I’ve always enjoyed catalog shopping. It was fun shopping from the comfort of my own home. My husband used to tease me about spending so much time waiting on the post office line to return packages. I told him it was better than standing on a fitting room line. When catalogs moved to the internet and the postal service starting picking up return packages, shopping from home became even more alluring. I don’t have to wait on line at the post office…
Read more →Henry Ford allegedly said that you could have the Model T in any color you want, as long as it’s black. While I have long laughed at that statement, I have recently become aware of the elegance and simplicity of it. And it’s all because of my socks. For years, I have worn only three colors of pants: black, navy blue, and gray. As a result, I have been buying only three colors of socks. Pretty simple, right? The problem occurs…
Read more →Lots of times we hold on to something “just in case”. We may not have a use for it now, but we can imagine it coming in handy at some point in the future. While this is not a bad plan, it gets out of control when we use that excuse to hold on to too many things, or things that are big and take up a lot of space. I’ve started a new policy of using up my “just…
Read more →Long-time readers of my organizing tips may recall an earlier rant of mine on the tyranny of coupons (Coupons: To Clip or Not To Clip?) Coupons induce us to behave in irrational ways that waste our time and create clutter. Similarly, sales are likely to have the same effect. When we are shopping for something specific, it’s quite delightful to find that the item we planned to buy is on sale and we can purchase it for less than expected. However,…
Read more →One of my five basic organizing principles is “Keep like with like”. In my clients’ homes, I see over and over again what happens when this principle is violated. I often hear the anguished cry, “I had no idea I had so many of these!” When you don’t keep like with like, one of two results is likely to happen: (1) you run out, or (2) you overbuy. You may be asking yourself, how can one behavior result in two…
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