seasons - My Pretty Pennies

Decluttering: When to Hold ‘em and When to Toss ‘em

April 4, 2013 12 Comments

Is it possible to be a hoarder and a minimalist?

I hope so, because that is me.

I act on both ends of the spectrum, and watch out! — it changes fast. Suddenly, a post-it note that reads Soup’s on the counter and remote’s on the couch. Feel better babe! becomes a piece of history I want to save and document forever. In the next moment, I look at the box of my wedding planning stuff and want to chuck it all in the garbage in the name of Simplification.

The frugal and resourceful side of me struggles with throwing things away. I ask, What if I need this later? I will have to buy it again! The minimalist in me says, Oh forget about it! If you haven’t used it in a month, be gone! Depending on my mood, I am bound to make some rash decisions and keep things that need to be tossed and toss things that really should be saved.

To help my bipolar tendencies, I decided to put together a comprehensive list of everything I want to keep and toss. My rules for decluttering, if you will. At first this was just a small little list of things I was on the fence about, but I just kept writing and it got a little out of control (or under control, depending on how you look at it.)

In the next few weeks I am going to do some serious Spring Cleaning (J and Leia, you’ve been warned), and these rules will help guide me when my hoarder or minimalist tendencies start to drive me crazy. An important piece I will need to keep in mind is having a designated spot for everything. This is going to take some serious organizing. A lot of things in the keep pile, I will have to donate in order to fit in its designated spot. For example, I will be donating a lot of office supplies. It’s good to have on hand, but two shoeboxes full of pens is a little much. If it doesn’t fit in our desk drawer… off it goes!

CLOSET & BATHROOM | CLOTHES & BEAUTY

KEEP:

Buttons, in a jar
Hair ties and bobby pins
Old towels (to use for cleaning or Leia), so long as they fit in my designated bag (otherwise donate)
Clothes, shoes and bags I’ve worn in the last year

TOSS or DONATE:

Any clothes that are damaged or have pit stains
Dresses or skirts that require a slip (I never wear slips, and probably won’t start anytime soon)
Summer dresses and shirts that are low-cut and require a camisole underneath (this is a personal preference… I wear light-weight clothes in the summer to avoid extra clothing, so when if it requires an undershirt for modesty’s sake, it feels uncomfortable and never gets worn)
Clothes that are see-through or too tight
Clothes too big, even if I think I will may wear it if I’m pregnant
Wool sweaters or socks (I never wear them)
Hats that look funny on me
Shoes that are uncomfortable to walk in or worn down
Bags I don’t like or never use anymore
Old make-up, lotions or hair products I don’t use
Missing socks or earrings

KITCHEN & LAUNDRY ROOM | entertaining & cleaning

KEEP:

Grocery bags that can fit in my pantry bag-holder (otherwise toss)
White fast food napkins
Vases, pitchers, outdoor pots, etc.
Platters
Paper plates, unless they are ugly or flimsy

TOSS or DONATE:

Recipes that weren’t good from my recipe binder
Expired food
Expired medication or old prescriptions
Grocery bags that don’t fit in my pantry bag-holder
Cleaning products with chemicals
Cookbooks that are too complicated or require expensive ingredients I’ve never heard of
Ugly or outdated mugs I never use
Any kitchen spatulas, etc. that are broken or have too many duplicates

GUEST ROOM & OFFICE | organization, decor & hobbies

KEEP:

Pens, paper and post-it notes that can fit in my desk drawer; all others get donated
Arts and craft supplies that fit in my designated drawer
Baskets and storage items, unless broken or ugly
Yearbooks
Fabric, ribbon, wreaths and seasonal decorations, unless it’s ugly or never used
Paperclips and clothes pins
Financial documents from the past 5 years in an organized folder
Unused plain picture frames for future gallery walls
Magazines from the past 4 months (put all recipes I want to make in a recipe binder)
Half or full marathon medals
Manuals or programming directions for technologies or electronics we own and use, saved in a file folder
College diplomas

TOSS or DONATE:

