If you’re planning to have a yard sale during the summer, check out our Yard Sale Checklist.
If you’re looking for some fun things to do this summer, check out these ideas from CAA.
Do you need some summer reading suggestions? To celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, CBC compiled a list of The 150 bestselling Canadian books in the past 10 years.
Whether you’re putting your home up for sale or are clearing out some clutter, check out our Yard Sale Checklist.
…IT’S AUGUST!
…It’s been more than a few months since my last
…newsletter. Life threw me another curve ball. This
…time, however, it was expected–for the most part.
In a span of five months, three family members had joint replacements and another major surgery. Countless hours were spent at the hospital, on the highway and caring for my mother. There are times in life when family and friends need to be first on the priority list. I am grateful for clients and business associates who are so understanding. I did, however, complete a very large client move which required me to be out of town for six weeks.
During times like this, I had to remind myself that there’s only one of me. As my business coach said recently, “I wish I could clone you!” If only it were that simple!
It’s important to take care of yourself when life gets to be overwhelming. Here are 106 Tips from Caregivers which may be helpful if you find yourself in that situation.
The past month has been busy, but it hasn’t all been work-related. We celebrated my niece’s wedding several weeks ago. I’d like to officially welcome Patrice to our family–as well as all of his family who travelled from France. It’s been the summer for weddings, as we’ve had the honour of attending two others as well–at beautiful locations.
I also managed to squeeze in six days of rest and relaxation at a friend’s cottage on beautiful Lake Temagami.
Have you been promising yourself that you’ll clean out the garage or have a yard sale this summer? Here are links to a couple of past blog posts–for our new readers and for those who asked for a repeat.
Get started and turn over another leaf!
Spring has finally sprung!
Spring is the time of year when we like to clear out the cobwebs, splash on a fresh coat of paint, and spruce up tired areas of our homes.
So let’s get started and turn over another leaf!
ORGANIZING A DECORATING/RENOVATING PROJECT
“Among these several kinds of beauty the eye takes most delight in colours.”
Joseph Addison (English Poet, 1672-1719)
Planning
If you’re planning to redecorate or renovate, start your plan on paper. Determine your budget.
Renovating can be stressful. However long you think the project will take, add some extra time to your estimate. Unexpected delays are often a reality of renovation projects.
Supplies
Create a list of everything you will need in order to avoid numerous trips to the store.
Professional Help
Hiring a decorating professional for a 1-2 hour consultation may seem expensive, but one large mistake may prove more costly.
Choose a contractor if you’re not doing the work yourself. Get family and friends to recommend someone. Check out the contractor’s references, and contact the Better Business Bureau.
Outside Projects
If you are planning to build a new deck or outside structure, don’t forget to contact your local utilities in advance. “Call before you dig” is always sound advice. You don’t want to cut hydro/power, telephone or TV/internet cables, and/or water or gas lines. Always think safety first!
Inspiration
Which styles do you like–traditional, contemporary, country, cottage or eclectic? What colours do you like?
A piece of fabric or artwork can be the inspiration for a whole room/area. If you plan to redecorate more than one room/area, think about the colour flow.
Watch a decorating show. Take a walk through a furniture store or fabric store. Peruse some decorating magazines. Canadian House & Home and Style at Home are good ones; they provide the Canadian sources for many of the featured items.
Storage
How can you decide what to build for storage if you don’t know what items will be stored in that location? Purge as you pack your belongings, so that you can determine your storage needs. Reassembling your room will be easier also.
Furniture and Placement
Will you be rearranging your current furniture, switching pieces from another room in your home or adding new pieces?
Decorators often recommend neutral colours for investment pieces. It is much easier to replace your accessories than to replace your sofa.
Remember that large pieces of furniture look smaller in the showroom than they will in your home. It is extremely important to take the measurements home beforehand and check to see if the new pieces will fit. You can tape an outline of the furniture on the floor, so that you don’t have to move heavy furniture.
Choose furniture that performs double duty—an ottoman with a tray and storage inside, a sofa with a bed, etc.
Colour
Changing the colour of a room is the easiest change you can make, and it will give you the biggest bang for your buck.
Keep in mind that it is easier to mix a paint colour to co-ordinate with your fabric and/or furniture than the other way around. Take fabric samples to the paint store. We can recognize over 7,000,000 colours, but we can’t remember an exact colour for more than 30 seconds.
