Lifestyle: The Relentless Pursuit of Material Things

When the pursuit of happiness gets jumbled up with the pursuit of material things, the outcome will never be a good one. A change of attitude can change your world.

Keeping up with the Joneses can be exhausting, and frankly, they probably do not even notice, or more importantly, even care. In the end, you wind up in debt and with the unavoidable added stress as a reward.

When something is brought into a home, it decreases the perceived value of everything else in that home. We eventually forget what we have and, more often than not, create one big chaotic mess for ourselves. It takes time and energy away from more important things.

Clutter leads to guilt which will never lead to happiness. It all brings us down so we go out and buy more to make us feel better. New stuff has a way of doing that but the high does not last for long. Breaking the cycle is the ultimate cure.

Appreciate what you have and surround yourself with only the things that bring joy into your life. By clearing your home of clutter, you will be clearing your mind of it as well. Only then, will you be able to focus and pursue what really brings you happiness and chance are, it will have nothing to do with the Joneses or burning a bigger hole in your pocket.

For more information on this topic, visit www.phillyhomeorganizer.com.

Lifestyle: Redefining the American Dream

The American Dream as we know it has taken a beating. For many, a good secure job and the hope for a big beautiful house equipped with all of the trimmings has all but been left in the dust. While a more promising future may be on the horizon, there are lessons to be learned today.

Hard work, commitment and an intense drive to get ahead are all key ingredients to success but sometimes fall short. Living large now will not lead to a carefree future and retirement.

Despite the obstacles, we all have some say as to our destiny. By living within our means and appreciating what we do have, we can create a fulfilling lifestyle. It may take a little ingenuity but is well within our grasp.

For the vast majority, a house will by far be the largest investment of a lifetime. The old adage that “less is more” certainly applies. By simply cleaning out the clutter, a home will suddenly feel less crowded. Go a step further by using smart storage solutions to organize the remaining contents and that same house will feel even more spacious. Perhaps the answer has never been bigger and better.

By simplifying the home front, more time can be devoted to more worthwhile pursuits. Shackled by debt and worry will never put anyone on the road to the Promised Land. The freedom to become all we can be may have been the American Dream all along but we just got a little lost in all of the material stuff to realize that we were already in reach of grabbing the brass ring.

For more information on this topic, visit phillyhomeorganizer.com.

Downsizing: The Kids Don’t Want the Stuff

When the time for downsizing arrives, our children are likely candidates to be the benefactors of our boundless generosity. However, for the most part, they do not want it. With few exceptions, our kids love us but our stuff, not so much.

Through the generations, the times have changed. When many of us were young, we married early, bought a modest home and started a family. While money may have been tight, the American Dream was alive and well.

Hand-me-downs were a welcome tradition to any home. Perhaps the mindset was a remnant of the Great Depression but it worked well, and could again if, and only if, all parties are willing.

As time went by, more women entered the workforce, married later in life and had fewer children. They realized a new independence both financially and in their thinking. It trickled down to the appearance of their home and choices in lifestyle, as well.

With this in mind, begin the downsizing journey with an open heart. Ask the kids first but avoid straddling them with guilt. Giving to charity or selling things outright are all viable options. Any proceeds could be used to create meaningful and special experiences for all of your loved ones. In the end, it is cherished memories that are the true treasures that help define the fabric of a family.

For more information on this topic, visit www.phillyhomeorganizer.com.

 

 

 

Source: Downsizing: The Kids Don’t Want the Stuff

Home Organizing: To Binge or not to Binge on Storage Bins

Storage bins can be a useful tool when organizing a home. However, they are not the foolproof answer to solving clutter issues. Tossing all of your worldly belongings in containers and then calling…

Source: Home Organizing: To Binge or not to Binge on Storage Bins

Home Organizing: To Binge or not to Binge on Storage Bins

Storage bins can be a useful tool when organizing a home. However, they are not the foolproof answer to solving clutter issues. Tossing all of your worldly belongings in containers and then calling it a day will not get you closer to the promised land. At best, it only delays the day of reckoning.

Chaos from clutter does not happen overnight. It usually sneaks up and overwhelms without much warning. An investment in time and an attitude adjustment go a long way toward the cure. Before taking any action, consider how much simpler life could be without the burden of all of the stuff weighing you down. Be honest and really take a hard look at all of the things lying around that are contributing to the problem.

The next phase is to take a deep breath and dive in. Start by sorting into categories. Once all of the like items are gathered and without fail, you will own more than you realize. Smarter purging decisions will result.

Everything in a home needs a home. Take a critical eye to closets and other storage areas and then decide on a logical place to put all of the the pieces back together. At this point, it would be wise to consider the use of storage bins. Go one step further and choose the right size and shape to fit your needs.

As the process continues, decisions become easier. Experience is gained as well as momentum. The answer to binging or not on storage bins will become more evident as they are used more as a tool than a crutch. Before long, you will be sprinting rather than hobbling across the finish line to the promised land.

For more information on this topic, visit www.phillyhomeorganizer.com.

