Happy Friday and welcome to day 10 in our Clutter-Free Challenge.

For the rest of our time in this challenge, we will work our way through the living areas of our homes.  And we’ll start with the front entrance.

Your front entrance sets the mood and first impression of your home.  Will it be one of peace and rest?  Or should there be flashing red lights and signs reading “Danger”?   Does your entry way convey confident authority or disordered anarchy?  Your family and guests will immediately receive the unspoken message.

Without a plan, entryways can become a dumping ground.  Family members kick off shoes, drop bags and toss keys. Most often, that happens because there isn’t a place for those items.  With a bit of rearranging, you can create a beautiful front entrance, one that offers a “Welcome home” for your loved ones and their possessions.

Before I start listing tips, I want to suggest a new way for you to look at your home.  It’s amazing what I notice when I take this approach. And I think you’ll have great ideas for your own home.

Years ago I worked at a retirement center.  Before any public event, like an open house, we took a “Do you see what I see?” walk.  The marketing staff and I started at the street entrance, and walked through the entrance from the street.  Our eyes scanned the parking lot, the building, windows and landscaping.  We looked with fresh eyes to see what a visitor would see.  It was always interesting how noticeable the chipped paint, cobwebs and dead bushes were from that viewpoint.

We walked past them every day, never noticing. On that day, with intentional eyes, we saw what needed changing. Often it didn’t take much to correct the problem. Armed with clipboards, paper and pens, we recorded every item needing attention and created a master to-do list.

Sensory adaptation is to blame for numbing us visually to things in our home as well. It’s a God-given gift to adapt to our surroundings.  Otherwise, we might be overwhelmed with aromas and sounds.  It also can mean we live with more messes, chaos and clutter more than we should.  Unless we perform our own “Do you see what I see?” walk, we’ll miss small areas of our home that could be de-cluttered with little effort.

So sometime this weekend, I’d like you to walk up to your front door as if you were a guest.  Open the door and walk in.  Let your eyes see what a guest would see. But don’t feel badly about piles of shoes and broken toys.  Just determine to do a bit of de-cluttering.

Here are some tips for common clutter items that most of us have around our entryways.

Keys

Provide a key hooks or key racks within a few steps of the door.  Make sure there are enough hooks for each member of your family.  It’s a good idea to store extra sets of all keys, but not at the front entrance.  Invest in a key storage box and put it in your laundry room or hang hooks inside a cabinet.  Don’t forget to label extra keys.

Back to the front entrance.  If you’ve got room, consider getting an attractive wall-mounted holder with hooks.   This might be a shelf, which you could also use to hold small items such as a wallet, money clip or cell phone.    Or it could be a letter holder with hooks at the bottom.  This could hold incoming or outgoing mail, or small items to grab on the way out.

You might also consider a message board, and add hooks for keys.  There are multiple possibilities for getting double duty out of a key holder, so don’t limit your imagination.

Purses, backpacks, bags

The goal is to get purses, backpacks and miscellaneous bags off the ground.  To that end, position a coat tree or coat rack near the door.  If you have little ones, include a child size’s coat rack, or a double row of hooks with one row low enough for little arms.  A hall tree (a bench with storage, a back and hooks) is a great place to store items, plus provide a seat.

If you have an entry closet, make sure it’s not jam packed.  Add shelving for purses, and hooks for bags.

Loose items

For books, mittens, iPods or small bags, consider cubbyholes with baskets.  Label a basket for each person in the family.  This can serve many purposes, and it’s an excellent way for everyone to keep track of little items. A table or small chest by the front door can be multi-functional.  Place a basket on top for keys and use the drawers to store those little items that easily get lost.

Shoes

I know many people like to keep shoes by the front door.  In case you do, some options include cubby holes or baskets, instead of having them loose on the floor.  However, may I respectfully recommend discontinuing that habit? Dirty shoes can mar your guests’ first impressions – both visually and with a less-than-pleasant aroma.  By providing adequate shoe storage in bedrooms, family members can remove shoes at the door, and take shoes directly to their closets.

Hall closets

Perhaps a good place to start with a hall or entry closet is to define your purpose.  Would you like to use this as a place for guests’ coats?  Do you use it every day for your own items? Sometimes this little gem is overlooked, and it becomes a haphazard storage place for that grab-and-dash cleaning some of us do right before company arrives.

With a bit of planning, your hall closet has great potential for being a one-stop organizing center for items that get brought in and taken out on a regular basis.  For example, you could add additional shelves and store camera equipment.  Hooks on the inside of the door could be used for purses and bags.  Cubbies or stacked baskets on the floor could hold books, backpacks, shoes and gloves.  Install hooks on the inside of the door for keys.

