Operation Declutter: Receipts, Junk Mail, Magazines, and Books (+ Fabric!)

So it's 2013. Whoops!  Looks like "Operation Declutter 2012" is now "Operation Declutter 2013." Creative new name, huh? It takes time to come up with these things!

Today's focus is once again on the paper clutter.

RECEIPTS:

I tackled the receipt side of things yesterday.  After the holidays the number of receipts in my purse/wallet/basket in the entry way/etc seem to have taken over any spare space available.  Not to mention, I found even more receipts in my filing cabinet, in a spare storage box, in some old purses I was getting rid of... #Ihavereceiptproblem #morelikeashoppingproblem

http://www.quickenblog.com/paper-trail-why-you-should-hold-onto-receipts-2012-08-09/

My receipt situation was no where near this picture, but I wanted to get on top of it so it NEVER gets this bad! Some quick receipt management tips:

• Buy a paper shredder. These usually go on sale during tax season!
• Major purchases that may require the receipt for warranty should be kept (think appliances and electronics).
• Receipts for tax purposes should have a set location to be filed right away. 
• Compare receipts vs credit card bills.  If you are one of these people, pick a date every week/month to compare, then shred the receipt.  If you aren't one of these people ::me:: set a date to go through receipts (i.e. every Sunday, or every Sunday of the month depending your receipt volume).  
• Setup consistent locations for receipts.  This was one of my problems leading to receipts in odd locations and impossible to find if I needed them. Now I have a basket on my console table for the sole purpose of holding coupons and receipts.

My system? Sort through receipts when I have time and categorize: to shred,  to return, and long-term storage.  Long-term get scanned for a digital copy, then usually filed away or shredded if not needed for warranty/taxes/etc. #haveImentionedIlovemyscanner?

MAGAZINES:

I looked ALL over the house for any magazines - end tables, nightstands, coffee tables, desktops - and found all of these:

Dramatic much Reader's Digest? Wasn't exactly an impressive article, but not important.  #Notgoingthere #Noventingfromme

The pile of magazines looked like this from another angle:

 And in complete honesty, ranged in dates up to two years ago. #dogfoundoneofthemagazinesinthecar #Haven'tgottenflatabsorslimdownedfast

If the magazine was more than two years old, it went to my mom or sister so they could read it if they wanted and then recycle.  The magazines less than two years old made me feel a little like I was cheating on the "decluttering" standpoint since I downloaded the magazines I had yet to read to my IPad.  Most magazines offer a free electronic copy with a paid subscription.  This resulted in me having electronic access to my magazines while traveling recently, which as an added bonus resulted in a lighter carry-on bag!  The rest of the magazines went to my mom or sister again for their enjoyment!  I can still enjoy the magazines, my mom and sister can enjoy the magazines, and I don't have the paper clutter all over my house!  #winwinwin

BOOKS:

When my mom and sister were here helping me clear my closet, they also helped me decide what to do with some of my old textbooks.  Since we refer to my Aunt Alisa as "Doc" she inherited all of my old textbooks in a little impromptu white elephant gift at Christmas!  We also brought fiction books for my family members to take and enjoy at their leisure.  

Sidenote: We gave my Aunt Amy a white elephant gift of all of our old fabric scraps that we had so she  could use them in her quilting business.  Another win-win situation where something we no longer needed could be put to good use!  And when I say she can utilize any size of fabric scraps, I'm not kidding!  Here's her set-up when she stayed at our place: 

And inside that box of treasures? THOUSANDS of fabric squares and rectangles perfectly measured and cut by hand!

So to say she appreciated the fabric scraps was an understatement I believe!  But I digress...

JUNK MAIL:

This is something I should have been doing all along: not setting the junk mail down inside the house.  We rarely use anything out of the coupon mailers we get, simply because they are coupons to places we never go!  Therefore, junk mail now goes STRAIGHT to the recycle bin or trash!  

After going through these categories, I can honestly say we have one filing cabinet and Luke's drawer left that I haven't touched, but otherwise, all of the paper products in our home have an assigned space!  It is so nice not moving piles of paper, or seeing mounds of receipts.  It's been quite the way to start the New Year!  

Next on the list?  Kitchen clutter!  I bought a new utensil caddy when I was at my sister's that I plan on putting to good use!  