Organizing the Kitchen: Think Real Estate

The kitchen ranks by far as the busiest and most active place in a house. Consider it prime real estate and value it accordingly in relation to other areas in a residence.

When the heart of a home is organized, the daily lives of those living there can hum along pretty smoothly. Chaos can be reduced to a minimum when any number of items can be found quickly and without a search and destroy mission every morning.

Start with the basics. Everything in your kitchen needs a home and group like things together. From keys to important papers to all of the basics typically found in a kitchen, they will have a hard time winding up lost if you follow these simple rules.

Take a critical eye to your kitchen with convenience in mind. Places that are easiest to reach should be allocated to the items that are most frequently used. Follow that line of thought throughout all of the available storage areas. Items rarely used should be housed rather high or low or, preferably, in a more remote location like a shelf in the basement or pantry.

As you sort through, discard all of the fancy gadgets and whatnot that seemed like a good idea at the time but have never or rarely been utilized. These things, without fail, get in the way and constantly cause undue burden each and every day.

“Location. Location. Location. ” defines prime real estate. It applies both inside and outside of a home. Maximize value and peace of mind by organizing the kitchen as well as any other problem areas in your house. It will be well worth the investment.

 

 

 

 

Getting Organized: Your Home is Your Business

Just about everybody loves Amazon.com. Most households have a great deal in common with Amazon… like having a lot of stuff. However, the comparison usually stops there.

The one big difference between the internet giant and the typical home is that Amazon has systems in place to instantly find what they are looking for on any given day, at any given moment and over and over again without fail. That cannot be said about the average homeowner.

While you may not need a sophisticated computer program to run a home, you do need a system that works for you. Like any business, the less “inventory” on hand translates into a less complicated setup.

A good system means higher efficiency. Less time is wasted looking for things. Money is saved by actually knowing what you do have on hand in the house. Thinking twice becomes second nature on any given shopping expedition.

Logic is always a sound place to start when deciding what works for you. First and foremost, bid a fond farewell to all of the things that are not used and be honest with yourself as to the likelihood of them ever being utilized in the future.

Once the clutter is identified and handled, it is time to get down to business and get organized. The end goal is for everything in your home to have a home. Look around, assess the damage and dig in. As a general rule, storage spaces are often a good jumping off point.

Successful businesses go to great lengths to optimize their inventory levels and so should you. By doing so, you can reap the rewards and maximize the return on living a more simplified lifestyle. While you may not be an industry giant, your home is important and most certainly your business.

Organizing the Never-ending Paper Chase

While we are all living large in the Computer Age, we still somehow bury ourselves in paper. While technology has helped, effectively managing the rest of it and being smart about is the only way to go. The most important step is to be clear from the start as to what to keep and what to let go.

Our homes get deluged with magazines, junk mail and everything in between. Magazines can inspire us but the reality is that we will never have a house like the pictures in them  if we keep all of those magazines. Choose carefully and keep only what really moves you. Holding onto things that will never be found again without massive effort defeats the purpose.

Junk mail is another heavy hitter in the world of clutter. Keeping it corralled in a reasonably sized basket helps if you are short on time on any given day or days. Stick with the golden rule. When the basket is full, the time has come to go through it and purge.

Monthly bills and other important papers should be separated from all of the rest. When bills get lost in the chaos, then bills are often forgotten and paid late. They need their own special place or if you are so inclined, go paperless.

Establish a sensible time frame for all of the paperwork that should be kept for some period. Fear of the world ending if you throw something away just complicates the process. Set up a file system that works for you and one that will give you the greatest chance of maintaining it.

Paper clutter has a way of going forth and multiplying without being too fruitful. It is much easier to deal with a little pile of paper than a mountain of it. A system that personally works for you will make the whole process seem a bit more effortless. The trick is to stay somewhat on top of it. Ignoring it does not make it magically disappear. If you can conquer the great paper chase in your house, it might just get down to a leisurely walk in the park.

Clutter: It is Never Really About the Stuff

Everyone does it. We all hold on to too many things for way too long. The reasons for doing it are endless but it all comes back to you.

The truth may surprise you but it is never really about the stuff. Find the underlying cause as to why you are possessed by your possessions and the clutter problem can be solved. The hard part is looking inside of yourself for the answers rather than outside at the chaotic mess in front of you.

One common theme that repeats itself time and time again about clutter is sentimentality. Every object that you own tells a story. The fear of losing the memory of those stories and therefore, a little bit of yourself, is paralyzing.

Pick your stories wisely. Life experiences do not always require a tangible reminder. Keeping a balance allows for the important ones to shine through and leaves room for new ones.

Step back and be honest. Assess the damage and look for solutions. Photos can be a useful tool. After all, a picture tells a thousands words. For example, there is no point hanging on to the prom dress taking up space in the back of the closet when it is captured in a photo. At the end of the day, it is just an old, out-dated dress that once served its purpose.

Clutter just gets in the way and buries you along with the things that you really want to treasure most. If everything has equal importance, then nothing is really important.

While it may be easier, a clutter problem will never be truly solved by thinking that it is all about the stuff. It is all about you.