Your Life. Organized.

Save Money With Frugal Travel Tips

Part of living an organized life is being aware. Aware of where your time goes, where your energy goes, and yes, where your money goes. And with the cost of everything from food to gas to clothing going through the roof, isn't it great to find ways to make your money s-t-r-e-t-c-h as far as possible?

Along those lines, this week Vicky and Jen (you know, my hot sexy BFFs in Cincinnati) are offering money-saving travel tips on their blog.  So whether you fly the friendly skies for business or pleasure, you'll find

lots of great info in this blog post, including how to save money on food when traveling, getting super cheap (or free) lodging, and reserving rental wheels for as little as possible. My tips are included, as well as tips from Donna and Shannon Freeman, Naomi Drew, and my hero John Rosemond. Check it out and you'll save some cashola this summer when you hit the road!

What Does Your Stuff Cost?

If you had to sit down with a calculator and tally up what you paid for everything in your home, what would the total be? I'd be willing to bet it's a LOT more than you'd ever imagine. I began pondering this question because very soon, Christmas Boy and I will sit down at the closing table, leaving there with the keys to a new mountain house we've been dreaming of. Naturally, we feel very thankful and blessed for it! Part of the blessing of a second home is...

Quote of the Week: Choice

Each Wednesday, I share with you a quote that inspires me, in the hope that it will also inspire you. My sister found and shared this week's quote with me and I just love it! Here is this week's quote:

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same."

Carlos Castaneda
Peruvian-born American Author
1925 - 1998

 

The Check-Out Line: Zevro Zero Gravity Spice Rack

Welcome to The Check-Out Line, where I review products (and services) that are designed to make your life easier. I give you my opinion and my opinion only. You decide for yourself. You can see my past product reviews here.

A few Check-Out Lines ago, I reviewed a coffee dispenser from Zevro. This time, I'm reviewing the Zevro Zero Gravity Magnetic Spice Rack.  Back in January 2005, when I taped episode 702 of MISSION:Organization for HGTV, (which airs again April 29th), I used a wall-mounted spice rack to store Angela Jones' jewelry-design beads. It was a really fun organizing tool. The Zevro Zero Gravity Spice Rack is also wall-mounted and magnetic, however...

Targeting Goodwill

Today I spent four hours on a garage organizing project with a new client and her family. It was a drizzly, rainy day and by the end of the session I was tired, dirty, stinky, and I had not only a wet head but a car full of donation items. When I got to the Goodwill store, I couldn't help but notice there was a Target attached to the Goodwill. I thought, "I bet a lot of folks spend a lot of money buying a whole bunch of stuff they don't need at Target and then eventually end up bringing it right back here to the Goodwill store next door." Oh, the irony.

Kindle: Revolutionizing Reading

There are some inventions, devices, and innovations that make you think, "Man I wish I had come up with that!"  Coca-Cola's Fridge Pack, for example. It's so simple and obvious, yet for millions of years soda came in those stupid blocky 12-pack cartons that barely fit in the refrigerator. Duh.

Recently (last fall) Internet retailer Amazon came out with a device that rivals the cool factor of the Fridge Pack. It's called Kindle and it's a wireless reader which allows you to download and store up to 200 books, blogs or newspapers so you can read whatever you want without a computer.

You can literally read every newspaper your little heart desires at your leisure on the train, the bus, or the plane, (not while driving please!) and Kindle weighs just over 10 ounces -- about as much as a paperback book.

Talk about a clutter reducer! True bibliophiles will likely be horrified by the prospect of not having actual pages to turn, dog-ear and highlight, but this could be a real boon for folks who love to read however,  struggle with book clutter.  When Kindle first leapt onto the scene in November, Guy Kawasaki wrote a blog post reviewing Kindle, which includes...

Quote of the Week: Limited Perception

Each Wednesday, I share with you a quote that inspires me, in the hope that it will also inspire you. This week's quote is from Virginia Satir.  She said,

"We must not allow other people's limited perceptions to define us."

 Virginia Satir
Therapist, Lecturer, and Author

 

Oprah and Organizing Playground Host Peter Walsh

Tune in to Oprah on MONDAY April 28  (that's today) to see Peter Walsh recapping the hoarding episode from a few months ago, featuring married couple Sharyn and Marvin. It is sure to be interesting to say the very least!

Then TUESDAY April 28th (that's tomorrow!) tune in live to Organizing Playground at noon Eastern Time, and listen as Peter Walsh chats with Organizing Playground co-hosts Allison Carter and Sara Fisher. I'll also be live in-studio chatting with my peeps Allison, Sara and Peter, and the topic will be organization as well as a recap of the recent NAPO Conference in Reno. If you're lucky, the webcam will be running so you'll be able to see us AND hear us! Woohoo! By the way, if you just can't manage to listen live at noon on Tuesday, be sure to listen to the archived show on the web site.

Your Life's Work

The other day I was particularly aware of a stream of consciousness whipping through my head and I had this thought: Living an organized life has benefits on so many levels.

1. Your home and office will probably look better. Neater, cleaner, more put together.  (notice I said probably...)

2. You'll be able to have a better idea of what you actually own and keep track of it easier.

3. You can find stuff when you want it. Fast.

But perhaps the most important benefit of living an organized life is this... it allows you the freedom, the mental and physical space, and the energy to live the life you were meant to live, and do the work you were put here to do. When you're so bogged down in the minutiae and overwhelmed by the day to day chaos of your own life, how in the world can you tune into your purpose and put your life's work into action?

