Holiday Shopping Tips

With Valentine's Day tomorrow, I thought this was a great time to share these holiday shopping tips originally published on Valentine's Day 2006. 

Here are a few brief tips to avoid the stress and rush of last minute shopping:

1) Birthdays---Write all important birthdays of loved ones in your calendar. This can be done once a year if you purchase paper calendars. If you use an electronic calendar this only needs to be done once. Set a time once a month to shop for cards or gifts.

2) Weddings/Showers/Etc.---When you receive the invitation, take a moment to mark your calendar and RSVP. While you have your calendar handy, set a time to shop on-line or in store for a gift. For best selection on gift registries, shop soon after you receive the invitation.

3) Major Holidays (Christmas/Hanukkah/Etc.)---Shopping year round can be a great way to reduce stress and spread out the expense, but only if you keep the items in one place AND keep a detailed record of what you purchase for whom. I have worked with many clients that forgot about their year round purchases and ended up shopping at the last minute anyway.

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. Do you need to conquer the clutter in your closet? Carolyn will be presenting "Conquer Your Closet" through Ann Arbor Rec and Ed on Friday, March 15, 2013. Register with Ann Arbor Rec and Ed. 

Clearing Kid Clutter

Telling Santa Christmas wishes. 

Back in February I provided some basic tips on the Simply Organized Life blog to Cut Kid Clutter. 

Here are some additional tips that are being employed in my household (see also last week's post) as we approach the holiday season.

1) Talk to Your Kids

For most kids, more is more. However, as parents or guardians, we know that a clean uncluttered environment is important to our kids' physical and mental well being.  

My children are quite young so we keep it simple. For example: "We need to let go of some stuff you no longer use to make room for new things." I hate to admit it, but we have also mentioned Santa in our conversations. 

2) Involve the Kids

Now that your children are aware of the fact that they cannot keep outgrown clothing or toys they no longer play with, involve them in the process in age appropriate ways. 

Because some items are sentimental to me too, I like to pick out things that I feel are ready to leave the home and give my kids a choice of what they want to sell or give away. They enjoy giving things to younger extended family members or earning some of the proceeds from the toys we sell. 

3) Set Clear Limits

Only you can decide how much is too much in your home. Setting clear limits (for both your kids and yourself) is a great way to keep clutter from taking over.

Most of us do well with some sort of container to limit our possessions. For example: Only own as many books as will fit in your bookcase or as many clothes as fit in your closet or dresser. Even very young children can understand that the toy box is full and there is not room for anything else. 

Sometimes kid clutter (and adult clutter) can be overwhelming. If you need help with the clutter in your life, please contact Carolyn to schedule a complementary telephone consultation. 

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. To receive a free copy of Carolyn's "Secrets of a Simply Organized Life"and a monthly subscription to the e-newsletter "Your Simply Organized Life" sign up here. 

Preparing for the Holidays

Bringing out the Christmas decorations. 

In my home, we are busy preparing for the Christmas holiday. This year we have chosen to take a slow and steady approach in order to involve the kids as much as possible. Every weekend, we pick a small decorating project and have one outing.  

Along with the traditional holiday preparations, I have been focused on clearing clutter in our home, particularly kid clutter. Last year, I was overwhelmed by the generosity of our family and friends toward our children. Even after taking care of holiday returns, we still had a lot of new stuff.

What does clearing clutter look like in a professional organizer's home? Any outgrown clothing or toys have been passed on to the younger child, given to extended family, taken to a local resale shop or donated to charity.

I have also been letting go of my unneeded clothing and household items, such as those blankets we never use and excess belongings stored in the basement. The website www.donatestuff.com is so easy to use that I have scheduled Purple Heart to come out twice in the last  three months.

All of this clutter clearing has been enriching my life, and I hope, that of my immediate family. 

If you are preparing for Christmas, in the midst of Hanukkah or celebrate another winter holiday, my wish is that these tips will help you be just a little more organized and a lot less stressed.

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. To receive a free copy of Carolyn's "Secrets of a Simply Organized Life"and a monthly subscription to the e-newsletter "Your Simply Organized Life" sign up here. 

Simplified Gift Giving

Over the last few years spring and summer have brought birthday parties, bridal showers and weddings to my family. This year seems to be the same, which gets me thinking about simplified gift giving. 


Some folks love the whole process of shopping, buying, wrapping and giving gifts so much that they have whole rooms devoted to the process. For me, and I assume many readers, it is more like a corner of a closet. 


I recommend shopping for gifts as you need them to avoid wasting money on a stockpile with no recipients. Remember, that "on sale" item won't be a bargain if it sits in a closet unused. 


Keeping a running list of gift ideas in the notes feature on my iPhone and in Outlook on my PC helps when it is gift giving time. The cloud application Evernote could also be used for this. 


