Thanks so much to the Verandah Club for inviting us to speak during their Renaissance Fitness Program. We had a great group of men and women attend our presentation on HOW TO DIG YOURSELF OUT FROM MAIL CLUTTER. We shared tips on sorting and filing both paper mail and electronic mail. We even learned something new from one of the participants who showed us how to “diary” an email for follow up by using the right click button. Another great tip to move emails out of the inbox!

Old VHS Home Videos

If you are still cluttered with VHS tapes of home videos it is possible to convert them into DVD. There are computer programs that can help you with this, or you can hire someone to do it for you.

Skinny vs. Fat Clothes

Ten years ago I got down to a size 2. It felt great but it was very hard to maintain that size. I'm now a size 8, but I have hung on to my size 2 jeans for a long time, along with my size 4 and 6s! Do I think I really will wear the skinny sizes again? Why am I making myself feel bad for being a size 8?

"Goal clothes are a big no-no. First and foremost, they are depressing to look at, and secondly, by the time you are able to fit into them again, they may be out of style."

I have finally rid my closet of my unrealistic size 2s and 4s. This has made room for updated clothes in sizes I can wear now. Plus, I love the extra space I have in my closet!!

Start cleaning out your closet and make room for new. It feels great!

Need a reason to "pop" a cork?

To turn wine corks into flooring and wall tiles, send them to Wine Cork Recycling, Yemm & Hart Ltd., 610 South Chamber Drive, Fredericktown, MO 63645. Or put them in your compost bin – they are a natural product. Of course, plastic corks can’t be composted or recycled.

Or better yet, buy wine with screw top closures. Not as romantic but still as good!

Are you a paper saver?

We all come across a cartoon, poem, recipe, article – the list is endless- something that we think we want to save. But beware of becoming a paper collector. Many people take up a lot of space with papers that never get read. Ask yourself how important a sheet of paper is to you before you take ownership of it.

And remember, papers that are important today, may not be so important next week. It is vital to go through your files and piles on a regular basis and recycle anything that is outdated or no longer necessary. Do this at a minimum every six months.

Kessler Simple Solutions can assist you in going through your piles of paper and cleaning out your files. Go here to see all the ways we can help.

Scrap those scraps - of paper.

Avoid writing important notes on scraps of paper, for example the back of your bank account deposit slips. For one thing, scraps of paper are easily lost and for another, they do nothing but add to the paper clutter. If you have to write something important down, write it in a notebook. Then you can more easily transfer your notes to your calendar, To Do list, Rolodex or wherever.

Reducing telemarketing calls

Federal law prohibits telemarketers from

"Initiating an outbound telephone call to a person when that person previously has stated that he or she does not wish to receive an outbound telephone call made by or on behalf of the seller whose goods or services are being offered."

You may simply interrupt the telemarketer and say "Please permanently remove me from your calling list". Remember that they just interrupted you. If the same people call back, they are violating the law.