Magazines older than 5 months
Books I will never read, don’t care to display or have duplicate copies
All bulletins, wedding invitations, or announcements after the date from acquaintances or extended family.
Unused ugly picture frames
Financial documents older than 5 years old (shred)
Scrapbooking stuff (at this point in my life I won’t be doing any)
CDs or DVDs that skip or never watch/listen to
College notebooks (if it has a lot of great content, store it in my office at work)
Empty notebooks (at this point I’ve created a notebook for everything I need, and if I need to buy one they’re like $1)
Manuals or programming directions for technologies or electronics we don’t use, would never consider returning, selling or having a question about
Expired coupons or giftcards
Trophies, medals or certificates that aren’t important
Retail receipts we don’t need
High school or earlier diplomas
Pens or markers that don’t work
Old calendars and planners
Wrapping paper or gift bags I would never use
Used tissue paper

MEMORIES | MISCELLANEOUS

KEEP:

Bulletins, wedding invitations or announcements only from my immediate family or closest friends in a designated box
Anything from my wedding or early dating of significance
Photo albums (for now until I can create a digital version)
Tickets that have significance (this list is small)
Childhood journals

TOSS or DONATE:

All tickets that have no significance (which is most — such as plane, bus, concert, game tickets)
Old photos that are unflattering or poor quality
Church study guides (unless it was a really good one I wrote a lot in)
Post it notes, birthday cards, letters that don’t have any significance

Whew! I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me. I know these rules are a bit over-kill and most of the stuff is intuitive, but having it written down is going to help me immensely. I’ll let you know how it goes in the next few weeks. :)

What would you do differently?
Do you tend to tend to be a minimalist or hoarder?
How do you decide whether something is worth saving for later?

Filed Under: decisions, decoration, for fun, home, housing, seasons

My Spring Bucket List

March 21, 2013 12 Comments

Yesterday was the first day of spring. Huzzah! Of course you wouldn’t know it as the high is 43-degrees today, but the trees and flowers have started to bloom and I know soon the temperature will catch up soon enough. I love putting together intentions and goals for each season, and decided to create a spring bucket list:

What is on your bucket list this spring?

Filed Under: for fun, goals, holidays, life, seasons

Winter in the Woods

March 5, 2013 3 Comments

I love the woods in the winter. I love that familiar paths you take in the summer look completely different. Everything seems more open, more spacious. I love that you can walk through thick brush without running into spider webs. I love that earthy, wet smell walking over leaves that have been dead for months. I love the cold air that fills your lungs and makes you feel alert and alive.

Sunday afternoon was one of those classic, cold, sunny North Carolina winter days. I decided to take Leia to the Umstead State Park, a huge park of forests and trails in the middle of Raleigh. We hiked for a long time, trying to get lost, but my sense of direction always took me back to a trail I knew.

I’m the kind of person who likes to keep moving. Rush to the next meeting, the next activity, the next goal, the next season. My mind is going so fast, from activity to activity, it’s like I’m a cartoon character, barely touching the ground as I go. But being in nature grounds me. During those hours of hiking, just my sweet pup and me, I experienced that rare, beautiful moment of stillness and peace.

Umstead State Park

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalm 46:10

PS – Raleigh locals, have any of you been to the Umstead State Park? What are your favorite trails? Also, a post about the park in autumn.

Filed Under: beauty, blessings, faith, for fun, seasons, weekends

Preparing for Tax Season

February 19, 2013 3 Comments

It’s February 19th, which means for about three weeks you’ve had an ugly stack of scary tax envelopes on your desk taunting you every time you pass. Or maybe that’s just me? Actually, I am in the minority of people who enjoys filing taxes, but perhaps that’s because I am a nerd who loves finances. Plus it helps that we normally get back a refund. Here are some tips on how you can prepare for this tax season, and get ahead for next year.

