Category Archives: Mop Tips

Helpful tips to organize

We met somebody fabulous today! updated…

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Finding a favorite consigner is like finding your favorite electrician, handyman or something like it. A consignment shop you like can be like finding a new best friend. What a better way to make room for new things in your life then to get rid of old clothes. Some people confess to us that they just don’t know what to do with these unwanted items. They know they have good quality clothes but they may just be tired of them. Giving away responsibly is really their only challenge.

A consignment shop like “The Haute Spot” in Chicago is a great resource to put these clothes in a consignment arrangement.  In addition, if they don’t sell,  The Haute Spot will donate them for you and give you the tax sheet for your records. How cool is that? We find this service to be very helpful to our clients. As an organizer who wants to save our clients time and money, we are happy when they can earn some cash back in the process. Cha-Ching! Did you just get cash back for your next trip to the mall?

The Haute Spot has been nominated this month in the Time Out Chicago magazine. Check them out and vote for your favorite consignment shop.

UPDATE: Reviewing the Oct. 25th, 2012  issue of Time Out Chicago and discovered that our favorite Consignment Shoppe was selected in the Best of Chicago’s Consignment category. Congratulations Haute Spot!

Dinner is served!

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I spoke at Dream Dinners on Damen In Chicago last week along with a friend who helps people organize and balance their financial life. The theme was creating a balanced budget. Some of the key points we discussed were the following: create a plan, avoid unnecessary spending, get organized, clear clutter, clear distractions, focus on your goal. Our tips and helpful perspective were hopefully beneficial to our guests. I think they left with some great ideas to take home to implement into their lives. When I was asked to be a guest speaker last week, how could I refuse? You put two of my favorite things together; food and organizing, and you have a happy person in me.

Dream Dinners

The real star of the evening, however, was Dream Dinners on Damen. They have a wonderful menu and offer and a whole new concept that helps an individual or family save time and money. Their concept is to provide you with an environment where you can prepare all fresh and healthy ingredients for a fabulous meal to take home. It’s as simple as that. You take home as many meals as you can handle. Once you get hungry and ready to eat, all you do is cook the tasty meal you prepared. You skip the shopping, the storing, the prepping and go directly to cook and eat. I really enjoyed this experience and having an option like this is so helpful in our crazy, busy lives. Did I mention how delicious our meal was? Dream Dinners is nationwide check out their website and see for yourself.

Today is Earth Day!

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Its Earth day! This time year we dedicate a conscious effort to help the planet. We are borrowing this earth from the next generation and we should leave it better than we found it. Consider your carbon foot print not just in the larger scale but in the simple things we do at home.

Here are the top 10 things you can do.

  1. Save energy at home. Choose energy-saving appliances if they’re available. Look for Energy Star!
  2. Buy locally, or grow your own! Reduce air pollution caused by food and goods transport.
  3. Dispose of solid and liquid wastes and medications safely. (Are there paint cans sitting around?)
  4. Reduce. Cut back on the amount of ‘stuff’ that could later end up as waste.
  5. Reuse. Upcycle! Take something that is disposable and transform it into something of greater use and value.
  6. Recycle metals, plastics and paper.
  7. E-cycle. Recycle and/or properly dispose of electronic waste such as computers and other gadgets.
  8. Don’t litter! Properly dispose of trash and waste.
  9. When purchasing goods, opt for sustainable, recycled or reused resources. Choose items in less packaging.
  10. Pass on gas! Take public transportation, carpool, plan your day to reduce trips and vehicle emissions.

Where can you go to shop local? Try a garage sale, Second hand stores, Estate sales, Antique shops, Community Resale Events, Shop at Etsy.

Don’t think that our efforts won’t go unnoticed. Its important to know that every little bit helps.The more planning in your home or office you take to process through your paperwork and “stuff” you own, you’ll discover that you’ll have less to sort through on a daily basis. Why not dedicate Earth day to an effort that benefits you and your family. This will save you time and money as well. We can’t just think that it is a corporation’s obligation to find a solution for a better environment, we can take it seriously and do what we can as well.

“I Don’t Know How She Does It” – A Movie Review

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The latest movie with Sarah Jessica Parker Called ”I Don’t Know How She Does It”  had mixed reviews but on the whole I thought it was funny and charming. I like this movie because even though it may have depicted the extremes, in many ways it was true to life. It’s about a busy mom who is working on life balance. She is creating priorities in her daily life for herself and her family.

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Life happens! and it is how you handle all those hiccups, without too much turmoil that  proves you can live with less stress and can have some fun along the way. In some cases its not about bad things happening, but about opportunities that you are presented with. How will you choose?  How do you manage to do everything you want?

So how does she do it?  From an organizer’s point of view, it really comes down to having one’s priorities in order, and making the kind of choices daily that takes you closer to your goals; for yourself and your family.

She does it by being organized, having a support system, asking for help when she needs it, and going for good enough.

BEFORE & AFTER Family Spaces

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Before Family RoomBefore Family RoomAfter Living room ShelvesAfter -LivingAfter-Room to PlayAfter - Shelves
After -Family Room

BEFORE & AFTER Family Spaces, a set on Flickr.

Here are some Before & After for a Family Room. We downsized the toys and books and rearranged the furniture to create better flow in the room and stored toys in bins. The toys are no longer the first thing you see as you walk in.
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Welcoming the New Year 2012 … brings new obligations

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What will you do with that old cell phone or computer now that you got a new one for the holiday? Don’t toss it in the garbage just yet unless you want to pay a fine. Recycling in Chicago is now a law.  Starting Jan. 1, Illinois residents must recycle their expired electronic equipment under a law aimed at keeping the gadgets — and the toxic metals they contain — out of landfills. These computers and electronic equipment all contain toxic metals that are extracted and reused in the industry. Read more...

