December 28, 2008
A Money-Maker?
If you are holding on to old LPs or your mother's silver, the best way to get a reality check is to go onto eBay. I was holding onto several Beanie Babies, in "mint condition", with the tags, believing I would make thousands of dollars and retire to Mexico. When I looked them up on eBay and saw listings that didn't even get bids, I was able to sell the cargo for a buck a piece in a garage sale with little guilt.
December 21, 2008
Keeping Up with Bills
Here's a suggestion for keeping up with bill payments:
Pick one day of the week to sit down and pay bills. When bills arrive, log their pay date in a pocket calendar, subtracting at least one week from the due date to allow for mailing. Keep the pocket calendar and your bills together in a large envelope. This way you will never be late and bills won't pile up. Of course, reward yourself with a cup of tea after the checks have been written on bill day.
Pick one day of the week to sit down and pay bills. When bills arrive, log their pay date in a pocket calendar, subtracting at least one week from the due date to allow for mailing. Keep the pocket calendar and your bills together in a large envelope. This way you will never be late and bills won't pile up. Of course, reward yourself with a cup of tea after the checks have been written on bill day.
December 20, 2008
Letting Go of Kid Art
When my girls were small, they brought home lots of "art" - like cottonballs glued to a piece of pink construction paper that represented, well, I'm not sure what it was, but it sure was sweet. Anyway, a few years later, I found a box of kid art in my garage and the cottonball art piece was not so sweet after all. What did I do with all of the "memories" stored in the box in the garage? I went through all of it and only kept the pieces that were truly worth keeping and tossed the rest. Yes, I tossed art work that my precious six year old (now my not so precious sixteen year old) created in kindergarten.
Starting now, imagine the volume of stuff that will grow until your child is eighteen and only keep what truly matters.
Kessler Simple Solutions can help you sort through the memories and store them away for the rainy days (i.e., the teenage years) when you need to remember when your children were small, cute and cuddly!
Starting now, imagine the volume of stuff that will grow until your child is eighteen and only keep what truly matters.
Kessler Simple Solutions can help you sort through the memories and store them away for the rainy days (i.e., the teenage years) when you need to remember when your children were small, cute and cuddly!
December 18, 2008
Important Papers
Put your important papers, such as your will and life insurance papers, in a large envelope marked, "Pull upon my death." Store it in a fire-proof box and let family members know of its whereabouts. Then if something happens to you, they can grab the envelope and find everything they need at such a difficult time.
Kessler Simple Solutions is your source for handling all of your paperwork - sorting, purging, and filing away. Give us a call or contact us at info4u@kesslersimplesolutions.com.
Kessler Simple Solutions is your source for handling all of your paperwork - sorting, purging, and filing away. Give us a call or contact us at info4u@kesslersimplesolutions.com.
December 17, 2008
Saving Old Paint
If you have old paint that has become lumpy, just strain it through a pair of pantyhose. The strained paint will be like new!
December 9, 2008
Wow Them with a Great Bow!
Everyone can slip something into a gift bag and call it a present. But don’t you want to show you put time and thought into your gift giving this year? A box wrapped with gift paper and tied with a great bow can make all the difference and give your presents the “WOW” factor. Watch this video:
Easy huh?
Let Kessler Simple Solutions organize your gift wrap and ribbons as well as your gift boxes and bags. When you are organized, gift wrapping is as simple as 1-2-3.
Easy huh?
Let Kessler Simple Solutions organize your gift wrap and ribbons as well as your gift boxes and bags. When you are organized, gift wrapping is as simple as 1-2-3.
December 1, 2008
ADHD Tools for Work and Home
High-tech gadgets won’t solve all our problems. They are often pricey and difficult to operate even after reading the owner’s manual.
But the right tools will help make you less stressed – especially if you are the kind of person who can spend 20 minutes looking for your glasses only to find them perched on the top of your head!!
ADDitude Magazine suggests the following “smart gadgets” to help get you organized at work and home. Here is a list of my three favorites:
• Graphic clock – If you have a hard time keeping track of your time, then you should try one of these: a clock that uses a diminishing red disc to graphically show time’s passing. As minutes tick by, the red space gradually disappears. It sells for about $25 at timetimer.com. A software version can be installed on your computer’s desktop too.
