When you are organizing your medicine cabinet you will probably come across expired prescriptions & medicines.  Please do not throw them in the garbage, flush them down the toilet or wash them down the sink!  There is a local program that provides an environmentally safe alternative to disposing of both prescription and non-prescription medications in landfills and sewer systems.

The Wentzville, Missouri Police Department provides a safe and proper way to dispose of your unwanted medications.  They offer a Drug Collection and Disposal Drop Box, which is a secured, steel mailbox/collection box, that is located in the lobby at the Law Enforcement Center, 1019 Schroeder Creek Boulevard, Wentzville, MO  63385.  Citizens  are able to deposit their medications anonymously any time of the day or night, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Once collected, the drugs will be properly disposed of by incineration.  People are encouraged to black out their personal information on the prescription bottles, but not the contents of the bottle itself.

Acceptable items include:

•  Expired or unwanted prescription medications
•  Expired or unwanted over the counter medications
• Vitamins and nutritional supplements
• Medications for household pets
• Homeopathic remedies
• EpiPens
• Medicated lotions
• Sealed liquids

Unacceptable items include:

•  Unsealed liquids
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Empty medicine bottles
• Medical waste (iv bags, bloody/infected waste)
• Needles or other “sharps”
•  Hazardous waste
• Thermometers
• Personal care products (shampoos, soaps, makeup, etc.)
• Trash
• Mail
• Lost/found materials
• Business/professional waste

For more information please contact the Wentzville Police Department at 636-639-2150.  For those of you who are located outside of the Wentzville, MO area, I strongly urge you to check with your local law enforcement agency or city/county government offices to see if your area offers a similar “drop box” program.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 28, 2012.  They will be announcing collection sites sometime in March.  I will post this information when it is released.

I want to share a great cause with you and help motivate you to clean out and organize your lingerie drawers.

This a perfect opportunity for you to donate all of those bras that don’t fit anymore, may be a little worn, or you may never have removed the price tags because once you got it home you realized you got caught up in the “prettiness” of it all and the bra wasn’t meant for you in the first place, it just did not support the girls!  I say this because I have been there, done that – more than once!  Don’t be embarrassed and think you can’t donate your “unmentionables”.  You can and for a great cause!

Bras and other intimate wear are typically the least donated items but yet may be the most needed for a lot of women, especially those who are homeless or victims of domestic violence.  If a woman is worried about where she going to get her next meal or where she is going to live, having the right bra is probably the last thing on her mind.  Chances are however that it would probably help boost her self confidence and her morale.  Something as little as having a proper fitting bra might make her feel just a little bit better about herself.

Now through February 26, 2012 Soma Intimates is accepting your bra donations.  You can find a location near you by clicking here.  Soma Intimates is partnering with the National Network to End Domestic Violence.  The bras collected will stay in your community and benefit your local shelters.  Your bra donations can be mailed if there is not a Soma Intimates near you.

Bras that cannot be donated will be sent to The Bra Recyclers.

So get moving, clear out your cluttered lingerie drawers and support a great cause!

Giving is Beautiful!

There are so many people in need.  You can help someone less fortunate by donating canned food to your local food bank.

There are plenty of places that will gladly accept your non-perishable items.  Your donation will help put a meal on someone’s table, how great is that!

Perhaps you are willing to organize a food drive at your place of worship, your school or at your work.

If you have non-perishable food in your pantry at home that you know you are not going to eat, don’t just let it sit there and eventually expire – why not donate it to someone who will put it to good use?  Plus you are clearing out space in your own home!

Some ideas to get you started:

• You could make it a competition to see who gathers the most food.
• You could get your neighbors involved, a quick way to gather a lot of food!
• If you have recently lost weight you could donate the amount lost in food.  For example if you lost 20 pounds you could donate 20 pounds of food.
• You can also donate money or your time.

If you are in the St. Louis, MO area you can find out more at:

www.stlfoodbank.org

For those of you outside of St. Louis just do a search for  “food banks” in your area.  You can also visit www.foodpantries.org to find a pantry as well.

Thank you for your generosity,

I absolutely love what I do. I live a pretty great life and I am surrounded by people who love me and support me.

I have the opportunity to truly change people’s lives through the work that I do.  I love organizing and I am very passionate about helping people live more organized lives.  It brings me such great joy when I am helping someone learn to live a less cluttered life by letting go and taking back control of their surroundings.

I am here to serve my clients, I am here to help make their lives better and I work hard to build a relationship of trust and respect.

Are you ready to finally stop with all of the excuses?  Are you ready to get serious about reaching your organizing goals?  If you think you’re ready to break through whatever it is that has been holding you back then let’s chat.  Click here to get in touch with me.

I want you to love, love, love your surroundings!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I am constantly being asked “What should I do with all of my paper?”  It is usually the biggest challenge for most people.

Since there is a very good chance you are working on your taxes right now (if you are done – way to go!) I thought this would be a great time to focus on filing.  This is an opportune time to get rid of outdated documents by going through your old papers.

I must preface by saying I am an Organizing Expert, I am not an accountant or an attorney.  These are systems that have proven useful for my clients and for myself.  If in doubt, please contact your accountant or attorney for further professional advise.

