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Simplified Living Solutions

Author: Sue Anderson

Disorganization results in losing millions

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Illinois State officials are urging people who regularly play the Illinois lottery to check junk drawers, glove compartments, unused purses and old wallets to make sure they’re not holding one of 77 unclaimed prizes from 2011 totally $2.4 million. Winning tickets are no longer valid if not collected within a year of the drawing. The first of the unclaimed winnings from 2011 expires January 4th. Five Mega Millions tickets worth $250,000 each remain unclaimed. They were purchased at retailers in Bolingbrook, Herrin, Decatur, Crete and DeKalb. Four Powerball second-place tickets valued at $200,000 a piece and bought at locations in… read more »

Category: Random Musings | Tags: ,

Great iPhone apps

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I invested in my first-ever iPhone last month and am amazed at all of the fantastic apps available out there. Here are a list of just a few that sound intriguing to me (and might be helpful to you): Must Read! – Keeps a running list of books you want to read. Search by author, title, subject or other. BillTrack – Keeps up with bills. You can even set up recurring bills, but then they’re set up for the same amount each month. Beatthetraffic – Lets you know where the traffic is backed up so you can take a different… read more »

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It’s not about the perfect food!

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For many, many years I ran around preparing for Christmas and other holidays so that everything would be picture perfect. Whether I was hosting the event, or attending it at someone else’s house, I would feel the entire weight of the event on my shoulders. I wanted everything to be perfect for everyone – which it usually was. I always had all of the great treats and dishes I made sitting out on the table when guests arrived. The cups, silverware, serving utensils and everything else would be right in their place, ready to be used. As the event went… read more »

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Declutter before the holidays

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It’s a great idea to make room for all of the new stuff that you know will be coming in during the holidays. Here are a few simple tips to accomplish that: TOYS: Discard broken toys. Donate seldom used toys to someone in need. Box up at least half of the toys and store them elsewhere. In six month you can re-introduce them to the children. They’ll feel like it’s Christmas all over again. CLOTHES: We only wear 20% of our clothes, 80% of the time. Purge and donate the clothes that you never wear. Set a limit on how… read more »

Category: Decluttering Tips | Tags: , , ,

10 tips to simplify the holidays

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SHOPPING: Shop online. – So simple – enough said. Condense your shopping. – Don’t waste time rushing from store to store. Pick a shopping destination, or two, and buy as many gifts as you can from your list there. FOOD PREP: Plan your big meal together as a “potluck” meal. – This allows people to pitch in by making their favorite dish. When everybody helps, the burden is lighter and the fun factor is higher. Prepare ahead of time. – Prepare as much as you can ahead of time so you can enjoy your time together rather than rushing around… read more »

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Free ongoing electronic recycling

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Jeffco Subcontracting Inc (JSI) in Arnold has added a new electronic recycling service. What makes this so special is that the work is done by workers at Jefferson County’s sheltered workshop. The workshop was started by a group of parents who wanted a place for their developmentally disabled children to work after high school. Computers and other electronics are filled with metals and wires that can be recycled. The circuit boards, for example, can be sold by the pound. It just takes a little effort to separate the parts from the computer. Computers and monitors are being accepted at no… read more »

Category: Decluttering Tips | Tags: , ,

What is the point of pen sets?

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When organizing an executives extremely cluttered home recently, we must have found at least 20 expensive pen sets that were all still in their cases, never used. That made me wonder why anyone would really give a pen set as a gift. Does anyone really ever use the pens? Why don’t they use them? I think part of the reason they aren’t used is that they come in a perfect little “pen set box” and so people think they have to keep them in their box. Since they’re in their pretty little “pen set box”, no one ever thinks to… read more »

Category: Random Musings | Tags:

What is a professional organizer? What do they do?

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Our website explains that professional organizers use a combination of coaching, teaching and providing hands-on assistance to help individuals get organized and regain control of their homes, offices and lives. They provide compassionate support to their clients and help them stay focused and motivated during the process. The following fun and clever list that was recently compiled by the members of the National Association of Professional Organizers spells it out even better. Enjoy! Big Picture Breaker Downer – Professional organizers can take your big picture thoughts and break them down into manageable steps to get you there. Category Queen –… read more »

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What’s it really worth?

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I bet you’re holding on to things with the intention of selling them someday to make a hefty profit. But you’re life is so busy and that plan keeps falling to the bottom of your to-do list. The problem is that with each and every item you plan to sell, but never get around to, your clutter increases. A colleague of mine recently recommended Value My Stuff as a great online resource to find out the true value of the items you think you can sell and make a small fortune on. You may just find out that what you… read more »

Category: Decluttering Tips | Tags:

Reclaim your mailbox

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Junk mail wastes an incredible amount of natural resources and contributes to global warming (and your stress level!). Taking the steps we have listed in our junk mail guide saves: Time: No unwanted mail to open and deal with. Less paper piles to search through. Trees: Keep 100+ million trees in forests, cooling the planet. Water: Protect 28 billion gallons of clean water. Climate: Junk mail produces more C02 than 9 million cars. Although we offer this FREE list of resources for people to stop unwanted junk mail, many people don’t take the time to do it. What one time… read more »

Category: Paper Management | Tags:
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