• Key finder – Not just for keys, you can use these to find any object you might misplace – TV remote, eyeglasses, cell phone, or telephone handset. A basic key finder costs as little as $15 from online gadget stores like brookstone.com, sharperimage.com and target.com. If you need a lot of finders, go to findonefindall.com. These can be programmed to track up to 36 things!!
• Business card scanner – Are you buried in a pile of business cards? Eliminate the pile by scanning cards into your computer, then throw them away. At tigerdirect.com, you can find scanners starting at about $70.
Go to http://www.additudemag.com/adh/article/print/785.html for my gadget ideas.
But the right tools will help make you less stressed – especially if you are the kind of person who can spend 20 minutes looking for your glasses only to find them perched on the top of your head!!
ADDitude Magazine suggests the following “smart gadgets” to help get you organized at work and home. Here is a list of my three favorites:
• Graphic clock – If you have a hard time keeping track of your time, then you should try one of these: a clock that uses a diminishing red disc to graphically show time’s passing. As minutes tick by, the red space gradually disappears. It sells for about $25 at timetimer.com. A software version can be installed on your computer’s desktop too.
• Key finder – Not just for keys, you can use these to find any object you might misplace – TV remote, eyeglasses, cell phone, or telephone handset. A basic key finder costs as little as $15 from online gadget stores like brookstone.com, sharperimage.com and target.com. If you need a lot of finders, go to findonefindall.com. These can be programmed to track up to 36 things!!
• Business card scanner – Are you buried in a pile of business cards? Eliminate the pile by scanning cards into your computer, then throw them away. At tigerdirect.com, you can find scanners starting at about $70.
Go to http://www.additudemag.com/adh/article/print/785.html for my gadget ideas.
November 29, 2008
Color Redo
Ever wonder what to do with broken crayons that your adorable child refuses to use because it doesn’t have a “pointy” end anymore?
You can send them to the National Crayon Recycle Program. They will melt the crayons down and form them into new ones. But leave the wrappers on them because, “When you have black, blue and purple crayons together without wrappers, it’s hard to tell them apart,” said the program director, LuAnn Foty. What a great job - bet she colored a lot when she was little. Her website is www.crazycrayons.com.
Kessler Simple Solutions can help you find all of those broken or “used up” crayons, along with organizing your child’s bedroom, closet, playroom, or craft corner. Go to our website, kesslersimplesolutions.com, for more information about our services.
You can send them to the National Crayon Recycle Program. They will melt the crayons down and form them into new ones. But leave the wrappers on them because, “When you have black, blue and purple crayons together without wrappers, it’s hard to tell them apart,” said the program director, LuAnn Foty. What a great job - bet she colored a lot when she was little. Her website is www.crazycrayons.com.
Kessler Simple Solutions can help you find all of those broken or “used up” crayons, along with organizing your child’s bedroom, closet, playroom, or craft corner. Go to our website, kesslersimplesolutions.com, for more information about our services.
November 27, 2008
Kessler Simple Solutions - Endorsement for December
Website referral: Flylady.net
I heard about the Flylady.net website from HGTV.com and thought I’d check it out. I wasn’t crazy about the graphics, thought the site a bit busy, BUT she has great ideas and brings a sense of fun to the whole “organizing” process.
There is a Holiday Control Journal that on first glance has very good ideas – baby steps is the key phrase she uses – and we are going to try it out with one of our wonderful clients this month.
The website has a lot of stuff on it so I don’t advice you trying to look through the whole thing at once. But browse it and pull out one thing that you could use that day and try it out for yourself.
I heard about the Flylady.net website from HGTV.com and thought I’d check it out. I wasn’t crazy about the graphics, thought the site a bit busy, BUT she has great ideas and brings a sense of fun to the whole “organizing” process.
There is a Holiday Control Journal that on first glance has very good ideas – baby steps is the key phrase she uses – and we are going to try it out with one of our wonderful clients this month.
The website has a lot of stuff on it so I don’t advice you trying to look through the whole thing at once. But browse it and pull out one thing that you could use that day and try it out for yourself.
November 21, 2008
The Battery that Keeps on Going
Only one in six households in North America recycle batteries. Why is recycling batteries important? It keeps hazardous metals out of landfills. Many stores, like RadioShack and Office Depot, accept reusable one, as does the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (go to http.//www.rbrc.org/).