What have you decluttered at your house?  Feel free to leave a comment - no really - you can leave a comment!  #notsurethecommentingfunctionisworking  #provemewrong!

Disclaimer: I am no financial expert nor do I claim to be one.  Shred important documents at your own risk!  It's pretty permanent!

Pay It Forward: Not Just A Holiday Tradition

I've read many posts and blogs of late that mention their random acts of kindness or paying it forward, and I have to say, they are some of my favorite posts!

I love the holidays just as much as everybody else: amazing food and drinks (hey when Laurie is your mom, you are NEVER hungry during the holidays!), giving thoughtful gifts and seeing the reaction of the recipients, and of course spending time with friends and family.  The holiday spirit is infectious, and its hard to not to catch it!

My little family celebrating Christmas with Luke's family.  Don't mind the cell phone picture with two squirming furkids.  Strangely enough, they posed themselves!

With the holiday spirit in mind, over the past few weeks I have been doing a fair amount of traveling (and by that I mean I was home 2 days in the month of December. YIKES!).  By far one of my favorite memories of traveling came from one of my airport excursions.

I was on the jet bridge, standing in the line of passengers boarding a plane (have no clue what city I was in or where I was going to), when I noticed a young mom with with two kids under the age of 2, trying to get her second child out of the double wide stroller, and still managing to wrangle carry-ons for all.  I have to admit: I was impressed! She was trying to tackle it all on her own and was doing a decent job, but I knew that was something I would not have done such a good job managing on my own, so I stepped out of line and asked her what I could do to help.  I was a little shocked when she handed me the toddler, but took the opportunity in stride! I also grabbed one of her carry-ons, while an older gentleman and his wife behind me also stepped out of line.  The mom handed her infant son to the wife, and the older gentleman helped her break down her stroller and took a couple of her carry-ons himself.

The six of us waited patiently at the side of the line, looking like one odd family I suppose, when another gentleman stopped waved his hand as a gesture to board in front of him.  As the six of us boarded the plane, the flight attendant said she didn't think there was room to have all six of us sit together as a family; I explained to her that we did not need 6 seats together, but it would be helpful to have at least the mom have two seats to sit with her kids.  She contacted the flight attendant in the back of the plane, who had a passenger offer to give up his seat for the mom.  Once we got to the back of the plane, we helped stow away the carry-ons and handed the mom her kids to buckle in, then went our separate ways to find any remaining seats on the flight.

I couldn't even tell there were small children on the flight, and when I stayed behind to help the mom on the way out (also with the gentleman and his wife), we saw three other strangers had already stepped up to help her with the de-boarding process.

This may be a really long story, but I think the whole situation personified how a small gesture can have a ripple effect. Despite not remembering what city or airport I was in, I could pick out the gentleman and his wife who stepped out of line to help, as well as the gentleman who let us "cut" in line.  Their small gestures made a difference in this young mom's travel experience.

As for me, I had to smile to myself when I realized I had just approached a complete stranger, struck up a conversation, and offered my help, as this was something we had always gently teased my Dad about.  He could, and often did, talk to any stranger he met (a teenage daughter's nightmare) and was the first to offer help if they needed it.  He enjoyed doing these things under the radar, and never wanted the attention that some crave.

I shared my story of my flight experience not because I want attention for my actions, but because I believe small acts of kindness, also known as Paying It Forward, are not something that should be done just during the holidays.  There are many simple things throughout the year that many of us can do, that regardless how minuscule they may seem, can make a difference in the lives of others.
Some random ideas:

• Shovel a neighbors sidewalk.  Your neighbor and those who use the sidewalk will appreciate it (especially the mail person!).

• Send cards.  I don't know a single person who doesn't enjoy getting a piece of fun mail mixed in with their bills.  It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just a quick note celebrating a milestone or just because. I generally enjoy the "just because" cards even more because they are unexpected and thus, a great surprise!

• Let the person behind you in line with the full cart and four small children 2 hours past their naptime and 30 minutes past their snacktime go before you.  No explanation needed. 

• Hold the door open for the person behind you.  And if somebody holds the door open for you - say Thanks!

