Video Tips on Home Organizing Solutions
I’ve been busy this week – I’ve produced six video tips of my new video series called “Organized Home.” These videos are on my YouTube Channel and at my new website OrganizedHomeVideos.com.
In the recent video tips, I talk about how to save space in your clothes closet, a method of handling mail as it comes in your home, her container system for the refrigerator, using turntables in cabinets, how to maximize the space in your cupboards, and a way to organize hair accessories.
Here’s a sample of one of them:
Organizing A Diet Plan
I decided to try the hCG diet at home using the drops instead of injections, and it took me a week to get around to starting it. The reason was, I wanted to establish a meal plan first and put a shopping list together to ensure I stay on the diet and do it properly.
Having done that wasn’t all that I needed to keep me organized on this diet. Since it was a new routine, I had to establish a way to remember my new routine of taking the drops 3 times a day! So, I got out my trusty iPhone and set my alarm to go off 3 times a day at certain times!
I also began browsing the Internet for any hCG diet recipes, and man did I find plenty! I started printing away like nobody’s business! Then, I hole-punched them and put them in my 3-ring recipe binder. Whalla, I felt completely organized and ready to eat (or not eat)!
Color Inspirations
Color Inspirations
Who says an office has to be dull and boring with white walls? Color can really give life to an area and be inviting. It can even make us feel cheerful. So, I’ve decided to redo my office colors (not that I needed cheering up though).
Well, finding the right color scheme was challenging for me because I couldn’t make a choice. It all started with a Mac computer I was given — it is teal, of all colors! I just had to make colors work with this new teal in my office!
One of the things that helped me a lot is the Lowes web site. It has an Interactive Planners & Designers area where you can play around with colors until the sun comes back up. You’ll find the American Tradition Virtual Painter from the Home Decor link.
Have fun!
Redecorating
A Gothic Makeover
I’m proud to announce my latest room makeover masterpiece that transformed a dull, disorganized den / home office into a whole new world — an old world.
This particular style is one of my favorite themes, so my creative juices were really flowing.
Many shops cater to this type of market and display everything from old world furniture to wrought-iron furnishings and lighting. There was no shortage in finding the right items for this style.
I took a lot of before-after photos of this project, some of which are posted at Splendid Space Makeovers. Take a look in the Project Gallery and you’ll find the “new” makeovers there!
If you didn’t already know, you’ll also find more about the room makeover process at HandyGirl Organizers.
Home Appeal
Giving “Home Appeal”
In the real estate industry, there is a term called “Staging the home” to sell that many people have not heard about. It is basically presenting your home to make it more attractive to potential buyers, helping to sell homes faster at top dollar. A “staged” home sells within an 18-day average at top dollar, if not more, and is a very effective technique for home-sellers.
My father went to his thesaurus and began listing all the words that relate to this phrase. He found a phrase that would communicate to everyone and it had my vote: Home Appeal or Home Sell Appeal. It’s great having brilliant fathers, I do admit!
Because of our little brainstorming visit, I went away armed with a new direction in home makeovers. I’m now ready to get the word out!
Having Stuff
Stuff for Stuff’s Sake
My father sent me a USA Today article highlighting TLC’s Clean Sweep’s professional organizer Peter Walsh, and features his home to show that he practices what he preaches. Since I follow his philosophy on stuff, I wanted to share some quotes from the article.
- “I’m very careful not to fill my life with stuff for stuff’s sake…It’s about surrounding yourself with the things you love, you use, you need.”
- His home is “a mix of genuine midcentury stuff with inexpensive stuff that just works.”
- “As far as design goes, the Japanese have a lot of it nailed. It’s about simplicity, and it’s about honoring the stuff that you have.”
- Two paintings hang side by side “Think about it” and “Don’t even think about it.” …it sort of typifies the idea of buying stuff vs. not buying stuff.”
- “During his own rennovation, Walsh stored a bunch of belongings in a spare bedroom for almost a year and discovered that he didn’t even miss them. “That was a really a good reality check for me. So, I clean-sweeped myself over a couple of weekends.”
- “I don’t get my happiness from the stuff I have. It enhances my life, and it makes me smile when I look at the things that I value or treasure.”
Wow, he’s taken the words out of my mouth, as I often say to people that a room should smile at you when you enter it; a drawer should smile at you when you open it. I like how that man thinks.
Makeovers That Go Over
Starting Budget, Midway Budget…
Is there an “End” Budget?
I love doing room makeovers and, as I develop my design plan, I feel like I’m painting a masterpiece. Then, with everything in place to move forward, a budget is set that includes bringing all the elements together. And, that’s part of the beginning.
With planning almost complete, getting final approvals can turn into the end-of-endless changes. a new budget is reformulated to make adjustments to the plan — like “let’s not get that, let’s have it custom-built instead.” With an initial budget of $5,000, and changes that will exceed the budget, the client must decide to up the ante to accomodate higher costs.
I often wonder what the purpose of a budget is anyway if it keeps getting higher to compensate for higher costs as we go along? Personally, I prefer the client gets the best, and I want high standards for them. And, I would still try to find the best bargain and get a good deal without compromising quality, comfort, look or functionality.
Although I know that the planning phase often brings up these kind of challenges, I try very hard to get into the production phase, which usually faces new challenges. With schedules moved back and crew waiting to start, it can be a juggling act getting all the pieces to fall into place at the right time. And, all I need to do is get final budget approval to start my next act.
Easy Way to Spend Money
Are we spending, or paying?
This is the question that only makes sense when we determine if we’re spending because we want to buy something or paying because we’re forced to. Why then do some people choose to pay more than they would have initially if they paid on time? Isn’t paying enough; why pay more?
This is what was going through my head as I sat in traffic court yesterday. While waiting my turn to make my plea and get a hearing date, many others came up before me facing the judge with warranties and collections from non-payment of tickets that doubled their intial ticket cost. The additional fines for court costs didn’t help matters any either. That’s paying.
Today is the deadline for filing taxes. It goes without question that many individuals will not file on time, have filed extensions, and maybe even not file at all. The penalties and fines will cost them. That’s paying.
And, do I even need to mention people who don’t pay their bills on time and get charged late fees? That’s paying.
It’s a price that would make any sales price loose its value. This equates to a bad deal. I know many of us have gone shopping, found something we wanted to buy, waited a few days, and then the price was higher when you went to buy it. It’s not like being fined additional costs, but we lost the savings.
I suppose many people could save money if they organized their papers and bills so matters were taken care of on time. They would save on late fees and penalty fines, and that would be a savings, wouldn’t it?