What is cluttering your entryway?  I’m sure you can find some creative solutions to your clutter.  I’d love to hear about them if you do.  In fact, I’ve got another copy of my book, “I Used to Be So Organized” to give away this weekend to someone who comments.  To leave a comment, click here to be taken to my blog.  Then, scroll down to the bottom of the post and click on “comments”.

Next week, we’ll make our way around our homes as we wrap up our 15-day Challenge.  And thank you SO MUCH for all your kind and gracious comments to me personally these past few weeks.  You have been such shining examples of God’s love.

Grace & Peace,

Glynnis

 

 

Welcome to Day 9 in our Clutter-Free Challenge.

Before jumping in to the last day of dealing with paper clutter, I want to share a thought.

I’ve spent a lot of time this past week reading your comments and emails, and have loved your words of encouragement to each other.  For some who shared a tough situation, those kind words mean more than all my tips put together. Thank you for being vulnerable, for reaching out and showing Christ’s love. Ministry is happening right here on this blog.

Today was we wrap up paper clutter, I’m going to share some tips for some of the papers that sit in a pretty basket somewhere in your home until they overflow. Then you go find another basket and fill that up too.  Or perhaps you’ve got little slips of paper taped on the fridge and sticky notes spread around and you have no idea where to put that information.  And if you have children … well … enough said. 

 Special cards, papers and letters

If you’re like me, you love to hold on to birthday cards you’ve received, a love note from your spouse or a drawing from a child.  Those items hold precious memories for me, such as the self-portrait my eldest son did in kindergarten – it was a rainbow.

For notes and small drawings, I have another three-ring binder with acid-free plastic page protectors.  I write the date on the back, slip it into a page protector and it’s done.  (Yes, I like 3-ring binders)

For special cards and other mementos, I have a lovely memory box in my closet.  For example, I date birthday cards and store them in gallon zip lock plastic bags.  I do the same for my children, however, I add information about their birthday party, such as what we did, who attended and what gifts they received.  These bags are stored in memory boxes in each child’s room.

 Memory boxes

As your child grows, you’ll want to save mementos, figurines or special outfits.  Purchase plastic storage boxes specifically for these items. As you remove items from your child’s room to place in the memory box, be sure to identify the significance (if it isn’t obvious) and wrap them securely in bubble wrap or clean wrapping paper. Photographs should be placed in acid-free envelopes.  Store these boxes in a dry, cool place.  If you have more than one child, clearly mark each box and each item to remove confusion in years to come.

Children’s school papers

With our first child we saved everything!   Every handprint made into a turkey and coloring page is priceless.  Unless you have lots of storage, this may get difficult as the years go on, and as you have more children.  To keep your kids and you clutter-free, here are some tips that work for us.

1)  Purchase a colored pocket folder for each child.

Every year we get welcome letters from the teacher, classroom rules, student lists and a school handbook.  To keep that information handy, yet organized, I purchase an inexpensive colored pocket folder for each child.  These folders lie flat in a kitchen drawer, ready for easy access.

2) Create another file for school items you want to save.

In our permanent file drawers each child also has their own hanging file.  Because it’s not feasible to save everything, I have some criteria for what gets saved:

• Something that shows my child’s development at that age
• Papers with teacher notes of praise
• Papers that show an area of struggle (but not “failure”)
• Something that shows my child’s uniqueness, such as drawings, stories and poems.

3)  At the end of the school year, purchase 9”x12” see-through expandable plastic envelopes from the office products store.  Most school papers fit inside this envelope.  Put your child’s school picture in the front, along with a piece of paper stating the school year.  Store this envelope in a plastic storage box specifically for school papers.

4) To help out-of-state grandparents or other family members keep in touch with your child’s development, consider sending some of the school papers and drawings to them.  To ease the process, keep a 9”x12” addressed envelope addressed at the ready, and mail once a month.  Another tip is to write a letter on the back of the drawings, making it into a home-made card.

Phone numbers, addresses and passwords

Because I do most of my work on the computer, I use Outlook to store all kinds of information. I use the calendar for appointments and reminders of things like friend’s birthdays, due dates for bills, and when to call for an annual appointment.  I schedule many things as recurring monthly or annually so I only enter them once, and I color code special dates like birthdays and speaking events.  I’m thankful to have a smart phone and  sync those calendars.

