Children are creative little things and before they reach the sixth grade they’ll have a Louvre sized collection of art for you - attics and closets overflowing with priceless portraits of Fido, finger painted abstracts, cut-out picture collages, Thanksgiving turkey drawings, self-portraits and other memorable pieces. So, how can you save your little Picasso’s works for decades to come and de-clutter the house in the process? The answer: Save My Kid’s Art. Read the rest »

To avoid burnt crusts on your meat, baste your meat during the last few minutes of cooking so that high sugar content sauces don’t carmelize.

It’s time to tackle your closet.The first week of March I asked you to empty out your coat closet. Last week we tackled your children’s closets. Now I am asking you to check out your own closet.

I would like to challenge you to empty out your closet entirely. Make four piles (or have bins) and as your emptying place each item in the following categories:

• Keep
• Sell
• Donate/Give Away
• Throw out

What to Keep?
I have heard all sorts of different strategies on how to decide what to keep. My system is quite simple. If I would not buy the item TODAY it gets tossed. Try to not think about how much (or how little) you paid for the item. It’s time to take the emotions out of the things around you! Also, do not keep items that no longer fit you. I clearly remember hanging onto a dream size wardrobe. What I discovered is when I hit my dream size, the clothes were not as spectacular as I had envisioned. If you are trying to fit into a certain dream size, tear out a picture of an outfit from a catalog. When you reach your goal, try the outfit on before you buy it. This is especially true if you are a woman holding onto clothes that fit you before children…5 + years ago!

What to Sell?
Prior to trying to sell your item(s), it is best to research what is the current market price. I sell all my items on ebay. According to “Hoovers”, a D&B Company, ebay now has more than 135 million registered users. I am an ebay consignor so I do this product market research service free for my clients. Once you have an amount of what similar items have sold for in the recent past, you need to decide if you want to sell it or donate it. One thing to keep in mind when selling your item(s) on ebay is that there are no guaranties your item will sell at the price you would like it to, or that it will sell at all.

What to Donate/Give Away?
If you plan on donating your items to a non-profit charity make sure you keep a good record of what was donated and have the charitable organization sign your receipt. (See the charitable donation spreadsheet.) When you donate to a non-profit organization that is accepted by the federal government as such, you can claim each item for its fair market value. A good rule of thumb to use when trying to come up with a fair market value would be 25% of the retail price.

What to Throw Away?
Throw away overly used and damaged shoes and clothing.

Now that your closet is completely empty it is time to give it a good cleaning top to bottom. Before you start loading the closet back with only the items you have in your “Keep” pile, its time to evaluate what areas of your closet were the most cluttered. If it was your shoes, place a shoe shelf to place in the bottom. Perhaps it was the shelf above the coats that was overwhelmed with stuff. Measure the area and place bins or baskets and designate each; purses, belts, etc. Before you run right out to your nearest “mart” store to get bins and baskets make sure that you don’t already have something in your home that would work just fine. Try to design a no-fail system for yourself and spouse.

Use this document to track your charitable donations for tax purposes. NOTE: We are not tax attorneys. The sole intent of publishing this document is to help track your donations. Consult your own attorney with any questions.

Download here: charitable-donation.doc.

Last week we worked on cleaning out the coat closet. A lot of the same principles apply when cleaning out your children’s closets. I would highly suggest to not attempt this with your child if at all possible. It can make the task quite daunting! Read the rest »

Clever Parents: You’ve got your hands full, how do you make time for training, coaching, business, and family?
Coach Troy Jacobson: I prioritize my ‘areas’ of life and focus on the things that offer the highest paybacks. These are related to my personal value system, of which my family is at the very top of the list.

Everyday is an exciting one that I can’t wait to start and it usually begins with getting my 2-year-old daughter out of bed early in the morning and spending time with her. From that point on, everything else falls into place according to my schedule and I accomplish as much as possible everyday. Read the rest »

Is Diaper Free Baby for you? Melinda Rothstein and Elizabeth Parise share their additional thoughts on the benefits of the Diaper Free Baby way, tips for getting started, and more…