Avoid the Gotchas

If you are like most Americans, the race is on to buy gifts. Shop Smart from Consumer Reports in December 2009 highlighted the big money wasters.  Don’t get trapped!

1.  Hidden debit-card fees. Banks previously rejected debit purchases that were overdrawn. Now, they will accept and charges range from $25-35.  If you spend big on one day you could be hit with several fees.  Some banks have said they will lower or eliminate fees, but I am not counting on that.

2. Phony Sales. Highly promoted door sales on Black Friday offer deep discounts on line.  Sometimes the item advertised is a phony come on to get you to buy something else and spend.  If you try to buy just the sale item on line they will cancel sale, back order or send you lower quality merchandise.  Returns can be difficult, if not impossible.

3.  Unnecessary warranties. Shoppers were expected to spend a billion dollars on extended warranties.  Stores keep as much as 50% of what they charge for them. When electronics and appliances break they repairs on average cost about the same as the extended warranty.

4. Gift Card Charges. SS advises against these.  Some come with purchasing and process fees, expiration dates, transaction fees & inactivity fees that unfairly diminish their value over time. 25% of people hadn’t used their cards since the last holiday.

5. Return Fees. Many electronic items are subject to a 15-25% restocking fee if they are returned open or if they aren’t in a factory sealed box. Merchants can’t resell as new any item after the package has been opened, so they penalize you for opening.

Shop safe!

Gratitude is Attitude

Whenever I give a presentation on eco-organizing  I always talk about organizing your mind.  This is about being clear about your priorities and goals; following your passion; surrounding yourself with good people; and enlarging your life.

For me, this also includes gratitude.  I have been in business almost two and a half years and there were days when I struggle.  How many people out there also started a business in the worst economic times?  What helped sustain me besides family, friends, my Women’s Power Networking group, Inside 919, etc. was my attitude.  I would remind myself that many of my problems were “first world.”  I had food, shelter, good health and family and friends that I could turn to if needed.

How often do you express your gratitude?

What are you thankful for in this Thanksgiving season?

In what other ways do you express your thanks?

Alternatives to traditional Holiday Cards

Hallmark says Americans send 1.8 billion cards during the holidays.  That’s a lot of cards to end up in the landfill!  You can still spread news and joy.  If you are short on time and money sending out cards this year, consider these options.
You can send holiday cards on line free.  It saves time, money, trees.

http://www.123greetings.com

You can send the same card to up to 100 people.

http://www.treegreetings.com

Sends an e-card and plants a tree!

http://www.birthdayalarm.com/

Allows you to set up reminders with your e-cards.

Remember, it’s okay to make the holidays affordable and save yourself time and money as well as reducing your stress!

Keeping the 5 R’s in Mind

Americans throw away an additional 5 million tons of trash – 25% more than usual – between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.

Reduce: Think before you buy. Think again. Do you really need that item? The less stuff you have, the less you have to organize. Have or give experiences (Trips, tickets, special events, cooking/sewing/craft lessons, etc.)

Reuse: It’s great if you recycle your boxes from the holidays, but take it a step further and reuse them: drop off at a local moving company; donate to BJ’s or Sam’s; or find out if a business or non profit is moving and give to them.

Repurpose: Figure out how to repurpose an item. Get creative.  Instead of buying a special plastic case for ornaments, I use a wine case with a divider to store them.

Repair: Try and see if you can repair an item before purchasing another one.  If you can’t, giving it away on http://www.freecycle.org/

Recycle: During the Holiday season it is really important to recycle. Recycling isn’t mandatory in Raleigh or in NC.  Do your part, but encourage the legislature to pass laws.  There is a program that offers incentives to people who recycle in form of gift cards. I asked them to add Raleigh to the list.  https://www.recyclebank.com/

Repurposing Sweaters for a Cool Gift

Have old sweaters & friends that need gifts?  Repurpose your sweaters into mittens! Here’s how:

From the hem of the sweater, cut (back & front) a rectangle 12 inches high & 8 inches wide.  Then cut along the side seam so you have two pieces.

