Do you live under the shadow of guilt? Deep down inside of you – do you think there is something missing? If so, you are not alone. Many of my clients have told me that their mess is worse than any that they know or that they feel something is wrong with them because they cannot seem to get everything perfect and in order.

Let the guilt go live somewhere else. It does not belong at your house. It is the people who do not want or ask for help that are the ones who need it most.

Guilt is not a productive emotion, either. Instead of negative thoughts, change them to positive, reinforcing ones.

How about telling yourself – or others – “Good job! Way to go! That is a good start!” ?  You will find that this makes your life a little easier and encourages even small efforts.

When you make those first steps to clearing out the clutter, they can be  the beginning of change – change to clear and clutterfree living. How can you be sure?

TRY IT!

Just this morning, I enjoyed making my bed and paused to reflect on the history of the quilt that I use for a bedspread these days. Do you have treasures hiding under your bed or in the closet? If they are your precious memories – why are they hidden under your bed?

By getting this quilt out of the cedar chest and putting it to use – I learned a bit of history about it. When I told my mother I was enjoying using it, she told me she had sent the measurements of their bed back home to her mother in Arkansas so it would be long enough to also cover the pillows.

My parents met during WWII at the Arsenal in Pine Bluff, AR. She worked in the cafeteria and my dad loved to eat – so that was a perfect match. He would come by after his shift and eat a slice of pie and visit. Well, after the war, he brought her home to Waxahachie, Tx.

In a nostalgic moment, I thought about Mother leaving her family and following her heart to Texas. In those days, it was rare to keep in contact by anything other than a letter.  The country was still under rations, so they had to provide the ration cards for the sugar to the lady who made the wedding cake.

Reflecting back on just this simple quilt, brought a feeling of thanksgiving to me as I think about all that we have these days. I don’t want to take so much for granted. For a picture of my heirloom, click here

http://www.breakfreefromclutter.com/buried-treasures/

What do you have hiding out under your bed or hanging out unused in your closet? Do a bit of digging and see if you have a few things you can put into use or at least display to enjoy.

If  you are storing the things for safe keeping and the next owner puts it away for safekeeping – when does anyone get to use and enjoy it? I finally decided it was better to have something in use instead of just passing from one generation to the next without being used and finally disposed of and never used.

I pictured my children backing a dump truck up to the front steps and hauling all the stuff away after I am gone without anyone ever enjoying and loving it on a daily basis. Of course, they would keep and treasure some of the stuff, but then other parts would just be clutter to them.

What could you be enjoying now? Search in the closets and under the beds and pull it out to enjoy. It also teaches your family a bit of history about the items as you see and discuss them.

So go ahead, share a memory today!

Do you ever find fuzzy things growing in your refrigerator?  Do you use what is in it, before things spoil or become out of date. I speak from experience here. I have uncovered almost historic food at times in my mother’s freezer. It is time to organize and clean refrigerator.

Aside from the fact that freezer burn makes it gross. It is a waste of money and resources. It seems that everyone is looking for ways to get more value from dollars spent and making the most of your food budget is a priority.

Here are a few ways you can make your food last:

• Store your lettuce in a crisper. You can buy the container at almost any place kitchen ware is sold. Wash the lettuce and put away when you first get home from the market. It saves time and keeps lettuce fresher longer
• Try those perforated plastic bags for fresh produce. I don’t know how it works, but I do know my fruit and  vegetables last about twice as long.
• Don’t wash the vegetables if you are not going to use them right away. It saves the vitamins and they last longer.
• Use what you have before you buy more. Sounds simple, but don’t buy in large quantity unless your family will actually eat it in a few days.
• Invest in those “green” containers. They have a grid in the bottom that keeps food away from the water that  collects in the bottom of the container.
• Cut the tops off carrots, beets, radishes and turnips before storing.
• Storing fresh corn?  Put it in the refrigerator with the husk still on.
• Store bread at room temperature or in the freezer. It will go stale in the refrigerator.
• Store milk and vegetables on the shelf of the refrigerator, not in the door where it is warmer.
• Put snacks and healthy foods in the front of the shelves. That encourages you to eat the healthy stuff first.
• Separate the meat from the produce when you put it in the refrigerator. Package the meat so that it will not drip on other food. That can cause serious illness.
• Keep an open container of baking soda on the shelf to keep the refrigerator from being smelly. (Ugh!)
• Label and date food before putting it in the freezer.  I really like my vacuum sealer for storing meat or left overs in the freezer. It was worth my investment.
• Store onions and potatoes in a dark, cool but dry place, such as the pantry.

