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Elfa Closet Sale!

By Tanya Whitford, CPO® on January 5, 2015 No Comments

January brings fresh starts, goals, resolutions- and the Elfa Closet Sale at The Container Store. I got an Elfa closet 9 years ago when I moved in with my then fiance and had to use the most ridiculous closet space for my clothes. The closet was very high and long with very little access to it aside from a tiny door. There was no way around it. I needed Elfa. We designed a double hang closet that accommodated the space and made it functional for me in a way I didn’t think possible.

A year later, we moved and that Elfa closet moved with me. In our house, the master closet was done, but my daughter’s room needed a better closet. With just the addition of 3 parts, my old closet was reconfigured and became my young daughter’s new closet. As she grows up, the low hanging bars and shelves will move upward. This closet will work the whole time she is growing up! Now that is a worthwhile purchase.

Once my father gave up trying to share a closet with my mom, he moved his clothes to the guest room closet. Only problem was, that closet had also turned into a kitchen pantry. I used Elfa to turn one closet into a clothes closet for my dad on one side- and a pantry with shelves on the other side. It created much more space in the closet and made it functional for its dual purpose.

I love Elfa for it’s ease and flexibility. You customize it to your space, budget, and tastes. Keep it simple and inexpensive with just the basics or go for everything from mesh drawers to jewelry trays. There are usually 2 sales a year so try and time your closet purchase accordingly. Right now it is 30% off until February 11, 2015. Their designers are great. They can install it if you can’t. (It is pretty easy.) I love the way the catalog looks- but let’s be honest- no one’s closet has only 7 shirts and 6 pairs of shoes. I wish they would show what a real closet looks like with Elfa- so here is one =)

Categories : Closets/Clothes, Helpful Products, My Blog

Stop the Junk Mail

By Tanya Whitford, CPO® on October 2, 2014 No Comments

I overheard someone in the post office ask the clerk how they could stop getting mail for someone who had died years before. The clerk told them to just throw it away. I cringed. That would never solve the problem- and it would waste resources, time, and trees! If you get things in the mail that you don’t want- STOP THEM! Don’t ever think they will eventually tire of sending things to an unresponsive house because they won’t. It is never the last time they will offer you some special deal even if they say it is the last time. And don’t think they won’t share your name with other companies or charities because they might. With junk mail, you have to play some offense and not just muster a little defense by throwing them into the recycling bin. According to 41 Pounds.org, “An average of 41 pounds of junk mail is sent to every adult citizen each year. Approximately 44% of this mail goes into a landfill unopened.” Not only is junk mail incredibly wasteful to the environment, but it wastes a lot of our time and effort to deal with something on a daily basis that we never asked for.

Have you ever made a contribution to a wonderful charity only to find that you now get requests from 83 other wonderful charities who think you have money to share with all of them? Are you drowning in mailing labels, notepads, and calendars that you could never use up in your lifetime? Do you get credit card offers on a daily basis? Do you get magazines you never read and don’t even remember ordering? Do you still get catalogs even though you do all your shopping on-line now? You have to do something about it!

I made up some address labels that say in large letters “Please Remove Me From Mailing List”. When I get something in the mail I don’t want to get again, I tear off their return form, place my sticker above my name (being careful not to cover any codes or info they need to identify me), circle the sticker and my name with a big Sharpie and mail it back to them. Sometimes the envelopes are postage paid, sometimes you need a stamp- but it is worth it! I keep a simple tracking list of the places I have asked to be removed from. It works really well for me and the mail stops coming!

If you don’t have the time or inclination to do this yourself, there are companies that can do it for you:

41 Pounds– for $35 they will contact 20 to 30 direct mail companies on your behalf to stop the majority of bulk mail that comes to your home for the next 5 years.
To reduce unwanted catalogs and phone books, try Catalog Choice for free.
DMA Choice and Opt Out Prescreen also offer ways to remove yourself from mailing lists.

Throwing away junk mail is not a solution. All that does is leave the door open for more. Be proactive about getting yourself off mailing lists so you can shut the door and windows on the junk mail that takes over our houses! Not only will you reduce waste and help the environment- but you will save time and frustration when you check you newly thinned out mailbox. Enjoy!

Categories : My Blog, Paper, Simple and Organized

Don’t Go Empty Handed

By Tanya Whitford, CPO® on July 7, 2014 No Comments

I learned some very valuable lessons while waiting tables at a busy restaurant in college. You have to stay on your toes and remember lots of details. If it is slow, do your side work so you can finish up faster. And the big one- never go empty handed. If you are walking back to the kitchen, grab any plates that need to be bussed. If you are heading out on the floor, see if any food is ready to go out. There is always something to do to help things run smoothly. You should never be walking around with nothing in your hands!

These same lessons have helped me in my everyday life. I never walk through my house empty handed. As I walk through the living room, I might spot some things that belong in the laundry room or kitchen so I scoop them up and drop them off on my way to the office. As I leave my daughter’s room, I spot the misplaced detangler so I return it to the bathroom on my way to take a shower. It is a constant game of returning things to their homes that just happens automatically and helps maintain things around the house. A little bit here and a little bit there means that things won’t pile up and get overwhelming.