Kessler Simple Solutions suggests you keep a box in a convenient but out of sight place (laundry room or closet shelve) specifically for used batteries. When the box is full, take or send the contents to your authorized recycling center of choice. Go to our website for more recycling opportunities, kesslersimplesolutions.com.
November 19, 2008
ADHD - Success at School
A clutter-free system at home will help your ADHD child at school. Following are four tips from ADDitude Magazine:
• Order in the room – Separate ongoing projects, finished work, and school supplies into labeled bins or file cabinets. Provide a book case for books and a bulletin board for reminders.
• Simplify the paper flow – Prevent homework, permission slips and PTA letters from being lost or crumpled with clear, pocket-type folders –
labeled “Mail,” “Homework,” “Completed Homework” – to keep papers organized.
• Post a Family Calendar – It should show all upcoming activities, projects, and deadlines. Keep the calendar in a central place where the family can easily view it as part of their daily routine.
• Sticky Reminders – Give your child a stack of post-it-notes and encourage him to post specials reminders on mirrors, doors, and elsewhere.
Kessler Simple Solutions can help your ADHD student organize his room, study space, backpack or locker. By working with your child and implementing simple routines, your child will be more successful and confident.
• Order in the room – Separate ongoing projects, finished work, and school supplies into labeled bins or file cabinets. Provide a book case for books and a bulletin board for reminders.
• Simplify the paper flow – Prevent homework, permission slips and PTA letters from being lost or crumpled with clear, pocket-type folders –
labeled “Mail,” “Homework,” “Completed Homework” – to keep papers organized.
• Post a Family Calendar – It should show all upcoming activities, projects, and deadlines. Keep the calendar in a central place where the family can easily view it as part of their daily routine.
• Sticky Reminders – Give your child a stack of post-it-notes and encourage him to post specials reminders on mirrors, doors, and elsewhere.
Kessler Simple Solutions can help your ADHD student organize his room, study space, backpack or locker. By working with your child and implementing simple routines, your child will be more successful and confident.
November 17, 2008
Can-Do Attitude
One of the only constants in life is change. We move away from home, change careers, get married and sometimes divorced. Along the way, we experience the joys of birth, the sadness of death and everything in between.
There is no side stepping life’s ups and downs. But there are good reasons to reduce the accompanying stresses. Unchecked stress can lead to many health problems including obesity, heart disease, and depression.
Some things are beyond our power to control but some things are simple to change. Kessler Simple Solutions will work with you to sort through the stuff that weighs you down and stresses you out. Taking action accomplishes more than wishing things would change. We can’t guarantee you will loose weight or avoid a heart attack, but we can guarantee a smile on your face when you open the closet door and find your shoes where they are suppose to be.
There is no side stepping life’s ups and downs. But there are good reasons to reduce the accompanying stresses. Unchecked stress can lead to many health problems including obesity, heart disease, and depression.
Some things are beyond our power to control but some things are simple to change. Kessler Simple Solutions will work with you to sort through the stuff that weighs you down and stresses you out. Taking action accomplishes more than wishing things would change. We can’t guarantee you will loose weight or avoid a heart attack, but we can guarantee a smile on your face when you open the closet door and find your shoes where they are suppose to be.
November 14, 2008
Solutions for Plastic and Paper Grocery Bags
Simple – Reusable Bags!
A big rule in staying organized is, “Don’t let the enemy back into your home.” Free kitchens that look like plastic bag prison with reusable, eco-friendly bags, bottles and grocery gear. You will also save money since some forward thinking grocery stores like Whole Foods, give rebates if you bring your own bags for packing groceries. So the next time someone says to you, “Paper or plastic?” you can proudly answer, “Neither!”
And don’t forget to recycle the plastic and paper bags currently held up in your kitchen. The City of Dallas Recycling Program accepts both so toss them into your big blue bin for the next pick up!!
A big rule in staying organized is, “Don’t let the enemy back into your home.” Free kitchens that look like plastic bag prison with reusable, eco-friendly bags, bottles and grocery gear. You will also save money since some forward thinking grocery stores like Whole Foods, give rebates if you bring your own bags for packing groceries. So the next time someone says to you, “Paper or plastic?” you can proudly answer, “Neither!”
And don’t forget to recycle the plastic and paper bags currently held up in your kitchen. The City of Dallas Recycling Program accepts both so toss them into your big blue bin for the next pick up!!