• Give a gift card. This was one of my favorite things to do in the past year.  Regardless of the amount you put on the gift card  the person you hand it to will be genuinely shocked and elated.  I debated actually doing this after hearing about people putting significant quantities of money on gift cards, but knew I couldn't afford the significant quantities myself, so I decided on what worked for me and my budget: $5 or less.  The best reaction yet?  A young mom at Target with two screaming kids in her cart = priceless!  

• Take the stray cart back to the return or store.  Strangers cars thank you in advance.

• Donate your unwanted things to charity.  As mentioned in yesterdays post, we love donating to ACS Discovery Shops, but we have spread the love to include Habitat for Humanity Restore, Ronald McDonald House, Hope Lodge, Rossi House, the local battered women's shelter, Salvation Army, and Goodwill Industries.   Other ideas? The local Humane Society, homeless shelters, and local elementary/junior/senior high schools. Bonus: Tax deduction for you. Win-win!

• Make baked goods for the local hospice house or other charity.  Everyday when we were at the Hospice House there were fresh baked cookies in the cafe donated from a volunteer.  A small gesture that allowed us some time out of the room to recharge.  

• Share your talents.  This is extremely vague, but everyone has something they are good at!  In my family, we all have our own niches and it's not unusual to find us volunteering our time at somebody's house.  For example, my mom is good at painting, so she has helped to paint my sister's condo, my Aunt's countertops (yup I said painted - she's fancy), and numerous friends' houses! We have been fortunate enough to have family and friends who have selflessly offered to help my family with things around my mom's house that we (my mom, sister and I) are not comfortable doing on our own, and to say we are extremely thankful for their help is an understatement!

• Knit a hat or blanket for a baby at the hospital or an expecting mom.  Doesn't even have to be perfect!  As somebody who has spent time in the delivery rooms: gender neutrals are much appreciated in baby hats!

• Offer an hour of handyman services. Prerequisite: must be handy!

• Make dinner for somebody else's family.  Doesn't have to be fancy - it's the thought not the extravagance!

• Offer to babysit for free so the parents can have a much needed date night.  Date nights are already expensive, so knowing your kids are in good hands (and it's not factoring into the budget) is a relief to many parents.

• Join a local organization and give your time. There are always community organizations looking for volunteers. Ask around.  Check with your kid's schools.  Find an organization whose mission statement you love and make a difference.  I joined Make A Wish almost three years ago and I think I have gotten so much more out of the organization than I could ever give.  (If you do join, be a Wish Granter - best experience ever!)

Needless to say, Paying It Forward is not limited to the holiday season, and I would love to hear your stories!  Do something this week and leave a comment below!

Holy long somewhat sappy post. I promise to have more pictures in the future. Lo siento (translation: I'm sorry!).

How My Washer and Dryer Got Their Groove Back

Hope you all had a great New Year!  I've been in a bit of a painting frenzy of late, so I thought I would share my latest project via a second guest post.  In the spirit of taking what you have and making it more asthetically pleasing (and similar to my first guest post which you can see here) I have taken a roller to my......gasp......yep, my washer and dryer.  Let me explain why.

Below is a shot of my laundry room when I moved in last June.  Not only was this my first time ever having a washer and dryer in my home, it was my first laundry room.  I was in love.  I blame this blinding love for being unable to see some of the room's shortcomings.

A.  The walls were lime sherbet.  Sure, you could argue that this made the space more bright and cheerful.  However, if you know me well, you are acutely aware that I have a severe color aversion when it comes to home decor. Grays and beiges are my jam.  The perfect greige is even better. (Yes, that's a word.  I'm actually a little perplexed that it is showing up on spell check.)  Need I say it?  The sherbet had to go.  Plus, my home is over a century old and therefore clearly offended by this color....

Enter the never ending paint samples.  Here's the catch. Even though I knew I was looking for a perfect neutral for the room, that still equates to about 300 options.  I wish I was kidding.  Add in my fear of commitment to a paint color.

#imahotpaintsamplemess.

I settled on Valspar's metropolis.  It looked fairly gray.  Good enough for me.

Fast forward several hours (and two coats) later.

I also removed all of the shelving above the washer and dryer.  I couldn't reach most of it anyway...