In addition to Outlook, I also have a Rolodex address box. That’s the kind with the removable cards.  I use this for business cards and contacts that just don’t work well in Outlook.  For example, I have one card for our kid’s college accounts and I have each child’s account number and password listed on the same card.  I also keep low risk passwords in this file.

 

I feel like I’ve just dipped my toes in the pool of paper clutter.  I’m sure there are many things I haven’t addressed, like homeschooling, scrapbooking supplies and photos.  But I want to move on to other areas of the home since we only have six days left on this challenge to enjoy less clutter in our minds, schedules and homes.  Thank you for joining me on this journey.

Grace & Peace,

Glynnis

 Heavenly Father, I praise You for your unchanging nature, for Your goodness and for Your faithfulness.  Thank You for loving me in spite of my many weak areas, and for seeing my potential when I don’t see it myself.  Help me to see that my clutter and disorganization don’t define me.  My value is found in my position in Christ and what He did on my behalf.  Thank You!  In Jesus name, Amen.

 

 

Welcome to Day 8 in our Clutter-Free Challenge. Today we are going to continue to deal with paper clutter.  If you have paper under control, I hope you’ll consider sharing some of your tips in the comments on my blog. You can do that by clicking on the title of this email.

Yesterday, I shared my practice of sorting papers into similar stacks. This helps me break down an overwhelming project into smaller pieces.  My overloaded brain needs that! Now, I want to share some tips for managing paper that we need to keep, and identifying paper we don’t need to keep.   I know some people are striving for a paperless file system, but that’s just not realistic for everything.  And so I’ll be presenting ideas for what to do with a hard copy of paper and an electronic copy.

A filing system is critical for keeping your home and office free of paper clutter.  Filing cabinets don’t have to be clunky gray metal.  They can be lovely pieces of furniture.  Purchase one larger than you think you need, and solid enough to not break when full.

Then, invest in a combination of hanging files for categories, and individual files for specific items.  The key is to buy enough so you don’t feel stingy with them.  Then, create file folders for papers you need to keep.  If you are just starting to file, I suggest you label your files in pencil in case you want to make changes as you go along.

How you create categories and individual files is completely up to you.  It just needs to make sense … to you.  Where will you go looking for your auto insurance documents?  In the “Auto” category or “Insurance” category?   Where will you look for health records for your puppy?  In the “Pets” category or “Health” category?  Don’t try to work against the way you think … work with it.

Regarding saving documents electronically.  This is a practice I started last year for certain documents. One of them being bank statements.  My bank only makes monthly statements available in my account for 18 months.  However, I need to keep them for seven years for tax purposes.  So, I download a PDF of my statement each month and save it on my computer. Some people scan documents and save them.  This works for papers that don’t need to be originals.

If you want to eliminate paper statements, create a folder in your documents for “Statements.”  Then, create subfolders for each account you maintain (bank, investments, credit cards).  Then create another subfolder for each year, and store statements by month within the appropriate year.

But what if my computer crashes?  you ask.  Good question.  For years, my husband and I backed up our computers to an external hard drive once a month … when we remembered.  That was until we learned about Carbonite.com.  Now we pay an annual fee (well worth it) for a remote back up that works constantly.  So in case my computer dies, I’ve got all my work, photos and more (within a few hours of when saved) backed up safely.  And I can access it remotely.

If you want to reduce the paper you need to file, this is an awesome way to safeguard electronic files.  To learn more about the options for online backup, here’s an article on PCMag.com reviewing different options.

For the rest of this post, I’m going to address some common items of paper and how long they should be saved – whether paper copies, scanned copies or PDF statements.  Please note, these recommendations do NOT apply to a business.  And they may not apply to unique situations.  I used IRS.gov for some information and my accountant for the rest.  If in doubt, please check with your own accountant.

Tax Returns (and supporting documents, including bank statements):  Keep for seven years.

Initial investment records:  Keep until you withdraw the money entirely, as these will be needed for tax reporting.

Receipts for purchases If you purchased the item with a credit card, save the receipt until it has shown up correctly on the statement.  Once you have been correctly billed, shred the receipt, unless:

1. you need it for the warranty or service agreement.
2. it’s an item of value.  Then either keep the receipt or record the purchase price in a ledger book in case you need it for an insurance claim.
3. it was for a gift, or item that might be returned.  Save it until you are certain the item won’t be returned.

Investments/Banking/Retirement Statements: Keep the quarterly statements until you receive the year-end statement.  Keep year-end statements with tax documents.