It is a simple concept that takes a little getting used to, but makes a big difference. Next time you leave a room, just grab something that doesn’t belong there and put it where it goes. Don’t go empty handed when there are plenty of things to put away!

Categories : My Blog, Simple and Organized

Is Organizing Nurture or Nature?

By Tanya Whitford, CPO® on March 24, 2014 No Comments

I was in kindergarten. I had too much energy to rest during nap time and never received a “Best Rester” award. My teacher finally put me to work during nap time- and I loved it. Instead of wasting time napping, I got to fix up her desk! I remember my teacher asking where the paperclips were and I proudly opened the drawer and showed her their new location. I didn’t learn this at home. That was just the way I was- and I was 5. When it was my turn to clean up the living room as an 8th grader, I made a labeled box for each family member, dumped each person’s belongings in their box and put their box on their bed. As a senior in high school I created a great system to manage all the college brochures that were flooding our mail box. I never thought much about my organizing tendencies. It was just the way I was. I think I was just born organized.

Now I have two daughters and it is interesting to see if the organizing gene is nurture or nature. My first daughter broke my water at 12:15am on her due date. Only 5% of babies are born on their due dates. My daughter was punctual from birth! When she was in daycare at 20 months, her teacher, who did not know what I did for a living, told me that she was “so organized.” I beamed with pride. She never broke a toy or threw her crayons all over the floor. She meticulously lined up her stickers in notebooks and grouped similar stickers together. She only drew on paper and tried to keep in the lines. Three years later, my second daughter was born. She decided to come 10 days early when I wasn’t quite ready. She never met a toy she didn’t want to throw across the room or a bunch of craft supplies that should stay in a container. Walls and rugs can be written on and dirty hands are meant to touch everything. Total opposite of her sister. But, she does know that everything has a home and she knows where to find them.

Organizing skills can be nurture, nature, or just not possible. We aren’t all good at the same things. If we were, the world would be a boring place! What comes easy to me doesn’t to someone else and vice-versa. No matter who explains it to me, I’ll never truly understand the stock market. I just glaze over. I can’t draw- anything. And I couldn’t learn to drive a stick shift. We all have our strengths whether we are born with them or we learn them. And we all can get help with areas we aren’t so good at.

My two kids have different organizing strengths, but I like to think I can teach them what they don’t naturally do. Organizing skills can make such a difference your entire life and if you start early, it becomes ingrained. It will be very interesting to see how this develops as my children grow up. Maybe I will come to a different conclusion. Maybe my daughters will one day work with me or they will rebel and never put anything away just to drive me crazy! Stay tuned…. =)

Categories : Kids, My Blog

Try a Co-Op

By Tanya Whitford, CPO® on January 13, 2014 No Comments

The definition of a co-op is “a cooperative society, business, or enterprise”. They are such a good idea- I am surprised more people don’t try them. Over the holidays, I organized a little child-care co-op among some friends. Four families participated. Each family took everyone’s kids for a day- about 4 or 5 hours, and in return, they got 3 free days to either work, catch up on things, or catch a movie. The kids had a blast playing at a different house each day with different toys and activities. The parents had glorious time to themselves knowing their kids were well cared for and having fun- and it didn’t cost anything! Even the one day we had to watch all 7 kids in our co-op was easier than I expected. Suddenly the two week vacation was over and we never had to wonder what to do to occupy the kids.

Here are some other easy ways to try a co-op:

Carpooling– Parents taking turns transporting a group of kids somewhere or co-workers taking turns driving each other is probably the most common type of co-op.
Date Nights– You watch my kids one night and I’ll watch your kids another night. The kids get a play date, and you can save the babysitter money for a nice dinner and movie.
Dinner– You make a double or triple batch of dinner and share with someone else. They do the same thing. The more people involved in this co-op, the less nights you have to cook dinner and the more new foods you will likely get to try.
Chores– You come help me clean out my cabinets and I’ll do the same for you. Chores are more bearable when you do them with someone, and for some reason, it is easier to clean someone else’s house than our own!
Organize– Help me tackle my garage and I’ll help you do the same. Some jobs might be too big or overwhelming to do ourselves, but become possible if we get some help.

There are so many ways a co-op can help make a person’s life a little easier and save money. Gather a few people you know and trust and set a few ground rules. Make sure the give and take is even and enjoy a new way to get things done!