Choose an environmentally friendly paint if your budget allows. Large paint chips and test pots are available at some paint stores. If you don’t want to test the paint on the wall, paint a small piece of bristol board. You will be able to move the board around to different locations to see what the colour looks like at different times of the day and night. Light is an important issue when choosing a paint colour.
Did you know that if you paint a cool colour in a north-facing room, it feels even cooler? Did you know that if you paint a warm colour in a south-facing room, it feels even warmer?
If you choose a neutral colour, a variety of textures in the room will make it work well.
Accessories
Here is where you can use this year’s trendy colours. Take paint chips and fabric samples when you look for accessories. Remember that items don’t need to match exactly—as long as the colours blend.
Meals
Plan ahead for easy meals. When cooking, double a recipe and freeze one batch. This is especially important if you are renovating your kitchen. What will you be able to access? Can you cook outside? Consider using paper plates if you won’t have a kitchen sink to wash dishes or use your dishwasher.
If you’ll be ordering take-out, don’t forget to include those costs in your budget.
If you take the time to plan well, your decorating/renovating project should go more smoothly, and your money will likely be spent more wisely.
Check out our CHECKLISTS!
Is there a particular checklist that you’d like to see?Please send us a note with your request.
We’ll get to work so that you can get checking!
Welcome to our second edition The Monthly Organizer! I apologize that it’s been so long since the first edition. Recovering from an operation took more time than expected, but I’m back.
I invite you to share our newsletter with your friends and family. As well, I welcome your feedback and suggestions.
How is your ideal life coming along? If it’s not progressing as quickly as you would like, that’s OK. Even small steps keep you moving forward.
Let’s get started and turn over another leaf!
Organizing Your Yard Sale
“Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them.” Napoleon Bonaparte
It’s that time of year. Congratulations if you have decluttered and decided to have a yard sale. The next step is to plan it and get organized. If you’ve never had a yard sale before, check out a few beforehand. It may help you determine appropriate prices for your items. Maybe you’ll decide that a yard sale is not worth your time and effort.
Planning
Determine the date and time. Choose an alternate date in case of poor weather.
Decide whether you will advertise in the paper or put up signs in your neighbourhood. Post a store-bought sign, or let your children put their creative talents to work.
Ask friends, neighbours and family to join your sale. Larger sales tend to attract more people.
Make sure you have sufficient help on the day of your sale.
Preparation
Sort items into categories—toys, books, household items, furniture, clothing, etc. Display similar or complementary items together.
Ensure that all items are clean and in good, working condition.
Determine whether items will be priced individually or have a price sign for each different section–$1, $2, $5, $10, $25.
If other people are joining your sale, each person should mark his/her items differently, or you can keep track of each person’s sales in a notebook.
If you decide to donate a portion of your sale profits to charity, put up a sign to tell your customers.
Supplies
Note: Remember to get a good night’s sleep the night before your sale!
Sale Day
Allow yourself sufficient time to get everything set up before your scheduled start time. Set up as much as possible the day or night before your sale.
Delegate one person to be in charge of the cash box. Never leave it unguarded.
Be prepared to negotiate the price. Remember that you want to sell as much as possible!
Have fun! Let your kids sell coffee or cold drinks.
After the Yard Sale
Drop off any unsold items which you are donating as soon as possible once your yard sale is finished. You don’t want your left-over items collecting dust!
Be as kind to the environment as possible. Good, usable items should not be thrown in the garbage.
Talk to your friends, neighbours and family to see if there are items which they can use. Remember–you don’t want to add to someone else’s clutter!
The list of charitable organizations accepting donations or businesses accepting items for sale is almost unlimited. You should call ahead of time to ensure that your items will be accepted.
Online
Sell items online at www.eBay.com, www.craigslist.com, www.freecycle.com or Kijiji. There are businesses who will sell items online for you if you don’t want to do it yourself. The cost is a percentage of the sale price.
Recycling
Reduce what you send to the landfill by recycling as much as possible. Old cell phones can be donated to e-waste programs. Ink cartridges can be refilled or donated for school programs.
Junk Removal Companies
Contact a junk removal company ahead of time if you have a large quantity for disposal.
And last but not least–don’t forget to reward yourself for all your hard work!!
Cathy Mendler
Phone: 519-669-1377
Email: info@anewleaforganizers.ca
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