DrDeClutterBlog.com

What a joy to write Miss Kitty’s Journal again.

WINTER 2012 EDITION

My article, Forgetfulness and Brain Health: Is this really a Senior Moment? is the second of four articles in the Winter 2012 edition out now. This is the Colorado Edition. She has them in many other states too.

If you’re a Red Hatter, check out Miss Kitty’s site and magazine today!

It’s always a joy to write articles for magazine, papers and journals.

I’ve enjoyed speaking to many Red Hat groups and conferences over the past decade. I had the great pleasure of meeting “Miss Kitty,” publisher, editor and more of Miss Kitty’s Journal for Red Hatters several years ago. She’s created a  lovely magazine helping to keep Red Hatters informed and entertained around the world.

FALL 2012 EDITION

My article,  Where Are My Keys? Don’t confuse “senior moments” with disorganization is the first of four articles in the Fall 2012 edition out now . This is the Colorado Edition. She has them in many other states too.

If you’re a Red Hatter, check out Miss Kitty’s site and magazine today!

How lovely to have a pantry organized and all containers labeled.

Stop wasting time and getting stressed because you can’t find what you want when you want it.

CLICK HERE to find these lovely labels and print to use for yourself!

A new, very cool new e-tool from American Family Insurance – DreamVault.

With DreamVault, American Family’s Web-based home inventory tool, securely documenting your belongings has never been easier.

This no-cost resource from American Family Insurance enables you to upload pictures of your belongings, add descriptions and organize everything in a way that makes sense to you.

Then, should you ever have a claim or need to report something stolen, the information is right at your fingertips – accessible any time, from your computer, iPhone or Android device.

Find out more here.

There are lots of ways to save money today using online coupon sites.

Want a manicure for $5.00, or a massage for $19?

Here are a couple of them that will offer you daily and weekly savings. Some very BIG savings on everything you can think of!

Link in from your computer or your mobile phone device.

Opt-in and get offers often!

Here are just a few (more being added ‘out there’ constantly!)

http://www.couponsherpa.com/

http://www.groupon.com/ (put in your city)

http://www.weeklyplus.com/

http://www.restaurant.com/ 

Local: http://www.longmontdailydeals.com/  or http://www.bocodeals.com/ and find your city.

http://greenlightcoupons.com/

ColoradosBest.tv/deals

“For the first time ever I was taking the family on the road.
We stayed with my in-laws,
which on life’s list of experiences ranks right below
sitting in a tub full of scissors.”
~ Jeff Foxworthy   

Dull scissors are the pits! Dull hair scissors are a disaster for your finely clipped do!

I confess, I cut my own hair. I have most of my life. I get it reshaped by at a salon about twice a year, then, as it grows out, usually unevenly anyway, I trim it up. I started doing this out of frustration at paying for a cut and coming home to find it uneven already! Having to trim it up to get it even all around made me just do it myself on an ongoing basis.

So, if you do this too, and I know many, many do . . . make sure you have a very sharp pair of good hair scissors. I bought mine at Sally’s Beauty Supply years ago here in Longmont.

I just recently had them sharpened (waited way past necessary) at Johnson Sharpening. They have a table at the Farmer’s Market each summer. They take your shears and bring them back the next week for pick up. They also have a store front, find out more at JohnsonSharpening.com.

Boy, it’s SO nice to have them all sharp again!

If you have any kind of scissors that need sharpening, Search online “scizzor sharpening + your city”. It’s really worth it.

Most shops do other items as well like knives, saws, blades, mowers and tools.

I’ve heard it a million times in my workshops and on-the-job with my organizing clients, “I hate all this junk mail! How can I stop it?”

Organizing around heaps and piles and stacks, no matter what the size, will never end up with a nice, clean space and surface if you continually have junk mail, and unwanted catalogs, phone books and such that keep coming in.

How do you get off of them?

Go to Catalog Choice and FOR FREE (YEA!) sign up and get to keying in your unwanted mailers and see the clutter start to lessen sooner than later!

Plus, just think what a great “Green” idea this is! The more unwanted paper you stop from coming into your home, the less of those items will be printed! That’s my wish!

Did you know that it’s against the law to throw electronics in the trash? It is in many states.  But, and this will be a “duh!” . . . we shouldn’t need laws to tell us to do what is common sense and important to help keep the soil, air, water and ultimately, all living beings (us) to stay healthy in the first place by keeping our environment clean and healthy.