Quote of the Week: Attitude

Each Wednesday, I share with you a quote that inspires me, in the hope that it will also inspire you. This week's quote is from William James. He said,

"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome."

William James
1842-1910, Psychologist, Professor and Author

Hollywood: Trading Addictions?

On a plane recently, I plugged in my iPod earbuds so I could hear the video feature on the screen in front of me. Daisy Fuentes was hosting a show on the airplane version of E! The Lovely Daisy was talking about how Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan are spending money faster than you can say, "starlets out of touch". These young girls, going public with their rehab efforts and personal problems, seem to be trading one ugly addiction for another... shopping.

An article on the Female First web site talks a bit more about Ms. Spears' penchant for wigs (to the tune of sixty grand), and a while back, tabloids reported that Lindsay consulted a hypnotist to help conquer her shopping addiction after she reportedly spent a cool million last year on clothing and accessories. Zoinks, I know Victoria's Secret is kinda spendy, but jeez.  Oops, sorry, the hypnotist thing 's only ALLEGED. Regardless, I think these  young women might want to spend a little more time in the therapist's office figuring out how to fill the gaping void in their lives, rather than spending millions of dollars trying to fill it with stuff. Very sad.

20 Years of Conferences and Counting...

NAPO goes Platinum. The 20th annual NAPO Conference was a blast! Approximately 850 Professional Organizers convened in Reno, Nevada at John Ascuaga's Nugget, for four days of listening, learning, and livin' it up with friends old and new. I have to admit that even after ten years in business, I'm more excited than ever about my business and the possibilities that exist for our industry in the future. In fact, NAPO conference is the highlight of my springtime every year. (yeah, I'm a dork) Conference recharges me, refocuses my energy, reinforces that I'm never doing enough, but the best part is...

Quote of the Week: Action

Each Wednesday, I share with you a quote that inspires me, in the hope that it will also inspire you. This week's quote is from Napoleon Hill. He said,

"Happiness is found in doing. Not merely in possessing."

Napoleon Hill
American Author, Think and Grow Rich

 

Quote of the Week: Doubt

Each Wednesday, I share with you a quote that inspires me, in the hope that it will also inspire you. This week's quote is from Thomas Carlyle. He said,

"Doubt, of whatever kind, can be ended by action alone."

Thomas Carlyle
1795-1881
Philosopher and Author

 

Revving Up Your To-Do List

What's your To-Do List look like? Do you keep it in your head? Or on paper? Or perhaps on the computer? Regardless, if you have trouble getting through your list and it just seems to get longer and longer, I want to share something with you that I started doing a few years ago that really helps me...

Quote of the Week: Choices

Each Wednesday, I share with you a quote that inspires me, in the hope that it will also inspire you. This week's quote is from Eleanor Roosevelt. She said,

"One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And, the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility."

Eleanor Roosevelt
1884-1962, American First Lady, Columnist and Lecturer

 

Does Email Unleash Your Inner Third-Grader?

I've just finished taping my eleventh episode of  "The Big O" with my BFFs, Vicky and Jen, for their super awesome podcast, What Really Matters. The topic was email management and you can listen to the episode here. You'll find when you listen, that as usual, we had waaaaay too much fun!

Tune in to hear the silliness, but in between laughing, you'll also get a lot of great tips on how to manage the barrage of email you get on a daily basis. In the course of the conversation, a thought came to me that I hadn't considered before. Actually, it was more like a question. Does email unleash your inner third-grader? What I mean is...

I'm In The Army Now, I'm Not Behind the Plow...

Ok, not really... I did, however, recently travel to Fort Stewart, Georgia to do a speaking engagement for a group of about 80 spouses of deployed soldiers. It was really fun and I was so honored to have been asked to speak, but also to meet these women whose husbands are serving this fine country. These women are serving too, in their own way. The engagement went well, and I had a great time.

To make it even better, since Fort Stewart is so close to Savannah and we hadn't been down that way in eleven years, Christmas Boy came along with me and we spent the weekend in Savannah with our good friends Melanie and Sal. We had a great weekend (it was cold) but a lot of fun! During our stay, we ate lunch at a well-known restaurant called Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room, which is a tiny little place at 107 West Jones Street. When you arrive, you'll notice there's already a...

The Check-Out Line: Zevro Indispensable Coffee Dispenser

Welcome to The Check-Out Line, where I review products (and services) that are designed to make your life easier. I give you my opinion and my opinion only. You decide for yourself. You can see my past product reviews here. This week, I'm reviewing the Zevro Indispensable Coffee Dispenser. What you need to know is that I am not a coffee drinker. In fact, I'm not even sure I have a full size coffee pot in my house anymore. So I did what any smarty pants would do...

Smart Ways to Spend Travel Time

Spring Training is in full swing and I can almost hear the crack of the bat a Turner Field. Woohoo I love baseball! Last year's World Series Champion Red Sox  (No-maaaaaaah! -- yeah I know he's long gone from the Sox, but I just can't help myself) headed to Japan along with the Oakland A's to play a rare overseas season opener. Cool huh? Until you realize that before these baseballers can hit the diamond, they'll spend 70 hours of travel time. Zoinks, Scoob! Here's an article on The Street.com about how to make travel time into productive time just like the Red Sox do.