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Did you know that there is a ‘National Clean Out Your Garage Day?’ Well, sure enough there is, and it was last Saturday, September 12, 2015. Why not take advantage of the beautiful, upcoming autumn season, and get the process started?

Purging your garage and utilizing all the space your driveway affords, is the perfect spot to sort through all the clutter that you’ve accumulated over the years. Soon enough, you’ll need your Halloween décor and Thanksgiving Day bin, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve been busy entertaining, traveling, and heading to the pool all summer. Believe it or not, even as a professional organizer, my garage tends to get messy. There’re serving platters from my last social gathering, cases of beverages that haven’t been placed into the garage fridge yet, suitcases from our last trip, my pool chairs, and my cooler which I bring to the shore on the weekends. Also, I have my donation bags that I fill year round, electronics that I plan to recycle for my clients, and gardening tools that I keep on the floor for ongoing projects.

Below are some helpful tips to help you get the process started:

–Set up bins & trash bags in the driveway labeled donate, shred, trash, recycle, & sell.  Keep in mind that most liquor stores give boxes away for free, and they are small enough to handle when heavy.
–Put everything that is on the floor outside in the driveway. Now you can walk safely around your garage. Sweep and dust as you go.
–Make a plan as to where you’re going to store your belongings. For example, garden supplies on this wall, tools here & seasonal items there. Set it up like a little store. Use temporary labels for your specific zones.
–Start sorting like with like. Maybe you’ll need some shelving. Personally, I like Gorilla shelves or clear bins. Also, I use nice big labels on all sides of the bins and on the shelves.

Even though ‘National Clean Out your Garage Day‘ is history, the present state of your garage may require your getting it done even though it is a few days or weeks later. If the task seems a little daunting, that’s the perfect time to ask for a some help. Professional organizers are well equipped to help with the most exhausting of projects. You’ll get it done right, and you’ll get it done quickly!

Forget Google! Professional Organizers have a plethora of resources to share with you ranging from recycling centers to special events happening in your area. Here are my favorites:

Consignments shops

~The Attic, Manayunk

“Here at The Attic we aim to provide a fun and engaging environment while also offering advice on modern and vintage trends.”

4335 Main St., Manayunk, PA 19127

Phone: 215-482-0300

~Greene Street, Manayunk

“Since Greene Street opened its doors in 1997, we have been working to offer affordable fashion in a clean, organized, and modern setting.”

4313 Main St., Philadelphia, PA 19127

Phone: 267-335-5478

Donations

~The Salvation Army

This is a huge store which earned the nickname the “Pechin Street Boutique.”

4555 Pechin St., Philadelphia, PA 19128

Phone: 215-483-3340

~Colonial Neighborhood Council

“Colonial Neighborhood Council operates “The Well,” a thrift store offering a household items and clothing for adults and children.”

107 E. 4th Ave., Conshohocken, PA 19428

Phone: 610-828-6595

Recycling

~Best Buy

“Recycling Kiosks — Every U.S. Best Buy store has kiosks, just inside the front doors, to drop off ink and toner cartridges, rechargeable batteries, and wires, cords and cables, plastic bags and gift cards.”

~Whole Foods Market, Plymouth Meeting (the biggest & nicest store I have ever seen)

Recycle batteries, cork, plastic bags, Brita filters, yogurt cups & plastics #5

500 W. Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462

Phone: 610-832-0010

Events

~Household Hazardous Waste Collection

Saturday, May 30- Montgomery County Community College

340 DeKalb Pike (enter campus at 595 Cathcart Road), Blue Bell, PA 19422

~Paper Shredding

Saturday, August 15 (9am – noon)- Abington Junior High School

2056 Susquehanna Road, Abington, PA 19001

~Tire Collections

Saturday, June 6- from 9:00am – noon, Montgomery County Community College

340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422

~Finally, did you know about MedReturn Drug Collection Units? There is one at the Montgomery County Courthouse.

2 E Airy St., Norristown, PA 19401

Phone: 610-278-3000

Some restrictions and fees may apply. Ask the Professional Organizer you hired. They’ll know!

Everyone can agree life can get a little hectic, especially around the holidays. Who has time to read Martha Stewart magazine, shop for the ingredients, put out an amazing buffet, craft fantastic decorations, and then be the “hostess with the mostest” at the time of the party? However, nobody wants to wants to miss out on having fun and seeing friends either. So I’ve come up with an easier way, a simplified way, to celebrate Halloween.

Here’s how to host a simple Halloween party:

• On October 1^st my two Halloween bins come out of storage. One contains decorations, the same ones I use every year because they are full of memories. And the other of costumes, which we like to try on throughout the month just for laughs.

• Around the second week of October I place a flyer in every mailbox on my street, email the neighbors I know personally, and start spreading the word whenever I see anyone out and about.
My invite reads:
Halloween Party at Danielle’s house
Dress warm, bring a chair & snack to share
BYOB

• On the third week of October I purchase my candy, beverages, and paper products. During this time, I also make sure I have enough fire wood and clean up my fire pit.

• Finally Halloween arrives! I start off the day with a short trip to the Conshohocken Bakery where I buy tomato pies, cakes, granola bars, and cookies for later that evening. We set up a buffet table and our fire pit in the driveway and not long after that, the neighbors arrive with chairs and snacks to share.

Sitting under the stars outside with my neighbors, enjoying the warmth and beauty of the fire, and watching the children make their rounds from house to house is a great way to spend Halloween. It’s relaxing, fun and you don’t even have to clean your house! Try it, you’ll love it.

