MASTER ORGANIZING

Day 3 of the 30 Day De-Cluttering Challenge includes trashing digital files on my desktop and organizing them in appropriate folders…

Before

After

For today’s 30 Day De-Cluttering Challenge…Instead of  keeping left over Baby Shower party supplies from this past weekend for  possible “someday” use..I went ahead and returned them. Preventing clutter from building up in my home.

Baby Shower…

Returned left overs…boom!

To kick off the 30 Day De-Cluttering Challenge…I am going through unpacking and sorting through 3 additional bags aside from our original luggage that my family and I just threw stuff in while on our out of town travels this past weekend…yay!

End result…luggage put away and 3 additional bags gone!

No better time than the present to start tackling your cluttered spaces. Join me and my friends on a 30 day de-cluttering challenge that starts today!

Here’s how it works:
1. Every day, you have to get rid of something. You can sell it. You can give it away. You can recycle it. You can trash it (if all else fails!)
2. It doesn’t have to be big, expensive, or grand. It can be small.
3. If you get something during this time, big or small (beyond simply food or personal care items), you must get rid of something. One in, one out. PLUS you have to get rid of your “one a day” item…so if you buy a new shirt or a DVD or a bike, you gotta ditch TWO things that day. Make sense?

Reduce the clutter in our physical spaces. Could be home, work, car, whatever. Try and look at your space with fresh eyes and figure out what can simply be let go of. Feel free to reduce your mental clutter by unsubscribing to newsletters and deal sites…

“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

If this looks interesting to you…PLEASE USE THIS LINK FOR THE NEXT 30 DAYS to keep yourself accountable:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnCt-XtTVW8edC1Mc251a3hNdm9xY1E3R1kyZVoya0E

You can simply fill out what you got rid of on the spreadsheet. Or, keep it personal and don’t track it at all. Just enjoy the de-cluttering process on your own. However, it would be fun to see what people are letting go of :^)

This is NOT a secret. The spreadsheet can be seen by anyone who has the link so share that, too. Let’s see how many people we can get to skinny up their possessions.

Cheers to living with less but living with much, much more.

Master

p.s.
Along with the link I will be posting my daily de-cluttering on twitter @MasterCruz …good luck and let the de-cluttering begin!

Do you know what’s under your kitchen or bathroom sink?  Here are some tips to help you organize the space under your sink… be it the kitchen or bathroom:

1.  Take everything out from under your kitchen or bathroom sink.

2.  Put like things together, be it lotions, soaps, or cleaning supplies.  That  way you will be able to see the quantity of something your have.

3.  Go ahead and take this time to clean/wipe down the space underneath the sink.

4.  Decide where to place like items together.  Placing items that you use less often in the back and items that you use daily in the front for easy access.

You may have more items than shown in the pictures above and if you do, I recommend considering if your really utilize all the items.  If you don’t really use all of the items that you have underneath the sink, then let some of them go by donating them, giving them to family and friends that would use them, or responsibly discarding them.  Otherwise under sink storage shelving is excellent.

Take measurements of your space to ensure that you purchase products that fit your space and style!  Cheers to under your sink organizing!

Expecting?

Here’s a checklist of the basic items to pack and organize in preparation for the birth of your little bundle of joy:

Birth plan and important documents: Copies of your birth plan, identification card (Driver’s License), medical insurance information, pediatrician information, and a map to/around the hospital (if you haven’t already been to the hospital that you are delivering in).

For Labor Comfort:

• Night gown, robe slippers, socks (keep in mind these are items you don’t mind trashing at the hospital)
• Tennis ball and/or favorite pillow to keep you comfortable
• Snacks for you and your partner (trail mix, granola bars)
• Games, music, or a favorite magazine.  For me I will be carrying sudoku.

After Birth:

• Toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, moisturizer, deodorant, hair ties/clips to keep your hair out of your eyes during labor and lip balm (lips can get chapped during labor.) The hospital may have soap, shampoo, and lotion, but you may prefer your own brands.
• Eyeglasses/contacts if you wear them
• Cell phone and cell phone chargers
• Camera to capture this special moment
• Maternity outfit that’s loose fitting, you won’t know what will happen in the delivery room, so you don’t want to pack anything that will constrict you.
• Underwear (several pairs) that can support extra-absorbent maxi-pads (postpartum bleeding will be in full effect) and a maternity bra.
• Baby Outfit: undershirt, onesie, a sweater or light fleece jacket (in the winter), socks or booties, a receiving blanket, and a hat (even if your baby is born in a warm-weather month, it’s cold outside the womb). Also, don’t forget to pack extra diapers and wipes (the hospital will probably provide you with them, but you can never be too prepared!)
• Spouse/Relative/Friend who is staying with you throughout your delivery needs to bring extra clothing and toiletries.
• Cash for parking and vending machine.

Infant Car Seat: the hospital will not let you go home with the baby without this!

You can divide the items you pack into 2 separate bags, what will add to your  ”comfort for labor” and what you’ll need “after birth.”  Just bring the “comfort for labor bag” in first and your spouse/friend/relative can retrieve the “after birth bag” later.

Am I forgetting anything or is there anything that you used during your labor that you thought was helpful?  Feel free to comment below on anything I missed or what you thought was extremely helpful during your stay at the hospital!

Moving can either be a blast or it can really suck the life out of you.  If you know in advance that you are moving in a few months..start early, you don’t have to wait the week before movers come to start packing things up.  Here are 5 tips to help your move run more smoothly:

1.  First thing you want to do is donate, recycle, give way to family and friends that help you move, items you no longer have any use for.  The less items that you have, the less you have to pack up and move into your new place.  Make sure the items that you keep are either something USEFUL or LOVED BEYOND MEASURE.  Keep only things you want and go through one area of your home at a time.

2.  Pack items that you know you won’t be using until you move into your new place.  Like extra kitchen or bathroom supplies.

3.  Label..Label..LABEL the boxes that you use to pack up your things.  You can even go further and label boxes by room, then what is contained in the box.  For example: “Bathroom: toilet paper, soap lotion. ” NackIt may be a great resource, label makers can always help, or simply use duct tape and a permanent marker to label your packed boxes.

4.  Know the measurements of your new home.  Furniture that may fit in your home now may not fit in your new home.  Don’t waste time and energy moving pieces of furniture that you can’t visualize or realistically fit into your new home.

5.  If you ever feel distracted or unmotivated by your move, remember the reason why you are moving to help motivate you.

Happy Moving!