November 13, 2008
Turn Back the Clock
The new school year is in full swing!! By now you have probably dealt with morning mayhem when just getting out the front door before the tardy bell rings is a total drama.
A simple change can make a big difference between frantically running and calmly walking out the door to begin your day at school or work. Set all the clocks in your house 10 or 15 minutes ahead. Sounds silly but it works!!
Kessler Simple Solutions can help you find more time to do the things you want to do instead of have to do. Give us call before your time runs out!
A simple change can make a big difference between frantically running and calmly walking out the door to begin your day at school or work. Set all the clocks in your house 10 or 15 minutes ahead. Sounds silly but it works!!
Kessler Simple Solutions can help you find more time to do the things you want to do instead of have to do. Give us call before your time runs out!
November 9, 2008
The Urge to Purge - the Kitchen
Keep your kitchen clean. It’s simple when you think about it. Even Emeril doesn’t need six spatulas or five whisks, so why do you? Two of each is plenty so start by tossing the extras. And while you are tossing, check out expiration dates on foodstuff and say bye-bye to anything past its prime (except for your hubby of course!). Seldom use your cappuccino machine or bread maker? “Those things don’t need to live in the kitchen,” says Ellen Kosloff, a professional organizer in New York. “Put up a rack in the garage, or store them on a hallway closet shelf.”
The number one rule: keep your counters clean. The counter top is only for those items you use daily and everything else should be stored in cabinets or in the pantry.
Kessler Simple Solutions is here to help you clean out the kitchen cabinets, pantry and counter tops. We will come up with creative solutions to your storage challenges and organize your everyday items to make your life better.
The number one rule: keep your counters clean. The counter top is only for those items you use daily and everything else should be stored in cabinets or in the pantry.
Kessler Simple Solutions is here to help you clean out the kitchen cabinets, pantry and counter tops. We will come up with creative solutions to your storage challenges and organize your everyday items to make your life better.
November 7, 2008
Recycling - A Happy Ending for Your Discards
Kessler Simple Solutions totally believes in and advocates for recycling of anything that can be reused. It is our responsibility to take care of our planet and leave it a better place!
Remember the commercial in the 70’s of the crying Native American? Watch it again...
Each week, KSS will have a simple recycling suggestion for you to implement. We hope you will take our suggestions and insert them into your family’s daily routines!!
Remember the commercial in the 70’s of the crying Native American? Watch it again...
Each week, KSS will have a simple recycling suggestion for you to implement. We hope you will take our suggestions and insert them into your family’s daily routines!!
November 5, 2008
The 100 Challenge
I was fascinated by an article I read in TIME Magazine about a man named Dave Bruno who started the 100 Thing Challenge after realizing how much his family’s stuff was weighing him down. Bruno’s writings about his purging efforts are recorded on his blog, guynameddave.com, and has started quite the cult following. What fascinated me was the idea of culling down your belongings to only 100 and how liberating that would feel.
Okay, sure, if you have kids it would be impossible to reduce your treasures down to only 100, so leave your kids stuff alone and just work on your own things. Things like… the hat you bought in New Orleans from that great hat shop in the Quarter but never wore. Or the size 2 jeans you will never wear again (it is okay to admit it). Or the 4 aluminum pie pans that have been in your kitchen cupboard for 5 years and are all scrunched up. I bet there’s all kinds of stuff you could part with painlessly!!
If you need assistance, contact Kessler Simple Solutions. We’ll be glad to help your sort, purge and organize, and get your belongings down to a more manageable number.
Okay, sure, if you have kids it would be impossible to reduce your treasures down to only 100, so leave your kids stuff alone and just work on your own things. Things like… the hat you bought in New Orleans from that great hat shop in the Quarter but never wore. Or the size 2 jeans you will never wear again (it is okay to admit it). Or the 4 aluminum pie pans that have been in your kitchen cupboard for 5 years and are all scrunched up. I bet there’s all kinds of stuff you could part with painlessly!!
If you need assistance, contact Kessler Simple Solutions. We’ll be glad to help your sort, purge and organize, and get your belongings down to a more manageable number.
November 3, 2008
"When You Care to Send the Very Best..."