Fold each piece lengthwise with the insides facing out. Mark the thumbhole with pins.  It should be 2 1/2 inches wide &  2 inches from the top.

Sew 1/2 inch from the edge, leaving the thumbhole open.  Reinforce the thumbhold with a separate topstitch.  Then sew a 1/2 inch hem at the bottom.

Wabi sabi

As the holidays approach, wabi sabi is a good philosophy to keep in mind.  Leonard Koren describes it as, “The beauty of all things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete, the antithesis of our classical Western notion of beauty as something perfect, enduring, and monumental.”  I sum it up this way: beauty in “as is”  such as the wrinkles on my forehead, the imperfect shaped tomatoes of my garden, and the scratches and grooves in my antique furniture.

So instead of worrying about creating a perfect holiday, with the perfect presents, behaviors, clothing and smiles…roll with the punches and delight when things don’t go as planned.  Take a deep breath, let it go and revel in imperfection.  Remember who and what is important to you and celebrate that.

Drink Wine! Get Organized!

One of the things I am most passionate about is coming up with creative ways to repurpose every day items to help people get organized!  With the holidays coming up now is a great time to go through all of your ornaments and get organized. Instead of buying a specialty made plastic container for ornaments you can use an empty case of wine box.  After you have enjoyed the wine, you have a perfect carton to organize your ornaments. If the box kept glass bottles of wine undamaged your ornaments will be safe.  If you have multiple boxes, the uniform boxes will be easy to store. You can also color coordinate boxes.  Don’t drink wine? You can go to your local Wine Store where they have an area with empty boxes. What is your favorite item to repurpose?

What to do with the leftover Halloween candy?

If you’re like me you have leftover Halloween candy. What to do? Yes, I want to eat it all but that means more exercise!  You could save it to decorate gingerbread houses for the holidays.

Growing up this was my favorite family tradition. Several families would get together and decorate all day and enjoy a bowl of chilli or soup afterwards. It really did represent what the Holidays were about–spending time with those you loved.

A few years ago, we started up the tradition with my nieces and nephew. My father and I make the houses the week of Thanksgiving and the day of my mom makes icing. We use candy left over from Haloween. We create lots of new memories  with the kids and I look forward to seeing what they will be creating at the end of the month.

Not only is decorating fun, but the gingerbread houses make great gifts and/or decorations. Instead of buying a bunch of decorations, the gingerbread houses are unique and just as festive. They are also great to take to nursing homes or to elderly relatives. The kids are also so proud that people express how much they love the houses.

Consider a new tradition this year of making the houses and enjoying time with family and friends!

Getting it Out

I am pretty well known among my friends that if I eat mustard (the old school plain yellow kind) it will end up on me!  With Halloween around the corner, chocolate stains might be an issue!  Have some of these items together to tackle some common stains:

For washable fabrics:

Chocolate: Combination solvent for grease & rinse. If needed, a digestant for protein.

Coffee: White vinegar till gone. Has sugar: follow up flush with water; milk follow up with combination solvent.

Berry sauces: Dab with denatured alcohol. Flush with white vinegar for remaining color then dab with dish detergent for remaining residue.

Gravy: Combination solvent for grease then flush with white vinegar.

Grease: Cover with absorbent to draw out stain.  Dab with combination solvent & flush with water. If necessary, flush with mineral spirits.

Sap: Dab with mineral spirits & let air dry.  Rub with detergent before washing.

Tea: Flush with lemon juice to remove color then diluted bleach if necessary; Contains sugar follow up with water; milk follow up with combination solvent.

Wax: Freeze by running an ice cube over. Scrape as much off as possible.  Iron on low setting with a towel placed over & beneath stain. Use mineral spirits to remove residue.

Red wine: On delicate cloth soak spot with denatured alcohol. Flush with white vinegar to remove residual stain. On sturdy fabrics, coat with salt and leave for 5 minutes. Stretch stain over heat proof bowl; secure with rubber band. Place in sink & carefully pour boiling water over stain from a height of at least a foot.

White wine: Flush with cool water.

Loving Leftovers!

First, some statistics:

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