Paycheck Stubs: Keep for a year until you get your year-end W-2.  If everything is correct, shred the paycheck stubs

Medical Records: Save for seven years with tax documents.  However, it seems I’m occasionally wanting to remember when something happened and have had to go back through past year’s documents.  But what I should have done years ago is keep track of illnesses, surgeries and procedures in a record-keeping book of some kind.  If this idea appeals to you, look for record-keeping journals, or just buy a few smaller spiral notebooks.

Home Records: Keep all purchase and sale documents.  Keep all home improvement expenses and those related to selling your house.   When you sell your house, you’ll want these documents for tax purposes.

Automobile Expenses: Keep all purchase documents and major repair receipts in case you sell the car. You’ll want to pass these along to the new owner.

Permanent Storage: There are always documents you want to store in a secure fire-proof location.  This list can change based on your individual situation.  But experts generally agree on the following:

• Birth certificates
• Will
• Marriage certificate
• Adoption certificate
• Passports
• Social security card

If you can believe it, we are halfway through our Clutter-Free Challenge.  I know this is a lot of work.  But I can promise you that once you make the effort to create a good filing system, maintaining it is a fraction of the work.

Please join me tomorrow when I wrap up the section on paper clutter with some tips on miscellaneous items.

Grace & Peace,

Glynnis

Heavenly Father, I’m starting to feel overwhelmed again.  You know how many times I’ve tried to get control over the paper in my life and have given up.  Help me to break this problem down into manageable pieces and show me what to do first.  With Your help, I can bring de-clutter and bring order to the paper in my office and home.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming two groups to my blog.  The first is my faithful group of new friends who are de-cluttering their lives through my 15-Day Clutter-Free Challenge.  We are on day 7 and we are going to take a look at paper clutter.  I’m also welcoming Encouragement for Today devotions readers who read “She Stands Alone” today.  Finally, I’m also announcing the winner of Karen Ehman’s book “The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized” and Target gift card.  It’s a busy day, but I’m going to do my best for you.  If you are just here for my comments on “She Stands Alone,” feel free to jump to the end of the post.

First a winner of Karen’s giveaway package.  Based on a random selection method, Michelle posting a comment January 13, 2012 at 2:38 p.m. is our winner.  Michelle, send me an email at editor@proverbs31.org with your mailing address.

CLUTTER-FREE DAY 7

Next, I’ll address our paper clutter.  One would think given the digital age we live in, managing paper wouldn’t be a problem.  But it is!  Organizing stacks and piles, papers and files is an ongoing challenge for women.   Especially those of us who grew up pre-computers.

Years ago I saved anything I thought might be handy in the future.  Especially information on paper.  I saved every bill, receipt and magazine.  For years! My approach was filled with “just in case” and “what if” thoughts.   Because maybe, just maybe, I might someday need to know how many times we changed the oil in our vehicle.  Ahem.  (probably not)

It took years before I realized the paper I was trying to manage, was really managing me.  I was over-cautious, overly sentimental, and much too optimistic.  Plus, sometimes I just didn’t know what to do with all that paper, so I postponed making a decision.  And the piles grew.

Maybe your reasons for amassing paper are different.  But whatever the reasons, too much paper affects our productivity, creativity and causes underlying anxiety from the visual clutter. So today we’ll start addressing the paper-based items in our homes.  Remember, we aren’t going to focus too much on organizing, just de-cluttering.  Although I’ll throw in a few of my favorite tips here and there – I can’t help myself.

I’m dividing this topic into three days due to the amount of different types of paper we all have.  Today I’ll talk about what to do with informational content like books, magazines, brochures, and the like.  Tomorrow I’ll address the types of paper we tend to file, like bills, receipts and reports.  Finally we’ll talk about miscellaneous things like children’s schoolwork, artwork and phone numbers on little pieces of paper.

Before we get started, I want to remind you of something.  As I go through the next steps, please know I don’t expect you to do all this in one day.  This could take weeks.  My hope is that by breaking down the tasks, you can work on de-cluttering your paper as you have time.

Okay – enough introduction.  Whenever I start trying to de-clutter paper items, it helps to have some supplies handy.  With paper, a recycling bin is critical.  So get something big enough or you’ll be frustrated fast.  You might also want to get some plastic tubs or boxes to carry things out of the house.

Once I’ve got my supplies handy, the second step is to sort items into similar groups.  Pick one area of your space to tackle.  This might be a kitchen counter, your desk or the table by your bed.  I don’t recommend trying to address your entire house at once.  But if you are up for the challenge, pick a room.