To save time shopping, I have standard clutter free gifts (usually something consumable like nice chocolates) that I like to give. For bridal showers and weddings, I typically check the registry on-line as soon as possible and then go into the store to purchase both the shower and wedding gift while there is a good selection in my price range. 


To save time gift wrapping, I always ask if the store has free gift wrap and take advantage of that service. This is a perk that you will find at many locally owned specialty stores and gift registries. 


For those gifts that I need to wrap myself, I keep one roll of gender neutral, all occasion gift wrap on hand. This avoids the need to store multiple rolls of gift wrap. In addition, I have a ribbon bin (which always entertains my kids while I am wrapping gifts) and a collection of gift bags. Most of the ribbons and gift bags are the best ones salvaged from previous gifts. 


These gift giving tips help keep my life simple and save money for my family. 


Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. To receive a free copy of Carolyn's "Secrets of a Simply Organized Life" and a monthly subscription to the e-newsletter "Your Simply Organized Life" sign up here. 

Holiday Returns

Carolyn making a holiday return at REI in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

This past Christmas, Santa brought my family a few items that were not just right. 


With all of the extra stuff that the holidays brought to our home, things were getting a little cluttered. Leaving the packaging in place, I separated the items we really did not need.  


Then I went about gathering the receipts that I could obtain and scheduled making the returns in my calendar. 


Between appointments last week, I made my returns and even found a couple of bargains, making sure I did not bring more into the home than I left with. 


Overall, the process was super easy, especially at REI in Ann Arbor, Michigan where a fellow shopper agreed to snap a photo of me with REI team member, Matt (pictured above at left). 


I did not have the receipts for a couple of items, but it was clear where they were from. Both stores offered me a gift card credited with the lowest item price. In one case, the store credit was so low that I did not feel it was worth it to make the return (this item went into my re-gifting box). However, I accepted a gift card from the other store and will make a point to use up the credit for something that we need in the near future. 


In many cases gift cards or gift certificates do expire. Be sure to make a point of using up those gift cards in the next few months, before they expire or get lost in the shuffle. 


Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. On Saturday, January 14, 2012 Carolyn will be presenting "Simply Organize the New Year:  5 Simple Strategies to Keep Your New Year's Resolution" at the Women's Health and Fitness Day in Ypsilanti, Michigan, a free event. 

Stress Free Holiday Tip #7

Tip #7: Clutter Free Gifts

As we get closer to the holidays it is natural to feel a little pressure to get that "perfect gift" for a family member or friend. Rather than rush out to the mall or the nearest big box store, consider gifts that are both useful and clutter free.

What is a clutter free gift?
I consider clutter free gifts to be anything that the person receiving has requested, can use or will not take up much space. This can include consumable items such as food, home spa items, bird seed, or basically anything that will be used up in the months ahead. Clutter free gifts can also include services such as organizing, oil changes, snow removal, spa treatments or any kind of service that offers gift certificates. Charitable donations were also mentioned in stress free holiday tip #6.

A clutter free gift does not have to cost anything but your time and can be homemade. A friend told me that she (along with her siblings) prepares and gives complete frozen meals to their elderly parents. What a wonderful way to share and care for someone you love!

A note about gift cards
Gift cards are great, but are not always clutter free and some do expire. When working with clients, I often stumble across unused gift cards. Please be sure that the gift card is for a store or restaurant that the person frequently visits and that using the gift card will not add more clutter to their space.

Being organized is not about being perfect. In my next post I will write about accepting imperfection during the holidays and every day.

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life.

Stress Free Holiday Tip #6

Tip #6: Ask for It

My intention with this holiday tip is not to focus on material gift giving or to make demanding requests of family members. Instead, the intent is to get away from giving meaningless gifts or worse yet, something that might be considered clutter.

The truth of the matter is that most people stress over holiday gift giving. This tip is meant to eliminate some of that stress both on the giving and receiving ends.

By letting your loved ones know what you want for the holidays you help them give a gift that will be appreciated for years to come. Furthermore, what you might want for the holidays may not be material at all. This is especially true for our older relatives that probably have everything that they need, but just want to spend some time with family.

You should also ask others what they want for the holidays. If your friends and family respond openly, this tip can save you time, frustration and money---especially if you happen to be a last minute shopper.

There will be people that readily tell you what they want. Then there are others that will say something like "oh, I don't need anything" and you know well they will expect a gift come holiday time. For these more challenging folks on your list, look and listen for cues they might give you regarding something they might need or be able to use. A donation to their favorite cause may be just perfect.

By sharing our wishes with our friends and family during the holidays, we get away from frenzied holiday shopping and focus on what is really important during this special time.

In tip #7 I will share my ideas for clutter free gifts.

Would you like more tips on surviving the holidays without a big mess? The December 1st edition of "Your Simply Organized Life" delivers. Sign up here and receive a free gift.

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life.