Not bad, eh?  A little more purple than I had anticipated, but I think I found the culprit.  If you have a discriminating eye, you'll notice the ceiling color.  Yep, it's also sherbet.  Curses.  There's not much that I dislike more in life than painting ceilings; ask my mom. Nevertheless, it had to be done.  So out came the 'paint on purple but dries white' ceiling paint.  Gosh I love this stuff.

Since I was up on the ladder anyway, I also painted my black chandelier with the same ORB paint that I had from the Ikea hack post. After I wiped it down, of course.  It was sporting quite the dust coating. I used Frog tape to cover up the white "candlestick" portion and protect the electrical components.  I also swapped out my chandy shades.  Pictures to follow at the bottom.

B.  On to the next item on my laundry room pet peeve list (and why you are probably reading this in the first place).  Upon close inspection you'll notice some flaws on my washer and dryer.  Clarification:  Holy scratchfest, Batman! And it looks like someone bruised my washer.  I had a bad case of washer and dryer abuse on my hands.

Here's the good news.  They both work great.  The bad news? When they stop working, replacing them will be no easy feat.  The elevator opening at my place is only 2 feet wide and the back stairs are only slightly more forgiving, so I need these babies to hang on for awhile.  As I saw it, the only option I had was to paint them.  Scary.

There are a handful of posts online about how to do this.  Most are much more elaborate with cute polka dots and bold color.  That was terrifying to me; I love greige, remember?  So I decided to paint them white.  Shocking.  But before I did, taking a cue from my mom and sister, I first cleaned out the ventilation pipe to my dryer and took the face off as well to clean out the lint. I found this tutorials to be the most simple to follow http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Clothes-Dryer-Vent  This tutorial was best for taking your dryer apart http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Home-Repair/Appliance-Repair/dryer-lint-cleaning-tips/View-All  

Below is the before and after of my dryer vent.    Quite the lint filled plaque I had developing!  #ilovenerdhumor

I kept the bottom portion of the dryer open.  It was easier to paint that way.

I pulled out my small foam roller, primer from the Ikea hack project and the white paint I used on the window inside my guest shower.  (Gotta love older homes!)

The next big decision:  do I paint that little plastic cover for the lint trap?

Quick call to my life consultant/sister, Lindsey.  Her opinion?  "It looks yellow. You should paint it.  Just keep the lid open so that it doesn't dry shut."  #brilliant  

Here's the dryer after a coat of primer.  Lookin' better already....

I also painted the yellowing laminate pieces at the top of the washer and dryer.

Washer after primer...

Ready for the big reveal?

I can't even find the original "bruise" mark.

A million times better!  I was too generous with the paint thickness; next time I'd use thinner coats.

Here's the room as is today.  Don't mind the tools on the dryer; I'm waiting for my cordless drill to charge so I can hang my ironing board a la YHL.  A couple more projects and the room will be done.  For now.

I still have to paint the inside cubby that houses the water hook ups.  I also need to figure out what to do with the open space above the washer and dryer as well as the floor (which explains the paint samples under the drying rack.)  The yellow wood floor....I'm at a loss for words....   What are your ideas? Have you painted wood floor before?  Any tips?

New year, New approach

Happy New Year!  I can't believe we are already in 2013.  I don't know about you, but I am ready for a new year and have been thinking recently about this whole "resolutions" thing.  I think I'm over resolutions.  There are some crazy statistics about resolutions, with 45% of people making them, but only 8% of people are successful at attaining their resolutions.  Thus, instead of making resolutions, I'm going to make a conscious effort to be more aware of what's truly important to me in 2013.  

Talking with my Aunt Alisa over Christmas, she mentioned her mantra for 2013: "Enough is Enough" and I couldn't help but agree with her.

Case in point: At the end of 2012, I spent some extra time clearing out my closet of clothing, purses and shoes that didn't fit, showed wear, or were outdated.  When I got back from the holidays, I sorted all of the clothing into Donate, Sell, and Toss piles.

A fraction of my piles of things to get rid of. 

I took the Sell pile into a couple of local consignment stores and opted for the immediate cash back option, which resulted in some decent amount of cash in my pocket (my version of decent may differ from others, but at this point, if it puts gas in my gas tank, I consider it decent!).