Then, sort all the paper into like stacks.  For instance, books in one stack, bills in another and bank statements in another.  You could have five, 10 or 20 stacks depending on the variety of papers you have.  As you do this, put paper you know you don’t need (old newspapers, envelopes, etc) in the recycling bin.  Do not recycle anything with your name, address or account number.  Tear off that section of paper, and shred it.  Then recycle the rest.

If you are overwhelmed with paper, this approach may not work for you.  You may want to just pick one item to sort at a time.  This will keep this process simple and focused. Maybe you are only going to gather bills right now and that’s okay. Do what works for YOU!

Once you have like items together, you can start de-cluttering.  That might start with putting things where they belong or throwing damaged items away.  I think you’ll have great ideas now that you’ve broken down the problem.  But in case you need some help, here are some tips for what to do with a few common items:

Books –  Books were made to be read. If you have extras, please share them with someone else.

• Donate to local library
• Sell used books on Amazon to make some money
• Sell at a used-book store
• Host a used-book sale at church to raise money for a mission project
• Donate children’s books to a homeless shelter or school

Magazines – Do I really need years of Victoria Magazine?  Really?

• Donate to local elementary school for art projects
• Clip things you want to save like recipes, decorating tips or craft projects and put in an “idea” notebook.  I use a three-ring binder with plastic page protectors.   Then donate the rest to a school.
• My library accepts donated magazines and sells them.  Check with yours.
• Take them to your next family or friends get-together and give them away.

Brochures/Menus/Ideas

I created a “Family Fun Book” to keep track of papers I wanted to keep, but didn’t want to file. Using a three-ring binder with page protectors and tabbed inserts, I keep things like takeout menus, brochures, ideas for family activities, movies to see and more all in one handy place.

I know this is just a small portion of what causes paper clutter, but I hope the idea of sorting first makes this more manageable. When I take the time to sort, it’s so much easier to make decisions.  Plus, I see how much I really have. Tomorrow I’ll address more types of paper, including what you really need to keep and how long.

Heavenly Father, some days it feels like I’m drowning in paper.  I have so much anxiety of how to manage it and what I need to keep.  Help me to take this one step at a time.  I want to be a good steward of my time, energy and space and I know that means addressing the paper in my life.  Help me release my grip on things that others could use. In Jesus name, Amen.

Finally …

SHE STANDS ALONE

In my devotion today, I shared about a bold woman I saw standing firm for what she believe God called her to do. I can still see her little figure standing there holding a Bible, her head lowered.

Her devotion to her beliefs challenged me to look at myself and my commitment to stand for what God has called me to do. No matter how hard it gets.  No matter how much I question myself.   In my devotion, I promised to share a personal challenge.  I hope that by doing so, you’ll be encouraged in your own hard place.

Six and a half years ago, my husband and I heard God clearly call us to adopt.  We already had three biological children, but we knew God wanted us to care for orphans.  And it shocked us when God told us our daughters were waiting for us in Liberia, Africa.  This hadn’t even been on our radar screen.

But we obeyed and brought two little sisters in our hearts and homes.  It didn’t take long to realize our daughters had suffered greatly from their upbringing in a war zone.  We knew they would need tender care, but the depth of their cognitive and emotional damage was challenging –  especially since they each have unique issues.

There have been many times in the past six and a half years when I have felt like I was drowning in their complex needs.  I have felt unqualified to help them overcome the hurt and scars of their past.  And my husband and I underestimated the cost we would pay to care for these precious children.  Let’s just say that no one is lining up to make a movie about our great success story … at least not yet.

In spite of the daily, often painful, challenges we face, nothing else in my life has driven me to my Heavenly Father like this calling.  My utter helplessness to heal their brokenness has made me dependent on God like never before. And we are learning the power of the name of Jesus to still the storms like we never did in the calm.

Years ago a friend shared this quote with me:  Don’t doubt in the dark what you know to be true in the light.

This is what I know in the light:

• We were hand-picked to parent our daughters.
• God knew their brokenness.
• God knew our limitations.
• He never planned for us to do this alone.

Are you facing a mountain that seems too big to climb?  You were never meant to climb it alone.  But you are meant to climb it.  Will you join me in putting one foot of obedience in front of the other?  Will you join me in asking for God’s help when we feel too weak to take another step?  He is faithful.  And I can testify that you will experience the reality of God like you never have before when you turn to Him for help.

Thank you for joining me today.  And if you want to join me on this clutter-free challenge, please sign up to receive my blog updates by email or RSS feed.  You can read last week’s posts by clicking on “Clutter Free” in the categories.

Grace & Peace,

 

Glynnis