Recently, my workshop for the Holistic Mom’s monthly meeting on “Paper Management for the Green Home” was rescheduled due to a foot of snow. Like many of us, you may be stuck inside during these cold winter days. So why not take advantage of being indoors and organize your home office? Here’s a plan to help you clear your desk while “going green” with less paper.

The first step is to go online and opt out of the unwanted mail coming into your home. Try DMAChoice.org for general junk mail, TrustedID.org for unwanted catalogs and Optoutprescreen.com for pre-approved credit card offers. Create a new email address for coupons and ask to have your monthly statements sent via email.

There are also some wonderful apps for your phone. Catalog Spree allows you to view a variety of different catalogs online. Retail Me Not offers coupons to local stores, and Snip Snap stores your coupons digitally after you take a photo of them on your phone.

Now that you’ve reduced the paper input, it’s time to tackle the existing paper piles.

SORT

• Sort the important mail from the unwanted mail which can be recycled
• Store coupons in your glove compartment
• Place bills in a basket on your desk
• Assign each family member a file or basket

PROCESS

• File your new insurance policy, bank statements and receipts immediately
• Add events to your calendar then use a clipboard for your invitations
• Shred monthly utility bills after the new one comes in

FILE

• Set up your files in alphabetical order
• Assign labels, examples include:
  • Auto- EZ pass, AAA & car purchase receipts
  • Banking- pin numbers, credit card information & credit report
  • Insurance- auto, life & homeowners
  • Medical- test results, EOB’s (Explanation of Benefits) & paid bills

SHRED

• Anything with your social security number unless you need it for tax purposes
• Documents with your signature
• Forms with your birthdate on it
• Account numbers

Holistic living is a lifestyle which seeks balance knowing that all things are interconnected. What you bring into your home directly affects how you feel. How does your home make you feel? Is your home office stressing you out? Try to tackle your paperwork often, perhaps in short intervals, every other day. If you need help, get help! Remember, your home is your sanctuary.

Back in September, I attended my monthly meeting with the Environmentally Conscious Organizers which is a special interest group with the National Association of Professional Organizers. Our guest speaker was Beth Terry, who is the author of “My Plastic Free Life.”  In 2007, Beth began an experiment to see if she could live without plastic and began blogging her experience after seeing a picture of a sea bird carcass whose belly was full of plastic.

She explained how recycling is a business and if there is no market for certain plastics they add them to our landfills or ship them to China just as our e-waste gets shipped to Africa. The best thing we can do is put very little into our recycling buckets as well as our landfill cans.

Most of us at the meeting had heard about the large amount of plastic floating in our ocean. According to Greenpeace.org “The trash vortex is an area the size of Texas in the North Pacific in which an estimated six kilos of plastic for every kilo of natural plankton, along with other slow degrading garbage, swirls slowly around like a clock, choked with dead fish, marine mammals, and birds who get snared. Some plastics in the gyre will not break down in the lifetimes of the grandchildren of the people who threw them away.”

You may be asking, “What does this have to do with organizing?”  Well, this knowledge allows us the chance to train our clients on the many ways we can live in an environmentally conscious home.

Here are some tips from Beth’s list of 99 ways to live a plastic free life from her plastic free living guide.

1.  Carry reusable shopping bags
Say no to plastic produce bags. If you have a car, keep your grocery bags in it and remember to bring them into the store with you! And one more thing: reusable bags are not just for groceries! Carry them for all your purchases, from electronics to clothing.

2.  Give up bottled water
Not only does it come in a plastic bottle, but tremendous resources are used to extract, bottle, and ship it. And many brands of bottled water are simply filtered tap water.  Instead, carry a stainless steel travel mug or water bottle at all times for coffee and other beverages while out and about.

3.  Choose reusable glass or stainless steel containers for leftovers
We save nearly all glass jars and bottles for purchasing bulk foods and for storing leftovers in the refrigerator or even the freezer. When we run out of jars, we store leftovers in bowls with saucers on top instead of plastic wrap. Bowls with saucers are great for stacking as well.

For more information on how to live a plastic free life, go to www.myplasticfreelife.com

Need help making decisions on the many items cluttering up your beautiful home? Why not start with NAPO-GPC? What? You’re not really sure what that is? It’s the National Association of Professional Organizers Greater Philadelphia Chapter: whew — that’s a mouthful.

We are eighty members strong. Plus associate members which include Philly Junk and Impact Thrift Stores. The chapter started in 1996 and has grown by leaps and bounds. Once a month we meet for networking, professional development workshops, and educational programs. Workshop topics include ADD, Feng Shui, chronically disorganized, and senior relocations. Our library has close to one thousand resources for the members to rent including books, CD’s, and videos.

Did you get to meet us at the Philly Home Show? Perhaps you saw us on the NBC 10! Show or called WHYY and spoke to us on the phone when you gave your donation. You probably heard about Project Thanks, where we organized the home of a veteran after she completed three tours in Afghanistan. We also plan shredding events and collected thousands of shoes for Soles4Souls. This winter we are planning on helping Cradles to Crayons.

Our members are amazing! Some are strictly residential organizers, some corporate, others specialize in home staging, home design, working with clients who have disabilities, and collections including photos and antiques. Coaching is part of the organizing process too, including holistic life coaches, business coaches, academic coaches, as well as consultants.

Check out our website at NAPO-GPC.org. There you will find even more information about our wonderful association as well as our blog with many tips and hints to help you get started on your organizing projects. When you are ready to hire an expert click on “Find an Organizer”, you will be glad you did!