Aunt Betty, made your way to the checkout counter with your prize in hand, only to stop yourself and wonder in puzzlement, “Uh-oh. Wait. Did I give her a plaid scarf last year? Or was that Aunt Dot?” Since you can’t remember and don’t want to risk giving the same gift twice, you get out of the checkout line and go back to the gift drawing board. Ugh!

Solution: Keep an ongoing gift list. 

As I clicked open my own gift list spreadsheet last week to jot down some Christmas ideas, I looked at the tabs along the bottom and realized that I have been keeping a gift spreadsheet since 2005!

[My teenage daughter’s reaction to this news was to sigh, “Of course you have a gift spreadsheet,” accompanied a roll of the eyes.]

But really, it’s an easy thing to do and a great tool for holiday and birthday planning and budgeting, especially if you buy gifts for lots of different people: immediate family, extended family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, teachers, service providers, etc.

If you’re like me, making a spreadsheet helps you organize your thoughts and ideas into tidy rows and columns. However, if the mere mention of the word “spreadsheet” sends you into panic, fear not! You can keep an ongoing gift list with whatever tool you prefer.
Whether you use a spreadsheet, a notes app, or good old-fashioned paper, a gift list will keep you organized and ready for holidays, birthdays, and any-occasion
gift giving.
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​Whether you use a spreadsheet, a notes app, or good old-fashioned paper, a gift list will keep you organized and ready for holidays, birthdays, and any-occasion
gift giving.
For a non-spreadsheet digital solution, use a word program (Google docs will allow you to access your notes online from anywhere.) or a list app (I still love Wunderlist but there are other great ones out there.). If you are a paper person, use a page in your planner or designate a little notebook as your Gift Book.
My spreadsheet is pretty simple, consisting of just three columns: name, gift, and amount. You can set up your spreadsheet or notebook the same way.
  1. In the first column, list all the people and recipient categories (e.g. “teachers”) to whom you’ll give a gift.
  2. In the second column, list the gift or gifts. On my spreadsheet, gift ideas that I’m considering are italicized and once I purchase them I put them in regular font. For a paper list, pencil in ideas then write them in ink after you’ve bought them.
  3. The third column lists the total spent on each person/category. This is where a spreadsheet can make things easier by using a function to add numbers.
To keep your list going year after year so you can refer back to past gifts, use a separate spreadsheet tab for each year or a separate page in the notebook for each year.

So this year, streamline your gift-giving by following Santa’s example: make your list and check it twice!
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​Spreadsheets don't have to be complex and intimidating, but can be a simple way to organize lists of information, such as my Gift List.

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Spring Cleaning Your Basement with NBC10!

5/16/2018

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Click here to watch my latest segment with Emily Volz and learn how to organize your basement for the seasons.
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If your basement is used primarily for storage, one big issue to keep in mind is combatting moisture.

Store items in plastic bins so they are impervious to surface moisture on the floor. Raise the bins on garage-style shelving or pallets. Label the bins so the contents are easily recognizable.

A dehumidifier is a key appliance. If possible, run a hose from the dehumidifier to the utility sink so they unit can drain constantly and you won't have to empty the tank every day. Check with your local utility company for rebates on new, energy efficient models.

Keep the area around the boiler, hot water tank, water meter, fuse box, etc. free of clutter so they can be accessed easily when they need to be worked on.

The main factor in keeping things organized is to create zones for the different types of items you store in the basement, rather than storing everything in one big area with no distinction. For example, you might have different zones for laundry, rarely used or seasonal kitchen items, holiday decorations, outdoor furniture storage, tools and household repair items. Distinctions between zones could be as simple as using different shelves or using painter's tape to mark off areas of the floor. Labeling everything helps the whole family know what goes where. If you don't have a label maker, just use painter's tape and a permanent marker.

Now is a great time to air out your basement and get it organized!
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Organizer-Approved Gifts

12/20/2017

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Wondering what to gifts to give your loved ones? Have you seen this funny gag Christmas gift going around? It’s a roll of toilet paper just in case you get crap for Christmas! Don’t be the person who makes them use that paper!
 
Instead, think of gifts that feature experiences, upgrade everyday necessities into luxuries, or are consumable. Below are some of my favorites, many of which can be bought at the last minute. (Sorry the list is long – I got on a roll!)

 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT STUFF
  • Tickets to a concert, movie, comedy show, sports event, play, or musical. (The tickets could be for the exact show or a gift certificate so they can choose the show and date they like.)
  • Apple News+: like Netflix for magazines so you can read all you want with no more paper magazines to clutter up the house!
  • Kindle books (Click the "Give as Gift" button near the purchase options.)
  • Passes to all kinds of places: zoo, aquarium, museum (art, children’s, science, historic), adventure park, amusement park, bowling, roller or ice skating, mini golf, trampoline park, etc.
  • Scenic tours: boat rides, train rides, duck boat tours, city tours, etc.

