Old Timey Household Tips

My uncle, knowing I am an organizer, sent me these tips as a joke. Actually,
some of them are valid, but I am presenting them to you as my uncle did to me,
with humor in mind. Try them at your own risk especially the one about hiding
the dead body!

A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The
envelope can then be resealed. (hmmmmmm...)
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Use empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the
roll what appliance it belongs to.
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For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put dish washing liquid in it.
Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. (Wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)
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To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then take
the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The wax will fall out.
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Crayon marks on walls? This works wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking soda. Comes off
with little effort (elbow grease that is!).
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Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on a paper towel.
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Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of Scissors and cut each pad
into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally
decided that this would be much more economical. Now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely!
In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get 'sharpened'' this way!
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Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and
proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time! (Now, where to put the body?)
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Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way
you can tell which side has the streaks.

Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on a sunny day. The
will dry too quickly and will probably streak.
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Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb (when bulb is cold) in any room to create a lovely light
scent in each room when the light is turned on.
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Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.
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To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously
as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new!
Works like a charm!
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To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and
enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove top.
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Spray your plastic ware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and
there won't be any stains.
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Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
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When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural
sweetness.
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Cure for headaches: Take a lemon, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will
go away.
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Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and
sauces. Left over wine? What's that? :)
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To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience
instant relief.
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Ants, ants, ants everywhere. Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So, get your chalk
out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
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When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle.
Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, And then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most
splinters painlessly and easily.
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Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer........

Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets; wait twenty minutes, brush and flush.
The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous china.

Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and
drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.

Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for
two minutes.

Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak
for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain
followed by a cup of white vinegar. Wait a few minutes, and then run the hot water.

Makes you wonder about ingesting Alka Seltzer, doesn't it?

3 Habits to Break to be Organized

1. Don't have a catch-all spot in your home or office. A mountain of clutter will form there and you will have to expend a lot of energy to get rid of it. You will never seem to have enough time or motivation to tackle it. Put things back where they belong to eliminate catch-all spots. If the belonging doesn't have a home, create one for it or decide whether you actually need it.

2. Don't try to accomplish all your organizing goals in one day. You will get overwhelmed and frustrated trying to do too much at once. Do a little daily until you finish.

3. Don't put off tasks until tomorrow. If you need to start organizing, start today. Just start!

Simplify: 7 Tips for Simplifying Your Life

A dear friend gave a lot of thought to a birthday gift for me last year. She knows that I don’t care much for gifts that create clutter so she gave me a metal sign in large, bold letters that spells “Simplify”. What a perfect gift for me! I had just the place to hang it in my office. It reminds me as I am writing and working on ideas for my organizing clients what organizing is about.

Here are 7 tips for simplifying your life:

1. Simplify your work day. Reduce interruptions and stay focused on the task at hand. Turn off your email and phone if you are working on an important project. Set aside routine time for business reading and for working on projects.

2. Simplify your desk. Clear your desk of unnecessary papers and knick-knacks. If you don’t use something on your desktop daily, put it in a drawer or on a bookshelf to free up your work space.

3. Simplify task completion. Focus on one task at a time instead of multi-tasking. One finished task is worth more than three unfinished ones.

4. Simplify your surroundings. Eliminate clutter. Clear out your closets, chests, pantry and cabinets. If you don’t use it, love it or need it – lose it!

5. Simplify cleaning. You can’t clean clutter. Simplify your cleaning by completely de-cluttering first. Cleaning becomes simple, easy and quick when you are not trying to clean around stuff.

6. Simplify your schedule. To keep your schedule simple, think twice before adding anything new. Before signing up for another activity or starting a new hobby, decide what you will give up in its place.

7. Simplify shopping. Avoid running out of staples and making last minute trips to the store by keeping an extra of regularly used items on hand. When you get the last of an item out of the pantry or cabinet, put it on your grocery list immediately to pick up next trip.

Saved By My To-Do List

Even organizers have "those days" once in a while. I had something on my mind yesterday and was stressing. I know better than to worry or let things I can't control bother me, but sometimes it just happens.

My to-do list saved me. Every evening before I CFB (close for business), I choose the things from my Master List that I want to get done the next day. That is my to-do list.

My Master List is a list of all my thoughts, ideas, tasks to be done, wants, needs...all the stuff rattling around in my head. I write it all down so I don't lose my thoughts and ideas or forget something important or even the small stuff.

As I mentioned, my to-do list is the things I want to accomplish that day. Yesterday, when my mind was elsewhere, I would lose focus, but my to-do list kept bringing my mind back to where I needed to be and helped me get back on track. I won't say it was my most productive day, but I did manage to get the most important tasks on the list done. As distracted as I was, the day would have been a complete waste without my to-do list.

