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To Start

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Write down a list of activities you plan on doing while you’re away.

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Make a list of the things you need for yourself and family or companions.

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Give yourself time to pack, you may have a departure time to accommodate so why not have extra time to check over last minute items or tasks. Are there any plants needing water?

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Write down important contact information to leave with someone in case of emergency.

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Don’t forget to smile and let the journey be the adventure.
Check in when you get back and find some tips to get the fall season started on a good foot.

Happy Holiday!

Iliana Elias, a student at Inter-American Magnet School is going into the eighth grade ready and organized! How does she prepare for such an exciting and exhausting grade? She’s here to share a couple useful tips to get you prepared for the new school year. Below are common places for school supplies and materials. These tips will teach your student how to keep their school supplies in place and manageable!

1. The Locker
Place things conveniently in order by schedule, by color, biggest to smallest
Locker organizers can be found at any office supply store, Target® or The container store®. Theses provide more space and also make it easy to take things in and out of your locker.
Magnetic clips are fun locker accessories that can hold important papers and assignments.
2. The Book bag
The “stuff” that is placed inside your book bag should only be “stuff” that will be useful that very day for assignments/projects/homework, etc. Excessive material can make your bag heavy when it doesn’t need to be. Everyone has their own style however, by keeping your things in order of priority makes it easy to find what you need.

3. At home
It’s important to know ahead of time what you’ll be working on so you can be sure you have the materials needed. Having a shelf sorted by baskets or bins for just school supplies and materials will make searching and getting things done a lot faster. I always like to have a little box containing the tools that are necessary for completing my assignment.

According to Iliana, she states “It’s important to me to be organized for the school year because I get things done a lot quicker, leaving me time to do other things like hanging with my friends.”

When trying to clear out clutter, for one reason or another it is difficult if not impossible to do it on one’s own, let alone without any motivation. We put meaning and importance on the things we own based on a memory.  We have keepsakes to remind us of the people and experiences we cherish for better or worse. With out giving the whole story away, in the movie “Up” there was a sweetness in Carl and Ellie’s relationship and who they are as a couple was easily identified with their home. They had a purpose and a plan. Among other themes, this story is about moving forward and finding a new purpose in life, just when you think you don’t have one anymore. The part to notice in this film is at the end. “Carl Fredrickson” finds that letting go of the things that dragged him back was easier because he made a choice to pursue a new goal and adventure. I simply love this movie.

http://youtu.be/YOOIK0baLvM

Posted from Diigo.

First you must set aside an uninterrupted hour or two and role up your sleeves to work. Apply the A.S.K system that we use at Mercury Organizing Professionals.

A = Assess. Make an assessment or take inventory of what you presently own.

S = Sort. Separate all like items together and put into difference categories.

K = Keep or toss out those things you don’t need anymore, expired, or broken.

You can chip away at any piles you have if you follow these easy steps.

Good Luck!

First, don’t forget to ask what your accountant expects from you. Ask them how they prefer to see your information. And do the best you can. They will be so thankful that you did this and it will save you lots of time and money in the long run.

Here is a step by step instruction to help you get organized before you meet with your accountant.

1. Create a 2009 file pocket folder and separate income (W2 forms) from expenses.
2. Sort expense receipts by month
3. Identify your expense categories (Auto, insurance, medical, utilities etc…)
4. If you don’t use some kind of software then enter your data onto an excel sheet or onto an accounting data sheet.

Sometimes your bank statements will be all you need, and the receipts you keep are used for supporting documentation.

Only keep the records you need in your newly organized system, the rest is just clutter.
By gathering as much of your expense information that you have, you can make the difference of a better tax return. Remember, also, your donations made to charities are sometimes tax deductible.

Good luck and I wish you a successful 2010!

“There is nothing more stressful than those three words at the end of a long day. The only way I combat the stress of cooking dinner every night for four while holding down a hectic day job is to be uber-organized. And this is how I pull it off.

Every Sunday morning I wake up early, make a pot of coffee, and while everyone is still asleep, I plan the meals for the week. I pour over my cooking magazines for inspiration and start working on my shopping list. I have a master shopping list with all our staples typed out with check boxes. I keep a dozen blanks in a kitchen drawer. The list is organized by the layout of the grocery store-in my case Dominick’s on Fullerton. First I list the produce, then deli and bread items, then meat and dairy. I work my way around the perimeter before I hit the main aisles. This way I fill up my cart up with the freshest, healthiest items first and then I can skip aisles if I don’t need anything down them.

Having this master shopping list is key. It means I don’t have to worry about forgetting something. During the school year I have things on the list like drinks for the kid’s lunches, snacks for the kids, green veggies (meaning any green vegetable that looks good), ketchup, Ranch dressing, butter, eggs and bread, etc. That way I only make one trip to the store a week and we never run out of essentials until next Sunday morning. Now I know this sounds compulsive, but trust me, once you make the master list in your computer and tweak it every season or so, you will never go back to shopping without it.

Once I know what we have and I have checked all the staples I need on the list, I turn to my black binder of recipes. The recipes that graduate to the black 3-ring binder are the ones that everyone likes, that are easy to make in 20-30 minutes when I get home from work, and are healthy and low-fat. If I pick a recipe from this “magic” black book, I know I can get food on the table by 6:30PM and it won’t blow my diet. So all I have to do on Sunday morning is flip through the book and pick my seven recipes for the week. Then I add any special ingredients I need to my shopping list and I am good to go.

No, it’s not quite that easy. By this point I’m on my second cup of coffee and the angels are awake. My husband sits down and I ask him what the schedule looks like that week. He’s a stay-at-home dad and musician, so the family schedule can get pretty complicated. This is when he tells me which nights he’s home for dinner and which nights he has a gig and when our daughters have late-night soccer practice or karate. Then I might switch up a few meals and write in “leftovers” or “pasta,” the quickie fall back meals. I usually try and cook a big meal on Sundays so we can have some leftovers throughout the week. I write the week’s menu on the back of the shopping list and I am off to the grocery store. Sticking to my list and planning out all the meals helps me save money and reduce stress”.

Cynthia Sherry
Editor-Chicago