FOOD STUFF
  • Tickets to an RI Food Fights event. These food showdowns are so much fun!
  • Food basket: put together a meal kit or a basket of favorite snacks
  • Sentimental food gift: a favorite family recipe along with the ingredients to make it.
  • Gift certificate to a meal kit service such as Blue Apron or Sun Basket
  • Homemade goodies: If you’re a great baker, bake! Do you like to can food? Then make up a bunch of summer jam, fall applesauce, or anytime spaghetti sauce. If you, like me, are not a great baker and have had one too many canning disasters (Anyone want some scorched peach honey?), try flavored sugars, spice rubs, or an ice-cream-topping sauce.
  • Healthy snack box subscription or single gift (NatureBox, Urthbox, Graze)
  • Restaurant gift cards
  • Farmer’s market gift card or CSA share (Check your local area.)
  • Coffee subscription (k-cups from various places or beans from a great craft brewer such as Borealis)
  • Harry & David pears are insanely delicious and luxuriously wrapped in gold foil!
  • Beer or wine

GUY STUFF
  • Man Crates: Opening these super-creative gifts is half the fun. They come in wooden crates with a crowbar to open them. Need gift wrapping? They'll cover it in duct tape!
  • Shaving products or a subscription like Dollar Shave Club or Harry’s
  • Luxury underwear and basic clothing, such as Mack Weldon or Meundies

KID STUFF
  • Art classes or music lessons
  • Magazine subscriptions (Ladybug, Highlights)
  • Creativity crates by KiwiCo
  • Put together your own craft kit (e.g. sock puppet kit) complete with instructions.
  • Membership or tickets to a children’s museum, zoo, aquarium, or science museum. 
 
PAMPERING STUFF
  • Spa, massage, or mani/pedi gift cards (Alayne White is my favorite. Hint, hint!)
  • Makeup or perfume ( If they don't have a favorite perfume, try one of the unique creations from Providence Perfume Co.)
  • Gym membership (Be careful that they really want this and won’t take it as an insult!)
  • A really great set of sheets (If they prefer crisp percale, try L.L. Bean or Brooklinen. If they favor soft sateen, try Boll and Branch.)
  • Bath bombs (very popular right now!), body scrub, shower gel, body lotion (If you’re crafty, you could make your own bath bombs or scrubs using one of the many tutorials out there. This would be a good teacher gift.)
  • Flowers or wreaths (dried or fresh)
  
PRACTICAL STUFF
  • Membership to a warehouse store near them (BJ’s, Sam’s Club, Costco)
  • Gas station gift cards
  • Coffee shop gift cards (Think beyond the big ones and see if the recipient has a local favorite.)
  • Grocery store gift cards (For those with special diets, consider Thrive Market online.)
  • Lottery or scratch tickets
  • Household necessities basket: fill it with your favorite can’t-do-without items or with luxury versions of necessities, such as laundry detergent, dish soap, microfiber cleaning cloths, sponges, etc.
  • Gift certificates for Kate Bosch Professional Organizing
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Jerry Seinfeld on "Things" and Organizing

12/13/2017

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Can't we all use a little laugh to break up the busy-ness of the holiday season? Here's Jerry Seinfeld's 5-minute bit about how we relate to our things. He even throws in a "Swedish Death Cleaning"-type bit at the end. Enjoy!
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Follow Through with Quick Pre-Holiday Cleanups

11/21/2017

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Are you hosting Thanksgiving and planning to do a quick cleanup of the main areas of your house before guests arrive? Hosting is a great motivator to sweep through your house, gathering everything that’s out of place (Hello, kids’ toys and husband’s shoes!) and returning them to their rightful homes.
 
What if there’s kind of a lot of stuff out of place and you don’t have time to put it all away before Thanksgiving? Do you use the “throw it all into a hamper and hide it in a closet” method?
 
That’s not a terrible method as long as you remember to include putting everything away in your post-Thanksgiving clean up. A messy pile loves company (chaos begets chaos) so the longer you leave things in that basket, the more likely other things are to pile up around the house and in the basket.
 
After you’ve finished the Thanksgiving dishes, grab that basket and get to it!
 
You might find you need to assign new homes to some of the things so they’re easier to put away in the future. You might also find that the new home is in someone else’s house, in which case you can put those things right into your car and drive them over to the donation center the next time you’re out!
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