Preparing-for-Tax-Season

1. Gather your tax documents. Each January, employers, banks, charitable organizations, and financial institutions send out tax forms for the previous year. You may receive some or all of these in the mail that will factor into your taxes:

W-2 – a summary of your pay from your employers
1099-INT – interest earned
1099-DIV – dividends you received
1099-B forms – transactions involving stocks, bonds, etc
1099-MISC forms – any income from self-employment
K-1 forms – if you have a partnership, small business, or trust
1099-SSA – if you receive social security

Deductions:

Mortgage interest
Medical receipts
Charitable donation receipts
Education receipts
Moving expenses
Childcare costs

2. Decide the best filing option for you. Will you contact a CPA to handle your taxes or do your own taxes with sites like HR Block or TurboTax.com? If you work with a CPA, find out if there are any additional forms you need to fill out. For online sites, find out if there are any additional costs and research the pros/cons for either. If you have just a few tax forms, don’t own a house or haven’t moved states, it may be easier to file online. If you have a complicated portfolio, you may want to outsource it to an accountant.

3. File and create a plan. If you owe money, you have until April 15 to pay. Keep in mind that is a little less than two months, so figure out if the money will come from your next paychecks or savings. If you get back a refund, create a plan for how you are going to use that money. Will it go to help one of your financial steps? Are you going to spend that on a trip, or something fun? It is good to allocate that money to something specific or else you’ll easily spend it on everyday expenses (which may be fine too, if that’s what you need. It’s just good to have a plan before it hits your checking account.)

4. Get organized for next year’s taxes. The way to make tax season seamless is to be very organized throughout the year. Start preparing for next year, by:

Keep folders for your tax information throughout the year. Whenever you get a charity statement, business document, tax document, or W-2, file it away in a folder.
Start a folder for receipts, specifically for any health, medical, charity, moving, or childcare-related purchases.
Save all of your tax information from the previous years in a folder for up to seven years.
Reevaluate your withholdings and alter your W-2 if you don’t want to owe as much next year.

The point is to keep things simple and organized. Keep in mind I am not an accountant, so if you need any tax-related advice, contact a professional CPA. :)

Filed Under: money, seasons, to do

Dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder

November 14, 2012 6 Comments

I have self-diagnosed myself with seasonal affective disorder. A very mild case of it. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I get depressed, but the season certainly affects me.

I get a little sad every day at 4:30 pm watching the sunset in my office, no matter how beautiful it may be. Traffic is unnaturally heavy for everyone to be driving in the dark. Running errands seem strange in the dark and I feel rushed, like I need to get home soon. I tend to fall asleep on the couch at 9 pm because, why not? It’s been dark for five hours.

Do you ever feel that way?

I think if most of us are honest, we all have a little big of seasonal affective disorder in us. (Except maybe a select few like my dad and friend Catherine, whose favorite season is the dead of winter.) But for the rest of us, the sun gives us energy and life and feel its affects when we don’t see it as much. Where you live also makes a big difference. I’m used to a sunny North Carolina climate, and I can’t imagine living in the Northwest Pacific where it is rainy and cloudy 8 months of the year. I know this disorder would be amplified in an environment like that.

Some suggestions for getting out of the darkness funk include going outside in the middle of the day, even if it’s cloudy. You could also try light treatment, where you sit in front of a UV lamp for a few hours a day. Exercise always produces endorphins, so find ways to get moving when you can. If you really need help, there is always medication you can take.

But for me, despite my natural tendency to get sad with the circumstance of the season, I can honestly say I don’t mind this time of year… and that’s because of the holidays. Thank goodness for the holidays. November and December are the darkest months, and without the distraction of Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching, this time of year would be so much harder to bear. But instead we have the delightful anticipation of a season filled with family and coziness. Giving and giving thanks. Togetherness and reflection over the past year. The holidays are the bright hope in the darkest time of the year, and for that I am so, so thankful.

–

Do you suffer from seasonal affective disorder this time of year? Do you have any ways to remedy or treat the symptoms?

PS – I was reminded of the movie Darkness Falls when I wrote this post. Has anyone seen that movie? If you haven’t, don’t. It’s an awful movie about a scary tooth fairy. I advise against seeing it… :)

Filed Under: health, health & wellness, life, seasons

Highlights of 2011

December 30, 2011 4 Comments

Oh hello there! It’s nice to see you all again. :) I have been enjoying my week off, but thought I’d pop by and share some thoughts on the eve of 2012. This year will forever be near and dear to my heart.

Here are a few highlights from this amazing year:

I moved into my current apartment.

I saw this cute couple get married.

My dear friends and family threw me a wonderful wedding shower.