...and if one Christmas present should accidently fall...

Are you stressing out about Christmas? Do you have 1001 things to buy, cook, clean, organise before the big day? I gave a talk last week to a networking group here in Brisbane on “How to get balanced and organised for Christmas” and thought I would share my top tips with all my readers:

1. Lower your standards
Make peace with imperfection. You are not Martha Stewart in the kitchen or Clark W Griswold from the movie “Christmas Vacation” when it comes to putting up the Christmas lights. Give yourself permission to buy a Christmas cake rather than making one. Trying to do every task perfectly is the easiest way to get bogged down and super stressed.

2. Make a list like Santa (& do a bit each day)
Rather than wait until Christmas Eve or when we have a “spare minute” have a schedule in place each day leading up to Christmas tackling tasks that need doing, and make sure you assign tasks to all members of the family – not just you! Kids are very good at cleaning silverware, putting up Christmas decorations (it doesn’t matter if they aren’t perfect – refer to point 1) or helping to make/write the Christmas cards.

3. Walk away from “bargains” at Christmas
Just because you can buy a new pair of jeans for $20 or 50 rolls of toilet paper for the price of ten doesn’t mean you should. Ask yourself “Where am I going to store it?” before making a purchase.

4. Ask for help. 
The organised person is willing to expose herself to short-term embarrassment and call for backup. Instead of that elaborate four course Christmas lunch, change it to “everyone please bring a dish to share.”

5. Declutter unnecessary items before buying new gifts
Help the kids to go through their toy boxes and wardrobes and let go of items that they have outgrown or no longer play with. Tell them about other children whose parents can’t afford presents or those who have been through hardships like the floods in January.

And this tips isn’t just for the kids – it applies to adults too! It is healthy to be attached to certain items: a vase you picked up in Paris, or your grandmother’s pearls. However are you still holding on to that holey concert t-shirt or scuffed shoes you wore to your first job interview? It’s time to let them go. This opens up space for more meaningful gifts to enter your life. New shoes anyone?

Read the rest of the Christmas issue of the Innovative Organising Ideas newsletter here: http://www.atcbiz.com.au/ems/archives.php?n=my1m5jfnr2&c=3tgsczjemf

A monthly dose of organising ideas!

I love brainstorming ideas and writing my monthly newsletter: Innovative Organising Ideas – I have so much fun coming up with all the different topics that I know my readers love to implement in their homes and lives.

The July issue includes the topics:

• How to Organise Your Jewellery
• Innovative Interiors – The Use Of Colour
• Fabulous Feng Shui – Water For Wealth
• Ingenious Organising Ideas
• Timely Trivia

To read this month’s newsletter online click here: http://atcbiz.com.au/ems/subscribe.php?c=3tgsczjemf

Or to read previous issues of the newsletters click here: http://www.atcbiz.com.au/ems/archives.php?c=3tgsczjemf

Feel free to subscribe so it arrives in your In-Box every month and as a thank you, you will also receive a copy of my eBook: “The 7 Secrets to Setting up a Home Office”: http://atcbiz.com.au/ems/subscribe.php?c=3tgsczjemf

See you in August! Kerri

Clutter = money down the drain!

The June edition of the Domestic Downsizing newsletter “Innovative Organising Ideas”  is out today! Our feature story (besides celebrating our 2nd birthday!) is topical for the end of the financial year: How clutter can create financial chaos.

Have you ever gone to the shops to buy an item (again) that you already had but you couldn’t find?

Have you ever cleaned up your desk and found a gift certificate or cheque that are now out of date and can no longer be cashed?

Have you ever gone through the pantry for an ingredient or the bathroom cabinet for a lovely perfume and found they are expired?

Have you ever lost a valuable item such as jewellery or a treasured heirloom due to clutter?

All these scenarios end up as money down the drain. And usually tears. Besides improved health, the number one benefit that my clients notice after they declutter their homes is how it affects their finances – strange but true!

Apart from the minor wins where they would find money in the sofa cushions or unbanked cheques on their desk, it was the SAVINGS they made which was the major difference.

Having a cluttered home often means you don’t know where things are. If you can’t find something, you might assume you no longer have it and you buy another one.

This used to happen to a client constantly with groceries. Her pantry was so cluttered and full that she was almost too scared to open it. She would think of a recipe she wanted to make, open the doors to take a quick survey of items that she could see but there was so much food she couldn’t see what she had so off she would go to the shop to buy more. Just think of how much money she wasted buying food that she didn’t need to buy.

You’ll be amazed at how much money you can save by just finding what food you already have in your kitchen. After organising my client’s kitchen, she started to spend only 25% of what she used to spend on groceries.

This same concept goes for everything else in your home. If you buy lots of clothes you usually end up with more clothes than you could ever wear in a lifetime. If you can’t see what clothes you have, it’s easy to forget what you already have in your closet and you know what comes next: “I’ve got nothing to wear!”

If you keep seasonal things stored out of view when you’re not using them, make a list of everything you pack away so you’ll know what you have. Then you won’t end up buying a duplicate. It’s never a bargain if you didn’t need it to begin with!

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.e-mailmarketing.com.au/solsen/domestic_downsizing/10_Domestic_Downsizing_Declutter_and_Design_eNewsletter_Clutter_Creates_Financial_Chaos.html

Read the entire enewsletter here: http://www.atcbiz.com.au/ems/archives.php?n=j4dgwx9rpw&c=3tgsczjemf

It's almost too good to mess up!

Easter has come and gone and what a great break it was – five days of chocolate infused bliss! If you were like me you hit the bush or beach for a relaxing camping holiday – but many of my clients took the opportunity to declutter and organise their homes. I was impressed! It seems the trend to downsize our possessions and simplify our lives is catching hold.

Mother’s Day is the next special day on the calendar – and if you would love to help your mum simplify her life, take a look at my article on conquering kitchen clutter (it could also be the perfect gift idea that won’t cost you a cent!).

Conquering Kitchen Clutter  

Would you like your kitchen to be a calm cooking and command centre? Here’s how:

The perfect pantry: Get rid of expired items or food you will never eat. Make it a game for the kids and let them search for the expiration dates.

Group items such as packets and condiments together and keep stock items like rice and past in clear, airtight containers. They will keep longer, be pest proof (against those pesky weavils) and you will also see when you are running low.

Consider storage options such as portable shelves to make the most of high/deep shelves.

Read more here:  http://www.atcbiz.com.au/ems/archives.php?n=dnx4eynxr4&c=3tgsczjemf

Innovative Organising Ideas

The March issue of the Domestic Downsizing newsletter: Innovative Organising Ideas is out now!

Articles include:

• How to avert a disaster (losing important papers)
• 7 top tips to organise your photos
• Fabulous Feng Shui tips
• Selling homes successfully – advice to present your home for sale
• 2 x eBooks to download to help get you organised

For the full newsletter click here: http://www.atcbiz.com.au/ems/archives.php?n=jq1f0fj5nm&c=3tgsczjemf