However, when I was at one particular store, I found myself feeling suddenly attached to some of my former belongings.  I had that "but what if I need another black bag and none that I have now will work?!" or "but what if I NEED that button up shirt I've had in my closet for 2 years and never wore?" The truth of the matter is I don't NEED any of the items. If I haven't used it in over a year and somebody else could get use or enjoyment out of my things, isn't that more rewarding?  There is no point in me having a full, overstuffed closet when somebody else could use the items I no longer need/want/use.  In addition, the time and worry I had given to something as insignificant as a shirt was simply not worth it.  It was definitely time to say Enough is Enough; I have a feeling this mantra is going to frequently find it's way into my 2013 vocabulary.

What was left in my Sell pile went straight into my Donate pile and will be going to my local American Cancer Society Discovery Shops, a great organization that functions as a upscale resale shop in order to raise money for the fight against cancer, which many of you know is near and dear to my family's heart.

Little do they know a clown car's worth of stuff will be coming to them in the near future.  When I purged my closet I DID NOT mess around.  Unfortunately I also didn't take pictures since I seized the moment with my mom and sister in town - sometimes you just have to go with the flow!  It feels AWESOME to walk into an organized, clean, simplified space that I have been keeping even more organized and clean now that everything has a home in my closet.

What's your mantra for 2013?  Are you making New Year's Resolutions? Have you ever stuck to a resolution in the past?


I'm excited for what 2013 has to offer! I have already been busy getting a few blog posts ready that I hope will be helpful to you all in 2013 and beyond as well.  Some of the topics are definitely going to be more difficult to talk about than others ::cough cough budgeting cough cough:: but many are more lighthearted and are things that can be done in a short amount of time.   I also have intel that my guest bloggers have post ideas up their sleeves, so stay tuned!  

Have a suggestion?  I'd love to hear it!  Email me at makinghousecalls12@gmail.com

I've gone off my rocker

I think the title of this post is true: I have gone off my rocker!  Thanks to a lovely hip injury and a busy holiday/interview season, posts have been quite sporadic, but I am hoping to do a better job in the near future!

Here's a glimpse into a Craigslist find that I transformed a while back.  Meet the rocker:

Not exactly the kind of "rocker" you might have been imaging.  Not quite as "punk" as many of the rockers I envision, but she definitely has her own style.  A style I'm not exactly sure what to call and will refrain from so as not to offend anyone who may have a similar rocker in their life.

Yes the fabric did look just as bad in person, but for the cost of the chair ::cough cough free!:: I thought I could make this rocking chair look new again!

So I got to work taking off the layerS of fabric.  Yes layers is plural.

The second layer of fabric made the first one not look so bad! Unfortunately, each layer was held in place by hundreds of staples, so my pliers and I became good friends, until I took the second layer of brown fabric off and found the red fabric seen above, which was attached with nails.  Enter hammer.  And too much time removing staples, but in the end it was worth it!

So after all of the fabric was removed, I primed and spray painted the rocking chair with Rustoleum spray paint.  I thought about trying to salvage the stain, but there were too many details that I didn't want to have to sand to get to the bare wood. 

I then used a spray poly to seal the chair and act as an added layer of protection.  I chose a semi-gloss to give it a little shine!

Next step was the face lift of fabric!  I used a 40% coupon at Hobby Lobby to purchase a new seat cushion and some black and white coordinating fabric.  At home, I placed the seat cushion over the springs, then used my handy staple gun to secure two layers of batting (already had at home) around the cushion to soften out the corners.  I then finished off the chair with the black and white fabric, also securing it to the chair with a staple gun.  

Ready for the transformation?

Before:

After:

And a photo-bombing dog after:

The intent was to "flip" the rocking chair, but Luke has been using the chair in "his room" as a place to put his bag, and I think it adds a little bit of coziness to the space!  That doesn't mean it has found it's permanent home, but for now, I think it can stay until I get the urge to transform another piece of furniture, which happens about every 3-6 months, so I guess I'm due!  But I think I'll be waiting  until the month of December is done. Happy Holidays!

That doesn't mean it has found it's permanent home, but for now, I think it can stay until I get the urge to transform another piece of furniture, which happens about every 3-6 months, so I guess I'm due!  But I think I'll be waiting until the month of December is done. Happy Holidays!