We all know that “throwing” our computers and monitors, and for that matter, any tech gadgets into the trash is not only a bad idea, but don’t always take the time to do the right thing to recycle them correctly. I’ve been in many a house and business where there are small to tall stacks of e-waste - computers, printers, monitors, phones and other electronic gadgets and parts - waiting for somewhere to go. My clients are trying to do the right thing, but it’s also sucking up a percentage of their living, working or storage space in the mean time.

Recyclers recover more than 100 million pounds of materials from electronics each year. It’s still only a drop in the bucket of all the electronics that need to be recycled correctly.

So, how and where to dispose of them? I’m going to lead you to a few sites that give you lots of information, not just my area, as every state is different. But for those in the Longmont, Colorado area where I live, I want to tell you that I just found out last week where you can take your computer towers  to be recycled and reused FOR FREE!

Longmont area:

1.  Computer Specialists of Longmont These awesome folks have a local gadget guy that takes them repurposes them. YEA! Give them a call first and ask about taking your flat screen and laptop too. Just no big old montors (like the one I’m looking at while typing right now! (I love my big, old T-REX monitor!!)

And, of course, don’t see Computer Specialists as just a dumping ground! Take time to shop; see their in-store products and give them your real business too – I just had a computer fixed – they’re the “specialists!”, really nice and EZPZ to work with.

2. G&S Mountain Recyclers - This is another Longmont business where they also destroy your harddrive and refurbish computers for local non-profits. Watch their video, which not only shows what they do to recycle computers, but how great that they’re making a difference in our community by creating jobs, linking up with the local LaborForce. Great job G&S! 

And what about all your other egadgets? G&S can take care of all the e-waste you can’t just donate, but for a fee can let it go! I know we hate paying to get rid of these things, but really, you’ve enjoyed it, it’s served you for months, years, decades! . . . pay a small fee and let it go. This fee constitutes your taking care of us all, and yourself in the long run.

Denver: BuyMyTronics 

How and where to dispose of computers and other electronics:

First place to start is to go online to search for your local e-cycle, eco-cycle and recycle centers.

Most larger towns have one for paper, plastic, glass, etc. and will have their electronics recycle plan for the greater community or region or can lead you to where it is. Here’s Longmont’s as an example which includes Shred Events! Yea again! Don’t miss my article on how to shred too.

Plug-In To eCycling Partners

Earth911  Great ideas for lots of things that need recycling.

DigitalTips

Thank you for loving our planet!

Pass this to anyone you know that is undergoing chemotherapy.

Cleaning for a Reason – http://www.cleaningforareason.org/

If you know any woman currently undergoing chemotherapy, please pass the word to her that there is
a cleaning service that provides FREE housecleaning – once per month for 4 months while she is in treatment.

All she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a note confirming the treatment.

Cleaning for a Reason will have a participating maid service in her zip code area arrange for the service.

This organization serves the entire USA and currently has 547 partners to help these women.

It’s our job to pass the word and let them know that there are people out there that care.

Be a blessing to someone and pass this information along.

You may not know someone going through chemo, but someone on your email list might. Please forward this link!

 Disney rocks and never disappoints!

I just got home from seeing the late, late, late showing of Tangled. Wow! Soooo good!While in the bathroom afterwards I overheard several late teen/early 20′s girls talking about the movie. They decided that (spoiler here if you haven’t seen it yet) “He shouldn’t have cut her hair off before she saved him from dying.” What these young women didn’t get is that her “magical hair” had to go exactly at that point. She had to learn through that moment of pure love, loss and letting go that her magical powers of healing weren’t in her hair, they were in her!

As all fables and fairytales go, the lesson’s are for the viewers.

We each need to remember that our powers are not in our hair, looks, clothes, money, houses, titles or cars… our power is in us. Always has been, always will be. Take away the outer stuff and things and looks and you have you. YOU are your power!

This new year, take up your inner, true power and save yourself first… then others and the world!

Here’s Disney’s interactive site – dive in and have fun! You have to watch the trailer first, then you get into the gallery of real fun stuff! http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/tangled/#/home/

Or, check out their CREATE section! http://disney.go.com/create/#/create/  Enjoy with your kids or grandkids, or that inner kid in you just aching to play more!

HAPPY NEW YOU!