As organizers we help out our clients by taking their donations and recycle for them. For those who want to do it themselves we provide some helpful links on our website. Go to our links page and enter your zipcode; the closest site will be listed. ( Click here to search your closest electronic recycling location. ).

Happy New Year! here’s to a healthy planet!

 

 

 

 

Some solutions

We’re getting Cozi with a web-based family calendar.

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“There are so many things to do in a day and so many occasions to remember. How does one keep up?”. This is one of the most common complaints we hear. Having a calendar is not the only solution it is how you use it that makes the difference. The paper calendar is a common one I see with people we work with, but, some families are feeling confident and using their smart phones. If you are comfortable using technology and own a smart phone or iPad then you have additional options.

Cozi is a web-based FREE online organizer and mobile app that helps you manage the family schedule, organize shopping lists and to do lists, and capture favorite memories—all in one place. It’s designed for busy families in mind. Cozi is accessible from any computer, mobile phone or tablet. What’s is great about it is that your entire family can see the same calendar and be downloaded to sync with your current calendar. I suggest to give this one a try. Knowing how you spend your time gives you more freedom to enjoy your family instead of stressing over what you have to do next.

Ode to the mop!

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Did you know? We love mops, we love the invention and its design. Did you know that the mop was patented by an African-American inventor; Thomas W. Steward in 1893. The history of the mop goes as far back as the Romans. What I enjoy mostly is finding an invention that can make life a little easier. The mop is something that is taken for granted. Its essential in every day life and vital to a clean living.

We really like our name (M.O.P.) but it has nothing to do with mops and cleaning as some people might think. As organizers we create systems and clear out clutter to improve the flow of living or working spaces and help you regain control of your life. The organization leads to a cleaner healthier life. I wouldn’t be offended, however,  if you asked me to sweep or mop your place. When we organize we generally make sure that we leave one’s space cleaner than how we found it.

Family Grounds Cafe – A great place to have a networking series

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Hope you can join us at The Family Grounds Cafe.  We’ve prepared a networking series with guest speakers for two dates in August and then in September.  Our organizer Lulu will be speaking on August 9th sharing best tips on how to achieve results using basic organizing methods. On August 16th we’ll feature Beth Grant. She is a speaker, spiritual mentor and Law of Attraction coach based in Chicago. She is one of the most effective coaches in the world at helping people let go of the struggle and usher in a life of ease and grace.  Click here to preview details for event

Family Grounds is a sophisticated Chicago cafe located in the Lakeview area. Moms, Dads, Singles, Students, Neighbors…everyone needs a break. Really. We have something for that. Sit down in our trendy Chicago cafe seating area and call the place yours with free WiFi and superb Intelligentsia coffee and Sugar & Spice pastries, as well as a light menu of sandwiches (adults and kids), salads and soups. Melt away your stress over a latte, tea, house blend coffee and a decadent pastry. Unlike many cafes we have a designated Family Room separated from the main cafe by soundproof glass, kids play in a mind-stimulating indoor playground while you take in the cafe ambiance of the Family Grounds Cafe experience.

We will be joining them in sponsoring this networking series. Did you already know Mercury Organizing Professionals’ purpose is to save you time, money, improve efficiency, and reduce anxiety and frustration levels. We can improve utilization and control of your space;  streamline filing, storage and scheduling systems, and help set sustainable organizational parameters.  Mercury Organizing Professionals provides a personalized plan for you. We put clutter in its right place and create efficient systems that eliminate obstacles, minimize distraction, and allow you to function at your best!

and the Oscar goes to….What, you don’t have quickbooks or quicken either? oh dear.. now what?

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Your CPA has requested all your information and receipts from 2010, and needs it fast. You have no idea where you have put your receipts,  or worse, they are scattered in drawers, wallets, office desk and envelopes. The bookkeeping isn’t done either.  Does this sound like you or somebody you know?

This is the time of year when some people wish they had organized their paperwork sooner. There is no going back now is there? You ‘ll have to pull it all together somehow and pronto.

This chore is like pulling teeth and takes many people hours if not days to finish. You feel paralyzed, you want to quit before you even get started so instead you kick into procrastination mode and decide to watch TV to simply escape.  You know you’re watching the OSCARS this Sunday evening,  aren’t you? You won’t miss it, you’ll have to watch the three hour or more affair from the twinkle in the eyes of actors to the rolling credits at the end. Does this sound like you or somebody you know?

Well,  here’s a painless idea to get you motivated and start preparing for your appointment with your accountant. First,  decide to get out of this rut. Then, call it Oscar Tax-time.  On Sunday evening, when they are rolling out the red carpet and gawking at the gorgeous gowns and actors, get moving.

Step one:  start gathering your paperwork: assemble a station on a kitchen table or counter for example. Grab all those receipts scattered to drawers and wallets. Lump them together. Next step, take inventory. Look to see what you have, and start categorizing according to your tax person’s directions. Monthly: Medical, home, business, auto, etc….

We are assuming you don’t have Quickbooks and this late in the game, do you really think you should try to master it for this purpose? that’s another topic.

Lastly, start entering your data. Preferable using excel file sheets  or get a ledger book that will help with columns and data entry.

Notice how three hours can pass by quickly. You’re able to get through what seems like a daunting task and now see how possible it is to not only save yourself some money but gain some control of your finances. All while hearing the latest news of your favorite Oscar contenders. did they win?

Getting a clear picture of what your next step should be is so important to finding financial health, wealth and happiness. Who’s the winner now?