Categories : Kids, My Blog, Time Management

New Year’s Goals

By Tanya Whitford, CPO® on December 30, 2013 No Comments

For the last 11 years, I have taken my New Year’s Goals seriously. Not resolutions. Goals. For some reason “New Year’s Resolutions” make me feel like I have been doing it all wrong, whereas “New Year’s Goals” makes me feel empowered to accomplish something. I sit down every January 1st and type up my goals in 3 areas- Business, Personal, and Financial. It is one sheet of pretty paper that I keep with me to remind me of what my plan was. Sometimes it really works. In 2004 I actually wrote, “Meet My Husband” as a goal. I met my future husband at a Christmas party with 2 weeks left of the year. Now this certainly doesn’t always work. I have some variation of “Work Out 3x a Week” almost every year and for some reason that has yet to occur! I have to keep trying to accomplish that one. At the end of the year, I write some notes on the sheet of paper to sum up what I did and did not accomplish. It ends up being a nice little reminder of where I was during that year and helps shape the next round of goals.

Here are some helpful tips for writing New Year’s Goals:

Make them specific and measurable. Write “lose 14 pounds” instead of “lose weight”. Write “purge file cabinet” rather than “get organized”. The more specific and measurable they are- the easier it is to know when you are done and can cross it off your list.
Don’t overdo it. Goals are not a To Do List. Goals are not a bucket list of everything you ever wanted to do. Pick a few things you want to focus on or accomplish in one year- not a lifetime.
Goals don’t have to be all work and no play. Maybe you always wanted to take a dance class or learn to sing. Make time for fun! It is good for you.
Don’t be hard on yourself. If you didn’t accomplish some of your goals by the end of the year, don’t beat yourself up. Perhaps they weren’t really that important or necessary. Maybe they needed to be smaller and more specific. Be proud of the fact that you took time to figure some things out and and give yourself permission to try it again next year.

Happy New Year! Happy Goal Setting!

Categories : My Blog

The Gift of Thanks

By Tanya Whitford, CPO® on November 27, 2013 No Comments

Many years ago, I got a wonderful voice-mail message from a colleague the day before Thanksgiving. She said she was thankful to have me in her life and shared what I meant to her. I don’t remember exactly what she said, but I do know that I listened to it many times and to this day the memory makes me smile. Someone took time out of their busy life to call me and tell me nice things!

This is the beginning of a very busy time of year. People will be out buying gifts and more gifts. But maybe the best gift of all is not a thing you buy in a store. Not a thing that might add clutter or go unused. Not a thing that will be played with for 7 seconds before moving onto the next thing. Maybe the best gift of all is to tell someone in person or call them on the phone and tell them how thankful you are to have them in your life. Not a tweet or a message on Facebook. Not an email or an e-card. An actual conversation or a voice-mail. That just might be the gift that means so much more and gets remembered years later.

Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for reading this!

Categories : My Blog

Sick Days

By Tanya Whitford, CPO® on November 18, 2013 No Comments

At 2am on Halloween, my toddler started throwing up and it went on for hours. I got maybe 2 hours of sleep that night but thankfully she was feeling better by lunch time. We were having 35 people over for a Halloween party and things had to get done- sleep or no sleep. But under these new circumstances, adjustments had to be made. Less was going to have to be enough because there was no time or energy to do it all. Some friends helped out and we pulled off a wonderful party. With the party behind us, I thought it was time to catch up on things I had gotten behind on. Then I got sick and we realized this wasn’t a random sick day but a stomach bug. It was not a fun weekend and instead of catching up, I just got further behind. Not much you can do when you are exhausted and weak. Guess everything would have to wait again. I was too tired to even even catch up on my Tivo! Two days later, as I was starting to feel better, my other daughter got sick and had to stay home from school for two days. Then my husband got sick. For 7 days my whole family was either sick or trying to recover!

We never plan on getting sick. It always takes us by surprise. It throws everything off- schedules, plans, to do lists, chores, laundry, work, school- everything. When you have kids, you can’t do much when they are sick either because most kids, especially when they are young, need or want their parents to be with them at all times. In the end we just need to rest and take care of ourselves and our families and let everything else be not so important as getting better. Forget the living room that needs to be picked up or the emails that didn’t get answered fast enough. People will understand. Forget the blog post that was supposed to be be written or the errands that needed to be run. Things will simply have to be pushed back a few days.

Luckily, once we start to feel like our old selves, we are usually infused with some amazing energy. It feels so good to not be sick and be able to eat food that we might find ourselves getting all kinds of things done! It makes you appreciate each day when you feel good and can get even a few little things done.

Categories : My Blog

Welcome to My Blog

By Tanya Whitford, CPO® on July 18, 2013 No Comments

I have resisted the urge to blog for a long time. I have been busy the last 6 years with my two little girls who take up a lot of time. Family and work. Work and family. With my oldest about to start kindergarten during the same month I started my business 14 years ago- I thought this was the perfect time to start blogging!

This is also a new website to go along with the blog. With so much positive feedback from clients about my previous website, my goal was to keep it pretty much the same, but just freshen up the look a little and be able to blog. So this is the result. I hope you like it!

I expect this blog will cover lots of my favorite things from organizing tips and products to recycling and composting and whatever strikes my fancy. I hope the wit and whimsy I demonstrate to only my immediate family and closets friends comes through here and you will find inspiration, hope, and a few laughs. I love to laugh. That is why I married a comedian.

Categories : My Blog