These days, running out to find the perfect birthday card can be a drain on your time and patience - especially when the birthday is today or even yesterday!! Kessler Simple Solutions believes in making the most of your time, so check this out. A free account with Hallmark.com or AmericanGreetings.com includes a reminder service that can notify you before the date via e-mail or phone to give you plenty of time to shop in a store, on-line or send a free e-card. Make someone feel special because you remembered them by sending a card.
November 2, 2008
Happy Holidays - For Real!
Many of us dread the holidays because of the stress of making them perfect. It is not the shopping, cooking, wrapping and sending cards that make us crazy. It is the procrastinating, delaying, and overspending that sap the joy out of the season.
This year, commit to starting early. Make a holiday notebook that commits to paper the little details that will save you time and money. Sit down with a calendar and make the following lists. Then, spend 15 minutes everyday reviewing your lists, tracking your spending, checking your time, and buying online. Organize your weekdays as follows: on Mondays, plan your weekly shopping lists. On Tuesdays, put up decorations. On Wednesdays, address 5 to 10 holiday cards. On Thursdays, shop for the gifts on your list. Fridays spend wrapping and mailing packages. If you follow this plan, by December most of your holiday chores will be completed and you can enjoy your family and friends.
List 1: Holiday Menus and Recipes:
• Plan each course for the major holiday meals
• List the recipes you will use, the cookbook each is in and the page numbers
• List the ingredients you will need for each dish
• Create a grocery list and go shopping
List 2: Gifts
• Make a shopping list that details each person on the list, what you will be giving, whether you will make or buy the gift, amount you can spend, the store or catalog where you will buy the gift. (If you order online, be sure to note the website and tracking number).
• Break up your shopping by purchasing one or two gifts online each day.
• If you purchase from catalogs, place your order by December 10th to ensure the items will be in stock and to avoid express shipping charges.
• Keep your receipts
List 3: Dates to Put on Your Calendar
• Avoid procrastination by reviewing this list each week (or daily).
• Shipping deadlines (mail early).
• Date to mail cards
• Departure dates (if you are traveling)
• Arrival dates (if people are visiting)
• Party dates
• School, religious, office and volunteer functions
Taken from ADDitudeMag.com
This year, commit to starting early. Make a holiday notebook that commits to paper the little details that will save you time and money. Sit down with a calendar and make the following lists. Then, spend 15 minutes everyday reviewing your lists, tracking your spending, checking your time, and buying online. Organize your weekdays as follows: on Mondays, plan your weekly shopping lists. On Tuesdays, put up decorations. On Wednesdays, address 5 to 10 holiday cards. On Thursdays, shop for the gifts on your list. Fridays spend wrapping and mailing packages. If you follow this plan, by December most of your holiday chores will be completed and you can enjoy your family and friends.
List 1: Holiday Menus and Recipes:
• Plan each course for the major holiday meals
• List the recipes you will use, the cookbook each is in and the page numbers
• List the ingredients you will need for each dish
• Create a grocery list and go shopping
List 2: Gifts
• Make a shopping list that details each person on the list, what you will be giving, whether you will make or buy the gift, amount you can spend, the store or catalog where you will buy the gift. (If you order online, be sure to note the website and tracking number).
• Break up your shopping by purchasing one or two gifts online each day.
• If you purchase from catalogs, place your order by December 10th to ensure the items will be in stock and to avoid express shipping charges.
• Keep your receipts
List 3: Dates to Put on Your Calendar
• Avoid procrastination by reviewing this list each week (or daily).
• Shipping deadlines (mail early).
• Date to mail cards
• Departure dates (if you are traveling)
• Arrival dates (if people are visiting)
• Party dates
• School, religious, office and volunteer functions
Taken from ADDitudeMag.com
November 1, 2008
It's Time for Simple!
Kessler Simple Solutions is committed to helping you get organized - and to keep it that way! A tidy lifestyle can easily increase your productivity and lower stress, not to mention save you precious time that you already can't seem to find enough of. This isn't about being clean, this is about being simple.
We've created this blog to updated you with quick and easy tips to help you keep life simple. Everything from your home office to the master bedroom, you'll find it here at Kessler Simple Solutions. Give us a call when you're ready for the simple solution.
We've created this blog to updated you with quick and easy tips to help you keep life simple. Everything from your home office to the master bedroom, you'll find it here at Kessler Simple Solutions. Give us a call when you're ready for the simple solution.
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