Archive files are files that you rarely need to access.  These files do not need to be in your office or in close proximity.  They could be kept in the garage up in the rafters, in the attic or in the basement.  They can be stored in a file cabinet, plastic file boxes, or corrugated bankers boxes.  Whatever you decide to use be consistent and use the same kind.  Doing this makes it easy for storage purposes and you will utilize your space efficiently.

Go through all of your files once a year.  I like to do it at the end of the year, typically the week between Christmas and New Years.    The reason to go through your files annually is get rid of the old and make room for the new.

Be very choosey on what you keep and remember most of this stuff will never be used again!

Some examples of what may be considered to include in archive files:

• Annual tax returns and supporting documentation  – keep 7 years
• Audit reports – keep forever
• Year end financial summary statements – once you have received the year end statement compare to your quarterly statements.  Assuming you approve the statements, shred the quarterly statements.  Keep with your tax records
• Bank statements -  Keep only if needed to prove deductions with your tax records
• Credit card statements – keep only if needed to prove deductions with your tax records
• Receipts – keep only if needed to prove deductions with your tax records
• Loan documentation – can get rid of once loan is paid off
• Mortgage documents – as long as you own the home
• Receipts for home improvement/home repair records – as long as you own the home
• Receipts and warranties for any big ticket items  – keep the life of the product
• Memorabilia – be reasonable here.  This category can get out of control really fast.  Assign one bin per family member.  When the bin gets full, something has to be removed before something else goes in.  Do not have multiple bins per family member!
• Personal health records – keep indefinitely.  Purge as necessary

I will write about other kinds of files in future blogs.

Happy Filing,

Well, not really.

We have had a pretty mild winter here in the St. Louis area.  As I am writing this there is no snow on the ground and the temperature is suppose to be in the 60′s this week.  I have been back in the Midwest for a year now and the one thing that is hard to get use to is the humidity.  Even though it is in the 40′s, the humidity is very high making it a damp cold – cold to the bone.  Now I know my friends and family to the north in Minnesota are thinking I am being a wimp right about now.  Rightfully so, when I spoke to my sister last week it was in the -20′s, yes minus twenties, in the middle of the afternoon – that, my friends, is cold!  We are not out of the woods yet.  We still have a good two months of winter left.

Do you have a winter safety kit for your vehicle?  I have listed some of the basics which will help you organize your items to make your kit.  You should carry this kit in your vehicle during this time of the year.  Remember to have enough on hand for each person traveling with you.

• non-perishable snacks
• paper towels
• toilet paper
• water – smaller containers are easier to thaw.  Do not consume snow, it will lower your body temperature.
• tire chains
•  ice scraper/snow brush
• jumper cables
• road flares
• phone charger
• first-aid kit
• blankets or sleeping bags
• flashlight with spare batteries
• manual can opener
• extra socks
• extra gloves
• winter boots
• matches
• candles
• first aid kit
• pocket knife
• medications
• If you travel with pets, have their supplies on hand
• shovel – go for a sturdy one with a decent size -  not the little, dinky, portable, fold-up style
• sand or litter (not the clumping kind) for traction
• tow rope or chain

If you are planning on taking any road trips during the winter months please make sure to check over your vehicle before you hit the road.  Check your tires, battery, fluid levels, wipers, heater, lights and brakes.  This is not not a complete list but it’s a start.

If you live in the mountains, remember your chains if needed.  I never thought about this until I lived in northern Nevada for over five years.

I have sand bags weighing 130 pounds in my trunk.  I have rear wheel drive so the extra weight in the back helps out a lot!  Keep your fuel tank full or don’t let it get below half full.  My oldest brother drilled this into my head!  Yes, Darrel,  I was listening to you all those years ago!

Let people know your departure time, expected arrival time and your route.  Stay on that route – if you have to make any changes let people know that as well.  This is all very helpful if you don’t show up when expected.

If you should become stranded don’t leave your vehicle!  Stay put and be patient.  Make sure the snow is cleared and not accumulating near the exhaust pipe.  Do not leave your vehicle idling.  Start it once an hour for about 10 minutes for heat and have a window cracked for fresh air.

I certainly hope you don’t have to use any of this but it is better to be prepared and organized in this type of situation.

Stay warm and snug as a bug in a rug,

Well, January is almost over.  How are your New Year’s Resolutions going?

Year after year I would have a list of resolutions and the only thing that was consistent was me not keeping them, year after year.  So I don’t do them anymore!

I do, however, set goals for myself.  I reach my goals by  breaking them down into doable tasks.  Completing the tasks over the allotted time I have given myself helps me reach my goal.

I suggest you do the same.  If your resolution is to “get organized this year” turn it into a goal “I will organize one room a month”.  Then break  that goal down into tasks.  Work in the space every day, every weekend, etc. for 30 minutes, 1 hour, an entire afternoon, you get the picture.  Whatever amount of time you decide on, honor your decision and don’t forget to use a timer to keep yourself on track.  Completing your tasks will help you achieve your goal of getting that given room organized in a month.

If you do this you will be completely organized by the end of the year.  What a great accomplishment!

Cheers to you and to a season of new beginnings.