Should We Help You Sell Your Unused Items on eBay?

I spent the weekend with eBay on location in Chicago. Initially, I became involved with eBay as a spokesperson for eBay Classifieds. As I've learned more about this terrific company, I've gained interest in finding ways to make eBay a useful tool for our clients. Most of our clients complain about having too much "stuff". When we are working to weed out and pare down with someone, we find three categories of things to eliminate. It's either garbage, donation or "I don't use it, but it's too good to get rid of". So what about finding a way to sell it on eBay? I am exploring the option of having Chaos To Order be a source for our clients to sell unwanted items. There's a lot to consider in doing this, and we are not officially doing it yet, but I would love any thoughts and ideas that you, our customers would have. You can comment on this blog post, email the office at info@chaostoorder.com or call (847) 825-8400.

Organize Your Basement During The Hot Days Of Summer

Is your basement filled with clutter? Hot days are the perfect time to get down into your cool basement and organize. Don't get overwhelmed by a basement filled with clutter, you've got to start somewhere. Make a plan: How much of grandmother's furniture are you going to save? How long have you been saving all that stuff for the upcoming yard sale you've never had? Do you get lost in a sea of keepsakes and mementos? Remember, if you keep too much, you can't find what's truly important. Weed out, organize and contain items in your basement. Plastic bins with lids and labels are perfect for the stuff you want to keep, but wait--don't go out and buy the bins first, you'll end up with container clutter! Start by weeding out. Determine what you can toss, what you can donate or sell online. Have a plan in place, if not, you may get down into that basement and just push piles from one place to another. If you can't seem to get thru it, remember to call the office at 847-825-8400, we are always here to help!

How Do You Make Organizing A Lifelong Habit?

Being organized is all about having the habits in place to maintain order. Being disorganized is all about having habits in place that inhibit maintaining order. As you go about your day, stop yourself and ask, "Am I finishing tasks that I begin?" I happen to be easily distracted and have to work hard to complete tasks. My husband is a task master, when he starts a project, nothing can stop him until it's complete and every piece is properly put away. I, on the other hand, get distracted at a moments notice. I can fly from one thing to another without a second thought. I have to work to remind myself that I'll be so much better off if I take the time to put everything away when I finish. I've used this quote with my children since they were very small, it's a constant reminder to me and to them, "finish one project before you start another".

If you want to create habits to help yourself become more organized, read my blog post, "How To Create A Habit". Living organized is all about having the habits in place and the discipline to maintain them--much easier said than done!

Finding what you need in your Closet-When you need it!

If you keep your closet organized by season, you've moved back or put away the summer stuff and have fall/winter clothes easily accessible in your closet--right? The problem then is, how do you know where everything is when you need to pack for a vacation? This is another reason why it is so important to look over your entire wardrobe every season. If you have too much to look through, it becomes a daunting task. However, if you keep only what you're currently wearing, you can get through it quickly. The better organized your clothes are when you "seasonize" your closet, the easier it is to find exactly what your looking for when you're packing. A few things you may want to consider:

• When putting away summer clothes, think "vacation" and pack a box that has all the items you'd want to take with you. Example: favorite shorts, swim suit, several summer shirts, sandals, etc.
• If you store off-season items in boxes, label them with what's inside. You can be as general as "shorts" or as specific as having an entire list on the outside of the box.
• Have you had something in your closet FOREVER because it has sentimental value? Box it up and store it as "Keepsake Clothes". Closet space should be reserved for things you currently wear, especially when space is limited.
  

Again, the more time you take to organize your clothes now, the easier it will be when it comes time to pack for a trip. As you know, Chaos to Order is always here to help you through the closet organizing process!

Organize for Tax Time

Every year around this time we receive desperate calls from clients asking us to come and help them sort through papers and get tax documents in order. There are a few simple steps you can take to make it a little easier. First, have a single spot where you deal with paper, mail and receipts. Next,keep a file handy to throw tax deductible receipts into, if it's in the back of a stuffed file cabinet, it's too much work. Filing receipts and papers needs to be easy, a good system is essential. Now you may look at the system you have and feel overwhelmed. Instead of feeling like you need to start a major task in order to get a system in place going forward, just get a simple file crate and start there. As you find time and motivation, you can take a couple file folders at a time and weed out the drawers. Another thing you can do to help keep track of your receipts and tax related documents is make sure you only save what you need. If you keep too much, you can't find what's really important. When saving receipts, first create some parameters. Is it tax deductible? Will you need it in the future? Might you return this item? If not, you can toss it. Another must is a yearly tax file. Create a 2009 tax file now. Keep forms and important tax related documents in it. Use a separate folder for tax deductible receipts. Depending on how many you have, you may want to make categories. If you deduct most of the receipts and bills you pay, you may want to make files labeled January - December 2009. Tax time, like any other organizing project takes well thought out systems and good maintenance habits. Follow these ideas and preparing your taxes will be much simpler and less stressful.