With a little planning, you can stretch the storage time for most of your fresh food. A tip I learned from my daughter in law – she buys fresh vegetables and washes carrots and celery, cuts them into snack sized pieces and places them in see through containers in the front of the refrigerator so the children will see them first and choose a healthy snack.

What is your favorite tip for stretching your food dollar.  You can email me at Cynthia @ breakfreefromclutter.com (no spaces, though)

Organize and save!

Are you open to ideas about saving time and money as your organize your life? It is a frequent topic in conversation these days. Have you considered the Step Down Approach? Let me explain.

The levels of purchases can be arranged in tiers. The first being high-dollar department stores, next discount stores, then factory outlet, consignment store and the bottom tier being a garage sale or thrift store. Imagine your expenses as if they are steps.

If you normally purchase clothing at high-end, try taking a couple of steps down to a discount or consignment store. You can reserve the high-end purchases for times when it really matters and can save money by shopping at consignment stores where you will often find clothing on the racks that has not even been worn and still has the tags on it.

Discount stores are a great place for casual clothes and household goods. The step-down principle will work by applying it to how often you do things. If you eat out five times a week, try cutting down to two. I finally realized that I could stop in for a healthy meal at a fast food restaurant and not always go places where meals were over $10.

Many times, you can reduce expenses by analyzing what is really necessary and think before spending. What is your favorite tip? I would love to have your comments on how you are saving time and money.

Simple Rules Parents Can Use to Minimize Clutter in Bedrooms

They can’t help it; children are clutter magnets. Anyone in charge of themk knows that kids can create lots of mess, but don’t you love ‘em!

A whole lot of it has to do with their young age: kids are still a bit ego-centric (that is, a bit self-centered), and it’s hard for parents to make them notice their surroundings. If you want to raise an organized child, you have to set rules to help them appreciate being organized.

But what rules can you set for organizing children? Consider the following:

            A 1:1 Toy Rule

One reason why toys eventually become clutter in kids’ bedrooms is because there’s just way too much of them.  To control bedroom clutter, start when they are young. At every stage in a child’s development, their interests ch different kind of toy is recommended. So how do you keep your kids from growing a collection? However, children can’t buy toys at this age. Grownups have to buy them and the toys are so precious that it is hard to resist.

Very early on, teach them the 1:1 Toy Rule. That is, for every new toy that they receive, they can share an old toy with another child who may not have as much as they do. This way, the number of toys in the household is at a constant number. You also get the added benefit of knowing you’ve made a difference in another child’s life!

            Tidy up as you play.

This is the toy equivalent of telling kids to “clean up as you go.” If you want kids to learn the value of organization, don’t let them do as they wish on their play space and then spend all your weekend cleaning up after their mess. Instead, instill in them at a very young age the habit of tidying up after they are finished playing. For good measure, at the end of the play day, sing the pickup song and make a game of picking up toys with them so the space is clear in the morning!

There are many varieties of toy bins available in the market nowadays, many of them child-safe, which makes de-cluttering easier. If clean-up is as easy as putting a toy in a basket, then it’s not too much to ask.

            Dirty laundry on the hamper; clean clothes in the cabinet.

Toys are not the only clutter in a child’s bedroom. There are the clothes as well!

It’s not unusual for children to take off a shirt and then leave it on the bed, or remove socks and dump them on the floor. Which is why you should set up a laundry basket in your kids’ room, one that they can easily reach. If you search online, you’ll find that there are many laundry bins available today that are quite appealing for younger kids. One bin, for example, has a basketball hoop on top, so that clearing up laundry becomes fun.

As for their clean clothes? Spend some time orienting your kids on how to organize their cabinets. A simple tip is to label every drawer: “underwear”, socks”, “hankies”, etc. with pictures and words so that your child will know where each article of clothing should go. Use hooks for bags, belts and suspenders. Place hanger racks within reach so that they can hand up their clothes on their own.  And if the they are not able to fold their clothes yet, at the very least give kids a “to fold” bin. You can work with your child on the folding skills as they grow.

Children are like a blank slate that we write on. What we teach them now carries over into how they are as young adults and then grownups. Take a little extra time and encourage good habits today. You will reap the rewards in the years ahead!