Handy Storage Containers

Here are a couple of pictures of favorite storage containers I like to use for clients and for myself. You can buy these at Staples, in the store and online. I know the black ones are readily available online. Sometimes the stores (and it varies from store to store) will have them in colors, too. I have seen navy and also striped.

The containers snap together and hold a multitude of items. You can use them closed or open for taller items. The lid makes a nice tray when you are using them open.

My tip for buying storage containers. Don't buy them until after you have sorted through the items you want to store and know what size and how many you need.

I Love My Blackberry

When I started my organizing business, I soon discovered that I needed to have phone numbers and access to my calendar everywhere I went. When I am at networking events or conducting workshops, people want to schedule consultations. When I am at a client's business or house, they want to make their next appointment.

I use Outlook as my calendar, address book, to-do list and more. I love using Outlook. At first I was printing out a couple of weeks worth of dates and trying to schedule that way. I quickly realized that I needed a better system.

I decided to get a Blackberry. I needed a new cell phone anyway. My old one had SIM card (whatever that is) error messages at least once a day. My needs were a phone that allowed me to enter contact names & information and calendaring. I knew I wanted a QUERTY keyboard so I could enter things easier while out and about. Most importantly, I wanted a phone that I could sych with Outlook and transfer information with a click.

The Blackberry does all that and more! I now recommend it to my busy business clients and stay-at-home moms alike. Moms need a good calendar for their families busy schedule and often need contact information while away from home. No need to carry a big bulky calendar or planner, when the Blackberry can hold all that information. You are going to carry a phone anyway!

The Blackberry is a real time-saver for me. And I am all about saving time!

7 Tips for Meal Planning

I attended a ladies brunch at my church last Saturday. During a question and answer session after the two speakers, the topic was brought up about meal planning and what to do for those days when you don't have time to think about dinner plans, much less actually cook! Our pastor's wife asked that we send her tips for meal planning, which she is going to compile to share with our members. I wanted to share with you what I shared with the church ladies.

Tip 1. My mom would be the first to tell you she is not a cook. However, she had three tried and true meals that she could make well and fell back on (a lot.)

1. Baked chicken
Baked potatoes
Baked beans
Brown & Serve rolls

Bake the first three for one hour, add the rolls and serve it all after the rolls are golden.

2. Baked Ham
Baked potatoes
Baked beans
Brown & Serve rolls

Bake the first three for one hour, add the rolls and serve it all after the rolls are golden.

3. Spaghetti
Salad
Brown & Serve rolls with butter and garlic on top

So…the tip here is: Have a couple of tried and true recipes that are quick and easy. Always keep the ingredients for those meals on hand and you’ll be ready for whatever life hurls at you that day.

Tip 2. Crockpot cooking. Defrost and even put the ingredients in the crock the night before and refrigerate. Pop the crock into the pot in the morning, turn it on and forget about it until time to serve.

Tip 3. Cook ahead and freeze for those days. Foods that freeze well: Pasta sauces, most casseroles, baked ziti, lasagna, red beans & rice, soups, stews. The nice thing about most of these type dishes…they cook well in the crockpot so combine Tips 2 and 3 for really streamlining your cooking!

Tip 4. Meal planning is very important. Why? Because if you don’t plan what you are going to prepare, then how do you know if you have all the ingredients on hand? I don’t mean a diehard list that you must have chicken, rice & broccoli for dinner on Monday, May 12th, but just jot down some menus. Then buy the items you need to make all the items on the list. Then on Sunday night, May 11th, you just choose from the list what you want to fix on May 12th. Another reason meal planning is important is to take advantage of the grocery store specials and seasonal specialty items. We can all use some help trimming our food budget these days. Shopping and then using the on-special items really does save.

Tip 5. Plan ahead. Look at your calendar for what is coming up during the week. If you have a late meeting or a sports event on Tuesday night, then you will know and can plan a crockpot meal, or soup/sandwiches or pizza out that night. Don’t wait until the last minute to decide on what to fix. A little planning ahead relieves a lot of stress.

Tip 6. Sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter that has a new recipe plus other tips and information in it every week. The recipes are tested, nutritious and are geared for people with busy lives. You can sign up on the home page of the No More Chaos website at http://www.nomorechaos.biz/

Tip 7. Cooking and meal planning is much easier in an organized kitchen. Check out articles on my website, http://www.nomorechaos.biz/ for kitchen organizing articles such as, Clutter Free Kitchen Counters, What’s for Dinner, Parts 1 and 2 (about meal planning) and Cleaning out the Pantry. Once on the website, click on Article Archives to find these articles and lots more.